HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon, returns for its second season in ten days, and the review embargo has now lifted.
Though most critics got to see all 8 episodes, some only got the first 2, which should be taken into account when reading through these verdicts.
Though reviews are still coming in, House of the Dragon season 2 currently sits at a very impressive 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.
"Approaching its dynastic cataclysm with a deliberate stride rather than a charging gallop, House of the Dragon carefully sets up its emotional stakes to make the fiery spectacle all the more scorching," reads the Critics Consensus.
The cast - particularly Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen - come in for universal praise, as does the production values, VFX and intense action sequences (it sounds like season 2 ups the gore quota considerably), but some seem to feel that the story has a few issues, and doesn't quite hold together in the later episodes.
Have a read through some of the reviews at the links below.
"The prequel series finds the Targaryen dynasty at the absolute apex of its power, with more than 15 dragons under their yoke. Most empires—real and imagined—crumble from such heights. In the case of the Targaryens, their slow fall begins almost 193 years before the events of Game of Thrones, when King Viserys Targaryen breaks with a century of tradition by naming his daughter Rhaenyra heir to the Iron Throne. But when Viserys later fathers a son, the court is shocked when Rhaenyra retains her status as his heir, and seeds of division sow friction across the realm."
House of the Dragon season 2 sees Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans reprise their respective roles. Additional returning cast includes Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham.
The directors for the new season are Alan Taylor (Episodes 1 & 4), Clare Kilner (Episodes 2 & 5), Geeta Patel (Episodes 3 & 8), Andrij Parekh (Episode 6), and Loni Peristere (Episode 7).