HBO
- Rhaenyra Targaryen comes to terms with her son Lucerys' death in "House of the Dragon" season two.
- Director Alan Taylor revealed that they had to tone down one of Rhaenyra's scenes in the premiere.
- Taylor said that he knew Emma D'Arcy was good — but filming with them "blew my mind."
Warning: Spoilers ahead for season two, episode one of "House of the Dragon."
One of the "House of the Dragon" season two premiere's most emotionally cutting moments could have been even more heart-wrenching, according to director Alan Taylor.
Season two picks up shortly after the season one finale of the show, in which Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) sends her sons Jacaerys (Harry Collett) and Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) to secure the support of houses Stark, Arryn, and Baratheon. Lucerys, however, runs into his uncle Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) at Storm's End, House Baratheon's seat. During a scuffle in the skies between Vhagar, Aemond's dragon, and Arrax, Lucerys' dragon, Vhagar takes a bite of Arrax and Lucerys and sends their remains tumbling to the sea below.
Theo Whiteman/HBO
In the season two premiere, Rhaenyra sets off to find concrete proof of her son's death. She and her dragon Syrax find Arrax's remains on a beach, and she weeps.
Taylor told Business Insider on the red carpet at the season two premiere in New York City that despite the high emotions on screen, he actually had to pull back a bit.
"There are things on the cutting room floor that I wish were still in there," Taylor said. "Her immediate reaction to realizing what's happened to her son was so visceral, and I think if anything, it got tamed down a bit."
Taylor is a "Game of Thrones" veteran, and directed episodes across multiple seasons of the show. But this is the first time he's directed an episode of "House of the Dragon" — and, in turn, his first time working with D'Arcy and the rest of the cast. The experience was striking.
"I knew they were good at what they did before I joined the show, and then the first time I went into a close-up on them, it just blew my mind," Taylor told BI. "I realized if you're ever in trouble, just come in close."
"House of the Dragon" season two airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and is streaming on Max.