Almost two months after it started, the second season of “House of the Dragon” (yes, HOT and Cellcom TV) ended – and left us with a sweet-sour taste in the mouth: those who expected an explosive ending with the big battle were disappointed to find that the episode ended with a montage which felt like an excellent trailer for the next season, which will probably only arrive in two years. And on the way there was also another exciting union of the companies that became rival kingdoms, the return of one of the most important armies from the first season, a king who lost his life and a glimpse of the future of the series with touches that connect it to the sister “Game of Thrones”.
Let’s start with the montage that ended the episode (and the season): it is very upsetting, mainly because part of it was already in the trailer for the episode that was released last week. Usually the creators include essential parts of the episodes in the trailers, but this time they just showed us the final scene, which is actually the beginning of the next season. It’s a bit of a scam, because the average viewer really expected a big fight – which not only didn’t come, it also won’t come in the next two years.
So what do we see here? Thailand Lannister (Jefferson Hall), Secretary of the Treasury and Ships of Eymond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), manages to convince the strange members of the triad to join the navy at an exorbitant price that can still come back to them like a boomerang. At the same time his brother Jason (also Jefferson Hall) arrives with the Lannister army, and a reinforcement of several houses gathered along the way, to what appears to be the “Red Fork” – the intersection of two rivers right next to Arnhall. Additionally we see the forces of House Hightower, who arrive from Oldtown along with Eymond Targaryen’s younger brother and his rather small dragon.
On the other hand, it looks like the old but veteran Stark family soldiers have finally crossed the Twin Bridges – bringing them closer to the river region to fight alongside Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma d’Arcy). Corlys and Elarion (Steve Toussaint) prepares their naval fleet along with his bastard son, and all the dragon riders prepare themselves for battle as well, including Olaf White (Tom Bennet) who turns out to be the most annoying Targaryen (and the competition is tough). If you have to bet, the battle may be approaching Arnhall, but even at sea a clash between the two sides is expected.
The most exciting part of the episode is in the gap of the reunion of Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and the old friend who became her enemy – Rainira. And in stark contrast to their previous encounter, the balance of power has changed: Alicent is tired of the war and just wants to be free, and on the other hand, Rhaenyra feels at her strongest moment and takes advantage of it. Rhaenyra asks for the head of Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Kearney), Alicent’s son, in addition to her smooth ascent to the Iron Throne. Rhaenyra could have let Aegon escape and just take the kingship, but it seems that the power corrupts her too and turns her evil – just as it will happen centuries later with Daenerys, this is probably human nature in “House of the Dragon” as well.
Rhaenyra asks “a son for a son” from Alicent, an excessive request by any standards given that Damon had already “made sure” to take a son for a son when he arranged the murder of Aegon’s son. And despite the excellent deal Alicent is offering, it’s hard to see it coming to fruition. Will Aymond really go into battle in “three days”? Will Rainieria give up the head of Aegon who has already managed to escape? And will Alicent even manage to come back? After all, at the beginning of the episode, we hear Eymond’s request to check every boat that leaves and enters the king’s house, and the last time the girls met, Rhaenyra arrived with a boat, so it is likely that this is how Alisant left as well. It is also important to note that the scene is not in the books, so unless the creators of the series change the plot here: there is no real importance to this meeting.
And after the most exciting part in the episode – there is no doubt that the most significant part is the dream on duty of Damon Targaryen (Matt Smith), who is still stuck in Harrenhall. Alice Rivers (Gail Rankin) appears at Damon’s bed crying (who believed that witches have feelings too), and leads him to the Heart Tree located in Harrenhall. For those who don’t remember from Game of Thrones, this is the same tree that turned Bran Stark into the all-seeing, all-knowing three-eyed raven. Damon touches the bleeding tree – maybe it’s the blood that appeared on his hands in all the dreams he’s had so far? – and begins to foresee the future, not before he sees a strange creature near the trees. Because there are several theories about who it is, we will have to wait for an unequivocal answer.
They may be in the next part Spoilers For seasons to come, but don’t blame us, that’s what Damon sees. The beginning of the vision is with Brayden Rivers, the original three-eyed raven, who is not yet born in this time period but is supposed to represent the beginning of the vision. And Game of Thrones viewers were also supposed to recognize two particularly beloved characters in the dream – the Night King and the silhouette of Daenerys Targaryen with the dragon eggs. These two clues connect the two series, and give confirmation that Damon’s vision is real.
In addition, Damon arrives at the scene of a difficult dragon fight – where he sees three or four dead dragons and then his own figure plunges to its death. Are these hints for the next battle? Recall that Alice Rivers tells Damon “You will die here”, and Harnhall is right next to the “God’s Eye” lake. In the next scene we see Helena Targaryen (Pia Saban) talks to Eymond and tells him that he will be swallowed up in the “Eye of God” – so apparently, he and Damon may meet their deaths in the same lake. And Damon’s vision is also important in his final surrender to Rainier: he sees her on the throne and realizes that in the end he is only part of a story, a motif we know well from “Game of Thrones” and its series finale. Even the accommodation joins the vision, and strengthens it. She makes us wonder if there is any connection between her and Alice Rivers, because she can see the future, the past and places she is not. And if so, why didn’t she save her son?
Just after the final episode of the season, HBO announced that the next season will begin filming in early 2025 – and that “Dragon House” will end after its fourth season, which means we have passed the middle of it. In addition, the creators stated that one of the first plot points will be the battle known as the “Battle of the Gullet”, and those who want to understand what that means, should check it out for themselves. Until that happens, the second season admittedly left a taste for more but also changed the balance of power, turning Rhaenyra into a monster with a huge amount of dragons and Alicent into a broken vessel. And if the first season felt like a long foreplay, it has already brought us some important individual battles. Things definitely started to move, but in the end we will remember this season as a season that was a preparation for what will finally come in the third season. Or at least we hope so.
Did you find a language mistake?
