House of the Dragon Season 2 (Complete) | TV Series

House of the Dragon Season 2 dives headfirst into the brutal Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war teased in Season 1’s finale. Following Lucerys Velaryon’s death, Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and her Black faction square off against King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) and the Greens, led by Dowager Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke). The season trades some of Season 1’s slow buildup for intense dragon battles—like the standout Rook’s Rest sequence—and deeper character exploration, though it’s not without flaws.

Daemon’s (Matt Smith) Harrenhal arc drags with hallucinatory tangents, and the pacing falters as it builds toward a climactic battle that never arrives, leaving the finale feeling like a setup for Season 3. Still, the performances remain top-notch, with D’Arcy’s Rhaenyra radiating quiet fury and Cooke’s Alicent wrestling with guilt. The visuals dazzle, and new dragonriders add fresh stakes. It’s a season of peaks and valleys, thrilling yet frustratingly incomplete—perfect for fans who savor tension over resolution.