"House of the Dragon" fans only have to wait a few more weeks for that fiery second season to come scorching its way onto our screens, with the premiere episode hitting HBO and Max on Sunday, June 16 at 9 p.m. ET. We already have the full episode schedule for season 2 — which will have fewer editions than its 10-episode predecessor but will have significantly more dragons this time around — and now we have a little intel about what to expect from that season premiere.
The first episode of season 2 will be titled "A Son for a Son," which is fitting given what happened in that shocking season 1 finale. If you need a refresher: the final moments of the show's first season set the "Dance of the Dragons" civil war very much into motion after Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), brother and ally to King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), horrifically killed Rhaenyra's young son Lucerys (Elliot Grihault), aka his nephew, during a dramatic dragon chase.
That event definitely added extra kindling to the already tense relationship between half-siblings Aegon II and Rhaenyra as they fight over who is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. The episode title is taken from a quote by Rhaenyra's husband Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), who can be heard proclaiming in one of the "HOTD" trailers: "Make it a son for a son." That means it's near-certain that Rhaenyra and the rest of Team Black will very much be seeking revenge against Aegon and Team Green in the upcoming episodes.
Written by "HOTD" showrunner Ryan Condal and directed by Alan Taylor, the season 2 premiere will reportedly clock in at 64 minutes. And it will pack a lot into those 64 minutes. George R. R. Martin — the author behind "Fire & Blood," the book on which "House of the Dragon" is based — called early cuts of the episode "powerful, emotional, gut-wrenching, heart rending in a December 2023 blog post on his website.
The author was given a sneak peek at the first two editions of "HOTD" season 2 and said of the season kick-off: "Of course, I am hardly objective when talking about anything based on my own work… but I have to say, I thought both episodes were just great. (And they are not even finished yet). Dark, mind you. Very dark. They may make you cry. (I did not cry myself, but one of my friends did)."
Along with appearances by returning main cast members like Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Tom Glynn-Carey, Rhys Ifans and Ewan Mitchell, the premiere will also introduce several new characters, including Blood, Cheese, Sir Rickard Thorne, Leon Estermont and more.
Tom's Guide will keep you posted on all updates surrounding those "House of the Dragon" season 2 episodes, including titles, runtime and any schedule changes. And we've also got all of your intel about the various "Game of Thrones" spinoff series that are in the works, including the Dunk and Egg prequel and the Aegon the Conqueror series. You can also revisit the show's first season with a Max subscription before those new season 2 episodes drop beginning Sunday, June 16.
