'House of the Dragon': From Rhaenyra's marriage to Luke's death, 6 best moments from Season 1 ahead of Season 2 release
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 is streaming on HBO on June 16, 2024, and it tells the story of House Targaryen about 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen from 'Game of Thrones'.
Like 'Game of Thrones', 'House of the Dragon' is all about politics and war and all it takes to win the coveted Iron Throne. The contenders as the second season begins are Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney).
'House of the Dragon' is a vast story stretched across different Houses in a fictional world. Before we head into the second season, here's a look at some of the best moments from the first season.
Viserys names Rhaenyra the heir to the throne
King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) is the current king who sits on the Iron Throne. He doesn't have a son and his wife dies in childbirth. The natural heir to the throne is his brother Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), however considering Daemon's unpredictable nature, he names his daughter the heir to the throne.
As the heir to the throne, he passes on the secret of the Song of Ice and Fire which gets passed on from generation to generation and is related to the events that take place in 'Game of Thrones'.
Alicent Hightower gives birth to Aegon II Targaryen
Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) is the daughter of Viserys' Hand of the King, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), who sees the death of Viserys' wife as an opportunity and sends his daughter to comfort the king.
Alicent and Viserys marry and after a time leap in the show of two years, we see that Alicent is the mother of Aegon II Targaryen. This is an important plot point in the series because it makes Rhaenyra insecure about her claim to the throne now that a male son is there to inherit it.
Ser Criston Cole mocks Ser Harwin Strong
Rhaenyra is married to Ser Laenor Velaryon (Theo Nate) in a marriage arrangement where both Rhaneyra and Laenor agree to have an open marriage since Laenor is homosexual.
After a time leap, it is revealed that Rhaenyra has three children however the children are biological children of Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr). Her former lover Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) is now a close aide of her sworn enemy and during a sword-fighting session, he mocks Strong for being the biological father of Rhaenyra's children.
This moment is pivotal as it sows the seeds of conflict between the children.
Prince Aemond rides Vhagar
After the death of Lady Laena Velaryon (Nova Foueillis-Mosé), her dragon, Vhagar who is one of the biggest dragons, is up for the taking. Aegon's brother Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), is a bold but unpredictable child who doesn't have a dragon for now.
With Laena's death, he goes to get Vhagar who is one of the most difficult dragons to control but Vhagar lets Aemond ride her after seeing him take the bold step of stepping up to her.
This leads to a conflict between the cousins and in what is an innocent quarrel initially, Aemond loses an eye at the hands of Prince Lucerys 'Luke' Velaryon (Harvey Sadler). This deepens the conflict between Alicent and Rhaenyra.
Daemon and Rhaenyra get married after faking Laenor's death
Rhaenyra worried about her claim to the throne and away from her lover Harwin Strong, who was exiled after the truth about his sons came to the fore, offers Daemon to marry her, after which her claim to the throne will be solidified.
Daemon's two previous wives have also died and he and Rhaenyra have always had a bit of a chemistry. They get married and unite the family. As for Laenor, he is presumed to be dead after an accident, but he survives and goes away to live a life with the man he loves.
Aemond kills Luke
As the war between Alicent and Rhaenyra seems imminent, their sons Aemond and Luke go to convince the Baratheons to be an ally in the war. However, the personal tensions between the two escalate as Luke rushes off being chased by Aemond.
In an unexpected moment, and one that will have far-reaching consequences, Vhagar eats Luke and his dragon alive on a stormy night. Aemond didn't intentionally mean to kill Luke but knows that this will escalate matters and there is no question of peace between the two sides now.
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 trailer
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 is streaming on HBO on June 16, 2024.