Son of Son

"A Son for a Son" is the second-season premiere episode of the fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon. The episode was written by series co-creator and showrunner Ryan Condal and directed by executive producer Alan Taylor. It first aired on HBO and Max on June 16, 2024. The plot directly follows the end of the first season finale, depicting the aftermath of the death of Rhaenyra's second son, Lucerys Velaryon, and his dragon, Arrax, at Storm's End. Rhaenyra finds Arrax's remains and then announces her revenge on Aemond. In response, Daemon, Rhaenyra's uncle-husband, appoints two assassins in King's Landing to kill Aemond. However, the assassins are unable to find Aemond and instead decide to kill King Aegon II's son and heir, Jaehaerys. The episode title refers to Daemon vowing revenge against Aemond for Lucerys' murder. "A Son for a Son" introduced several new cast members, including Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer, Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull, and Tom Taylor as Cregan Stark. In the United States, the episode gained a viewership of 7.8 million during its premiere night, with 1.3 million viewers on linear television alone. It received highly positive reviews from critics, with praise going towards the writing, character development, set up for the upcoming war, improved pacing and lighting compared to the first season, and performances of its cast, particularly those of Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke.