House of the Dragon Season 2: Reviews, plot, cast and more

❘ Updated: 2024-08-06T13:53:01

HBO

With the Dance of the Dragons in full swing, here’s everything you need to know about House of the Dragon Season 2, including the reviews, cast, and plot.

Game of Thrones Season 9 is never coming, but, after the roaring success of House of the Dragon Season 1, fans assumed they didn’t need it.

Alicent’s letter to Rhaenyra wasn’t enough to prevent the impending civil war. Bad news for Westeros, but great news for House of the Dragon viewers. Season 2 kicked off with some major stakes, with Rhaenyra out for vengeance following the death of her son, and King’s Landing now under Aegon’s rule.

So, did it pay off? How did the new season compare to the first, and what did everyone have to say? Here’s everything you need to know about House of the Dragon Season 2 now that it’s been and gone.

House of the Dragon Season 2 release date

House of the Dragon Season 2 premiered on June 16, 2024.

Olivia Cooke as Alicent in House of the Dragon

The premiere date was announced on March 21, 2024.

Development started in August 2022, with filming kicking off on April 11, 2024. Despite the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which saw many high-profile productions halt progress, House of the Dragon was not among those impacted.

New House of the Dragon episodes arrived every week until the season finale on August 4.

House of the Dragon Season 2 reviews and recaps

House of the Dragon Season 2 opened to favorable reviews, but fan reception dwindled as the season went on.

Our House of the Dragon Season 2 review gave the first four episodes four stars, saying the show “continues to prove that George R.R. Martin’s world makes for some truly terrific television.”

However, as the season went on, fans became vocal in their opinion that the show wasn’t delivering. While there were only eight episodes, many criticized the fact that there was only one major battle throughout the season, and how Season 2 felt like a set-up for the upcoming Season 3.

As one Reddit user wrote: “When the war-mongering montage and score started, I screamed ‘No f**king way it ends here…no f**king way.’ It ended there. Then I came here to make sure I wasn’t some weirdo that was expecting A LOT more, and felt validated. That was a good episode but not a good finale.”

“As a writer, how do you even go back to work with all the backlash they are getting? At least GOT finale was the last episode, they did not have to comeback,” another wrote.

“It f**king sucked. A disappointing finale to a disappointing season,” said a third.

At the time of writing, Season 2 is sitting at 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 77% Audience Score.

House of the Dragon Season 2 cast

The House of the Dragon Season 2 cast is led by Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, and Olivia Cooke as Lady Alicent Hightower.

The full House of the Dragon Season 2 cast list:

Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen
Olivia Cooke as Lady Alicent Hightower
Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen
Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower
Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen
Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II Targaryen
Phia Saban as Helaena Targaryen
Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon
Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen
Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole
Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria
Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon
Graham McTavish as Ser Harrold Westerling
Matthew Needham as Larys Strong
Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong
Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayn Hightower
Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers
Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull
Amanda Collin as Jeyne Arryn
Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull
Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer
Tom Bennett as Ulf the White
Milly Alcock as young Rhaenyra Targaryen
Paddy Considine as Viserys Targaryen

House of the Dragon Season 2 plot

House of the Dragon Season 2’s plot is based the Dance of the Dragons, which covers the period of civil war after Aegon was crowned king in place of Princess Rhaenyra.

Alicent and Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon

Alicent claimed the throne for her son, Aegon II, in Season 1, while Rhaenyra was crowned by her followers. As the two former kindred spirits tried to avoid bloodshed with diplomacy, the actions of those around them ultimately led to the death of Rhaenyra’s middle son.

With Rhaenyra in furious grief, the time for talking has ended.

The season opened with the horrific Blood and Cheese attack, with Daemon inadvertently ordering the murder of Aegon and Helaena’s son, Jaehaerys. This kicked the civil war into full scale, with the people of King’s Landing hating Rhaenyra. This hate didn’t last long however, as the Greens failed to keep King’s Landing fed and cared for.

Rhaenyra then turned the smallfolk against their Targaryen king. Aegon was eventually almost killed during the battle of Rook’s Rest, and spent the rest of the season in bed with horrific burns while Aemond ruled in his place. We also lost two key players: Rhaenys and her dragon Meleys.

One key aspect of Season 2 was Rhaenyra’s dragonseed plan. After sending out word that any bastards with Targaryen blood should come forward to become dragonriders, there was a bloody and fiery showdown in Dragonstone that resulted in the deaths of many.

However, her plan worked somewhat. There are now three new dragonriders for the Blacks: Addam of Hull, Hugh Hammer, and Ulf the White.

The scene is now set for House of the Dragon Season 3, with various battles including the Battle of the Gullet, Battle Above the Gods Eye, and the Fall of King’s Landing all still to come.

HOTD Season 2 trailers

There are several House of the Dragon Season 2 trailers.

The first dropped in May 2024, followed by two more. One is from the perspective of Rhaenyra and Team Black, while the other is from the view of Alicent and Team Green.

Another promo was shared on May 26, which you can see below.