House of the Dragon Season 2: The Finale Explained

Where did the war go? Without it, what should we remember about the reunion between Rhaenyra and Alicent, as well as the final minutes announcing season 3?

Season 2 of House of the Dragon has just ended, and the least we can say is that it was not to everyone's taste. The Hollywood Reporter has also shared a collection of comments left on social networks after the broadcast of the last episode, which has a score of 6.4 out of 10 on IMDB, making it one of the lowest rated episodes of the entire series. Have we reached the stage of the season 8 finale of Game Of Thrones which, at the time, left a bitter aftertaste with fans? Not quite. But, for many, this last episode was far from being the expected finale – more like a penultimate episode. No big battle, no bloodshed and not many deaths (or off-screen, or even off-episode), the exploitation of the relationships between the characters and the endless advice have delayed the war announced from the beginning. It finally looms in the last minutes of the episode, and will most certainly open the ball in season 3 planned for 2026. Warning, spoilers galore!

House of the Dragon will end at season 4

How to explain this unexpected and unappreciated finale? Unlike the first season, which had ten episodes, this one only had eight. A reduction partly due to the strike that hit Hollywood last year, and which, inevitably, shortened the great story of this season. The final battle planned to properly close the season has therefore shifted to the next one. During a press conference, the showrunner, Ryan Condall, gave more explanations:

“One of the challenges of making television on any scale is that no one has infinite time or resources… We wanted to rebalance the story so that we have three great seasons, after the first one, to wrap it all up and tell it all. When you're trying to put the show together, what takes a huge amount of resources is the sets, the armor, the costumes, the special effects… we're trying to put together the Battle of the Gullet – which is arguably the second most anticipated battle of Fire and Blood – we try to give it the time and space it deserves (…)”

Taking place between the forces of Velaryon and those of the Triarchy, this battle, well known to readers, is one of the most striking after that of Rook's Rest, violently evoked in this season 2. Ryan Condall therefore felt that to do things well, it was necessary to be patient: “I apologize for the wait, but… with the whole team, we will deliver with the Battle of the Gosier.”

In this case, without a major battle, what should we remember from the last minutes of this episode?

“A son for a son”

First, there is the meeting between Rhaenyra and Alicent. The spectators have probably not forgotten that this is not their first meeting. Episode 3 also ended with a tense exchange between the two women. Hidden under a Septa's dress, Rhaenyra had managed to infiltrate the capital and exchanged a few words with Alicent in the hope of ending the war. From friend to friend, and not from enemy to enemy. But the Targaryen faced a wall.

Geeta Vasant Patel, who directed this episode, explained this choice to Variety stating that the relationship between Alicent and Rhaenyra was “the backbone of the season.”

House of the Dragon, season 2: the end of episode 3 explained

It is therefore not surprising that they are once again at the center of an episode staged by the same director. Neither encounter exists in George RR Martin's texts, but here, they echo each other. This time, it is Alicent who goes to Rhaenyra and hopes to reach a peace agreement. For VarietyGeeta Vasant Patel gives some insights into this scene:

“I didn't know if there was going to be a battle or anything. I probably would have wanted a battle, like any fan. And then I read the script, and I was pleasantly surprised and happy, because I think we've already put too much emphasis on battles. (…) We wanted Rhaenyra and Alicent to be like children again, that's what that scene is about. (…) They're like a divorced couple who still love each other.”

In this scene, Alicent admits to Rhaenyra that she has gone astray. Her only wish now is to be free. To which the blonde replies: “It's too late”. The same sentence that Alicent had replied to him during their previous meeting.

As a token of her goodwill, Alicent reveals her son's plans to him. Aemond's absence gives the Black camp free rein to take King's Landing. Alicent hands over the capital to him. Which absolutely does not happen in the novel. In GRR Martin's work, Rhaenyra attacks by surprise and forces Aegon's mother to choose between death or surrender. Alicent bends the knee, but warns the Targaryen that her son will return to depose her.

The relationship between the two female characters is therefore very different from one medium to another. And Alicent's delivery of King's Landing, just like her sacrifice – the execution of Aegon that she accepts – will change the future of the series. But things may not go as planned, as the last shots of this episode reveal.

Just like a trailer

As the episode draws to a close, the final shots announce what we must be patient for – in the manner of a trailer. We see the new dragon riders donning armor, the land armies on both sides taking up their positions: the Hightowers marching with the dragon of Daeron, Alicent's last son, above their heads, the Lannisters, the Riverlands and the Starks crossing the Twin Bridge, the Velaryon ships and those of the Triarchy, Otto Hightower returning but in a cage – an event that does not appear in the book – Rhaena discovering the dragon of the Vale, Sheep-thief, as well as Aegon far from the capital…

All the more reason to confirm to fans that this time, the war is indeed here! But now, we will have to wait until 2026 to see it ravage both camps.