It's been more than a year and a half since we were last in Westeros watching all the action that underpinned House Targaryen's impending Dance of the Dragons — a civil war stemming from a battle over the hotly contested rights to the Iron Throne.
HBO's "House of the Dragon" traces nearly 20 years, predominantly chronicling the infighting between Houses Green — led by Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) and his mother Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) in King's Landing — and Black, led by Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) from Dragonstone. Adapted from George R.R. Martin's 2018 fictional history book, "Fire and Blood," the series is set roughly 200 years before the events of "Game of Thrones" and approximately 170 years before the birth of the Breaker of Chains, the Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi-turned-cold-blooded killer, Daenerys Targaryen.
After the chronically ailing King Viserys (Paddy Considine) dies, former childhood best friends Rhaenyra — the king's daughter and named heir — and Alicent — daughter of the Hand of the King, Viserys' second wife, and mother to four of his offspring — spar over royal succession. By the first season finale, the two factions were teetering on the brink of war. The series returns Sunday, June 16 and will dive headlong into that conflict.
"House of the Dragon's" initial season was rife with weaving plotlines, incestuous relationships, immolation by dragon fire and a plethora of silver-haired people to keep track of. All that, in addition to the 18th months since that season last ended, may make for some confusion when revisiting Westeros. Never fear. Salon will remind you of the key plot points to make reentry smoother: