House of the Dragon (Season 2)

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⭐ 8.5/10

I was ready to write a review about how much better I thought this season was from the last, but I gave that a 9?! Not going to go modify that one, but we must have been in a starved of TV, because I have no good memories of that show. Production value is always there, but I thought Season 1 was a bit claustrophobic, concerned with only the politics of the Red Keep, and the changing cast was confusing and did not lead to me having any empathy for the characters. Also, create a new theme song cowards!

Maybe it helps that I was not waiting a week between episodes, but I liked this season! Starts off with one of the more horrific events in the whole series. I didn't have the kids during the first season, but now those beats really land, I could hardly watch the funeral procession after. Speaking of kids, Aemond! Jace! Those boys are amazing, I thought incredible acting. Aemond in particular is so perfectly menacing, a bit of Joffrey but more powerful and adult. Best looking Targ in the whole universe for my money. And then Jace and his dynamic with his mom, the son who wants to help but the mom who's afraid to lose another son, they killed it.

Onto the bad Targs. Daemon's storyline is slow, but I didn't mind it. What I do mind is how goofy he looks! That white wig is terrible, something about his face shape, and the show takes a nosedive every time he is on screen. Feels like some PBS medieval show instead of this HBO crown jewel. I will say I liked his vision in the finale so much that I almost fired up Game of Thrones after, or even pulled the books off the shelf. I loved Knight of the Seven Kingdoms because of how it distanced itself from GoT, but the connective choices in this show are pretty strong, the whole Prince Who Was Promised vision. Helps this world feel as epic as it is trying to be, and where I thought it failed in the first season.

My favourite part in the books is the Dragonseed, and while the leadup to introduce us to these random people with Targ blood was boring, the payoff was enormous. The scene where they claim their dragons was some of the best action since early Thrones, and its one of those things where this image in your head becomes real. There's a character in ASOIAF who also tries to claim a dragon and its one of my favourite arcs. Very cool, and I can't wait to see those guys next season.

Finally I should mention Ser Criston Cole, who was also fantastic this season. A bit of a spurned lover, but also someone fighting back PTSD after seeing the damage a dragon can do and what they have unleashed. Him as an early season bad guy, blind in his anger, was refreshing for a show kind of missing a heavy. Its nice that we have spent some time with him, which is my common complaint with this show. The twin Knight's Guards, for example, is another favourite moment from the story that is even told in ASOIAF because of how legendary it is. We spend no time with them in the show, don't really know why the picked opposite sides, and their fight had no juice! I was quite let down by that, and it felt emblematic for the show as a whole, abandoning interesting side characters to keep us locked in on the family drama. That's why I'm pumped for more of the Dragonseed.

I was ready to give this a 9, but the final episode had such a deflating last 10 minutes, this epic build up just to show us that the board is set for war. The war has begun! Last season ended with such a huge moment to setup war, its annoying that they went a whole season deciding to actually do it. We did get an epic dragon battle (that I thought looks kind of bad in moments), so the finale felt like a step backwards.

I'm not shocked people didn't like this season, but with a bunch of distance from the show on the eve of the third season I was completely happy with it. Give me more!

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