5 great moments we're looking forward to in House of the Dragon season 2
As March 2024 began, HBO’s flagship television series House of the Dragon was still in reshoots for its second season. So far, little information has come out as to why reshoots were required, but it is not an uncommon occurrence for a TV series, so no one needs to panic yet. According to a recent announcement, season 2 is coming out in June, so we can hope for a trailer soon.
Unlike its predecessor Game of Thrones, the prequel series House of the Dragon is based on a completed story: the book Fire and Blood was published in late 2018 and describes the entire Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of Dragons. As a result, we have a pretty good idea of the shocking twists that will go down before the series ends.
While season 2 is going to consist of eight episodes (fewer than the 10 episodes of season 1), avid fans do not have to worry about a lack of action or drama in this upcoming season. We expect this one to be a doozy. As we close in on the premiere after a nearly two year wait, let’s survey some of the moments we most want to see in season 2. (Please beware book and show SPOILERS).
The Battle of the Burning Mill
Season 2 of House of the Dragon is rumored to include the Battle of the Burning Mill. This small but bloody battle takes place in the Riverlands during Daemon Targaryen’s campaign there. Readers of Fire & Blood or the A Song of Ice and Fire series can all look forward to this bit of action as it prominently features the centuries-old rivalry between houses Blackwood and Bracken; it also may introduce us to some of the best non-Targaryen characters from Fire & Blood.
A Song of Ice and Fire readers have wanted to see the Blackwood and Bracken rivalry for a long time. In season 1 of House of the Dragon we finally got a morsel in the form of a duel at Storm’s End, when Rhaenyra is there on her ‘find a husband tour’ in Episode 4. Wondering who that kid was who stabbed the one guy? That was Willem Blackwood stabbing Jerrel Bracken, and if it seems over-the-top to just kill a guy while proposing to a girl, you haven’t met the Blackwoods and Brackens; their families have been at war for centuries and that stabbing is just the tip of the iceberg. Both Willem and Jerrel are invented for the show, but the rivalry between their families is not. We may see Willem again at the Battle of the Burning Mill.
The battle may also serve as an introduction to some great characters from Fire & Blood. The beautiful female archer Alysanne ‘Black Aly’ Blackwood is definitely at this battle, and her nephew — the extremely dangerous 12-year-old ‘Bloody Ben’ Blackwood — may also have been present. (Side note: pre-teens killing people seems like a Riverlands tradition at this point). Several other young characters from the Riverlands can also be worked into this plotline if the producers choose.
The Stark children were the emotional drivers on Game of Thrones, and it would not be surprising for the Blackwoods and some of their friends in the Riverlands to take on the same role in House of the Dragon.