Where does House Of The Dragon go in season two?

Covering a show like House Of The Dragon can be tricky because you have to take into account that some viewers have read the source material, George R.R. Martin’s novel Fire And Blood, and some haven’t. That’s why The A.V. Club set up two different approaches for Game Of Thrones when it was on the air—one for experts and one for newbies. For House Of The Dragon we’ve generally avoided spoilers from the book, beyond the occasional vague reference. We’ll continue with that approach here, so the following will be limited to speculation based on where season one left things and what the creators have said in interviews as they begin writing season two. We could also point out that the show has already deviated from the book in some ways—the ages and timeline adjustments, Laenor’s death, Rhaenys’ escape on Meleys, a missing Targaryen-Hightower son who may show up next season—so it may still have some surprises in store for book readers who think they know what’s coming.

Where everyone stands in the civil war

Episodes nine and ten this season presented the two opposite sides as they marshaled their supporters. The Greens have the king and all the legitimate symbols of power, plus three dragons, an army, and several great houses on their side, including the Lannisters. As the war begins they’ll have to make up in manpower what they lack in firepower, shoring up their allies and convincing the lords who once swore an oath to be loyal to Rhaenyra to bend the knee to Aegon II instead. They’ve already made the first major moves in securing House Baratheon for their side and killing Prince Lucerys, even if it was an accident.

Meanwhile, the Blacks still have a legitimate claim to the throne, plus a Velaryon fleet of ships, at least six dragons left (minus poor Arrax), and one pissed off queen. The kingsguard has been split as well, with three going to Rhaenyra and three sticking with Aegon II. We don’t know if Ser Harrold Westerling, who gave up his white cloak in episode nine, will declare for anyone. One thing we’re looking forward to is seeing Jace reach Winterfell on his dragon. It would be nice to see that location again. Hopefully he’ll get a better reception there than Luke did at Storm’s End.

The Greens may have the upper hand now, but with Rhaenys covering the Gullet and Daemon taking Harrenhal, expect to see the Blacks get some payback when the show returns. Rhaenyra’s restraint has hit its limit, and Daemon isn’t the forgiving type.

Comings and goings

We’ve known officially that a second season was in store since August, although it was always a pretty safe bet that HBO wasn’t going to spend all this money capitalizing on the popularity of Game Of Thrones only call it quits after to air one season. There have already been some personnel changes too. Showrunner Miguel Sapochnik, who has been deeply immersed in Westeros since Game Of Thrones, is leaving the show after this season. Although he hasn’t given an official reason for his departure, co-showrunner Ryan Condal implied in an interview that he was just burnt out on the franchise. He’ll be replaced by Alan Taylor, who also previously worked on Game Of Thrones.

As for the cast, we obviously won’t be seeing Elliot Grihault as Luke again (we’re still not over it), but the rest of the older players will be sticking around, including Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II, Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen, Harry Collett as Jace, Bethany Antonia as Baela, and Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena. Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke will be back as Rhaenyra and Alicent, as well as the actors who have been with the show since the beginning, including Matt Smith and Rhys Ifans.

Other changes beyond the text

Beyond the basic story beats, Condal has said that the show will have a more even pace in season two, one more familiar to Game Of Thrones fans. Now that the table has been set and the war has begun, they won’t need to do as many time jumps. In the same interview with The Times in London, Condal also promised more humor than we saw in season one. There will be “natural pathways into moments of levity,” he said, particularly with Matt Smith as Daemon.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, writer and executive producer Sara Hess said the next season will explore the relationship between Rhaenyra and Daemon more fully. “And right now, we’re writing season two and figuring out, what is the nature of his relationship with Rhaenyra? There are many interpretations,” she said.

When will House of The Dragon be back?

We have no official word from HBO on when we’ll be going back to Westeros, but the Spanish newspaper Hoy reported that the crew will be returning to the city of Cáceres in March, which is the location for all the King’s Landing street scenes. If they follow a schedule similar to this year, we could be seeing dragons taking flight again on our screens before the end of 2023.