For a story that only has so many big moments – and one that already exists fully-formed in book form with all those moments laid out clearly – I honestly didn’t expect that the second season premiere of House of the Dragon would give us one of them right out of the gate. But that’s exactly what we got, after an episode that reacquainted us with just what happened that the close of season one (that would be Aemond killing Luke in a dragon fight – accidentally, by all appearances in the moment, but an action that has clear reverberations in this episode and likely throughout the rest of the series), as well as outlining our key players in the story and providing a couple of key bits of information for us to place them in the story once more (Helaena is a seer, Aegon is a psychopath, Aemond is the brains in his family, etc.).
Despite not giving House of the Dragon a second thought since the end of its first season last year (which isn’t meant to be a slight on the series – it’s just, frankly, not all that memorable when compared to the sweeping narrative and complex storytelling of the early years of its predecessor, Game of Thrones), it wasn’t all that hard to jump back into the narrative. And while I still have yet to read through the source material, I’ll admit to taking a quick trip through the Westeros Wiki just to remind myself of who answered to which name (and perhaps checking to see how much longer some of the more insufferable characters might be around – looking at you there, Larys). But I appreciate that, despite offering an episode that appeared to be more about showing us the battle lines – and not just the Greens and the Blacks, but crucially, how the jockeying for position in each faction was falling out – the episode took a turn at the close and gave us the Blood and Cheese incident with the murder of little Jaehaerys, a prince for a prince (even if it’s not the prince that Daemon was asking for – although I doubt he’ll be too mad that such a huge blow was struck against Aegon in the grand scheme of things).
We’ll see the results of this death next week (poor Helaena is in for a rough go of it), but there were some other key pieces of information we’ll need to keep an eye on as the story churns forward. For one, Daemon is chomping at the bit to be more of a force in the war, so much so that he tried to order Rhaenys to follow him into battle – a request she rebuffed as he’s not the king (Eve Best and Matt Smith were electric in that scene). And then there’s Alicent’s dalliance with Ser Criston, something that I’m sure won’t end poorly at all. Especially with Criston creating battle plans with Aemond in secret. Again, something that won’t end poorly. And Larys is trying to get the ear of Aegon to warn him of Otto’s manipulations. Lots of people playing lots of sides – mostly their own, naturally – which sets things up nicely for a season of backstabbing and, most likely, a situation where not all of our characters make it out – or off the backs of their dragons – alive by the end.
But, despite all of this plot (and the springing of the Blood and Cheese plot point right out of the gate like this), how is the series holding up? Well, House of the Dragon at this point is what it is. It’s telling a story that anyone can check the ending of online (or in its source material), so there’s far less suspense than in Game of Thrones. And the writing, characters, and story are perfectly fine but nothing all that spectacular. The series continues to have some excellent performances among its cast – Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke continue to be spectacular and one of the show’s most disappointing aspects is that they no longer get to interact with one another, as their chemistry is electric – which can wipe away some of the weaker writing and elevate the story to higher levels in the process. But the series is still lacking the emotional heft and heart that made Thrones so irresistible for so long. The only characters we’ve really gotten to spend enough time with are Rhaenyra, Alicent, and Daemon (we’ve been around Otto just as long, but he’s been relegated to chief schemer, so we’ve not gotten to see underneath that tarp to the real man). And at this point of the story, that’s becoming a problem.
So, what the series needs to do this season is flesh out its characters more. Let us spend time with them when they aren’t plotting and scheming. Let us explore who they are and what they want outside of this game of thrones. I know that might be a pipe dream at this point, but if we’re to care about how this story ends, we need to care about the pieces on the chessboard. When characters die, we need to be moved by their loss, not simply saddened to see how Rhaenyra or Alicent reacts to the news. If the series can do that – create complex, multi-dimensional characters from the supporting cast of the series, then House of the Dragon will be able to stand on its own. If not, well, then it’s going to be a rather dull season.
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