House of the Dragon season 2 episode 2 release time and what you should expect

It's time for war on House of the Dragon! The highly-anticipated sophomore season just premiered last weekend on June 16, and though many book fans were disappointed with the big Blood and Cheese moment, the episode received generally positive reviews. To be honest, I was just thrilled to be back in Westeros with my favorite — and even my least favorite — characters. Sunday night TV is back!

If you're a fan of the Game of Thrones spinoff, then of course, you don't want to miss a minute of the new season. I was fortunate enough to have seen the second episode early and I can assure you it's going to be a big one! It's an improvement from the season 2 premiere. If you aren't able to watch the episode live, I highly recommend staying off social media to avoid spoilers.

Season 2 episode 2 release date and time

Set your alarms and make your watch-party plans; House of the Dragon season 2 episode 2 will be released on Sunday, June 23 at 9:00 p.m. ET. If you're watching the episode on linear, you can catch it on HBO, while the streaming home is Max. Other streaming platforms such as Hulu and Amazon Prime Video offer a Max add-on if you don't already have a subscription. And if you're located in the UK where Max isn't available, you can watch the new episode on Sky TV or NOW TV.

For linear viewers, HBO will air season 2 episode 2 two additional times on Sunday night after the premiere at 9:00 p.m. ET. According to HBO's schedule, the new episode will air at 9:00 p.m. ET, then again at 10:12 p.m. ET, and another time at 12:05 a.m. ET. And of course, if you're streaming on Max, you can watch new episodes of House of the Dragon at any time after they premiere.

Season 2 episode 1 recap

The season 2 premiere, titled "A Son for a Son," takes place a few weeks after the season 1 finale which saw Aemond kill Lucerys while flying on Vhagar. Whether it was an accident or not, this was very clearly a big chess move from the greens in the impending war. The blacks await Rhaenyra's instruction as she goes searching on Syrax for the remains of her son and his dragon. After getting some closure, she tells her followers what she wants: Aemond. This puts in motion one of the most highly-anticipated moments from Fire & Blood, called Blood and Cheese.

With the help of Mysaria, Daemon enlists two men in King's Landing to kill Aemond, though that's not exactly what happens. They, instead, kill Aegon and Helaena's son Jaehaerys while Helaena is in the room. And while it's a disturbing scene, many fans (including myself) felt let down by the changes made from the source material.

Elsewhere in the season 2 premiere, we get a glimpse of Jacaerys' time in Winterfell, when he goes to meet with Cregan Stark to ensure they still have an alliance in the North. We get to see the Wall as Cregan shows Jace what life is like up there, and he even teases the threats beyond the Wall, which he simply refers to as "death."

"A Son for a Son" also introduces a new twist in the relationship between Alicent and Criston: it's now sexual. Larys is still being creepy, scheming Larys, while Aegon is trying to figure out how to be the king. The power dynamics between all the characters will continue to cause conflict as the Dance of the Dragons is about to begin.

What to expect from season 2 episode 2

Though us book readers know what is likely to happen next based on the source material, we have little to go by from HBO. The network has not released a preview for House of the Dragon season 2, nor have they confirmed the episode title. That said, they did share a teaser video for the weeks ahead, which is absolutely epic. Not only will we be getting exciting battles, but characters like Daemon and Rhaenyra will clash, while it looks like Alicent and Criston are getting hotter and heavier:

We won't drop major spoilers here, but in Fire & Blood, what happens after Blood and Cheese is war:

"The Dance of the Dragons entered a new stage after the death of Lucerys Velaryon in the stormlands and the murder of Prince Jaehaerys before his mother's eyes in the Red Keep. For both the blacks and greens, blood called to blood for vengeance. And all across the realm, lords called their banners, and armies gathered and began to march."

- Fire & Blood

A battle called the Battle of the Burning Mill is expected to happen next in the Dance of the Dragons, though we don't know if the show will move things around — or remove them entirely — for the sake of their narrative. We'll be getting to see many more locations in the second season than we did in the first, and we can expect Daemon to go to Harrenhal soon, likely in the second episode. In episode 2, we can also expect to see the greens mourning the death of Jaehaerys, particularly Helaena and Aegon.

Another moment up ahead in Fire & Blood is Aegon's retaliation for Blood and Cheese. Again, I won't spoil anything from the book here, but just know that the usurper is looking for vengeance, unsurprisingly.

There are many shocking moments ahead in House of the Dragon season 2, so don't miss a minute of it! I'll be here at Show Snob recapping and reviewing each new episode every Sunday night.