is a massive hit, yet fans are worried things might get disappointing during the next installment of the prequel. With and the fact that new characters are introduced in Season 2, prior storylines could be temporarily avoided or dropped entirely. The protagonists are bound to evolve, but whether certain characters are explored remains a mystery.
is based on the book but doesn't strictly follow the source material. notably has big differences from too, especially when it comes to secondary characters. Protagonists like Rhaenyra, Daemon and Alicent are at the forefront of Season 1 with Rhaenys Targaryen's escape from the Red Keep to Dragonstone providing an example of a big moment in the spotlight that not every character gets.
Others like Jason Lannister and Larys Strong only appear in fewer scenes and left fans wanting much more character development.
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The HBO series improved upon George R.R. Martin's original story with every masterful and thought-out change to the source material.Actor Jefferson Hall embodies an ancestral set of Lannister twins: Tyland and Jason. Tyland is a knight and politician in the Small Council, while Jason is the Lord of Casterly Rock.
The latter courts an uninterested Rhaenyra in Season 1, Episode 3, "Second of His Name." The Lannisters want power and marriage is part of their strategy, but the match is never made because Viserys doesn't want to be an imposing father.
Seeing House Lannister struggling to be relevant in a Targaryen court is odd, but Jason's mindset alludes to the improved position of his House in . Jason's descendant Cersei is promised to Rhaegar Targaryen, the Mad King's eldest son and heir to the Iron Throne. When the King changes his mind and weds Rhaegar to Elia Martell, Robert's Rebellion is on the horizon and Cersei is once again key to her House's quest for the throne.
Fans hope to see Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion's 6th great-grandfather continue to pave the way for the House's future alliances in Season 2.
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House of the Dragon is no stranger to having stars in front of the camera and Season 2 aims to add even more people to the already impressive cast.Lord Larys Strong is a disturbing villain who finds ways to be needed by Queen Alicent.
He seems to have no limits as he kills his own family to secure his position, all the while completely underestimated by others. When comes up in Season 1, Episode 9, "The Green Council," it becomes evident he's not on Alicent's side but preying on her weakness.
His strategy needs to be further developed in Season 2. Viewers are already familiar with his manipulation tactics and passion for body mutilation, but his motives have yet to be revealed. Lord Larys is being explored with more complexity than he is in the book, so fans are eager to learn why this minor character is so disgustingly evil in the TV adaptation.
Baela Targaryen furiously rides her dragon in the , so it seems like she has an impact on the upcoming Dance of Dragons. The daughters of Daemon and Laena are unimportant for most of Season 1, but a few things that happen to them hint at bigger parts in seasons to come. Most notably, they become the betrotheds of Rhaenyra's sons to further solidify the alliance between House Targaryen and House Velaryon.
In the case of Baela, there are signs of an even greater development than her sister Rhaena.
Her grandmother Rhaenys gives her special attention, taking her to High Tide to personally instruct her. Rhaenys is clear about wanting Baela as Lord Corly's heir when Vaemond Velaryon attempts to claim the Driftwood Throne in Season 1, Episode 8, "The Lord of the Tides." Baela not only rides a dragon during the civil war, but she might also become Lady of the Tides in Season 2.
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HBO's House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood. While it builds on Westeros' history it also makes significant changes.Ser Criston Cole takes pride in decency, so getting involved with Rhaenyra and dealing with her defiant persona poses a moral dilemma for him. The tension building inside Ser Criston from the moment Rhaenyra turns down his marriage proposal is palpable and keeps growing. Filled with resentment towards the Princess, he becomes Alicent's ally after confessing about breaking his chastity oath in Season 1, Episode 5, "We Light the Way.
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The man who is so likable at first becomes bitter to the point of mistreating Rhaenyra's children. His sudden anger outbursts are increasingly concerning and culminate in the shocking scene where he accidentally kills Lord Beesbury at the Small Council table while trying to defend Alicent's interests in Season 1, Episode 9, "The Green Council." He's a supporting character who gets a fair share of screen time in Season 1, but fans expect Season 2 to utilize Criston's shift for a bigger narrative purpose than killing random background characters.
Ser Erryk Cargyll has a different perspective than his twin brother, Ser Arryk. They are both summoned by Otto Hightower to go to Flea Bottom and find Aegon II when the Greens proceed with the coup in Season 1, Episode 9, "The Green Council." Erryk knows where to look since he's Aegon's sworn protector and takes Arryk to a children's fighting pit. He's aware of the Prince's bastards in King's Landing, among other depravities.
While Arryk stays loyal to the Greens, Erryk takes Viserys's crown to Rhaenyra at Dragonstone in Season 1, Episode 10, "The Black Queen.
" This moment not only speaks to how unfit to rule Aegon is, but suggests Rhaenyra has more supporters than she may realize. Ser Erryk's decision to join the Blacks could help Rhaenyra better understand how to defeat the Greens in Season 2.
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House of the Dragon has shown Aegon II's evil habits, so it can be argued that the Targaryen is even worse than Game of Thrones' Joffrey or Ramsay.Every person in the realm expects Viserys's firstborn son Aegon II to be the future King -- except them.
Even Rhaenyra is concerned, but Viserys decides to keep the Princess as the heir to the Iron Throne after much pondering. As the King approaches death, he confuses Alicent with Rhaenyra and tells her she's the one who must fulfill the prophecy of the Prince That Was Promised in Season 1, Episode 8, "The Lord of the Tides." Unfamiliar with Targaryen lore, the Queen misunderstands that the Aegon mentioned is her son and that her husband's dying wish is to make Aegon II his heir.
Aegon spends most of Season 1 as a vile teen, which renders . He drinks heavily, assaults women, attends an underground children's fighting ring, fathers illegitimate kids he abandons and has no interest in being king.
However, this character becomes fascinating during his coronation in Season 1, Episode 9, "The Green Council" when he realizes he likes the attention a king gets. He's one-dimensional, so fans expect him to be more nuanced moving forward.
Mysaria is a former prostitute and slave who becomes an authority figure at Flea Bottom under the alias White Worm. She's introduced as Daemon's paramour, which indicates the plot thickens if they are reunited in Season 2.
Daemon may go to her because Mysaria's spy network could provide valuable information to Rhaenyra and be a way to infiltrate King's Landing.
Mysaria seizes opportunities to manipulate the nobles and could decide to use her power in the streets of King's Landing to get bigger rewards for the underdogs in Season 2. When she exchanges the whereabouts of Prince Aegon with Otto Hightower for the promised end of the children's fighting pit in Season 1, Episode 9, "The Green Council," Mysaria demonstrates righteousness. This scene suggests she's not only likely to support Rhaenyra but could pressure whoever's in charge to do right by the people of King's Landing.
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The Targaryens aren't the only ones fighting the war in House of the Dragon. A potential new character could shake things up for Rhaenyra and Daemon.Jacaerys Velaryon grows up with the certainty that one day he'll be Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. But when King Viserys dies and the time comes for Jace's mother to be crowned, the Greens are quick to claim the Throne. He wants to help Rhaenyra as she strategizes her next move and pitches the idea that he and his brother should deliver her messages on dragonback to speed things up.
While Jace goes to the Eyrie and then to Winterfell, Lucerys heads to Storm's End.
Young Jace is kind and a great big brother to Luke throughout Season 1, which makes his final decision in the first season completely heartbreaking. The most shocking moment of the season finale is a direct consequence of Jace's suggestion. When Luke finds his uncle Aemond already forming an alliance with Lord Borros Baratheon at Storm's End, they end up riding their dragons into a fight and Luke dies. Season 2 needs to explore in depth how guilt affects Jacaerys.
Aemond is the Targaryen child who undergoes the most profound changes throughout Season 1. From not having a dragon to claiming Laena's once she dies to losing an eye for it in Season 1, Episode 7, "Driftmark," Aemond surprises viewers with his fierceness. After the time jump, he keeps demonstrating ambition and claims to be more interested in being king than his older brother Aegon in Season 1, Episode 9, "The Green Council."
The intense since their childhood is a recurring storyline in Season 1 that needs to mature in Season 2 as the characters grow.
The dragon fight between Aemond and Lucerys that leads to the latter's death in the season finale is the most interesting scene involving Aemond so far. He instantly realizes the magnitude of his mistake, which raises the question: is there redemption for the power-hungry Prince? Fans might get an answer as Aemond becomes more relevant to the main plot in Season 2.
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Otto Hightower has done many bad things in House of the Dragon's first season, and he's repeatedly proven that he has selfish intentions.Perhaps the biggest oversight in Season 1 is allowing Otto Hightower to fade into the background. The Hand of the King is supposed to be one of the main characters, yet he's rarely seen plotting his schemes. This decision does make sense considering he's silently manipulating King Viserys and his daughter Alicent, but viewers suspect he has a more active role as the Hand to King Aegon II in Season 2.
When during the coup in "The Green Council," it's possible to conclude he's a cruel villain disguised as a morally gray character. Season 2 should give him tougher decisions to contemplate, as well as some redeeming quality to make him more complex.
His relationship with Alicent and her children is still underdeveloped, for instance, and his patriarch role after Viserys's death could partially justify his foul actions.
TV-MA
Drama
Action
Adventure
Fantasy
Two centuries before the events of A Game of Thrones, House Targaryen—the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria—took up residence on Dragonstone. Fire and Blood begins with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and recounts the generations of Targaryens.
They fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to the civil war that nearly tore their dynasty apart.
Release Date August 21, 2022
Creator George R. R. Martin, Ryan J. Condal
Cast Jefferson Hall , Eve Best , David Horovitch , Paddy Considine , Ryan Corr , Bill Paterson , Fabien Frankel , Graham McTavish , Olivia Cooke , Gavin Spokes , Sonoya Mizuno , Steve Toussaint , Matt Smith , Matthew Needham , Rhys Ifans , Emma D'Arcy , Milly Alcock
Main Genre
Website
Franchise Game of Thrones
Characters By George R. R. Martin
Cinematographer Alejandro Martinez, Catherine Goldschmidt, Pepe Avila del Pino, Fabian Wagner
Distributor Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution
Filming Locations Spain, England, Portugal, California
Main Characters Queen Alicent Hightower, Ser Harrold Westerling, Lord Corlys Velaryon, Grand Maester Mellos, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Ser Criston Cole, Lord Lyonel Strong, Ser Otto Hightower, Lord Jason Lannister/Ser Tyland Lannister, King Viserys I Targaryen, Mysaria, Lord Lyman Beesbur, Prince Daemon Targaryen, Ser Harwin Strong, Princess Rhaenys Velaryon, Larys Strong
Production Company Bastard Sword, Cross Plains Productions, Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO
Sequel Game of Thrones
Sfx Supervisor Michael Dawson
Story By George R. R. Martin
Number of Episodes 10
