House of the Dragon Season 2 Receives Strong Reviews Ahead of Worldwide Release

Summary

• Season 2 of
  House of the Dragon
  impresses with 88% Rotten Tomatoes score, hinting at potential to outshine
  Game of Thrones
  .
• Show’s evolution into thrilling storytelling was praised by critics, with complex characters and fiery dragon battles.
• Despite positive reviews, some find Season 2 overly complicated and confusing with too many characters and locations.

Season 2 of HBO’s House of the Dragon has been building up a roster of hot first reviews online. Set immediately after the events of Season 1, House of the Dragon‘s second season sees House Targaryen and House Hightower on the brink of all-out war. With the characters firmly established through Season 1’s multiple time jumps, the older versions of the Targaryen dynasty are mounting their dragons and preparing for war as Season 2 begins recounting the Dance of the Dragons, the brutal and bloody Civil War which toppled House Targaryen.

Season 2 of House of the Dragon is (at the time of writing) Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes at 88%. The new season sits just behind its predecessor (92%) on aggregate score. The positive reviews have been glowing like the throats of the show’s many mythical beasts as everyone awaits the season’s debut episodes arriving on HBO. Set 300 years before HBO’s flagship series, Game of Thrones, the Seattle Times has gone so far as saying it comes dangerously close to outshining the original show. Their review read:

“House of the Dragon evolves into such smart, thrilling and heartbreaking storytelling that it threatens to become the rare prequel that outshines the original.”

Following the divisive end to Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon had to come out of the gates swinging to keep the franchise’s future prospects alive. While Season 1 certainly delivered, the idea that Season 2 could best the original series is one shared by several critics. Collider’s review mirrored that idea, saying:

“With so much complexity and visual impact, House of the Dragon simply might just be the best fantasy television show of the decade, and more than lives up to the legacy of this franchise.”

As well as the devious political scheming the series has become known for, Season 2 also ups the ante in terms of action as armies and dragons clash head on in a violent, bloody spectacle. Inverse praised the show’s plummet into war, writing:

“The meticulous melodrama finally gives way to a vicious civil war — and though it’s still slow to unleash the bloody battles fans have been waiting for, a game cast and transfixing tension allows this season to burn much hotter than its predecessor.”

Some Critics Feel House of the Dragon Season 2 is Overly Complicated

At 88%, the overall majority of critics love Season 2 of House of the Dragon. However, the show’s return is not entirely flawless, at least according to some of the negative responses. Just like Game of Thrones before it, House of the Dragon follows various, complex characters across a myriad of locations in George R.R. Martin’s fantastical world. For some, the sheer scope of Season 2 makes it a convoluted mess. Rolling Stone wrote:

“In its second season, HotD remains a show that mistakes confusion for complexity, hurling waves of thinly-defined, often interchangeable characters at the audience, and hoping no one will mind because here be dragons.”

This is a sentiment shared by The Playlist’s review, which compared House of the Dragon to one of HBO’s other immensely successful shows, Succession. Their review said:

“Think of it like “Succession,” the Emperor dying, the greedy entitled children fighting for their piece of the pie, only much more convoluted, far less entertaining, and somehow more underhand (and or at least murderous).”

House of the Dragon
begins on HBO and Max on June 16, 2024.