House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 Review: It has been two years since Game of Thrones fans watched the epic finale of House of the Dragon season 1. The last time we met the Targaryens, they were in the King’s Landing with a war breaking out within the family. Viserys dies and the Hightowers makes their first move towards the throne. The episode branches out into true-blue Game of Thrones moments, with a war breaking out and power politics at play and a few shocking deaths, including the death of Rhaenyra’s son Luke.
The new season picks up pieces of the first one. On one hand, the Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) are plotting towards taking down the rival Targaryen family. On the other hand, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) is mourning her son’s death. With no word from the Queen, Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) takes it upon himself to build an army to avenge Luke’s death.
The first episode of the House of the Dragon season 2 takes things slow, giving only a tease of what could be a bloody season. It teases a few new allies while also hinting that the feud between the Targaryens could impact the Hightowers. The writing will feel slow, especially since it is laying out the ground work for the new season. Stick through it because it is going to help you understand how the new season will branch out. It follows a similar narrative style as the first season so it is not going to be difficult to follow.
Despite the slow narrative, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, and Matt Smith’s performances keep you hooked. Emma moves you with her powerful performance of a grieving mother. Matt, as always, holds the screen and your attention every time he is in the scene. Olivia has the most screen time in the first episode and she’s given a range of scenes that helps her display her acting chops.
A special shout out to the opening credits. The creative opening credits scene lingers around in the mind much after the episode ends, even prompting you to revisit it to decode the details in it.
Having watched only one episode of the House of the Dragon season 2, it is difficult to say if the new season will live up to the expectations. So far, it seems to feature similar elements as the first season, However, the first episode sets an interesting tone of grim, war and new additions which is hinting that the House of the Dragon wants to break free from the shadows of Game of Thrones and carve a niche of its own.
House of the Dragon season 2 is set to premiere on June 16 (June 17, IST). In India, the episodes will drop weekly on Jio Cinema. Although the show is in English, Indian audiences can watch it in Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada and Bengali as well.
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