The highly-anticipated second season of ‘House of the Dragon,’ based on the book by George R. R. Martin, premiered on Sunday (June 16) and the series has already returned to the global Top 10 on Max. According to FlixPatrol, the show is now the third most-watched on the platform, only behind “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin” and “The Promise.”
Without spoilers, the first episode of the sophomore season starts just a few days after the events of the first season’s finale, which ended with the death of Rhaenyra’s (D’Arcy) son Lucerys in the hands of Aemond (Ewan Mitchell). The second season will dive into the heart of the ‘Dance of the Dragons,’ the bleak battle between the Blacks and the Greens.
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D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith and Rhys Ifans all return to reprise their roles, as well as Tom Glynn-Carney, Phia Sabban and Phoebe Campbell. Meanwhile, additions to the cast include Gayle Rankin, Simon Russell Beale, Freddie Fox, and Abubakar Salim, who will play new characters such as the Starks.
‘House of the Dragons’ Season 2 opens up with positive reviews
While the first season of ‘House of the Dragon’ was considered a success, it’s true that there were still some doubts about its ability to surpass its predecessor. However, it seems like critics are praising the second season, especially for being “bleaker” than GOT. It holds a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Alison Herman of Variety wrote: “In Season 2, “House of the Dragon” feels like it’s finally the show it was always meant to be. What all that runway was leading up to, it turns out, is a tragedy of epic proportions, bleaker than even the famously violent and cynical “Game of Thrones” could ever dream.”
Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen in “House of the Dragon” (HBO)
Meanwhile, Mike Hale of The New York Times, reviewing the first four episodes of the installment, isn’t so impressed. He singles out Eve Best and Ewan Mitchell as the best performers of the show, saying that except for them no one makes “a significant impression.” He also thinks that the story is “neither interesting enough to pull us consistently into the flow nor weird enough to rattle our chains.”
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However, Erika Kain of Forbes disagrees. “It’s a story of a civil war where no sides come out with clean hands and everyone is consumed by rage and grief and vengeance. It’s great television, but it sure isn’t uplifting in any sense of the word,” he writes.
