HotD season 2 ep 1 eases you in once again into the world of thrones!

The House of the Dragon season 2 has finally aired, and with its slow-burn approach, episode 1 paints a recap as well as furthers the vengeful war of fire and blood! 

The Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon, not only rose from the ashes of the last season of GoT but also chartered its own path. Rising above everyone's expectations, surprisingly, HotD's season one, with its story of the befall of the Targaryens, was yet another enthralling ride into the world of Westeros that we didn't know we needed! And given the time gap between the two seasons, I thought it would be hard to reconnect with this show in a similar manner. But with season two, episode 1, it feels like this bloody ride continues to arise above predictions. (spoiler alert!)

The start of the episode might hit you with a wave of nostalgia as the camera, with a raven mid-air. enters into Winterfell. This episode picks up from exactly where we left off last season as we see Jacaerys Velaryon busy securing some support for his mother from the Starks in the north when he receives the news of his brother, Lucerys Velaryon's death. Tension is running high as Daemon seems hell-bent on revenge while Rhaenys wants to wait for an order from Rhaenyra, the queen who seems to be missing from the dragon stone to find out the truth about her son. 

On another front, Aegon takes his position as the king somewhat as a joke and seems inept at making any decisions, while his mother, Alicent and his grandfather and Hand to the King, Otto Hightower, try hard to prepare for war and manage the situation, which is worsened after Aemond's erratic behavior resulting in Lucerys' death. Within all this diplomacy, Alicent finds sexual pleasure with Ser Criston Cole while Rhaenyra mourns the loss of her son and demands revenge from Daemon. But this is the House of the Dragons! Here, a king's deathbed confession leads to confusion for the throne, so 'a son for a son' had to inevitably go wrong and kill Aegon's four-year-old son instead of Aemond. 

Also Read: What happened in House of the Dragon season 1? Let's recap

The opening episode is a slow burn with characters busy in many diplomatic chats as if recapping the last season for you while building in the details. It might not be an enticing episode with beheadings or many crude shocks, but intriguingly, it has a lasting impact. And from the looks of it, it might be an invaluable piece of the puzzle in the larger scheme of things. It follows the pattern of earlier GoT seasons that had fun building the details so that the inevitable seems well-earned! Also, given the vastness of this world, this approach works in favor of the show as it gives people a chance to get reacquainted and strap into this world of treacherous conspiracies. 

It develops its characters in depth, echoing Game of Thrones characters. For instance, Aegon's behaviour foreshadows Joffery, while Cersei's and Daenerys' shadows loom large over Alicent and Rhaenyra. Yet they are very much their own person, in touch with their softer, more humane side, making up for people stuck in this world of battle rather than just characters who were wronged. Despite its connection, the show's mild-mannered and subtle approach makes this spin-off different from GoT! It also solidifies its commentary on how the pursuit of vengeance and war only leads to one assured outcome of destruction, even if you have dragons as your weapons. 

The conflict between the Blacks and the Greens is imminent owing to a combination of events leading up to the war among kin. What matters is how it all unfolds, and this slow-opener of an episode only suggests that we have to be patient with it.

House of the Dragon season 2 is available on JioCinemas with a new episode aired every week.

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