The second season of “House of the Dragon,” the prequel to “Game of Thrones,” is also full of sex, murder, and intrigue. The challenge is more like getting through it.
Westeros is a paradise for patchwork families. In a time when incest and promiscuity (including with minors) are commonplace, the most insane constellations come about here. Take the Targaryens of Dragonstone: some of the children have a father whose nieces are their own siblings. The father of the other children is the mother’s uncle. In the Hightowers, on the other hand, the parents of the two youngest children, one of whom has a claim to the throne, are themselves siblings. This is one thing above all: confusing. And a nightmare for any inheritance law expert.