House Of The Dragon Showrunner Says Season 2 Is All Done With Time Jumps
Contains spoilers for "House of the Dragon" Season 1, Episode 10 — "The Black Queen."
In direct opposition to its predecessor, HBO's "House of the Dragon" has perfected the art of the slow burn. While the first episode of "Game of Thrones" culminated with a child thrown from a window, the prequel Targaryen series takes a different tactic. First focusing on the girlhood friendship between Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) and Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey), the series investigates how many years it takes to strike up a civil war.
The conflict known as the Dance of the Dragons is, at its core, a generational war. Misunderstandings and years of repressed slights poison the younger generations against each other. While at one point, adult Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke) may have been open to making amends, the trauma inflicted on their children goes too far, and war turns out to be inevitable. But to make these complex and interweaving dynamics as powerful as they can be, the creators of "House of the Dragon" crafted a season about the passage of time. In the case of the confusing web of the "House of the Dragon" children, as many as three actors were tasked with taking on the same character. And while this was essential to tell the story they wanted, the "House of the Dragon" showrunner has promised that Season 2 will be quite different.
The current cast will remain for the entirety of the series
It took some time getting there, but the series finale of "House of the Dragon" finally shows the characters we have come to love and hate in their final incarnation. Unfortunately for Luke (Elliot Grihault), his final form was not very desirable. But for the rest of the younger generation, it looks like their job is secure.
"[A]s a reward to our wonderful audience for following us through all the time jumps and recasts, they are done," showrunner Ryan Condal told Deadline. "We tell the story in real time from here forward. The actors are playing these characters until the end. We're not recasting anybody. We're not making any huge jumps forward in time. We are now in the Dance of the Dragons, and we're gonna tell that story." Some characters have had the luxury of remaining consistent throughout the series, such as Prince Daemon (Matt Smith). But viewers who may be confused by the revolving door of changing faces can now rest easy. The children of the main players would be recast seemingly every few episodes, making it difficult to keep track of who was who and — more importantly — connect with them. When a cast keeps changing, empathizing with unfamiliar faces can pose a bit of a problem. But now that the civil war is in full effect, audiences can watch the events unfold naturally and see their favorites live and die in real-time.