Fans will now have to wait and see how the conflict between the Blacks and the Greens plays out, as the HBO drama closes its second season on the verge of a major turning point.
Like the monsters at the center of the story, House of the Dragon closed its second season high in the sky.
The HBO miniseries Fire & Blood, which was inspired by George R.R. Martin’s novel, ended on a conflicted note in its finale, with both strained and strengthened bonds in addition to heinous betrayals. Though the last scenes hinted at plenty of carnage in the next third season, viewers hoping for a showdown between the Blacks and the Greens were probably let down when they saw the swords and dragons mostly sheathed and grounded.
Sara Hess and Geeta Vasant Patel, two seasoned series veterans, wrote and directed House of the Dragon’s second season, which concluded in a horrific, if less overtly violent, mirroring of the first. In the season premiere, Queen Helaena (Phia Saban) had to decide which of her two children should die; this time, Queen Regent Alicent (Olivia Cooke) had to make the same choice.
Previously, Helaena’s small son’s death was caused by Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith). Now, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), who had earlier denounced her husband’s acts, realizes that she must take these steps in order to succeed to the throne and bring some kind of peace back to the land.
As in their previous encounter in King’s Landing, Rhaenyra and Alicent find themselves in a tense standoff during the season’s closing minutes. In the epilogue, Alicent travels to Rhaenyra to see Dragonstone, the home of her childhood buddy who is now an adult opponent.
Alicent, fed up with her violent son Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and convinced of Rhaenyra’s goodness, makes Rhaenyra an offer she can’t refuse: come to King’s Landing in three days while Aemond is away at war, and the city would immediately yield. All that Alicent is asking for in return is security for her son, the severely scarred King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), as well as for herself, Helaena, and her grandson.
Rhaenyra kicks the pitch at that last request. She claims that without taking Aegon’s head and eliminating the false king once and for all, she would never be able to secure King’s Landing and bring peace back to the Seven Kingdoms. Thus, Rhaenyra steps in to make the offer: Alicent can fulfill her first deal’s conditions, but she will have to give up Aegon. Alicent nods, grieving yet confident in her path. Despite being a far cry from the visually horrific “Blood and Cheese” incident, Rhaenyra and Alicent’s agreement serves as a kind of rubicon that recalls that awful decision. With their fight still unsolved as we approach the end of season two, the opposing Targaryen forces are now moving toward each other once more.
As for the current state of affairs, a montage presenting numerous groups concludes the climax. Jason Lannister (Jefferson Hall) and his bannermen march through the Riverlands, while Jason’s twin brother Tyland (also played by Hall) sails home from Essos with the pirate Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorn) as an ally. These are just a few of the ways that Aemond’s forces are advancing against Team Green. In all areas, Team Black has its own forces. Whether it’s Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and his bastard son Alyn (Abubakar Salim) leading his fleet off to sea, or the bannermen of House Tully, the Starks and their northmen marching down through the Twins.
When it comes to dragons, Prince Regent Aemond’s ferocious but solitary mount Vhagar faces off against Rhaenyra’s dragonseeds, who had taken root and produced three new dragons of their own. Rhaena Velaryon (Phoebe Campbell), who has lived her entire life without a dragon, is also in the Eyrie and is currently considering her options for obtaining one in the countryside.
There is hardly much separating the two armies. However, there is a notable disparity in leadership that greatly benefits Rhaenyra. In addition to gaining Alicent’s support and unseating King Aegon, who was last seen covertly leaving King’s Landing, Rhaenyra has also vanquished Daemon, her fiercest adversary to date. The prince was in Harrenhal for much the whole second season, when he had hallucinogenic visions suggesting he will play a bigger part in the epic A Song of Ice and Fire.
In the climactic scene, Daemon witnesses glimpses of the White Walker menace and even a fleeting glimpse of Emilia Clarke’s character, Daenerys Targaryen, giving birth to her three dragons. Beyond these visions, Daemon swears he will fully support Rhaenyra’s ambition for the throne and no longer covets it for himself.
When season three premieres, however many moons from now, Queen Rhaenyra will very certainly have made a triumphant return to King’s Landing, having gained fresh dragons and allegiances under her belt. However, since we are discussing the Game of Thrones franchise, let me quote a certain bastard: “If you think this story has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention.”
