Over eight seasons across nearly a decade, Game of Thrones became a sensation. Rather than let it end, the property relaunched in 2022 as a “prequel” series entitled House of the Dragon.

Set roughly two centuries prior to the events of Thrones, House looks at battles within the House Targaryen. This Season Two set includes all of its eight episodes across four discs. The plot synopses come from the series’ official site.

A Son for a Son: “While Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) struggles to come to terms with her son’s murder, Alicent (Olivia Cooke) grows concerned that Aegon’s (Tom Glynn-Carney) Small Council may lead them to an all-out war. Larys (Matthew Needham) suggests Aegon needs a new Hand, and Rhaenyra arrives at a fateful decision.”

I found Season One of House to offer a fairly sluggish and dull experience. However, the last two episodes of S1 showed some promise that I hoped would carry over to Season Two.

Maybe that will eventually occur, but “Son” launches S2 on a pretty flat note. Granted, I get that it needs to reintroduce the characters somewhat to launch the year, but that doesn’t excuse the general blandness of the tale. “Son” delivers an uninspiring start.

Rhaenyra the Cruel: “As Otto schemes to turn the public against her, Rhaenyra questions Daemon’s (Matt Smith) loyalty. Meanwhile, Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) concocts a misguided plan for revenge.”

Given the drama that leads to that quest for vengeance, “Cruel” points toward a more dynamic sense of energy than the sluggish “Son”. The drama and intrigue here don’t make me forget how much dullness preceded this episode, but at least “Cruel” demonstrates that the series might actually show a pulse the rest of S2.

The Burning Mill: “As ancient grudges resurface, Rhaenys (Eve Best) suggests that Alicent may see reason while the men around her seek bloodshed. Ser Criston proposes a bold scheme. Daemon arrives at Harrenhal to raise an army for the Blacks.”

Dare I hope for two solid episodes in a row? Dare I may, and “Mill” moves along events in a dramatic manner. It mixes “palace intrigue” with a dollop of action to create a good escalation of S2’s overall narrative.

The Red Dragon and the Gold: “In Rhaenyra’s absence and with no word from Daemon at Harrenhal, Rhaenys tries to keep the peace on the Black Council as Cole mounts a campaign into the Crownlands. In King’s Landing, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) continues to undermine Aegon’s fragile hold on authority.”

Another good advancement of S2’s threads, the aspects that regard to Daemon probably become the most intriguing. Though still focused mainly on politics, these domains darken and grow more intense.

Regent: “Amid whispers of bad omens, the Greens consider how to fill a void on Aegon’s Council, Jacaerys (Harry Collett) sets out on a rogue mission to strike a deal, and Daemon enlists Lord Willem Blackwood (Jack Parry-Jones) to help persuade the Brackens to bend the knee.”

“Gold” ended with some significant battle action, and “Regent” acts as a follow-up to those activities. That means it includes less literally fiery shenanigans because it deals with fallout from the prior show. Nonetheless, it develops internal drama in a reasonably satisfying manner.

Smallfolk: “With few options left, Rhaenyra summons a trusted knight for a risky venture and plots with Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) to catalyze the smallfolk. Meanwhile, Daemon’s unease grows, and Aemond takes steps to reshape the Green Council.”

Am I the only one who thinks “smallfolk” implies we’ll get characters akin to hobbits? Instead, the term simply means peasants/commoners and doesn’t reflect on physical size.

Mostly seen as background participants, their involvement in terms of a more concentrated political push adds spark to this episode. Expect a solid advancement of plot domains.

The Red Sowing: “As Rhaenyra looks to gain an advantage by unusual means, Daemon pressures a young liege lord to raise up his bannermen.”

With so little time left in S2, “Sowing” acts more as a “plot thickener” than anything else, with elements that push us toward the finale. Until some dragon-based material toward the conclusion, this does not become the most scintillating of episodes, but it nonetheless achieves its goals and does what it must to set up what next program.

The Queen Who Ever Was: “As Aemond becomes more volatile, Larys plots an escape, and Alicent grows more concerned about Helaena’s (Phia Saban) safety. Flush with new power, Rhaenyra looks to press her advantage.”

Did I enter “Queen” with expectations of a big action finale? Yes.

Did I leave “Queen” with a big action finale? No.

I admit I view this as a big of a disappointment, as it would seem logical to finish S2 on a thrilling note. Instead, “Queen” functions more as a plot-thickener that appears to want to push toward Season Three more than anything else.

In that regard, it functions well, as “Queen” advances narrative and character beats in a dramatic manner. The episode simply doesn’t feel like it wraps up anything, however.

Which isn’t a sin, as a continuing series doesn’t need to view one season as “standalone”. Still, I admit a little disenchantment with the semi-inconclusive finale to S2.

Nonetheless, I like S2 as a whole. I found Season One to become something of a snore, whereas S2 brings greater depth and drama. This leaves me reasonably curious to see where matters go in Season Three.

House of the Dragon appears in an aspect ratio of 2.00:1 on these 4K UHD Discs. A native 4K production, the Dolby Vision episodes offered high quality visuals.

Sharpness seemed strong. Despite many wide shots and dimly-lit interiors, delineation worked well.

Jagged edges and moiré effects failed to materialized, and the programs lacked edge haloes. No signs of source flaws popped up, as the series always offered clean visuals.

Unsurprisingly, the series emphasized gold/amber and teal. The shows depicted the hues as intended.

Blacks were deep and tight, while shadows appeared clear and smooth. I felt pleased with the visuals of Thrones.

Dragon came with Dolby Atmos audio. For those of us without Atmos systems, the material played back as Dolby TrueHD 7.1, and the shows sounded quite good.

Whether the track went with lively action or general ambience, the mix used the various channels in a compelling manner. It created an appealing sense of place and environment, with elements that blended in a satisfying manner.

Audio seemed good. Speech was concise and distinctive, without edginess or other issues.

Music was full and dynamic, and effects came across as accurate and clear. When necessary, the tracks boasted deep, rich bass. Though the episodes didn’t always boast audio that truly excelled, they seemed well above average.

As we shift to extras, we get eight The House That Dragons Built featurettes spread across all four discs. These fill a total of four hours, eight minutes, 25 seconds.

Across these eight programs, we find comments from showrunner/writer Ryan Condal, directors Claie Kilner, Geeta Vasant Patel, Andrij Parekh, Loni Peristere and Alan Taylor, A camera operators Michael Carstensen and Sean Savage, executive producers Melissa Bernstein and Kevin de la Noy, producer Danny Gulliver, directors of photography Alejandro Martinez Resendez, Catherine Goldschmidt, Vanja Cernjul and PJ Dillon, 1st ADs Nick Heckstall-Smith, Jason Rickwood, Toby Ford and Liam Lockspeiser, production designer Jim Clay, supervising art director Dominic Masters, VFX producer Thomas Horton, VFX production manager Adam Lawrence, VFX supervisor Dadi Einarsson, Hod greensman Roger Holden, construction manager Malcolm Roberts, SFX supervisor Mike Dawson, senior snow technician Paddy Connolly, master armourer Tim Lewis, bladesmith Jamie Bell, costume designers Joanna Lynch and Caroline McCall, hair designer Rosario Culora, makeup designer Amanda Knight, supervising set decorator Claire Nia Richards, action prop supervisor Ellie Murphy, prop master Lee Wiseman, writers Sara Hess and David Hancock, art director Dan Clay, location managers Tom Barnes and Jac Jones, co-executive producer Phillippa Goslett, construction manager Malcolm Roberts, B camera operator Iain McKay, SFX floor supervisor Tom Lloyd, assistant hod prop modeler Katie Lodge, Spain line producer Sofia Noronha, stunt coordinator Rowley Irlam, concept artist Kieran Belshaw, senior art director Tim Wilkinson, chief graphic artist Alicia Grace Martin, Pixomodo VP and capture supervisor James Thompson, costume armour supervisor Simon Brindle, supervising location manager Lindsey Powell, prosthetics designer Waldo Mason, set dec concept artist Jack Cornell, Hod sculptor Conrad Lindley-Thompson, co-producer Ide O’Rourke, home economist Catherine Kunzig, assistant set decorator Jess Meredith, key grip Alex Fraser and actors Matt Smith, Eve Best, Olivia Cooke, Bethany Antonia, Ewan Mitchell, Steve Toussaint, Rhys Ifans, Tom Glynn-Carney, Fabien Frankel, Phoebe Campbell, Harry Collett, Phia Saban, Sam C. Wilson, Mark Stobbart, Tom Bennett, Elliott Tittensor, Luke Tittensor, Max Wrottlesley, Emma D’Arcy, Milly Alcock, Gayle Rankin, Freddie Fox, Kieran Bew, Paddy Considine, Abubakar Salim, Mark Maciver, Clinton Liberty, Anthony Flanagan, and Jefferson Hall.

Across “Built”, we hear about the return for Season Two, sets/locations and the scope of the production, weapons and props, various effects, costumes, makeup and hair, dragon design, stunts and action. Though the participants bandy about an awful lot of praise across these eight chapters, we still get more than enough substance to make “Built” worthwhile.

On Disc One, Defend Your Council runs one minute, 53 seconds and involves Glynn-Carney, Toussaint, Best, Collett, Campbell, Antonia, Frankel, Mitchell, Smith, Cooke, and D’Arcy as they discuss the relative merits of Team Black and Team Green. It offers a cute but insubstantial promo reel.

Two Character Spots occupy a total of two minutes, 39 seconds. These look at “Rhaenyra” (1:14) and “Aegon” (1:25).

We hear from D’Arcy and Carney-Smith as they chat about their characters. Expect more advertising for the series without a lot of meat.

Next comes Fire Hot Takes: Team Green vs. Team Black, a two-minute, three-second clip with comments from Smith, D’Arcy, Cooke, Toussaint, Campbell, Glynn-Carney, Mitchell, Collett, Best, and Antonia as they again debate the qualities of the two sides. Though more serious than “Defend”, this one still just exists to sell the series.

After this comes Return to Winterfell. It spans one minute, 14 second and features Hess, Condal, Clay, Lynch, and Taylor. They talk about a key set in this puffy piece.

House Who? (House Stark) goes for one minute, 27 seconds and gives us thoughts from Condal and Taylor. They offer some story/character elements in this basic clip.

Disc One concludes with the two-minute, one-second Return to the Realm, a segment with Cooke, D’Arcy, Smith, Antonia, Best, Glynn-Carney, Frankel, Condal, Mitchell, and Toussaint. They tell us how big and amazing S2 will be, so you should expect another ad,

When we shift to Disc Two, we get two more House Who? reels. These cover “Bracken & Blackwood” (1:41) and “House Tully & House Frey” (1:48).

These involve Condal, Patel, Hancock, Smith, and D’Arcy as they offer more general thoughts about these topics. More promo for you!

More Fire Hot Takes come via two segments: “Case for Ruler” (1:43) and “Daemon vs. Aemond” (1:56). Across these, we hear from Glynn-Carney, Toussaint, D’Arcy, Frankel, Smith, Campbell, Antonia, Collett, Mitchell and Cooke.

The actors debate various aspects of the series’ characters. Like the “Takes” on Disc One, these seem intended as promo more than anything else.

Eve Tribute Piece goes for one minute, 13 seconds and features Best, Toussaint, and Condal and tells us how awesome Best and her character are. Yawn,

Next comes the four-minute, five-second Guess That Line in which Toussaint and Best quiz each other on who read particular bits of dialogue. While insubstantial, it comes with some charm.

Disc Two concludes with two more Character Spots for “Daemon” (1:09) and “Corlys” (1:31). In these, we hear from Smith, and Toussaint as they discuss their roles in a general and not especially compelling manner.

As we go to Disc Three, we find another pair of Character Spots for “Alicent” (1:22) and “Aemond” (1:55). These involve Cooke and Mitchell as they provide general – and forgettable – thoughts about their roles.

Disc Four finishes the package with three more featurettes. Family Tree spans five minutes, 22 seconds and provides an overview of connections among the series’ characters. It becomes an efficient little summary.

Divided Kingdoms runs nine minutes, 10 seconds. It delivers info from Cooke, Condal, Smith, D’Arcy, Antonia, Hess, Patel, Mitchell, Glynn-Carney, Ifans, Hall, Frankel, Hancock, Best, Peristere, Collett, and actors Matthew Needham and Sonoya Mizuno.

The reel summarizes a mix of characters and situations as it also points toward where Season Three will go. While not a simple promo piece, it also doesn’t tell us much about S2 that we don’t already know.

Finally, The Curse of Harrenhal fills seven minutes, 53 seconds. This one offers info from Smith, Condal, Patel, Needham, Hancock, Rankin, Peristere, Kilner, Taylor, and Hess.

This one adds some details about the Harrenhal castle and its impact of S2. Expect another decent but not essential featurette.

In addition to a booklet with disc details, the set includes eight art cards that offer portrait-style images of characters. None of these elements seem memorable but they also feel harmless.

After Season One left me largely unenthused, I didn’t expect much from Season Two House of the Dragon. To my pleasant surprise, it delivered a generally involving and dramatic package of shows. The 4K UHD discs boast excellent picture, solid audio and a collection of supplements headlined by a four-hour documentary. I look forward to Season Three.