‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Will Show Rhaenyra Struggling to ‘Carve Her Own Identity’ as Sovereign
The season finale teed up House of the Dragon Season 2. Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) is contemplating war against Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney). Rhaenyra knew she had her work cut out for her as the first female ever named sovereign in Westeros. Her moment will come to figure out exactly how to lead.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 1.]
Creator and showrunner Ryan Condal was on the House of the Dragon podcast on Oct. 23 after the season finale aired. He teased what’s in store for Queen Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon Season 2, which he and the writers are currently writing.
‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 will define Rhaenyra’s rule
Whether she goes through with war or not, House of the Dragon Season 2 will be where Rhaenyra decides what kind of ruler she’s going to be.
“One of her things she will explore and struggle with in season 2 is how to carve her own identity out in this world where she’s learned from Viserys,” Condal said on the House of the Dragon podcast. “Now we’re at war and also the realm is getting to see up close and personal what it means to have named and then support a woman as not only heir to the throne, but now the ascendant sovereign.”
‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 will have no easy answers
Reality is going to come crashing down on Rhaenyra. Whatever she decides, she’ll be damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t.
What really comes at her in that finale is the paradox of being a ruler where there is no right decision. Oftentimes, justice and this sense of ethics and morals but also trying to show strength and compassion, all these things are in conflict with each other. It’s not just a binary situation where oh, this is the just choice and this is the unjust choice. Actually, whatever you decide, people are likely going to die. If you decide not to fight, people are going to die. If you decide to fight, people are going to die. It’s an impossible seat.
Ryan Condal, House of the Dragon podcast, 10/23/22
Rhaenyra will have a harder job than Viserys
At the very least, Rhaenyra will finally appreciate the job Viserys did.
“Again, a lot of what you see Rhaenyra wrestling with in the very early stages of episode 10 and certainly what she’ll wrestle with coming into the future is seeing oh, this is the job that my dad had for 30 years,” Condal said. “And seeing this is why he was a zombie at the end of it. This is what this thing did to him.”
But, it’s even harder for Rhaenyra because she has even more stacked against her.
“I think those are the very things that Rhaenyra is going to struggle with in the next chapter of the story,” Condal said. “I think they’re compounded by two factors. One of which is she now finds herself, if not at war, certainly on the very brink of it. And the second factor is simply that she’s a woman.”
Even Rhaenyra’s allies are men, which is quite an intimidating thing for a new Queen to face.
“If you noticed, very purposefully, there’s a lot of men standing around that table looking at her,” Condal said.
