Following King Aegon II’s coronation and the death of Queen Rhaenyra’s son, House Targaryen is divided in two. In King’s Landing, Aegon II rules from the Iron Throne, supported by Alicent and the Green Council, under the protection of the largest dragon in Westeros. From exile on Dragonstone, Queen Rhaenyra, and her Black Council consider their next move. Civil war looms as both sides seek support from the great houses of Westeros, ultimately amassing armies and dragons.
After nearly two years, House of the Dragon returns to our small screens, as the Targaryen civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons officially begins. Please wait my lords and ladies as we have just received a raven from HBO. It reads “ The Dance of the Dragons will not officially begin until the third season premiers in 2026.”
Season two of House of the Dragon is woefully frustrating, as this latest season doesn’t really feel like a complete season. It feels like 60% of a season stretched out over eight episodes, whose only narrative purpose is to set up the next season. On paper, there is nothing wrong with this as the first season was entirely dedicated to setting up the events that would lead to the Dance of the Dragons. But when nearly half of the second season is devoted to characters doing busy work as the story is pushed back to the next season, viewers will be frustrated.
For the first four episodes, the series has a strong narrative momentum. We witness one escalating event after another after another that we know will lead to a bloody civil war. We are even given a glimpse of that civil war in episode four as we witness the battle of Rook’s Rest. A climatic dragon battle that was as mesmerizing as it was terrifying. In these opening episodes, you felt the stakes and the dread of what is to come into the world of Westeros, a terribly bloody civil war that will lead to the “extinction” of dragons.
However, all of this narrative momentum flies into a castle wall as the narrative comes to a screeching halt, as it becomes focused on setting up the next season. I understand that they need to move pieces on the board to set up their story right, but they did it in the worst way possible. Many characters are stuck in limbo as they are given nothing to do. From Daemon being haunted by the Ghosts of Harrenhal’s Past for six episodes, to Rhaenyra pouting in her studies, the characters lack motivation and action for the majority of the season, or at least for Team Black. Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Steven Toussaint, Eve Best, and Harry Collett, all did their best with the characters, but Team Black was not given all that much to do outside of twiddling their thumbs and pouting.
On the other hand, Team Green was the primary force pushing the narrative forward this season. Not only did they move pieces on the board and take action, but they also saw the consequences of those actions. Albeit, there are points where they are stuck in limbo, they were at least active characters, unlike Team Black. Furthermore, it finally gave Team Green the much-needed screentime so they could make their claim to the Iron Throne. The series has been and still is biased toward Team Black, but I am glad Team Green was finally given its flowers to show who its characters are outside of one-dimensional royal court stereotypes, outside of Alicent and Otto.
Olivia Cooke’s transformative performance as Alicent is powerful as she realizes that she started this civil war and that she is powerless to stop it as she is a woman. Fabian Frankel as Sir Criston Cole is fascinating as we see the reality of war hit him in the face. As he goes from being enthusiastic about going to war, to being terrified of it, is a fascinating deconstruction of the romanticism of war. However, the biggest standout was Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II. His character in the first season is somewhat characterized as another version of Joffrey Baratheon, but in the second season, they course correct his character into a tragic figure. His performance carries the authenticity and vulnerability of someone being forced and ill-prepared to become a king. We see his lack of conditioning begin to eat away at him as finds himself powerless in this civil war as he is dwindled to a figurehead king. His frustration is fascinating to watch as he brings a sense of tragedy to this character.
Overall, I have mixed feelings regarding the second season of House of the Dragon. It is still a well-made show, and I am still looking forward to the next season. However, getting through the second season was difficult. There are many moments when the series hits its strides, especially in the first half, but it falls victim to needless filler as it delays its story for the next season.
My Rating: B
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