House of the Dragon Trailer Reveals Basically All of Season 2

This article contains spoilers for the book Fire & Blood and therefore likely spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2.

The long wait for footage from House of the Dragon season 2 has been dark and full of terrors. But that all came to an end when HBO finally released the first official House of the Dragon season 2 trailer following the show’s appearance at CCXP23 in São Paulo, Brazil. Give it a watch below.

Typically, teasers released for TV shows that do not have release dates yet (which House of the Dragon season 2 still does not … just a “Summer 2024” window) are not particularly revealing. But HBO’s wildly successful Game of Thrones prequel isn’t just any typical show without a release date. To the untrained eye, there might not be a lot of plot to latch onto in this 90 seconds. Thankfully, here aren’t too many untrained eyes when it comes to Game of Thrones lore at this point. In fact, call us the Three-Eyed Raven because we believe this trailer all but spoils the entirety of season 2.

Using nothing but the footage presented in this House of the Dragon trailer, our extensive knowledge of George R.R. Martin’s prequel text Fire & Blood, and just a dash of set photos and online rumors, we believe we can present a rough outline for how season 2’s eight episodes will shake out. Read on if you want to know! And again, we must reiterate …

LIKELY SPOILERS FOLLOW

Episodes 1 & 2

Rhaenyra Will Visit the Stormlands – Following the death of her son Lucerys, Rhaenyra will pay a visit to Storm’s End where he was allowed to be pursued and ultimately killed by his cousin Aemond. Based on the ash and smoke surrounding Rhaenyra, this might not be a friendly trip.

Daemon’s Assault on Harrenhal – All Westerosi wars inevitably end up in the Riverlands – the middle portion of the continent with fertile land and crucial rivers for navigation. Thanks to the previously announced casting of Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers, we know that Daemon will make his way to Harrenhal to take the castle for Rhaenyra. We also know there will be a skirmish or two here thanks to the site of Hightower banners gathered in the region.

Jacaerys Befriends the North – While Luke was sent to Storm’s End to find allies, his older brother Jace was sent to The Vale and The North. And his trip looks like it should be a bit smoother. HBO has finally announced casting for Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor) in season 2. Based on this shot of The Night’s Watch from the trailer, Jace and Cregan will likely be spending plenty of time together.

Blood and Cheese – Even if you never read Fire & Blood, you’ve probably heard the term “blood and cheese” bandied about the internet as it relates to House of the Dragon season 2. You may have even heard that it’s this series version of the Red Wedding. Well, you heard correctly. And based on all available information we believe it will occur around episode 2. In fact, it’s happening in that screengrab above.

Episodes 3 & 4

The Sack of Duskendale and Criston Cole’s Ascension – Ser Criston Cole is one of Alicent’s most trusted confidantes and season 2 will find him engaging in a more direct role on the battlefield. Here we can see him performing an execution, likely that of Lord Darklyn after the Greens take Duskendale in the wake of Harrenhal’s fall to the Blacks.

Cargyll v. Cargyll – Remember from season 1 how identical twin knights Erryk and Arryk Cargyll joined different sides of the war as Kingsguardsmen for different monarchs? Well surely they’re going to have to fight each other at some point? Indeed they will. And that fight will likely occur mid-season.

Rook’s Rest – Game of Thrones has many big battles with succinct names in its canon including “Hardhome,” “Blackwater,” “Battle of the Bastards,” and more. Rook’s Rest is House of the Dragon‘s first big martial event and we mean big. This battle will feature the death of least one major character, the death of at least one major dragon, and the near mortal wounding of an important royal. Imagery from Rook’s Roost is all over this teaser, most notably when Aemond and Vhagar arrive to a battle in grand fashion . We think the evidence supports this battle occurring in episode 3, 4, or possibly even across both.

Episodes 5 & 6

Addam of Hull and the Dragonseeds – “Addam of Hull and the Dragonseeds” isn’t just the name of my prog rock band, it also refers to an important development in the Dance of the Dragons. Following the carnage at Rook’s Rest and other battles, Queen Rhaenyra realizes The Blacks need an infusion of dragon riders. Thankfully, the Crownlands are teeming with bastards with Targaryen blood. The trailer presents us with a juicy image of one important dragonseed: Addam of Hull, which HBO has announced will be played by Clinton Liberty.

Battle(s)-To-Be-Named- There isn’t much evidence of non-Rook’s Rest battles in the trailer. But based on the timeline of the season as we understand it, there has to be one or two more melees. The most likely candidate is the epic naval confrontation the Battle of the Gullet, which a House of the Dragon stunt coordinator has already alluded to.

Episodes 7 & 8

The Blacks Take King’s Landing – There’s really only one way for House of the Dragon season 2 to end. And that’s with Queen Rhaenyra sitting on the Iron Throne … for a time at least. Everything we understand about the Fire & Blood timeline points to that moment and that moment alone as the season climax. The imagery from the trailers do as well in a way. We see a lot of chaos in King’s Landing throughout, including the above shot in which Alicent is whisked away by her Kingsguard as the common folk lash out. That almost certainly isn’t the scene in which Rhaenyra arrives but it does speak to larger discontent in King’s Landing and the idea that they would welcome a new monarch.

House of the Dragon season 2 is set to premiere in summer 2024.