House of the Dragon Ep 2 Review: Netizens declare Rhaenyra as 'Queen'; political motives take limelight

Read how online users responded to the second episode of Matt Smith, Milly Alcock, and other stars of House of the Dragon. The political motivations of the protagonists during the Targaryen era are analysed in more detail; read more

Photo Courtesy: Game of Thrones

House of the Dragon Cast: Paddy Considine, Milly Alcock, Matt Smith
House of the Dragon Ep 2 Director: Greg Yaitanes
Six months have passed since King Viscerys (Paddy Considine) lost his wife and son in a delivery scene that will go down in history before the events of House of the Dragon's second episode. After six months since the death of his wife, King Viscerys is now being urged by his council to think about re-marrying to "strengthen" his position, which subtly implies that he will now have a second chance to have a son after declaring his daughter Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) as his successor in the previous episode.

Without getting into the specifics of the royal marriages that the king is offered, it can be argued that this marks the beginning of all that would bring disaster to House Targaryen because it is at this point that the political motivations of those close to the king become clear.

House of the Dragon kicked off with a rather violent episode and managed to leave the audience thrilled about getting back into the world of Westeros with the Targaryen family. The reactions continued to remain positive for the second episode as well. 

House of the Dragon kicked off with a rather violent episode and managed to leave the audience thrilled about getting back into the world of Westeros with the Targaryen family. The reactions continued to remain positive for the second episode as well. 

While Matt Smith's portrayal of Daemon Targaryen in the first episode seems to have been the most spectacular, the second one allows Milly Alcock, another one of his co-stars, an opportunity to further embody the role of Princess Rhaenyra, who has some significant sequences in the new episode. One of the most fascinating aspects of the Game of Thrones universe are the dragons, and the latest episode had fleeting views of them.

Many fans had inquired about the program's missing theme tune after the debut, and fortunately for them, the original Game of Thrones theme also returns for this episode. The opening credits scene, which depicts the blood coursing through King's Landing, wonderfully summarises the novel Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin, upon which the programme is based.

Netizens' responses to hearing the Game of Thrones theme music again were overwhelmingly positive. Additionally, Twitter fans liked the direction the prequel's tale was going in. Princess Rhaenyrs by Milly Alcock also earned a lot of appreciation.