Here we go!! Season 2 Episode 8 is what Game of Thrones fans were missing.
Rhanerya is prepping the bastards for the war, Aemond is losing it completely, Alicent has a redemption arc, Lord Corlys is being held accountable, and we get a glimpse of Ser Otto Hightower! A lot has happened in the season finale.
1. Rhaenyra & Alicent’s Conversation, Decisions & Future Explained
The essence of House of the Dragon season 2’s ending, as with so much of the plot, lies with Rhaenyra and Alicent. In a reversal of their earlier meeting in season 2, episode 3, Alicent now travels to Rhaenyra to discover a way to reduce the violence. In turn, Rhaenyra declares that it is “too late.” It’s an emotional scene that demonstrates why they’re at the heart of the show’s story and has far-reaching repercussions.
2. Why does Alicent Agree to Aegon’s Death? Will it happen?
Alicent’s initial hope is that Rhaenyra will capture King’s Landing and save her children, except Aemond (who she has realized cannot be brought back from his current path).
Rhaenyra, on the other hand, understands that she will never be completely accepted as queen unless she kills King Aegon, and Alicent hesitantly and unexpectedly agrees. She has no choice in some ways: Rhaenyra and her troops will attempt to kill Aegon regardless. However, the fact that she does approve demonstrates Alicent’s decline.
She helped launch this conflict to bring her son to the Iron Throne, albeit with a false belief, and she is now anxious to save herself and her daughter, Helaena.
Aegon is a sorrowful figure and a victim of his environment in many respects, yet he can also be extremely nasty. If Alicent had the option of having him die while saving the truly nice and innocent Helaena (and maybe Daeron) she would do that.
Alicent has always tried to prioritize responsibility, utilizing concepts such as honor, righteousness, and virtue to convince herself she was doing the right thing.
Now, that cloak must be removed: Alicent cannot perform the dutiful act that best serves her king. She chooses the route of freedom and, more significantly, her daughter above her son, who deserves the least suffering over the person who has caused the most. It’s Alicent’s best chance of defending what’s important to her and possibly saving her life.
The only problem, however, is that Rhaenyra does not kill Aegon, at least according to the book. He has, unbeknownst to Alicent, been smuggled out of the city by Larys Strong, which is also what happens in Fire & Blood. That means he won’t be there when Rhaenyra heads to the capital, and she won’t get the “son for a son“ price she demands.
3. Why did Daemon bend the knee to Rhaenyra Targaryen?
Daemon Targaryen had multiple visions at Harrenhal during House of the Dragon season 2, but the most significant came last. Alys Rivers prompts Daemon to touch the weirwood tree, which bears George R.R. Martin’s visage and gives him a vision of House Targaryen’s destiny in Game of Thrones. It has various key personalities and shocks, culminating in Daemon bowing the knee to Rhaenyra.
He sees Bloodraven or Brynden Rivers, who will certainly appear in the future Game of Thrones spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. He also sees the army of the dead, headed by a White Walker, dead dragons, and what appears to be the aftermath of the Battle of the Trident, which would end House Targaryen’s dominance in Westeros.
The vision shifts and Daemon sees Dany’s three dragons and their birthing. Daemon’s vision shifts again as he sees Rhaenyra sitting on the Iron Throne.
Helaena arrives in his vision, urging him to understand his position in the plot.
When Rhaenyra arrives at Harrenhal after receiving an alarming message about potential treason, Daemon bends his knee to her, having realized his and Rhaenyra’s parts in the prophecy of the Song of Ice and Fire.
4. Who imprisoned Otto Hightower in the Dungeon?
Otto Hightower has been missing ever since Aegon fired him from his position as Hand of the King, but he returns with a twist in the season 2 finale: he’s locked in a dungeon. There’s no telling exactly where he is or when this happened since all we see is the cell, which isn’t taken from the pages of Fire & Blood.
However, there are some standout possibilities.
Perhaps the most likely scenario is Otto is imprisoned in one of the Red Keep’s cells. Certainly, it appears identical and given that these are the cells we’ve seen on-screen many times, it would be the simplest approach to alert spectators to their location. It’s also highly probable that it happened through Larys Strong.
Aemond told Larys to send for Otto because he wanted him to return as Hand. Larys was offended by this, and he saw Otto as a clear threat to his quest for power and attempted to influence events to his advantage. He would also have the means to confine someone, including Otto, in a dungeon.
It does seem like someone is coming to visit Otto at the end, based on what appears to be a torchlight and him looking up. This could just be whoever is in charge of ensuring he is given food and drink to keep him alive, but if it’s a known character, then perhaps someone like Grand Maester Orwyle, who is loyal to Alicent and, thus, Otto.
If Otto isn’t at the Red Keep, there aren’t many apparent contenders other than any of Rhaenyra’s loyal houses. One such possibility is House Beesbury, which is rumored to be in mutiny following Lord Beesbury’s death at the hands of Ser Criston Cole. Their seat, Honeyholt, is on the road to Oldtown, which makes sense regarding geography and motivation, but it still feels a little more random than King’s Landing and Larys.
5. Does Rhaena Claim Sheepstealer?
Rhaena Targaryen briefly appears in the House of the Dragon season 2 finale as she searches for the wild dragon in the Vale of Arryn and finds him. This is most certainly Sheepstealer, the only wild dragon in Fire & Blood whom someone has claimed. But is that person Rhaena? In the book, the answer is no.
Sheep stealer is claimed by Nettles, a fierce bastard girl of 16, who brings him sheep every morning until he learns to trust her and then flies him into battle with the other dragon seeds.
House of the Dragon has seemingly cut Nettles and given season 2 ends with Rhaena coming face to face with Sheepstealer, it certainly appears she will be the one who claims the wild dragon.
Rhaena gets a dragon of her own in the book Morning, who hatches from one of the dragon eggs she took to the Vale. However, Morning isn’t big enough to fly in the Dance of the Dragons, so the showrunners might make few changes.
6. The Various Armies & Battles Set Up For House Of The Dragon Season 3
House of the Dragon Season 2 ends with a montage that reminds us exactly where everyone is at the end of Episode 8.
The various armies all amass and begin to converge on King’s Landing. We have:
- The Hightower host is joined by an unseen (uncast) Daeron Targaryen and his dragon, Tessarion.
- The Lannister army, led by Jason Lannister, is moving towards the Red Fork.
- The Winter Wolves, the “greybeards” dispatched by Lord Cregan Stark of Winterfell, cross The Twins and enter the Riverlands.
- The Velaryon fleet was led by Lord Corlys Velaryon and his bastard son, Alyn of Hull.
- The Triarchy’s warships, led by Admiral Lohar (who has been gender-swapped for the show), are joined by Tyland Lannister.
There are several battles to be fought here. The Lannisters will initially face off at the Battle of the Red Fork, which occurs at a crossing of the western riverlands.
The Hightower army and Daeron and Tessarion will participate in the Battle of the Honeywine, which will take place in the Reach against numerous Team Black houses, notably the Beesbury.
The Winter Wolves would march into multiple fights across the Riverlands, notably the conflict at the Lakeshore, often known as Fishfeed, the bloodiest land conflict of the Civil War. Meanwhile, the Velaryon fleet and the Triarchy will clash in the Battle of the Gullet, expected to be the largest and deadliest naval battle in Westeros history.
7. What To Expect From House Of The Dragon Season 3?
HBO has confirmed that House of the Dragon season 3 will occur, so viewers will not be left wondering whether these events will be resolved. When the third season arrives, we can confidently expect Rhaenyra to take over King’s Landing with Daemon by her side fairly early on.
Likewise, the Battle of the Gullet should occur in the first few episodes. It’s also likely that Aemond and Daemon’s God’s Eye meeting will take place, but they may prefer to postpone it.
All the stories in the House of the Dragon season 2 finale are leading to bigger things, and so there will be a lot more to come in season 3.
The biggest question is when we’ll get to see it. There were almost two years between seasons 1 and 2. With A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms slated to premiere in 2025, House of the Dragon season 3’s release date being sometime in Summer 2026 is a reasonable bet.
8. About House Of The Dragon
House of the Dragon is the prequel series to HBO’s blockbuster Game of Thrones based on George R. R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood.
Set three hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon will show Westeros under the Targaryen family’s rule before the dragons went extinct. It will follow the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war between siblings Aegon II and Rhaenyra, who fought for the throne after the death of their father, Viserys I.
Directed by Ryan Condall and Miguel Sapochnik, the show stars Paddy Considine as Viserys I Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Craney as Aegon II Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Rhaenys Velaryon, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole, and Graham McTavish.
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