Warning: SPOILERS for House of the DragonPrincess Rhaenyra Targaryen's (Milly Alcock) vow to "create a new order" in House of the Dragon episode 2 perfectly mirrors Daenerys Targaryen's (Emilia Clarke) failure to "break the wheel" in Game of Thrones. House of the Dragon is set 170+ years before Daenerys is born and House Targaryen's reign as rulers of the Seven Kingdoms is ended for good; meanwhile, House of the Dragon episode 2 is set six months after Rhaenyra is named heir to the Iron Throne by her father, King Viserys (Paddy Considine).
Daenerys is the last of the Targaryens (that she knew of) in Game of Thrones, until Jon Snow (Kit Harington) was revealed as Aegon Targaryen, the son of Dany's older brother, Rhaegar, and Lyanna Stark of Winterfell. Daenerys' story arc throughout Game of Thrones was her quest to win the Iron Throne and restore the Targaryen rule over the Seven Kingdoms. When she was exiled in Essos, Daenerys Stormborn learned how to be a just and compassionate Queen, and the Khaleesi gained a reputation as "the breaker of chains." Beloved and respected in Essos, Daenerys found no such reception in Westeros. Even with Jon Snow vouching for her, the Dragon Queen was mistrusted by most of the Westerosi, and especially by Jon's family, the Starks of Winterfell. After Daenerys and Jon led the defeat of the White Walkers, the Khaleesi's mental state worsened as she lost her closest allies and two of her dragons. When Daenerys took King's Landing by force and won the Iron Throne from Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), the Dragon Queen was murdered soon after by Jon Snow after an all-too-brief reign.
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House of the Dragon's Rhaenyra is Daenerys' ancestor and predecessor, but it's already clear how her attempt to secure the Iron Throne promised by her father will end badly. In House of the Dragon episode 2, Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), who is known as "The Queen Who Never Was," mocked Rhaenyra's belief that Westeros' patriarchal system would ever allow a woman to rule the Seven Kingdoms. "That," Rhaenys explained, "Is the order of things," to which Rhaenyra replied, "When I am Queen, I will create a new order." But just as Daenerys will fail to "break the wheel" of Westeros' patriarchy 200 years later, Rhaenyra's noble attempts will end in tragedy and bloodshed because the Princess will not get what she wants, and certainly not what was promised to her when the lords of Westeros bent the knee to Rhaenyra as the heir to the Iron Throne.
Both House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones center on intelligent and driven Targaryen princesses whose attempts to change their world end disastrously. Even not knowing Rhaenyra's ultimate fate, a basic knowledge of the lineage of the Iron Throne makes it evident that Westeros had no Queen until Cersei Lannister usurped the throne in the latter seasons of Game of Thrones. House of the Dragon is about how Rhaenyra's attempt to secure the Iron Throne as it was promised to her sparks a calamitous Targaryen civil war called the Dance of the Dragons. House of the Dragon episode 2 set it all up when King Viserys named Rhaenyra's best friend, Lady Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey), as his new bride. Alicent's children will immediately supersede Rhaenyra's claim to the Iron Throne, especially Alicent's soon-to-be firstborn son, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney).
The overarching story of House of the Dragon is about the adult Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) trying to secure the Iron Throne, which is quickly claimed by the older Lady Alicent (Olivia Cooke for her children. The resulting conflict will tear House Targaryen apart, setting the stage for the dragon-riding dynasty's eventual downfall. Despite whatever fleeting success Rhaenyra achieves in House of the Dragon, she is not destined to be the Queen she envisioned herself being. In turn, Daenerys' similar failure to be Queen in Game of Thrones rhymes with Rhaenyra's tragedy, like poetry.
House of the Dragon airs Sundays @ 9pm ET on HBO and streams on HBO Max.