“There is no war so hateful to the gods as a war between kin.” That’s what House of the Dragon Season 2 tells us early on, and it’s probably true – but such a war also makes for undeniably good television.
Indeed, fully fledged familial conflict is what elevates the Game of Thrones prequel’s second season above its first. As impressive as House of the Dragon Season 1 was, it often struggled under the Iron Throne-like weight of setting everything up. But now, with all the pieces in place and the chronological shenanigans and casting shake-ups over, it’s time for the main event.
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And what a main event it is. Fully unshackled at last, House of the Dragon spreads its wings wide and soars with Season 2’s bloody payback parable.
House of the Dragon Season 2 kicks off a few weeks after Season 1’s finale. Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) still mourns the death of her son, Lucerys, while her inner circle – including Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) and Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best) – fight to keep her campaign to control Westeros on the rails. Meanwhile, Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and her father, Otto (Rhys Ifans), are likewise struggling to keep Rhaenyra’s royal rival, feckless King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), in line. Predictably, hostilities between both increasingly dysfunctional camps quickly escalate, and it’s only a matter of when (not if) all-out civil war will break out.
To say more risks spoiling things, but know this: House of the Dragon is an even more engaging affair this time around. This is the case even when the pacing takes a hit, and despite the relative lack of action early on. Part of what makes House of the Dragon Season 2’s plotting so effective is its lack of time jumps. By not constantly leaping forward, the show lends a greater sense of immediacy (and consequence) to all its political wheeling and dealing. This also benefits Season 2’s character arcs; all of its lords and ladies now have room to grow on screen, rather than between episodes.
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The overall effect (based on the four episodes HBO made available for review) is of a more assured sophomore outing, right down to its slick new opening credits. Showrunner Ryan Condal – who previously co-shepherded Season 1 with Miguel Sapochnik – and his crew take everything they learned last time around and build on it. This is especially true of how well Condal and co. juggle the House of the Dragon Season 2’s sprawling cast. Whereas before some supporting players almost got lost in the shuffle, here everyone gets their moment to shine.
That said, some cast members stand out more than others. Darcy is excellent as Rhaenyra, a decisive monarch paradoxically wracked with indecision. Smith is likewise on top form as Daemon, supplying some much-needed humor, while also mining the insecurities that haunt the king consort – literally, at times – for all they’re worth. Glynn-Carney makes the most of his bigger role this time around, bringing depth to what could easily have been a one-note part. Then there’s Best, who’s a Song of Ice and Fire all her own as she effortlessly shifts gears from warm to chilly as required.
But where every House of the Dragon star excels is at creating disgustingly watchable characters. Next to none of the show’s extended line-up is wholly likeable in the conventional sense, yet they are compelling. They’re a bunch of fascinatingly flawed folks with clearly defined and understandable (if not always relatable) motivations. With a few notable exceptions, we don’t really want to see any of them die – even though “sudden death” is the franchise’s calling card.
As ever, this makes House of the Dragon‘s world a place we wouldn’t want to live, but love to visit. That world has never looked better than in it does in Season 2, either. Cinematographers Alejandro Martínez, Catherine Goldschmidt, P.J. Dillon, and Vanja Cernjul bring a painterly quality to House of the Dragon‘s second season. Petals drift on the wind, dew drops glisten on forest vegetation – it’s gorgeous stuff that makes a strong case for real location sets. About the only downside is that none of these locations are truly new. It’s fun stopping by familiar places, however, it’s a shame George R.R. Martin’s source novel, Fire & Blood, doesn’t supply much scope to stray beyond Westeros.
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Fortunately, House of the Dragon Season 2 mixes things up where it matters the most: the dragon-on-dragon battle scenes. Condal and his team keep a tight rein on the CGI budget early on, but when the “Dance of the Dragons” finally begins, it’s a helluva waltz. Forget flying lizards spewing fire at each other; these are viseral aerial wrestling matches beyond what even Game of Thrones served up. Franchise veteran Alan Taylor helms Season 2’s first major beastie brouhaha, and strikes a perfect balance between spectacle and clarity.
While the action may be clear, the morality – heck, the straight-up purpose – of it all is deliciously murky. House of the Dragon Season 2 doubles down on Season 1’s storytelling shades of grey, and while our sympathies often lie with Rhaenyra, we’re never 100% convinced anybody is doing the right thing. Is there even such a thing as right and wrong in an endless cycle of violence and tit-for-tat warfare? And what good is a just cause once it’s forgotten?
These are the questions that plague the more moderate on both sides of House of the Dragon Season 2’s Targaryen divide. Yet while they deliberate, it’s the small folk – more prominently in frame this season, thankfully – who suffer. There’s plenty of talk about acting for “the good of the realm” by the high and mighty, yet it’s constantly drowned out by war cries. Needless bloodshed rules the day.
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But then, that’s the whole point of House of the Dragon Season 2: revenge isn’t all it’s cracked up to be – except where event TV is concerned, that is.
House of the Dragon Season 2 premieres on HBO on June 16, 2024.
Published: Jun 10, 2024 09:33 am