The main cast for the series includes Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Queen Alicent Hightower, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon, Bethany Antonia as Baela Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria and Matthew Needham as Larys Strong.
There are a couple of new cast members such as Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers, Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower, Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull, Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew as Hugh, Tom Bennett as Ulf, Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark and Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne. The runtime of the episode is 55 minutes. The episode is directed by Alan Taylor and written by Ryan Condal.
House of the Dragon Season 2 Trailer
– Max’s House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –
House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 Review
House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 is here and, how. With the start of the theme song and the first scene of this season being set in the far North at the Night’s Watch by the Wall, an eerie sense of nostalgia creeps in. Just the opening of this episode pulls you right back to your classic Game of Thrones days and, that, my lord, shouts good television; nostalgia and freshness clubbed together.
Undoubtedly this episode is about reeling from the events of House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 10, where we saw the death of Lucerys aka Luke and his dragon, Arrax. Season two starts off with various stakeholders at Dragonstone getting to know about this horrible death caused by Aemond. Rhaenyra mourns deeply as she tries to grab the reality of her son’s death while Daemon sees this as a perfect chance and reason to strike on the Hightower at the King’s Landing. Alas, only one of them is the actor on the throne.
At King’s Landing, there is remorse as there is tension and scheming. New king Aegon II has very less king-material to him than even our good ‘ol Joffrey Baratheon and, is practically a nuisance to watch. As Alicent and her father continue to scheme to solidify Aegon’s claim on the throne, Aemond shows no remorse and is hungry to fight.
Additionally, Lord Larys, Ser Cristian Cole and various other characters play some important part in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 to sway the air from chilly to chiller. And, these will determine how this game of the throne will ultimately be played.
House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 takes its time to build the story. Clearly, things are shocking still and quite senseless after Viserys’ death and, it shows. There is a lot of miscommunication and misunderstandings looming in the disrupted King’s Landing that does not miss us as a viewer. Although we spend considerably less time with Rhaenyra and her allies, the episode gives them enough scope to mourn, plan and plot.
There were some lovely moments such as seeing Rhaenyra be a mother as much as she is a queen, something so different from what Alicent exhibits towards her children- treating them more like a pawn than her pup. But there were enough moments of ‘oh my god, what is happening’, especially Daemon’s stance at the end of the episode.
House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1: Final Thoughts
Overall, House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 becomes a key player when it comes to the storyline for this season. The episode has opened a huge number of doors to reach several conclusions. The pathway is still ahead of us and, I bet it will be on compelling watch throughout.
You can now watch House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 on Max as well as Jio Cinema. Let us know what you think of this latest episode in the comments below!