During the CCXP event in Brazil, a panel was hosted to promote the upcoming content to be released on HBO Max. Leading the slate of upcoming series was the Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon, which is set to debut its second season in Summer 2024. Cast members Ewan Mitchell (Prince Aemond Targaryen) and Steve Toussaint (Lord Corlys Velaryon) dropped by to discuss the upcoming season, teasing “all-out war”.

This part of the HBO Max panel can be seen in a Twitter thread shared by ScreenRant. But the highlight was when HBO unveiled the first teaser trailer for the second season of the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon.

This exciting and action-packed trailer is quite dense, so we will do our best to unpack it, knowing what we know from Fire and Blood and from the filming of the second season. There will be some mild book spoilers below, so proceed with caution.

A grieving Rhaenyra travels to Storm’s End

As we reported previously, one of the first scenes in House of the Dragons‘ second season will take the Black Queen, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), to Shipbreaker Bay and the beaches near Storm’s End. Rhaenyra has just heard the fate of her son, Lucerys, who was killed along with his dragon at the very end of Season 1.

The news of Lucerys’ death came mere days after Rhaenyra learned of her father’s death, the crowning of her half-brother Aegon in her place, and after she had given birth to a stillborn baby.

Grief-stricken, Rhaenyra will mount her dragon Syrax and fly to Shipbreaker Bay, and it seems that she will search for her son’s corpse on the beach. It won’t be long before this grief will be replaced by rage.

In another frame from the trailer, we see Rhaenyra mounted on Syrax, wearing the same outfit. This must be directly before or directly after she observes the beaches near Storm’s End.

King Aegon ascends the Iron Throne

While Rhaenyra grieves the deaths of her loved ones, King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) remains in King’s Landing. After his father’s death and the ensuing struggle between his mother and grandfather, Aegon has folded under the pressure.

In Episode 9 of Season 1, Aegon was crowned in front of a cheering crowd, and, for a brief moment, he seemed to be happy about it.

In Season 2, Aegon will have to sit on his father’s throne and actually be king. He’ll have to rule the Seven Kingdoms during a civil war, something his father never had to do. Meanwhile, various political schemers will attempt to pull at his strings.

Aemond brings news to the Greens at King’s Landing

The prime culprit behind the escalation of the civil war is Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell). In the show, Aemond was not planning to kill his nephew Lucerys and his dragon but was merely trying to scare him. At least that’s what the writers suggested.

As things got heated, the great dragon Vhagar lost its temper and snapped at Lucerys, killing him instantly. Now Aemond must return to King’s Landing with the news of his mishap which drew the first blood in the Targaryen civil war.

Errors were made in the hours following King Viserys’ death.

One of the two key members of the Green Council is Lord Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), the Hand of the King to the late Viserys Targaryen. Evidently, Otto isn’t happy about the news Aemond brings, as we hear him mention that “errors were made” early in the trailer.

The war will be fought. Many will die. And the victor will eventually assend the throne.

The second key member of the Green Council is Otto’s daughter, the Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). In the above scene, Alicent can be seen talking to Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham), and there is a certain madness in her eyes when she discusses the now inevitable war to come. In another frame, Alicent can be seen blowing out a candle, probably after finishing a prayer.

After all is said and done, peace is no longer an option. Besides the Hightower army and forces of the Reach, the Greens will enlist the forces of the Crownlands, including House Rosby and House Stokewroth, whose soldiers can be seen in the second frame.

Rhaenyra gathers the Black Council at Dragonstone

On her return to Dragonstone, Rhaenyra must attempt to set aside both grief and rage and pave a way forward that will lead to victory over the Greens.

In the past, Rhaenyra has shown restraint and maturity, but after all that’s happened, restraint will be understandably difficult. Thankfully, Rhaenyra has many advisors who each have their own approach.

Rhaenyra’s most controversial advisor is her husband, and uncle, King Consort Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith). Daemon has always been somewhat of a wildcard who prospers in times of chaos and war, and now after years of uneasy peace, Daemon is back in the game.

As always, he will be an agent of chaos pushing Rhaenyra towards extreme goals. For Daemon, the ends justify the means and the death of Lucerys demands immediate, and equally brutal payback.

There is no war so hateful to the Gods as a war between kin, and no war so bloody as a war between dragons.

Another important advisor to Rhaenyra is her aunt, the Queen that Never Was, Princess Rhaenys Velaryon (Eve Best). Rhaenys can empathize with Rhaenyra’s grief, having lost her own two children, and almost losing her husband as well.

Rhaenys will provide more moderate and restrained counsel to the Black Queen, as we can see in her warning to Rhaenyra later in the trailer.

Another member of the Black Council is Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), Rhaenys’ husband. Not much is seen of Corlys in the trailer, but we expect he will have a large role in the coming season.

Daemon goes to war

Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), Queen Rhaenyra’s uncle and husband, has always been a wildcard. Violent and passionate, Daemon thrives in times of chaos and war, and now these times have come.

Reeling from the death of his brother, for which he blames the Greens, Daemon will be looking for vengeance. In the above frames from the trailer, we can see an armored Daemon walking through the halls of what looks like Harrenhal, which is set to be a key location in Season 2.

In another frame, we see the Blacks’ army gathered near Harrenhal.

The seat of House Strong, Harrenhal bears a special connection to the Blacks. Harrenhal was the home of the late Ser Harwin Strong, Rhaenyra’s lover and the true father of her first three children. It is also the home of Harwin’s brother Larys, who has sided with the Greens.

Harenhal is also one of the greater castles of the Riverlands, and a stark reminder of the terrible power of dragonfire, which will once again threaten to consume Westeros as it had in the Conquest.

Another shot of Daemon seems to be set in the Harrenhal Godswood. We can see Daemon swinging his sword, with the weirwood tree behind him. Who or what he is swinging his sword at, we will have to wait and see.

In another frame, Daemon can be seen mounted on his dragon, probably on Dragonstone. We also see some people burning in dragonfire at night-time, perhaps Daemon is responsible.

Criston Cole is on a mission

Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), Lord Commander of Aegon’s Kingsguard, is one of the more controversial characters in the show. Once a Rhaenyra supporter, Cole has been on Team Green ever since Rhaenyra spurned him back in Season 1.

In the trailer, we can see Cole beheading Lord Gunthor Darklyn (Steven Pacey), as he does in the books. In addition to being Lord Commander, we can see him with his new piece of jewelry. That is the chain that the Hand of the King wears.

All of this is in Episode 4 of the new season, meaning by that time, Otto Hightower will be fired by King Aegon.

In another scene, a rugged and bloody Cole can be seen striking a soldier with his helmet. This seems to be part of Season 2’s big battle scene, the Battle of Rook’s Rest, which we see more of later in the trailer.

In this case, it seems likely that Cole is striking one of his own men who is escaping the battlefield on the arrival of an enemy dragon. We have shared a detailed report on this battle during filming.

The Battle at Rook’s Rest

Season 1 of House of the Dragon was, much like Season 1 of Game of Thrones, heavily focused on the family drama. The first season very slowly established the characters and set up the rifts between them, which eventually led to Aemond and Lucerys’ fight above Storm’s End and the unfolding conflict in Season 2. Now in Season 2, we can see the armies marching towards the Battle at Rook’s Rest.

In Game of Thrones, big battle episodes were usually reserved for the penultimate episodes of each season. This will not be the case in House of Dragon‘s second season.

The Battle at Rook’s Rest, occurring in the fourth episode of Season 2, will see the forces of the Blacks and the Greens collide, including foot soldiers, cavalry, and dragons.

The dragon we see in the trailer is Vhagar, and its rider is Aemond. Without a doubt, Aemond and Vhagar are the Greens’ prized asset.

The oldest, largest, and most powerful dragon, Vhagar has already killed a dragon and it’s not likely she will stop at one.

Enemy dragons will be worried about Vhagar, but not as much as the soldiers on the ground. Many, many soldiers on both sides will be caught in the dragonfire, and we see some of that in the trailer.

Though this could be from a different sequence, there’s reason the frame of Lady Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia), riding on her dragon Moondancer, may also be part of the Battle at Rook’s Rest.

If true, this would be a change from the source material, in which Baela was not present for this battle. In the above frame, Baela screams in agony. Perhaps she is witnessing a certain event that happens at the end of the Battle at Rook’s Rest.

It must be noted, though, that we did see Antonia at Bourne Woods during the filming of the battle, on the same battlefield set, so there is certainly a reason to suspect that the writers added Baela to this battle.

Introducing Addam of Hull

One key plot in the upcoming season is the Blacks’ search for dragon riders. Team Black has no shortage of dragons, but there are not enough riders to bond with them and ride them to battle.

This will inspire Rhaenyra and Daemon to call for volunteers among Targaryen and Velaryon bastards, and any willing volunteer, to attempt to claim these dragons. They will later be called the Dragonseeds. In the frame above, we see the Dragonseeds gathering. We saw behind-the-scenes footage of this moment during filming in Wales.

One of the most important Dragonseeds is Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty), a Velaryon bastard who will attempt to claim the dragon Seasmoke.

As a reminder, Seasmoke used to belong to Laenor Velrayon, before he took off with his romantic partner and faked his death. In the above frames, we can see Addam closing in on Seasmoke.

In a later shot, we see Rhaenyra and her dragon Syrax facing another dragon and its rider. The dragon appears to be Seasmoke, and so the rider must be Addam of Hull.

Addam will pledge allegiance to the Black Queen in Episode 7 and become a great asset in the Black’s campaign and will participate in future battles in the Dance of the Dragons, alongside his fellow Dragonseeds.

King’s Landing in chaos

King’s Landing will continue to be the setting of much of the chaos unfolding throughout Season 2.

In the frame above, we see a distant shot of the Dragonpit, and the Red Keep’s towers on the right side.

In one quick frame from the trailer, we see King Aegon’s wife and sister, Queen Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) in grave danger. The outlaw nicknamed Cheese (Mark Stobbart) is holding a knife against her throat.

We won’t spoil what happens in the books, but this will be that major emotional moment that will occur somewhere near the end of the first episode (titled “A Son for a Son”) and mark the new House of the Dragon season open with a flood of people going to social media to discuss that shocking scene that they just witnessed.

In another shot, we see a procession marching through the streets of King’s Landing, to the sound of drums.

This sequence was covered in our filming reports. You can have a look in the link below, but be wary of spoilers:

Besides processions and outlaws, King’s Landing is also home to many peasants, and at some point in Season 2 they will become quite unhappy with the Greens.

So much so that they will start a riot, and one peasant will grab Alicent.

We see another frame of a commotion in King’s Landing which may be from the same sequence, or an entirely different one.

Here, in the second screenshot, we can see a white-haired, bearded man running through the street who seems quite similar to the Dragonseed Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew).

Aemond eyeing the Iron Throne

In two particular shots, we see Prince Aemond in the throne room, looking at the Iron Throne with desire. It is no secret that he would like to switch places with his older brother King Aegon, and Aegon wouldn’t object as shown in Season 1. Nonetheless, succession turned out to be what it is.

But fate works in strange ways and Aemond will get his wish for a while. After the Battle at Rook’s Rest, Aemond will become Prince Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, while his brother isn’t in any condition to do anything.

With Otto Hightower fired as Hand and Aegon temporarily out of commission as King, we have a new dynamic duo of Aemond and Cole at the top of the Green government in the second half of House of the Dragon Season 2.

Other quick frames

In one exciting shot seen in the trailer, we see soldiers wearing black and marching through a snowy environment. Without a doubt, this is somewhere in the North, and it may actually be Beyond the Wall.

One of the most anticipated introductions of Season 2 is that of the Starks, ancestors of Game of Thrones‘ protagonists. Leading them is Lord Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor), who will form a friendship with Rhaenyra’s eldest son, Prince Jaecaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett).

In another quick shot, we see the Cargyll brothers clashing swords. As a reminder, Ser Errik and Arrik Cargyll were both members of King Viserys’ Kingsguard.

On Viserys’ death, Arryk sided with the Greens and remained in King’s Landing while Erryk defected and joined the Blacks at Dragonstone. The events of Season 2 will see them reunite, but not in a brotherly fashion.

One beautifully shot scene in the trailer focuses on Alicent, who is watching the river flow with a disturbed look.

In another quick shot, we see someone play with a ball during the small council in the Red Keep. While not present in Game of Thrones, these balls were introduced in House of the Dragon and putting the balls in their appropriate holes marks one’s presence at the council.

Next up, we have a group of soldiers belonging to House Bracken. This may be part of the Battle of Rook’s Rest. The boy with the sword is actor Ryan Kopel. Earlier, we reported that House of the Dragon Season 2 will introduce Lord Amos Bracken, but it seems unlikely that this is him.

Horses riding through an open field, which seems to be the same location as Rook’s Rest (filmed in Bourne Woods near London). Although, in some cases, one filming location can serve as multiple places in the story.

More horses riding in the woods. And that’s all we have for our first trailer of House of the Dragon.

House of the Dragon Season 2 will premiere on HBO in Summer 2024. We will keep following the show as the promotional campaign kicks into high gear in the coming months.

The post House of the Dragon Season 2 Official Teaser Breakdown appeared first on Redanian Intelligence.

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House of the Dragon Season 2 Official Teaser Breakdown