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Season two of “House of the Dragon” divides the Westeros realm in half, with two factions fighting for the right to sit on the Iron Throne. While in season one the main characters were concerned about the House Targaryen’s line of succession, in season two, we finally see how division within the “house of the dragon” leads to its destruction in 129 AC.

“The only thing that can tear down the house of the dragon was itself,” Rhanerya Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) says back in season one, episode one, when discussing the issue of succession within House Targaryen.

“House of the Dragon” is adapted from “Fire and Blood,” George R.R. Martin’s fictional history of House Targaryen and how it came to power in Westeros. The show includes key scenes from the book, with a few significant additions that add to the story’s depth, though not always for the better. While the season features memorable moments of action, pacing and storytelling issues lead to inconsistent episodes that leave the viewer wanting more.

Season two shows the beginning of the Dance of the Dragons, a battle for the Iron Throne that encompasses all of Westeros, forcing every house to take a side. The season journeys throughout the realm but struggles to balance individual character arcs with the broader narrative of the civil war.

A prevailing idea throughout season two is “sin begets sin.” Every action has a consequence, and eventually, the reason for fighting becomes irrelevant, with the only goal being to kill enemies.

At the beginning of the season, Rhanerya is hesitant to use the full might of her power on Westeros. Seemingly, the writers feel similarly about using battle to move the story forward. “House of the Dragon” advances the plot through the individual interactions of the characters. This is a departure from “Fire and Blood” where battles, or at least exciting moments, occur nearly every five pages.

Two of the most emotional scenes in season two occur between Rhanerya and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). In episode three, “The Burning Mill,” and the season finale, “The Queen Who Ever Was,” the two characters meet to discuss a potential end to the war. Alicient even attempts to convince Rhanerya to take back the throne with no challenge, and Rhanerya burns Alicent’s son Aegon II in the process. While both scenes are emotionally charged, with Cooke and D’Arcy giving incredible performances, they neither stop conflict nor push the story forward.

In the book, Alicent and Rhanerya do not meet during the war, and their relationship is much more distant than in the show. Having these discussion scenes is interesting, but it seems tacked on and creates tension that is resolved moments later. While including these scenes helps advance each character’s plot, it excludes some pivotal action sequences of the book that are now pushed to season three.

The show builds toward a massive battle throughout the season, constantly mentioning the Lannister, Hightower and Stark armies marching into combat. Unfortunately, the marching is all we get from these armies, and we will have to wait until next season to see them fight. The realm has seemingly been torn apart due to the Targaryen civil war, but we don’t get an expansive look at the destruction the innocent have endured.

One idea the show presents well is how powerful and dangerous dragons can be and how infighting between them leads to carnage. Episode four, “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” featured the Battle at Rooks Rest, a pivotal moment in the “Dance of Dragons,” where three grown dragons fight, with only one coming out intact.

The dragon fight was beautifully shot and showed how horrific fighting between three weapons of mass destruction can be for an average soldier. Hopefully, the Battle at Rooks Rest represents what’s to come for the show and not a flash in the pan for the action in “House of the Dragon.”

In March 2024, Deadline reported that season two was limited to eight episodes as part of a wider plan for the show to be action-packed in its final two seasons. On Monday, “House of the Dragon” showrunner Ryan Condal said, “While this season was very much about the fits and starts of an early medieval war, season three is clearly going to be about total war.”

The anticipation for upcoming seasons is running high, but the show has also put a lot of pressure on itself to live up to expectations and deliver on the warfare Condal is speaking about. At the show’s end, season two feels solely like a setup for more exciting things to come and provides minimal resolution for many of the significant plot threads it introduces.

Season three of “House of the Dragon” is set to begin production in early 2025, with Condal confirming the show will end after season four. The show is going in a promising direction, but it needs to give audiences the right balance of action and emotion, which made the original “Game of Thrones” series so successful. Season two of “House of the Dragon” had moments of brilliance overshadowed by moments of confusion, ultimately feeling like an incomplete section of a larger story that won’t be resolved until 2026.

Published on August 8, 2024 at 12:51 am