House of the Dragon season 1 is at an end. Looking back, it’s almost hard to imagine that a few short months ago the big question on many people’s minds was whether the series would be a worthy successor to Game of Thrones, or any good at all, for that matter. Those fears have been laid soundly to rest: House of the Dragon proved that Game of Thrones is still a huge force in modern media, and that people would turn up in huge numbers to watch a prequel.
All that said, House of the Dragon season 1 was at times much quieter than its predecessor. A lot of that comes down to the nature of the story its telling; while Thrones quickly moved into political coups, zombie attacks, upheaval among the Dothraki and other points of intrigue, House of the Dragon has remained very focused on the slow decline of House Targaryen. Season 1 spanned nearly three decades, introducing various generations of the family and carefully building up their grudges and allegiances.
According to showrunner Ryan Condal, season 2 will have more of the sort of action that viewers grew used to in Game of Thrones. “We will get to the spectacle,” he told The Times in London, per Deadline. “But you have to understand these people’s complexities before they’re thrown into war. Series two will hit the rhythms people came to expect from the middle run of Game of Thrones, but it will have been earned, and viewers will feel the tragedies because we put the work in.”
Season 2 of House of the Dragon will have “earned” its big battle scenes
One common concern about House of the Dragon was that the show didn’t have as many comedic beats as its predecessor, where characters like Tyrion Lannister were throwing one-liners left and right. It sounds like Condal is aware of this. He promises that season 2 will have more light-hearted moments, although only when the writers find “natural pathways into moments of levity.”
That said, Condal did admit that it’s a bigger challenge without someone like Tyrion around. The closest thing House of the Dragon has is Daemon, played with mischievous aplomb by Matt Smith. “I think Matt Smith is very funny. If there is one character that does not care, it is Daemon,” Condal said.
Despite its often grim tone, there’s no denying that House of the Dragon resonated with viewers. The show’s season 1 finale, “The Black Queen,” brought in the highest finale viewership numbers for HBO since Game of Thrones finished. Considering the complexity of the story and the time jumps, that’s a strong testament to all the hard work that went into the show. “It is a challenging series because we live in a world where people are torn between multiple screens and channels, and we are requiring you to pay attention through crazy timeline shifting and actor recasting,” said Condal. “But it’s made an impact.”
House of the Dragon season 1 is available now on HBO Max. Season 2 is expected sometime in 2024.
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