House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 Has Me Locked In Just Like Season 1

House of the Dragon season 2 episode 1 delivers exactly what it needed to after that ending to season one, and my immediate reaction after finishing it is straightforward: I loved it. With Lucerys dead at the end of season one, not by accident, killed by Aemond on his dragon, the show picks up with the fallout. Rhaenyra should be queen, Alicent and her side are saying no, and now it is war.

The episode sets its pieces up well, leaving open the big questions I am now sitting with. Is Rhaenyra going to go full revenge or play it strategic? Can she deal with the grief? What is Daemon going to do? What is King's Landing going to do, and how does the Hightower side hold on to the throne now that they finally have it?

The Ending Left Me Rooting For Characters Even When I Did Not Approve Of Their Choices

This episode had me on the edge of my seat, and the ending was tough to watch. I find myself rooting for Rhaenyra, and I think Daemon is such a great character, but there is a tension in that. As I put it, "I don't know if I can approve of that decision, do I get it, I think I do, but I don't want to, I feel bad for cheering that decision on." It was a bad decision, I do not like it, but I still like them, and if you saw the episode, I think you know exactly what I mean.

I am on board and locked in the same way I was for season one, which was my favorite series of that year, 2022, and the best thing on television at the time. This episode is following suit.

One Dragon Scene Had the Weakest CGI I Have Seen In the Show

My only real knock on the episode is one scene with a dragon that had, in my view, the weakest CGI I have seen for the dragons in this show. It took me out of it because it looked so obviously CGI. Outside of that one moment though, everything else worked, and there are enough characters in play that I was never confused about who was who or why someone new was being introduced.

The Game of Thrones music is wonderful, and I think other shows should take note here. Even without classic characters carried over, using a classic theme the way this show uses the Game of Thrones theme, the same way James Bond films use their theme, is not going to drive people away. That is exactly what this episode does, and it works.

What did you think of the episode, did it work for you?