“All Must Choose” is the slogan prefacing the newest season of the critically acclaimed HBO series House of the Dragon. It represents the characters in the story, who must choose whom they support in the war of succession, and it also encourages viewers to choose a side, building significant social media buzz around the show. After a shocking season one finale, viewers eagerly awaited the follow-up after nearly a two-and-a-half-year wait.

 

Readers of the book on which the show is based, "Fire and Blood," anticipated major book-to-screen translations that promised rising tensions leading to full-scale war. Although the premiere episode didn’t quite reach the heights of the previous season’s finale, the dynamics between the characters proved thought-provoking and built anticipation for what’s bound to be a tense and exciting season.

 

Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) has been named heir to the Iron Throne by her father, the late King Viserys (Paddy Considine). Although she has a younger half-brother from his new wife, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), Viserys never named him heir and stuck by his choice that Rhaenyra should rule. However, many of the smallfolk believe the late king’s son to be the true heir because they think a woman cannot truly rule.

 

Viserys dies while Rhaenyra is traveling with her family back to Dragonstone, and the Royal Council takes swift action to usurp the throne for her brother, crowning him as King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney). Rhaenyra sends her sons to the royal houses to try to secure their allegiances. Her second-born, Lucerys (Elliot Grihault), has an unfortunate run-in with Aegon’s brother, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), where an antagonizing taunt turns deadly when Aemond’s elder and exceedingly huge dragon, Vhagar, attacks and kills Lucerys. Devastated, Rhaenyra decides war is no longer a choice but a necessity.

 

Season two picks up soon after the events of the finale. The blacks (those loyal to Rhaenyra, named after the traditional Targaryen colors) are reeling from the loss of Lucerys, and the greens (those loyal to Aegon and his mother Alicent, named after the traditional Hightower colors) are scrambling to make plans for the inevitable war. Unlike many season premieres, the introductory episode of season two felt surprisingly normal, almost as if it could fit nicely into the middle of a season, with much of the episode consumed by typical Game of Thrones politicking. Although this is necessary and integral to the world of Thrones itself, it felt surprisingly ordinary for a return to such a huge series after an absence of two years.

 

Alicent tries to maintain peace with Rhaenyra, despite many of the men around her being eager to attack and kill Rhaenyra and her children. She struggles to maintain her voice and influence in the royal court, where the men constantly undermine her. It's a similar situation to what we saw Rhaenyra facing at the end of the last season. While this conflict is very necessary, it felt almost anticlimactic for the majority of the episode.

 

Rhaenyra has left Dragonstone in search of proof of Lucerys’ death, needing closure after the traumatic news. Emma D’Arcy’s performance is relatively small in this episode, with only one line, but it stands out as the best sequence. Their portrayal of a grieving mother is absolutely heartbreaking and could easily start etching their name into the Emmy trophy right now.

 

In her absence, Daemon (Matt Smith), her uncle-husband, is eager to start the fight after the bloodshed of his stepson. It’s a stark parallel to the situation with the greens, where the men are eager to begin the bloodshed that diplomacy should have avoided, and the women are trying to keep the realm together. However, upon Rhaenyra’s return to Dragonstone, she abandons her ideas of peace and has only one request for her war council: “I want Aemond Targaryen.”

 

Daemon acts swiftly, and the most intense part of the episode kicks in. The last 15 minutes play out much like a horror movie, with dark corridors and cinematography that follows the characters' movements, building suspense with every turn. The final act is another violently shocking scene, but compared to the large-scale attack from the previous season’s finale, it takes a more muted, yet equally effective and chilling approach. While it's a change from the books that not all viewers will love, it's an event that’s bound to shape the rest of the season.

 

While the premiere episode of House of the Dragon might not have felt as thrilling as where it previously left us, it’s still an incredibly effective introduction to the new season. Emma D’Arcy’s performance more than makes up for the moments that might lull slightly, and the final act will leave you both terrified and chilled.