House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 1

 

"House of the Dragon" Recap and Review: Blood and Cheese, Season 2, Episode 1, 
 

 Following a nearly two-year break, House of the Dragon made a somber comeback, serving as a reminder of the type of fantasy series it will be. While Season 1 wasn't exactly upbeat, Season 2 is already off to an even more dismal and twisted start.

  It's not a negative thing. The season premiere of "A Son For A Son" is excellent. With our first view of Winterfell and the North since the last season of the original series, we are brought back to Westeros, 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, albeit very gently at first. It is almost reminiscent of returning home.

   The Starks of Winterfell are undoubtedly very similar to Ned and his family. Here, Tom Taylor's character Jace (Harry Collett), the older of the Valeryon sons, goes on a frigid tour of The Wall with Lord Cregan Stark. Stark assures the young man that although he is committed to Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy), he is unable to spare his warriors at this point because winter is approaching. When Jace mocks Stark for protecting the North from "wildlings and the weather," Stark responds, sounding as serious as one could expect from a Northern lord, that they and the Night's Watch are not the only ones protecting the North from these perils. "So what?" Jace queries. The Stark lord answers, "Death." Winterfell's Starks, never change.

   When you just get down to it, it's kind of hilarious how little has changed in Westeros. The Targaryens will still have white hair, the Lannisters will still be affluent rulers of Casterly Rock, and the Starks will still rule Winterfell in 200 years. The weapons will be the same. In the centuries that will have passed, technology will have essentially stagnated.

 This could be the one issue I have with House of the Dragon, if I have any at all. Even in a fantastical retelling of the Middle Ages, two centuries ought to bring about a great deal of change. Grand Houses crumble. There are new establishments. Over such a long period of time, war, scientific advancement, the breakup of bloodlines, and countless other causes affect civilization. The only thing that genuinely alters in Westeros is the existence of dragons during Rhaenyra's time. They are all deceased and forgotten by the time Daenerys is born. However, King's Landing's fortifications are still guarded by Scorpions, and the ships remain unchanged.

 I'm getting off-topic. I have a suspicion that not many people are concerned about it. It doesn't take away from how much I like the show. As a fantasy lover who has studied the histories of the Plantagenets and other dynasties and eras, I can't help but wonder about it.

 Regardless, Cregan Stark is not the only new big character added to Season 2. He is the first. In addition, we meet Abubakar Salim's character Alyn of Hull, who serves as our introduction while he fixes Lord Corlys Velaryon's (Steve Toussaint) ship. I'm thrilled to see Salim in this series since, in addition to being an amazing actor, I really enjoyed his work in Raised By Wolves and other films. I won't give away Alyn of Hull's identity or the reasons behind his significance, but you can probably infer from the way the Sea Snake seems to react to him.

 Erryk and Arryk Cargyll (Luke Tittensor), the twin Kingsguards, are more difficult to pronounce than Alyn's brother Addam. The twins are currently divided by their conflicting allegiances to Team Black and Team Green (Rhaenyra vs. Aegon).

 Nobody is likely surprised that the purpose of this season's debut is to cast doubt on our perception of who should be viewed as the "good guys" and who as the "bad guys," and I'll be blunt: neither. There are noble, courageous, and violent knights and ladies on both of these sides, as well as resentful, evil, and violent knights and ladies. and counselors. plus dragons. House of the Dragon is significantly less black-and-white than Game of Thrones, which had an equal number of "grey" and "heroic" characters.

 In Sunday's episode, we witness Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) entertaining the locals and, akin to his father, attempting to treat them with dignity, honor, and charity. Ironically, he is living up to the moniker "Magnanimous," which a friend bestowed upon him in an impromptu declaration. Though he is ruled over by his Hand, the cunning Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), it is difficult not to find some redeeming qualities in him, even though during the Small Council he showed no taste for leadership and instead spoiled his son Jaehaerys.

 The episode ends with a terrifying scenario where Daemon (Matt Smith) uses two vagrants to break into Red Keep and kill Aemond (Ewan Mitchell). These men are Cheese, a ratcatcher, and Blood, a disgraced city guardsman. Some of the most colorful phrases in the act are taken straight from Mushroom, the court jester who related the story of these men and their horrible murder of Aegon's son in Martin's novel Fire & Blood, which this show is based on.

 In the book, Daemon doesn't give the assassins instructions to track down and kill Aemond. Instead, it's unclear exactly who was meant to be targeted. Maybe even Aegon himself, but he was probably too well-guarded for two rascals.

 Since reading House of the Dragon, I've been anticipating this scene's coming with dread; nonetheless, it unfolds somewhat differently—albeit in a similar vein—here. Blood and Cheese track down Alicent in the book, tying her up, gagging her, and killing her guard. After that, they wait for Helaena (Phia Saban) to arrive with her three kids, Maelor being two of them. After that, they let her pick between the two boys. They warn her, "Pick or we kill them all." Cheese turns to face the toddler after she lifts Maelor and says, "You hear that, little boy? Your mother wishes you were dead. Then, Blood uses a single strike to severe Jaehaerys's head, and they escape while carrying the head, leaving the others unharmed.

 Helena is the only adult present because this is TV and HBO, which means we need gratuitous sex. Saying nothing more than "They killed the boy," she runs to her mother's room where Alicent (Olivia Cooke) is having sex with the despicable Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). The final image we see of Alicent before the credits begin to roll is her startled visage.

Though not much more so than the original works of George R.R. Martin, this show is depressing. 

  Overall, a fantastic, gloomy, and unsettling season premiere. It wasn't at all slow in my opinion. I've been rewatching Game of Thrones, and while the two programs have a similar scenario, music, and style, I believe there is a slight adjustment needed between them. Despite all the tragedies that befall our beloved characters, at its core, Thrones remains a heroic dream. Much more gloomy is House of the Dragon. It's a tale of civil conflict, in which nobody emerges unscathed and everyone is tormented by fury, anguish, and the desire for vengeance. Although it's excellent television, it's not at all encouraging.