The season one finale of "House of the Dragon" had a shocking end even by Westeros standards. (Warning: spoilers ahead!) That explosive last episode saw the death of young Lucerys "Luke" Velaryon (Elliot Grihault), who was killed by his uncle Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) during a dramatic dragon chase.
That tragedy only fueled the already tense relationship between Luke's mother, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy), and her half-brother and the usurper of her throne, Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), to whom Aemond is allied. As viewers saw in the final moments of season two, Luke's death takes that sibling rivalry and turns it into a full-force civil war.
And though Rhaenyra is rightfully fired up in season 2 (reportedly much more so than in "Fire & Bone," the history book on which "HOTD" is based), we will see a "much weaker" version of her husband this time around, Smith told CBS Morning.
"I think [Daemon] sort of tumbles into anonymity in a way. He gets sort of softer, lazier, fatter, slower," the actor revealed. "He's sort of haunted by his demons really, by ghosts, by apparitions, by the weight of all the bad deeds that he's done...I think he becomes more exposed, so to speak."
And as for why new viewers should tune into the show's second season, Smith joked that "House of the Dragon" is the perfect show "if you like blond, maniacal families." He added: "It's like a great, big, political sort of Odyssey really and it's violent and sexy and strange. And there are some really wonderful characters, we've got some fabulous new actors who've come in this year." The actor also singled out Aegon II's actor Tom Glynn-Carney as "just fantastic" in "HOTD" season 2.
Whether you're rooting for Rhaenyra and Team Black or Aegon II and Team Green, Tom's Guide will keep you posted on all things related to the second season of "House of the Dragon." In the meantime, you can catch up with everyone in House Targaryen by rewatching the show's first season with a Max subscription.
