The first season of HBO’s House of the Dragon ended in a classic George RR Martin fashion. The tenth and final episode of the incredibly successful series reminded us – again – that when it comes to Westeros, you never REALLY know who might get killed at the hands (or rather talons) of a dragon. With a war afoot, lines drawn, and dragons tallied, the Greens (Team Aegon) and the Blacks (Team Rhaenyra) will come head-to-head in a battle that made the house of Targaryen lose all their clout – and their dragons.
The expectations from the second season are high and no writer’s room has been in a hot seat like this one since Game of Thrones ended.
Since we only have about two years to kill before we see some action, let’s get into it and see what the audience’s biggest expectations might be from Season 2 of HOTD.
Rhaenyra’s Revenge
Emma D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra in the show.
(Photo Courtesy: Pinterest)
While shivering at the image of Rhaenyra’s final look at the end of Season 1, with Ramin Djawadi’s soul-clenching soundtrack playing in the background, I believe the world might have chanted together in unison, “What is she going to do now?” Even though most of us know that her altruistic daydreams about “holding the realm together” are probably going to come to a crashing halt, the actual play-by-play of her and her uncle-husband Daemon Targaryen’s plan is now the plot that has been promised.
Through Rhaenyra's death stare, we are made aware of the possibility that “The Realm’s Delight” might not be the name we will be using for her after this.
Another Ekta Kapoor-esque Time Jump
Although showrunner Ryan Condal stated in an interview with Deadline that there will be no more time jumps going forward, can we really trust him? As a prequel to a series that took us by surprise all the time, one can expect a few unexpected twists in the making. After all, there are multiple kids to be raised and dragons to be tamed.
More Dragon Fights
A still from House of the Dragon.
(Photo Courtesy: Pinterest)
The final episode also gave us one of the most fantastical chase sequences of the series. As Vhaegar, the largest living dragon who is almost 170 years old, chased Arrax – the only dragon who has made the fans think, “D*mn, that dragon is tiny,” – one thing became exceptionally clear, that this is not going to be the last time two dragons and their riders go head to head. With a war incoming and dragons at their disposal, the Targaryens from both the camps and their (at times unfaithful) companions are expected to chomp on their enemies.
Team Black or Team Green
A still from House of the Dragon season one.
(Photo Courtesy: Pinterest)
As the feud between the former besties and now conflicted mothers grows deeper at the hands of an unexpected usurping, the houses and families of Westeros will have to choose sides and stick by them.
So far, Team Green has gotten support from the Lannisters, and while Team Black has gathered support from the Velaryons, the loss of a dragon and a son at the end of the season will definitely add fuel to the fire of this civil war. Season 2 is also expected to take us back to Winterfell and give us a return of the Starks, with the writers featuring them only once, briefly, during the first season.
Dragon-lore
The next season will hopefully feature more dragon-talk, akin to the conversation between King Viserys and Laena Velaryon about Vhagar, where the history of all the dragons and their riders will be divulged. New dragons might join the flight as Daemon mentions in the final episode that Team Blacks might have as many as 13 dragons, while naming all the unclaimed beasts that reside on Dragonstone. With Daemon trying to tame King Jaehaerys’ Dragon Vermithor, one of the largest dragons in Westeros with a High Valyrian lullaby, one might be too quick to assume that Team Blacks have an advantage. Alas, it’s not the dragon – it’s the rider.
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