We finally arrive at the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale, and … I’m more frustrated than elated. Save for a few brief moments here and there, HOTD Season 2 was very underwhelming.
Honestly, I’m shocked. I expected an epic payoff, a battle, a shocking twist, or some sort of wild plot development. Instead, Episode 8 felt more like a mid-season chapter than a season capper. In a show filled with dragons, armies, and the threat of war, I suppose it’s only fitting that Season 2 ends with two women sitting in a room sorting out their feelings.
Anyway, let’s discuss what happened or didn’t happen in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 8.
What happened in the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale?
Team Green
We open with Tyland Lannister attempting to woo the Triarchy. This somehow leads to a mud wrestling contest between our cowardly lion and a tough-as-nails woman named Lohar. Impressed by Tyland’s grit, Lohar agrees to lend him her army. Yay.
Meanwhile, Aemond nukes the village of Sharp Point off-screen because, Heaven forbid, we have any war sequences in a show about war. He’s mad, you see, that Rhaenyra won the dragon race, and because he’s a man, he massacres innocent civilians to make himself feel better. Later, the one-eyed king damn near forces his sister, the benevolent Queen Helaena, to jump atop her dragon and join him in an attack against Daemon at Harrenhal.
Helaena’s like, nah, I’m good, and Aemond’s like, “Grrrrr, okay.”
The men on this show are immature babies with no control over their passions, you see, prone to weeping at every conceivable opportunity.
Well, Alicent has had enough of this foolishness and decides to escape the situation she created in Season 1 when she was an actual character.
Meanwhile, Larys Strong convinces Aegon to flee the realm, correctly fearing that Aemond will kill him when he fully recovers. I don’t get this particular plot point. Why didn’t Aemond finish off his brother when he had the chance? Why wait until he’s healthy? He could have killed or sent others to kill Aegon anytime throughout the last few months, and no one would have batted an eye. Everyone knows he is responsible for the king’s current predicament. Finishing the job would hardly cause much debate, especially since no one seemed to like Aegon.
Anyway, Larys Strong and Aegon slip through King’s Landing’s feeble defenses — everyone appears able to sneak away whenever the plot requires — heading toward the goatfuckers in Bravos. Tune in next year for the further adventures of Aegon and Strong!
Oh, Ser Criston Cole briefly appears and spouts nonsense about all men being evil while clutching Alicent’s handkerchief. Thanks for those wise words, Criston.
Team Black
Rhaenyra has an army of dragons! Horray! But she’s still dead set against war. Boo! She must contend with her new low-born dragon riders, the noble Hammer and the unwieldy Ulf. The latter behaves like a 12-year-old hopped up on Pixie Sticks and is shocked when the higher-ups command him to act like a grown-ass man. Surely, the poorest citizens of King’s Landing know better than to put their feet on the Queen’s table or hug the prince. Does Ulf have to act like Will Ferrell’s Elf to help us understand how unprepared he is for battle?
Anyway, Corlys tells Rhaenyra to attack King’s Landing while she has the high ground. Nah, she says.
We know where this is going, HBO. Get on with it!
Later, Coryls makes the mistake of saying hi to his bastard son Alyn and gets an ass-chewing for his failure as a father. Has Corlys done anything positive on this show?
At Harrenhal, Daemon continues to fret over whether to join Rhaenyra or take King’s Landing for himself. Viewers may recall the endless assortment of dreams this fucker experienced throughout the season, none of which persuaded him to bend the knee.
Alys Rivers, the local witch, cuts to the chase and shows him Game of Thrones Season 1-6. He sees Daenerys, the White Walkers, and other brief episodes but is spared from the awful finale. This alone convinces him to fight alongside Rhaenyra, which makes us wonder why the ghosts of Harrenhal tortured us with hours and hours of nonsensical dream sequences.
Suddenly, Daemon sees Rhaenyra’s importance and casts aside all selfish ambitions to aid her, er, selfish ambitions. When the Queen the Ever Was arrives, she’s surprised to find a contrite uncle/husband willing to swear his allegiance. She forgives him — his enormous army certainly helps in that regard — but fails to acknowledge that she is now, in fact, into women now. Honestly, he’d probably dig that.
Alright, the armies are assembled. Rhaenyra has her dragons. Aemond has his motivations. Ten minutes remain in the episode, plenty of time for a thrilling battle sequence.
Ah, what’s this? Rhaenyra is summoned downstairs and is surprised to find none other than Alicent standing in her living room. Eh, for the next ten minutes, the two women engage in a lengthy conversation that serves as a heavy-handed summary of the show. Then, she drops a bomb: Aemond is heading to the Riverlands, leaving King’s Landing vulnerable. She tells Rhaenyra that she will order the guards to lay down their weapons, allowing “The Pretender” to take the throne without violence. (Boo!) In exchange, she wants to leave with Helaena and live in peace somewhere. She also expects Rhaenyra to end this pointless war.
Rhaenyra’s like, nah, I want Aegon’s head. “A son for a son,” she says, likely having just watched Avatar: The Way of Water. Alicent must put her money where her mouth is and make the sacrifice.
Sure, she says.
It’s a fine scene, well acted and written, but good lord, it’s the final episode of the season! This quiet conversation would work as a nice counterbalance to a more action-oriented season. Alas, aside from Rook’s Rest, Season 2 spent too long tip-toeing along the edges of battle and refused to dive into the central conflict. We’ve endured a thousand of these quiet conversations without payoff and must now wait two years to see these two great houses go at it on the battlefield.
Even then, I suspect the showrunners will delay the violence for as long as humanly possible to ensure this series stretches to six, seven, or eight seasons. Sometimes I hate TV.
We also get awkward moments of Lady Rhaena chasing after a dragon near the Eyrie. Was she running for weeks on end in a dress?
House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 8 thoughts
Well, that’s it. That’s the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale. Maybe it wouldn’t be so frustrating if I could binge-watch the whole thing in one sitting. As it stands, this was a tremendous letdown, explicitly considering the length of time we were forced to wait. I don’t mind the occasional filler episode, but Season 2 felt like nothing but filler episodes sprinkled with a few critical character beats.
I don’t tune in to Game of Thrones for massive CGI battles. I want political intrigue, captivating character development, and intellectual drama packed with shocking twists and turns. For all its luscious dialogue and well-rounded characters, HOTD: S2 felt like an incredibly long wind-up to a battle we have yet to see.
That would be fine if the behind-the-scenes drama amounted to anything substantial. Rhaenyra’s pleas for peace grew increasingly redundant, as did Alicent’s non-stop moping and Daemon’s endless supernatural dealings. Aemond spent too long on the sidelines, Corlys accomplished nothing, and Criston morphed from a pathetic ex-boyfriend to a slightly less pathetic ex-boyfriend who no longer believes in anything. Supporting characters like Jace were given little to do, while a subplot involving the citizens of King’s Landing rising up against their rulers seems to have vanished entirely.
In short, this storyline did not require an eight-episode arc.
On a positive note, the acting remains top-notch. Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, and Matt Smith were terrific in their respective roles. Production values were likewise impressive, specifically the dragons. You could see the massive budget on screen at all times. Dialogue was also solid. I rarely found myself smirking at a line or clunky piece of exposition. For all its storytelling flaws, HOTD remains a cut above most shows from a production standpoint — you genuinely feel emersed in Westeros.
Yes, I will tune in for Season 3. Look, I’m too invested in the story, characters, and universe to turn away now. Season 2 felt like a long, arduous walk up a mountain. Hopefully, Season 3 will reach its peak and lead to the ultimate payoff. I still believe, even if my faith is shaken.
