If you feel a little confused while watching the first episode of House of the Dragon ’s second season Sunday night, don’t feel bad. Nearly two years have passed since the first debuted on HBO, and that’s a long time to remember exactly who got eaten by a dragon and why , among all the other things that happened in a show that is practically designed to confuse anyone who comes in contact with it. The basic plot of season two — the leaders of Westeros unleash a massive dragon war because two former best friends can’t agree about which one of them got permission to claim the throne from their father/husband — is straightforward enough.
But it’s easy to lose sight of that through all the complicated details and even more complicated wigs layered atop that central conflict. First of all, several people on this show have the same blond-white Legolas hair, and it’s hard to keep track of which one is which, with the exception of the guy with the missing eyeball and the chin that could cut glass. (His name is Aemond — see, I know things!) In general, there are a lot of characters in this show to keep straight; if I had a dollar for every time I said, “Wait, who the hell is that?” while watching the season-two premiere, I’d have .
.. I don’t know, at least seven bucks? Not helping matters: A lot of these characters’ names are nearly indistinguishable.
You’re telling me that a woman named Rhaenyra has a cousin named Rhaenys and a stepdaughter named Rhaena?.
