House of the Dragon Season 2: Trailer Analysis of Blacks and Greens
Not one but two trailers for House of the Dragon Season 2 which will debut from June 17th. All must Choose. Everyone has to choose, including the fans. The motto of the new season, anticipated with the release of the promotional posters distributed the day before the release of the trailers, established the lineups of the new chapters of the show: blacks vs greens. Did you think it was a banal motto aimed at anticipating the general climate of tension of the new season? But no! HBO has studied an unprecedented marketing campaign to make the motto of the series as real as possible. Not one but two trailers were released yesterday, and viewers were asked which one they would like to watch first: the black one or the green one?
House of the Dragon Season 2: Trailer Analysis of Blacks and Greens
Each story is told from two points of view, it is up to us to choose which one to believe. So, HBO delighted us with two trailers that narrate the same events but through the different voices of Rhaenyra’s followers for Team Black and those who bargain for Aegon for Team Green. Lots of interesting and spoiler-filled previews are on the way. Here is our analysis of the two trailers for House of the Dragon Season 2. Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war, with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra respectively. Each of the two factions believes their aspiration to the Iron Throne is legitimate, so the brand-new double trailer of the series, that of the Greens and that of the Blacks, reflects these two perspectives, divided but complementary halves of the same story. The second season of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON will see the kingdom split: everyone will have to choose which faction of House Targaryen to support.
Team Black: Trailer Analysis
It all begins at the exact point where the previous season ended: with the death of Lucerys Velarion. Aemond’s temper and thirst for revenge prevailed over his common sense and prevented him from controlling his dragon, which literally ate his nephew’s little dragon with a single bite during the storm above the skies of Storm’s End. The trailer opens with Lucerys’ funeral, we don’t know if they managed to find part of her body or that of her dragon but what we see is a funeral pyre. And from the images distributed by HBO, Jacerys is holding her brother’s clothes in her hand. In the background are Rhaenrya’s words which recall the fact that the late King Viserys, as well as her father, chose her as her legitimate heir and kept this choice until her death. If he had changed his mind he would have done so before leaving this earth. Alicent has decided to put her son on the throne, in defiance of her husband’s wishes.
It should be noted that Rhaenyra never refers to Aegon citing him as her brother, a choice made for two reasons: to highlight the hatred she has always felt, especially towards the brothers her father had with his second wife (while in the novel the relationship with Haelena is different) and to underline once again how much in the TV series the war is between Rhaenyra and Alicent, rather than between the Queen of the Blacks and Aegon. While we listen to this voice-over acted by Emma D’Arcy, we see different images of Rhaenyra crying over the loss of her son, of the queen on the back of her dragon Syrax and looking for her son’s body, in addition to the first sequences of the green ones. The monologue of the queen of blacks ends with what seems like a family dinner before the big battle but this is not the case. We need to pay attention to details because the trailer, rightly, tries to mislead its viewers.
The sequence that the writer is telling you about, that of the so-called black council, is not placed at the beginning of the new episodes of the show. Rhaenyra is talking to Baela, Jacerys, and three characters we’ve never seen on stage before. These are those who will play a very important part in the second half of the show, the so-called dragon seeds. BEWARE OF SPOILERS. When Rhaenyra finds herself dealing with a significant loss in her ranks towards the middle of the season, she will have to try to revive the situation and replenish the ranks of the dragon knights loyal to her. Since there are several riderless dragons, men and women with Valyrian blood capable of riding the wild dragons and swearing fealty to Rhaenyra will be sought. Among these we find sitting at the black table: Ulf the white, Hugh Martello, and Addam of Hull.
As you note, the character played by Matt Smith, Deamon Targaryan, is not present at the table, although the editing of the scene suggests that he is sitting next to his wife. It is a clever technique of shuffling the cards. At the time this council takes place, Deamon is already in the midst of the dance and is not present at Dragonstone. The shot of the Rogue Prince can probably be placed at the beginning of the season, or it is one of the scenes discarded from the first, we can deduce this from the hair which is visibly shorter than in the next shots.
The North and Cregan Stark
A huge novelty of the new season is the presence of the North and the barrier, which we had only glimpsed in the teaser distributed in December. Thanks to the black trailer we can get a first look at Cregan Stark, the young Lord of Winterfell. This new character will drive Stark fans and others crazy! Cregan will become a great friend of Jace and a devoted and faithful ally of Rhaenyra, on the other hand, the Starks are men of honor. Ryan Condal, showrunner of the series, made several statements to EW regarding the presence of Starks in House of the Dragon Season 2: “I love the Starks!” And House of the Dragon season 2 has a good one. Cregan is very powerful. He’s a little younger than Ned Stark was when he came to power, so it’ll be interesting to see the Young Wolf, the young lord of the Starks, how he carries himself in the world and the weight on his shoulders being the Warden of the North. I’m excited for audiences to see and fall in love with him”.
Hundreds of years before the age of Sean Bean’s Eddard Stark and Kit Harington’s Jon Snow, Cregan Stark is the Lord of Winterfell and his interpreter Tom Taylor debuts in the trailer dedicated to blacks. Or rather he debuts with a shot that shows him from behind and leaves ample space for the imagination. In the season one finale, Rhaenyra’s son, Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett), flew to the North to rally his mother’s supporters. This will include a stop to meet Lord Stark and from the trailer we see Jace walking with Cregan along the top of the Wall. This will be the beginning of one of the best storylines of the new season.
Gwayne Hightower
Finally the trailer between one battle shot and another, as well as several shots of Syrax in flight, which demonstrate how Rhaenyra will be more active in battle compared to Martin’s novel, the black trailer allows us to take a first look at Alicent: Gwayne Hightower played by Freddie Fox. In fact, through a quick shot, the face of another new character who enters the conflict is revealed to us: Gwayne Hightower who appears in full armor in an unidentifiable battle sequence, complete with Hightower’s seal.
Ryan Condal said: “Freddie brought so much character and humor to Gwayne, who until this season had been locked up in Old Town. He grew up in Oldtown on his home base, but now that the Hightowers have been marched, he has come to King’s Landing to support his family’s participation in the war”.
Daemon and the Conquest of Harrenhal
The Targaryen prince played by Matt Smith in this second season of the show will be actively involved in battle and away from his family but ready to avenge them. Deamon will immediately focus on revenge. “A son for a son”, the title of the first episode, suggests that we will see the unpleasant events of Blood and Cheese from the beginning. Immediately afterwards Deamon will worry about invading the river lands and conquering Harrenhal without the use of force. The presence of his dragon Caraxes will be enough to force the castellan to hand over the keys to the fortress into the hands of the prince. Unfortunately, we won’t see much interaction between Rhaenyra and Daemon in this second season. The space for romance is over, now the war has come to a head. Among the various battles, we would like to point out the unexpected presence of Baela and Moondancer in what will most likely be the battle of Crow’s Rest.
In conclusion, it should be underlined that Rhaenyra is the undisputed protagonist of the trailer and it is she who closes the video with a phrase that anticipates how torn she will feel between her thirst for revenge and her benevolent and far-sighted soul. “ I fear what I have begun ”Alluding to the fear of what she began. She knows well that the war within the dragon’s house will exterminate innocents and could destroy her family but now there is no turning back.
Team Green: Trailer Analysis
The story of Fire and Blood is marked by points of view. In Martin’s novel, the events were collected by three historical figures: the grand master Runciter, Septon Eustace, and Mushroom, whose versions have come down to us thanks to Gyldayn. We don’t know how the facts happened because in most cases they are rumors and different versions depending on who reported them. The TV series instead chose to follow the path of the impartial navigator who exposes the facts as they happened. In doing so, however, in this second season, he asks us to choose which side of the war to take: Black or Green. The greens decided to install Aegon on the Iron Throne because they are convinced that on his deathbed Viserys changed his mind by confessing to Alicent his desire to see their firstborn on the Iron Throne. Knowing that this act will be seen as a grave betrayal of Rhaenrya and that Aemond’s actions started the war, they are ready to dance.
The green trailer opens by showing Alicent praying for her husband’s death but also determined to carry forward her choice: Aegon on the throne, even though peace in Westeros is no longer a predictable thing. Interestingly, the show chooses to point out that according to Alicent, ” the kingdom would never accept a woman on the throne. “As a woman who holds the green family together and has allowed the rise of her son is an important phrase that should be remembered as the one Rhaenys uttered to Rhaenyra in the first season. The greens’ point of view is clear: the blacks are acting out of revenge because of Lucerys’ death, not for the good of the kingdom. Alicent and Otto seem aware of the price they will have to pay for the choice they made and Aegon, in the end, perhaps was not who they hoped he would become. While many battle sequences are the same in both trailers, the green trailer has some details that aren’t present in the black trailer.
Blood and Cheese
The events of Blood and Cheese, names of two unscrupulous men who, hired by Deamon, will sneak into the red fortress to avenge Lucerys, should happen in the first episode of the show. In fact, in several sequences of the green trailer, we see Alicent at a funeral (the writer has chosen not to reveal who it is so as not to ruin the surprise for the spectators), just as we notice the hearse, the people throwing petals and a pregnant sheet of blood. This episode will mark and traumatize Alicent and Haelena forever. The queen mother of the greens will never be the same again. We can notice her being decidedly melancholy in several subsequent sequences, such as the one in which she lends herself to take a bath.
Aegon is Completely Reckless
The king of the greens does not seem like the adequate man that Otto and Alicent were hoping for. For Aegon, war is a game and during House of the Dragon Season 2, he will choose to undertake it without hesitation, despite the king’s firsthand being against it. Otto’s moderation will clash with Aegon’s impetuosity and will cost his grandfather Hightower his job. In fact, during the new chapters, Aegon will remove Otto from office in favor of Ser Criston Cole. Note Criston’s presence in battle with the necklace with golden hands around his neck. Aemond on the other hand, strengthened by the presence of his dragon Vhagar, feels ready to face his uncle Deamon. This clash will happen but not this season.
We can’t help but notice the presence of the Brackens in the green trailer. Perhaps this is Raylon Rivers, half-brother of the rightful lord of Stone Edge, Per Amos Bracken killed during the Battle of the Burning Mill. The boy in this short sequence is about to abscond with the Blackwoods. Finally, we just have to point out the last sequence, the dragon shown at the end of the trailer is Seasmoke, and Ryan Condal confirmed it. This is the dragon once ridden by Laenor Velaryon (John MacMillan), son of Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and Rhaenyra’s first husband, who was last seen faking his death to live in the Free Cities with his lover of her. Since Seasmoke has “now aged since we last saw him in the Stepstones, we see him here grown and matured. The sowing of the dragons is about to begin…
