House of the Dragon Season 2 review — A brutal display of dragons and dynasty 

House of the Dragon Season 2 is finally here, upping the ante on the battle for the Iron Throne in all the right ways.

Two years after the first season of the Game of Thrones spinoff arrived, House of the Dragon Season 2 is now ready to land. The first four episodes deal with the messy and emotional aftermath of Lucerys Velaryon’s death, with the distance between the Targaryens and Hightowers growing ever smaller.

The season starts with Team Black at Dragonstone, their leader nowhere to be found as she grapples with her grief in solitude. Meanwhile, Team Green is steadily embarking on King Aegon II’s rule, but it won’t be without pain. 

Though the cast is mostly scattered, each grappling with their own desires, horrors, and games, the collective series so far is gripping, and continues to prove that George R.R. Martin’s world makes for some truly terrific television.

A kingdom in tatters 

While Rhaenyra’s ascent and eventual loss of the crown formed the backbone of Season 1, the follow-up season keeps the political drama on the back burner for much of the opening.

Instead, the show focuses much more on the mental state of its pawns, which have been divided into two teams, but grow unruly within their own factions.

This makes for a much more gripping catch-up. What becomes less entertaining is the planning of the upcoming war, with attempts at alliances and tactics falling behind the far more impressive inner battles of Alicent, Rhaenyra, and the like.

Season 2 takes us between King’s Landing and Dragonstone, flipping between the bubbling resentments within both, which it does very well. Though, it has to be said that Team Green becomes the far more complex and entertaining party, particularly when it comes to Aegon’s attempts to run a kingdom. 

There’s not quite the viciousness that might have been expected, as the characters hint at war while still keeping their eye on potential for peace. Mistakes are made and communications are muddied, making some of the more malevolent moments in early episodes seem more like accidents than intentional brutality. 

The cast comes out with the crown

The House of the Dragon cast continues to sink their teeth into juicier storylines, but a handful seem to get the best taste. 

Tom Glynn-Carney’s take on Aegon makes him one of the more memorable kings in Westeros. One gets the impression that Aegon could be swayed into genuinely effective ruling if he allowed himself to be guided, and yet he still always teeters on the edge of a mania that could turn him into a bloodthirsty dictator. 

HBO

Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke’s performances of Rhaenyra and Alicent are predictably brilliant — quiet, troubled, and torn, all while still holding power both on and off-screen. Cooke gets more to do, but that doesn’t strictly mean she’s a plotter — instead, she craves respect and consideration, and is magnetic to watch in her quest for it.

Other supporting cast members, such as Eve Best and Matt Smith, are oh-so watchable. Though they’re often separated from their fictional peers — particularly Smith — and one can’t help but wonder whether they’d have a better go if they were more involved in proceedings and had a chance to play the game throughout. Smith especially seems a little neglected, if not wasted.

House of the Dragon Season 2 verdict: 4/5

While the first four episodes only give a taste of the wider Season 2 story (which might be concern, given the eight-episode count), it’s still more than enough to prove that House of the Dragon has a fighting chance at being the best of June’s army of major TV returns.

No, it’s not bringing anything “new” to the Game of Thrones landscape. But House of the Dragon Season 2 still remains bloody, thoughtful, and conniving. It’s building on strengths from the first season and working on the weaknesses, peeling away the layers of this multi-leveled political war one page at a time.

There’s a spectacle and quality that won’t easily be matched by 2024’s other offerings, and when it comes to what the dragons can offer, the Supes and the bears have their work cut out for them.

House of the Dragon Season 2 will be available from June 16 on HBO in the US, and June 17 on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW in the UK. For more, check out all the other new TV shows arriving this month, as well as all the most bingeworthy TV shows to watch now.