As someone who’s read Fire and Blood and has made several – albeit unsuccessful – attempts to learn High Valyrian, I fully get the fascination surrounding the Targaryen dynasty within the Game of Thrones fandom. What’s not to love? Silver hair, dragons and, of course, the never-ending lust for power – all of which, as HBO has proven time and time again, makes for great television.
Enter: House of the Dragon, the spin-off prequel series that takes place over a hundred years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen and explores The Dance of Dragons, a key event in the A Song of Ice and Fire universe that ultimately led to the downfall of House Targaryen.
Back when the first season of House of the Dragon dropped in 2022, I was reminded why I fell in love with the franchise in the first place. Thankfully, after a two-year wait that felt like a lifetime, House of the Dragon is about to return to our screens on June 17th on Sky and HBO Max, with eight episodes dropping on a weekly basis.
Having watched the first episode at the UK premiere, I can assure you that there’s a lot to unpack. In fact, I still feel overwhelmed by the sheer variety of emotions that I experienced over the span of just one hour – but more on that later. So here goes: my honest and spoiler-free first impression review of House of the Dragon season 2.
The second season picks up right where we left off, exploring the aftermath of the tragic death of Queen Rhaenyra’s son Lucerys Velaryon and the Greens (AKA the Hightower clan) usurping the Iron Throne and installing Aegon II as king. If the first season was the prelude to the main event that’s full of scheming, backstabbing and plotting, the second season very much amps up the pressure of the inevitable war, with the theme of vengeance taking centre stage from the get-go.
That said, the show still manages to ease you back into the story gently without forcing any unnecessary exposition or rushed pacing. The first episode starts off with a familiar soundtrack and an even more familiar setting, one that fans haven’t seen since the days of Game of Thrones (hint-hint). As the episode goes on, we find ourselves back in King’s Landing and Dragonstone, where the Blacks and the Greens are preparing for what’s to come – whether or not that’s reflected through preventing the war or ensuing violence, you’ll have to find out in a few days.
Right off the bat, I noticed that everything from the costumes, set design and even the wigs feels a lot more elevated compared to the previous season, which helped immerse me into the story that much more. But what truly takes the crown (pun intended) is the acting, which induced everything from tears, anger, shock and even laughter, the latter of which is a rarity in the GoT universe.
The standout performance is undoubtedly delivered by Emma D’Arcy, who, despite having only one line of dialogue throughout the entire episode, managed to deliver some of the most emotional scenes of the whole series. They masterfully portrayed a grief-stricken mother, arguably going above and beyond their character’s interpretation in the book. One of my favourite scenes in the episode featured Emma and Harry Collett (who portrays Jacaerys Velaryon), both of whom delivered a touching moment and portrayed the close bond between Rhaenyra and her son in a way that we hadn’t quite seen in the first season.
To my surprise, King Aegon II (played by Tom Glynn-Carney) provided most of the comic relief throughout the episode, offering a healthy dose of witty humour and good, old-fashioned medieval swearing. Tom’s performance also added much more complexity and layers to his character’s development compared to the previous season, which goes in line with the producer’s sentiment that “no side is perfect”, that’s also repeatedly echoed throughout the Fire and Blood.
Meanwhile, Alicent Hightower (portrayed by Olivia Cooke) finds herself, as ever, drowned in feelings of guilt and worry for the future of her family. Olivia’s performance as the queen dowager is top-notch – very much on par with that iconic Alicent outburst scene from episode seven back in season one. That said, I have to admit that I was personally a bit confused to see that the writers have gone in a very interesting and potentially game-changing direction with Alicent’s character. In fact, I’d say that it will likely be a huge talking point once the episode airs on June 17.
As for further changes from the source material, I’ll save you the trouble: there are a handful. Some are big enough to make your jaw drop (in true GoT style), while others are smaller tweaks that actually ended up making more sense for the series plot and respective character arcs. I also wouldn’t say that any of these changes came out of nowhere either – having rewatched season one, I spotted quite a few sneaky hints scattered throughout the last few episodes that made me feel as if we almost should have seen them coming.
Much like Game of Thrones, House of The Dragon season 2 doesn’t fail to deliver a shock factor, with the first episode featuring a scene that’s sure to traumatise anyone who hasn’t read Fire and Blood. Even having said that, despite knowing the event in question prior to watching the episode, I still found myself shocked, sad and horrified.
As a whole, the season two opener is a rollercoaster of emotions that sets the tone perfectly for all the twists and turns that are sure to follow in the next seven episodes. And if the rest of the series offers anything of the sort, we’re in for one heck of a ride.
House of the Dragon will air on Sky and HBO Max on June 17th.
For more content from Glamour UK Commerce Writer Denise Primbet, follow her on Instagram @deniseprimbet.
