In its finale, the HBO drama based on George R.R. Martin‘s Fire & Blood closed out on an ambiguous note, with strengthened and strained alliances alike, not to mention brutal betrayals. Those anticipating a climactic battle between the Blacks and the Greens were likely disappointed to see the swords and dragons largely sheathed and grounded, even as the closing moments promised plenty of violence in the third season still to come.Written and directed by series veterans Sara Hess and Geeta Vasant Patel, respectively, House of the Dragon finished up season two in a less outwardly violent but still brutal mirroring of its premiere. Where Queen Helaena (Phia Saban) was forced to choose which of her two children should lose their life in the season opener, it’s now Queen Regent Alicent (Olivia Cooke) who must make a similar decision. Before, it was Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) who set the death of Helaena’s young son into motion. Now, it’s Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) herself, who previously condemned her husband’s actions, that knows such actions are required for her to win the throne and restore some measure of peace to the realm.
The final moments of the season boil down to a tense standoff between Rhaenyra and Alicent, echoing their earlier meeting in King’s Landing. For the finale, it’s Alicent who comes to Rhaenyra, visiting her childhood friend-turned-adult enemy at Dragonstone. Tired of her son Aemond’s (Ewan Mitchell) violent tendencies and convinced of Rhaenyra’s worthiness, Alicent offers a deal: come to King’s Landing in three days while Aemond is away at war, and the city will promptly bend the knee. All Alicent wants in exchange is safety for herself, Helaena and her grandchild — and safety for her son, the horribly scarred King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney).
That last request causes Rhaenyra to balk at the pitch. She says there’s no way she can secure King’s Landing and restore order to the Seven Kingdoms without claiming Aegon’s head, putting an end once and for all to the false king. So Rhaenyra becomes the one making the offer: Alicent can get everything she wants from her initial deal, but must sacrifice Aegon. Grief-stricken but certain in her course, Alicent agrees. It’s a far cry from the outwardly gruesome “Blood and Cheese” event, but Rhaenyra and Alicent’s deal nonetheless calls back to that terrible choice, a rubicon of sorts. Now, the rival Targaryen forces once again march toward one another, their conflict fully unresolved heading out of season two.
As for where things stand, the finale ends with a montage showcasing a variety of different factions. For Team Green, Aemond’s forces are on the move in a variety of fashions, including Jason Lannister (Jefferson Hall) and his bannermen marching through the Riverlands, while Jason’s twin brother Tyland (also portrayed by Hall) sails home from Essos with the pirate Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorn) as an ally. Team Black has their own forces in both regions. Whether it’s the bannermen of House Tully, the Starks and their northmen marching down through the Twins, or Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and his bastard son Alyn (Abubakar Salim) leading their fleet out to sea. In terms of dragons, the sides are not quite evenly matched, as Rhaenyra’s dragonseeds have taken root with three new dragons of their own, up against Prince Regent Aemond’s formidable but lonely mount Vhagar. Even in the Eyrie, there’s Rhaena Velaryon (Phoebe Campbell), dragonless for all her life, though now confronting the possibility of claiming one in the countryside.
The two armies are fairly well-matched. But there’s a significant difference on the leadership level, heavily favoring Rhaenyra. Not only has she won Alicent over to her side, and not only is King Aegon unseated (and last seen fleeing King’s Landing in secret), Rhaenyra has also conquered her deadliest rival of all: Daemon. The prince spent almost all of season two in Harrenhal, experiencing psychedelic visions pointing toward his greater role in the prophetic A Song of Ice and Fire. In the finale, Daemon sees visions of the White Walker threat, and even sees a brief glimpse of Daenerys Targaryen (played by Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones) and the birth of her three dragons. On the other side of these visions, Daemon no longer covets the throne for himself, swearing his full support for Rhaenyra’s bid.
With new dragons and new loyalties under her belt, Queen Rhaenyra’s victorious return to King’s Landing feels all-but certain when season three returns, however many moons from now. But this is the Game of Thrones franchise we’re talking about here and, as a certain bastard once said, “If you think this story has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention.”