Here’s what we loved about the two trailers of 'House of the Dragon' Season 2

Excitement for the much-awaited second season of House of the Dragon hit fever pitch last week with HBO giving fans not one, but two trailers. Offering a glimpse into the upcoming civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons, these trailers reflect both sides of the Targaryen house that are going head to head for the Iron Throne. On one side we have the Greens—led by King Aegon II, the newly crowned king, and his mother Alicent Hightower, and on the other side is the Blacks with Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and her uncle-husband Daemon Targaryen at the helm of affairs. 

We’ve gone through both trailers (more than once because it’s that great!) of the second season, which releases on June 16, and here’s what we loved about them. First thing first, where did season 1 end? One of the best season finales in recent times, the ending of the first season set the tone for the inevitable able war taking place between friends-turned-foes, Alicent and Rhaenyra. It all started when Alicent misinterpreted King Visery Targaryen’s last words, thinking he wanted to crown their son Aegon II Targaryen as king. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra, Visery's daughter and rightful heir, who wasn't in the room, was unaware of her father's decision. Expectedly, she was surprised with father's decision and angry when she learns that upon learning that her arch-enemy crowned her son as king. And that wasn’t even the final nail in her coffin (many more deaths to come in season 2 for sure). In the events that followed, Rhaenyra sent her son Lucerys Targaryen to rally support, only to be bested by Alicent’s other son, Aemond Targaryen. After Lucerys leaves on his dragon Arrax, Aemond (who lost one eye due to Luceyrs back in the day) follows him on Vhagar—the largest dragon alive, which ends up killing Arrax and eating Lucerys. And thus began the start of the Dance of the Dragons.

With the first season setting up both sides of the war, the trailers of the upcoming second season give audiences a glimpse of how the two sides are preparing for battle. Brothers will fight brothers and dragons will fight dragons. Sadly, June 16 couldn’t come any sooner. 

 

Rhaenyra wants revenge and war, and wants it now

One thing’s pretty clear in the Team Black trailer: Rhaenyra is fuming. Her father assured her she was the rightful heir, and now, she feels insulted by the Greens knowing that they’ve conspired to kill her father and name Aegon II as heir, and is out to seek revenge for the death of her son, however accidental it might be. Much more vengeful than before, she couldn’t have made her intentions any more clear as she says that she wants, “to fight this war and win it.”

The Wall is set to make an appearance on the show

As seen in the Black trailer, the second season of the show marks a return to The Wall, one of the most iconic locations seen on the Game of Thrones. Located in the far north, it is The Wall, manned by the Night’s Watch that separates the kingdoms of Westeros from the wildlings who live beyond. While Lucerys was sent to garner the support of House Baratheon, Rhaenyra's other son, Jace Targaryen, was sent to Winterfell, the seat of House Stark, to get their lord, Cregan Stark, on their side. The few scenes where The Wall is seen are a 'stark' reminder (no pun intended) that the great houses of Westeros are set to pick their side in the Dance of Dragons.

The inclusion of Blood and Cheese

As seen in the trailer for the Greens, the Blacks aren’t taking the death of Prince Lucerys very lightly. There’s a scene of a very dingy lane in the underbelly of King’s Landing that teases the inclusion of Blood and Cheese in the show. For those who’ve read the books by ‎George RR Martin, the duo are assassins (Blood is a butcher and a former sergeant of the City Watch while Cheese is a rat catcher) hired by Daemon Targaryen to kill Jaehaerys Targaryen, the son of King Aegon II and Helaena. We won’t go into the events that follow (we’ve already read up on what happens), but let’s just say that it’s going to be one of the most horrific scenes of the entire second season. The events that follow are tragic; we see a funeral scene in the trailer with members of a crowd and the royal family seen grieving.

The Daemon versus Aemond showdown

With season one giving audiences a glimpse of the growing animosity between Prince Aemond and Daemon Targaryen, this is the one-on-one fight that we simply can’t wait to see on our screens. It truly is set to be the battle between the best in the land (and the air) as there are few warriors alive who can defeat them. No one’s putting their swords down or getting off their dragons anytime soon as a scene in the Green trailer reveals a shot of Daemon with Aemond saying, “My uncle is a challenge I welcome, if he dares face me.”

Words of wisdom from Rhaenys

While everyone in Westeros is bracing themselves for all-out war, there’s Rhaenys Targaryen, Visery’s cousin sister who seems to be the only one who wants peace. While both trailers depict the violence and destruction in store, it’s the final line of the Black trailer that leaves behind a lasting impression. It’s Rhaenys warning her niece saying, “When the desire to kill and burn takes hold and reason is forgotten, you will not even remember what began the war in the first place.” Considering where each of the characters finds themselves at this stage of their lives, the dialogue couldn’t have driven the message home.

There are two sides to every story, and we're about find out on June 16. 

Lead image credit: HBO

Also read: Here are the best moments from the first season of the ‘House of the Dragon’

Also read: Spoiler Alert: All the things we learnt from the first episode of House of the Dragon