It\u2019s time to fight fire with fire, as House of the Dragon season 2<\/a> has finally arrived!<\/p>\n Episode 1, A Son for a Son, did not disappoint, with showrunner Ryan Condal adapting Blood and Cheese<\/a>, one of George RR Martin\u2019s most brutal storylines from his beloved novel Fire and Blood<\/a>.<\/p>\n While not quite on the same level as Game of Thrones\u2019 infamous Red Wedding episode (with Condal admitting nothing can top that), episode 1 saw brutal heartbreak for both the Greens and Blacks, most prominently for Phia Saban\u2019s Queen Helaena<\/a> Targaryen following the murder of her son Jaehaerys, and Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen<\/a> (Emma D\u2019Arcy) in the aftermath of her son Lucerys\u2019s death<\/a> at the hands of Aemond Targaryen<\/a> (Ewan Mitchell).<\/p>\n In true Thrones fashion, there\u2019s murder, there\u2019s betrayal and, of course, there\u2019s a whole lot of dragons. Buckle in as we break down the first episode with some help from the cast.<\/p>\n The first episode begins with a visit to Winterfell, with Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor), AKA the Wolf of the North, telling Prince Jacaerys Velaryon<\/a> (Harry Collett) about a custom introduced by Torrhen Stark \u2013 fortifying the watch with one in 10 men from House Stark.<\/p>\n Jacaerys reminds Cregan of his oath to Queen Rhaenyra, the rightful heir of King Viserys, and insists he needs men to help in the upcoming war against the Greens.<\/p>\n Cregan says that the Starks never forget their oaths \u2013 but during the winter, his duty to the Wall surpasses his duty to King\u2019s Landing, and he claims that he needs his men. Why? To protect the North from whatever lies beyond the wall.<\/p>\n While Jacaerys assumes he means wildlings, we and Cregan know better \u2013 that something else lies beyond the Wall.<\/p>\n Game of Thrones fans know about this threat that will come to haunt Westeros in the centuries to come. But why mention it now?<\/p>\n Showrunner Ryan Condal tells RadioTimes.com<\/a>: \u201cThose scenes are a way of reminding people that there is this bigger beyond us power that\u2019s looming over this series, and that people are aware of it and worried about it but it\u2019s a prophecy that nobody knows when it\u2019s going to be fulfilled.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, we having the knowledge of having seen the original series know that it doesn\u2019t land and affect these characters, but we understand that it\u2019s also driving them and it\u2019s in the back of their minds.\u201d<\/p>\n For now, Cregan and Jacaerys look uneasily over the Wall. Cregan offers some of his older fighters, who have seen too many battles. But before they can speak further, a raven arrives from Dragonstone with \u201curgent news\u201d \u2013 bearing the news of the death of Jacaerys\u2019s brother Lucerys at the hands of Aemond Targaryen (Mitchell).<\/p>\n Jacaerys actor Collett tells RadioTimes.com<\/strong> of that revelation: \u201cAt the start of the season, obviously he doesn\u2019t know, which I think makes it a lot more heartbreaking. We don\u2019t know what it said on that note to Cregan, but what I would imagine is it just sort of says what happened.<\/p>\n \u201cI always pictured it that Jace would find out from his mother, but I think Rhaenyra wouldn\u2019t even want to break the news to Jace. I think that he would have [found out] in Winterfell and sat on his dragon for days and cried about it, which is really sad because he\u2019s done it all alone.\u201d<\/p>\n [squirrel-affiliate-playlist squirrel_playlist_id=\u201d610\u2033 \/]<\/p>\n Back at Dragonstone, Princess Rhaenys Velaryon<\/a> (Eve Best) has just arrived home \u2013 only to be ordered by Daemon Targaryen<\/a> (Matt Smith) to take her mount again and fly back out to kill Vhagar<\/a> and Aemond to avenge Lucerys. A noble quest, but can our woman not get a break?!<\/p>\n As Rhaenys actress Best tells RadioTimes.com<\/strong>: \u201cShe\u2019s shattered, really deeply shattered about Luke and all of it. She\u2019s digging very deep, because like all great people, women, mothers, carers, because while everybody else is melting down, she\u2019s holding them all emotionally and holding herself emotionally\u2026 she\u2019s basically been doing all the work.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s coming back, she\u2019s absolutely exhausted, she hasn\u2019t had a bath, she\u2019s been riding round on this dragon, not crying and just dealing with it and getting on, she comes back to this group of total half-wits who are all in pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n Rhaenys asks Daemon if it\u2019s the queen\u2019s command, and he reveals that Rhaenyra has been missing for days. Rhaenys and Daemon share a war of words in which he blames her for Lucerys\u2019s death, as she didn\u2019t kill Aemond \u201cwhen she had the chance\u201d. However, the princess has the final say when she declares: \u201cWould that you were king.\u201d<\/p>\n Breaking down that scene, Best tells RadioTimes.com<\/strong> that it surprised her: \u201cThe scene with Daemon in episode 1, when we did it at the read-through, it felt like it would be just a kind of Top Trumps, \u2018Who\u2019s got the most power?\u2019 kind of power play scene.<\/p>\n \u201cThen just digging a bit deeper and coming to do it as well with Matt, what came out of it was an awful lot of compassion that Rhaenys felt for Daemon, which was very surprising, because I feel like she\u2019s always kept him at arm\u2019s length and profoundly distrusted him as a character.<\/p>\n \u201cBut actually, [she discovered] in that scene a lot of empathy for him, a lot of understanding and\u2026 in this scene she suddenly sees him as this hopeless little lost boy.\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, we catch a brief glimpse of Rhaenyra staring out at the sea across Storm\u2019s End. As Rhaenys said to Daemon, she\u2019s only received a raven informing her of Lucerys\u2019s death, and needs proof that her son is dead.<\/p>\n But first, Corlys Velaryon<\/a> (Steve Toussaint) needs to tend to his broken ship. As a reminder, Corlys was gravely injured warring in the Stepstones last season, and was dragged from the sea by a new character this season, Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim), who may have greater significance later on in the run. Corlys says he owes Alyn a great debt.<\/p>\n Speaking to RadioTimes.com<\/strong>, Corlys actor Toussaint says: \u201cCorlys is still recovering from the injury he got in [season 1], I still walk with a stick, and his ship is in disrepair. So [he\u2019s] wanting to hurry to get that fixed so he can get back out there and lead his men in this oncoming war, and also having to deal with certain dark clouds on the horizon due to past misdeeds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n At King\u2019s Landing, weapons are being readied as a dragon approaches. We see Ser Arryk Cargyll<\/a>, one half of a set of divided twins who formed part of the Kingsguard in season 1, standing down as they realise it\u2019s Vhagar, Aemond\u2019s dragon.<\/p>\n Inside, Queen Helaena Targaryen is minding her own business with her children and servants before being bothered by her brother-husband (yep, don\u2019t forget about the incest of it all), King Aegon Targaryen<\/a> (Tom Glynn-Carney). He takes his young son Jaehaerys to the small council to begin his instruction as, according to Aegon, he\u2019ll become king one day.<\/p>\n Aegon actor Glynn-Carney tells RadioTimes.com<\/strong>: \u201cHe\u2019s trying to take [being placed on the throne] in his stride as best he can or just for appearances, at least for now. I think he\u2019s decided that he\u2019s in this position now and he can either embrace it or reject it, and it\u2019s a more fun option for him at this point to embrace it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n With a great big heap of foreshadowing, Helaena tells Aegon she\u2019s afraid \u2013 not of the dragons, but the rats. While Aegon seems puzzled, it\u2019s soon revealed she was very, very right to be afraid of the rats. More on that later!<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Queen Dowager Alicent Hightower<\/a> (Olivia Cooke) is seemingly having a grand old time, as she\u2019s struck up a relationship with Ser Criston Cole<\/a> (Fabien Frankel). Surely this can only go well. Alicent tells Criston that they can\u2019t continue their relationship, and he has her place his white cloak (you know the one, signifying the purity of the Kingsguard) back on.<\/p>\n At the small council, Alicent, her father Otto Hightower<\/a> (Rhys Ifans), who is still Hand of the King, and Aegon\u2019s advisors plot to gather as many troops as possible before the inevitable war. Alicent reveals she\u2019s written to Rhaenyra with terms, but that her letters have gone unanswered. Meanwhile, young Jaehaerys is causing chaos with Ser Tyland Lannister.<\/p>\n Aemond arrives Aegon\u2019s summons, despite not having a seat at the Small Council. He says the Greens need to establish a toe hold in the Riverlands. While Alicent urges caution, Aegon is ready to throw that caution to the wind and send Vhagar to Riverun to threaten Lord Tully. Alicent argues that Vhagar is needed at King\u2019s Landing to deter Rhaenyra from attacking after the death of her son, and Otto agrees.<\/p>\n After the Small Council, Lord Larys Strong<\/a> (Matthew Needham) corners Alicent and tells her that her staff have been questioned, and that he\u2019s exposed any who betrayed her trust. He says that the ones who have \u201cno longer breathe our air\u201d, presumably referring to Alicent\u2019s shady lady-in-waiting Talya, who had been part of Mysaria\u2019s<\/a> network of spies in the Red Keep. He says he\u2019s chosen her new staff personally.<\/p>\n Needham tells RadioTimes.com<\/strong>: \u201cWhat me and Olivia [Cooke] discovered was that, with Larys and Alicent, none of the things that they say to each other are what they actually mean. It\u2019s all about what\u2019s actually happening underneath the line or in the silences. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo that\u2019s really, really fun to play. And it was just fleshing that out with the writers and directors and really trying to be as detailed as possible, because it\u2019s all subtext, really. And Olivia is just great. I mean, it\u2019s such an odd power dynamic between those two, you\u2019re never quite sure who\u2019s in control. It\u2019s really fun to play those really messed up scenes together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Still looking for tangible proof of Lucerys\u2019s death, Rhaenyra flies to the beaches of Storm\u2019s End. She sees his shredded clothes and breaks down in tears, finally accepting that her son is gone.<\/p>\n Aegon, now \u201cThe Magnanimous\u201d, apparently, is getting to work in his duties as king, with the petitions. It\u2019s disastrous, with Aegon making promises he can\u2019t keep and Otto Hightower attempting to keep him in order. Afterwards, Larys corners him and gives him some advice, subtly suggesting he remove Otto as his Hand if he wants to be seen as less \u201cpliable\u201d than his father.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Otto and Alicent have a discussion. She tells him that he can\u2019t undermine her in the Small Council meetings, otherwise her words will fall on deaf ears. They discuss whether they\u2019re fully aligned in what they see as victory, and decide they are \u2013 but Alicent urges her father to work with her, not against her. Alicent makes it clear that she knows violence is ahead, but she doesn\u2019t want it to be any more cruel than it needs to be.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, Ser Erryk (the second of the divided twins) finds Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) stowed away and brings her to Daemon. He interrogates her after she provided information to Otto Hightower, and she insists it was purely for profit and that she has no loyalty to the Hightowers.<\/p>\n Daemon orders for her to be sent to the cells. Ser Erryk defends her claim, but Daemon confronts him about his \u201ctraitorous\u201d twin Ser Arryk. Ser Erryk reminds Daemon that he abandoned the Kingsguard and his brother.<\/p>\n Bringing the conversation to an abrupt end is the roar of a dragon, signalling the return of Queen Rhaenyra. Approaching her Small Council, she\u2019s bombarded with information \u2013 Daemon is ready to secure a toe hold in the Riverlands and Corlys is securing a blockade, meaning that all trade to King\u2019s Landing will be cut off. But a grieving Rhaenyra only tells them one command in return: \u201cI want Aemond Targaryen.\u201d<\/p>\n Later, Jacaerys is reunited with Rhaenyra. He begins to tell her about the men that have been pledged to her army but breaks down and the pair hug, sharing in their grief.<\/p>\n At King\u2019s Landing, Alicent lights a candle for those she\u2019s lost, including her late husband, King Vicerys. After a moment\u2019s pause, she shakily lights one for Lucerys, proving again that she still holds love for Rhaenyra and her family. Rhaenyra, Jacaerys and their family hold a funeral for Lucerys.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, Aemond and Criston are plotting. He claims Aegon is \u201chostage\u201d to Otto and Alicent, who say that a war of dragons is inevitable. He makes it clear that he doesn\u2019t believe the war is his fault, and says that Alicent \u201cholding love\u201d for her enemy, AKA Rhaenyra, makes her a fool.<\/p>\n Speaking to RadioTimes.com<\/strong>, actor Mitchell says that Aemond still believes his brother is \u201cinferior\u201d.<\/p>\n However, he adds: \u201cAemond is the second son, he\u2019s the spare, and it\u2019s the duty of the spare to fight the war. So he\u2019s very much at his brother\u2019s command. That\u2019s one of the redeeming qualities about Aemond is that he is fiercely loyal. He will have his mother\u2019s back, he will have his brother\u2019s back. I think Aemond knows that war is inevitable, and he will make sure that he\u2019ll emerge the war hero.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Otto arrives and scolds Aemond, telling him to keep a grip on his impulses where Aegon can\u2019t.<\/p>\n Daemon, meanwhile, has other business to attend to. He arrives at Mysaria\u2019s cell and offers her freedom in return for a contact \u2013 a spy who has knowledge of the Red Keep. He finds the assassin Blood (Sam C Wilson) and the pair of them approach Cheese (Mark Stobbart), a rat-catcher with a unique knowledge of the Red Keep.<\/p>\n Daemon pays the two of them to kill Aemond Targaryen. When asked what they should do if they can\u2019t find him, we don\u2019t see what Daemon replies \u2013 but we soon find out.<\/p>\n Blood and Cheese arrive in the Red Keep, using underground tunnels. Acting as rat catchers, they easily sneak past Aegon and finally make it into royal chambers. Aemond is nowhere to be found \u2013 but Cheese discovers Helaena with her twin children, Jaehaerys and Jaehaerya.<\/p>\n Unable to tell them apart, Blood orders her to point to whichever one is the boy, and it quickly becomes clear that Daemon has ordered \u201ca son for a son\u201d. After pleading with them for her children\u2019s lives, Helaena makes her decision and points to one of her children. Blood and Cheese don\u2019t hesitate, cutting off the child\u2019s head to ensure they\u2019re paid.<\/p>\n A traumatised Helaena runs with her other child in her arms into her mother\u2019s bedroom (where she also finds Criston Cole). As Alicent asks what\u2019s happened, we discover that Helaena was telling the truth and that Aegon\u2019s only heir has been killed.<\/p>\n This is a slightly different turn of events to the book. In the book, Aegon and Helaena have a second son, the younger Maelor. Blood and Cheese force her to decide which son to kill and she chooses the younger boy. They instead kill the older, Jaehaerys, taunting Maelor that his mother wanted him dead.<\/p>\n Speaking about why this was changed, Condal told RadioTimes.com<\/strong> it\u2019s simply down to logistics \u2013 due to the amount of time covered in season 1 (20 years rather than 30), Aegon\u2019s children are younger and Maelor hasn\u2019t been born yet.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, chatting about what it meant to perform that notorious scene, Helaena actress Saban added: \u201cI was trying to keep from overthinking it from an acting perspective, and working with them, Sam and Mark, who play Blood and Cheese, they\u2019re so good. They both brought such different energies, but they were, like, intimidating \u2013 not as real people\u2026 they\u2019re just brilliant, and just sort of staying present with them and seeing what happened.<\/p>\n \u201cHelaena essentially kind of bought the of social agreement that she would do what was necessary for the royal family and return to sort of relatively being left alone. And that she\u2019d be safe in her marriage to her brother, or that she\u2019d be left to her own devices in return for like heirs.<\/p>\n \u201cI think in this season, she\u2019s really realising that it\u2019s not true, and it\u2019s not a fair bargain. And she\u2019s slightly coming into her own and realising that maybe she\u2019s not willing to sacrifice what she has to sacrifice for this family of absolute wrong \u2018uns!\u201d<\/p>\n As for how the Greens will hit back, only time will tell\u2026<\/p>\n House of the Dragon season 2 airs on Sky Atlantic and NOW<\/a>\u00a0in the UK from 17th June \u2013 find out more about\u00a0how to sign up for Sky TV<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Check out more of our\u00a0Fantasy<\/a>\u00a0coverage or visit our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0to see what\u2019s on tonight.\u00a0<\/strong>For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div> <\/body><\/html>\n A full breakdown from the cast themselves as House of the Dragon returns. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":53353,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/what-happened-in-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-episode-1-full-recap-and-breakdown-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/what-happened-in-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-episode-1-full-recap-and-breakdown-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/what-happened-in-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-episode-1-full-recap-and-breakdown-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/what-happened-in-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-episode-1-full-recap-and-breakdown-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/what-happened-in-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-episode-1-full-recap-and-breakdown-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/what-happened-in-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-episode-1-full-recap-and-breakdown-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/what-happened-in-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-episode-1-full-recap-and-breakdown-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A full breakdown from the cast themselves as House of the Dragon returns.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/53352"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What happened in House of the Dragon season 2 episode 1? Full recap<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Winter is Coming<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Harry](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/0105HOTDS02-9307250.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Harry")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>A \u201cshattered\u201d Dragonstone<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Eve](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/0190HOTDS02-f571baa.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"House")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"Matt](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/0140HOTDS02-ff6c416.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"House")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>A chaotic King\u2019s Landing<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/0134HOTDS02-12d6dba.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"House")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"Rhys](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/0132HOTDS02-4e1231a.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Rhys")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"Emma](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/0155HOTDS02-1814d53.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Emma")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"Sonoya](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/0118HOTDS02-dc8f9df.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Sonoya")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"Ewan](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/0151HOTDS02-ef537a7.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Ewan")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>Blood and Cheese<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Phia](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/Phia-Saban-8f2dc92.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Queen")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"