It's time to head back to Westeros as House of the Dragon returns for Season 2 on HBO. The first season split fans, with some very eager to spectate another bloody battle for the Iron Throne and others dismayed at the grotesque premiere violence and the extra-slow rollout of exposition. Based on the first four episodes provided to press by HBO, Season 2 addresses those latter complaints, though the burn is still exceedingly slow in places which makes it tedious to wait for the more exciting action.
If anyone thought that the Season 1 cliffhanger of Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) killing Luke (Elliot Grihault) with his dragon would mean Season 2 picks up with immediate dragon battles, you should brew a cup of tea and wait a minute, because this is Westeros and political dealings move at a glacial pace here. That's actually not a detriment to House of the Dragon Season 2. After two years off the air, the initial episodes carefully remind you of who the central players are, what they want, and who is willing to do the most to get it.
While the Targaryens and Hightowers still teeter on the edge of war in the early episodes, the more-ambitious members of both houses make underhanded deals and rash plans that lead to the gasp-worthy moments that the Game of Thrones universe is known for. You don't have to wait until the penultimate episode of the season to be reminded that no one is immune from death in this universe, even if they have a dragon.
The highlight of Season 2 remains when the dragons get into the action--and they do, eventually--but House of the Dragon does make better use of its talking time than Season 1. Now that the world has been established, we can get into the juicy power dealings and machinations as seemingly loyal allies jump ship or change allegiance to gain power in the lead up to war. House of the Dragon has many moments in the first four episodes screened for critics that feel reminiscent of Game of Thrones Seasons 3 and 4, arguably the best the flagship show had to offer.
The season is anchored by Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke's performances as Rhaenyra and Alicent respectively. The second season does a good job of highlighting how two women--two mothers--would approach impending war. They are conflicted with doing what is best for their own while also being aware of the potential bloodshed. Meanwhile, the men around them clamor for violence make power moves that inevitably lead to a bigger mess. Ewan Mitchell was already one to watch in Season 1, but he really comes into his own in the second season as perhaps the most diabolical member of the Targaryen brood, rivaled only by Matt Smith's Daemon.
House of the Dragon makes a lot of improvements on Season 1, including knowing when to cut the camera away from the most brutal violence. This series is still not for those with a weak stomach for blood, but the creative team clearly took note of how explicit things need to be after the series' premiere's traumatizing medieval C-section. It makes it easier to enjoy the show when you don't have to pause to ask yourself, "What the hell did I just watch?"
Improvements are great, but there is still room for growth. The production team has still not figured out how to light scenes in the dark, so be prepared to watch crucial moments of the season with your house completely dark, blinds drawn, and the brightness on your television all the way up. The great news is that the most climactic moment of the early episodes, which at HBO's request we can't reveal, is a daytime scene, so there's no ambiguity when the chaos begins.
There is a lot of ambiguity, though, around several minor characters introduced at the start of the season. It's clear that House of the Dragon is trying to do a better job than its predecessor of showing how the royal infighting affects the "small folk" of Westeros, so we are introduced to several low-ranking and working-class members of the society. It's a valuable perspective on the encroaching violence, but it's not entirely clear whether these characters will have an integral part in the central plot. Maybe the show is laying early seeds for a payoff in later episodes, but without the full context, it feels like we're being introduced to a plethora of characters with no real impactful role in the main dilemma. In a show where 80% of the cast have silver hair and variations of the same five names, introducing even more characters without a clear significance makes keeping this massive cast of characters straight even more difficult.
While you're trying to remember the difference between Jacaerys (Rhaenyra's heir) and Viserys (Rhaenyra's father/Alicent's husband), House of the Dragon also wants you to never forget that winter is coming and the wall up north is keeping out something far more sinister than Wildlings. The phrase "A Song of Ice and Fire," which is the name of the book series all of these characters are based on, is muttered multiple times. The problem is, we already know how "A Song of Ice and Fire" pans out. We spent the better part of a decade watching it unfold. So it's baffling why House of the Dragon keeps treating it like a secret, or an eventual battle that this particular series will address. Will the prophecy of The Night King actually affect the Targaryens in this story when the audience already knows that "the prince(ss) who was promised" is still hundreds of years away?
There are many questions about House of the Dragon that may be answered in the later episodes of the season. For those wondering whether Season 2 is worth tuning into, you still need to be prepared for a slow burn, but there is a worthy payoff for your patience across both seasons sooner rather than later. House of the Dragon has the earmarks of what made its flagship show so popular--great story, great performances, and watercooler moments you'll want to break down in the "#hotd-spoilers" Slack chat on Monday morning. What more could you want, really?
