House of the Dragon is really ramping up the stakes in season 2. Things were serious before, but the new season of the Game of Thrones prequel has two warring factions in a desperate and often times devastating play for the Iron Throne: Team Black and Team Green.
We’ve already spun on a post on Team Green, but one explainer isn’t complete without giving the other side of the conflict attention as well. Team Black has a fascinating and perhaps even more noble claim to the Iron Throne, in some ways. This doesn’t mean they are going to succeed, however.
What is Team Black fighting for?
The biggest question of all. Team Black starts with Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), the eldest daughter of King Viserys (Paddy Considine). She was appointed the the ruler of Westeros because the King did not have a male heir. He didn’t, at least, until his second wife, Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke), gave birth to a boy, Prince Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney). You can already see where this is going.
Queen Alicent and Prince Aegon felt that the latter had a birthright to inherit the Iron Throne, while King Viserys felt otherwise. He refused to hand power over to his son, and maintained that Rhaenyra would rule indefinitely. These terms were begrudgingly agreed upon until the King died. Once he was no longer around to protect Rhaenyra, Queen Alicent and Prince Aegon made a play to dethrone her, and it worked. Prince Aegon technically sits on the Iron Throne, and that is what Team Black is fighting for in a nutshell: to preserve Rhaenyra’s “rightful” place as ruler.
Which characters are part of Team Black?
Rhaenyra is the driving force behind Team Black. She not only represents the face of the faction, but its ultimate hope for the future. Emma D’Arcy, the actress who plays Rhaenyra, has repeatedly noted that shooting season 2 was a “lonely” experience in comparison to the first. The character is much more isolated than before, and subjected to much more challenging situations.
D’Arcy also hyped up the confrontations between Team Black and Team Green during an interview with the BBC:
That system can cause those characters to do pretty awful things. The thing that I adore about [the show] is you have such a complex, exciting, varied constellation of characters, and you’re made to yearn to see those, to watch those collisions take place.”
Other major players on Team Black include Rhaenyra’s three sons: Prince Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett), Lucerys ‘Luke’ Velaryon (Elliot Grihault), and Joffrey Velaryon (Oscar Eskinazi). The men of Westeros who swore allegiance to King Viserys are also on her side, but the most notable ally that Rhaenyrs has is Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) her uncle and husband. He previously was an enemy, jockeying for the Iron Throne himself, but the two have joined forces with the intention of snatching Westeros away from Prince Aegon.
Which side do you choose?