George R. R. Martin has praised the second season of HBO’s “House of the Dragon,” especially noting a fresh character that he thinks “brilliant.” Martin discussed his impressions on the first episodes of the Game of Thrones prequel series and his trip to the England’s Leavesden Studios set.
Martin called the set “spectacular” in a recent blog post, likening it favorably to actual castles he has seen. He also gave compliments on the first two episodes of the new season, “A Son for a Son” and “Rhaenyra the Cruel.” Martin praised Alan Taylor’s and Clare Kilner’s extraordinary work on the episodes’ direction.
Martin especially found great performance by the cast. Emma D’Arcy’s performance as Rhaenyra caught his attention since, although only one word in “A Son for a Son,” her facial gestures and eyes clearly show her loss for her dead son. He particularly complimented Tom Glynn-Carney’s performance as Aegon, noting his depth in capturing his anger, suffering, uncertainty, and misgivings.
Especially in the episode “Rhaenyra the Cruel,” Rhys Ifans got particular recognition for his performance as Otto Hightower. Martin noted the tension and drama in his sequences with King Aegon and Criston Cole, therefore characterizing Ifans’ performance as award-worthy. For their performances, other performers like Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Fabien Frankel, Eve Best, and the Tittensor brothers also won praise.
Martin specifically pointed to one unexpected addition by showrunner Ryan Condal—a dog. Martin said the dog was a great addition, first dubious about additional characters being included into his source material. Not included in the original “Fire & Blood” book, the canine friend gave the ratcatcher character a human touch, therefore fostering empathy and stressing the complexity of human emotions. Though he wished he had considered it himself, Martin valued this artistic choice.
Currently streaming on Max, the first three episodes of “House of the Dragon” season two; the fourth episode will premiere on HBO on Sunday. Martin’s passionate assessment and great compliments on the show and its fresh additions have raised great anticipation for the next seasons.
