‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Episode 1 series review: Returning ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel takes off in style

Rhaenyra’s Blacks’ and Alicent’s Greens’ run-up to the mother of all confrontations is spiced with soaring vistas, dingy dungeons, gorgeous raiment, sinuous, serpentine dragons, decapitation and taboo sex

There are shocking things aplenty in A Son for a Son, the first episode of the second season of House of the Dragon. This prequel to the violently popular Game of Thrones, based on George RR Martin’s series of fantasy novels, is also based on a Martin novel, 2018’s Fire and Blood. The novel tells the story of the House Targaryen and the civil war — the Dance of the Dragons — that brought the once powerful house to its knees.

Picking up immediately after the events of the season 1 finale, we join Jacaerys (Harry Collett) at his meeting with Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor) in the North — the Starks are back with their warnings of the winter that is coming. Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) — who had sent her eldest sons Jacaerys and Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) across the seven realms to garner support for her claim to the Iron Throne — is grieving the death of Lucerys, who in the shocking finale of Season 1, was killed by Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and his dragon Vhagor.

Meanwhile, Rhaenyra’s uncle-husband Daemon (Matt Smith) wants “a son for a son.” It is this that leads to the horrific slaughter of a toddler at the end of episode 1, indicating even more reason for the friends-turned-foes Rhaenyra and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) to go to war, however much they wish to avoid it.

Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), Alicent’s father and Hand to her husband, King Viserys I, has the unbridled ambition that Macbeth could have used with no milk of human kindness curdling in his veins. The episode shows the Sea Snake, the head of the rich and powerful house of Velaryon, Corlys (Steve Toussaint) recovering from a pirate attack, while Daemon holds Rhaenys (Eve Best), Corlys’ wife, responsible for all that has gone wrong with their house.

Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) having sex with Alicent is one of the jaw-dropping moments of A Son for a Son. The common-born Lord Commander of the Kingsguard hooking up with the dowager queen, and what it tells about the two, promises to make for great dinner conversation. Alicent scrubbing a spot on her shoulder brings ‘Macbeth’ back once more. Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), the brothel dancer with a dodgy accent and Daemon’s former squeeze — who became a spymaster (mistress?) called the White Worm — is back but in a rather bad temper.

Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), occupying the Iron Throne, brings much-needed lightness into the dark proceedings. He wants to help the great unwashed and even promises the sheep back to a shepherd before Otto tells him the sheep are needed to feed the dragons when war comes. He also promises to pay the blacksmith as long as he keeps making those Scorpions — the only weapon that can bring down a dragon. He takes umbrage to being called Aegon the magnanimous, insisting that no one would know its meaning, preferring Aegon the generous.

Daemon, who throughout the episode is chomping at the bit to go to war, orders the rat catcher Cheese (Mark Stobbart) and Blood (Sam C. Wilson) to kill Aemond of the glittering eye. That Blood and Cheese are horrid is underlined by the fact that they kick the dog (was it a terrier?; they are great ratters by the way) who was only trying to help. They decide to take the easy way out when they come upon Helaena (Phia Saban), Aegon’s sister-wife (these incestuous Targaryen I tell you!), in the nursery. Instead of doing the sensible thing, they present her with a ‘Sophie’s Choice’ situation and also a way of a possible come back from the assassination.