A Game of Thrones

Image: HBOAt long last, Westeros is ready to tear itself apart in civil war (uhhh... again, although all this happened before the last time it did that for us). House of the Dragon is ready to return, and is preparing to bring one of the most infamously bloody conflicts in Game of Thrones history to life.What Should Fans Take Away from Imaginary?HBO has just dropped a pair of “dueling” trailers for House of the Dragon’s second season, which will see the rapidly fraying bonds between the two factions in the ruling House…

Photo: Ollie Upton/HBOThey were happy. For one unexpected, shining moment, the extended Targaryen family existed as one House, together, the past at least temporarily forgotten. And then the moment ended. “The Lord of the Tides” is a mostly excellent episode of House of the Dragon, but it’s also a lot. To begin with, it takes place after the second of the first season’s two time-jumps. It’s been six years since last week’s “Driftmark,” and while Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), Alicent (Olivia Cooke), Viserys (Paddy Considine),…

Screenshot: HBO MaxOlivia Cooke plays Alicent Hightower, daughter of the Hand of the King, opposite Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra. The first episode focuses on their childhood in the Red Keep, where they’re played by Milly Alcock (Rhaenyra) and Emily Carey (Alicent). Those scenes help inform the older versions we follow, in building their characters.Cooke shared while didn’t visit during shoot, they did watch their scenes. “We were being really respectful of their process. We’re like, we don’ t want to impose…