The Ringer’s Bill Simmons updates his NBA tier list after the latest free agent moves and then discusses what he thinks Danny Ainge’s plan is with Lauri Markkanen, why the CBA is broken, and the thought process behind Wyc Grousbeck’s decision to sell his stake in the Celtics (02:06). Next, Bill is joined by Fox Sports’ Rob Stone to discuss the disappointing USMNT loss to Uruguay, debate whether Christian Pulisic is good enough to be the best player on a team, talk about the lost opportunities to capitalize on soccer interest in the country, and more (31:39). Bill is also joined by Van Lathan, and they talk through the drafting of Bronny James, the hope they have for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F to be decent, what will happen with Joe Biden, the Kendrick Lamar–Drake beef, and their thoughts on Season 3 of FX’s The Bear (55:24).
Host: Bill Simmons Guests: Rob Stone and Van Lathan Producers: Steve Ceruti and Jessie Lopez
It’s been a year nearly to the day since we learned that Natalie Berzatto was pregnant, but you could be forgiven for thinking it’s been even longer. Since that reveal during The Bear’s second season, Sugar, as she’s better known, has endured fatigue, insomnia, and something called “lightning crotch.” She has also managed to keep her mercurial chef brother and the band of merry misfits who made up the kitchen at the Berzatto family’s sandwich shop together through that restaurant’s reinvention as a fine-dining Michelin-star aspirant—all while going through a pregnancy that has endured as long as a giraffe’s.
The Bear’s third season, which was released in full last week, is by far the series’ weakest, bogged down by an overreliance on flashbacks and flimsy character development. Still, there were bright spots that felt like vintage entries from the Emmy-bedecked show’s history.
“Ice Chips,” the eighth of the latest season’s 10 episodes, might just be the strongest of the bunch. It features Sugar, played by Abby Elliott, who goes into labor at long last while out buying supplies for the restaurant on her own. She gets stuck in traffic on the highway as she tries and fails to contact her husband, Pete, her brother Carmy, and even Carmy’s manic pixie dream ex-girlfriend, Claire (whose twee contributions this season include her confession that—gasp—she likes Mondays). In desperation, Sugar calls her mom, Donna, heralding the return of Jamie Lee Curtis as the erratic Berzatto matriarch.
We first saw Donna in Season 2’s celebrated episode “Fishes,” during which a drunken holiday dinner with extended family devolved into shouting matches, sobbing, and, finally, a hysterical Donna crashing her car into the Berzattos’ living room. Donna, we learn, is the source of much of the baggage that her three children carried into adulthood, and Sugar has responded by largely cutting her out of her life: In Season 2, we learned many months into Sugar’s pregnancy that she hadn’t even told her mother that she was expecting.
All of which makes her an unlikely choice for a birth partner, and she roars into “Ice Chips” with guns blazing. She meets Sugar in the hospital parking lot, immediately letting loose a frenzy of pet names and rat-a-tat instructions—“You must breathe!” she exhorts her daughter over and over, miming a breath pattern that is more hyperventilation than soothsaying—and within seconds, an already stressed-out Sugar is desperately begging her to stop talking. Which, of course, she doesn’t.
With Pete located but still en route to the hospital, the bulk of “Ice Chips” is spent with Sugar and Donna alone in the delivery room. Between their sparring, Sugar’s shrieks of pain, and the time-is-ticking feel of the rush to the hospital and a delivery that is decidedly not going to plan, the episode packs every bit of the punch of the best of The Bear’s fast-paced, high-stress chapters, from online ordering gone wild in Season 1 to a busted freezer door in Season 2. Like all those scenes with big personalities that clash in a tiny kitchen, here we have the same in a different sort of prep room. Every second counts, or at least every centimeter of dilation.
Sugar alone seems to have made it through the familial fractiousness on display in “Fishes” in one piece. She doesn’t share either of her brothers’ self-destructive tendencies, for example, and is the only one of the siblings to hold down a stable romantic relationship. Aside from her impending diaper expertise, she’s just about the only character on the show you could imagine asking to babysit a kid with the expectation that the child will return with the same number of fingers and toes.
But as Elliott finally gets some screen time without Jeremy Allen White’s Carmy, Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Richie, and Ayo Edebiri’s Sydney chewing up all the scenery, we get some much-deserved time with a character who, as the perpetual straight man, is usually resigned to letting the others do their thing. “Ice Chips” establishes that the fact that Sugar has her shit together is its own response to a difficult childhood: She began her errand by playing a self-help program for children of alcoholics, which she had seemingly already memorized. Over the course of the episode, Sugar levels with Donna about her role in the still-reverberating chaos of the Berzatto kids’ upbringing. “You scared all of us,” she tells Donna. “Oh, that’s terrible,” Donna replies; Curtis’s face crumples as she seems to, finally, reckon with how much damage she caused.
That same old Donna is still in there, and Curtis’s fussy, frantic performance is enough to make anyone who’s ever said, “Mom, stop” squirm. When Sugar announces her birth plan to a nurse—no epidural, thanks!—Donna laughs in her face. “I’m just telling you as someone who’s been around the block,” she tells her daughter, “this particular block hurts like a motherfucking son of a bitch.” A few contractions later, Sugar has changed her tune on the subject of pain relief. Donna isn’t always—or even usually—a source of well-founded wisdom, but here, at least, she gets it right.
Childbirth sequences in TV and film tend to hew to a few basic conventions: the dramatic water breaking, the howling pain en route to the hospital, and—always—the smash cut to the finish line, with the new parents cleaned up and beaming at their little bundle of joy. It feels right that a show like The Bear, with its almost religious dedication to the avoidance of happy endings, refuses to tie the episode up with a bow. We never see the baby or the new mom; the only confirmation that the little girl has arrived safely is delivered when Ted Fak teases Donna in the hospital waiting room in the episode’s closing moments that she’s a grandma now. Indeed, we don’t even learn whether Sugar got that epidural.
Given it’s The Bear, we can probably assume she didn’t.
Ryan Serhant doesn’t know selling real estate without a television show.
After a short-lived career as an actor, and just months into his foray in real estate, he was cast in Bravo’s reality series “Million Dollar Listing New York,” a spinoff of its L.A.-based predecessor. The series gave viewers tours inside multimillion-dollar luxury properties while showing the drama among arrogant and wily agents who often competed for listings or sales. It premiered in 2012 and ran for nine seasons — and it helped establish a winning format of high-end real estate voyeurism mashed up with reality TV drama.
From the start, Serhant sought to stand out with an over-the-top, hot-shot salesman style — dressing like Aslan, the lion from “The Chronicles of Narnia,” and jumping into a swimming pool during an open house were among his exploits. Ever the dealmaker, he brokered a number of specials and spinoffs for Bravo, most recently “Ryan’s Renovation” (2021), which chronicled the remodel of the Brooklyn townhouse he shares with his wife and daughter.
In 2020, he started his own real estate brokerage — Serhant. — and once again invited cameras along, but this time for Netflix, which has doubled down on real-estate reality programming with such shows as “Selling Sunset” and “Buying Beverly Hills.” With “Owning Manhattan,” now streaming, cameras follow Serhant and his team of agents as they compete — sometimes with each other — for some of New York’s most sought-after listings.
In a recent video call from New York — as a back-seat passenger readying for his next appointment — Serhant talked about making the jump to Netflix from Bravo, navigating reality TV drama as a boss and why money-strapped viewers can’t get enough luxury real estate porn. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Harlan Berger, left, is a developer who appears in “Owning Manhattan” with stars Ryan Serhant, Nile Lundgren and Chloe Tucker Caine.
(Netflix)
You have a long history with Bravo. You approached them with the idea of a show when you started your company. What was the feedback and what prompted the jump to Netflix?
When I knew that I was starting my own company, I had a conversation with Bravo and my agents, and they were basically like, “You know how ‘Million Dollar Listing’ is a format? It follows a couple real estate agents as they sell real estate. Imagine ‘Law & Order’ — that’s a format. Imagine, if you turned on an episode of ‘Law & Order’ and then all of a sudden one of the detectives was like, ‘J.K., now I have my own detective agency and that’s what the show is.’” It would be weird for the format. And so we brought the show to an end after they tracked my starting of Serhant., and I immediately put together a presentation of what my next chapter would look like … and presented that to all of the networks. Got offers for most of them. But I know Jenn [Levy] really well at Netflix. [Levy, who had been director of unscripted originals at Bravo, left her post at Netflix earlier this year.]
We went forward with Netflix, and it’s honestly been such a cool experience. It scratches the itch of, “OK, you want to see $250-million New York City penthouses? Here you go, Episode 1. You want to see what it’s like inside the workplace drama of a young startup real estate firm, à la ‘Vanderpump Rules’? OK, here you go. You want to have your own orchestra composing your music that gives you slightly a ‘Succession’ vibe. Yeah, we could do that too. Plus we’re gonna drop drones through the canyons of this city and showcase Manhattan in a way it’s never been shown before. Yeah, we can do that because we’re Netflix. What else do you want to do?” I was like, “I’ve never seen a reality TV show that has a first-person narrator with a voice-over, can I do that?” And they were like, “Yeah.”
You have a background in acting, and you’ve been in the reality space for a while, so you know drama makes good TV. But you take your role as a professional starting a company seriously. How is it to navigate the drama now as a boss?
So stressful. It was a tough one. “Million Dollar Listing” was stressful at the time, but it was really all me. It was on my shoulders, my clients, my business. This time around, I bet my life on starting this business in 2020, and so the exposure is a double-edged sword. With Netflix, part of the deal was, “Here’s the amount of time you’re gonna film for, and we’re gonna film everything, for better and for worse, and we’ll see what happens.” That removes some deal pressure. On “Million Dollar Listing,” it was formatted. So you’re gonna list it, and you would have those 12 listings up on a board for a year, and if they sell, they sell; they don’t sell, you get fired on TV. Because of the shooting window, you couldn’t leave things open-ended. This is different. This season ends on the cliffhanger. Every episode is a cliffhanger. We had an agent, halfway through the season, just up and quit on camera. I had to fire people who are pushing other people to quit. That’s what you get to watch on top of the deals now. The show starts with me and 12 agents, and it ends with 10. I start with salt-and-pepper hair, I end with white hair.
To expand on that, Jonathan Normollequickly emerged as the so-called villain of the season. From a show perspective, the drama and tension that someone like him brings is appealing. But you, as a boss, decided to fire him. Tell me about the push and pull of keeping the show entertaining and thinking about your company.
There’s reality, and it’s what we do all day — the work, the people, the management, the payroll, the business, the opening of new markets every day— and then there’s perception, which sits on top of reality. What I did with “Million Dollar Listing” was I said, “OK, I have reality of my business. ‘Million Dollar Listing’ is going to be the perception, and it’s going to sit, not on top of reality, but above it. And that’s going to push me to consistently bring reality up to the perception.” Because we would take a year to film “Million Dollar Listing” and it would come out the next year. Whoever I act as, however I talk, the properties I show, that’s who the world is gonna see next year. That’s where a lot of the stress intention lay. Obviously, I want to do the TV show because I’ve only ever done TV shows. I don’t know selling real estate without a television show. I said [to my executive team], “If we’re gonna do this as a company, we have to go all in.” I don’t want anyone watching the show and saying to themselves, “What didn’t they show?” That was the push and pull: Do you really want to show the warts of your business to 270 million people? Or do I look at it not as warts but as I’m young, building my own business and be vulnerable with the world, and you’re going to come on this journey with me.
“Owning Manhattan” stars Savannah Gowarty, Jessica Markowski and Jonathan Frank Normolle, who was let go.
(Netflix)
Have you had any run–ins with Jonathan since?
I give Jonathan a lot of credit. I saw something in him that I also saw in me. I’m not tattooed on my my head, but a little bit of a fish out of water. I had a dream in my head: “Dude, here’s what you should do — people are gonna look at you and they’re gonna judge a book by its cover. You have seconds to change people’s minds. You sell something big, you show them you’re a great, great person who’s also fun and awesome and cool and the face of the next generation, you are gonna have the biggest career ever. Or you could blow it all up.” And so it was probably my biggest disappointment. But I give him credit for being his authentic self.
There are some headline-making deals on “Owning Manhattan.” Tell me about these listings and the struggle of getting high-profile clients to be on camera or not. Bad Bunny winds up renting the Jardim property featured on the show for a record $150,000 per month. The season ends with you nabbing a listing for a condo that was used in “Succession” as Roman Roy’s home.
How random was that ending? Props to our production team for taking the weirdest idea I think I’ve had. I’m like, “You know what we’re going to do? We’re going to end the show in a way where people are gonna be like, ‘What the f— just happened?’” All I think about is: How do I get someone to look up from their damn phone? Anyway, I guess I’ve been used to it now for a long time. But that’s why you see buyers’ representatives, family members or lawyers kind of stepping in for clients here and there. In our show, we see a lot of the real people, a lot of the real developers. The penthouse at Central Park Tower — that’s a long-lead listing. There’s only so many people in the world who can afford it and, so [we say], “We’re gonna put it on a Netflix show. First person who buys it, gets it. Just trust me.”
Harlan [Berger], the seller of the Jardim, where we rented it to Bad Bunny — we sold it, by the way. It just traded after we were done filming for, I think, $15 million. That’s a classic example. The seller agreed [to be on camera], but the tenant [Bad Bunny] did not agree to go on camera. We didn’t mention anyone’s names. It got put into the press, so now it’s part of the public domain; but the press, because that’s a huge rental amount, then helped bring in the buyer. You don’t buy an Hermès bag because it can be your purse. The brand sends a message. Real estate is the same way.
The interior of a Manhattan home from Season 1 of “Owning Manhattan.”
(Netflix)
It’s a complicated time to display some of New York’s most exclusive real estate on a global stage. The cost of living, especially in big cities, is insane. What have you gleaned about why viewers enjoy getting this inside look into the upper echelons?
Because we’re all voyeurs. Everyone wants what they can’t have. Everyone fantasizes. It’s what keeps us going. It’s like brain liquidity, it’s dream liquidity. I watch “Drive to Survive.” I’ll never be behind a wheel in one of those cars, but it’s fun to watch their lives unfold on the racetrack and be like, “Man, they’re taking this seriously.”
How are you feeling about the housing market right now? How much of the sales you are doing these days are with buyers overseas?
The most interesting stat for me is that pre-COVID, I was doing 35% of all our transactions in cash. Today, it’s like 75%. The market right now is educated — it’s not exuberant, and it’s not devastated, it’s educated. International purchasers, we’re doing a lot with. I just sold a house — we sold it to a Croatian over FaceTime. Before that, I sold a house for $57 million over FaceTime to someone in South Africa.
[International sales are] a big part of our business and a big part of me also signing up with Netflix. I called five of my clients who are overseas, and I was like, “OK: Netflix, Amazon, Peacock, Hulu. Which one do you have?” And the common denominator across all of them was Netflix. I was like, “OK, for business, this is a mutually beneficial relationship, so we’ll pick the biggest network.”
The Midnight Boys kick things off with a discussion on the latest episode of The Boys, focusing on Hughie and his father and much more (08:15). Then the guys dive into the latest episode of The Acolyte and react to the reveal of the masked villain (52:40). Later, listen to Nerd News Minute as the Boys react to the latest pictures of James Gunn’s Superman suit (01:21:48).
Hosts: Charles Holmes, Van Lathan, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Jonathan Kermah Social: Jomi Adeniran Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal
House of the Dragon is back, and the Dance of the Dragons is underway. The Targaryen war of succession will come down to control—who can control their impulses, their sycophants, and, yes, their dragons. With each passing episode, The Ringer will examine how Westeros’s key players are aligning their pieces on the board. As the saying goes, chaos can be a ladder. Welcome to the House of the Dragon power rankings.
1. Cregan Stark
In the opening scene of Season 2 of House of the Dragon,Cregan Stark—a.k.a. the Wolf of the North, a.k.a. the ancestor of the Starkfam we know and love from Game of Thrones—immediately comes across as the most righteous dude in all the Seven Kingdoms. Hosting disputed prince Jacaerys Velaryon at the Wall, Cregan shows him around with all the pride and extreme patience of a college senior giving a pre-frosh and their parents a campus tour: Here’s the bazillion-foot-tall elevator built by my ancestors, and over that way is basically death’s door; yes, we believe in single-sex education at this institution, our motto is “Duty Is Sacrifice,” and did you know that our admissions rate is a steady 10 percent?
After all that, Cregan also makes sure to educate the naive, young Jace about the ways of the world. “Do you think my ancestors built a 700-foot wall of ice to keep out snow and savages?” he asks, explaining that the Wall also fortifies Westeros against that oldest and wiliest of foes, Death. (These taciturnt Starks sure love to bring everything back to first principles.) He remarks that, as legend has it, Jace’s Targaryen forebears once showed up flaunting their dragons—and that the mighty beasts, for all their fire-breathing power, instinctively knew not to cross the Wall. And, crucially, Cregan agrees to uphold his family’s old oath to Rhaenyra—but stresses that it’s super not his top priority right now and that the best he can do is send the “thousands of graybeards who’ve already seen too many winters,” take them or leave them.
As the Targaryens continue to bicker about who gets to sit the Iron Throne, Cregan, quite simply, just rules. Sadly, though, like all the best sigma males, the Wolf of the North will be leaving everyone wanting more. According to showrunner Ryan Condal, we’re not likely to see Cregan Stark again until some future season. Terrible news for viewers, but if the good, cold lord has taught us anything, it’s that “this is not a sentence—but an honor.” I bend the knee.
2. Larys Strong
The total opposite of Cregan Stark in so many ways! Far from being motivated by pure familial loyalty, Larys is a dirty double kinslayer. Rather than viewing King’s Landing squabbles as distractions from a broader existential crisis, Larys’s entire existence is defined by the subtle art of the throne room scheme. Whereas Cregan speaks plainly, Larys prefers to insinuate and suggest … like when he murmurs to the Dowager Queen Alicent that he knows she was “indisposed” recently. (By “indisposed,” he means that she was Ser on Criston till she Cole.) And instead of defending against Death, he orders it up: In the Season 2 premiere, we learn that Larys, seeking to root out disloyal servants, has taken the liberty of ousting members of Alicent’s previous castle staff. (By “ousting,” I mean, in his words, that “they no longer breathe our air.”)
Still, while he may be a weird dude through and through, Larys’s lurker shtick does seem to be working. He has long had a certain podiatryst arrangement with Alicent (sorry), but now that he’s personally handpicked all her maidservants, he doesn’t even need to be in the room to make her feel vulnerable and violated and claustrophobic and in need of a good scrub-a-dub-dub. That’s quite some power to wield over the mother of the king! And speaking of the king, Larys is getting in Aegon’s head, too: “Otto Hightower was your father’s hand, your grace,” he tells the young monarch, ostensibly laying the foundation for a Small Council shake-up.
It can be hard out there for Larys types: In Game of Thrones, both Littlefinger and Varys, two elite-level manipulators, eventually made one too many chess moves and met their respective dooms. But for now, Larys appears poised to take a big leap: from Alicent’s wanker footman to, potentially, the hand of the king.
3. The Crime Cloak
Need to stay anonymous in some seedy crowd but don’t feel like hiding even an inch of your face? In the mood to conspire on, commit, or conceal any number of crimes? Look no further than the humble cloak, the hottest garment in Westeros.
Are you someone nicknamed “the White Worm”? Perhaps you’d like this version, which resembles crushed silk. Need to easily reach your various swords and jacket buckles? This one gives Aemond great placket access when he’s on a mission! Rhaenys rocked the cloak when she escaped the castle ahead of Aegon’s coronation, and so did Otto Hightower when he made a business proposition to the White Worm herself. But the GOAT cloaker remains Daemon Targaryen, who really is a man for all seasons. His collection includes a bulky overcloak (worn for the occasion of killing his pesky first wife) and a cloak with lovely trim (his boatwear). He has even sported (while in the midst of grooming his teen niece and future bride) a sort of Flea Bottom version of the Investment Banker Patagonia: a cloak that kind of looks like a vest,worn over a white collared shirt.
With a lewk that is part collegiate swim team parka and part Dark Kermit, and with a hood that somehow never gets blown off by a breeze and ruins the whole disguise, the Crime Cloak comes with all sorts of options to fit one’s sinister style—all while you’re blending in, lying low, and/or planning the murder of an heir to the Iron Throne.
4. The Power Couple (Corlys and Rhaenys Velaryon)
The Sea Snake and his dragonriding bride may not be the most powerful people in the realm, but as Season 2 begins, they are each in possession of a tremendous amount of leverage. Consider:
Corlys is effectively and operationally in charge of what is currently Team Black’s most successful tactic: a blockade of shipping lanes in the Stepstones that “has placed King’s Landing under strain,” according to Otto Hightower. While that hasn’t necessarily been easy to maintain—Corlys mentions a pressing need for more ships—it’s nevertheless a solid head start until Team Green can find a way to bolster its Lannister and Hightower navies.
Rhaenys and her dragon, Meleys, are essential to this effort: “I alone patrol over a hundred miles of open sea, endlessly, to hold the blockade,” she tells Daemon.
Rhaenys and Meleys are also essential to another effort, Daemon says: “With my dragon and yours together, we can kill Vhagar and her rider.” (That rider being Aemond Targaryen.) When Rhaenys demurs, Daemon tries to insist: “Fly with me. It is a command.” But the Queen Who Never Was always knows what’s what. “Would that you were the king,” she deadpans back. Daemon is many things, but he isn’t the boss of her.
Both Corlys and Rhaenys are cooperating with Rhaenyra and Daemon despite having many, many excellent reasons not to. Like the fact that their only two children both married Targaryens and both (to their knowledge, at least) wound up dead, conveniently enabling Rhaenyra and Daemon to wed each other. (That said, I do sometimes wonder whether Rhaenys secretly knows that Leanor lives!) Or the fact that Daemon killed Corlys’s brother, Vaemond, for speaking the truth.
For now, it behooves the Velaryons to align with Team Black. But if that personal calculus changes even a little, suddenly everything from sky to sea becomes a whole different equation altogether.
5. The Royal Couple (King Aegon II and Queen Helaena)
This brother-sister, husband-wife, dalliant-dreamer, king-queen duo has always been a bizarre couple, and not just because of the whole inbreeding thing. “The queen is an enduring mystery, is she not?” says Aegon early in the Season 2 premiere, having just heard Helaena anxiously whisper something about being scared of rats. Indeed, going into this episode and this season, one thing that most excited me was finding out more about this wedded set of sibs. Like, do they have any common interests? What do they possibly talk about?!
In the wake of “A Son for a Son,” I now have my answer: It’s safe to say that they’re about to share the common interest of “avenging the gruesome murder of our sweet, dead, 6-year-old, heir-to-the-throne child.” (Aegon doesn’t know about it yet as the episode ends, but he obviously will soon.) This is a potent motivation—particularly when it comes to Aegon and Helaena, both of whom are powerful people.
One of them, of course, is king, and not just any king: He’s (a) a young king who is (b) eager to prove himself and (c) soon to be grieving his fine boy and, oh yeah, (d) was already close to shaking up the ranks of his nearest advisers. In other words, there’s really no telling what he might do next, only that it will be something drastic. And then there’s Helaena, who has consistently, if cryptically, predicted the future. If she can start harnessing her soothsaying into more actionable thoughts and ideas, she could have a weapon as vital as any flying dragon.
6. Aemond Targaryen
Speaking of flying dragons: Aemond’s mount, Vhagar, remains Team Green’s best weapon by far at the moment. Yet: “You do not have a seat at this council,” snaps Otto Hightower to Aemond when the latter enters the Small Council room in the midst of a meeting. But Otto’s boss begs to differ: “Aemond is my closest blood and our best sword,” says King Aegon II. “I welcome him.” Aemond may be in his mother’s doghouse for that minor mistake of accidentally killing his nephew, but in the Season 2 premiere, he demonstrated that he’s more than ready for the warfare to escalate further.
“My brother is hostage to my grandsire and mother,” Aemond complains to Criston Cole as they plot paths to victory, “and they tell him that a war of dragons can yet be avoided.” Not anymore, needless to say—which means that Aemond is almost certainly about to take flight.
7. Daemon Targaryen
As Aemond positions himself to become the new Daemon, this week’s episode sort of made Daemon out to be the new Aemond: Daemon took his zest for vengeance a little too far, then everything got out of hand, now a boy is dead and war is coming, and probably thar be dragons. He has simultaneously made the world chillingly simple—tit for tat, a son for a son, repeat as often as necessary—while also complicating everything. And the scariest part, as ever, is that he’s probably pretty OK with all that he’s done.
8. Rhaenyra Targaryen
The queen in exile had only one line this episode, but it was a doozy: “I want Aemond Targaryen.” Those four words were all it took to set off the Rube Goldberg contraption of events that culminated in another dead kid. The good news: That’s some power right there! The bad news: Aemond Targaryen still lives.
9. Jacaerys Velaryon
Jace’s diplomatic visit to the Wall was a definite success. And the guy also appears to have some semblance of a moral compass, the likes of which we don’t typically see in the halls of power south of Winterfell. But that makes me nervous for him! If we’ve learned anything from Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon thus far, it’s that Westeros has a way of punishing intrinsic goodness and curdling warm hearts.
10. Mysaria the White Worm
one of the best scenes of episode 01, it summarizes perfectly what matt, emma and ryan talked about how daemon deal with grief, he’s angry but the more she explains the more he backtrack, the more he gets soft and hurt again, it’s not her fault. pic.twitter.com/nV2fqsmUiR
Wired:Saying what the hell, selling secrets to Otto, and then spitting at Daemon: “You only blame me because your true enemies are out of reach.”
Inspired: Sure, Daemon may have imprisoned Mysaria, but this is the White Worm we’re talking about; this woman downright thrives in shitty situations. I completely expect her to emerge from captivity with a whole new cadre of associates and operatives.
11. Alyn of Hull
“They tell me that you are the one that dragged my body out of the sea,” Corlys Velaryon says to Alyn of Hull—a newly introduced, seemingly humble boatsman down at the Driftmark docks—in the season premiere. “I am indebted to you, Alyn,” the Sea Snake adds. Not a bad House of the Dragon character debut! Something tells me this won’t be the last we see of Alyn, who also mentions having a brother … a note that seems to pique Corlys’s interest. This situation is developing …
12. Otto Hightower
You know what, in a sick way, I almost felt bad for Otto this episode! He may be a self-involved prick, but the guy couldn’t catch a break. What’s worse: clocking your daughter and her favorite knight basking in clear post-hookup bliss, or discovering your grandson and that same knight discussing battle plans without you? Getting undermined by an amateur king who knows nothing about anything, or being plotted against by a slimy would-be usurper who knows way too much? Otto is a survivor indeed, but even cockroaches know that sometimes the only way to endure is to scatter and hide.
13. The Smallfolk
When it comes to lobbying powerful people to make decisions that benefit special interest groups, King’s Landing is a lot like New York City. You have Hugh the scorpion builder guy asking for, and being granted, better benefits for him and his fellow anti-dragon arms manufacturers, like he’s the NYPD getting funding for a bunch of new drones or surveillance vans or something. And then you have poor Jerard the Shepherd, whose simple ask—that the crown return his tithe of livestock so that he can make it through the winter!—is initially granted by Aegon the Magnanimous … only for the young ruler to get an earful from Otto and totally renege on the deal, Kathy Hochul style. Canceling congestion pricing, it turns out, is the feeding sheep to dragons of our time. Sounds about right.
14. That One Couple (Dowager Queen Alicent and Ser Criston Cole)
We’ve all known that one horned-up secret couple that thinks they’re being all sly and surreptitious with their dalliances but are actually hooking up all over creation and fooling absolutely no one. Typically, this happens during, like, adolescence. But in the case of House of the Dragon—where very few people have developmentally normal upbringings—it’s the Dowager Queen GILF and her Kingsguardsman who have apparently taken to christening every damn room in the palace.
For Alicent, who spent years married to a decaying, old King Viserys and now serves at the pleasure of her firstborn failson, King Aegon II, all this carrying on seems to be a way to reclaim both her lost youth and her feeling of power. For Ser Criston, it’s maybe a bit more complex. Once upon a time, he raged at a young Rhaenyra for even suggesting a sworn-guard-with-benefits situation, but now that’s what he basically has with Alicent. It’s a direct and dishonorable flouting of his Kingsguard oaths, yet it also helps keep Criston in the room where it happens.
This is all fun and games until someone loses a head. (An eye is so Season 1.) Alicent has for years sought to avoid a truly violent conflict, but it now seems like her window of time to achieve peace has slammed shut. And even outside the Small Council, her image as a doting mother is in shambles. It’s bad enough that Alicent and Criston were indisposed while two assassins breached a royal bedroom and killed a child in front of his mother. But then Helaena walks in on her mom mid-bone? That’s the stuff of nightmares, whether you’re a dreamer or not. I expect to see Helaena posting on the r/raisedbynarcissists subreddit before long.
15. Blood and Cheese
While Alicent is banging away, the rats will play! And for a moment, this bumbling pair of Hightower-hating, Harry-’n’-Lloyd-coded creeps seems like they might be the most powerful henchmen in the land. First, they pocket the initial half of that sweet, sweet bounty money. Then they sidle straight through the throne room in plain sight, working the “walk with purpose and act like you’re meant to be there” Super Bowl scammer strategy to perfection. And before long, they find themselves with the future of the realm literally right there in their grasp.
But then they go ahead and destroy all these Ws by completing the job that Daemon contracted them to do. Well, sort of: Unable to locate their primary target, the eminently recognizable and full-grown Aemond, they settle for the next (and worst) option: cherubic 6-year-old Jaehaerys, son of Aegon and his sister-wife, Helaena. “A son for a son,” Blood and Cheese explain to a shell-shocked Helaena, making it pretty obvious who probably sent them—and ultimately removing any remaining leverage or value they may have had.
16. The Next Generation
If you’re a youngish Targaryen or Velaryon or Hightower who thinks you have your whole life ahead of you: You probably don’t!!! While “generation” has a way of losing all meaning in the context of the incestuous Targaryen family tree, it doesn’t really matter in this case who is an uncle-husband or who is a daughter-niece: Anyone young enough to have any future at all is highly vulnerable at present, and the horrors only seem to be escalating.
One day you’re monkeying around in a dragon’s cave with your cousins and/or uncles; the next, you’re getting chomped by Vhagar. One minute you’re playing with attendance balls and being promised human horseback rides; the next, you’re missing a head. RIP, little Jaeharys! I’m bummed we won’t get to see what would have happened when you inevitably reproduced with your nearly identical twin sister a decade hence.
Hosts: Charles Holmes, Van Lathan, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Jonathan Kermah, and Steve Ahlman Social: Jomi Adeniran Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal
House of the Dragon has always been about how the smallest decisions can have unforeseen consequences, but rarely has that theme been as clear as it was in the season 2 premiere. In the show’s first episode back from break, Daemon Targaryen decides to take matters into his own hands with a plot that probably could have used a little more planning (classic Daemon). But while the book’s version of these events is fittingly brutal, the show’s approach is quieter, more human, and arguably a little more horrifying.
[Ed. note: This story contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2 episode 1.]
In the book version of the story, the assassins at the center of this episode’s action are named Blood and Cheese. And while they don’t get these silly names in the show, they do get a level of horror and humanity that the book doesn’t have time to afford them. The book versions are boogeymen, terrifying lowlifes who kill a handmaiden and a handful of guards, and seem gleefully cruel in the way they slay Prince Jaehaerys — tricking Queen Helaena into first naming her younger son for death before killing her firstborn instead.
Image: HBO
And while those versions of the characters are significantly more stomach-churning, the show’s approach feels much more appropriate thematically. Rather than the murderous wraiths of the book, who slip into the queen mother’s chambers, leaving a pile of bodies behind them, House of the Dragon’s assassins simply move through the castle unnoticed, a pair of hired hands of low status and low intelligence, functionally invisible to the royalty who own the halls. When they reach difficult junctures in the castle’s tunnels, or difficult choices, they panic and bicker and bumble. The Blood and Cheese of the show aren’t gifted killers, they’re just amoral men sent to do something too disgusting for anyone to have imagined possible.
Adding to all of this is the sense of desperation that the pair’s meeting with Daemon seems to have instilled in them. According to showrunner Ryan Condal, the team wanted the set-piece to play out like a “heist gone wrong,” and as the scene stretches on, we can feel their worry set in, making them more reckless, cruel, and hurried in the process. While the show cleverly leaves Daemon’s final words a mystery, the pair’s fear over what Daemon will do to them if they fail is palpable.
“We know who Daemon is; I don’t think he necessarily directly ordered the death of a child,” Condal said in a roundtable. “But he clearly said, If it’s not Aemond, don’t leave the castle empty-handed.”
So when they can’t find their initial target, it makes sense that these two decide to settle for the first royal son they can find. It’s the kind of hurried decision that only these two brutes could make. And, in a scene that’s both grotesque and funny, the two assassins realize that they can’t even tell the two children asleep in their beds apart, and have to riddle their way through Helaena’s answer. The whole thing is a ridiculous farce from two people barely competent enough to pull any of this off.
Image: HBO
All of this builds into the show’s fantastic slippery slope of assumptions. While the audience may know that Aemond’s slaying of Lucerys Velaryon in the skies over Storm’s End was an accidental consequence of not understanding his own dragon’s power, for Daemon, it seems like an act of clear and predetermined aggression. He probably didn’t expect the assassins to come away with the head of a toddler prince, but he thinks letting two assassins loose in the Red Keep with less-than-clear orders is nothing more than a slight escalation.
These are the kind of spiraling, misinformed decisions that House of the Dragon builds its beautiful, flawed, and deeply human history out of. Sure, the show is elevated to the heights of fantasy, but it’s still fundamentally a story of broken, furious, and faulty characters making rash decisions and then dealing with the consequences — those consequences just often happen to involve dragons and war.
All of this is true to Martin’s vision, of course. It’s the same kind of storytelling he employs constantly in A Song of Ice and Fire, but while the original Game of Thrones series frequently had to cut down on the humanness of its story simply by virtue of its massive scale, it’s constantly thrilling to see how effectively House of the Dragon goes the opposite direction, expanding on Martin’s written history in Fire & Blood and turning these quasi-mythical historical figures into flesh-and-blood people and incredible characters, up to and including the lowlife assassins who don’t even need their silly little names.
A wind-driven wildfire along Interstate 5 near the Grapevine exploded to more than 12,000 acres by early Sunday and had charted a path south toward the town of Castaic, prompting evacuations throughout the area, officials said. The Post fire, which originated Saturday in Gorman in northwestern Los Angeles County, was only 2% contained Sunday afternoon as high winds, low humidity and steep terrain hampered firefighting efforts.
Meanwhile, firefighters were battling another brush fire in the San Bernardino County community of Hesperia that broke out after 6 p.m. Saturday in the 18000 block of North Highway 173. That fire has burned more than 1,300 acres and was 20% contained.
The Post Fire
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Fire crews battle a hot spot on Orwin road.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Fire crews battle a hot spot.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Crews conduct a burn-out operation Sunday near Hungry Valley Road.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters at work in Gorman.
(Eric Thayer / Associated Press)
Members of the Little Tujunga Hot Shots at work.
(Eric Thayer / Associated Press)
The Post fire advances on structures in Gorman.
As the fire spreads, experts are gauging the severity of this year’s fire season. A wet winter has nurtured a potentially heavy fuel load of thick grasses, which are drying as temperatures rise.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
As the fire spreads, experts are gauging the severity of this year’s fire season. A wet winter has nurtured a potentially heavy fuel load of thick grasses, which are drying as temperatures rise.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
A smoldering hillside is left behind by the Post fire.
The Lisa Fire
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
CalFire drops water from a helicopter to battle the wind driven Lisa fire from the air in a canyon east of Moreno Valley on Sunday in Beaumont. As of 6:45pm the fire had burned 867 acres.
Robert Gauthier, Jason Armond, Gina Ferazzi, Times Photography Wire Services
After nearly two years, we’re finally returning to Westeros for Season 2 of House of the Dragon. And if, in that long layoff, you’ve forgotten exactly where things stand in the brewing civil war between Team Green and Team Black, we’re here to help. Welcome to our House of the Dragon cheat sheet.
This resource, culled largely from George R.R. Martin’s 2018 Targaryen history, Fire & Blood, will get you up to speed on who is who, what is what, and where is where around 132 AC—when Season 1 of HotD concluded (for reference, Game of Thrones starts in 298 AC). Heads up: This will contain major spoilers for Season 1 (if you’re looking for a cheat sheet entering that season, we have one for you), but it won’t spoil anything from the book.
As a refresher: Season 1 ends when Aemond One-Eye Targaryen and his dragon, Vhagar, killed (somewhat accidentally) Lucerys Velaryon and his dragon, Arrax. That event happened roughly alongside the dueling coronations of Aegon Targaryen and Rhaenyra Targaryen—and put Westeros on a path to war. Here are the people, places, things, and dragons you need to know as we enter Season 2:
People
Team Black
Queen Rhaenyra’s faction is called the Blacks because Rhaenyra appeared in a black gown at the tourney feast to celebrate Viserys and Alicent’s wedding (though in the show, it’s because she just tends to wear black). Currently, most members of the Blacks reside on Dragonstone—the traditional seat for a Targaryen heir.
Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen: The late King Viserys I’s firstborn child, known in her youth as the Realm’s Delight. Viserys named Rhaenyra his heir when she was a teenager, in part because he wanted to disinherit his brother, Daemon. Despite eventually fathering male heirs with his second wife, Queen Alicent Hightower, Viserys never disinherited Rhaenyra—but her ascent to the throne was always going to be difficult. Rhaenyra married Laenor Velaryon as a teenager and produced three sons by him (at least officially, more on that in a minute), then married her uncle Daemon after Laenor’s death (which was fake, more on that too) and birthed two more sons. Rhaenyra rides Syrax, a formidable dragon of fighting size.
Daemon Targaryen: Rhaenyra’s uncle-husband. Daemon can be a bit of a hothead but is a very capable warrior, having fought in the War for the Stepstones early in Season 1. He was previously married to Laena Velaryon and has two daughters—Rhaena and Baela—through her. He rides the dragon Caraxes.
Jacaerys Velaryon: Rhaenyra’s oldest son through Laenor Velaryon, though his biological father is the late Harwin Strong. Called Jace. He is now a teenager and is Rhaenyra’s heir. At the conclusion of Season 1, he was sent on his dragon, Vermax, to treat with Lady Jeyne Arryn in an attempt to bring the Vale to Rhaenyra’s side. He was to continue north to Winterfell to curry favor with the Starks.
Joffrey Velaryon: The youngest of the Laenor/Strong boys. Joffrey is just old enough (11) to ride his dragon, Tyraxes, in the books—but not old enough for his mother to allow him to leave Dragonstone. The series may have aged him down somewhat—it’s implied that he’s only 6 years old at the end of Season 1.
Aegon the Younger Targaryen: The eldest child of Rhaenyra and Daemon. Called “the Younger” to differentiate him from his cousin and half-uncle Aegon II Targaryen. He’s currently a toddler.
Viserys Targaryen: The second child of Rhaenyra and Daemon’s union. Named after his grandfather, King Viserys I. He’s also a toddler.
Rhaenys Targaryen: The cousin of King Viserys I, known as the Queen Who Never Was. Her claim to the throne was rejected at the Great Council of 101 AC, when the lords of Westeros chose Viserys over her, reinforcing a precedent that the succession must pass through a male line. She is married to Corlys Velaryon, with whom she had two children, Laenor and Laena (both deceased or thought to be deceased). She rides Meleys, the fastest dragon in the realm.
Corlys Velaryon: Called the Sea Snake for his many adventures on the water. He is the head of House Velaryon, the Master of Driftmark, and the husband of Rhaenys Targaryen. He is one of the richest, most powerful, and most ambitious figures in Westeros, and he dreams of one day seeing one of his descendants ascend the Iron Throne. His naval power allows the Blacks to consider a blockade of King’s Landing.
Baela Targaryen: The eldest daughter of Daemon and Laena Velaryon. A teenager, Baela rides the dragon Moondancer.
Rhaena Targaryen: The younger daughter of Daemon and Laena Velaryon. The egg placed in Rhaena’s cradle when she was a baby never hatched; she thought she might inherit Vhagar after her mother, Laena, died, but Aemond claimed the ancient dragon before she had a chance to. As a result, Rhaena is currently not a dragonrider.
Bartimos Celtigar: Lord of House Celtigar, a smaller house sworn to House Velaryon (and one of only three houses with Valyrian descent, alongside the Velaryons and Targaryens). He attends the Black Council in Season 1 and shifts the conversation from talk of men and ships to talk of dragons.
Grand Maester Gerardys: Rhaenyra’s household maester and thus the maester at Dragonstone when she is crowned.
Erryk Cargyll: Twin of Arryk Cargyll. Previously in Viserys’s Kingsguard, he disagrees with his brother over whether Aegon is fit to rule and ultimately decides to defect to Rhaenyra’s side. He helps Rhaenys Targaryen flee King’s Landing during Aegon’s coronation. He also steals Viserys’s crown and delivers it to Rhaenyra. He is now part of Rhaenyra’s Queensguard.
Steffon Darklyn: Member of Rhaenyra’s Queensguard. Previously in Viserys’s Kingsguard. (In the book, it is Steffon, not Erryk, who steals Viserys’s crown for Rhaenyra.) He is the lord commander of Rhaenyra’s Queensguard in Fire & Blood, but it is unclear whether he has that title in the show.
Gunthor Darklyn: Head of House Darklyn. His exact relationship to Steffon is unclear. In the books, he sits on the Black Council.
Lorent Marbrand: Member of Rhaenyra’s Queensguard. Previously in Viserys’s Kingsguard.
Elinda Massey: Handmaiden to Rhaenyra.
Alfred Broome: The most senior knight on Dragonstone, he joined the island’s garrison during the reign of King Jaehaerys. Fire & Blood describes him as having a “sullen disposition and sour manner.”
Team Green
When Oldtown calls its banners to war, the Hightower shines a green beacon. Hence the name for Queen Alicent’s faction: the Greens. They currently hold King’s Landing.
King Aegon II Targaryen: The firstborn child of Alicent and Viserys I Targaryen. Married to his sister, Helaena, with whom he has three children: Jaehaerys, Jaehaera, and Maelor. It’s also implied that he’s fathered a number of bastards in King’s Landing who can be spotted by their silver hair. In Episode 8, he rapes one of his family’s handmaidens. Aegon is a drunk and a layabout—he initially doesn’t want to be crowned king and would prefer a life away from politics. But per the trailers for Season 2, he seems to enjoy the power the Iron Throne provides. Rider of Sunfyre, a formidable golden-scaled dragon.
Alicent Hightower: Now that Viserys has died, Alicent is the dowager queen in King’s Landing. She is the mother of Aegon II, Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron. In her youth, she was a great friend to Rhaenyra—but now they are bitter enemies competing for the throne. She is the daughter of Otto Hightower. Alicent misinterpreted a conversation she had with Viserys I on his deathbed, leading her to believe that the king wanted to name Aegon heir instead of Rhaenyra. She puts her son on the throne in an urgent, frantic plot mere hours after Viserys passes. Alicent is deeply religious and has the Red Keep redecorated, removing the heraldry of the Targaryens in favor of symbols of the Faith of the Seven. Unlike many others on her side, she’s uncomfortable with violence and treachery—though she still engages in both. She once says, “I have to believe that in the end, honor and decency will prevail.”
Otto Hightower: Father of Alicent and Hand of the King to Jaehaerys, Viserys, and now Aegon II, his grandson. Daemon once says that Otto is “a second son who stands to inherit nothing he doesn’t seize for himself.” Daemon also calls him “a cunt.” Otto is deeply ambitious and, by the time of Viserys’s death, has been scheming to put Aegon II on the throne for years.
Helaena Targaryen: Sister-wife to Aegon II. Helaena is a dreamer, blessed (or cursed) with prophetic visions, such as when she comments that Aemond will have to “close an eye” to gain a dragon shortly before he loses his eye after mounting Vhagar. Helaena is considered a bit odd and eccentric but seems to have a kinder heart than most of her siblings and connects with her nephews, while her brothers see them only as rivals. Helaena rides Dreamfyre, a 100-year-old dragon, but she rarely takes to the skies and is no warrior. She is the mother of Jaehaerys, Jaehaera, and Maelor.
Aemond Targaryen: Known as Aemond One-Eye after Lucerys Velaryon cut out one of his eyes when Aemond claimed Vhagar. As he ages, Aemond becomes strong and intimidating, once beating Criston Cole in a sparring session in the training yard. He loves to torment his nephews. He somewhat accidentally kills Lucerys and Lucerys’s dragon, Arrax, when the two encounter each other at Storm’s End at the end of Season 1. This makes Aemond a kinslayer—and pushes Westeros toward war.
Daeron Targaryen: The youngest child of Viserys and Alicent. Aged 15, he has not been seen on-screen because he is in Oldtown, serving as cupbearer to Ormund Hightower, his mother’s cousin. Daeron rides Tessarion, who is said to be of fighting size.
Jaehaerys Targaryen: Eldest son of Aegon II and Helaena, and Aegon’s heir. In the books, it is said that Jaehaerys was born with “six fingers on his left hand, and six toes upon each foot.” He’s bonded to the dragon Shrykos, but both Jaehaerys and his dragon are far too young and small to be of any use in a war. Jaehaerys is just a toddler at the opening of Season 2.
Jaehaera Targaryen: Daughter of Aegon II and Helaena, and twin to Jaehaerys. Like her brother, Jaehaera is bonded to a dragon—Morghul—but is many years away from flying.
Maelor Targaryen: Infant son of Aegon II and Helaena.
Criston Cole: Lord Commander of Aegon II’s Kingsguard. Ser Criston is the sworn shield—and secret lover—of Rhaenyra in the princess’s youth, but the two have a falling-out when she rejects his offer to run away to Essos together. He later confesses his transgression to Queen Alicent and becomes her close ally from that point on. He kills Joffrey Lonmouth—Laenor Velaryon’s secret lover—at Rhaenyra and Laenor’s wedding. He also kills—somewhat accidentally—Lord Lyman Beesbury at the small council meeting after Viserys’s death. And when Lord Commander Harrold Westerling resigns his post in the aftermath, Criston ascends to the position. He then helps Aemond track down his brother Aegon, fighting Arryk Cargyll to ensure Aegon is delivered to Alicent, not Otto. At Aegon’s coronation, it is Criston who places the crown on his head.
Tyland Lannister: Younger twin of Jason Lannister. Served Viserys as master of ships, and later as master of coin. Has long schemed with Otto Hightower to place Aegon on the throne once Viserys dies. Currently Aegon II’s master of coin.
Jason Lannister: Older twin of Tyland Lannister and the head of House Lannister. Courts Rhaenyra in the princess’s youth but comes off as arrogant and vain, and she rejects him. As in Game of Thrones, the House of the Dragon Lannisters are one of the wealthiest and most powerful houses in the realm.
Larys Strong: Head of House Strong following the deaths of his father, Lyonel, and older brother, Harwin, which he arranged. Called the Clubfoot because one of his feet was malformed at birth. Served Viserys as master of whisperers and Lord Confessor, roles he retains under Aegon II. A longtime ally of Alicent, he brings the queen information in exchange for … you remember.
Jasper Wylde: Called Ironrod for his unbending attitude. Master of laws toward the end of Viserys’s reign, a post he retains under Aegon II.
Grand Maester Orwyle: Grand maester under Viserys, and now Aegon II. Prefers less traditional methods of healing (in treating King Viserys’s illness, Orwyle wants to try an herbal medicine he’s prepared, but then–Grand Maester Mellos prefers leeches).
Borros Baratheon: Lord of House Baratheon. He makes a marriage pact with the Greens, matching one of his daughters with Aemond Targaryen. Rhaenyra and the Blacks make no such offer—her sons are already betrothed—and so lose Borros’s support, despite Borros’s father’s oath to support Rhaenyra decades earlier. Borros is boisterous and rough around the edges. He’s illiterate.
Rickard Thorne: Knight in Aegon II’s Kingsguard. Also served under Viserys.
Oscar Tully: Great-grandson of Grover Tully, the current Lord of Riverrun. Son of Elmo Tully and younger brother of Kermit Tully. Yep, these are their actual names. This character has been cast, so expect to see the young knight on-screen in Season 2.
Arryk Cargyll: Twin of Erryk Cargyll. Previously in Viserys’s Kingsguard, and now in Aegon II’s. He disagreed with his brother on whether Aegon II would be fit to rule and ultimately stays loyal to the Greens.
Talya: Handmaiden for Alicent and spy for Mysaria, the sex worker turned spymaster who was once Daemon’s paramour and is now known as “the White Worm.”
Humfrey Lefford: Head of House Lefford, which is sworn to the Lannisters. Commander in the Lannister army.
Gwayne Hightower: Younger brother to Alicent. Seen at the tourney in Episode 1—but never without his helmet. The series cast an actor to play him in Season 2, ensuring we’ll see more of this character (including his face).
Eustace: Priest in King’s Landing.
The Royal Family Tree
Got all that? To help keep it straight, here’s the Targaryen family tree as it stands entering Season 2.
Free Agent Characters
As HBO’s marketing has reminded us this season, when civil war comes to Westeros, everyone must choose a side. But the loyalties of these characters are not yet completely clear.
Mysaria: Called the White Worm. Former sex worker who now runs a spy ring in King’s Landing. Former partner of Daemon. She informs Otto of Daemon and Rhaenyra’s Flea Bottom escapade early in Season 1. She kidnaps Aegon when Viserys is near death and uses the information on his location to negotiate with Otto over the closing of the child fighting pits (she also gets a healthy bag of gold out of it). Mysaria is protective of smallfolk—but her exact motivations and goals are not entirely clear.
Jeyne Arryn: Head of House Arryn. Rhaenyra’s mother was Aemma Arryn (exact relation to Jeyne is unknown), and thus Rhaenyra believes Jeyne will side with the Blacks in the coming war. Jacaerys Velaryon is on his way to the Eyrie to treat with Lady Jeyne.
Cregan Stark: Head of House Stark. His father, Rickon Stark, swore an oath of fealty to Rhaenyra when Viserys named her his heir. As a member of the Black Council remarks in the finale of Season 1, “There has never lived a Stark who forgot an oath.” Jacaerys is to continue to Winterfell to meet Lord Cregan after he finishes in the Vale.
Harrold Westerling: Former Lord Commander of Viserys’s Kingsguard. Last seen resigning his post when the Greens put their plan to crown Aegon II into motion. In the books, Harrold is long dead by the time the civil war breaks out, so it is unclear what the show has planned for him.
Simon Strong: Castellan of Harrenhal and great-uncle to Larys.
Orwyle, Eustace, and Mushroom: The three authors whose accounts constitute the only primary sources from Viserys’s reign and the ensuing civil war, which is known as the Dance of the Dragons. Martin’s Fire & Blood is written in the voice of Archmaester Gyldayn, who lived during the time of King Robert Baratheon and was writing a history for the king. As such, there is no definitive account of the events of House of the Dragon—everything we know comes from sources who had their own biases and blind spots. In some cases, these sources directly contradict one another.
Deceased Season 1 Characters
It wouldn’t be Westeros without some bloodshed. Here are the important characters who died in Season 1 but are worth remembering as we stare down Season 2.
Jaehaerys I Targaryen: The Old King who preceded Viserys. Because he had no living sons at the time of his death, a Great Council was called to resolve his succession. The result—that Viserys would be named Jaehaerys’s heir—reinforced a precedent that succession in Westeros must go through a male line.
Aemma Arryn: Rhaenyra’s mother. Died in childbirth. Because her mother was an Arryn, Rhaenyra expects the Vale—now ruled by Jeyne Arryn—to side with the Blacks.
Craghas Drahar: The Crabfeeder. The leader of the Triarchy forces that Daemon and Corlys defeated in the war for the Stepstones.
Rhea Royce: Daemon’s first wife. Bludgeoned to death by Daemon, though the death was made to look like a horse-riding accident.
Joffrey Lonmouth: Lover of Laenor Velaryon. Killed by Ser Criston Cole at Rhaenyra and Laenor’s wedding.
Laena Velaryon: Daughter of Rhaenys and Corlys, wife to Daemon. Mother of Baela and Rhaena. Lived in Pentos with Daemon for years while the latter was in exile. Loved to ride her dragon, Vhagar, alongside Daemon’s Caraxes. Had Vhagar light her ablaze when childbirth complications made it clear she wouldn’t survive her third pregnancy.
Harwin Strong: Rhaenyra’s lover and the biological father of her first three sons. Killed on the orders of Larys Strong, Harwin’s brother.
Lyonel Strong: Father of Harwin and Larys and formerly the master of laws and Hand of the King to Viserys. Killed along with Harwin on Larys’s orders. With both Harwin and Lyonel dead, Larys becomes the Lord of House Strong.
Laenor Velaryon: Son of Rhaenys and Corlys, husband to Rhaenyra. Officially the father of Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey—though their biological father is Harwin Strong. Laenor is technically alive—he fakes his death late in Season 1 with the blessing of Rhaenyra to gain freedom from his life at her side—but it is highly unlikely we’ll ever see him again in the series. He has escaped to Essos and left his life in Westeros behind.Formerly the rider of Seasmoke.
Vaemond Velaryon: Younger brother of Corlys Velaryon. Killed by Daemon when he questions the parentage of Rhaenyra’s sons and challenges their standing to inherit Driftmark.
King Viserys I Targaryen: Husband of Alicent. Father of Rhaenyra, Aegon II, Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron. Died of a prolonged illness.
Lyman Beesbury: Master of coin for Viserys. Killed by Criston Cole when he questions the Green Council’s plan to coronate Aegon. His death marks the first casualty in the Dance of the Dragons.
Lucerys Velaryon: Rhaenyra’s second-oldest son through Laenor Velaryon, though his biological father is the late Harwin Strong. Called Luke. In their youth, Lucerys and Aemond Targaryen get into a fight that ends when Lucerys knifes out Aemond’s eye. At the end of Season 1, Lucerys rides his dragon, Arrax, to Storm’s End to ask for Borros Baratheon’s support, but Aemond beats him there. Aemond chases Lucerys from Storm’s End on his dragon, Vhagar, and ends up killing Lucerys and Arrax. The death of Lucerys makes it impossible for the two sides to avoid war. Lucerys was also the heir to Driftmark, and his death leaves the succession of House Velaryon once again in question.
Dragons
Men and ships are important, but true power in this war lies in dragons. There are 19 named, known dragons at this point in Westerosi history. Here’s what to know about each:
Team Black
Syrax: The yellow she-dragon ridden by Rhaenyra. Of fighting size, but with no experience.
Caraxes: Called the Blood Wyrm. The huge, fierce red dragon ridden in battle by Daemon.
Meleys: Called the Red Queen. The scarlet-and-pink she-dragon ridden by Rhaenys. Probably still the swiftest dragon in Westeros, though she has begun to slow in her old age.
Vermax: The young dragon ridden by Jacaerys. As of the end of Season 1, Vermax and Jace are en route to the Eyrie, with plans to continue north to Winterfell. Vermax is a teenager—capable of combat but nowhere as formidable as some of Westeros’s older, more experienced dragons.
Tyraxes: The young dragon of Joffrey. In the books, Tyraxes is old enough for Joffrey to ride—but the show appears to have aged the character down a touch, so the dragon may still be grounded.
Moondancer: The young dragon of Baela Targaryen. In the books, Moondancer is just too young for Baela to ride at the beginning of the war.
Stormcloud: The hatchling that has bonded with Aegon the Younger. Far too small to be ridden.
Team Green
Vhagar: The massive, ferocious, bronze-and-green-blue she-dragon that was ridden by Queen Visenya during Aegon’s Conquest. Vhagar is the oldest, largest, and fiercest dragon in Westeros. She is the mount of Aemond Targaryen. Last seen killing Arrax and Lucerys.
Sunfyre: The glittering, gold-scaled dragon ridden by Aegon II. Said to be the most beautiful creature ever seen in Westeros. Of fighting size, but without experience.
Dreamfyre: The century-old, pale-blue-and-silver she-dragon ridden by Helaena Targaryen. Dreamfyre has never been much of a fighter, and Helaena doesn’t have much interest in riding her—it is said that she goes up into the sky only rarely.
Tessarion: The cobalt-and-copper dragon ridden by Daeron Targaryen. We haven’t seen Daeron or Tessarion in the show—both are presumably in Oldtown, where Daeron serves as cupbearer to Ormund Hightower.
Shrykos: The hatchling she-dragon bonded with Jaehaerys Targaryen.
Morghul: The hatchling dragon bonded with Jaehaera Targaryen.
Unclaimed
Vermithor: Called the Bronze Fury. The bronze dragon ridden by King Jaehaerys I until his death. Vermithor is roughly 100 years old—and presumably one of the largest dragons in the realm. He resides somewhere on the Dragonmont, a volcano that lies on the island of Dragonstone. This is the dragon we see Daemon singing to toward the end of Season 1.
Silverwing: The roughly 100-year-old she-dragon formerly ridden by Alysanne Targaryen, King Jaehaerys’s sister-wife. Silverwing is presumably large, but inexperienced. She resides somewhere on the Dragonmont.
Seasmoke: The slender and nimble silver dragon that was formerly the mount of Laenor Velaryon. Resides on Driftmark.
The Cannibal: A wild dragon that lives on Dragonstone and is known to feast on other dragons and their eggs. Coal black, large, and angry as hell, the Cannibal is rumored to be one of the oldest dragons in Westeros.
Sheepstealer: A wild dragon that lives on Dragonstone and frequently hunts for sheep.
Grey Ghost: A wild dragon that lives on Dragonstone and is rarely spotted. Known to feed on fish.
Places
While Season 1 of House of the Dragon had a much smaller scope than Game of Thrones, Season 2 is expected to expand the series’ geography. These are the most important places to know.
King’s Landing: The capital of the Seven Kingdoms, located on the eastern coast of the continent. It is a short distance from the islands of Driftmark and Dragonstone and was the location where Aegon the Conqueror first landed on the Westerosi mainland as he began his invasion. King’s Landing is the most populous city in the Seven Kingdoms. It is under the control of the Greens.
The Red Keep: The castle in King’s Landing that serves as the home of the current ruler of Westeros and the location of the Iron Throne. The Red Keep contains numerous secret passages and underground connections, and no one knows where they all lead. It’s often said that in the Red Keep, “the very walls have ears.”
Maegor’s Holdfast: The fort at the center of the Red Keep, which lies behind massive walls and a dry moat.
The Dragonpit: The massive stone home built for the royal dragons of House Targaryen. The Dragonpit lies on a hill on the side of King’s Landing opposite the Red Keep. In Game of Thrones, the Dragonpit is in ruins—but in House of the Dragon, it is alive with purpose as not only the holding pen for the many dragons in the city, but also a key outpost for the city’s defense. One dragonrider resides at the pit at all times in the event that a dragon needs to be roused quickly for combat. It is the site of Aegon II’s coronation in Episode 9 of House of the Dragon.
Flea Bottom: The foul, seedy underbelly of King’s Landing. A hub of lawlessness and filth—but a good place for residents looking for a cheap winesink or a discreet whorehouse.
Blackwater Bay: The body of water that sits around King’s Landing, Dragonstone, and Driftmark.
Dragonstone: The gloomy island home of House Targaryen before Aegon the Conqueror launched his invasion of Westeros and established a new seat (both figuratively and literally) at King’s Landing. It is also where the heir to the current ruler typically resides. This is where Daenerys planned her own invasion of Westeros in Season 7 of Game of Thrones. It is currently controlled by the Blacks.
Driftmark: A fertile island between Dragonstone and King’s Landing. It is the seat of House Velaryon.
High Tide: The castle on Driftmark that was constructed by Corlys Velaryon to serve as the seat of his house. Corlys had grown tired of the damp and musty halls of Castle Driftmark and constructed High Tide out of magnificent pale stone as a symbol of the power of House Velaryon.
Harrenhal: The largest castle in Westeros, which Aegon the Conqueror melted into a somber pile of stone and metal during his invasion. However, Harrenhal remains an important castle, with fertile land surrounding it and a central location just northwest of King’s Landing. House Strong currently holds Harrenhal. At the end of Season 1, when the Blacks are planning for war, Daemon notes that Harrenhal would be the perfect “place to gather, a toehold, large enough to house a sizable host.” Widely believed to be cursed because of the many tragedies that have occurred there.
Oldtown: A large, ancient city that lies on the western shore of Westeros. It is home to the Citadel, the headquarters of the Maesters, as well as the Starry Sept, the seat of the Faith of the Seven. That makes it the center of both knowledge and religion in Westeros. It is also a hub of trade and arguably the wealthiest city in the Seven Kingdoms. Oldtown is ruled by House Hightower.
The Hightower: A massive castle and lighthouse that sits just outside Oldtown and serves as the seat of House Hightower. When House Hightower calls its banners to war, the Hightower shines a green beacon—which is where the Greens get their name.
Dorne: The southernmost region of Westeros, populated by the Rhoynar, who are distinct from the Andals and First Men that make up most of the citizens of Westeros. Dorne was the only kingdom of Westeros that Aegon the Conqueror failed to bring into his realm, and it remains an independent kingdom all the way through the reign of Viserys. Criston Cole is from an area called the Dornish Marches.
The Free Cities: A group of nine city-states in Essos, the continent east of Westeros. They are important trade partners for Westeros, though they are also frequently in conflict with the crown or with one another. A handful of the free cities not-so-secretly funded Craghas Crabfeeder’s pirates in the war for the Stepstones in Season 1.
Valyria: A ruined city in Essos that was once the home to the Targaryens and many other dragon-riding families known as dragonlords. Valyria controlled a large empire known as the Valyrian Freehold until the Doom, a mysterious cataclysmic event that wiped out the city and its inhabitants roughly a century before Aegon’s Conquest. The Targaryens escaped the Doom thanks to prophetic dreams that foretold the destruction, and thus they became the only dragon-riding family in the known world.
The Narrow Sea: The sea to the east of Westeros that separates the continent from Essos.
The Stepstones: A series of islands in the Narrow Sea south of King’s Landing that are well positioned to control important shipping lanes between Westeros and Essos. Daemon Targaryen and Corlys Velaryon travel there in Season 1 to wrest control of the islands away from the Triarchy.
The Eyrie: An ancient mountain castle that is the seat of House Arryn and the center of power in the Vale.
Storm’s End: A large, stout castle that is the seat of House Baratheon and the center of power in the Stormlands.
Winterfell: An ancient, huge castle that is the seat of House Stark and the center of power in the North.
Casterly Rock: A towering castle that is the seat of House Lannister and the center of power in the Westerlands.
Riverrun: A small but well-defended castle that is the seat of House Tully and the center of power in the Riverlands.
Things
Objects can be important symbols of power, prestige, or history in Westeros. Here are some of the most important ones.
Blackfyre: The Valyrian steel sword of Aegon the Conqueror that is typically wielded by Targaryen kings. It is in the hands of Aegon II—a symbol that helps prove his legitimacy to many.
The Crown of Aegon the Conqueror: Aegon I wore a Valyrian steel crown embedded with a red stone. It’s the crown Aegon II uses for his coronation—another physical symbol the Greens use to project Aegon’s legitimacy.
The Crown of Viserys I Targaryen: Rhaenyra dons the same crown her father wore, which was also the crown of Jaehaerys I Targaryen—the Old King. Her crown signals continuity as well as her place as her father’s chosen heir.
Dark Sister: The Valyrian steel sword wielded by Queen Visenya Targaryen during Aegon’s Conquest. King Jaehaerys I gave the sword to Daemon Targaryen, who currently possesses it.
The catspaw dragonbone dagger: The dagger that Game of Thrones fans called the catspaw dagger returns in House of the Dragon, and in Season 1 Viserys revealed that Aegon the Conqueror had the Song of Ice and Fire—Aegon’s prophetic dream about an icy apocalypse coming to Westeros—embedded in the steel. The dagger is currently in the possession of Aegon II, who is unaware of the prophecy. In Game of Thrones, this dagger is used in the attempt on Bran’s life in Season 1. Arya ultimately kills the Night King with it.
The Painted Table: The long table on Dragonstone that is carved to depict the continent of Westeros. It’s where Aegon the Conqueror planned his invasion of the continent and where Rhaenyra holds her first war council at the end of Season 1. It’s also where Daenerys plans her invasion of Westeros in Game of Thrones.
The Iron Throne: The seat of power in Westeros. The throne was forged from the melted blades of Aegon the Conqueror’s enemies, forming a twisted, intimidating seat that does not allow a king to “sit easy.” Some blades are still sharp enough to cut the throne’s occupant—a sign that the king (or queen) may be unprepared to hold power. The throne cut Viserys throughout his reign, possibly contributing to his illness.
Rhaenyra’s Valyrian steel necklace: Back in the first episode of Season 1, Daemon gave Rhaenyra a Valyrian steel necklace that she wears through much of the season. It’s a symbol of their relationship—and of Targaryen power.
Firefly brooch: Larys has his own sigil—a firefly—that decorates his cane. It is also sometimes seen as a brooch worn by those in his service. It’s something to watch for in Season 2.
Miscellaneous
Here are some phrases that viewers will likely hear during the series.
Valyrian steel: Ancient steel that was forged in the Valyrian freehold, before the fall of Valyria. It is widely believed that Valyrian steel was forged using blood magic and/or fire magic, but the exact technique has been lost. As a result, no new Valyrian steel weapons can be made, though the blacksmiths in Westeros can rework existing Valyrian steel. Valyrian steel weapons are far superior to any others—they hold a razor-sharp edge and are exceptionally strong and lightweight. Noble houses in possession of Valyrian steel weapons pass them down for generations.
Dragon dreams: Prophetic dreams experienced by some Targaryens, including Daenerys and Maester Aemon. It was a prophetic dream of Daenys the Dreamer’s that prompted the Targaryen family to leave Valyria 12 years before the Doom destroyed the city and all the remaining dragonlords. Viserys reveals in Season 1 that Aegon the Conqueror also had such dreams—and that he saw the Long Night and a Prince That Was Promised who would stand against an icy apocalypse that would come to Westeros. Viserys says that this is why Aegon conquered Westeros in the first place. But as with all prophecies in Martin’s writing, there is a question of whether the future is set in stone or whether the characters’ own desire to change their future ultimately leads to self-fulfilling (and often self-destructive) behavior.
The City Watch: The standing army of King’s Landing, which is tasked with maintaining order and defending the Iron Throne. Daemon Targaryen commands the Watch shortly after Viserys is crowned king, and he gives the Watch its signature gold cloaks.
Lord of the Tides: The title traditionally given to the head of House Velaryon.
War for the Stepstones: A war fought between Westeros (led by Daemon Targaryen and Corlys Velaryon) and the alliance of Free Cities known as the Triarchy (led by Craghas Crabfeeder) for control of an important series of islands in the south of the Narrow Sea. Daemon and Corlys win this war early in Season 1.
The Great Council of 101 AC: A council of all the lords of Westeros held after the death of Baelon Targaryen, King Jaehaerys’s son and heir to the Iron Throne. The council was called to pick a successor for Jaehaerys, who did not attend the council but agreed to abide by any decision made by the lords. The main claimants to the throne were Viserys, Jaehaerys’s grandson through Baelon; Rhaenys, Jaehaerys’s granddaughter through Aemon (Baelon’s older brother, who had died years prior); and—in the books only—Laenor Velaryon, Rhaenys’s son. Despite the influence of Corlys Velaryon, Viserys won the vote by a rumored margin of 20-1. And the council’s reasoning was, in part, that it wanted the throne to pass solely through a male line of descendants. Picking Viserys also ensured that the throne stayed in the hands of a Targaryen, rather than a Velaryon.
The Prince or Princess of Dragonstone: The title given to the heir apparent of the Iron Throne. The heir also typically resides on Dragonstone and rules over the island.
Kingsguard or Queensguard: The order of knights sworn to protect the king or queen and the royal family. There are typically seven such knights, who are prohibited from inheriting land, holding titles, taking wives, or starting families. They wear white and are commonly called white cloaks.
Small council: The group of seven trusted advisers who aid the king.
Hand of the King: The king’s second-in-command and the only person authorized to make decisions in the king’s name. However, this is not considered a glamorous position. The smallfolk across Westeros say that “the king eats, and the hand takes the shit.”
Dragonseeds: Bastard children of House Targaryen. Especially common on Dragonstone, where many smallfolk claim that the blood of the dragon runs through their veins. A key question that has not yet been answered in Westeros: Can dragonseeds become dragonriders?
Sheil stopped by Eagles practice today and has some big-picture thoughts that he wants to review (02:23). Will the Eagles’ 2024 first-round pick, Quinyon Mitchell, be ready to start at the beginning of the season? New Ringer writer and Philly local Anthony Dabbundo joins the pod to discuss the Phillies’ progress so far this season. Is there real concern for Bryce Harper’s health (16:32)? Plus, is there excitement for a new season of Mare of Easttown and Shane Gillis’s new show, Tires?
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Perhaps FX thought fans would forget about The Bear after the network dropped a Season 3 teaser last week before Memorial Day Weekend. Never fear, the network released another trailer on Wednesday afternoon.
While Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are all listed as stars of the show, FX could have listed another: The CTA. The new trailer is chockful of the El whether it’s various train stops or the comforting rumble of the trains in the background. Given the CTA’s well-documented problems, from late-arriving trains to wacky political hijinks, consider this positive PR. Unlike Mayor Brandon Johnson’s nominee for the RTA board, it appears someone involved in production has actually ridden the CTA. Public transportation has been a strong theme in the previous two seasons.
Season 3 debuts on Thursday, June 27, and last week, FX unveiled new signage for the restaurant, which shares the same color scheme as the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies instead of the orange and navy from Chicago’s football team. The remodeled beef stand went extinct at the end of Season 1, with the debut of a new fine dining restaurant. During the two-minute and 20-second trailer, Carmy Berzatto announces his cheffy intentions: “We’re going to get a star,” he declares.
Presumably, that’s of the Michelin variety, but who knows in The Bear universe, a world that includes Chomp Chicago, a digital publication that bears a striking resemblance to Eater Chicago. Another scene shows Tina Marrero (Liza Colón-Zayas) sniffing a black truffle and going to a market set up outdoors in a space that looks a lot like Longman & Eagle in Logan Square (signage from Antioch’s Jacobson Family Farms makes a cameo). Marrero also seems perplexed by Carmy’s intention of changing the menu daily, or as Richie Jerimovich (Moss-Bachrach) calls them “the scribblings of a madman.” Tensions in the kitchen run amok through the trailer, even as an unmistakenly pregnant Natalie Berzatto (Abby Elliot) directs traffic around the restaurant.
The intrigue builds as Carmy offers Sydney Adamu (Edebiri) a partnership in the restaurant so they can be on equal footing and push each other. Not to give everything away, but for folks ardent about ensuring Carmy and Syd don’t fall romantically for each other, there are developments. Especially with the return of Carmy’s ex-girlfriend, Claire (Molly Gordon), who ditched the chef at the end of Season 2 during his restaurant opening meltdown in the walk-in fridge.
The footage also revisits the bulletin board of misfits filled with photos of food critics revealed earlier in the year: “If any food critics come in, it’s code red,” Neil Fak (Matty Matheson) tells brother Ted (Ricky Staffieri). If there’s any irony, there aren’t many food critics left in Chicago, so carry on.
The Bear Season 3 releases on Thursday, June 27 with all episodes available via Hulu.
Bill and Juliet share their insights on the most pivotal episodes throughout Brenda and Brandon’s season-long MVP run before breaking down the tumultuous Mardi Gras finale in full
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It’s House of R, mon amis. Mal and Jo are here to give you their thoughts on the season finale, and the season as a whole, of the highly regarded X-Men ’97 (00:00), and what their hopes for the new season may be!
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Voice performance has become isolating work over the years — these days, for an actor like JP Karliak, a day “on set” is completed from a home studio, and notes come in over Zoom calls. But the goals are the same: find the perfect sound to match a character, and relentlessly chase the perfect take. Karliak has done voice work across the animation and video game spectrum, and is no stranger to IP demands. He’s been in everything from The Boss Baby: Back in Business to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, where he played Batman’s nemesis, Joker. Taking over the role of Morph in Marvel Animation’s X-Men ’97, voiced in the original series by actor Ron Rubin, put him under high pressure from nostalgic fans. Still, alone in the room, he found it: his own pure voice.
“My natural speaking voice doesn’t sound all that different from Ron’s original portrayal,” Karliak tells Polygon, “[and Morph] has a new look, he’s changing. And all these characters are going through all of this plot. For me, it was just sort of like, Why don’t we just sit him in this grounded space, and not slap a character voice on top of it?”
Along with giving Morph a character redesign, the X-Men ’97 writers evolved them into the animated property’s first non-binary character. Karliak, who identifies as genderqueer, was pleased at the change. In the 1990s, using he/they pronouns was less commonplace, but having Rogue make a point of properly addressing Morph in 1997 fits right into the show’s approach to doing whatever feels emotionally right, continuity and era be damned.
“We didn’t fly around and shoot lightning out of our fingers [in 1997 either], so whatever!” Karliak says. “I think the representation is still incredible. And I don’t think it takes away anything from who Morph is. Morph is on a gender journey that will unfold as time passes and he goes through the eras of terminology that we’ve lived through already.”
Image: Marvel Animation
With such a stacked cast, the show doesn’t give Morph a ton of airtime, but their history in the series is deeply felt and considered in each line-reading. X-Men ’97 remains in continuity with X-Men: The Animated Series, which saw Sentinels kill Morph in the first episode, only to have Mister Sinister resurrect the shapeshifter as a brainwashed X-adversary. When his friends rescue him, he disappears from the show again to deal with that trauma.
Morph returns in X-Men ’97 as a goofy but troubled soul finding a place in the world. Karliak says that even if Morph has three lines in an episode, he found himself running through every variation — pure fury, wisecracking, bawling his eyes out, near-deadpan — with voice director Meredith Layne (Castlevania), to give the director and writers what they need to connect the past with present. “As the comic relief of the show, I think he’s burying a lot of things,” Karliak says. “Having him say less was actually the smarter way to go for somebody who’s internalizing a lot.”
Along with voiceover work, Karliak runs the LGBTQIA+ nonprofit Queer Vox, which strives to train aspiring queer VO artists and educate the industry about working with queer talent. He says one quirk of current Hollywood casting is that the group often encounters auditions asking for “non-binary voices,” which he finds funny, despite the attempt at allyship. “It’s like, What does that mean? There’s a lot of conflation of ‘non-binary means androgynous,’ which is not the case,” he says.
And what makes Morph enjoyable for Karliak to bring to life isn’t how the character fits a specific identity slot — it’s how his identity fits into the day-to-day drama at the X-mansion, and the greater global drama of X-Men ’97.
“He’s a superhero who’s got some trauma, he’s got friends, he’s showing up, he’s doing the thing,” Karliak says. “He probably would like to have a significant other at some point — you know, hint, hint, nudge, nudge — and there’s all of that stuff happening. But there’s never a very special Jesse Spano episode of, like, This is the non-binary episode. Because we don’t need it.”
Many fans have wondered whether Morph’s friendship with Wolverine could blossom into something more romantic in future seasons of X-Men ’97. But Karliak hopes it doesn’t, as much as he wants his character to find love.
“As somebody who’s consumed a ton of queer media over the years — what coded things we had in the ’90s — I think there have been so many stories told about the queer person that’s pining over the straight best friend. Meh!” he says. “It’s kind of meh to me! I think it’s so much more interesting that they love each other like they’re Frodo and Samwise, and that’s great. It doesn’t need to be more than that. And they can support each other. It makes Morph razzing Wolverine by turning into Jean Grey so much less about like, Oh, I’m jealous, so I’m gonna, like, razz you about your girlfriend who I hate, and more about, Hey, buddy, I think this is harmful for you, and I just want to point this out, that maybe you need to move on.”
Karliak lauds the X-Men ’97 writers room for breaking from obvious stereotypes and traditions to do its own thing. And the work is standing up to all kinds of scrutiny. When the news broke that Karliak would voice Morph as a non-binary character, the usual corners of the internet erupted with vitriol and found their way into his mentions. But now, with the season wrapped up, he’s hearing little pushback.
“There are properties, movies, IPs that have tried to do queer representation and done it more as checking a box, and it was received badly when it was announced, and continued to be received badly when the thing bombed,” he says. “And I think what’s great about this is that it’s done authentically, not only from the portrayal, but from the writing, like Beau [DeMayo], but also Charley [Feldman] and all of the other writers. There is a queer pedigree that’s going into this to make this right. So the people that shouted about it before it came out — once everybody saw it, and it’s just so universally lauded, it really silenced everything. You can’t argue with excellence.”
How did Carmy escape the walk-in? That question and more will be answered on Thursday, June 27, when the third season of The Bear debuts, according to a new teaser trailer out now. All episodes, as in past seasons, will drop at once on Hulu.
The show has become a pop-culture phenomenon with Chicago-area native Chris Storer giving viewers a peek into the restaurant world with his hometown as a backdrop. Season 1 helped showcase Chicago’s Italian beef sandwich for a nationwide audience.
FX announced the premiere date with a teaser showing Jeremy Allen White back in the kitchen — with a bright red LED clock reading 3:10. The camera zooms out of the restaurant — the former Mr. Beef on Orleans — flying south, and then east over River North toward DuSable Lake Shore Drive. The footage is accompanied by “The Dream Is Always the Same,” a song from the 1983 Tom Cruise movie Risky Business, filmed in Chicago.
Season 2’s build-up and climax saw the Original Beef of Chicagoland — loosely based on Mr. Beef, a venerable beef stand in River North — give way to a new restaurant called The Bear. The Bear seems to wed fine dining and neighborhood elements. With tons of Chicago restaurant cameos, Season 2 won over most Chicagoans, with a few exceptions.
12320 W 143rd St, Homer Glen, IL 60491 (708) 645-0456
666 North Orleans Street, , IL 60654 (312) 337-8500
Wednesday, Tim Burton’s take on The Addams Family naturally became hugely popular on Netflix. Both are staples of spooky goth teens everywhere, so it was a match made in heaven (or hell?) and the series spent 20 weeks on Netflix’s Global Top 10. Jenna Ortega’s sharp, sardonic take on the character bewitched many — as did her firm stance against love triangles.
“Nobody wants to see her in the middle of a love triangle,” Ortega said to W Magazine back in 2022. “They want to see her torturing people.”
Netflix officially renewed the YA supernatural romp in January 2023, though news has been scant (likely due to the ongoing strikes last year). But with filming beginning this week and some exciting casting announcements, here’s everything we know about Wednesday season 2.
Photo: Netflix
What’s Wednesday season 2 about?
We’re not entirely sure of the plot, but it’ll likely pick up during Wednesday’s next school year at Nevermore Academy. According to the showrunners, the entire Addams family will be coming to the school in some capacity. There were a lot of loose ends last season, including the identity of Wednesday’s stalker and the weird cult that mean girl Bianca’s mom is part of.
Who’s in Wednesday season 2?
Jenna Ortega returns as Wednesday, and this season she’ll also serve as a producer. Other returning cast members include Emma Myers as Wednesday’s perky werewolf roommate Enid; Joy Sunday as school queen bee Bianca; and Hunter Doohan as Tyler, the cute barista who is actually the bloodthirsty monster that killed a lot of people last season.
The other cast members of the Addams family, namely Catherine Zeta-Jones (Morticia), Luiz Guzmán (Gomez), and Isaac Ordonez (Pugsley), have been promoted to series regulars.
“We are thrilled that the entire Addams family will be enrolling in Nevermore Academy this season along with a dream cast of icons and new faces,” showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar said in a statement to Netflix. For Pugsley, this makes sense, but will Morticia and Gomez be teachers or students? Are they going for graduate degrees, perhaps?
Image: Netflix
Who’s not coming back?
Even though Tyler was carted off the jail at the end of season 1, Doohan is still a series regular — clearly there’s some unfinished business! But Jamie McShane, who played his father, will only appear in a few episodes. In addition, Percy Hynes White who played the other bland cute boy Xavier, won’t be returning. This coincides with sexual assault allegations that led to a campaign to remove him from the show.
Anyone new in the Wednesday season 2 cast?
You know it! Some big names are joining the new season of Wednesday as series regulars. According to Netflix Steve Buscemi (Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams) will play a character named Barry Dort and Billie Piper (Doctor Who) will play someone named Capri. Other actors joining as series regulars include Evie Templeton (Return to Silent Hill), Owen Painter (The Handmaid’s Tale), and Noah Taylor (Park Avenue), though their roles are still undisclosed.
Additionally, we’ve got some interesting guest stars, including Christopher Lloyd, who played Uncle Fester in the 1990s Addams Family movies. Last season Christina Ricci, who played Wednesday in those movies, was the show’s big bad villain, so it’ll be interesting to see what Lloyd’s involvement is. Thandiwe Newton (Westworld) will play someone named Dr. Fairburn and Joanna Lumley will play the Addams family Grandma. Other guest stars include , Frances O’Connor (The Missing), Haley Joel Osment (The Kominsky Method), Heather Matarazzo (The Princess Diaries) and Joonas Suotamo.
When is season 2 coming out?
Filming began in May 2024, so at the very earliest, Wednesday season 2 wouldn’t come out till late this year. But early 2025 is more likely.
Where can I watch more Wednesday in the interim?
The first season is on Netflix, but if that’s not enough, you can also check out Christina Ricci’s Wednesdayin the 1990s movies, which are both currently streaming on Pluto TV. This will especially prime you for whatever role it is that Christopher Lloyd has in the new season. The 1964 sitcom is also streaming on Pluto TV. Oh, and there’s the 2019 animated movie, but we don’t really talk about that here.
Had plenty of time to cook this weekend lads. Another banger. Normally I just season steak w salt and pepper but this time I added some cumin, cayenne and onion powder for some variety. Deglazed the steak pan with some fresh lime juice and a little stock, that’s what’s on the avocado
It’s time to tap into the animation sensation that is Invincible for its Season 2 finale! The Midnight Boys talk about what made the season overall a little different this time around (14:08). Then they tap back into the captivating Shogun and what they think may happen leading into the finale (55:38). And finally, they take on the drama between Storm and Forge in this week’s X-Men ’97 (88:55).
Hosts: Charles Holmes, Van Lathan, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal Social: Jomi Adeniran
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