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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
HBO’s Game of Thrones is regarded by many as the greatest television show ever produced. However, the last season still has dreaded feelings for some, so can they really think that? I would say the showrunners did their best, but I digress.
The HBO prequel spin-off series, House of the Dragon, based on another novel within A Song of Ice and Fire: Fire & Blood, is the story of House Targaryen’s downfall. The events in House of the Dragon will lead to the dynasty being as weak as it was at the start of Game of Thrones. Fire & Blood, unlike A Song of Ice and Fire, is more of a historical and scholarly book rather than a novel. House of the Dragon premiered in 2022 to near-universal acclaim. Its second season will consist of eight episodes, with Ryan Condal as the sole showrunner, while Game of Thrones veteran Miguel Sapochnik stepped away.
The Premise of the House of the Dragon Season 2 Premiere
The Season Two premiere, titled “A Son for a Son,” is written by Condal and directed by Alan Taylor. This episode is a fantastic way to prepare audiences for the chaos that will occur during this war. Both sides will inevitably commit numerous war crimes, some worse than others. This episode features what is, arguably, the first major event that propels the Blacks and the Greens into the thick of war. The Blacks are led by Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and her uncle/husband Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith). Meanwhile, the Greens are led by Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and her father, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans).
Otto is the Hand of the King to King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney), who became King in the penultimate episode of Season One, during which the Greens usurped the Throne from Rhaenyra. Aegon II is wildly unaware of the people on his council attempting to control everything at an almost amusing level.
Grief
This season of the HBO prequel series seems prepared to explore grief as one of the primary motivators for war. In fact, this war will come to be known as the Dance of the Dragons. Rhaenyra has only one line in this episode, and Emma D’Arcy plays Rhaenyra with an elegance that calls back to Sophie Turner from the original Game of Thrones run. The feeling of near-hopelessness that D’Arcy possesses through the character gives so much to the camera. The character is just cloaked in grief, like most people who have lost a child. Her single line in this episode, “I want Aemond Targaryen”, can be interpreted in several ways.
Up until this point, Rhaenyra was really the only one wanting to talk everything out, but the Greens made the first move. Again, the compounded grief with each child’s death, as the war goes on, and her own father, King Aegon I, will probably serve as her key motivator for the war. Moreover, the grief of the loss of friendship and almost of innocence of Rhaenyra and Alicent’s childhood friendship can also be interesting to explore.
There is a scene where Jaceaerys “Jace” Velaryon (Harry Collett) returns from Winterfell to report to Rhaenyra about his meeting with Lord Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor), who will become a key ally to the Blacks. Jace attempts to report to the Queen about his success, yet he inevitably breaks down in his mother’s arms. Both have only just learned about Lucerys “Luke” Velaryon’s death by way of a raven. Luke was killed, whether accidentally or not, by his uncle Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) and his dragon Vhagar in the Season One finale.
Anger
For Daemon, who wants nothing more than revenge, it is a green light to attempt to kill Aemond. This is probably more an admission of guilt than anything else on Rhaenyra’s part. She never really wanted a war, but it seems more inevitable with each passing moment. It is also a way for her to admit that at the end of the day, we all want closure. Maybe if she could face Aemond, then she could get that closure. Daemon is constantly trying to pull everyone to his lane of revenge, while Rhaenyra’s lane—to Daemon—could be seen as a weaker attempt at revenge.
However, Daemon’s moves in this episode begin a cascade of violence that will only get bloodier and bloodier. More so, he will never be able to understand how Rhaenyra feels as a mother, as most men like Daemon can’t. Not because we’re men, but because the children grow and develop inside and outside the mother, the bond is entirely different.
Within the source material, Alicent is one of the few survivors of this war. As the HBO show goes on, it could be worthwhile for the showrunners to explore the breakdown of this character as the war goes on too. Unfortunately, Alicent is perhaps the biggest hypocrite in any fictional story, as she knows the path to victory will only be more violent, yet she doesn’t want it to be “wanton,” as she confesses to her father.
Honor & Duty
As this is a medieval and fantastical story, honor and duty play a huge part in many characters’ stories. Many characters either try their hardest to adhere to their honor or don’t care in the slightest. Then, there are the morally gray few who seem to follow their duty in one form but then break their vows in another. Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) is the perfect example of this theme in HBO’s House of the Dragon. He is introduced as a Knight who grows close to Rhaenyra, but when she doesn’t want to run away together, he turns on her for Alicent.
By Season Two, Alicent and Criston are lovers. In the regime change, Criston becomes Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and no doubt continues to break his vows daily in almost every interaction with Alicent. While he feels his duty is owed to the Crown, he is just a very self-confused Knight who really should not be wearing the White Cloak. It will also be interesting to see how he reckons with everything about to happen.
Blood and Cheese
Perhaps the most intriguing part of A Song of Ice and Fire is the history that precedes the main story in Game of Thrones. The story of Blood and Cheese is notorious within Fire & Blood. Obviously, the writers have to take certain liberties when adapting any story. Within the source material, Blood and Cheese are two nameless men loyal to Daemon who are paid to collect a debt, “An eye for an eye, a son for a son,” as Cheese says to Helaena Targaryen in the story. In the story, Helaena begs them to kill her, but that isn’t what they’re there for, as Blood reminds her.
During their initial meeting in the HBO series, Blood (Sam C. Wilson) and Cheese (Mark Stobbart) are tasked with assassinating Aemond. Yet, when asked what to do if they cannot find him, the camera then cuts to the next scene in the episode, leaving the audience wondering what Daemon would have said. The way the writers play these interactions is great because one has to think the things that happen are what was implied, rather than what was said explicitly.
The Effects
Ultimately, in House of the Dragon, Helaena (Phia Saban), Aegon II’s sister-wife, chooses Aegon’s heir Jaehaerys as the one who will die. This is a complete left turn from the source material. However, this is also a turn that feels necessary. In deliberately choosing Jaehaerys, she eliminates the key heir to the Iron Throne, making Aegon II’s claim more and more false. It is almost a call for those on Team Green to see the true terror of what they unleashed when they usurped the Throne.
Helaena does not seem to want any part of the war. It could also in some ways be a way for her to get her brother-husband to see the error of everything, albeit in the most disturbing manner possible. Daemon will have to reckon with this choice in ways he probably did not think he would have to, and it will no doubt continue to strengthen the fracture between him and Rhaenyra.
Technical Elements
Alan Taylor is another Game of Thrones veteran director. His direction in this episode is eerie and haunting, with the episode boasting solid editing via Frances Parker, and a classic score from main staple Ramin Djawadi that adds to the dread of the episode.
After Jaehaerys is murdered, Helaena and her remaining child Jaehaera run to Alicent’s quarters, where she is finally caught sleeping with Criston Cole. During this very short scene, the music cuts out, and then cuts back in before Helaena mutters, “They killed the boy.” It is an excellent moment within the suspense of the episode and truly reinforces the dread and bleakness. These small moments inevitably become key pressure points for the start of mass chaos. Djawadi’s sheer use of the musical composition is great. Condal’s writing in this episode is some of the best within HBO’s Thrones universe.
Final Thoughts on HBO’s House of the Dragon Season 2 Premiere
“A Son For A Son” is perhaps one of the best season premieres in the Game of Thrones universe. This episode reinforces the key themes within Season One. At the same time, it does a great job of introducing themes that will begin to take shape in this current season. Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke’s performances continue to prove the versatility of female characters within this complicated universe. Next to them, the entire cast does a great job as the story moves closer and closer to all-out war. The events in this premiere episode were fantastic to see play out, as things will only escalate from here. It is as if Condal is doing an even better job so far than he and Sapochnik did together.
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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.