House of the Dragon (Season 2)
Review (Spoiler Free)
Season 1 ends with a beautifully simple miscommunication about succession. A dying man simply says the right words to the wrong person and sets in motion a civil war. Neither party can truly be blamed for it. Given the information they each have it is inevitable. Season 2 is a deliberately paced strategic chess game with constant twists and fan service that expands George R.R. Martin’s Westeros. Fair warning, it is a show with few battle sequences, but filled with politicking. This is not a show about a civil war, but about how a civil war develops between the original severance and the justifications to escalate it into a full-scale conflict.
Also, interestingly enough, HBO has announced that House of the Dragon will be a four season show. I’m generally a fan of this sort of planning. I always find it leads to a better story.
Spoilers Ahead
Review (with Spoilers)
Many of my friends disliked this season, and I can see why. It lacks a great battle sequence with large armies, maneuvers, heroes, and striking visuals. More often than not, the combat is dragon-centric, which alienated some who found the kaiju-esque CGI-heavy tussling tiresome. One person referred to it as watching people play a board game. Its slow pace and constant council debates over courses of action were found to be burdensome.
But therein lies the beauty of this season. It isn’t about whose army is stronger or who kills more foes, it’s a mind game, a marketing competition, an arms race, a manipulation test, a recuitment and fundraising drive, a subterfuge thriller, a breaking of the glass ceiling, etc. etc.
The pace felt incredibly well timed for my preference of viewing. The rules of time are somewhat flexible here, but relatively solved through our main characters mostly having dragons as their transportation options. The location of the two factions being across a bay from one another makes interactions between them relatively immediate. All the remaining movements take more time, but something I really enjoyed was getting to see the actions and their consequences constantly. While there was lots of deliberation, often we saw a resolution to their decision (or indecision) quickly. And when things took a step forward, it often felt purposeful, not just side quests that killed time and weren’t relevant to the main plot.
Enough of the broad strokes, there are plenty who’ve written about that. I’ll dive into three aspects that I really enjoyed.
Nuclear Deterrence and the Rules of This World
The original Game of the Thrones really only had one faction with a dragon (let’s omit that bit in the final season), and there basically was never a counter to it. I commend the showrunners and writers for House of the Dragon being so thoughtful and considering what having multiple dragons would do. The normal rules of engagement no longer apply.
Simply put, the dragons are weapons of mass destruction. At first they are symbols of the Targaryen Divine Right of Kingship, then they are modes of fast transportation. Followed by a surprise test of strength, they are immediately sidelined for the first half of the season as deterrences for one another. Each side spends the first half poking and prodding one another, trying not to incur the wrath and spiral into full blown destruction. Dual proxy campaigns in the Crownlands and Riverlands, culminating in the usage of dragons at Rook’s Rest. The balance of these weapons shifts towards the Greens, which leads the Blacks to find a way to muster more. The second half of the season is an arms race trying to regain the status quo of deterrence.
This is a fantasy show equivalence to the Cold War. What some viewers perceived as a lack of conflict, I saw as a constant rising tension, the threat level was near midnight and at any moment could ignite. It’s like a well balanced soccer game, teams looking for a path to success without overplaying their hand and leaving themselves exposed. The world felt real, with a natural checks and balancing system, and in this fictional setting we get to actually see the weapons of mass destruction put to use.
Ser Criston Cole has a beautiful monologue to Ser Gwayne Hightower in the final episode, when challenged by the latter about having a bleak philosophy, Criston says, “I have no philosophy. Or rather, my philosophy was this… to protect the righteous and dispense justice on the rest. And now... you saw what I saw. The dragons dance and men are like dust under their feet. And all our fine thoughts, all our... endeavors are as nothing. We march now toward our annihilation. To die will be a kind of relief. Don't you think?” Showing vulnerability and clarity, after a season of stoic bravery, he says it aloud. It feels almost like a response to Robert Oppenheimer’s “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”
While we’re at it, here’s another nuclear weapon quote that could easily describe the dragons and season 2. "The nuclear arms race is like two sworn enemies standing waist-deep in gasoline, one with three matches, the other with five." -Carl Sagan.
Women in Power
In episode 5, Ser Alfred Broome of Rhaenyra’s Black Council says to his queen, “I could never doubt your capability, or your quickness of mind. It is merely that the gentler sex, heretofore, has not been much privy to the strategies of battle, or their execution.” To which, Rhaenyra responds, “There has been peace in our lifetime. You’ve seen no more battles than I have.”
Rhaenyra and Alicent are both powerful, but in different ways. Rhaenyra has direct power, as the rightful heir and a dragon rider; while Alicent’s is indirect power, as the Queen Consort, Queen Dowager, and as Queen Mother. Both are very intelligent, recognizing their strengths and limitations and have to constantly work (struggle) with the (obstinate) men around them. They are often undermined by the rest of the councils simply due to the lack of strong allies. Mind you, I’ve written this in the week leading up to the 2024 Presidential Election, so I may be a bit raw about this. Both characters show much more desire for diplomacy and have a restraint for violence. This often infuriates the more aggressive masculine characters. And despite the ladies’ more measured approach, both are admonished for any belligerance that men always get away with.
Having it all is tough. Rhaenyra and Alicent were close friends in the first episodes of the show, and the breaking of their friendship has been rough on both characters. Both feel the isolation and loneliness of being a woman in power. Without a reliable confidant to rely upon they struggle to be as effective and as satisfied. Both have been married, but receive little or no support from their partners. They do receive some affirmation from their sons, but the relationships are much more parenting than partnership. Having to continually clash with them as they try to curb their fears and worst qualities. Rhaenyra eventually gains Mysaria as a close aide and in doing so, begins to find a better balance, and eventually tip the scales in her direction. And eventually Daemon returns and pledges support (only after divine intervention).
Class Mobility & Nobility
Feudalism was succeeded by Egalitarianism. Our society loves great stories featuring underdogs who through their own will and luck become much greater than they were destined to be at birth. People absolutely love these stories.
Three seemingly random plotlines gain focus in the final stages. Addam of Hull, Hugh Hammer, and Ulf’s stories all converge as they become the three commonors with varying amounts of Valyrian blood and are lowborn, but become dragon riders. Addam and Hugh fit the medieval knightly themes, both skilled and employed, with strong family connections, noble motivations, they both seemingly become immediate deputies for Rhaenyra.
Addam could have a desire to have some vengeance on Lord Corlys, but so far, he seems happy with his rise. I quite like Hugh’s story. Originally viewed as a lens we could see the smallfolk of King’s Landing through, I genuinely wasn’t sure if he would ascertain a dragon. He will likely be a reliable anti-Green ally for Rhaenyra. I’m curious how he’ll reunite with his wife and the other working peope of King’s Landing. He may have a great story to come.
I’m not a fan of Ulf’s story, but his demeanor and motivation is intriguing nonetheless now that he has a dragon. He truly challenges the status quo of nobility. While the other two are relatively reserved and respectful for the hierarchy, Ulf is just there for vibes and having a good time. He feels the most likely to betray Rhaenyra, not for political reasons, but selfish ones.
Jacaerys Velaryon, the heir apparent for the Blacks posits, “House Targaryen is the blood of the dragon. If any may lay claim to it, what are we then?” While he comes from a place of insecurity and fear, and seems to miss the point that it takes more than a dragon to be a king or even a true Targaryen for that matter (also this would be a good leadership moment for him to endear himself to his new fellow dragon riders), this development does absolutely upend the social hierarchy.
My hope is that they really build on this crack in the societal foundation. They even have a moment in the finale where viewers are reminded that Criston Cole was also low-born. I expect this theme to continue to be toyed with in the subsequent seasons. While we know, since this show is a prequel, that we won’t see any full on societal upheavels, I can see them allowing for interesting origin stories to some of the houses we know exist in Game of Thrones and have yet to hear about. Giving us modern day egalitarians a taste of some classic underdog stories.
Flow Chart
Summary of the plot via a flow chart graphic that I thought would be fun to create.
