House of the Dragon season 2: EP on Cragen Stark debut

House of the Dragon season 2
Photo: HBO

There was a lot of fantastic content within the House of the Dragon season 2 premiere, and also a chance to introduce new characters to go along with it. That included Tom Taylor as Cragen Stark, who really brought in House Stark for the first time in this part of the universe.

Odds are, everyone out there who watches and loves Game of Thrones went into this episode with a certain anticipation of who Cragen was, and we do think that (luckily) he lived up to the hype that exists out there. This is a man who felt like a capable ancestor of a Jon Snow or Robb Stark, whether it be his look or his demeanor. That is also what made watching him, by and large, so appealing in his scene with Jace.

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So what went into creating this version of the Starks, who seem to be on Rhaenyra’s side? Here is some of what showrunner Ryan Condal had to say to The Hollywood Reporter:

I have to credit Tom Taylor, who has become one of the most talked about people on the Internet because everybody loves a Stark, and everybody is so anticipating his arrival on the show, and he’s done a great job with it. The thing that most appealed to me is that I love the Starks. I desperately wanted to go back to The Wall, but I wanted a good reason to include in the story. The thing that appealed to me most about Cregan and the character that George wrote in the book is that he was a young Stark. The Starks we’ve known, like Ned Stark, have been the graybeards who have been through life and many winters. This guy is essentially Robb Stark’s age, and he’s in charge of the entire North. And I thought that was an interesting character to meet and depict. Jace (Harry Collett) is a bit younger than him, but they’re from a similar generation. And these two guys are up on that wall talking about a treaty that’s going to affect the entire realm and showing how young men in this time are the ones who generally decide where and how the future is going to play out.

Now, of course we do wonder if Cragen’s mindset towards Team Black will change in the aftermath of the Blood and Cheese incident, which is a straight-up murder as opposed to the accidental deaths that precipitated it. One of the things about the Starks is that they do tend to be ethical people with a moral code. Odds are, what Daemon ordered will not fit into that.

Related Be sure to learn more entering the next House of the Dragon episode

What do you think will happen next with Cragen Stark on House of the Dragon season 2?

Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! Once you do just that, remember to come back — other updates are coming.

This article was written by Jessica BunBun.

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