House of the Dragon

admonition : Contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon time of year 2 , episode 1 , " A Son for a Son . "

Summary

That holds on-key for much of its runtime until , well , it all change . The conclusion sees Daemon Targaryen arranging with a pair of humans who work at the Red Keep - their names are n’t verbalize , but they are called Blood and Cheese in the book - to kill Prince Aemond Targaryen . Except , of course , they get the wrong Targaryen prince , murdering Aegon and Helaena ’s son , Jaehaerys , in brutal way , and secure there ’s no hold back theDance of the Dragons .

House of the Dragon season 2 , episode 1 has a very meaning scene from George R.R. Martin ’s Fire & Blood , but the show ’s version is disappointing .

Prince Jaehaerys' Death In House Of The Dragon Season 2, Episode 1 Ending

Blood & Cheese Kill King Aegon’s Heir

Blood and Cheesesneak into the Red Keep - and even past King Aegon himself - but are ineffective to find Aemond ( not that they sample THAT hard , really ) . In the end , it ’s Prince Jaehaerys they vote out , while holding Helaena at knifepoint , and they escape with the tyke ’s head while his mother submit his sister , Jaehaera , to safety . It ’s a harrowing moment , and leaves behind some big dubiousness .

Did Daemon Order Blood & Cheese To Kill Jaehaerys?

Daemon was very clear in his order to Blood and Cheese : kill Aemond Targaryen . However , there ’s one question the show fascinatingly refuses to answer : what if they ca n’t bump him ? The show trend away from Daemon when he ’s need this , and while Cheese does say their orders were to make it"a boy for a son,“it leaves deal of incertitude and wriggle room over what his intentions were , and whether the murder of Jaehaerys was at his command or not .

In the book , Daemon does n’t go to King ’s Landing , and it ’s Mysaria ( on his instruction ) who arranges things ; it ’s also jell up to bolt down one of Aegon ’s Son , rather than Aemond . That means the source cloth is n’t much assistance here , and viewers can instead make up their own mind - which is , ostensibly , the point .

Daemon is a rapscallion , he ’s savage , poisonous , and rash , with no qualms about killing , and he ’s desperate for some kind of action mechanism after Lucerys ’ demise .

Article image

It ’s wanton to talk yourself into an reply for either option . Daemon is a rogue , he ’s cruel , vicious , and foolhardy , with no qualms about kill , and he ’s desperate for some kind of action after Lucerys ’ death . If Aemond ca n’t be killed , thenit ’s not difficult to envisage Daemon believing that pour down one of Aegon ’s sons is the next best affair . It is n’t revenge on Lucerys ’ killer , but it is a direct mirror of that demise : the ruler lose one of their child .

On the other hand , would evenDaemondo that ? Not from him lacking the cruelty , but more the potential stupidity of it : sure enough he would know how defective that would reckon for Rhaenyra , and the kind of fierceness it would provoke in answer from the greens . But , then again , that may be exactly what he want .

Round and round it can go : stock and Cheese certainly mess up it enough to make the despair move of their own accord , andthe scene itself - with Blood ’s initial doubtfulness - could be used to fence they were n’t explicitly enjoin by Daemon to do it . But there ’s no unmortgaged response , so it ’s receptive to whichever version the viewer need .

Alicent in bed at the end of House of the Dragon season 1 episode 1

House of the Dragon time of year 2 , sequence 1 contains several small detail & Easter eggs that set up succeeding events and connect to Game of Thrones .

Why Helaena Chose Jaehaerys To Die Rather Than Her Daughter

InFire & Blood , Helaena is forced into choose which of her sons is vote out by rake and Cheese , and she opts for the youngest , Prince Maelor . He does n’t come out to exist ( yet ) in the TV show , but Helaena does still get to make a pick when pointing to which of the twins is the male child . And , it ’s later bring out , she was telling the true statement as Cheese thought:“they killed the son . ”

Helaena is , by design , a mystifying , passably unknowable character , mean there could be factor behind her decision that are difficult to surmise from just this episode . One thing that stands out , though , is Aegon ’s interest in Jaehaerysearlier in the premiere : he want his son to start decently acting like his heir and attending Small Council meetings , to which Helaena counter by oppugn what if he does n’t want to be king .

Simply by moral excellence of being Aegon ’s firstborn son , [ Jaehaerys ] is destined to inherit the Iron Throne … and all that comes with it , which , from Helaena ’s point - of - view , is n’t anything to be happy about .

Close-ups of Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon and Matt Smith as Daemon in House of the Dragon season 2

Taking place about 172 years before the events ofGame of Thrones,House of the Dragontells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.

The truth is that Jaehaerys wo n’t have a choice . Simply by sexual morality of being Aegon ’s eldest son , he is destined to inherit the Iron Throne ( ignore Rhaenyra ’s claim , anyway ) , and all that comes with it , which , from Helaena ’s point - of - view , is n’t anything to be happy about . She ’s consider how that power changes people , how it can run to suffering for either the person who jade the top or all who ride under them ( or both ) . know there ’s no manner of quash one of her shaver dying , she lay down the pick to avoid that hereafter .

It ’s also , perhaps , a telling pick that she chose to save the girl , which is potential the opposite of what Aegon himself would do in that berth . It ’s a horrifying choice , but Helaena make the one she feels best , not the one that Aegon would ; she refuses to have yet another female give so that a male person can succeed . There ’s no getting away from the horror of it , but that does feel more in line withHouse of the Dragon ’s stem , and may be why the show made it a straight pick between boy and girlfriend unlike the Scripture .

House of the Dragon ’s timeline grew perplexing in season 1 with multiple jump . Here ’s how former each of the principal characters is at the first of the warfare .

Rhaenyra, Cregan, and Viserys' statue in House of the Dragon, with Robb Stark and Daenerys' dragons in Game of Thrones

Alicent Hightower & Criston Cole Are In Bed Together When Blood & Cheese Happens

While rip and Cheese are killing Jaehaerys , Helaena film Jaehaera into the chamber of Alicent … only to find she ’s not alone , but is actually have sex with Criston Cole . Alicent and Criston ’s relationshipis one of the more surprising ontogenesis in the premiere , and that they were together while Jaehaerys was being mutilate should be of particular importance .

There ’s a sense of self - loathing on both side of meat in their relationship , and have intercourse what they were doing while Blood and Cheese was happening will only make that spoiled .

There ’s a sense of ego - odium on both side in their kinship , and get it on what they were doing while Blood and Cheese was happening will only make that worse . Both characters should now be feeling a lot of guiltiness and pity , perhaps wondering if they could have prevented it if they were n’t together ( Cole in particular ) , which is also a question others may be ask of them too . It ’ll be interesting to see how that influence their arcs and decision going forward .

Corlys Velaryon, Aegon II, and Aemond Targaryen from House of the Dragon

What Prince Jaehaerys' Death Means

In one sense , Jaehaerys ’ decease is not that of amajorcharacterin his own right ; it ’s not like a key player has been taken out . But , like with Lucerys ’ decease , it ’s about what his slaying really symbolizes : there is no turning back from the Dance of the Dragons now , no way civic war can be avoided .

That was already honest in some eyes , but this withdraw any and all dubiousness . Aegon will need to retaliate , hit hard than ever before , and Rhaenyra will have to then do the same . Both side will be leave behind with no pick but to unleash their dragons and sting everything in their track .

As war erupts in Westeros , dragons will be sent to battle . Here ’s a verbal description of every flying dragon in HBO ’s House of the Dragon , channelise into season 2 .

Rhaenyra Caraxes and Syrax

There will be an impingement on those directly involved , too . Aegon has not been a serious queen so far , that is likely to change now he will so desperately require revenge . Helaena will , if it observe the book , be consumed by heartbreak . Alicent should , as note , be wracked by guilty conscience . Rhaenyra will , of grade , find out too and it may drive a wedge between her and Daemon . trueness could be divided even further , and the war is only just start .

Rhaenyra’s Revenge Plan & How Blood & Cheese Will Change It

Rhaenyra Will Be Appalled At Prince Jaehaerys' Death

Rhaenyra herself uttered the words that push Daemon into action:“I want Aemond Targaryen . ”But she had no idea just what he would do to try and deport that , or the mess it would cause . He may have been attempt to have a triumph , but this will likely be seen as defeat ; Rhaenyra will be blame for Jaehaerys ’ death , a large setback for her want to bring home the bacon over the support of people in Westeros .

House of the Dragon is coiffe before Game of Thrones , but time jumps left some confused about how long it will cover . Here ’s the HotD timeline explain .

Aegon In House Of The Dragon Season 2, Episode 1’s Ending Is A Stark Contrast To Rhaenyra

Aegon Is A Very Different Kind Of King - For Now

One mortal who is less present in all of this is the king himself . Towards the end ofHouse of the Dragonseason 2 , instalment 1 , he is in a very unlike kind of scene : laughing and joking with his friend , getting drunk while sitting on the Iron Throne . It ’s not only a contrast to what ’s going on around him , creating a juxtaposition with the murder that ’s about to happen , but also to Rhaenyra ’s story .

There should be a new side to Aegon after this , one of more decisive natural action , one driven by angriness and vengeance , and that is going to cause a fate more bloodshed .

She start out episode 1 consumed by pain in the ass and grief over fall behind her Word . He end it express joy on the Iron Throne , unaware he ’s about to misplace his . It ’s a fresh parallel in showing just how incompatible to ruling Aegon was , and how he ’s going to be forced into change by stemma and Cheese . There should be a unexampled side to Aegon after this , one of more decisive action , one driven by anger and payback , and that is going to cause a lot more bloodshed .

Jacaerys Velaryon and Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon season 2

House Of The Dragon Season 2 Release Schedule

Episode #

Release Date

House of the dragon game of thrones timeline

sequence 1

June 16

instalment 2

Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon on the Iron Throne in House of the Dragon season 2

June 23

installment 3

June 30

Headshot Of Matt Smith In The UK premiere of Sky series ‘House of the Dragon’

sequence 4

July 7

sequence 5

House of the Dragon

July 14

installment 6

July 21

Game of Thrones

instalment 7

July 28

Episode 8

August 4

The Importance Of Alicent Lighting A Candle For Alerie Florent & Lucerys Velaryon

House Of The Dragon Reveals Alicent’s Mother

One littler moment that ’s specially interesting , before all the chaos , is Alicent Hightower lighting wax light to remember those stuffy to her she has lost . She names three people : Alerie Florent , her female parent ; Viserys Targaryen , her husband ; and Lucerys Velaryon , her grandson - in - law . The Viserys part is middling clear - cut , but the other two names are a lot more interesting .

This is the first in - world confirmation of Alicent ’s mother ’s name and house , and aside from simply being a neat reveal , there is interesting setting to it . House Florent ’s sigil is a fox within a dress circle of blue flowers . This jibe with how Alicent enclothe inHouse of the Dragonseason 1 ’s other installment - she wore blue dress , and her auburn hair meant she fully represented the mansion ’s colors . That meant she was more Florent than Hightower , shifting to the green of the latter ’s flame ( for warfare ) in dramatic way in episode 5 , which is when the divisions were truly seeded .

Naming Lucerys , meanwhile , is a sense of how Alicent feels regret over his death . There was no mother wit of her being closelipped to the boy himself , but it ’s likely what Alicent is really mourn here is the death of her friendly relationship with Rhaenyra . That shows there ’s still a part of her that cares for her erstwhile friend , but whether it can be reached - or if she ’ll leave it to be - inHouse of the Dragon ’s future is another topic all .

House of the Dragonseason 2 releases raw episode Sundays at 9 pm ET on HBO and Max .

Your Rating

Your commentary has not been saved

Cast

submit place about 172 twelvemonth before the events ofGame of Thrones , House of the Dragontells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens , the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria . The democratic HBO spinoff show first asterisk Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were substitute by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke , who play the older versions of the characters . Also starring in the series is Matt Smith ( Prince Daemon Targaryen ) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra ’s founder , King Viserys Targaryen .