It's the final stretch until one of the most anticipated shows of 2024 premieres. Of course, I'm talking about House of the Dragon season 2. The Game of Thrones prequel which follows House Targaryen during the peak of their power is about to tackle a pivotal time in Westeros history: the Dance of the Dragons. The Targaryen civil war kicks off at the start of the show's sophomore season. Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and her supporters, called the Blacks, will fight King Aegon Targaryen and his followers, the Greens.
As with every great war in Westeros history, we can expect many battles and lots of heartache. As the show is based on George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood, we can pretty much predict most of the biggest moments we'll see in House of the Dragon season 2. That also means we know what'll likely be kept for future seasons, which includes Martin's own most anticipated moment from his Targaryen history book.
We're all excited for the Battle Above the Gods Eye, but we'll be waiting a while
During an event with Penguin Random House where Martin answered fan questions in October 2022, he revealed which scene from Fire & Blood he's most excited to see in House of the Dragon. It didn't take him long to come up with the moment, responding: "Uh, well, yeah: the Battle Over the Gods Eye," a.k.a. the Battle Above the Gods Eye. Fans weren't surprised to hear this answer as it's a major moment in the Dance of the Dragons that many are looking forward to seeing onscreen, including myself. Though considering this battle is fatal for at least one of the characters involved, I can wait a little bit longer!
Without giving away all the spoilers, the Battle Over the Gods Eye is fought between Daemon Targaryen and Aemond Targaryen, and takes place towards the end of the war. At this point in the story, Daemon has been waiting for his nephew to come battle him at Harrenhal, and the two finally face off in the sky while riding their dragons, with Daemon on Caraxes and Aemond on Vhagar.
With two powerful dragons (and two powerful riders) battling up high, it's a spectacle even on paper, so I'm really excited to see it depicted in the show. That said, considering how far it is into Fire & Blood, it won't be happening in the second season unless they make some major structural changes.
The showdown of a lifetime. pic.twitter.com/gW7dAOMtKN
— westerosies (@westerosies) March 20, 2024
Though HBO has not confirmed how many seasons House of the Dragon will run, Martin has said it'll take "four full seasons of 10 episodes each to do justice to the Dance of the Dragons, from start to finish." Knowing that the sophomore season will only be eight episodes, we can bet the show will run for at least four seasons. Considering all of this, the Battle Above the Gods Eye would probably take place in the fourth season. This is just me speculating, but it would make the most sense.
One major battle we are expecting to see in House of the Dragon season 2 is the Battle at Rook's Rest, a huge clash between the Blacks and the Greens. I won't get into major spoilers here, but I'm sure this is going to be one of the biggest moments of the new season. Fingers crossed it's choreographed and directed in a way that leaves us speechless like the best battles on Game of Thrones did! Another big event that we probably won't see in season 2 is the Battle of the Gullet; that'll likely come in season 3.
There are so many exciting moments to come in House of the Dragon, and a lot of it will be in the second season. Now that the civil war is officially beginning, expect more betrayals, bloodshed, and dragon-on-dragon fighting. Are you rooting for Team Black or Team Green?
House of the Dragon season 2 premieres on Sunday, June 16 at 9:00 p.m. EST, airing on HBO and streaming on Max. Be sure to check back in with us when we go live on our Take the Black podcast right after the season 2 premiere to talk about all the biggest moments from "A Son for a Son." It's sure to be an intense episode!
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