At the start of this week, the fifth episode of HBO’s House of the Dragon aired, marking the over halfway point for season two. In the first five episodes, a lot has unfolded, leading Team Green and Team Black hauntingly closer to full-on war. With deaths on both sides, it is abundantly clear at the end of episode four that war is unavoidable, and both teams are ready to meet in the field of war, no matter the consequences.
So far in season two, viewers have watched as the “Dance of Dragons” unfolds, and how each event is pushing both Team Green and Team Black further into conflict. With constant political upheaval, death and an abundance of characters, the series can be difficult to follow — though far less than its parent series Game of Thrones. Here’s a brief recap of everything that has happened thus far in the series’ turbulent second season.
Spoilers Ahead for Season Two
House of the Dragon Season Two Recap
The season opens with Rhaenyra demanding retribution for the death of her son at the end of season one, calling for “a son for a son.” Daemon ultimately takes the task as his own, and sends a rat-catcher and executioner, Blood and Cheese, into King’s Landing to find and kill Aemond Targaryen. In the end, Blood and Cheese devastatingly kill the young Targaryen heir Jaehaerys in his crib instead, sending King Aegon into a revenge-filled frenzy at the start of episode two.
Aegon, fueled by the loss of his son, sends an assassin to Dragonstone with the help of the newly promoted hand of the King, Ser Criston Cole. Sending Ser Arryk to kill the Queen disguised as his twin brother Erryk, who defected from team green to join Rhaenyra, viewers see the truth of a war between family laid bare. The twins brutally kill each other, and the familial infighting further echoes the continued development of the Targaryen war, and its deadly consequences.
The death of Jaehaerys fuels Rhaenyra’s developing mistrust for Daemon, who she accused of wanting the crown for himself. Angry, Daemon sets off to Harrenhall to continue gathering allies for Team Black, but instead is confronted by haunting visions of young Rhaenyra, and portents of his own death.
Back in King’s Landing, Team Green is working toward war, leading to disagreements in their heavily dysfunctional council meetings, especially between King Aegon and his brother Aemond. Alicent and Rhaenyra both remain hesitant to completely go to war, and Rhaenyra sneaks into King’s Landing to confront Alicent and sue for peace. Ultimately, Rhaenyra discovers that the statement Alicent supposedly heard from the late King declaring Aegon as heir on his deathbed in season one was actually a retelling of “The Song of Ice and Fire,” a famous prophecy in the Game of Thrones universe. Alicent refuses to believe Rhaenyra, haunted by her own guilt.
At the start of episode four, Team Green is planning their attack, hoping to isolate Dragonstone from the mainland by seizing control of smaller strongholds. Rhaenyra learns of this, and sends Princess Rhaenys to confront them, in her first act of war. But Team Green anticipated this, leaving Prince Aemond and his massive dragon Vhagar to intercept the attacker. Unknown to them, a deeply drunk King Aegon is making his own plans, taking to the skies to join the assault.
In a bloody confrontation, King Aegon and Princess Rhaenys fight on dragonback, with Rhaenys seemingly having the upperhand as a more experienced fighter. Prince Aemond then swoops in on Vhagar, and instead of directing his dragon fire toward Rhaenys only, sends his own brother tumbling from the sky. He later goes on to kill the Princess Rhaenys, an event that has devastated viewers. At the end of episode four, we have one fan-favorite dead, and King Aegon in severe condition at the fault of his own brother. Coming into this last week’s episode, it was unclear whether the King had survived Aemond’s attack.
In episode five, we learn that Aegon did survive the attack, but is severely injured, causing Aemond to have to take over as King Regent. Rhaenyra is continuing to prepare for war, and looks at recruiting Targaryen relatives to claim the two dragons below Dragonstone-Vermithor and Silverwing. In next week’s episode, fans can expect to meet the dragons, and watch as Team Black regains their footing after the loss of Rhaenys and Meleys-two vital players in the war to come.
Fans and critics alike have given high praise to season two, with many claiming it may even surpass season one, and possibly GOT. Especially at the end of this week’s episode, fans of the original series are seeing the potential of House of the Dragon to be equally as enthralling — and brutal — as the original series. Surprisingly, critics and audiences seem to agree on the quality of the second season, with both giving the show a 90% rating on rotten tomatoes.
At the start of the second season, HOTD was bringing in fewer viewers in than its previous season. HBO hit a season-high with episode four drawing nearly 8 million viewers. Comparatively, season 1 hit 10 million viewers in its debut. But the show’s audience is steadily increasing during season two, with viewership growing each week.
Fans have been turning out reactions and memes all over social media, especially after the chaos of episode four. The show, like the original series, has a massive cult following, and fans are anxious to see the rest of the series unfold. With so few episodes left, it is clear that this season won’t provide any resolution for it’s main characters, but hopefully will leave fans excited for season three.
In the next three episodes, the “Dance of Dragons” has truly begun, and war looms over the Targaryen family-threatening to ruin them all.
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