House of the Dragon is a story of lineage and succession, and as with its predecessor, Game of Thrones, you can’t tell that story without introducing a few complications. For the Targaryens and the Velaryons, those wrinkles often come in the form of illegitimate children. House of the Dragon Season 1 explored this thoroughly within the immediate royal family, as soon-to-be-queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’arcy) claimed that her eldest children were full-blooded Targaryen heirs. Though that debacle is more or less resolved in Season 2, the series has expanded its scope to introduce a handful of other bastards. Some will play a major role in the coming conflict, the Dance of Dragons, while others feel like a distracting addition to the series.
