HOUSE OF THE DRAGON
I've been getting more into HOUSE OF THE DRAGON (trailer here) with each passing week, but the third episode—"Second of His Name," written by Ryan J. Condal and Gabe Fonseca—has solidified my investment in the series\. I really appreciate the show's willingness to take risks with time jumps, keeping the pace up and skipping to the action. Speaking of action, this episode featured the most visually dynamic scene we've seen thus far in HOTD, and reminded me of the good ol' days of watching epically gory battle sequences in GAME OF THRONES episodes like "Hardhome" or "Battle of the Bastards." Despite the accelerated timeline and spectacle, however, "Second of His Name" knows it's all about character; Daemon Targaryen and Alicent Hightower are both developing in really interesting ways that left me eager to discover where the show will take them, and some strategic side-by-side scenes individually focusing on Princess Rhaenyra and King Viserys juxtapose the father and daughter brilliantly. It's wild to think we're only two episodes away from the season's midpoint, which means only two more episodes of fantastic performances from Milly Alcock and Emily Carey—but I can’t wait to see Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke step in to play their characters' older counterparts too. Going into this weekend's episode, I’m intrigued to watch how Rhaenyra and Alicent grapple with their relationships with each other and the throne as the series nears their jump into adulthood.
—Alicia Devereaux, Development Assistant
