House of the Dragon season 2 parents guide: The dragons aren't kid-friendly in this series

The Dance of the Dragons begins in House of the Dragon season 2. And as much as you don’t want to miss an episode, you’ll need to make sure your dragon-loving kids are in bed, first.

House of the Dragon season 2 picks up off the back of the devastating moments of the season 1 finale. It’s Team Black vs. Team Green, and neither side is willing to step down from the bubbling conflict. In fact, there is plenty of retaliation about to happen, and that means there will be many traumatic moments coming in the new season.

You know Game of Thrones, and you know House of the Dragon season 1. You can definitely guess what to expect in the second season, and you don’t even need to know the source material for the answer. Let’s take a look at what to expect as the season begins, regardless.

Spoiler warning for the season 2 premiere of House of the Dragon past this point!

House of the Dragon season 2 parents guide: The TV-MA age rating explained

This is another TV-MA series. It’s aimed at those 17 and over, and the show certainly takes advantage of that. We’re breaking down what to expect in just the first episode alone, and it’s all sure to get worse as the season goes on.

Sex & nudity: Game of Thrones never shied away from sex and nudity, and neither has House of the Dragon. In the first episode, we see Alicent being orally pleasured, though all her clothes are on. While the scene isn't all that graphic, it’s very clear what’s going on. Later in the episode, we see Alicent from the back on top of someone having sex. Only her back is shown, and she quickly covers the rest of herself up when interrupted. This show is known for its raunchy sex scenes, so we’re sure to see more in later episodes. Point being, don't think things have calmed down just because of the premiere.

Language: The C-word is uttered at least once in the first episode. This is aimed toward Team Black while Aegon and Team Green sit in the Small Council meeting. The F-bomb is dropped numerous times, with the show not stepping off the gas when it comes to its use of language.

Violence & gore: I will admit that the violence and gore aren’t what I expected for a particular moment at the end of the episode, as someone who knows the book storyline. Specifically, a child is murdered -- and it all happens off-screen, though you do hear slicing and chopping happening. There is a moment where a dragon wing is seen on the beach. We don’t see Luc’s body after the horrific fall at the end of season 1, only his clothes wash up on shore, which is in line with the books. This is the Dance of the Dragons, though. Expect violence and gore very soon, especially after the events at the very end of the first episode.

Alcohol & drugs: There isn’t a lot of drinking and drugs shown on the screen in the first episode. We do see a moment with Aegon and his friends in the throne room. They are all clearly drunk and still drinking, but it’s nothing gratuitous. There isn’t any drug use in the first episode, and this series doesn’t really bother with that as the focus is on the war to come.

Overall verdict: Who is House of the Dragon season 2 appropriate for?

Don’t put this series on with the kids around. It is full of sex and violence. While the first episode is on the tamer side of things, the civil war has started. This is a war with dragons, and the level of violence is sure to get worse. Based on events in the book, there is a lot more bloodshed to come.