www.washingtonpost.com
Open in
urlscan Pro
23.45.108.250
Public Scan
URL:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/2024/06/14/house-of-the-dragon-season-two-review/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm...
Submission: On July 10 via api from BE — Scanned from DE
Submission: On July 10 via api from BE — Scanned from DE
Form analysis 1 forms found in the DOM
<form class="wpds-c-gRPFSl wpds-c-gRPFSl-jGNYrR-isSlim-false">
<div class="transition-all duration-200 ease-in-out"><button type="submit" data-qa="sc-newsletter-signup-button" class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-kSOqLF-uTUwn-variant-primary wpds-c-kSOqLF-eHdizY-density-default wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-icon-left">Sign
up</button></div>
</form>Text Content
Accessibility statementSkip to main content Democracy Dies in Darkness SubscribeSign in Advertisement Democracy Dies in Darkness StyleArts & Entertainments Power The Media Fashion Of Interest StyleArts & Entertainments Power The Media Fashion Of Interest ‘HOUSE OF THE DRAGON’ LAMPOONS THE EPIC In the show’s grisly second season, there is no strategy and no fate. Just lots (and lots) of bad mistakes. Review by Lili Loofbourow June 14, 2024 at 5:00 a.m. EDT Matt Smith, left, and Emma D’Arcy in Season 2 of “House of the Dragon.” (Ollie Upton/HBO) Listen 6 min Share Comment on this storyComment75 Add to your saved stories Save “House of the Dragon” remains refreshingly free of chess masters. That might be the clearest distinction between HBO’s odd, fast-moving prequel about the Targaryens and “Game of Thrones,” which abounded in psychopaths whose cunning strategies (and savage realpolitik) were supposed to impress viewers almost as much as they horrified them. For those who came to find the latter tiresome (partly because the strategies in question were so frequently less cunning than fiddly and insane), “House of the Dragon” may feel like a respite: Here is a world where people are people rather than players: less good or bad or masterful than arbitrary, inconsistent, resentful and messy. Subscribe for unlimited access to The Post Save up to 75% for a limited time. Get your first year for €1 every four weeks It may, in this very specific sense, be the more sophisticated political critique. Story continues below advertisement The second season of “House of the Dragon” begins as expected, with the Greens and the Blacks edging ever closer to war. Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), newly coronated and freshly bereaved, grapples with grief and rage over her son Lucerys’s (Elliot Grihault) death and agonizes over her responsibility to the kingdom. Her half brother Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) experiments with his new powers as the monarch in King’s Landing. Neither claimant to the Iron Throne drives the action in the first four episodes critics received; Viserys’s (Paddy Considine) absence effectively creates not one but two vacuums. (Not bad for a weakly magnetic ruler who seemed to be dying from his very first moment on-screen.) Advertisement There are, however, discontinuities, and those who found the first season’s jumps unsatisfactory will no doubt find certain developments here as surprising as they are sudden. Other plot points are strikingly repetitive. The road to the “Dance of the Dragons” (as the war will come to be called) is frustrating and circuitous, powered largely by impulses and errors, misunderstandings and stupidity. ▶️ Follow Television Follow It can feel like bad writing. But that’s also, of course, this show’s thesis: The reasons that stack up until they spill into outright war are often (lethally) absurd. The catalyst for this one is tragically dumb: Lucerys’s death on dragonback in the finale — an accident, as his uncle Aemond’s (Ewan Mitchell) expression makes clear — is the latest escalation in a series of incidents that began with Aemond’s sibling and nephews taunting him (with a pig) for being dragonless. The theft of a dragon resulted in the loss of an eye, all while the adults remained unable and unwilling to adjudicate these childhood squabbles. Seen another way, the brewing war began because Alicent (Olivia Cooke) genuinely misunderstood Viserys’s deathbed ravings about Aegon the Conqueror’s dream (which he intended for his heir Rhaenyra’s ears) to be a last-minute wish that their son Aegon be crowned in her stead. As someone driven more by outrage over double standards than pragmatic self-interest (or the pursuit of power), Alicent wasn’t (at first) maliciously plotting to usurp the throne. However much Viserys repulsed her, she was truly affected by his death and believed she was honoring his wishes. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement Indeed, when it comes to clarifying people’s motives, “House of the Dragon” has arguably overcorrected. Whereas “Game of Thrones” reveled in court intrigue, pitting skilled players such as Margaery and Olenna (for whom sincerity was beside the point) against monsters like Cersei and Joffrey in ways that made them opaque, the folks in HOTD are rather obvious. They wear their feelings on the surface. People act on impulse. They are blunt. Sure, they can be cruel or stupid, sometimes malicious and sometimes murderous. But no one — not even the darkest schemer in the series — comes close to Iwan Rheon’s Ramsay Bolton in the original show. “House of the Dragon” is a kinder but more muddled universe. One where, rather than murder Rhaenyra’s inconvenient husband, Laenor, Daemon (Matt Smith) pays him a large sum and fakes his death. Skip to end of carousel THE STYLE SECTION Style is where The Washington Post covers happenings on the front lines of culture and what it all means, including the arts, media, social trends, politics and yes, fashion, all told with personality and deep reporting. For more Style stories, click here. End of carousel I would defend that as the weirder choice (however unlucky it was for the poor man who was murdered in Laenor’s stead). Those moments of needless moderation are so often the ones that make a fantasy universe feel real. Villainy is its own kind of hackneyed formula, and Daemon — whom Smith can play as very twisted indeed — compels precisely because he isn’t nearly as depraved (or predictable) as the Targaryens of the future (particularly Daenerys’s brother Viserys). The second season works to unpack Daemon’s whole deal — sometimes through actual dreamwork. It’s a promising investigation, but one that works against the momentum the series builds elsewhere. That side quest also necessarily isolates him from the main cast. The show suffers similarly from the physical distance between Alicent and Rhaenyra. The peculiar, not-quite-explainable tension between them drives so much of “House of the Dragon” that the show goes a little slack without it. Motherly love — which neither spends much screen time displaying — can carry only so much of the plot. That leaves the children and subordinates. Many of these are hastily drawn, given the speed of the series, so particular credit goes to Phia Saban as Alicent’s daughter Helaena, who delivers effects that far exceed her limited screen time. And to Glynn-Carney, whose believably petulant Aegon II combines stupidity, arrogance and cruelty with a stochastic combination of kindliness and need. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement The most prominent and least compelling player this season is unfortunately also its most pivotal. Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), the King’s Guard who Rhaenyra seduced, has risen in station and has, by the fourth episode, taken on more roles than any one person at court could plausibly fill. Rather than enrich his character, this highlights how tiny the “House of the Dragon” universe is compared with the extraordinarily deep “Game of Thrones” bench. Cole does at least serve as a sounding board for Mitchell’s Aemond, the second season’s most formidable (and most intriguing) antagonist. And as an amusing foil for Alicent’s brother Ser Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox), a dapper and condescending newcomer who joins him on a campaign. Those who happen to like how “House of the Dragon” challenges some of the more irritating aspects of “Game of Thrones” will probably enjoy this new season, which promises more of the same, along with twists and dragons aplenty. (“House of the Dragon” has been also renewed for a third season.) For those who prefer the latter for its vast network, menacing speeches and subterfuge, this world will probably continue to feel a little impoverished. “Dragon,” after all, isn’t really an epic. It’s more of a family feud. That’s why I prefer it, while acknowledging that it can sometimes seem more like a sadder “Arrested Development” than Shakespeare (with dragons). House of the Dragon, Season 2, premieres Sunday on HBO and will be available for streaming on Max. correction An earlier version of this review incorrectly described the relationship between Rhaenyra’s children and Aemond. Rhaenyra’s children are Aemond’s nephews, not his cousins. In addition, an earlier version of this correction misspelled Aemond's name. The review and the correction have been corrected. Share 75 Comments More Style stories on television HAND CURATED * Rashida Jones delivers a bravura performance in ‘Sunny’ Earlier today Rashida Jones delivers a bravura performance in ‘Sunny’ Earlier today * ‘House of the Dragon’ recap: Here be dragons — finally July 7, 2024 ‘House of the Dragon’ recap: Here be dragons — finally July 7, 2024 * The newest TV shows and movies to stream right now July 5, 2024 The newest TV shows and movies to stream right now July 5, 2024 View 3 more stories NewsletterFridays Book Club Our weekly selection of book reviews and recommendations from Book World editor Ron Charles. Sign up Subscribe to comment and get the full experience. Choose your plan → Advertisement Advertisement TOP STORIES Advice Moral dilemmas, relationships, parenting and more Miss Manners: Co-workers don’t knock before trying to open bathroom doors Asking Eric: My boss won’t stop bringing up age Carolyn Hax: Marriage at breaking point over husband’s approach to addicted son back Try a different topic Sign in or create a free account to save your preferences Advertisement Advertisement Company About The Post Newsroom Policies & Standards Diversity & Inclusion Careers Media & Community Relations WP Creative Group Accessibility Statement Sitemap Get The Post Become a Subscriber Gift Subscriptions Mobile & Apps Newsletters & Alerts Washington Post Live Reprints & Permissions Post Store Books & E-Books Print Archives (Subscribers Only) Today’s Paper Public Notices Contact Us Contact the Newsroom Contact Customer Care Contact the Opinions Team Advertise Licensing & Syndication Request a Correction Send a News Tip Report a Vulnerability Terms of Use Digital Products Terms of Sale Print Products Terms of Sale Terms of Service Privacy Policy Cookie Settings Submissions & Discussion Policy RSS Terms of Service Ad Choices washingtonpost.com © 1996-2024 The Washington Post * washingtonpost.com * © 1996-2024 The Washington Post * About The Post * Contact the Newsroom * Contact Customer Care * Request a Correction * Send a News Tip * Report a Vulnerability * Download the Washington Post App * Policies & Standards * Terms of Service * Privacy Policy * Cookie Settings * Print Products Terms of Sale * Digital Products Terms of Sale * Submissions & Discussion Policy * RSS Terms of Service * Ad Choices WE CARE ABOUT YOUR PRIVACY We and our 43 partners store and/or access information on a device, such as unique IDs in cookies to process personal data. You may accept or manage your choices by clicking below, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, or at any time in the privacy policy page. These choices will be signaled to our partners and will not affect browsing data. If you click “I accept,” in addition to processing data using cookies and similar technologies for the purposes to the right, you also agree we may process the profile information you provide and your interactions with our surveys and other interactive content for personalized advertising. If you do not accept, we will process cookies and associated data for strictly necessary purposes and process non-cookie data as set forth in our Privacy Policy (consistent with law and, if applicable, other choices you have made). WE AND OUR PARTNERS PROCESS COOKIE DATA TO PROVIDE: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content. Use profiles to select personalised content. Measure advertising performance. Measure content performance. Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources. Develop and improve services. Store and/or access information on a device. Use limited data to select content. Use limited data to select advertising. List of Partners (vendors) I Accept Reject All Show Purposes