Review: House of the Dragon Season 2

The Dragon House is finally telling the story it wanted to tell all along. After a season of time jumps, cast changes, and major prep, HBO’s dragon series is spreading its wings. The Dragon House The first season suffered from its structure, leading to several issues that prevented it from reaching the heights of its predecessor, Game Of Thrones.

The first season provided some good moments but often felt like homework and a series aimed at the avid book reader contingent, leaving the casuals out. Now that all the tedious set-up is over, the conflict we saw continually escalate in the first season is here, and it’s been truly great, even rekindling some of the same feelings that Game of Thrones at its peak would inspire.

Some spoilers for “House of The Dragon” below

The season picks up after the events of the first season finale. Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), whose inheritance was stolen from under her nose, prepares for war after her young son Lucerys and his dragon are killed by her half-brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and his monstrous dragon Vhagar. She is surrounded by those who support her claim to the Iron Throne as steps are taken to strengthen her position and prepare for possible open war with the crown.

On the other hand, Alicient Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and her father seized the opportunity to name her son Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) king within hours of her husband King Viserys’ death, usurping his plan for Rhaenyra to succeed him, setting the stage for the conflict to come. Aegon is a pitiful and immature king, and his advisors struggle to appease him as the threat of war looms ever closer.

What the show does well in its second season is clearly draw the emotional lines of this conflict. This is a war that began when Rhaenyra and Aliceint were teenagers. Now these two women are caught in a seemingly inevitable spiral of violence as the question of who did what first gets lost in history. The big theme of the season so far has been how things get lost in translation over time—not just hundreds of years, but weeks and even days.
The series is based on George R.R. Martin’s historical account of the Targaryen dynasty, Fire and Blood. The book features both reliable and unreliable accounts of historical events, and the series plays with this idea quite masterfully, even subverting the book’s readers’ interpretations of what’s happening. The ambiguity of decision-making and the games that are played are much more interesting this time around.

While the fighting may not start in the first few episodes, the political machinations, plots, and personal dramas take center stage. These conversations in both large and small rooms are what drew people to Game of Thrones in the first place. Seeing House of the Dragon delve into the political drama of the realm and the personal grievances these characters have with one another is refreshing and enriches the story it’s telling, making the final conflict that much more important.

In Game Of ThronesThere were some big standout episodes that everyone remembers, like “Hardhome” and “Battle of the Bastards.” However, some of the standout episodes had very little action, featuring multiple different character arcs and consequential events happening throughout the kingdom. In its second season, The Dragon House uses several different locations, with characters spread across the map, allowing you to check out what’s going on with, for example, Daemon (Matt Smith) being haunted and hallucinating in a haunted castle.

Daemon’s story is both part of a larger narrative and its own arc, and the show managed to make it interesting despite him being ostracized by his wife and supporters. Obtainedyou might be more interested in Arya’s plot than what was happening on the Wall or vice versa, which meant there were multiple things to look forward to in an episode. The Dragon House does similar things, and it pays off in making the world it’s set in feel much bigger than it did in its first season.

The series also explains the stakes and consequences of open warfare. The reason why both sides are reluctant to use their most powerful resources, dragons, to fight head-on is because once that line is crossed, there is no turning back. A war with dragons could potentially lead to ruin for everyone.

When the characters talk about their confrontation with the oldest, largest, and strongest dragon, Vhagar, it’s like they’re talking about a nuclear warhead. It’s another example of brilliant preparation. We know these dragons are about to be unleashed, but the show did a great job of showcasing the consequences and realities of what that would ultimately entail.

The show’s small moments and character building have improved dramatically since the first season, and its biggest moment to date has surpassed anything it’s done before. The fourth episode, titled “A Dance of Dragons,” features exactly what everyone has been trying to avoid: the dragon fight. After reaching an ultimatum and realizing that no matter what she does, all-out war is inevitable, Rhaenyra is ready to unleash the dragons. She sends Rhaenys into battle to stop the crown forces led by Critston Cole from conquering another nearby castle in a show of force. What was supposed to be a simple burn and run turns into a brutal two-on-one dragon fight that was truly breathtaking. The battle showcased all the carnage and emotional damage one would expect after such a build-up.

Overall, halfway through its second season, The Dragon House has settled in and shows that the best may be yet to come. It’s a welcome feeling that HBO’s great fantasy series is running full throttle over the summer. It may never reach the monocultural heights of Game Of Thrones, But the success is such that HBO’s commitment to telling more stories in this universe seems justified.

House of the Dragon airs on HBO and Max.