When House of the Dragon premiered in 2022, it came with a caveat from George R.R. Martin fans who had read the book on which the series was based:
The story is somewhat slow-going at first, with lots of lore and backstory, but once it gets going, it never lets up.
Now, we’re on the verge of the war of the long-promised war of succession between supporters of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and those who support her half-brother and usurper, Aegon Targaryen.
Now, ahead of House of the Dragon Season 2 — which debuts on June 16 — HBO and Max have released a pair of “dueling” trailers representing the two sides of this fiery conflict.
First, we have the Black Trailer, so named for the army that’s backing Queen Rhaenyra.
Yes, the war for the Iron Throne is about far more than just power for Rhaenyra.
She was promised the crown by her late father, Viserys I, and she rightly blames the other branch of the family for the death of her son Luke.
Luke, as you may recall, fell prey to the world’s largest dragon, Vhagar, and the evil Aemond Targaryen, who was riding him at the time.
Yeah, that’s the problem with a show as intricately plotted as House of the Dragon taking nearly two years off between seasons. We’re all in need of some serious memory refreshment!
On the other side of the conflict are the Greens, the supporters of Aegon and his mother, Rhaenyra’s bestie-turned-rival, Queen Alicent.
Of course, it’s not just Rhaenyra and Alicent who will be avoiding one another at the next family reunion.
Season 2 promises a House Targaryen that’s divided against itself like never before.
“My uncle is a challenge I welcome,” says Aegon in the clip above, referring to “the Rogue Prince” Daemon Targaryen, brother of Viserys and husband of Rhaenyra.
(Hey, it wouldn’t be a GRRM story if there weren’t a smidge of incest involved.)
With more than nine million people tuning in for the finale, House of the Dragon Season 1 was a bonafide hit for HBO.
Those numbers may be a far cry from the ratings that Game of Thrones pulled in at its peak, but network and streaming execs long ago resigned themselves that a smash hit on that scale might never happen again.
So hopes for the show’s second season are sky-high, but the show has quite a few obstacles to overcome — chief among them, the likelihood that a strike-delayed second season will be greeted with apathy by fans who can’t recall the plot developments that led us to this point.
What do you think, TV fanatics? Are you excited about the return of House of the Dragon?
Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts.
Tyler Johnson is an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic and the other Mediavine O&O sites. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, cooking, and, of course, watching TV. You can Follow him on X and email him here at TV Fanatic.