HBO dropped the primary teaser for the much-anticipated second season of its Sport of Thrones prequel spinoff sequence Home of the Dragon throughout CCXP23 in Sao Paulo Brazil. The eight episodes will cowl the onset of civil struggle inside Home Targaryen, referred to as the Dance of Dragons.

(Spoilers for the primary season beneath.)

As I’ve written beforehand, HBO’s Home of the Dragon debuted final yr with a strong, promising pilot episode, and the rest of the season lived as much as that preliminary promise. The sequence is ready about 200 years earlier than the occasions of Sport of Thrones and chronicles the start of the tip of Home Targaryen’s reign. The first supply materials is Hearth and Blood, a fictional historical past of the Targaryen kings written by George R.R. Martin.

As ebook readers know, these occasions culminated in a civil struggle and the extinction of the dragons—no less than till Daenerys Targaryen got here alongside. It is King Viserys I Targaryen’s (Paddy Considine) fateful resolution to call his fierce dragon-rider daughter Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) as his inheritor—passing over his brother and inheritor presumptive Daemon (Matt Smith)—that units occasions in movement. As Rhaenys Velaryon (Eve Greatest)—aka the “Queen Who By no means Was,” as a result of she was handed over when Viserys was topped—is aware of all too properly, “Males would sooner put the realm to the torch than see a lady ascend the Iron Throne.”

The primary season spanned a few years and made some fairly important time jumps, which in flip required changing the youthful actors as their characters aged. Most notably, Emma D’Arcy now performs the older model of Rhaenyra. The S1 finale introduced Westeros to the brink of civil struggle.  Viserys died, and his second spouse, Alicent (Olivia Cooke), conspired together with her father Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) to crown her eldest son Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) as king as a substitute of Viserys’ declared inheritor obvious, Rhaenyra. (Let’s simply say their strategy was very typical: assist Aegon or be executed.)

This kicked off a whole lot of political maneuvering as either side tried to shore up assist for his or her chosen inheritor in preparation for the inevitable struggle. Regardless that she was technically the rightful inheritor, Rhaenyra really gave the impression to be contemplating Home Hightower’s situations for concession—till the smug Prince Aemon (Ewan Mitchell), Alicent’s youthful son, went after Rhaenyra’s younger son, Lucerys (Elliot Grihault). Each dragonriders failed to manage their dragons, and Aemon’s dragon Vhagar ate Lucerys and his dragon Arrax in mid-air. The season closed with Daemon and Rhaenyra receiving the devastating information, successfully dashing any hope of a peaceable decision.

(Spoilers beneath the gallery primarily based on occasions in Hearth and Blood.)

Many of the S1 essential forged members are returning for S2 (these whose characters survived). And we have some new faces within the combine: Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull; Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers; Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower; Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Robust; Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull; Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome; Kieran Bew as Hugh; Tom Bennett as Ulf; Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark; and Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne.

The teaser opens by setting the stakes,  with Alicent’s father, Otto Hightower, admitting that “errors have been made within the hours following King Viserys’ dying,” and Alicent declaring, “The struggle might be fought. Many will die. And the victor will ultimately ascend the throne.” So it is positively enterprise as regular in Westeros. There are dragons and dragonriders, a beheading, troops gathering and getting worn out by dragon fireplace, and Rhaenyra and Aemon going through off with their dragons. Clearly Rhaenyra is not going to heed the warning of Rhaenys:  “There isn’t a struggle so hateful to the gods as a struggle between kin. And no struggle so bloody as a struggle between dragons.”

There may be additionally one transient scene with Aemon’s sister-wife, Helaena, being held with a knife to her throat. It is already been confirmed {that a} significantly brutal plot level within the supply materials will shut out S2, and this seems to be prefer it could be a reference to that notorious “Blood and Cheese” incident. Blood is a sellsword and Cheese as a ratcatcher, each employed by an agent of Daemon to take revenge towards Home Hightower for the dying of his son Lucerys.  Basically, they drive Helaena to decide on which of her two younger sons might be put to dying. When she chooses her youngest two-year-old, Maelor, they behead her eldest, Jaehaerys, as a substitute, and convey the top again to Daemon. That ought to make for a strong S2 finale, organising the deliberate closing two seasons fairly properly. This is hoping they get to complete the story.

The second season of Home of the Dragon is anticipated to premiere on Max in the summertime of 2024.

Itemizing picture by Max