House Of The Dragon Episode 2 Review - 9 Ups & 1 Down
Welcome (back) to Dragonstone.
A week has passed and fans have barely had time to digest and process the thrilling events of House of the Dragon's debut episode even as the latest instalment, The Rogue Prince, debuted in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The first episode saw the scene slowly being set for the conflict to come, introducing the current iterations of the Targaryens and beginning to tug at the threads of the various causes of political and personal strife between them. It also saw the onscreen bow of important families the Hightowers and the Velaryons, both of whom play integral roles in the looming civil war, set against the usual spectacular Game of Thrones backdrop of blood, dragons and razor sharp remarks.
The debut episode also introduced Matt Smith's Daemon Targaryen, this week's titular Rogue Prince. Fresh off being replaced as heir to the throne by his niece Rhaenyra, Daemon is last seen leaving King's Landing with his tail between his legs, atop his dragon Caraxes with his paramour Mysaria in tow. The episode picks up six months later and Daemon is revealed to have taken up residence on Dragonstone; fans embark on the usual hour long roller coaster of emotions before they even have a chance to blink, as House of the Dragon hammers home another superb instalment in HBO's most ambitious show to date.
It's indescribably exciting times when the people behind one of the greatest shows (and let-downs) in television history get their act together for a glorious act of redemption. Westeros, we have missed you.
10. Down - Paddy Considine
Paddy Considine is an exemplary character actor. The veteran performer made his name in a slew of independent movies throughout the 2000s and is a critically acclaimed theatre actor to boot, with Olivier and Tony Award nominations to his credit for his performance in The Ferryman.
However, despite Considine's unquestionable pedigree as an actor, something is just not quite right in his portrayal of King Viserys Targaryen; Considine's attempt to imbue his character with suitable regality often comes across as more hammy than anything else. The King is particularly unconvincing as a Targaryen monarch when his character is juxtaposed against the remainder of the cast that make up the ancient Valyrian house. Alcock, Smith and Best all effortlessly look and sound exactly like a Targaryen engineered from scratch in a laboratory; Considine more closely resembles what he is, an actor playing a character that suits himself and his considerable talents worse than his platinum blonde wig.
It must be disclaimed that this was the sole low point in this week's episode and Considine is still giving the role all he has. Had the first two episodes not set the bar so ludicrously high in terms of quality, it is entirely likely that his occasionally shaky performance would have gone unnoticed. It highlights an unenviable position for a television show as prestigious and hyped as House of the Dragon; standards are so high that even the slightest dip in quality will instantly be noticed.