‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Review: A Bigger, Bloodier Return That Could Overshadow ‘Game of Thrones’

When House of the Dragon first debuted, the buzz for the Game of Thrones franchise was at an all-time low. But, with a solid story full of political intrigue, time jumps, and incestuous dragon-riding families, Season 1 of the prequel series was a total success. If it was a tall order for the series to step out from under the shadow of the final season of Game of Thrones, then Season 2 posed a bigger challenge. Season 1 gave us everything, from childhood best friends being torn apart by the trappings of a patriarchal society to a child literally getting his eye torn out of his head in a skirmish over dragons. Was House of the Dragon capable of one-upping itself?

The easy answer to that is yes. Thanks to a solid foundation from Season 1 that was rich with character development, we know exactly where everyone stands when Season 2 begins. In fact, you didn’t need to read the book Fire & Blood by George R. R. Martin to figure out what some of the reactions to that final plot twist would be. Now that the series has fully plunged the world of Westeros into war, not only has House of the Dragon surpassed its freshman season, but, based on the first four episodes provided for review, it has the potential to overshadow even the more popular flagship series.

‘House of the Dragon’ Set Itself Up for Success in Season 2

Too often, the problem with large conflicts or wars is that the spectacle itself is all we’re really here for. No one really cares about who is fighting on whose side — and if there are sides, one is always clearly in the right, while the other is in the wrong. It’s rare that we watch a war fought by both sides and struggle to decide who we really want to win. Deep down, we know that Viserys I (Paddy Considine) always meant to crown Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) as his heir to the Iron Throne, but does that mean that everyone on the Team Green side of things deserves to be killed via dragonfire?

The marketing for the series has seriously ramped up the split between Team Black — those who support Rhaenyra’s claim as queen — and Team Green — those who support Aegon II’s (Tom Glynn-Carney) claim as king. Although the distinction was rather vague in Season 1, now that battle lines have been drawn, it’s difficult to choose a side. How do you not root for Rhaenyra, our point-of-view character since Day 1, with her chaotic and charismatic uncle-husband, Daemon (Matt Smith), alongside her? Other allies consist of her cousin Rhaenys (Eve Best), the Queen Who Never Was (the last woman to be passed up for the crown when facing off against a man), and Rhaenys’ husband, the ferocious and sea-faring Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint). While Daemon might very well be the most morally dubious of the bunch, Team Black basically screams, “We’re the good guys.”

But that doesn’t mean that Team Green are the bad guys, either, in spite of cunning and manipulative characters like Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) and Larys Strong (Matthew Needham). Chief among them is Aegon, who hasn’t exactly endeared himself to audiences after raping one of the castle’s handmaidens and seemingly being unfazed by it. But then there are those like Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and her daughter Helaena (Phia Saban). The former was once a girl who was forced by her father to marry a man over twice her age and bear him heirs to further her family’s political goals, while the latter was married to her brother, Aegon, and suffers from prophetic dreams that turn her into a tragic Cassandra-esque figure. On top of all of that, the Greens boast one of the most complex characters in Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), a sympathetic kid who was always bullied who has now grown into the biggest bully of them all.

House of the Dragon set itself up for the success of Season 1 by weaving intricate stories for each of these characters, allowing us to understand everyone’s motivations and flaws. Even down to characters like Larys and Otto, no character exists solely in the black or the white, and that has always been a highlight of George R. R. Martin’s world, one that showrunner Ryan Condal fully understands. By laying a solid foundation in Season 1, taking us through the years of this story, starting from when Alicent and Rhaenyra were just young girls, we don’t need to be told about the intensity of the bond that exists between these women. We’ve seen it and felt it.

‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Has Relentless Pacing

Season 2 has only 8 episodes as opposed to Season 1’s 10, resulting in this span of the show feeling less like a marathon and more like a non-stop sprint. We hit the ground running with a devastating and stomach-turning tragedy in Episode 1, emphasizing the brutality of this show. No, it’s not bloodier than the Red Wedding, but there’s something more sinister when it’s a war between family members. You’re not just killing off another house; you’re killing off the people who are meant to be your allies when all others abandon you. While the Red Wedding was shocking in its violence, there’s a visceral element to the characters’ suffering here. As blood is spilled, it’s clear there is no winner in this war, and we must all simply sit and watch as this family eats itself from the inside out.

If you look at the Dance of the Dragons in Martin’s Fire & Blood, a fictional history of the Targaryen family, you might be able to map out a storyline that stretches out certain details of the war. It’s not hard to imagine longer seasons where the writers dig into the show’s newer characters as they did with the cast of Season 1. But even though House of the Dragon Season 2 would have benefitted from more episodes, it speedruns through some of the events of the civil war, emphasizing to us just how fast-paced and chaotic this time in Westeros history is. Within a matter of episodes, we watch the fracturing of Team Black over how to properly wage a war, caught between outright dragon attacks and diplomacy. Meanwhile, a slow, simmering grasp for power exists on Team Green’s side, leading to bitterness and infighting. It’s not just one character who unravels this season, it’s all of them, and it’s hard to take your eyes off of it.

What’s missing are the odd pairings that we might have had if the cast was still united. You’re far less likely to see scenes with Otto and Daemon glaring daggers at each other, or see Aegon heartlessly tease and prod at his nephew Jace (Harry Collett). One of the best episodes of Season 1 was when these two sides were forced to coexist, and we saw not only what a united House Targaryen could have been, but also the distinct cracks that made it clear they would never be united. When the two sides do meet, they clash and make it everyone’s problem. The series doesn’t waste time in showing that the war between Rhaenyra and Aegon II is affecting the entire country.

‘Game of Thrones’ Could Never Top the Spectacle of a Dragon War

Remember that distinct feeling you got when Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) finally landed in Westeros? And even though you were worried about characters like Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) it was still absolutely amazing watching Dany ride in on Drogon’s back and turn fields into fire. Well, imagine that and now add more dragons, more conflict, and more violence. The spectacle of House of the Dragon Season 2 is no joke. It’s sort of pedestrian to say that the best thing about these shows is the dragons, but it’s also hard to deny that one of the best things about this show is the dragons.

It was clear in Season 1 that some dragons have deeper bonds with their riders. Dragons like Caraxes and Syrax almost seem to have a psychic connection with their riders, but we rarely ever see them clashing. It wasn’t until the finale that we saw Aemond chasing down his nephew, Lucerys (Elliot Grihault), before his dragon Vhagar tore through Luke and his dragon Arrax in the most savage way — and in that case, it was hardly a fair fight. In Season 2, we understand the full might and horror of what dragon war could be like. These aren’t just family members fighting each other; many of these dragons existed generations before, ridden by other Targaryens during more peaceful times. It emphasizes just how deep this fracture goes, and knowing that this entire war was based on a misunderstanding and a prophecy that turns out to be irrelevant to them adds to the tragedy.

Credit where it’s due, even after only four episodes (the amount we were given for review) and with some incomplete special effects, the animation and design of the dragons are still breathtaking, with each given distinguishing features, roars, and even personalities. A major flaw of Game of Thrones is how Drogon always seemed to be the only dragon who really mattered, while Dany’s other two dragons existed in the show but served only to bolster her retinue. In House of the Dragon, each dragon and each rider are distinct. You might be hard-pressed to remember the names Viserion and Rhaegal if you’re not a book fan, but how can you forget Caraxes, Vhagar, or Syrax? Season 2 also introduces a new bevy of dragons, and it only adds to the spectacle of the series.

‘House of the Dragon’ Is Proof That When Adaptations Work, They Just Work

It’s inevitable that when it comes to adaptations of books, video games, or comics, there will be things that are missing. Going from one medium to another, some aspects will always be lost in translation. However, contrary to what Martin says, adaptations aren’t always bad. Certainly, in this case, we’re seeing just how good they can be. While the characters of Martin’s story were mere skeletons, these actors completely flesh out their characters. Standout performances this season include Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, and Eve Best, but the highlight is actually Tom Glynn-Carney, who manages to make the easily hateable Aegon into someone you might pity or even have empathy for.

While Season 2 allows for the growth of secondary characters like Jace, Baela (Bethany Antonia), Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell), and Helaena, the show’s new crop of characters feels a bit less developed. Given its ensemble, one aspect that House of the Dragon was always going to struggle with was the size of its cast and its ability to grow. Newly introduced characters spend far less time on screen and are less interesting, and while those who know the book will recognize their significance, those who don’t might be counting down the minutes until the plot brings them back to the main cast.

One of the most difficult characters to write is actually the protagonist at the center of the story. Rhaenyra is the beating heart of House of the Dragon, and we return to the series to find her completely broken-hearted. Season 2 does a lot to remind us that she’s mourning while also being dragged into a civil war, but it can also be frustrating to watch as opportunities for her to gain the upper hand go by. Too many times, on both sides, are we presented with options that might nip the war right in the bud, but caution is exercised which, ironically, leads to bloodier consequences. Rhaenyra’s apprehension and hesitancy, which is no doubt rooted in the burden she carries with the Song of Fire and Ice prophecy her father put on her shoulders in Season 1, can be a suffocating thing for characters and viewers alike. As a result, the inaction of Team Black might make the audience more sympathetic to Team Green, even with their infighting.

Despite being based on an existing story, Season 2 still keeps book readers on their toes by altering and rewriting aspects, elaborating on controversial events, and delving deeper into the psyche of our leads. The season is full of unexpected twists, including surprising schemes, character pairings, and appearances. It’s undeniable that House of the Dragon Season 2 flourishes in a way Game of Thrones never could. It wasn’t hard to pick your Westeros house during the seasons of Thrones, but it’s impossible to do what House of the Dragon Season 2’s log line demands of you. All must choose? How do you make an impossible choice? With so much complexity and visual impact, House of the Dragon simply might just be the best fantasy television show of the decade, and more than lives up to the legacy of this franchise.

House of the Dragon

House of the Dragon returns with more spectacle, a bloodier war, and builds on an already solid foundation.

Pros

• The graphics and animation of the dragons and dragons at war are absolutely stunning.
• Powerful performances include Emma D’Arcy, Tom Glynn-Carney, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, and Eve Best.
• The brutality of a war between family members tops the battles and wars of Game of Thrones.

Cons

• The civil war split between characters means we see less of the ensemble together.
• New characters introduced have much less time to develop, making it difficult to care about them.

House of the Dragon Season 2 premieres June 16 on Max.

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