House of the Dragon episode 2 review: Going all in on Game of Thrones again

Westeros can be just as captivating as your memories make it seem. And maybe that’s a little bit of the problem.

House of the Dragon“The new prequel” that brings back the world of Game of ThronesThis takes place roughly 172 years after the events of the series. Now we’re seeing a very different King’s Landing, ruled by the Targaryens at the apex of their power. The Targaryens are at the apex of their power. Game of ThronesSoon, it all will turn to battles and sex and betrayals. Power grabs, political manipulation both legitimately and petty, are the result. For now though, it is all set up for an epic tale.

This show, however, is the successor to (in our timeline), very popular Game of Thrones series, it’s virtually impossible to approach it with a fresh mind. When one makes the choice to sign up for another vast chronicle of Westeros, they’re met with a whole lot of burden about where the story, inevitably, goes. The first episode was a broad overview of Westeros and the many characters. Episode 2 however is a more detailed portrait of Targaryens. In “The Rogue Prince,” we zoom in on the finer points of what people care about, all the better setting up House of the DragonAs a complete creature in itself.

The strongest word I have to say is House of the Dragon is that almost every detail in the show feels worthwhile, with no danger of pulling too hard and unraveling the tapestry it’s weaving. That might seem like damning with faint praise, but Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) is incredibly interested in details — the Dornish knight who has combat experience, or the jewelry she wears to dinner with her dad, King Viserys (Paddy Considine). It is an revealing detail in a show that they are stacked together, when she takes off the Valyrian steel necklace to make contact with him.

Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

The family dynamic of House of the Dragon have been less violence and bloodshed and more the heartbreaking meta-communication where two people only seem like they’re talking about the same thing. Viserys cares about nostalgia, waxing poetic to his daughter’s best friend, Alicent (Emily Carey), about the glories of old Valyria and the difficulties of his duties. But in the presence of his daughter, he can’t sit and listen enough to hear what she’s really trying to get at. When Rhaenyra broaches the awkward moment during the Small Council meeting, he tries to save her what he sees as further embarrassment — “You’re young; you will learn” — missing an opportunity to actually talk to her much at all. It’s not a leap from this to see how Rhaenyra sees the situation as less her own rise to power and more being chosen to spurn Daemon. House of the DragonIt presents Rhaenyra as well as Viserys with empathy. But it also presents them very clearly. It’s hard to fault either one of them for both being trapped by convention.

That Viserys and Rhaenyra rely on the same person — Alicent — to help them through their grief is just a cruelty of fate, but it’s one for which the show also has laid careful emotional groundwork. Only two episodes House has made a case for why they both feel seen, while also making sure Alicent and her care for both of them doesn’t ring false.

That’s the way House of the DragonI was captivated by the show and will rewatch it again. There are many small, but powerful beats in the show, such as the maester seeking the hand of the King to persuade Viserys to accept his marriage proposal. The visual arrangement of the show also follows this example. You can see this. Does feel like old-school Game of Thrones, only here that’s not some backhanded compliment about the lingering aftertaste of the eighth season. That show, at its best, was a series that demanded your attention while rewarding it with character notes and stories that were grounded in just a few moments. Its second episode aired. House of the DragonProves that it is capable.

Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

The focal point of Sunday’s episode (and where it gets closest to the traditional swords-drawn action that audiences associate with the franchise) is at Dragonstone, as all the details come to a head in one of the earliest tests of Rhaenyra. She’s come to the Targaryen castle where Daemon (Matt Smith) has been squatting for some time, and she hopes to avoid the bloodshed Otto Hightower’s (Rhys Ifans) efforts would have certainly led to. She succeeds, appropriately sizing Daemon’s bluff up for what it is: the smug act of an asshole with the impulse control and harebrained schemes of a middle schooler. The scene remains tension-filled, as the camera pans around Daemon’s motivations to have landed on the Dragonstone steps. It was. Works(Whether you are convinced of the CGI history).

Perhaps she still had her aunt Rhaenys’ (Eve Best) words ringing in her ears, reminding her that though she is a named heir she is still carrying her father’s cups, or perhaps it was the visual of her dad going on a date with a 12-year-old. Either way, it adds up to a clearer portrait of who Alcock’s Rhaenyra is and who she might grow to be. When her father conceives of a threat he thinks generally, warning her only to fend off “whomever may dare to challenge us.” But Rhaenyra knows that threat could come from anywhere, and she’s proven herself to be game to the challenge no matter what comes her way.

Which is good, since, as this episode is quick to remind us, there are threats outside King’s Landing. Within the first few moments of the episode, before we even know what we’re seeing or hearing, we know it’s grabbing and horrifying. This episode’s second episode has these details. House of the DragonThey are revealing because: There are risks of all kinds in this world. But it’s enough to wash away the memory of season 8 and its “best stories.” For now, it’s enough to just have fun with Westeros again.