"House of the Dragon" season 2 opens with a shocking murder twist

Starting June 17, viewers worldwide can watch the first episode of the second season of "House of the Dragon." The episode finale will feature a brutal murder scene. The show's showrunner, Ryan Condal, discusses the behind-the-scenes aspects of filming it.

The first season of "House of the Dragon" brought us closer to the Targaryen family's war and the Dance of Dragons. The last episode of the first season ends with Prince Aemond Targaryen, the younger son of King Viserys and Queen Alicent, losing control of his dragon and crashing into Princess Rhaenyra's son, resulting in the boy's death. There is no doubt that Rhaenyra will seek revenge.

The beginning of the second season picks up shortly after these events. Rhaenyra's husband, Daemon, wants Aemond's head. He hires two men to sneak into the Green faction’s castle and kill the prince. A brutal murder ensues, but not of the character viewers might expect. A defenseless and undoubtedly innocent person dies.

Journalists who have already seen the episode were shocked that the creators started the second season so strongly. Showrunner Ryan Condal decided to break his silence and talk about the behind-the-scenes.

The key character of the first episode becomes Queen Helaena, the mother of Aegon's children, who seems to have a vision of what is to come. Condal explains that he didn't want to make Helaena a magical character.

"As Viserys talked about, there are dragon dreamers in every generation of the Targaryens, and Helaena, because she’s seen in this world is odd, a lot of people don’t necessarily pay attention to the things that she says. But I also think she doesn’t have a clear interpretation of them. It’s not like she’s seeing these things and knows exactly what they are. A lot of times she doesn’t realize what it was until the event happens. I think that’s part of the burden of this gift — if you can even call it that — and what she’s burdened with. So I think she just perceives the world differently. What you’re seeing in that sequence is a very human response. It is shock, and she goes from a panic of thinking she’s going to be chased out and then she gets to the bottom of the stairs, and she’s wondering, "OK, where do I go? Where do I go now?" She’s running for her life, and trying to figure out where to go next " he said.