House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Glorious, gory and gritty
During the final scene, you won't be able to tear your eyes away, despite how torturous the brutality may be. But, then again, that's what House of the Dragon is all about.
House of the Dragon Season 2 official trailer
Good things come to those who wait. Following on from the explosive climax of season one, we are back in the land of Westeros as House of the Dragon makes its highly-anticipated return to our screens.
Loyal fans who have watched Game of Thrones are right to expect the usual themes: dragons, nudity and violence. However whilst this still does happen, writers have opted to include more harrowing topics such as grief and revenge.
Right from the start, you’re greeted with the haunting score of House Stark. Soon enough a raven makes its way to Winterfell and the familiar warning signs of ‘Winter is coming’ kick in.
Thankfully for new viewers there is no need for an extensive recap of season one. It is fairly obvious that the premise of this series revolves around Team Black vs Team Green, after King Viserys’s death and Prince Aegon's wrongful ascension to the throne.
The first episode largely centres around the aftermath of Lucerys’s death, with Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) still visibly distraught and enraged. As the rest of the realm readies for war, she sets about finding his remains and comes across Arrax’s wing washed on the shore. It is a devastating, torturous scene.
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Meanwhile in the south, Dowager Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and her father Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) attempt to rally their own allies. With a new and reckless King Aegon on the throne, viewers may be forgiven for drawing similarities to Joffrey Baratheon.
One of the all time greatest villains from Game of Thrones, Aegon possesses many familiar traits: an uncontrollable temper, stubbornness and a tendency to be unpredictable. He is world’s away from his sister and wife, Queen Helaena Targaryen, who is quiet and peaceful.
However, the episode quickly escalates as Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) sparks off a bloody game with horrifying consequences. Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) is dealt a traumatising storyline to navigate and is a timely reminder of the gory tapestry we’ve signed up to watch.
Emma D’Arcy and Matt Smith both continue to stand out as frontrunners. And while we won't spoil any specifics in this review, their relationship is just as gripping and intense from where we left them in season one.
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Since this is a mediaeval soap opera, we are rewarded with some glorious dragon shots. As mentioned, there are no major gory battles or steamy sex scenes like we are previously used to, but this introduction settles for a much slower pace which makes the show all the more intriguing.
If there is one slight quibble, it's that I wanted to see more of Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best). Apart from Daemon and Rhaenyra, the team of House Black is more or less overshadowed. We also only get a glimpse of Bethany Antonia returning as Baela, but hopefully we will see her shine later on in the season.
But overall, the first episode is a perfect welcome back for hungry fans. During the final scene, you won't be able to tear your eyes away, despite how torturous the brutality may be. But, then again, that's what House of the Dragon is all about.
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON is coming to Sky Atlantic and NOW on 17 June 2024.
