Is this season slow? Yes. But honestly, how many dragon dances, child murders, and to-the-death twin fights can we have in a season before drama loses all meaning?
As a lifelong fantasy disliker, I've taken a strange route to my love of all things Game of Thrones. In fact, I'd dare say George R.R. Martin kickstarted my love of dragons, an interest until recently I'd actively disavowed.
But House of the Dragon, like Game of Thrones before it, isn't just fantasy — it's about human beings (granted, I know fantasy lovers will say that there's tons of others depictions that are more worthy, but this was my entry and I'm obsessed).
When rumors of House of the Dragon started appearing on the scene, I still scoffed though. Who cares about the backstory to the Targaryen dynasty's fall? Turns out I do! As I quickly raise my hand like the sentient Four Seasons baby meme.
Season one of the show was fairly well acclaimed, which led us to the epic marketing campaign this summer in anticipation of season two. Choose your side! The bridge-spanning AI banners down epic New York City landmarks! Team Green or Team Black! (I cannot imagine a world in which anyone roots for Team Green. If you do, please email me your reasoning.)
This season, as it progressed weekly from June 16 until August 4, was eight episodes — two installments fewer than every other Westerosi-inspired HBO series.
It begins almost immediately after the events of the season one finale, namely after Aemond kills Lucerys on dragonback. This begins a theme that will dominate all season: how do you answer cruelty without becoming the enemy yourself? Rhaenyra demands vengeance, but Daemon goes a bridge too far and sends assassins into Kings Landing to exact revenge, a son for a son. Only they get the wrong son, and poor sweet Helaena's baby is killed instead. Not exactly the most positive way to kickstart a new season, but hey, this is Westeros, and George R.R. Martin will kill anyone, even children.
There's so much to talk about this season (despite what the naysayers are shouting into the void on X), so I think I'll focus on my top five moments and low five moments.
Top five moments
1. Getting to know the dragons better
We get three dragons in Game of Thrones, but I never felt like we settled into their personalities or lives. They were just ... around Danerys, but apart from knowing (some?) of their names, I couldn't tell you the difference between them any more than I could tell the difference between three crossbows. They were just weapons. With House of the Dragon, though, we learn the names of multiple dragons and their respective riders, and they're all extremely different. I love the way the show explores the concept of unattached dragons, too, and how the bond between rider and dragon is paramount to the success of the Targaryens.
2. Rhaenys' final sacrifice
The Queen Who Never Was tried telling Rhaenyra early on that the realm wasn't kind to women in positions of power, and she was proved right when King Viserys ultimately had more sons with Alicent. But nevertheless, Rhaenys stood by Rhaenyra's side with Meleys, her battle-hardened dragon. Honestly, by the time of her death, she was probably exhausted — she'd been fighting for a while, and both her children had died tragically. But she knew what was on the right side, and in the end she died supporting her brother's final wish that named Rhaenyra as rightful heir to the Iron Throne.
3. Everytime Rhaenyra is on screen
Emma D'Arcy's portrayal of Rhaenyra is what would happen if you asked AI to create an epic Targaryen queen. It's picture perfect, of course, but also one imbued with empathy, ire, and real humanity. She knows that she should be ruling, but there's a world of scheming patriarchy fighting her at every turn. Whether she's angling to keep control of her own small council or deep in study over the potential genealogical lines of dragonriders, you never doubt her commitment to ruling the seven kingdoms — and she deserves to, especially compared to her degenerate half-brothers.
4. Chekhov's smallfolk
Throughout the season the showrunners pepper into the plot these strange glimpses into the lives of ordinary residents of King's Landing. I wondered at first why we were getting these random takes, but it turns out it's for a pretty cool reason — these three smallfolk (Ulf, Hugh, and Addam) possess enough dragon-rider blood that they'll eventually be able to become riders for the lonely dragons of Team Black. Now, I don't much about Westerosi royalty OR dragons, but even I know that's pretty special. But also question: Was Corlys loading that damn ship ALL SEASON or was it just me? There's so many scenes of sailors loading boxes onto that boat that it was like a scene from Law & Order where they're interrogating a reticent dock worker who won't stop working.
5. Larys' finagling
In Game of Thrones, we were privy to two of the most epic finaglers of all time — Littlefinger and Varys. Their predecessor? Why it's clearly Larys Strong, a disabled member of a powerful house that somehow has found himself at the court of Team Green and wishes to make some serious moves. Is he good at his job? I'm not exactly sure! But I like seeing him try, and I also enjoy seeing Aemond completely ignore him during his time as Prince Regent.
Low five moments
1. Daemon's haunted mansion adventure at Harrenhall
Is this season slow? Yes. But honestly, how many dragon dances, child murders, and to-the-death twin fights can we have in a season before drama loses all meaning? I think people get addicted to beloved character deaths for which George R.R. Martin IP is so known. But the pace is unsustainable. That being said, however — I could not have been less interested in Daemon's time spent at Harrenhall. Yes, I understand he had to secure the Riverlands. Yes, he was mad at Rhaenyra. But man was this drafty and rainy castle boring. The one exception? Ser Simon Strong!
2. Ser Cristen Cole, full stop
I just don't like his smarmy face.
3. Alicent's quick-change of feeling
Alicent, to be fair, misunderstood dying, drugged Viserys when he uttered his last words (there's a lot of Targaryens with the same name, also in her defense). But she made moves to challenge Rhaenyra's claim to the throne, so a lot of this season is technically her fault. By episode eight however, she realizes she's made a huge mistake. This, I don't buy — she's known for a while that her two songs are douchebags. She saw both Aegon and Aemond at the council table and realized they were not kind rulers. But surely she had some inkling before. There was one scene in particular where she severely chastises Aegon for not listening to the council and their wisdom, especially after all their machinations to get him to the throne. That makes you realize — what was it all for? For the Hightowers to rule as a proxy? Did she even want that? I'm not sure what Alicent wants, but by the season finale she basically asks her one true love Rhaenyra to run away together.
4. The Riverlands negotiations
Look, I like a lot of the lore of Westeros. Put me in front of some Starks, some Tullys, some Lannisters, some Martells, and I'm happy. But dealing with the Blackwoods and Brackens? Total snooze fest. If someone can tell me why I feel this way, I'm happy to listen.
5. Aemond's motivation
Aemond had a very tragic childhood incident involving his eye, but did that really turn him completely evil? It's possible I suppose, but unlike a lot of characters, he's more like King Joffrey in Game of Thrones in that he's completely a static evil bad guy.
Final take
I liked this season, slow that it was. Episodes 5 and 6 were especially painstaking, and I found myself wishing they'd fly by a little quicker. But I enjoyed my weekly Dragon Tales, and I remain in awe of the acting, production design, and CGI. These dragons are in fact stellar, and I'm once again shocked to find myself googling the names of different beasts after an episodes so I can learn more about their traits and history (The black dread?!?! So cool.)
I count that as a success.
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The MathNerd coefficient: 7/10
POSTED BY: Haley Zapal, new NoaF contributor and lawyer-turned-copywriter living in Atlanta, Georgia. A co-host of Hugo Award-winning podcast Hugo, Girl!, she posts on Instagram as @cestlahaley. She loves nautical fiction, Vidalia onions, and growing corn and giving them pun names like Anacorn Skywalker.
