Welcome back to Westeros and welcome back House of the Dragon! Everyone’s still reeling from the final events of House of the Dragon season one: the installment of King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) on the Iron Throne in place of designated heir Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy)—and , Lucerys, thanks to (Ewan Mitchell) and his enormous dragon. The war Game of Thrones fans know as “the Dance of the Dragons” hasn’t fully broken out yet, but it’s certainly looming in , ominously titled “A Son for a Son.” First of all: (same familiar music, though), showing us Targaryen drama, both Green and Black, coming to life through embroidery rather than as blood flowing through stone and metal.
There’s still plenty of red stuff oozing up through the cloth, however, as well as fiery sparks dancing around the frame—nodding to George R.R. Martin’s source material Fire & Blood in a creative new way.
We open in a place familiar to Game of Thrones faithful: Winterfell. Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor) is showing Prince Jacaerys (Harry Collett)—who’s visited on dragonback to remind the Starks of their loyalty oath to his mother—that there are parts of Westeros more spooky and mysterious than he can comprehend. It’s a nice way to open season two, and ties House of the Dragon into Game of Thrones in ways only someone from House Stark can do.
We get a reminder about the Night’s Watch, which has fresh context thanks to House of the Dragon’s season-one introduction of Aegon t.
