The very first trailer for the much-anticipated second season of House of the Dragon has finally been released—which means that we can consider its press tour officially open. And even though it has barely begun, I can already say that one of my favorite moments has already happened.
It all starts with the event during which the season 2 trailer was released, the House of the Dragon panel organised at the Comic Con Experience, or CCXP, in São Paulo, Brazil, at the beginning of December. The panel featured two members of the cast who will have pretty major roles to play in the Dance of the Dragons to come—one was Steve Toussaint, who plays Lord Corlys “the Sea Snake” Velaryon, and the other was Ewan Mitchell, the face of everyone’s favorite kinslaying blondie Prince Aemond Targaryen.
With the former being one of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen’s chief advisors within the Black party and the latter being arguably the most formidable weapon in the arsenal of King Aegon II Targaryen and his Greens, we can be sure we’ll see a lot of both Corlys and Aemond in the upcoming season when it lands, expectedly, in summer 2024. It’s something that the House of the Dragon fandom will surely appreciate, especially considering how Aemond managed to turn into the problematic crush du jour in the short span of three episodes—his fancams are everywhere on social media and I have personally saved every single one of them.
And now we come to the moment that has already become one of my favourites, even with the press tour having barely begun. When the event moderator started to introduce Mitchell’s character and his role in the story of House of the Dragon, she included the fact that Aemond rides one of the largest dragons in Westeros—meaning, of course, none other than the reptile weapon of mass destruction that is Vhagar.
Mitchell, however, will not stand for anyone not giving his fictional dragon her due credit and so he rapidly interjected by saying that “Vhagar is not one of the largest dragons in Westeros. She is the largest.” Put some respect to her name. I love this little bit so much that I have been rewatching it ever since it surfaced on the Internet.
Apparently, Mitchell really feels very strongly about Vhagar since, in another clip from CCXP, he answers the question of what he would do were he the King of the Seven Kingdoms by replying that he would line up all the citizens of King’s Landing and make them each give Vhagar a hug—since she needs it, being old and lonely.
During the panel, Mitchell continued with some insights on Prince Aemond’s character and what fans can expect from him in the upcoming season, stating that the audience “might not like Aemond, [they] might feel like [they’re] not supposed to like him, but [they] do feel something for him. [They] might not condone his actions but [they] understand why.” He added that in his opinion this is exactly what makes Aemond a complex villain, and I can’t help but agree.
The day season 2 airs truly is the day I go and lose what’s left of my ASOIAF-loving mind.
(featured image: HBO Max)
