Warning: Contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 2, “Rhaenyra the Cruel.”

House of the Dragon season 2, episode 2, “Rhaenyra the Cruel” means the show risks creating a dragon-sized plot hole. Among the new additions to House of the Dragon‘s cast in season 2 is Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, brother of Alyn (Abubakar Salim, who was introduced in the season 2 premiere). Though he’s not had a major story so far, Addam will be important going forward in the show, not least because of his future bond with Seasmoke.

Seasmoke returned in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 2, appearing in the sky above Addam, who looked on with a sense of wonder. In Fire & Blood, he actually goes on to bond with the dragon (who was previously ridden by Laenor Velaryon) and rides him in the Dance of the Dragons. That’s seemingly what the TV adaptation is going for as well, establishing a connection between them, but there is a problem.

House Of The Dragon Sets Up Addam Claiming Seasmoke – But It Risks A Plot Hole

Laenor Velaryon Being Alive Causes A Major Issue

In the book, it’s pretty straightforward that Addam of Hull is able to claim Seasmoke. His parentage is a matter of debate – some claim he is Laenor’s son, others that he is actually Corlys Velaryon’s child – but, whichever of those is true (and it’s more likely the show is going down the Corlys route), he is of Valyrian descent and probably has some Targaryen blood too. That explains how he can claim a dragon, but he can claim Seasmoke, specifically, because Laenor is dead by that point, the dragon and rider bond is broken… and therein lies the problem.

Laenor is still alive in House of the Dragon, at least as far as we know. The exact workings of dragons and their bonds are a little murky, because no human can truly know the mind of a dragon, but it’s widely accepted that a dragon bonds with a rider for life. They won’t take another rider if their current one is still alive, which causes a plot hole predicament for House of the Dragon in explaining how Addam will be able to claim Seasmoke, when the bond with Laenor should still exist.

How House Of The Dragon Can Explain Addam Claiming Seasmoke Despite Laenor Being Alive

There Are Possible Solutions To Avoid The Plot Hole

House of the Dragon season 2 will hopefully have an explanation that avoids Seasmoke’s new rider creating a plot hole, and there are some ways to do it. It can certainly capitalize on the vagueness of rules and understanding around dragons and their riders, and perhaps establish that Seasmoke chooses to take a new rider. Though the bond with Laenor should still exist to some degree, it may be clear to the dragon that his rider is never returning. Dragons are intelligent, emotional creatures, after all, so him realizing that and accepting it could make sense.

It’s not necessarily easy to make that super overt – unless the dragons start talking, we’re never going to know exactly how they feel – but with dialogue from Addam and showing their developing connection, it could do enough to explain it. It is also possible Laenor himself will return in a scene that allows this changeover to happen, but that would seem like an unnecessary diversion. Establishing that Seasmoke wants this, and perhaps that, in some way, Laenor has approved it, is the best possible solution.

The other way would be to have Laenor die for real this time. That would certainly get around the plot hole in a far more simple and direct way, but I think it would also be, well, pointless. Aside from getting around that issue – which it can hopefully do anyway – having Laenor suddenly die, when it changed his ending to keep him alive in the first place, would risk being cheap and undermining his season 1 exit.

Ideally, House of the Dragon can bond Addam with Seasmoke, avoid a plot hole, and keep Laenor alive but mostly out of it. It’s not impossible to do that, but it requires good writing and, importantly, an understanding of the issue and why it matters (because this is an key part of the show’s worldbuilding and lore). I think there’s reason to believe the show will manage it, but equal reason to be concerned about the plot hole until then.

New episodes of House of the Dragon season 2 release Sundays at 9pm ET on HBO and Max.