Does Season 2 of House of the Dragon live up to its predecessor? Not quite.
Seasons 1 and 2 of House of the Dragon is available for streaming on Max.
House of the Dragon Season 2 returned like dragon fire as we dealt with the repercussions of the Green's usurping Rhaenyra's crown by crowning Aegon II, and the aftermath of Aemond and Vhagar killing Lucerys and his dragon, Arrax. You would think after that, Season 2 would be full of battles and a war raging across the Realm, but we never quite get there.
Loss of Momentum
The battle we do get is amazing and the effect it has will leave you with PTSD, nevermind the effect it has on the characters. There wasn’t a single bad episode, but the show slowed the story considerably about halfway through the season and started treading water plot-wise. Nowhere was this more evident than in Daemon’s (Matt Smith) storyline at Harrenhal. Part of that is due to some changes made from the book and the saving of the big battle to come in Season 3. Unfortunately, Episode 8 was all about staying in place and was basically a trailer for what is to come. That episode alone is the worst of the season and ends what started on such a high note with a bit of a whimper.
Classist and Feminist Storylines
A big focus of this season was how both sides did their best to marginalize Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and Queen Regent Alicent (Olivia Cooke). Women's roles in this medieval time period are what you would expect from our own history and despite being queens, this is no different in Westeros. The ironic and slightly amusing aspect of this is the surprise Alicent has when everybody starts ignoring her. She supported the side that didn't want a woman ruling them and then when her counsel is ignored, everything goes into quite the spiral.
For Rhaenyra it is different and an uphill battle, but it isn't one she is willing to lose. With no army on Dragonstone and Daemon over at Harrenhal seeing ghosts of his past, her council of men was doing its very best to get her to fall in line. On top of both women being disparaged, a large subplot of the season focused on the small folk and how they're viewed by those born to a higher standing in life. Separation of class is never more prevalent than what we see throughout King's Landing. The further away we get from the Red Keep, the more we see the poor and suffering of the world. This becomes very important later in the season and we will get more of that in Season 3. Strife within both factions is another underlying theme throughout the season. Instead of keeping the focus on each other, both the Blacks and the Greens are plagued with internal issues throwing a monkey wrench in their plans.
Fire and Blood
It's a Game of Thrones show, so this season wasn't without its horrors as well, and none more so than in the first episode. If you are familiar with Blood and Cheese, then you know what happens, but if not, I won't spoil it. I will say that it is a choice that no parent wants to be confronted with.
The special effects team did a great job making the dragons look as realistic as possible and I can understand why there weren't too many big battles, as all of HBO's money went into that dragon budget. Seeing three dragons in battle was crazy and on top of the amazing visuals, the story was greatly enhanced as a result of it. It's not quite the same as in the fictional history book within this fictional world, but it rarely is and I was okay with the choice they made here.
Helaena
Helaena (wife/sister of Aegon) just may be the most tragic character in the show thus far. Overlooked by her entire family, having witnessed the death of her young son in such a brutal way, all the while her ability to see some of the future is ridiculed and overlooked as her just being odd. Phia Saban (Helaena) gets a little bit more to do this season and she takes advantage of her screen time by making herself the most sympathetic character on the show.
Extremely Slow, At Times
Almost in its entirety, the season was strong. However, the decision to focus more on the politics and relationships of the characters slowed the season down a bit too much. I know Game of Thrones was similarly paced, but each season had that pinnacle episode that left you shocked or in tears and that was missing this season from House of the Dragon. This was most evident in the season finale when I kept waiting for war to truly break out and was left wanting and disappointed that it's going to be at least two years before we get to it.
The show had a lot of highs and some of the character choices and relationships were events I didn't see coming even as one who read the books. They worked well. Of those changes, none affect the storyline from the book too much, but the uncertainty of Sunfyre's fate could have huge implications on what is to come when this Civil War finally draws to a conclusion. Early on the pacing worked well, but it was the lack of payoff in the finale that ultimately slows this season down and drops its score down a few grades.
Acting Excellence
As always the acting was phenomenal, with D'Arcy and Clarke standing out among the rest. Some characters who had big roles in Season 1 (I'm looking at you Criston Cole and Otto Hightower) had far less screen time, but were of no less importance. In fact, Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) has some of the most envious scenes of the season, but his introspective character arc is a lot different than the fictional history book made him out to be. It's an interesting choice and I'm looking foward to how his choices and actions may vary going forward in the story from the book.
Best Moments
Every season of Game of Thrones and the first season of House of the Dragon all had that one episode that stood out head and shoulders above the others. Season 2 doesn't quite have that type of episode that will leave you reeling, but there are three moments that stood out more than the rest. Spoilers ahead:
Blood and Cheese: not as graphic as in the books thankfully, but this is probably the most shocking and devastating moment of the season.
Brother vs Brother: twins, divided loyalties, serving two different crowns, this is a heartbreaking moment and the best fight of the season.
3-way Dance: when dragons collide, the realm bleeds. The biggest battle of the season featured one of the Black’s dragons against two of the Green’s. Fire and blood lead to the death of a beloved character and a most severe betrayal sets us up for a shocking twist.
And Now We Wait
Does Season 2 of House of the Dragon live up to its predecessor? Not quite, with fewer episodes and less action along with a finale that never paid off...all the waiting left me unenthused with our end result. The seven episodes leading up to the finale were great and in totality, I loved the season. I feel that Season 2 will only be enhanced when we finally do get Season 3 to see how it all unfolds. Sometimes a binge-watch helps too. I just wish the finale didn't leave such a sour taste in my mouth.
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