Tensions rise between Targaryens in first teaser for House of the Dragon S2

HBO dropped the primary teaser for the much-anticipated second season of its Game of Thrones prequel spinoff sequence House of the Dragon throughout CCXP23 in Sao Paulo Brazil. The eight episodes will cowl the onset of civil battle inside House Targaryen, often called the Dance of Dragons.

(Spoilers for the primary season beneath.)

As I’ve written beforehand, HBO’s House of the Dragon debuted final 12 months with a stable, promising pilot episode, and the rest of the season lived as much as that preliminary promise. The sequence is about about 200 years earlier than the occasions of Game of Thrones and chronicles the start of the top of House Targaryen’s reign. The main supply materials is Fire and Blood, a fictional historical past of the Targaryen kings written by George R.R. Martin.

As ebook readers know, these occasions culminated in a civil battle and the extinction of the dragons—no less than till Daenerys Targaryen got here alongside. It’s King Viserys I Targaryen’s (Paddy Considine) fateful resolution to call his fierce dragon-rider daughter Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) as his inheritor—passing over his brother and inheritor presumptive Daemon (Matt Smith)—that units occasions in movement. As Rhaenys Velaryon (Eve Best)—aka the “Queen Who Never Was,” as a result of she was handed over when Viserys was topped—is aware of all too nicely, “Men would sooner put the realm to the torch than see a girl ascend the Iron Throne.”

The first season spanned a few years and made some fairly important time jumps, which in flip required changing the youthful actors as their characters aged. Most notably, Emma D’Arcy now performs the older model of Rhaenyra. The S1 finale introduced Westeros to the brink of civil battle.  Viserys died, and his second spouse, Alicent (Olivia Cooke), conspired along with her father Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) to crown her eldest son Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) as king as a substitute of Viserys’ declared inheritor obvious, Rhaenyra. (Let’s simply say their strategy was very typical: assist Aegon or be executed.)

This kicked off loads of political maneuvering as either side tried to shore up assist for his or her chosen inheritor in preparation for the inevitable struggle. Even although she was technically the rightful inheritor, Rhaenyra truly gave the impression to be contemplating House Hightower’s circumstances for concession—till the boastful Prince Aemon (Ewan Mitchell), Alicent’s youthful son, went after Rhaenyra’s younger son, Lucerys (Elliot Grihault). Both dragonriders failed to regulate their dragons, and Aemon’s dragon Vhagar ate Lucerys and his dragon Arrax in mid-air. The season closed with Daemon and Rhaenyra receiving the devastating information, successfully dashing any hope of a peaceable decision.

(Spoilers beneath the gallery primarily based on occasions in Fire and Blood.)

Most of the S1 essential forged members are returning for S2 (these whose characters survived). And we have some new faces within the combine: Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull; Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers; Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower; Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong; Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull; Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome; Kieran Bew as Hugh; Tom Bennett as Ulf; Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark; and Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne.

The teaser opens by setting the stakes,  with Alicent’s father, Otto Hightower, admitting that “errors had been made within the hours following King Viserys’ dying,” and Alicent declaring, “The battle will likely be fought. Many will die. And the victor will finally ascend the throne.” So it is positively enterprise as normal in Westeros. There are dragons and dragonriders, a beheading, troops gathering and getting worn out by dragon fireplace, and Rhaenyra and Aemon going through off with their dragons. Clearly Rhaenyra is not going to heed the warning of Rhaenys:  “There is not any battle so hateful to the gods as a battle between kin. And no battle so bloody as a battle between dragons.”

There can be one transient scene with Aemon’s sister-wife, Helaena, being held with a knife to her throat. It’s already been confirmed {that a} notably brutal plot level within the supply materials will shut out S2, and this seems prefer it is perhaps a reference to that notorious “Blood and Cheese” incident. Blood is a sellsword and Cheese as a ratcatcher, each employed by an agent of Daemon to take revenge in opposition to House Hightower for the dying of his son Lucerys.  Essentially, they pressure Helaena to decide on which of her two younger sons will likely be put to dying. When she chooses her youngest two-year-old, Maelor, they behead her eldest, Jaehaerys, as a substitute, and produce the pinnacle again to Daemon. That ought to make for a robust S2 finale, organising the deliberate remaining two seasons fairly properly. Here’s hoping they get to complete the story.

The second season of House of the Dragon is anticipated to premiere on Max in the summertime of 2024.

Listing picture by Max