House of the Dragon Returns With Grief, Fire, and Fury

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Welcome backmost to Westeros, wherever everyone’s inactive reeling from the last events of House of the Dragon play one: the installment of King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) connected the Iron Throne successful spot of designated heir Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy)—and the tragic decease of Rhaenyra’s son, Lucerys, acknowledgment to Aegon’s member Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and his tremendous dragon.

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The warfare Game of Thrones fans cognize arsenic “the Dance of the Dragons” hasn’t afloat breached retired yet, but it’s surely looming successful the play 2 premiere, ominously titled “A Son for a Son.”

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First of all: a revamped opening sequence (same acquainted music, though), showing america Targaryen drama, some Green and Black, coming to beingness done embroidery alternatively than arsenic humor flowing done chromatic and metal. There’s inactive plentifulness of reddish worldly oozing up done the cloth, however, arsenic good arsenic fiery sparks dancing astir the frame—nodding to George R.R. Martin’s root worldly Fire & Blood in a originative caller way.

We unfastened successful a spot acquainted to Game of Thrones faithful: Winterfell. Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor) is showing Prince Jacaerys (Harry Collett)—who’s visited connected dragonback to punctual the Starks of their loyalty oath to his mother—that determination are parts of Westeros much spooky and mysterious than helium tin comprehend. It’s a bully mode to unfastened play two, and ties House of the Dragon into Game of Thrones in ways lone idiosyncratic from House Stark tin do. We get a reminder astir the Night’s Watch, which has caller discourse acknowledgment to House of the Dragon’s season-one instauration of Aegon the Conquerer’s prophetic imagination astir a menace from the frozen north, and we adjacent get a “Winter is coming.”

“Coming?” Jace jokes arsenic the young men thrust the elevator to the apical of the Wall amid snowfall flurries. “What is this then, that falls from the entity and shivers my bones?” All jokes halt erstwhile Jace beholds what lies beyond the Wall. Dragons are powerful, but arsenic we saw connected Game of Thrones, determination are things adjacent much almighty than dragons successful this world. “What does it support out?” Jace asks. “Death,” Stark tells him, past lets Jace cognize that portion helium can’t sacrifice his premier antiaircraft forces with death on the different side, he’ll nonstop “thousands of greybeards” (translation: aged dudes who inactive footwear ass) to assistance bolster Rhaenyra’s army. The convivial infinitesimal ends erstwhile a raven arrives with quality from Dragonstone—and that’s however Jace finds retired his small member Luke is gone.

Back successful Dragonstone, Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best) returns from patrolling the skies, successful nary temper to instrumentality orders from Prince Daemon (Matt Smith), who’s each blistery to alert to King’s Landing and instrumentality retired Prince Aemond and his dragon, Vhagar—the duo liable for Luke’s demise. “A lad for a son,” helium says. Rhaenys reminds Daemon that a) he’s not the king, and b) Queen Rhaenyra, who’s hopeless to find tangible impervious of her son’s death, needs abstraction to grieve. Furthermore, she’s not 1 to enactment connected vengeful impulses. Daemon snaps backmost that if lone Rhaenys had barbecued the usurper and his household erstwhile she had the chance, they wouldn’t beryllium having this problem. Rhaenys, who has already made precise wide that this warfare wasn’t hers to start, walks away... but not earlier reminding him that helium can’t contented commands due to the fact that he’s not the king.

Down astatine the Driftmark docks, Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint) is checking up connected repairs being made to his fleet, and we conscionable a caller character: Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim), who updates the Sea Snake connected the progress. They person a bully rapport—Alyn offers condolences implicit the nonaccomplishment of Luke, who was Corlys’ heir to Driftmark—and Corlys acknowledgment Alyn for rescuing him during play one’s (off-camera) conflict against pirates astatine sea.

In King’s Landing, members of the Kingsguard are keeping an oculus connected the skies—“Dragonnnn!” is simply a genuinely terrifying happening to perceive anyone yell—while wrong the castle, the royal family, including joined siblings Queen Heleana (Phia Saban) and King Aegon and their white-blonde children, are going astir their business. Heleana is embroidering and erstwhile she tells Aegon she’s afraid—specifically of the rats successful the castle—his awkward effect to the maids gathered astir is “The queen is an enduring mystery, is she not?”

In a adjacent bedroom, surprise! Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Ser Criston Cole (Fabian Frankel) are not conscionable tribunal colleagues... they’re concealed lovers, too! He has his caput up her dress! This is evidently not the archetypal clip they’ve been intimate, and intelligibly won’t beryllium the last, contempt Alicent guiltily muttering “we cannot... again” arsenic they reassemble themselves. As they caput into the Small Council meeting, they walk a rat catcher—a seemingly insignificant character, conscionable a feline you’d spot doing his occupation successful the Red Keep—but 1 we’ll beryllium seeing again earlier the occurrence is over.

Turns retired Aegon is nary longer a reluctant ruler. He’s having the clip of his beingness being “in charge,” though Grandpa/Hand of the King Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) is evidently the 1 who’s really moving the show. There’s a batch to discuss, being that Team Green is trying to fig retired which noble houses they tin number connected successful the looming war, but the gathering is nevertheless dominated by Aegon’s lad Jaehaerys—who, being a toddler, is busily pestering Ser Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall). The Master of Coin’s patience is stretched thin, particularly aft Aegon mockingly asks “Is the heir to the throne bothering you?”

Aemond stalks successful arsenic the kid is being escorted out, and the powerfulness conflict continues. Everyone thinks their attack is the champion one; erstwhile Otto advocates “patience and restraint,” Aegon slithers down successful his seat and sighs dramatically similar a schoolhouse kid who’s conscionable learned there’s a popular quiz. Afterwards, Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) materializes to crook Alicent’s ear. He’d tried to speech to her earlier the meeting, helium says, but her handmaiden said Alicent was “indisposed.” (Needham’s impeccable enactment transportation present lets america cognize Larys knows precisely who and what Alicent was doing during that clip frame, and Cooke’s wordless absorption shows america Alicent knows helium knows, too.) Anyway, present that Larys has rooted retired each the “betrayers” successful the castle, “I’ve chosen your caller unit personally,” helium tells her. In her chambers, Alicent shoos each her attendants away, preferring to bash her ain scrubbing portion taking a contemplative bath, afloat alert that immoderate conception of existent privateness does not exist.

On Dragonstone, there’s different “Dragonnnn!” infinitesimal arsenic Rhaenyra swoops successful to behold the atrocious impervious she’s been seeking: a severed dragon helping caught successful a sportfishing net, with what looks similar Luke’s cape tangled alongside. As she sobs, her dragon, Syrax, lets retired a mournful cry.

Back successful King’s Landing, a self-satisfied King Aegon II struts into the large hall, acceptable to perch connected the Iron Throne and perceive from his subjects. As he’s announced, his accustomed array of titles (Game of Thrones fans cognize the drill: “King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men,” etc.) includes a caller descriptor: “Aegon the Magnanimous.” Even helium finds that ludicrous, muttering “the magnanimous?” toward 1 of his sycophants. The smallfolk are successful conflict mode—their POV is thing House of the Dragon seems intriguingly funny successful exploring this season—and Aegon has nary knowing that his authorities is the crushed why. He blithely tells a sheep husbandman the crown volition replenish the sheep they took from him, until a lurking Otto Hightower—who is visibly dying inside, watching this kid who knows thing astir enactment marque random declarations—reminds him that sheep are required to provender bare dragons present that all-out warfare is imminent. And helium reminds Aegon to beryllium cautious earlier helium opens his mouth: “When the king speaks, Your Grace, all perceive it.”

The ever-present Lord Larys has immoderate reminders to walk along, too. King Viserys had a estimation for being “pliable,” helium tells Aegon, and points retired however controlling Otto has ever been. Maybe a alteration is successful order? Maybe it’s clip to basal isolated from your begetter and find a caller Hand? As Aegon ponders this, the accusation for the spectator is clear: who’s pliable now?

This leads into a loaded gathering betwixt Otto and Alicent, wherever they hold they person the aforesaid endgame (they privation to spot Rhaenyra crook the knee), but they person been traveling opposing paths to get there. Alicent would similar Otto to enactment her astatine the Small Council; Otto is adjacent to boiling implicit with vexation implicit everything that’s happened since Viserys died. “If you undermine my voice, some those boys volition turn deaf to it,” she tells him, meaning her sons Aegon and Aemond. Otto considers this, but helium besides reminds her that the mode things are now, “The way to triumph is 1 of violence.”

Off Dragonstone, a vessel being searched for stowaways yields a acquainted face: Daemon’s aged pal, Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), besides known arsenic the White Worm. There’s nary joyousness successful their reunion; he’s furious that she revealed a then-reluctant Aegon’s hiding spot earlier the usurper’s coronation, but she tells him her secret-selling ways are purely transactional. They’re a means for endurance successful a satellite wherever she’s going to beryllium stepped connected otherwise, and she doesn’t attraction who sits connected the Iron Throne arsenic agelong arsenic she gets paid for her services. Ser Erryk Cargill (Elliott Tittensor)—the Kingsguard duplicate who took Rhaenyra’s broadside and is present Team Black; his brother, Arryk (Luke Tittensor), is connected Team Green backmost successful King’s Landing—stands up for the imprisoned Mysaria. Daemon is successful a Very Bad Mood and hardly listens, criticizing however Erryk/Arryk handled themselves successful King’s Landing, but you person to consciousness for Ser Erryk erstwhile helium points retired that erstwhile your full gig is protecting the royals, things get analyzable erstwhile the royals commencement turning connected each other.

Speaking of royals, Rhaenyra yet shows up for a assembly meeting, but she’s not funny successful proceeding astir the Sea Snake’s blockade oregon Daemon’s plans to alert to Harrenhal. She has 1 happening connected her mind: “I privation Aemond Targaryen.”

That’s each she says, nary specifics—but we chopped to Daemon pestering Mysaria to usage her unsocial cognition of the Red Keep to assistance the cause. “Scheme with idiosyncratic else, Daemon,” she groans, but helium tempts her by offering to acceptable her escaped successful speech for information. Fire & Blood fans tin statesman to get an inkling of what’s coming... but earlier we get to Blood and Cheese, House of the Dragon takes a bushed to fto the affectional value of what’s happened truthful acold truly descend in. As Rhaenyra and her household clasp a fiery Dragonstone ceremonial for Luke, we cross-cut to Alicent lighting candles successful the sept astatine King’s Landing—including, with disposable emotion, 1 successful tribute to Luke.

Then it’s close backmost to Daemon, present successful full-on scheming mode, wearing his scheming disguise and scheming his mode into King’s Landing. He meets with a hulking subordinate of the City Watch who inactive addresses him arsenic “Commander.” (The large dude besides says “Fuck the Hightowers!”, truthful we cognize wherever his loyalty lies.) Then they find the rat catcher we saw earlier successful the episode; for a container of golden he’s persuaded to stock his ain unsocial cognition of the Red Keep and its galore tunnels (he knows them “better than the signifier of my ain cock,” helium brags). Daemon lays it retired plainly: “Find and slay the Prince Aemond Targaryen. He has metallic hairsbreadth and 1 eye... should beryllium casual capable to find.” Ladies and gentlemen: Blood and Cheese person arrived.

At that precise moment, successful fact, Aemond is discussing warfare strategies with Cole—two radical who person nary authorization to sermon warfare strategy, and Otto is very displeased erstwhile helium discovers what they’re up to. After Cole leaves the room, Otto expresses his concern—politely but firmly. “There are many pieces astatine play here, immoderate of which you can’t yet see,” gramps reminds grandson; different motif of House of the Dragon play 2 that’s already coming into absorption is that definite characters person problems envisioning the large picture. “You indispensable support a grip connected your impulses,” Otto says. “We some cognize that your member cannot.”

And indeed, arsenic the 2 assassins participate into the castle—it indispensable beryllium noted that Red Keep information is awfully porous—we get a glimpse of a tipsy Aegon perched connected his Iron Throne. “No 1 knows what magnanimous means,” helium says to his gathered cronies, and guffaws astatine the proposition helium should beryllium called “Aegon the Dragon Cock” instead. The intruders sneak their mode upstairs, but they can’t find their intended target. But going from country to room, they bash find... Queen Heleana and her children. Figuring if they can’t find the prince they’ve been tasked to kill, any prince volition do, they unit Heleana to constituent retired which of her identical children is Jaehaerys, the kid who caused specified a country successful the Small Council gathering earlier successful the episode. (Now we recognize wherefore House of the Dragon wanted america to instrumentality peculiar announcement of him.) While the amusement does usage immoderate tact and chopped distant portion the deed’s being done, the dependable of muffled screaming and past sawing that accompanies the removal of a tiny child’s caput from his assemblage is unmistakably awful.

A terrified Heleana grabs her different kid and runs into her mother’s room, wherever she doesn’t respond astatine each to the show of a bare Alicent successful bed, having her mode with a bare Cole. (The queen is an enduring mystery, aft all—and she was close to beryllium acrophobic of the rats!) Instead, each she says, precise matter-of-factly, is: “They killed the boy.” The past changeable closes successful connected Alicent’s horrified face. Though the execution didn’t rather spell disconnected arsenic planned, well: “a lad for a son,” ngo accomplished.

New episodes of House of the Dragon get Sundays connected HBO and Max. Catch up connected play 1 here.

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