These Two Scenes In The “House Of The Dragon” Season 2 Premiere Are Making Everyone Sob, And Here’s Why

After almost two years since the heart-wrenching and jaw-dropping Season 1 finale, House of the Dragon finally returned this week with Season 2. HBO Sundays are back, baby.

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The Season 2 premiere kicks off after Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and the Greens stole the throne and crowned Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) as king. The episode notably sees the aftermath of Lucerys’s death at the hands of Aemond, too.

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With war on the horizon, Aegon tries to keep a grip on the throne while Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) grieves the devastating loss of Lucerys, and Daemon (Matt Smith) prepares for battle alongside the rest of Team Black.

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The whole episode was so good, but nothing really compared to the devastating and masterclass performance from Emma, who literally only had one line in the entire episode.

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Rhaenyra’s grief is the true center of the House of the Dragon Season 2 premiere, and Emma showcases a mother’s heartbreak effortlessly. Plus, Harry Collett gives an outstanding performance as Jacaerys, who is also grieving the loss of his brother.

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I’ll be thinking about the scene between Jacaerys and Rhaenyra forever. It broke me.

Speaking about portraying Rhaenyra’s grief in the after-episode discussion, Emma said, “I guess one of, sort of, the maddest things about death is that it seems sort of impossible, especially because really the overriding feeling often is you just sit with the absence.”

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They continued, saying, “And so, anything that has, like, a tangibility about it, I think, is vitally important. Her son’s cloak, the wing of his dragon, I think it’s devastating but I think it galvanized a vengeful feeling, one that maybe she hasn’t paid so much mind to previously.”

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As soon as the episode ended, fans — including myself — began flocking to X, formerly Twitter, to share their love for Emma’s performance and how it’s likely just the first performance in an entire season that should win them an Emmy Award. Here are 19 of the best reactions:

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What did you think of the House of the Dragon Season 2 premiere? Tell us in the comments below!