With the Dance of the Dragons in full swing, here’s everything you need to know about House of the Dragon Season 2, including the reviews, cast, and plot.
Game of Thrones Season 9 is never coming, but, after the roaring success of House of the Dragon Season 1, fans assumed they didn’t need it.
Alicent’s letter to Rhaenyra wasn’t enough to prevent the impending civil war. Bad news for Westeros, but great news for House of the Dragon viewers. Season 2 kicked off with some major stakes, with Rhaenyra out for vengeance following the death of her son, and King’s Landing now under Aegon’s rule.
So, did it pay off? How did the new season compare to the first, and what did everyone have to say? Here’s everything you need to know about House of the Dragon Season 2 now that it’s been and gone.
House of the Dragon Season 2 release date
House of the Dragon Season 2 premiered on June 16, 2024.
The premiere date was announced on March 21, 2024.
Development started in August 2022, with filming kicking off on April 11, 2024. Despite the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which saw many high-profile productions halt progress, House of the Dragon was not among those impacted.
New House of the Dragon episodes arrived every week until the season finale on August 4.
House of the Dragon Season 2 reviews and recaps
House of the Dragon Season 2 opened to favorable reviews, but fan reception dwindled as the season went on.
Our House of the Dragon Season 2 review gave the first four episodes four stars, saying the show “continues to prove that George R.R. Martin’s world makes for some truly terrific television.”
However, as the season went on, fans became vocal in their opinion that the show wasn’t delivering. While there were only eight episodes, many criticized the fact that there was only one major battle throughout the season, and how Season 2 felt like a set-up for the upcoming Season 3.
As one Reddit user wrote: “When the war-mongering montage and score started, I screamed ‘No f**king way it ends here…no f**king way.’ It ended there. Then I came here to make sure I wasn’t some weirdo that was expecting A LOT more, and felt validated. That was a good episode but not a good finale.”
“As a writer, how do you even go back to work with all the backlash they are getting? At least GOT finale was the last episode, they did not have to comeback,” another wrote.
“It f**king sucked. A disappointing finale to a disappointing season,” said a third.
At the time of writing, Season 2 is sitting at 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 77% Audience Score.
House of the Dragon Season 2 cast
The House of the Dragon Season 2 cast is led by Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, and Olivia Cooke as Lady Alicent Hightower.
The full House of the Dragon Season 2 cast list:
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
- Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Olivia Cooke as Lady Alicent Hightower
- Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen
- Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower
- Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen
- Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II Targaryen
- Phia Saban as Helaena Targaryen
- Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon
- Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen
- Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole
- Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria
- Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon
- Graham McTavish as Ser Harrold Westerling
- Matthew Needham as Larys Strong
- Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong
- Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayn Hightower
- Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers
- Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull
- Amanda Collin as Jeyne Arryn
- Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull
- Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer
- Tom Bennett as Ulf the White
- Milly Alcock as young Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Paddy Considine as Viserys Targaryen
House of the Dragon Season 2 plot
House of the Dragon Season 2’s plot is based the Dance of the Dragons, which covers the period of civil war after Aegon was crowned king in place of Princess Rhaenyra.
Alicent claimed the throne for her son, Aegon II, in Season 1, while Rhaenyra was crowned by her followers. As the two former kindred spirits tried to avoid bloodshed with diplomacy, the actions of those around them ultimately led to the death of Rhaenyra’s middle son.
With Rhaenyra in furious grief, the time for talking has ended.
The season opened with the horrific Blood and Cheese attack, with Daemon inadvertently ordering the murder of Aegon and Helaena’s son, Jaehaerys. This kicked the civil war into full scale, with the people of King’s Landing hating Rhaenyra. This hate didn’t last long however, as the Greens failed to keep King’s Landing fed and cared for.
Rhaenyra then turned the smallfolk against their Targaryen king. Aegon was eventually almost killed during the battle of Rook’s Rest, and spent the rest of the season in bed with horrific burns while Aemond ruled in his place. We also lost two key players: Rhaenys and her dragon Meleys.
One key aspect of Season 2 was Rhaenyra’s dragonseed plan. After sending out word that any bastards with Targaryen blood should come forward to become dragonriders, there was a bloody and fiery showdown in Dragonstone that resulted in the deaths of many.
However, her plan worked somewhat. There are now three new dragonriders for the Blacks: Addam of Hull, Hugh Hammer, and Ulf the White.
The scene is now set for House of the Dragon Season 3, with various battles including the Battle of the Gullet, Battle Above the Gods Eye, and the Fall of King’s Landing all still to come.
HOTD Season 2 trailers
There are several House of the Dragon Season 2 trailers.
The first dropped in May 2024, followed by two more. One is from the perspective of Rhaenyra and Team Black, while the other is from the view of Alicent and Team Green.
Another promo was shared on May 26, which you can see below.
New promo for #HouseOfTheDragon S2 🐲Premiering June 16 pic.twitter.com/7jAnuaMUZM
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) May 26, 2024
How many episodes are in House of the Dragon Season 2?
There are 8 episodes in House of the Dragon Season 2.
The episode lengths were revealed before the premiere, too.
Here are the Season 2 running times:
- Episode 1: 66 minutes
- Episode 2: 54 minutes
- Episode 3: 58 minutes
- Episode 4: 63 minutes
- Episode 5: 60 minutes
- Episode 6: 68 minutes
- Episode 7: 58 minutes
- Episode 8: 67 minutes
If you need more from Westeros, you can learn about Helaena Targaryen, Aemond Targaryen, read the best House of the Dragon fan fiction, or the best dragons in Game of Thrones. You can also check out the new TV shows streaming this month.
If it’s explainers you’re after, check out our guides to Blood and Cheese, Hugh Hammer, and Alyrie Florent. We’ve also got a breakdown of Erryk and Arryk and Alyn of Hull. Don’t miss the 5 shows just like House of the Dragon to watch while we wait for Season 3.
