The bloody battle for the Iron Throne continues in the long-awaited return of “House of the Dragon.” The “Game of Thrones” prequel series is back Sunday, June 16, on HBO and its Max streaming service, with the eight-episode second season continuing the story of House Targaryen and the ruthless usurpers who paved the way for the brutal power struggles of the original series.
This season further explores the division in Westeros following the death of King Viserys (Paddy Considine, “The Outsider”). The realm is now split in allegiance to either the Green or Black councils, forcing a civil war in service of the rightful heir. Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, portrayed by Emma D’Arcy (“Misbehaviour,” 2020), the daughter of Viserys, expected to ascend to the throne after his death, but she and her council were thrown when another successor was named king.
The one in the seat of power, King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney, “Dunkirk,” 2017), leads the Green Council. Like so many of the battles waged in the extended A Song of Ice and Fire franchise from author George R. R. Martin, who serves as co-creator and executive producer for “House of the Dragon,” the line of succession is complicated by complex family trees. While Rhaenyra is the only living child from Viserys’ first marriage, Aegon is his first-born son with his second wife, Queen Alicent Hightower, portrayed by Olivia Cooke (“Ready Player One,” 2018).
HBO released two “dueling” trailers in March, teasing the new season — one Black and one Green — and revealing a peek into the motivations of each council. Everyone in the realm — and the fans at home — must choose which side of House Targaryen they stand behind while they prepare to wage war against each other.
“House of the Dragon” co-creator and showrunner Ryan J. Condal (“Colony”) spoke with Entertainment Weekly in March about the upcoming season, hinting that while the war begins because two half-siblings are jockeying for position on the throne, the fight for power becomes more complicated than that.
Condal shared: “It’s a story of this family that’s been rent open by this dispute over who is meant to wear the crown after Viserys passes. Some people think it’s Rhaenyra, some people think it’s Aegon, and then there are other people within who think, ‘Why should it be one of the two of them? Maybe it should be someone else. Maybe it should be me!’”
About all of the pieces on the “House of the Dragon” chessboard, Condal added, “The fun of this Greek tragedy is seeing, when you introduce a power vacuum to a world like this, how all of these individuals react.”
In an official trailer for the upcoming season, Alicent warns Aegon that war must be fought “cautiously,” while the king, fueled by revenge, embraces the battles to come with more passion than tact. Rhaenyra, meanwhile, questions whether Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith, “Doctor Who”) accepts her rule as he prepares for war, hungry to lead on his own.
Experienced dragon rider Daemon amassed a number of dragons and eggs last season, making him a clear threat to the Green Council, but his loyalty to the Black Queen is also questionable — he may just live up to his name as the “Rogue Prince” with an army of fire breathers behind him.
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