If there is one thing I did not forget from the first season of House of the Dragon, it’s that former besties Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) are extremely at odds, what with all the child-death-by-dragon, throne-stealing, and other general treacherous mayhem between them.
But just in case it wasn’t clear that this series is about conflict and war and choosing sides … HBO would now like you to pick. Are you Team Green (Alicent) or Team Black (Rhaenyra)? Are you really going to watch just one of the two trailers—one for each side—that the company released? Let’s be real: We’re going to watch them both. But the point here is to remind you that everything is conflict, everything is teams, and you must choose a side. Literally: “ALL MUST CHOOSE” flashes across the screen in both trailers.
What’s funny is that even the trailer that’s ostensibly for the Greens can’t make them seem like anything but schemers. Wild idea, but if your new baby king is super hot on violence, he might not really make the best ruler.
Along with D’Arcy and Cooke, Matt Smith returns as the enjoyably terrible Daemon Targaryen; Eve Best as the only good Targaryen; Ewan Mitchell as the worst princeling; Steve Toussaint as the Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon; Fabien Frankel as a knight who made some bad choices; Tom Glynn-Carney as that violence-loving king; Sonoya Mizuno as the intriguing Mysaria; and Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, head of the schemers.
Many new faces arrive in time for the impending war, including Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark, Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer, Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne, Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers, Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower, Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong, Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull, Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome, and Tom Bennett as Ulf.
The Dance of Dragons begins June 16th.
