'House of the Dragon': 10 burning questions HBO prequel show needs to answer in Season 2
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 will stream on HBO on June 16, 2024, and the second season is expected to be bigger and even better than the first season. 'House of the Dragon' is the prequel to the popular series 'Game of Thrones' and the events in 'House of the Dragon' begin 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke).
'House of the Dragon' begins with a peaceful time in Westeros with King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) sitting at the Iron Throne. As Viserys struggles with his health, he names his daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) a successor to the throne in the absence of a male child.
When King Viserys' wife dies in childbirth, he gets married to Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), who is the daughter of his hand Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) and the best friend of Rhaenyra. The marriage sows seeds of a conflict between Rhaenyra and Alicent as Alicent gives birth to Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney). The conflict deepens after Viserys' death as Aegon sits on the throne and Rhaenyra, now married to Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), Viserys' brother, stakes her claim to the throne.
The conflict between Alicent and Rhaenyra becomes personal when Rhaenyra's son Prince Lucerys 'Luke' Velaryon (Elliot Grihault) is killed by Alicent's son Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) when his dragon Vhagar loses control and kills Luke.
Here are 10 burning questions before Season 2 begins to stream.
1. Who aligns with Rhaenyra and Alicent?
With House Targaryen's civil war imminent, the rest of the houses in Westeros must choose their sides and back either Aegon or Rhaenyra's claim to the throne.
In the patriarchal world, there is a tendency for all the houses to pick a male ruler, and with the doubts surrounding, Rhaenyra's sons and their parentage, it will be a task for Rhaenyra to secure alliegiences.
The element of strategic warfare adds depth to the plot of 'House of the Dragon' and suspense looms over who picks Alicent and who sides with Rhaenyra.
2. Can we trust Daemon?
Daemon Targaryen is the most unpredictable character in 'House of the Dragon'. One second you'll want to trust him and believe his love for Rhaenyra but then you are crudely reminded of him mercilessly killing his first wife.
Daemon does seem to have affection for Rhaenyra from the first episode itself but you do remember Rhaenyra being chosen as heir over him so he might be keeping that grudge. So can we trust him as the house goes to war? At your own risk.
3. Will Alicent forgive Ser Otto Hightower?
Ser Otto Hightower emerges as a power-hungry character who will go to any extent to ensure that his successors are on the Iron Throne. He sends his young daughter to get close to King Viserys when the King's wife dies.
Alicent's character transitions from being an innocent girl to a smart politically aware woman who has been hardened by the demands of being a queen in a cut-throat environment. As the first season ends, we see Alicent realize that her father has used her as a pawn in the political game and confronts him for that.
As the house goes to war though, she will need Ser Otto's expertise in retaining the throne, but can she forgive him completely?
4. What does Lord Larys Strong want?
Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) is one of those typical characters in George R.R. Martin's world who are physically inferior to others but survive and triumph with their mental abilities. We have seen such characters in 'Game of Thrones'. Someone like Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) survived the war despite being vertically challenged.
What is confusing though is Lord Larys Strong's intentions. What is his endgame? Why is he helping Alicent? Surely there's more to it than his foot fetish that we discover in Episode 9 of Season 1.
5. Will Laenor Velaryon return in Season 2?
Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan) fakes his death with the help of Daemon and Rhaenyra so he can escape the world and live in the free city of Esoss.
Laenor is homosexual and takes this step to live freely away from the conservative eyes of Westeros. Will he return in season 2 to help Rhaenyra in the battle?
6. Who will be the heir to Driftmark?
With both his children presumed dead, Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) doesn't have a successor to Driftmark. He is clearly past his prime and age is catching up to him.
Who will succeed him at Driftmark? The second season might have answers.
7. Who will know about A Song of Ice and Fire?
A Song of Ice and Fire is a dream where King Viserys' ancestor Aegon, the conqueror saw about a long night where a winter begins destruction in the north and only a Targaryen on the throne can stop it from happening.
King Viserys has told this secret to Rhaenyra and Alicent but with both of them going to war, do they pass this secret on?
8. Did Aemond intend to kill Luke?
When Aemond killed Luke, he was mounted on an angry Vhagar who was instigated by Arrax's fire and Luke had to pay for it. Aemond meanwhile did want revenge but whether he wanted to kill Luke, isn't clear.
In his defense, he did try to control Vhagar but that didn't work. So with his history with Luke, can we blame him for Luke's death? We know someone who will. Rhaenyra.
9. Can Dragons be controlled?
We saw Vhagar killing Arrax and Luke when he was angered and not obeying his supposed master Aemond. Does that tell us something about the dragons?
Can they ever be controlled beyond a point? We will learn more about this in the second season as the dragons go to war.
10. Who dies in 'House of the Dragon' Season 2?
Well, death seems to be the only certainty in this universe, and George R.R. Martin's universe is infamous for killing off characters just when you seem to fall for them.
Season 2 of 'House of the Dragon' is expected to be no different. So who will die in Season 2?
How to stream 'House of the Dragon' Season 2?
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 will stream on HBO Max from June 16, 2024. To watch the series, you will need a Max subscription.
The streaming platform typically offers three packages that you can choose from depending on your budget.
The low-cost plan that supports advertising costs at $9.99 per month or $99.99 annually. The second package, which does not support advertising, costs $15.99 per month or $149.99 annually. Meanwhile, the third package, titled Ultimate Ad-Free, costs $19.99 per month or $199.99 annually.
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 trailer
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 is going to stream on HBO Max from June 16, 2024