The first episode of House of the Dragon season 2 premiered on Max last night, and the streamer has now released a new "week's ahead" trailer featuring some big hints about what's to come.
Spoilers follow.
The teaser sees King Aegon officially declare war on the Black Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen after discovering that his beloved son Jaehaerys has been brutally murdered by the assassins known as Blood and Cheese. We also see Rhaenyra admonish Daemon for giving the order, noting that his actions have only weakened her claim to the throne.
As for the son Rhaenyra actually wanted dead, we hear Aemond Targaryen say that he "welcomes" a one-on-one fight with his uncle Daemon. Something tells us he should be careful what he wishes for.
The footage also shows that Queen Alicent has continued her illicit affair with Ser Criston Cole.
"Are they comfortable with each other? It feels very awkward there," co-creator Ryan Condol tells Collider. "They're literally talking about the weather. So, that's the thing, it's a brand-new relationship. We don't specifically get into, intentionally, when and where it started. Part of that is the fun of leaving it up to interpretation by the viewing audience. But it's certainly a new thing, a new romance. And the idea is that these two characters have this very stunted emotional development, particularly in the world of intimacy with a partner. Cole, because he's been a canned man his entire life in the order of the Kingsguard and his past sins with Rhaenyra and wearing that like a millstone around his neck."
"The prequel series finds the Targaryen dynasty at the absolute apex of its power, with more than 15 dragons under their yoke. Most empires—real and imagined—crumble from such heights. In the case of the Targaryens, their slow fall begins almost 193 years before the events of Game of Thrones, when King Viserys Targaryen breaks with a century of tradition by naming his daughter Rhaenyra heir to the Iron Throne. But when Viserys later fathers a son, the court is shocked when Rhaenyra retains her status as his heir, and seeds of division sow friction across the realm."
House of the Dragon season 2 sees Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans reprise their respective roles. Additional returning cast includes Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham.
The directors for the new season are Alan Taylor (Episodes 1 & 4), Clare Kilner (Episodes 2 & 5), Geeta Patel (Episodes 3 & 8), Andrij Parekh (Episode 6), and Loni Peristere (Episode 7).