‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Recap: Everything To Remember Before HBO’s Epic Fantasy Returns

House of the Dragon Season 3 promises to be bigger than ever as it builds on Season 2’s contentious ending. As Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) seek to claim the throne, the second season escalates the war, going from political divisions to full-on dragon battles, showing the ruthless lengths they will go to. Named heir by her father, Rhaenyra searches for allies who will honor their oaths, while Aegon relies on Westeros’ patriarchal society. But war is inevitable, and when dragons fight, no one is safe.

‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Begins With Tragedy

Following the news of her second son’s death in Season 1, Rhaenyra takes her dragon to find Lucerys’ (Elliot Grihault) remains, though there isn’t much for her to grieve over. Meanwhile, Jacaerys (Harry Collett) hears the news about his brother while recruiting allies. He returns home to mourn and confirms that both House Stark and House Arryn will support Rhaenyra. In King’s Landing, the Greens face a different type of chaos. Hiding her affair with Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), Alicent (Olivia Cooke) tries to temper Aegon’s instincts, hoping for peace. But with a blockade threatening King’s Landing, the men are ready for war, particularly Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and Aegon, though Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) urges patience. Yet the biggest danger to the Greens is Aegon’s inability to grasp political nuance, evident when he listens to his citizens’ complaints and rejects Otto’s advice.

Daemon (Matt Smith), determined to take action, seeks help from Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), who has arrived on Dragonstone as a stowaway. In exchange for her freedom, she helps Daemon plot revenge. Sneaking into King’s Landing, Daemon recruits a member of the City Watch and a castle ratcatcher to go through the tunnels and kill Aemond, but he isn’t home. Instead, the two men kill Aegon’s young son, Jaehaerys, and torment Helaena (Phia Saban) in the process. In the aftermath, Otto uses the tragedy to their advantage, blaming Rhaenyra and turning the public against her with a public procession. Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) helps Aegon track down the culprits. Aegon kills the Goldcloak responsible, but, after being unable to trace the other, he orders all the city’s ratcatchers hanged. When Otto confronts Aegon about this, Aegon removes his grandfather as Hand of the King, replacing him with Criston. Elsewhere, Rhaenyra discovers Daemon’s role in the tragedy, and they argue. As the old wound of Viserys (Paddy Considine) choosing Rhaenyra over him resurfaces, Daemon flies away on his dragon.

The War Grows Too Bloody to Stop

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Criston hopes to follow Daemon’s lead in seeking revenge, sending the Kingsguard knight Ser Arryk Cargyll (Luke Tittensor) to kill Rhaenyra while impersonating his twin, Erryk (Elliott Tittensor), who previously swore loyalty to the Blacks. However, Mysaria, whom Rhaenyra has begrudgingly allowed to leave, sees Arryk arrive and grows suspicious, then returns to Dragonstone. Arryk makes it to Rhaenyra uncontested, but before he can kill her, Erryk intervenes. The brothers fight until Erryk kills Arryk, but Arryk immediately takes his own life in grief. The only benefit of the confrontation is Rhaenyra’s newfound trust in Mysaria, who becomes an ally.

On Rhaenys’ (Eve Best) advice, Rhaenyra seeks to make peace with Alicent before the body count gets higher. She sneaks into King’s Landing disguised as a septa, but Alicent believes the violence has gone too far. While Rhaenyra doesn’t negotiate peace, she uncovers the truth behind her father’s last words. While Viserys’ mutterings about Aegon previously convinced Alicent he wanted his son as heir, Rhaenyra recognizes the reference to Aegon’s Prophecy. Reassured by her father’s faith, Rhaenyra shares the truth of the prophecy with Jacaerys.

Daemon Claims Harrenhal and the Riverlands

Daemon’s control of Harrenhal is crucial, as the always-feuding Brackens and Blackwoods have the first battle, making the Riverlands the conflict’s center. Harrenhal’s castellan, Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale), surrenders to Daemon instantly, but the haunted castle torments him, driving him mad with visions of young Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock), Viserys, and more. Somehow, these connect to the weirwood tree and the witch Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin), adding to their mystery.

While in Harrenhal, Daemon oversteps his authority, naming himself as king rather than Rhaenyra’s consort. He struggles to build an army since the Riverlands’ leader, Lord Tully, is dying and unable to help. Instead, he makes a deal with Willem Blackwood (Jack Parry-Jones), offering to punish the Brackens in exchange for support. This proves a challenge, so Daemon suggests the Blackwoods use more brutal methods, alienating the River Lords. This misstep leads Daemon back to the Tullys and their new lord, Oscar (Archie Barnes), who fearlessly acknowledges Daemon’s failures. He agrees to keep his family’s oath to Rhaenyra if Daemon dispenses justice to Willem Blackwood. With little choice, Daemon carries out Willem’s death sentence, finally winning over the River Lords.

Rhaenyra Loses Another Ally

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The Dance of the Dragons begins in earnest when Criston takes his army through the Crownlands, attacking the castles of Rhaenyra’s supporters on the way to Rook’s Rest, following a strategy that Aegon is unaware of. After Aemond embarrasses him at a council meeting, Aegon decides to fly Sunfyre into the battle. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra learns of the plan and sends Rhaenys on Meleys. Though the battle has begun, the dragons’ arrival makes it even bloodier. While Meleys and Sunfyre clash, Aemond hides and waits with Vhagar, but he enters the fight, attacking his brother rather than his enemy. Aegon and Sunfyre crash, and Vhagar finishes the fight as Rhaenys dies with her dragon. The fight decimates the soldiers, but Criston escapes to find Aegon, who barely survived his fall.

Following the battle, Rhaenyra feels like she’s losing control, while Jace is determined to take action. Realizing that the Stark men will need the Freys’ crossing to get to the Riverlands, he negotiates, offering Harrenhal in exchange for the Northmen’s passage and their loyalty. Though Rhaenyra doesn’t approve of his leaving, she appreciates his accomplishment in gaining her an army. Meanwhile, Corlys (Steve Toussaint) struggles with the loss of his wife, while Rhaenyra sends Baela (Bethany Antonia) to ask him to be her Hand. She talks him into the new role, though she refuses to become his heir. However, Corlys’ family trouble isn’t over. Throughout the season, Corlys gets to know his secret bastard son, Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim). Corlys makes Alyn his first mate, but Alyn wants nothing to do with his father. In contrast, Alyn’s brother, Addam (Clinton Liberty), feels Corlys owes them more recognition.

The Greens’ Problems in King’s Landing Only Get Worse

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After Aemond turns on Aegon, the Greens have plenty of problems, but one challenge grows throughout King’s Landing. As seen through Hugh’s (Kieran Bew) story, the smallfolk are starving due to the blockade preventing supplies from getting to the city. Worse, they are trapped inside to stop the discontent from spreading. Rhaenyra seeds rumors about the Greens and sends food to the people, inciting riots in her name. Alicent and Helaena get caught in the chaos while visiting the Sept, forcing them to see the unrest right outside their door.

Inside the castle, Aemond becomes regent due to Aegon’s injuries and demands total authority. He sends Criston to Harrenhal with too small a host and kicks Alicent off the council. He also hopes to make Otto Hand, but gets no response. Yet Aegon isn’t dead. Though Aegon claims he doesn’t remember the battle, Aemond continues to threaten his brother. However, Larys remains Aegon’s loyal ally, as they bond over their disabilities. Larys encourages Aegon to rely on his mind and pushes him to recover more quickly from his injuries.

On Aemond’s orders, Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) recruits the Triarchy of the Free Cities for the Greens’ naval force, agreeing to give them the much-disputed Stepstones for their help. Before securing their allegiance, he must impress Admiral Lohar (Abigail Thorn) in a mud wrestling match. Simultaneously, Criston marches to Harrenhal, but on the way, Alicent’s brother, Gwayne (Freddie Fox), confronts him about his relationship with Alicent. Criston’s confession reveals his despair after the devastation at the Battle of Rook’s Rest, painting a bleak picture.

Rhaenyra Finds New Dragonriders

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To beat Vhagar, Jace proposes finding riders for their unclaimed dragons. After referring to her family tree, Rhaenyra asks her Kingsguard knight, Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan), to claim Seasmoke, but he dies in the attempt. Mysaria encourages a hopeless Rhaenyra, and they kiss, hinting at a deeper relationship. Meanwhile, Seasmoke chooses Addam of Hull as his rider, despite him having no known Targaryen lineage. Addam swears to serve Rhaenyra, who begins looking for Targaryen bastards to claim the remaining dragons. This plan angers Jace, whose legitimacy is tied to his dragon, but Baela encourages Jace to prove himself by fighting for his mother.

In King’s Landing, Rhaenyra’s message attracts many reluctant participants, including Ulf (Tom Bennett). Hugh also goes, as his mother was a Targaryen. When the group arrives, Rhaenyra has them face Vermithor, but he rejects the first bastard to approach him. It’s a bloodbath, as most participants die, but when Hugh protects a young girl from the dragon, Vermithor bonds with him. During the chaos, Ulf escapes, only to encounter Silverwing, who chooses him, giving Rhaenyra two more dragonriders. Ulf takes a joyride over King’s Landing, and Aemond pursues him on Vhagar, only to flee when he sees Rhaenyra’s new advantage.

Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) isn’t a dragonrider, but she plays an important role by taking Rhaenyra’s younger sons to the Vale to ensure Jeyne Arryn’s (Amanda Collin) allegiance. With two small dragons and several unhatched eggs, Rhaena must convince Jeyne that they have met her condition of a dragon’s protection, but Jeyne isn’t pleased. Rhaena learns this is because a wild dragon roams the Vale, and rather than accompanying the baby Targaryens to safety in Pentos, Rhaena searches for the beast, eventually finding it at the end of the season.

War Looms in ‘House of the Dragon’s Season 2 Finale

House of the Dragon‘s Season 2 finale leaves everyone in a precarious place. When Aemond destroys a city in anger, Larys advises Aegon to flee before becoming Aemond’s next target. Aegon would rather take back control, but he cannot win without Vhagar, so he takes Larys’ advice, planning to return for the crown. Meanwhile, Aemond demands that Helaena fight for their side on her dragon, Dreamfyre, to give them an advantage over Rhaenyra’s numbers. She refuses, revealing that through her ability to dream the future, she knows Aegon will be king and Aemond will die, angering her brother even more.

Helaena isn’t the only one to see the future, as Alys takes Daemon to the godswood, where he sees flashes of the future, including Brenden Rivers (Joshua Ben-Tovim), the White Walkers, dead dragons, himself drowning, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) hatching dragons, and Rhaenyra on the Iron Throne. This changes Daemon’s course of action. When Rhaenyra hears that Daemon may betray her, she flies to Harrenhal to find Daemon and his army kneeling before her. Finally accepting Viserys’ choice of Rhaenyra, Daemon prepares to go to battle for her claim to the Iron Throne.

Season 2’s last moments do the most to set up the next installment. Alicent’s growing doubts and guilt help her realize her desire to escape war, so she offers to give Rhaenyra King’s Landing as soon as Aemond leaves. Once Alicent agrees to sacrifice Aegon, Rhaenyra agrees to her plan, but the war is already in motion. The Greens’ Oldtown forces, accompanied by Daeron Targaryen’s dragon, Tessarion, and their Lannister host, head to the Riverlands. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra’s Northmen cross the Freys’ land, and somewhere, Otto is being held captive. The Triarchy sets sail, as does Corlys’ fleet, leaving both land and sea primed for war in Season 3.

House of the Dragon is streaming on HBO Max, with Season 3 premiering on June 21.

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Network

HBO

Showrunner

George R.R. Martin

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  Fabien Frankel

  Ser Criston Cole