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House of the Dragon Soars to New Heights
Oh, we’re dancing now.
Now featuring Ryan Condal as solo showrunner following the departure of Miguel Sapochnik, the Targaryen-focused prequel returns for vastly improved second servings this week, trading a languid storytelling pace, tonal inconsistencies, and several instances where you couldn’t see anything for a tighter focus, crisper visuals, and a genuine sense of payoff. As the civil war between Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and King Aegon II ( Tom Glynn-Carney) — but actually his mother, Alicent (Olivia Cooke) — escalates, House of the Dragon(at least, the four episodes of season two made available to critics)finally achieves takeoff, delivering on its promise of a blood-, tears-, and dragonfire-filled epic tragedy. Within the Red Keep sequences, this is reflected with a minor touch of Downton Abbey: While the Targaryens and Hightowers scheme and rage around the Iron Throne, the camera roves across the laboring maids, servants, and guards; outside the castle walls, it lingers a little longer on the downtrodden, the baseborn.
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