The Targay family is back with fire and blood.
The hit Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon will return with Season 2 after a long wait (Season 1 aired in 2022 and will run for about 29 million viewers every week).
Premiering Sunday, June 16, on HBO (9 p.m.) and streaming on Max, the story follows the events of Season 1 and follows the ancestors of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) some 200 years before the original show. Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma Darcy) was meant to be queen, as her father, King Viserys (Paddy Considine), named her successor before his death in Season 1. Her hotheaded uncle and husband, Daemon (Matt Smith)—yes, the Targaryens love incest—is prepared to decapitate her to enforce her rule.
However, her half-brother Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and supporters such as his mother Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and grandfather Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) seek to usurp Rhaenyra’s position. he The rightful ruler. Two brothers are at war with each other, vying for the Iron Throne.
To make matters worse, Aegon’s hot-tempered brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) murdered Rhaenyra’s son at the end of Season 1. In Season 2, as the bodies pile up, both sides of the house try to assemble powerful allies to support either Aegon or Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne, respectively.
Like Season 1, Season 2 falls short of the original show in terms of character depth or writing quality. Where “Game of Thrones” was Christopher Nolan, “House of the Dragon” is Michael Bay: bombastic and less clever, but still entertaining in its own way.
Season 2 is bigger and bloodier: more dragons, more fighting, more murder, more intrigue, more revenge, more nudity, and more sex (including some sex between unrelated people – what a novelty!).
The villainous brothers Aegon and Aemond are standouts, and the actors seem to be having fun manipulating the set pieces, which give their scenes an electric energy. Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and his wife Rhaenys (Eve Best) are also highlights.
There are a ton of new characters introduced — almost too many — but some are welcome additions, like Hal’s Adam (Clinton Liberty) and Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor, imitating Jon Snow’s accent to lend a Game of Thrones nostalgia).
The show doesn’t pause for catch-up, so if your memory is hazy about following similar character names (three women named Rhaenyra, Rhaenys, and Rhaena, Aegon and Aemond, and twins named Arryk and Erryk), Google it, or just go with the flow and don’t sweat the small stuff.
Season 2 has some pitfalls. First, grief is a deeply human emotion, but it’s rarely dramatically compelling. HBO’s other great show, The Leftovers, has figured out how to make grieving characters dynamic on screen, but the script struggles to figure out how to do that with Rhaenyra, despite Darcy’s excellent performance. Because Rhaenyra is the main character, this takes a bit of momentum away from the show.
And while Smith’s performance is fine, the show doesn’t know what to do with Damon. Many of his storylines feel like filler, and he’s a particularly odd choice considering he’s the most well-known cast member. For the show to bench Smith is a complete waste of him.
Hot Topic also suffers from the residual effects of Season 1’s time jump and cast changes, with Alicent, Rhaenyra, Aegon, Aemond and Helena only appearing in their present-day selves for a handful of episodes, so while there are plenty of dramatic deaths and murders, none of them are as emotionally powerful as Game of Thrones, and some key scenes feel gratuitous.
Still, the season teeth Packed with breathtaking twists and turns, it’s sure to grab your attention, even if it doesn’t blow your mind like The Red Wedding did. Hot Topic will likely continue to be a hot topic of conversation for years to come.
Despite having a more condensed timeline than Season 1, Season 2 still feels pacing-heavy, with major events unfolding at breakneck speed, yet still delivering an adrenaline-pumping experience.
While House of the Dragon has some Vhagar-level flaws, it’s still a lot of fun and still feels like event television.
