By HBO’s “Game of Thrones” spin-off “House of the Dragon” returns for a second season tonight and reviews are a bit more mixed sophomore run.
With 47 reviews counted, the series is sitting on an 87% (7.6/10) on Rotten Tomatoes compared to the 93% (7.75/10) of the first. It’s a better story on Metacritic where it’s landed a 73/100 compared to the 69/100 of the first season.
The series famously unfolds nearly 200 years before the events of ‘Thrones and tells the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys I Targaryen’s children battling for control of the Iron Throne.
Here’s a sampling of the reviews:
“Entertaining though it can be, the Game of Thrones prequel still struggles with the balance of epic scope and human-scale motivation that made its predecessor work so well.” – Angie Han, THR
“In Season 2, House of the Dragon feels like it’s finally the show it was always meant to be.” – Alison Henman, Variety
“House of the Dragon evolves into such smart, thrilling and heartbreaking storytelling that it threatens to become the rare prequel that outshines the original.” – Rob Owen, Seattle Times
“House of the Dragon has some Vhagar-sized flaws, but it remains a bloody good time and still feels like Event Television.” – Lauren Sahner, New York Post
“There’s no rushing into battles here without making sure everyone understands the consequences of what comes next. So when the dragons finally dance, the reaction is not one of awe, but of devastation.” – Belen Edwards, Mashable
“Calling something as tragically rendered as this season of House of the Dragon isn’t fun — but it is utterly compelling and expertly crafted television.” – William Goodman, The Wrap
“The writers consistently pick the less interesting, less challenging storytelling choice. There is so much lost potential in every boring decision and lackluster line reading.” – Kelly Lawler, USA Today
“The plot lurches forward. The characters focus on what we’ve already seen. New developments on either front do little to raise our curiosity.” – Ben Travers, Indiewire
“But the story doesn’t take on a real life. It’s neither interesting enough to pull us consistently into the flow nor weird enough to rattle our chains. The production is solid but static — it has the board-game feel that marks the franchise.” – Mike Hale, New York Times
The shorter eight-episode season runs from June 16th through to August 4th on the premium cabler.
The post “House of the Dragon” S2 Reviews Are In appeared first on Dark Horizons.
