TV Review: ‘House Of The Dragon’ Season 2, Episode 2 Retreads Old Territory Without Much Action
by Frank Martin
Because of the nature of both the show’s production and its length of season, it helps to view House Of The Dragon and its pacing more in terms of a film rather than a TV show. Then its relatively uneventful episodes can be viewed with a little bit more leniency. This second episode of Season 2 is a great example: not much happens in terms of action. The episode primarily focuses on characterization and moving pieces in place for the future. That doesn’t mean it was a bad episode. Game Of Thrones thrived on creating high tension and political drama, but things are going to need to pick up quick to keep viewers interested.
After the death of his son, King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) begins to unravel in a quest for vengeance. He hangs a whole bunch of citizens in the search for one traitor. His grandfather and Hand, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), expresses his frustration with the young King’s shortsightedness. This results in Otto getting fired from his post and planning to control the King by other means. Elswhere, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) has to deal with the fallout of Daemon’s (Matt Smith) plans that resulted in the young Prince’s death. A counterattack threatens her life, but she is luckily saved. However, the incident will only escalate the brewing war between both sides.
It’s hard to argue that House Of The Dragon isn’t checking off all of the boxes it needs to. It has plenty of fantasy, political turmoil, controversy, and violence. But after so many seasons of this franchise, it starts to become stale. The show’s slow-moving pace lacks the adrenaline rush needed to keep audiences entertained. This is a show about extremely well-off people squabbling over power while making terrible decisions along the way. At some point, their drama needs to give way to action. There’s only so much planning that can happen. Fortunately, the shortened season may mean that some much needed suspense is coming soon.
House Of The Dragon streams Sundays on Max.
