After a long wait, HBO has finally confirmed the air date of the Season 2 premiere of House of the Dragon, the media giant’s first Game of Thrones spinoff. Season 2 will premiere on June 16, almost two years after Season 1. The first season meticulously set the stage for the civil war referred to as the Dance of the Dragons, in which two Targaryen factions clashed for control of Westeros, which will properly begin in Season 2.
Alongside the premiere date reveal, HBO dropped two trailers for the upcoming season: one trailer focused on the Blacks, the supporters of Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), and another trailer focused on the Greens, supporters of King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney). As is our tradition, we will be breaking down these trailers in our frame-by-frame analysis of the footage.
This article will cover the Black Trailer, embedded below. For the breakdown of the Green Trailer, make sure to read our other article.
We’ll try to keep it moderate when it comes to spoilers. Not completely spoiler-free, but also not spoiling everything for those who haven’t read the books.
The Black Trailer opens with a funeral
Season 1 ended with an iconic and tragic confrontation between the Blacks’ Prince Lucerys Targaryen, second son of the Black Queen Rhaenyra, and Prince Aemond Targaryen, second son of Queen Alicent Hightower and the late King Viserys Targaryen.
As the young Prince Lucerys attempted to escape Storm’s End and return to his mother on Dragonstone, Prince Aemond was determined to intimidate and bully him as an act of vengeance for Lucerys’ role in the maiming of Aemond’s eye. Eventually, as Aemond chased Lucerys on dragonback, Aemond lost control over his dragon Vhagar, who then killed Prince Lucerys and his dragon. News reached Rhaenyra at Dragonstone in the closing scene of the Season 1 finale.
The Black Trailer of House of the Dragon Season 2 opens with the Blacks gathering for what appears to be Lucerys’ funeral. Notable characters present include the grieving mother, Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), and her two oldest sons, Prince Jacaerys (Harry Collett) and Prince Joffrey (Oscar Eskinazi).
Other members of the entourage present at the funeral are Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best), Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint), Princess Baela (Bethany Antonia), and Princess Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell). Curiously missing in the funeral is Rhaenyra’s husband and uncle, Prince Daemon (Matt Smith), who must be busy elsewhere, or else must not be on very good terms with his grieving wife.
Sometime before this funeral, Rhaenyra will be traveling to the beach near Storm’s End in search of her son’s body. We see a new glimpse at this scene in the Black Trailer, with Rhaenyra making a landing on the beach with her dragon Syrax.
Other footage of the scene was shown in the previously released teaser trailer. It’s not yet clear if Rhaenyra is able to find her son’s remains, or perhaps the remains of his dragon Arrax, but it looks like she has successfully retrieved something that is being burnt at the pyre in the funeral.
The death of Lucerys signifies a major turning point in the story, and can perhaps be considered the event which started the Dance of the Dragons. Until that point, the war between the Blacks and Greens seemed likely yet avoidable, but with the first blood drawn, war has become inevitable.
The Black Queen rises
My father chose me, his firstborn child, to succeed him. He held his decision until death. And yet, Alicent’s son sits my throne.
Having lost her father, her stillborn daughter, and her son Lucerys all in the space of a few days, Rhaenyra must set aside her grief and deal with her half-brother Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney), who has risen to the throne in her stead following the death of their father King Viserys.
Aegon’s wife and sister Halaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) will be Aegon’s Queen. Aegon is supported by his mother, the Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), and her father Lord Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans). Last but not least is Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), Aeagon’s brother and the one responsible for the death of Lucerys. Rhaenyra’s adversaries are briefly shown in the trailer.
As Rhaenyra sees it, Alicent and Otto leaped on the opportunity of her father’s death to steal what is rightfully hers: the Iron Throne. Against her father’s wishes, the Greens crowned Aegon and then killed her son Lucerys. Now she is ready to wage a war with the Greens to reclaim her birthright and take revenge on those who have betrayed her family.
I mean to fight this war, and win it.
In another scene early in the trailer, we see Rhaenyra dine with her son Jace, her niece Baela, and three new characters facing away from the camera. These are three of the Dragonseeds, a group of bastards and commoners who will attempt to claim some of the yet-unclaimed dragons and increase Rhaenyra’s military advantage against the Greens.
The leftmost character is Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty), a bastard of House Velaryon who will attempt to claim Seasmoke, the dragon of the presumed-dead Laenor Velaryon. The rightmost character is Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew), who will attempt to claim the ancient and massive Vermithor.
It’s hard to tell who is the character in the center since we cannot see his face, but it’s likely this is Ulf the White (Tom Bennett), who will attempt to claim the dragon Silverwing. These new additions to Team Black are meant to increase their already significant advantage in the number of dragons they control and are a key element of Rhaenyra’s strategy to fight the war and win it.
One brief shot in the trailer shows Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) smirking. It is edited together with the previous dinner scene as though Daemon is reacting to Rhaenyra’s speech, and yet it seems to be taken from another scene, as Daemon is not seen sitting on this dinner table.
The Rogue Prince unleashed
Our terms are very simple. Renounce the false king and bend the knee to the queen, or your House burns.
Loved or hated by the majority of the fandom, Prince Daemon Targaryen was one of the standouts of the first season, where his chaotic nature was subdued by the political necessities and his loyalty to his wife and brother. With his brother dead and his wife preparing for war, Daemon will finally be back in his element.
In many of his appearances in the trailer, Daemon is seen wearing his armor and riding the saddle of his dragon Caraxes. In one scene, Daemon is negotiating the terms of surrender with an unseen party, possibly the current castellan of Harrenhal, Lord Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale).
Another shot from the trailer depicts Daemon looking at his troops in a camp near Harrenhal. This was shot at Dinorwig Quarry in Wales last Summer.
Harrenhal will be a key location in Season 2, as it will be the first major target in the Blacks’ campaign against the Greens. Daemon will lead the charge, engaging in diplomacy and violence in equal measure.
In one shot seen in the trailer, an armored Daemon can be seen riding his dragon in the rain. In another, the armored Daemon is seen walking in what appears to be Harrenhal, once again in the rain. Daemon can be seen entering the castle in a later shot.
Of course, Daemon isn’t only a legendary and respected warrior, he also has his fair share of experience working with the criminal underworld of King’s Landing and has met some unsavory folks which he plans to use to the Blacks’ advantage.
Daemon will not shy away from tactics that would undermine and hurt the Greens, not even when such acts are morally questionable. This will become evident early on in Season 2, when Daemon contacts a pair of criminals known as Blood and Cheese.
Daemon’s actions will reverberate across the realm and reach King’s Landing. This will serve as a catalyst that will increase the Greens’ appetite for war, much like the death of Lucerys did for the Blacks.
The Targaryen Civil War begins
Harrenhal will be the first major milestone in the Blacks’ campaign. Rhaenyra will send Daemon to Harrenhal as her envoy and general, and she will eventually join him there.
In one sequence of shots in the trailer, we see Rhaenyra descending to the pit in Dragonstone, where her dragoon Syrax is already saddled and ready for her. Later, we see Rhaenyra and Syrax flying over the God’s Eye lake and approaching the molten castle of Harrenhal. Together, Rhaenyra and Daemon will plot the next stages of their campaign.
We fight for our Queen!
Of course, the Greens will not simply wait for the Blacks to continue to conquer their castles and cities. The Greens will launch a counter-offensive which will bring the twins Erryk and Arryk Cargyll face to face once more.
As a reminder, these brothers were members of King Viserys’ Kingsguard, and when the King died, Arryk chose to support the Greens while Erryk chose to support the Blacks. Now the twin brothers will have to duel to the death in favor of their respective regents.
The unfolding conflict will lead to a major battle sequence in the Battle at the Rook’s Rest. We see a quick glimpse of this battle in the trailer, with cavalry marching through the woods.
Another shot from this battle sees the Lord Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox) and his soldiers seeing the arrival of what appears to be an enemy dragon.
The enemy dragon likely belongs to Rhaenys, who will arrive at the battle riding on Meleys, who will bring fire and blood to the green troops.
That said, instead of Meleys, we see Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia), who can be seen riding her dragon Moondancer. Another shot from this scene was shown in the Teaser Trailer, in which Baela can be seen in some distress.
Is she somehow part of the battle? Is she part of the aftermath searching for her grandmother’s remains? That remains to be seen.
We know who else will be there: the ancient dragon Vhagar and its formidable rider, Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell). These aren’t the only dragons and riders participating in the Battle of Rook’s Rest, and it’s safe to say that the historic war’s title “Dance of the Dragons” will indeed feel earned.
Jacaerys will help form critical alliances
The realm will soon tear itself apart, if men do not remmeber the oaths they’ve sworn to King Viserys and to his rightful heir.
As the war unfolds, the Blacks will be seeking to enlist new supporters to the cause. This will first take the Blacks to the Riverlands, where they hope to conquer Harrenhal, but it will take them to other Kingdoms as well.
One of these Kingdoms will be the Vale, where Lady Jeyne Arryn (Amanda Collin) rules and where Rhaenyra’s eldest son Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett) was sent at the end of the first season. Though Rhaenyra’s mother Aemma was an Arryn herself, Rhaenyra’s husband Daemon is believed to be responsible for the death of Rhea Royce, the Lady of another important House in the Vale.
As such, House Arryn has a complicated relationship with the Blacks, and Jace will have some convincing to do to enlist them to his mother’s cause.
Jace’s diplomatic mission to the Vale will be the first in Season 2, as an immediate followup to his mission in the Season 1 finale, but it will not be his last.
Shortly after, Jace will be in an even more unique and mysterious Kingdom – the North.
We see a couple of quick glimpses of Jace’s visit to the North in the trailer. In one of these, we see a group of black-cloaked men marching through a snowy wilderness. These Black Cloaks are likely the men of the Night’s Watch.
Speaking of the Night’s Watch, another shot in the trailer depicts Jace touring the Wall. The man leading Jace through these icy battlements appears to be Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor).
Cregan will be the first major character of House Stark to appear in the Game of Thrones spinoff, and fans are excited to see his take on the character and his friendship with Jace.
The Velaryons will consult Rhaenyra
Another key member of Team Black who will be aiding Rhaenyra in Season 2 is Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint). Though he was gravely wounded towards the end of Season 1, Corlys is slowly recovering. In one of the shots in the trailer, we see Corlys using a walking stick.
The Hightowers are marching. You must crush this beast at its head.
Corlys will continue to serve as the Admiral of Rhanyra’s fleet of ships, and his expertise in naval warfare will come in handy in future seasons. In the meantime, he will also consult Rhaenyra on the strategy and tactics of her war with the Greens. Corlys will suggest a strong offensive aiming to crush the Green beast at its head. Meanwhile, his wife will offer Rhaenyra a different kind of counsel.
When the desire to kill and burn takes hold and reason is forgotten, we will not even remember what began the war in the first place.
Princess Rhaenys Velaryon (Eve Best), known as “the Queen Who Never Was”, has experienced her fair share of political machinations to know this war will not end well for either side. She offers a different perspective to Rhaenyra, even saying in the previous trailer that “there is no war so hateful to the Gods as a war between kin, and no war so bloody as a war between dragons”.
Despite her more realistic and pessimistic point of view, Rhaenys will be an adamant supporter of Rhaenyra until the end and even take part in the fighting while riding on her dragon Meleys.
I fear what I have begun.
Perhaps because of Rhaenys more sobering counsel, it seems Rhaenyra will develop some doubts about her choice to wage war with the Greens. Throughout the trailer, we can see the Black Queen contemplating her actions and their consequences.
This covers the new footage from the Black Trailer for House of the Dragon Season 2, but there is also a second trailer. Make sure to read our other article for a similar breakdown of the Green Trailer.
READ MORE: Breaking Down House of the Dragon’s New Trailers: The Greens
And if you’re eager for even more frame-by-frame analysis of HOTD footage, you can revisit our breakdown of the Teaser Trailer.
House of the Dragon Season 2 premieres on June 16 on HBO.
