The following article contains MAJOR spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2. You have been warned.
House of the Dragon Season 2 has come to an end. It was the conclusion to a very exciting yet short installment of HBO’s prequel to Game of Thrones. Though this season was a wild ride of dragon fights, battleground set pieces, and tons of drama, the season finale didn’t exactly deliver the goods for some fans who expected the usual climactic ending.
Social media reactions didn’t take long to arrive, with viewers expressing their disgust at the showrunners’ idea of an exciting season finale. For a show so heavily based on character dynamics and their motivations, the season 2 finale, “The Queen Who Ever Was,” seems appropriate. And yes, it does what HBO undoubtedly aims for: creating excitement for the already-confirmed House of the Dragon Season 3.
@Alexbergerr expressed what many felt as the season finale stayed on such a “calm” tone:
@misha_loves_you shared her reaction to Season 2, after the finale didn’t feature the famous Battle of the Gullet, the inevitable conflict portrayed in George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood:
@edgorteg got something good from Season 2, and that is the screen presence of the pet dragons, something absent from Game of Thrones:
Let’s be honest. Viewers were expecting huge action pieces, battle sequences, and more dragons dancing in the sky. Perhaps one or two characters getting killed. Instead, audiences got a buildup in the form of a usual House of the Dragon episode that features a different kind of cliffhanger: One that depends on a character’s will and not on a climactic attack by a dragon or a villain. In the end, like the famous “winter” in Game of Thrones, the battle is still coming, and Rhaenyra has the odds in her favor.
In the season finale, Aegon is still recovering from Aemond and Vhagar’s attack. After Aemond tries to hurt him again in the last episode, Larys Strong tells him the whole truth: his brother is trying to kill him, and he won’t stop until he claims the throne as the king and not as regent. Aemond shows his desperation in attempting to recruit Helaena (his sister, and Aegon’s wife) to fight, to which Helaena says no. She won’t kill anyone, and her mother supports her.
Meanwhile, in Dragonstone, Rhaenyra is trying to get her new dragon riders to… be dragon riders. Ulf is an obnoxious dude, Addam is well-behaved, and Hugh is the most peaceful. Jacaerys isn’t very happy with the new team members, and he makes sure his voice is heard. Nevertheless, Rhaenyra receives news that Daemon is building an army, but she’s not sure whose side he’s on.
What Does the Future Hold for House of the Dragon Season 3?
House of the Dragon
Taking place about 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.
- Release Date
- August 21, 2021
Season 3 of House of the Dragon is coming – we just don’t know when. What we do know is that it will contemplate what all viewers expected from the Season 2 finale: War. All sides have their confirmed players, and yes, that includes Daemon, whom viewers have consistently doubted after what seemed like a weak plotline in Season 2.
One very important storyline that was resolved in the season finale was Daemon’s. After experiencing strange hallucinations, Alys Rivers takes him outside, where Daemon touches the tree that may have all the answers he’s seeking. But instead of seeing the past, he goes into the future. This is how viewers were able to finally see the clearest connection between House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. Daemon sees Daenerys holding the baby dragons, some “white walkers,” a dead dragon in the middle of many dead bodies, and his own death as he falls into a deep body of water. Upon waking and facing Rhaenyra, who has gone to Harrenhal to face him, he bends the knee and follows his own vision in which she sat on the Iron Throne.
The final shots show all sides heading for war. After Alicent and Rhaenyra have another very important conversation, it seems that bloodshed is inevitable. Alicent has accepted Rhaenyra’s proposal to give “a son for a son,” but what they don’t know is that Larys has taken Aegon without anyone’s knowledge, in order to protect him. Alicent reveals Aemond’s plan to Rhaenyra so that she can storm King’s Landing and claim the throne, but we all know that won’t be easy. All we can do is wait (a couple of years?) until HBO releases Season 3 of House of the Dragon.
All episodes of
House of the Dragon
Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Max.