Summer 2024 saw the much-anticipated return of everyone’s favourite dysfunctional TV family. Keeping Up with the Targaryens (or rather Season Two of House of the Dragon) came roaring back onto the small screen in June, before trailing off with a whimper in August. Season Two is by no means bad television, but is an unfortunate mixed bag, with explosive flashes of brilliance dampened by the same stagnant characterisation and plot lines that plagued the later seasons of Game of Thrones.  

Slower, more character driven stories are a welcome reprieve in the franchise after the breakneck chaos of GoT’s nosedive, but the momentum sadly halts after Episode Four’s ‘Battle at Rook’s Rest,’ the series’ finest spectacle since ‘Blackwater,’ twelve years ago. Yes, not all episodes of a season could (or should) include such an eye-catching, gut-wrenching set piece, but unlike last season, Season Two struggles to create tension when giant lizards are not breathing fire or clawing at each other’s throats.  

 Ironically, where there are no dragons, the episodes are drag-on’s, whether this comes from Corlys’ painfully awkward catchups with his bastard son Alyn, or Daemon’s spooky visions in Harrenhal. Daemon’s Haunted Mansion is a particularly frustrating plot line, as there is strong character development here (in addition to the appearance of Brat Summer’s unlikeliest hero, Simon Strong), but it’s stretched over far too many episodes to make his arc worth the wait. 

Of course, the performances remain fantastic, with D’Arcy (Rhaenyra) and Cooke (Alicent) shining in their lead roles, but there are moments, particularly the Small Council scenes, where the gravitas of Considine’s Viserys or the glorious scenery chewing of Ifans’ Otto Hightower are keenly missed. Their brief appearances are among the highlights of Season Two and serve as reminders of not only the quality of Season One, but also the large, wing-shaped shadow cast over HotD as a whole.  

The collapse in quality of its franchise forerunner leaves HotD with much to do to persuade its doubters (now including creator George R.R. Martin) that it will not go the same way. The season finale’s inclusion of White Walkers, living (or rather undead) reminders of GoT’s shambolic ‘The Long Night,’ and the decision to end the episode with merely a trailer for the events of Season Three are bizarre choices, and the fear for fans is that, just as with its predecessor, HotD has peaked too soon. 

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