Note: The following story contains spoilers from “House of the Dragon” Season 2 Episode 8.
“House of the Dragon” Season 2 came to a close with an unexpected plea for peace that arrived just a bit too late.
The jam-packed finale saw forces being mustered across Westeros to begin the journey to converge on King’s Landing for a fight for the throne. Much of the season saw both Team Black and Team Green vying for alliances and now the board is set for a bloody war to come in Season 3.
Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) grew increasingly erratic knowing that Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) just loaded her roster with three new dragonriders, and set to burning random towns across the kingdom. Alicent (Olivia Cooke) had enough and spent the episode gathering the courage to sneak into Dragonstone to speak with her old friend and pitch peace.
Meanwhile, Daemon’s (Matt Smith) season-long vision quest at Harrenhal wrapped up with allusions to “Game of Thrones” and him finally bending the knee in earnest to Rhaenyra.
Here’s everything you need to know about the “House of the Dragon” Season 2 finale.
The realm has been at war for the entirety of “House of the Dragon” Season 2, but things reached a new intensity by the finale’s conclusion. Skirmishes like The Battle of the Burning Mill and The Battle at Rook’s Rest have only intensified both side’s need to muster a larger fighting force. It’s that increased bloodshed and chaos that prompted Alicent to sneak off to Dragonstone to make her plea to Rhaenyra.
Mirroring Rhaenyra’s own secret trip to King’s Landing in Episode 3, Alicent shocks her old friend and pitches a way to end the Dance. It seems her nature walk in Episode 7 — not to mention seeing Aemond grow erratic to the point of burning towns — has finally pushed her to the breaking point.
Her plan was almost as straightforward as it comes: Aemond was set to rally with Criston Cole (Fabian Frankel) in the Riverlands to take Harrenhal from Daemon (Matt Smith), and when that happens Helaena (Phia Saban) and Alicent would be calling the shots in King’s Landing — the perfect time to ensure that Rhaenyra can stroll up and claim the throne unhindered and hopefully end the war.
Rhaenyra was open to the idea but knows it won’t work unless she can “put an end to the opposition.” She told Alicent the only way she’ll be accepted as ruler is if she kills Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) — which might be a mercy if you ask the king. She also still wants her son for a son debt paid for Luke’s death in Season 1.
After a long, teary moment Alicent silently nods in agreement that Aegon will die. Rhaenyra comments that Alicent is “much changed,” which the dowager queen ignores and says to fly to King’s Landing in three days or to just kill her there and be done with it.
“I cast myself at the mercy of a friend who once loved me,” she tells Rhaenyra.
“History will paint you a villain. A cold queen grasping at power and then defeated,” Rhaenyra responded possibly in a meta sense as this conversation never happens in “Fire & Blood,” and Alicent’s character in general is written as much harsher in the book histories.
“Let them think what they must,” Alicent said, almost as her own wink to book fans familiar with the character. “I am at last myself, with no ambition greater than to walk where I please and breath the open air. To die unremarked or noticed, and be free.”
She’s then allowed to leave Dragonstone with her deal in place — a sacrificed son and throne for a realm at peace — unknowing that Westeros is on the razor’s edge. The final montage showed the many armies that have been gathered throughout the season: Daemon in the Riverlands, the Starks from the North, the Lannisters from the West, the Triarchy from across the Narrow Sea, and the Hightowers — with their own dragon and dragonrider in tow — all converging on King’s Landing. All this is happening while Aegon and Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) are sneaking out of the capital together. The montage also opened up a new mystery with Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), who was briefly seen sitting in a jail cell, which would explain his absence since he departed for Oldtown. And of course, Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) finally found Sheepstealer. But will she claim the dragon for herself?
For now, Alicent has made her play for peace. But the season ends with a near promise that it’s too little too late.
Aside from the ending itself, the other major talking point of the finale is likely Daemon actually seeing the Ice and Fire prophecy that obsessed Viserys for much of his life.
Alys (Gayle Rankin) takes him to the godswoods in Harrenhal and has him place his hand on the weirwood tree there. He’s instantly given what is likely the last of his season-long vision quest and it’s a doozy. It’s been no secret that the Ice and Fire prophecy is just the story we see play out in “Game of Thrones,” but these quick cuts give us glimpses of a future we already know.
He sees a shot of Daenerys Targaryen (though we don’t see Emilia Clarke’s face) sitting with her three newly hatched dragons, which is the final shot from Season 1 of “Game of Thrones.” Daemon also sees the Night King and white walkers emerging from the woods.
He also sees images of the red comet that streaks across the sky during the Season 2 premiere of “Game of Thrones.” The meaning of the comet has been debated by fans for years: Was it heralding the return of dragons to the world, was it signifying that magic had finally gained a foothold, or maybe it was the Lord of Light signifying the Prince Who Was Promised prophecy was at hand?
“In the streets, they call it the Red Messenger,” Varys tells Tyrion in “A Clash of Kings.” “They say it comes as a herald before a king, to warn of fire and blood to follow.”
Needless to say, the vision prompts Daemon to stop vying for the crown himself and bend the knee to Rhaenyra thanks to his misinterpretations of Dany being her on the throne. Ooops.
A not insignificant portion of the finale was dedicated to Tyland Lannister’s (Jefferson Hall) attempts to convince The Triarchy to join Team Green and help break the blockade at The Gullet. He mostly wins the affection and admiration of one of their leaders Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorn) thanks to his tenacity in a mud wrestling pit. But who are The Triarchy and why are they familiar?
The Triarchy is an alliance of three Free Cities across the Narrow Sea: Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh. In the first season, Corlys (Steve Toussaint) and Daemon fought tirelessly with the Triarchy in the War for the Step Stones. They also confronted one of the major players for the group called The Crabfeeder. Daemon killed him in the first season.
After losing the Stepstones, they regrouped years later in an alliance with Dorne and have since been harrying the region. Tyland’s plea for an alliance in the finale came at the price of once again offering up the Stepstones to the group.
The final montage of the episode includes a shot of men carrying Hightower banners and then a blue dragon flying overhead on their way to King’s Landing. That blue dragon is Tessarion and his rider is the missing fourth child of Viserys and Alicent — Daeron Targaryen.
After not appearing at all in the first season aside his siblings Aegon, Aemond, and Helaena, many book readers were wondering if Daeron might have been omitted from the show despite having a part to play in the later war. Thankfully, we learned early this season that Daeron was studying in Oldtown with his Hightower family and bonding with his growing dragon Tessarion.
It seems he’s finally getting up off the bench officially in Season 3 though no actor has been cast yet in the role.
All episodes of “House of the Dragon” are available to stream on Max.
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