House of the Dragon cast tease surprising turns in season 2

We're just a few weeks out from the premiere on House of the Dragon season 2, and HBO is turning the hype hose to full blast. They've released a bunch of short videos where the actors talk through what's ahead for their characters, starting with Emma D'Arcy previewing the new year in Rhaenyra Targaryen:

Rhaenyra was crowned queen at the end of season 1. The only problem is that her younger half-brother has been crowned king, so we have a succession crisis on our hands. Rhaenyra was trying to avoid outright war, but after Aegon's brother Aemond killed her son Luke, all bets are off.

"I think what we see is someone for whom the chaos and the violence of loss and grief...I think we see it externalized," D'Arcy said of Rhaenyra's season 2 journey. "Going forward, I think grief can really dislocate a person from their family, from colleagues, from that sort of infrastructure."

Next up, Matt Smith teases what's in store for Rhaenyra's uncle and husband Daemon Targaryen:

While Rhaenyra might try to tamp down her thirst for revenge following Luke's death, since she wants to avoid mass bloodshed is possible, Daemon is having none of that. "He's ready to go to war and get payback," Smith said.

I think Daemon's package is the most interesting, mainly because of this quote: "All of the things you expect from Daemon Targaryen, you sort of don't get," Smith says. "Then he goes on his own personal journey of discovery and unraveling, but it brings him back to Daemon."

What exactly could that mean? Not long now until we find out. In the meanwhile, here's actor Steve Toussaint teasing what's to come for Rhaenyra's advisor Corlys Velaryon:

Like Rhaenyra, Corlys isn't eager for bloodshed, but there's no turning back now. "Whenever you have two warring factions convinced of how right their claim is, I don't think they can see it any other way," Toussaint says.

Corlys will go on a personal journey in season 2 as well. "Former sins come home to roost. I think it is a very emotional, very intense ride." If you're wondering what "sins come home to roost" means, it probably involves a couple of new characters named Addam and Alyn of Hull.

All three of these characters support Rhaenyra's claim to the throne. They're the Blacks. The people who support King Aegon are known as the Greens. What ahead for that lot? Let's start by asking what actor Tom Glynn-Carney thinks about Aegon II Targaryen himself:

Unlike Rhaenyra, Aegon doesn't particularly want to rule the Seven Kingdoms, and was forced onto the throne by his mother and grandfather. "It's not the strongest start to any reign," Glynn-Carney admits.

However, that will change as he gets comfortable in the role. "Over time, we find that Aegon begins to believe his own press, and has this bubbling confidence within him, wearing his new sort of skin as proudly as he possibly can," Glynn-Carney said.

If Aegon's wants to keep the throne, it's clear who his biggest enemy is: his own half-sister. "Rhaenyra is number one on Aegon's list."

Rhaenyra is also in the thoughts of Aegon's mother Alicent Hightower, Rhaenyra's former best friend. Here's what actor Olivia Cooke had to say about her:

"It feels like there's a lot of pressure to be back for season 2," Cooke mused. "We had such a brilliant reception for season 2, so having that in mind and wanting to exceed expectations...I think we're all feeling that immensely."

Finally, actor Ewan Mitchell talks about what's to come for Alicent's son Aemond Targaryen, last seen killing his own nephew and sparking the war we'll watch play out for the rest of the series:

According to Mitchell, Aemond thinks of himself as the "crescendo" of the Targaryen madness-greatness dichotomy. He's not the full-on anime villain some see him as, but he does paint himself that way, because he thinks that's his ticket to immortality. "In a show full of morally compromised, grey characters, I wanted to introduce a character who was completely painted black," Mitchell says. "So long as he's seen as this indestructible, horror-like figure, he'll ascend to this legendary status."

"Season 2 is all-out war, and Aemond has the largest weapon in [the dragon] Vhagar...This season we're going to see a lot more of Vhagar in action, see a lot more of Aemond in action."

Bring it.

See the Dragonstone library, Daemon and Rhaenyra fight, and Aegon lounging in the Iron Throne

These teasers have snippets of new footage, some of which is pretty interesting. For instance, here's a shot of Rhaenyra visiting what looks like the library on Dragonstone, somewhere we haven't been before:

There's also a brief shot of Daemon getting mad with Rhaenyra while they argue, something they'll probably be doing a lot the war gets bloodier and nastier:

If you ask me, King Aegon runs away with these promos, as he's been doing a lot during the lead-up to season 2. Here he is about to go to town on someone medieval style, probably in response to a very upsetting set piece we have waiting for us early in the season:

And here he is lounging in the Iron Throne like the devil-may-care brat prince he is:

To end on a lighter note, you're also welcome to enjoy this video of Tom Glynn-Carney and Ewan Mitchell explaining slang terms. The video says they're explaining British slang, but there are lots of U.S. slang terms in there that the guys have no idea what to make of. So the title lied to you. I'm sorry.

And here's a video reacquainting us with some of the dragons we'll be seeing in season 2:

House of the Dragon season 2 premieres on HBO and Max on Sunday, June 16!

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