‘House of the Dragon’ season 2 finale, explained

The entire second season was a bit of a slow-burner in terms of plot and character development. Many viewers might even walk away feeling that nothing substantial happened to any of the characters. Sure, the pretender king got burned to an inch of his life and now his insane brother Aemond Targaryen is ruling in his stead with an iron fist. And granted, all of Daemon’s hallucinatory experiences in Harrenhal finally culminated in him seeing the truth about the future of Westeros and bowing to Rhaenyra as his rightful queen. But did we really wait 2 years for this?

The Dance of the Dragons and the accompanying gore galore we were anticipating in House of the Dragon season 2 was regrettably put off for now, but that doesn’t mean the show leaves viewers without anything to look forward to. Here’s a recap of everything that happened in the season 2 finale and what it means for the future of the series.

What happened in the House of the Dragon season 2 finale?

After finding three Dragonriders for her stock thanks to Addam of Hull, Ulf the White, and Hugh Hammer, Rhaenyra decides to take the war to the Greens and end this conflict without further bloodshed. Aemond, having been rebuffed near Dragonstone, is uncertain and furious, trying to recruit the help of his sister Helaena and her dragon to fight the Blacks.

Helaena refuses Aemond, which makes the regent even more desperate. At the same time, Tyland Lannister negotiates with the Triarchy and secures their ships for the war against the Sea Snake and his blockade.

Daemon is shown a final vision in Harrenhal, that of the Long Night descending on the Seven Kingdoms and the White Walkers coming down to destroy everyone. Daemon sees a vision of Daenerys and her three dragons and realizes that she has to support Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne. Rhaenyra receives word that Daemon might be thinking of putting forth his own claim now that the Riverland armies have been mustered, which compels her to ride to Harrenhal. Upon arriving, Daemon surprises Rhaenyra by bending the knee and proclaiming her the rightful queen.

In the final moments of the finale, titled “The Queen Who Ever Was,” Alicent comes to Dragonstone and offers Rhaenyra to come to King’s Landing in three days and claim the throne while Aemond and Vhagar are away. As for Alicent and Helaena, Rhaenyra agrees to allow them to live out their lives in peace.

The series then ends with a montage of the different armies in Westeros all preparing for war. Tyland and the Triarchy are arriving from the Narrow Sea, while Sea Snake joins the rest of the Velaryon fleet. Otto Hightower is shown to be in a cell, a mystery that remains unexplained for now, while Aegon and Larys Strong flee King’s Landing inside a wagon. The Hightower and Lannister armies march from the West, just as Daemon prepares to leave Harrenhal with the Riverlands host. Lastly, Rhaena finally finds the wild dragon roaming the Vale, with the show teasing the possibility that she might be the next Targaryen to become a Dragonrider.

And so, House of the Dragon season 2 comes to an admittedly uneventful end.

What to expect from season 3

With the odds turned so strongly in favor of Rhaenyra and her seven dragons, it’s safe to say that the Greens will be fighting for their lives in season 3. Rhaenyra is expected to be triumphant in the following episodes, and it’s highly likely for the Blacks to even seize King’s Landing without much resistance. But this wouldn’t be called the Dance of Dragons — the most devastating civil war in the history of Westeros — if it were so simple as that.

The Greens still have a few tricks up their sleeves in this game, and let’s not forget that the unaccounted son, Daeron Targaryen, will also be joining the fore with his dragon as a formidable opponent. In fact, as far as we viewers are concerned, this story is just beginning.