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A Son for a Son

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"A Son for a Son" is the second-season premiere episode of the HBO fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon. Written by Ryan Condal and directed by Alan Taylor, it first aired on June 16, 2024.

"A Son for a Son"
House of the Dragon episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 1
Directed byAlan Taylor
Written byRyan Condal
Featured musicRamin Djawadi
Cinematography byP.J. Dillon
Editing byFrances Parker
Original air dateJune 16, 2024 (2024-06-16)
Running time58 minutes
Episode chronology
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"Rhaenyra the Cruel"
List of episodes

The plot directly follows the end of the first season finale, depicting the aftermath of the death of Rhaenyra's second son, Lucerys Velaryon, and his dragon, Arrax, at Storm's End. Rhaenyra finds Arrax's remains and then announces her revenge on Aemond. In response, Daemon, Rhaenyra's uncle-husband, appoints two assassins in King's Landing to kill Aemond. However, the assassins are unable to find Aemond and instead decide to kill King Aegon II's son and heir, Jaehaerys. The title refers to Daemon vowing revenge against Aemond for Lucerys' murder.

"A Son for a Son" introduced several new cast members, including Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer, Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull, and Tom Taylor as Cregan Stark. In the United States, the episode achieved a viewership of 7.8 million during its premiere night, with 1.3 million viewers on linear television alone. It received highly positive reviews from critics, with praise going towards the writing, character development, set up for the upcoming war, improved pacing and lighting compared to the first season, and performances of its cast, particularly Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke.

Plot

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At the Wall

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Jacaerys travels with Lord Cregan Stark to recruit the North for the Blacks. After Jacaerys' persuasion and reflection on old alliances, Cregan pledges nearly 2,000 men to Rhaenyra's cause. Their meeting is interrupted by a raven delivering news of Lucerys' death.

In the Stormlands

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Rhaenyra flies to a small coastal village. Finding the remains of Lucerys and his dragon Arrax tangled in fishing nets, she breaks down in tears.

At Driftmark

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Corlys meets Alyn of Hull, the sailor who saved his life during a deadly shipwreck in the Stepstones. Corlys thanks Alyn and states that he is indebted to him, and also receives a small custom-made dagger that was meant to honor Lucerys's ascension to the throne of Driftmark.

At Dragonstone

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Rhaenys returns from patrolling the Gullet to help enforce a shipping blockade of King's Landing. Daemon approaches and demands she accompanies him to King's Landing to kill Aemond and his dragon Vhagar to avenge Lucerys. Rhaenys refuses, saying she only recognizes Rhaenyra's authority and that Rhaenyra needs time to grieve her son.

Mysaria is arrested as a stowaway aboard a smuggler's vessel caught running the blockade. Daemon accuses her of treason for aiding the Greens during their coup.

At a Black Council meeting, Rhaenyra returns from the Stormlands and demands revenge against Aemond. Jacaerys arrives shortly after, bringing news of House Starks' and Arryns' support to Rhaenyra and joins his mother in grieving Lucerys. Daemon offers Mysaria freedom in exchange for helping him recruit assassins in King's Landing.

In King's Landing

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Alicent is engaged in an affair with Ser Criston Cole. During a Small Council meeting, Aegon enters with his toddler son and heir Jaehaerys. When Ser Tyland Lannister gently restrains a mischievous Jaehaerys, Aegon humiliates him by insisting he give the boy a "pony ride" to which Alicent intervenes. The council discusses war tactics in anticipation of Rhaenyra's response to Aemond killing Lucerys. Later, Alicent is dismayed when Lord Larys reports he has removed all "traitors" within her household and hand-picked their replacements.

While aloof to his advisors, Aegon attempts benevolence towards the smallfolk, but Otto instills restraint and firmness to secure needed war resources. Afterwards, Lord Larys speaks privately with Aegon, subtly suggesting that he be appointed as Aegon's new Hand of the King, replacing his father's old servants. Meeting with Otto, Alicent urges limited violence during the conflict. She later visits a sept and prays for the dead, including Lucerys.

Daemon sneaks into King's Landing and meets a City Watch guard nicknamed "Blood", who despises the Hightowers. Blood leads Daemon to an indebted rat-catcher called "Cheese", who is familiar with the Red Keep's layout. Daemon bribes them to kill Aemond. Upon entering the Red Keep they fail to locate Aemond, but instead overhear a drunken Aegon and his cohorts insulting Otto.

Blood finds Cheese in Helaena's chambers, holding a knife at her throat. Her two children, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, are sleeping there. Discussing whether they should kill Jaehaerys, one mentions that Daemon said, "a son for a son". A stunned Helaena succumbs to fear and points out Jaehaerys' bed. The two restrain and behead him. Terrified, Helaena takes Jaehaera and flees to Alicent's chamber where Alicent and Criston are in bed together.

Production

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Writing

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"A Son for a Son" was written by showrunner and executive producer Ryan Condal,[1] marking his fifth writing credit for the series, following "The Heirs of the Dragon", "The Rogue Prince", "Second of His Name", and "The Black Queen".[2]

The title of the episode refers to Daemon vowing revenge against his nephew and half brother-in-law, Aemond, for his stepson, Lucerys' murder.[3]

Changes from the source materials

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I mean, just very simply, Maelor has not even born in the storyline. We did have to compress time in season one to make it so that we didn't have to recast every character on screen. We were just recasting the kids, so to speak, as we went along, and part of that meant that Aegon and Helaena's children were younger, as are Daemon and Rhaenyra's children younger at the very end of this, because not as much time passed after their marriages to give time for all these kids to grow up.

Ryan Condal, June 2024 interview with TVLine[4]

In Fire & Blood, Daemon does not instruct Blood and Cheese to find and kill Aemond. Instead, it remains unclear who the intended target is. Mysaria is also still in King's Landing and she hires Blood and Cheese on Daemon's behalf. Additionally, Helaena has a third child, Maelor, in addition to the twins Jaehaerys and Jaehaera. When Blood and Cheese force her to choose which son to sacrifice, she points to Maelor. Despite this, the outcome in the book is the same as in the episode: Blood ultimately kills Jaehaerys and leaves everyone else alive. Moreover, the whole incident occurs in Alicent's chamber where she is tied up, gagged, and forced to watch.[5][6][7] According to Condal, the exclusion of Maelor is because the twins are depicted as younger than they are in the book. As a result, Maelor has not yet been born in the storyline.[4]

Filming

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Alan Taylor made his return as director for the franchise.

Principal photography for the second season began in April 2023, at the Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in England,[8] and wrapped in September 2023.[9] Among other filming locations, the Trefor Granite Quarry in Wales served as the location for Dragonstone.[10][11]

The episode was directed by Alan Taylor who joined the show's second season as executive producer.[1][12] It marks his return to the Game of Thrones franchise and his eighth directorial credit in the franchise. He previously directed the Game of Thrones episodes "Baelor", "Fire and Blood", "The North Remembers", "The Night Lands", "The Prince of Winterfell", "Valar Morghulis", and "Beyond the Wall".[13][14]

Casting

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The episode stars Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Matthew Needham, Sonoya Mizuno, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, Phia Saban, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Jefferson Hall, Kurt Egyiawan, Kieran Bew, Abubakar Salim, and Tom Taylor. It marks the first appearance of Bew as Hugh Hammer, Salim as Alyn of Hull, and Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark. Egyiawan portrayed recurring character Grand Maester Orwyle in the first season and was upgraded to the main cast for the second season.

Salim's casting was announced in April 2023.[15] Meanwhile, the casting of Bew and Taylor was announced in December 2023.[16]

Opening credits sequence

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The episode introduces a new opening credits sequence, while retaining the original theme song, "Game of Thrones Theme". The sequence depicts past events in the Targaryen family, with Entertainment Weekly describing it as "a Bayeux-style tapestry weaving itself together."[17] Condal explained that the original plan was for the sequence to feel similar to the original series, where geography constantly changes with each episode. However, he felt "that the bloodlines and ancestry story we were telling that season — 20 years of time in season one — had been brought to an end because now the Targaryen ancestry is sort of set. We didn't have much place to go." He decided to make a new sequence to depict that "this is a living history and we want to depict that history in a visual way and give the fans new things to take apart and dive into."[18]

Reception

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Ratings

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In the United States, "A Son for a Son" was watched by a total of 7.8 million viewers, which included linear viewers during its premiere night on June 16, 2024, both on HBO and Max. This was a 22% decrease from the first season premiere, which was watched by 10 million viewers.[19] While on HBO alone, it was watched by an estimated 1.3 million viewers during its first broadcast.[20]

Critical response

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Emma D'Arcy's performance in the episode was widely praised by critics.

The episode was met with highly positive critical reviews. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 100% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The site's critical consensus says, "'A Son for a Son' carefully sets the pieces for the oncoming civil war before shockingly flipping the whole board, getting this season off to an unpredictable start."[21]

Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek and Haley Whitmire White of TV Fanatic both gave it a perfect 5 out of 5 stars.[22][23] Louis Chilton of The Independent and Amanda Whiting of Vulture rated it 4 out of 5 stars,[24][25] while James Hunt of Screen Rant gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars.[26] Bojalad described it as "a muscular return",[22] and Hunt praised the episode for effectively setting up the upcoming war.[26] Helen O'Hara from IGN scored it 7 out of 10, noting, "We may look back on [the episode] as effective groundwork, but it's undeniably lacking in the kind of excitement that this series can offer at its best."[27] Similarly, Katie Doll of CBR and Carly Lane of Collider also gave it a 7 out of 10.[28][1] Doll wrote, "With dynamic performances and savvy writing, House of the Dragon is off to an eventful start for Season 2, even if planting the seeds of war can be a chore at times."[28] Lane opined that the episode "feels more like a prologue for much bigger events rather than a first chapter."[1] Kayleigh Dray of The A.V. Club graded the episode a B+ and called it "a pretty stellar season premiere".[29] Erik Kain of Forbes echoed this sentiment, calling it "a brilliant season premiere".[5] Josh Rosenberg of Esquire remarked, "By now, House of the Dragon season 2 is already feeling like a massive step up for the series. The pacing is much better, the side characters are just as compelling as the leads, and it's clear we’re building up to a war."[30]

Critics praised the performances of its cast, particularly those of D'Arcy,[1][23][24][26][28][29] Cooke,[1][26][28] Saban,[26][28] Glynn-Carney,[28][30] and Collett.[28] Regarding D'Arcy, Screen Rant's Hunt wrote, "They did excellent work in season 1, of course, but take it to another level in the season 2 premiere. Rhaenyra's grief is palpable, her pain so clearly etched into every fiber of D'Arcy’s performance."[26] Collider's Lane called their performance "magical" and praised their body language in portraying a grieving mother, despite uttering only four words in the episode.[1] Hunt also highlighted Olivia Cooke's more nuanced performance,[26] while Lane noted that Cooke "continues to offer depth and dimension to Alicent, who feels torn between clashing loyalties."[1]

Specific scenes singled out by critics included Jacerys's visit to Winterfell and the introduction of Cregan Stark, though some felt the scene was too brief,[26][28][6] as well as the killing of Jaehaerys; critics appreciated the reduced violence in the scene in comparison to the book version.[22][28] However, Hunt found it underwhelming compared to the book, noting it ended the otherwise solid premiere on a somewhat disappointing note.[26] Additionally, critics lauded the character development of Alicent, Daemon, Aemond,[26] Aegon,[28] and Helaena,[31] as well as the improved lighting, which had been criticized for being too dark in the first season by both critics and fans.[27]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Lane, Carly (June 17, 2024). "'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Episode 1 Recap: Make It a Son for a Son". Collider. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  2. ^ "Ryan J. Condal". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  3. ^ L. Gallaga, Omar (June 17, 2024). "'House of the Dragon' recap: Ratting out the royals". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Roots, Kimberly (June 17, 2024). "House of the Dragon Boss on Why Season 2's 'Blood & Cheese' Murder Doesn't Unfold the 'Nakedly Cruel' Way It Does in the Book". TVLine. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Kain, Erik. "'House Of The Dragon' Season 2, Episode 1 Recap And Review: Blood And Cheese". Forbes. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Weldon, Glen (June 16, 2024). "'House of the Dragon' season premiere: I told you the rats would be a whole thing". NPR. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  7. ^ Papadopoulos, Charles (June 18, 2024). "9 Ways Blood & Cheese Is Different In House Of The Dragon From GRRM's Book". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  8. ^ Kanter, Jake (April 11, 2023). "'House Of The Dragon' Season 2 Begins Filming". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  9. ^ Ruscinski, Maxwell (September 28, 2023). "House of the Dragon Season 2 Wraps Filming, Aiming for Summer 2024 Release". CBR. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  10. ^ Leston, Ryan (June 17, 2024). "House of the Dragon season two filming locations and where to find them". BBC. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  11. ^ Shah, Furvah (June 18, 2024). "House of the Dragon season 2 filming locations and how to visit". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 26, 2022). "'House Of The Dragon' Executive Producer Jocelyn Diaz Exits Ahead Of Season 2". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ Hibberd, James; Kit, Borys (August 31, 2022). "'House of the Dragon' Shake-Up: Co-Showrunner Miguel Sapochnik Leaving Hit Series (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  14. ^ Dominguez, Noah (September 1, 2022). "House of the Dragon Co-Showrunner Exiting, GoT Director Joining Season 2". CBR. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  15. ^ Moreau, Jordan (April 24, 2023). "'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Casts Alys Rivers and Three More Characters". Variety. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ Romano, Rick (December 4, 2023). "'Meet the Jon Snow ancestor and main Stark of House of the Dragon". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ Romano, Nick (June 16, 2024). "House of the Dragon season 2 comes with new opening titles sequence". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  18. ^ Hibberd, James (June 16, 2024). "'House of the Dragon' Creator Breaks Down Season 2's Stunning New Opening Credits". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  19. ^ Hailu, Selome (June 18, 2024). "'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Premiere Hits 7.8 Million Viewers, Down 22% From Series Launch but Bringing Max Its Biggest Streaming Day Ever". Variety. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  20. ^ Asiaten, Alvin (June 17, 2024). "TV Ratings for Sunday 16th June 2024". Spoiler TV. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  21. ^ "House of the Dragon: Season 2, Episode 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c Bojalad, Alec (June 17, 2024). "House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 Review: A Son for a Son". Den of Geek. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  23. ^ a b White, Haley Whitmire (June 16, 2024). "House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 Review: A Son for a Son". TV Fanatic. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Chilton, Louis (June 17, 2024). "House of the Dragon episode one recap: Season two premiere is full of scheming, staring and provocation". The Independent. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  25. ^ Whiting, Amanda (June 16, 2024). "House of the Dragon Season-Premiere Recap: Rat Race". Vulture. Archived from the original on June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hunt, James (June 17, 2024). "House Of The Dragon Season 2, Episode 1 Review: A Mostly Strong Return For Game Of Thrones' Prequel". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  27. ^ a b O'Hara, Helen (June 17, 2024). "House of the Dragon Season 2 Premiere Review – 'A Son for a Son'". IGN. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Doll, Katie (June 17, 2024). "House of the Dragon Season 2 Premiere Review: HotD Gets Its Own Red Wedding". CBR. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  29. ^ a b Dray, Kayleigh (June 17, 2024). "House Of The Dragon season 2 premiere: We're back in Westeros, baby". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  30. ^ a b Rosenberg, Josh (June 17, 2024). "I Need a Full Week to Recover from the 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Premiere". Esquire. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  31. ^ Looney, Ryan (June 21, 2024). "'House of the Dragon' Changes Blood and Cheese for the Better". Collider. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
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