House of the Dragon season 2 finale recap and review: Still marching on toward war

Somehow, some way, we've made it to the conclusion of House of the Dragon season 2. It feels like it just started! The eighth and final episode of the season premiered tonight on HBO and Max, giving fans some really great moments along with some disappointing ones. Overall, I enjoyed watching this episode, though I wish it could've been the penultimate with one more to go in the season. The writers have made it clear that the shorter season was not their decision, making me wonder what could've been with 10 episodes.

In any case, there's still a lot to talk about after the season 2 finale, so let's waste no time getting into it!

WARNING: Spoilers for the House of the Dragon season 2 finale are ahead.

Welcome to the Free Cities

The season 2 finale opens up in a new location as Tyland Lannister has arrived at the Free Cities and is looking to negotiate. The greens need help ending the blockade of the Gullet, and that's exactly what Tyland asks of them. The Triarchy understands that Aegon needs them more than they need him, and in return, they ask for the Stepstones. Tyland agrees, making it clear that the prince regent will not be happy with this exchange. Tyland is then told that the commander of their fleet must go with him, and he's surprised to see who the commander is. This is when we're introduced to Sharako Lohar, a character who is depicted as a man in the book but is seemingly gender non-conforming in the show. Played by trans actor Abigail Thorn, Lohar is certainly a fun addition to the show.

Lohar is referred to with "he/him" pronouns in the show, but the actor has used "she/her" pronouns when announcing her casting, so we will refer to them with "they/them" pronouns in this post to be as respectful as possible.

On the outskirts of King's Landing, we see Aemond up on Vhagar looking out to the city on fire. Angry with what's transpired, Aemond has lost his cool and set fire to Sharp Point, killing innocents in the process. Yikes. I still love Aemond, but he acts like a child sometimes. He could never rule fairly.

Larys wants Aegon to flee

Aegon is still bedridden, but Larys is still determined to get him to make a move. This time, however, Larys informs Aegon of Rhaenyra's upper hand and tells him that he needs to flee the city. It's too dangerous now that they're outnumbered by dragons, and Aegon's life is in danger. Not only because of the blacks, but Larys fears Aemond might try to take his brother's life again. Larys comes up with a plan to flee to Braavos, where he's stashed money, so they can hide out until the war is over. He explains that once Rhaenyra and Aemond kill each other, Aegon can come back to King's Landing and take the Iron Throne once again. Though Aegon doesn't want to, he eventually comes around. He also mentions that Sunfyre is dead, which would be a change from the book. He could always be mistaken, though.

Rhaena is still out in the fields of the Vale trying to find the dragon who's been residing there, but she's seemingly out of luck. Throughout the episode, we get quick scenes of her running, which feels unnecessary. We don't need the reminder that she's still there; we would've been fine with just seeing her find Sheepstealer. And yes, she eventually does find the dragon at the end of the episode.

Over at Dragonstone, Jacaerys finds Ulf and Hugh in the council room and is angry that Ulf is being so disrespectful. Hugh, on the other hand, is excited to meet the prince and gives him a hug. He's clearly not taking his new lifestyle seriously, something that greatly angers Jace. Hugh apologizes for Ulf, and after Jace threatens Ulf, he finally comes around and tells him he didn't mean any disrespect. The tension continues to grow between Jace and the dragonseeds, even if it is one-sided.

Rhaenyra plots her next move

Rhaenyra discusses her next move with Corlys, who believes the greens could have more dragons than they have anticipated. He brings up the fact that both Daeron and Helaena have dragons, though Rhaenyra doubts their threat, knowing Helaena would never fly Dreamfyre into battle. Corlys isn't so sure, plus he tells Rhaenyra that they can't underestimate Aemond's strength right now. He's desperate and he's angry. Corlys tells Rhaenyra that he's renamed his ship "The Queen Who Never Was" after his late wife before changing the subject to the elephant in the room — Daemon.

We then cut to Daemon at Harrenhal, who's finally raising up an army. Took long enough! Funnily enough, Alfred Broome arrives and commends Daemon on all his work in the Riverlands, slighting what Rhaenyra has accomplished. (He hasn't done that much, Alfred!) Alfred says he's there to find out what his intentions are, to which Daemon says they will march on King's Landing. Betraying Rhaenyra, Alfred says that if Daemon makes a claim, his lords will follow him. Despite Rhaenyra's good intentions, Alfred believes they need a king right now. From the shadows, Simon watches and listens to their conversation.

Helaena won't go to war

Aemond learns about how the dragonseeds scheme came about and orders that no ships or boats come or go from the harbor without inspection. He interrupts a conversation between Alicent and Helaena to ask Helaena to go to war with him on Dreamfyre, something she, unsurprisingly, rejects. Helaena doesn't want to kill anyone, but Aemond says they have no other choice. Not only is their claim being threatened, but their lives. Alicent defends Helaena and tells her son that she will not go, while Aemond grabs Helaena's arm and tries to pull her with him. In the end, he is not convincing and he storms off.

Heading towards the Riverlands, Criston and Gwayne have an interesting conversation while their army is camped out. Gwayne sees Criston take out Alicent's pocket tissue and confronts him, knowing they had a sexual relationship. Gwayne says he could send Criston to the Wall for it, and Criston explains that Alicent saved his life twice. At this point, Criston seems to have all but given up. He's certain they're marching to their deaths and finds relief in that.

The dragonseeds dine with royalty

At Dragonstone, Baela calls Jace out for all of his sulking and pouting and gives him a pep talk. She reminds him that just because Lowborn people can ride dragons, that doesn't take away his claim or honor. She tells him to go be at his mother's side where he belongs. This leads to a dinner with the dragonseeds, which is a little awkward. Rhaenyra is trying, but Ulf is totally ill-mannered and obnoxious. Despite this, Rhaenyra makes a toast and tells them that they will fly in two days. Baela is unsure, asking if they will have to kill innocents, while Jace is on board. Their dinner is interrupted by a message from Harrenhal. Simon sends a warning to Rhaenyra of potential treason, and Rhaenyra wastes no time leaving. She asks Addam to fly with her to the Riverlands to confront Daemon.

In Essos, Tyland is put to the test when Lohar tells him they'll go with him if he can take them in a fight. This fight, surprisingly, is mud wrestling, and Lohar is pleasantly surprised with his skills. They ask Tyland to stay for dinner, where they tell him they would be glad to sail by his side. There's another surprising moment here when Lohar asks Tyland to give them children, asking him to have sex with their wives. This is all brand new for Tyland, who looks stunned. You're not in King's Landing anymore, buddy!

In Harrenhal, Daemon has one more vision, which is a big one. This is a low point of the episode for me; I roll my eyes at this point whenever I see Alys and Daemon together and the whole thing feels so forced. Alys brings Daemon out to the Godswood and tells him he can find an omen. Once he puts his hand on the tree, he sees a vision of the Song of Ice and Fire being played out. There's the White Walkers, the Night King, and even an image of Daenerys in this off-putting animation. He then sees Rhaenyra on the Iron Throne, followed by an appearance from Helaena, who tells him this is all just a story he's part of and he should take his place in it. All in all, I don't like this scene. It does not feel organic at all and it's pretty cheesy.

Helaena knows Aemond's fate

Speaking of Helaena, we get another scene of her right after this which I enjoy a lot more. At King's Landing, Aemond tries to convince her to go to war on Dreamfyre again, and again, he's unsuccessful. This time, he isn't as aggressive, but Helaena has seen his fate and she knows she does not want to be part of this war. She asks him what he will do to her if she doesn't agree to fly to Harrenhal with him, calling him out for trying to kill Aegon. She tells him she saw what he did; he burned Aegon with Vhagar and let him fall.

Helaena then tells him of what else she's seen — Aegon will be on the throne again, and Aemond will be swallowed up by the Gods Eye and will die. This, of course, confuses Aemond, and he tells her she could be killed for treason. Her response here is awesome; she tells him that even if he did have her killed, that wouldn't change his fate.

There's a lot to unpack from this scene, but I'll make it quick. We know that Helaena has some kind of seeing power in which she has premonitions, so there's no reason to doubt that she's seen the future for Aemond and Aegon. If you've read Fire & Blood, then you'll absolutely know what she's referring to when she mentions the Gods Eye. Ewan Mitchell and Phia Saban are so great in this scene, and it makes me wish they weren't so underused.

Rhaenyra and Addam arrive at Harrenhal and Rhaenyra is greeted by Simon. He leads her into the castle where she finds Daemon's army, and Daemon quickly emerges. I also love this scene and it makes me realize that the season really suffers by keeping Daemon and Rhaenyra apart for so long. Their dynamic is such a huge part of the show, and Matt Smith and Emma D'Arcy have incredible chemistry. I didn't realize how much I missed them until they were together again.

Here, Rhaenyra is clearly nervous about what Daemon will say, but she's pleasantly surprised when he bends the knee. He tells her about a darker war coming after this — something Rhaenyra has been trying to tell him! — to which she says he sounds like Viserys. Daemon makes it clear that he believes she has the rightful claim to the throne, and once he bends the knee, so does the rest of his army.

Daemon is loyal to Rhaenyra again

Daemon and Rhaenyra have an entertaining exchange here in High Valyrian (I missed this language!) in which Rhaenyra basically threatens him to never leave her again. Daemon tells her that he wouldn't, as he's already tried and it didn't work. Daemon makes a speech to his army as they pledge for Rhaenyra, which is really awesome. Not going to lie, I got teary-eyed here. You're back in your place, Daemon! Fight for Rhaenyra! Let's go!

There are two other semi-important scenes before the ending that I'll touch on briefly. Alyn calls out Corlys for being a neglectful father, and Mysaria and Rhaenyra have a moment in which Rhaenyra expresses her regret over having to kill innocent people. After this, we get the big reunion between Rhaenyra and Alicent, which, if you'd seen any of the leaks (or were spoiled on social media), you'd likely know was coming.

Alicent shows up at Dragonstone in the middle of the night wanting to speak with Rhaenyra, who is absolutely shocked and angered to see her. Alicent opens up about everything she's done wrong and admits to clinging to her virtues when really she was just jealous of Rhaenyra. She wants to leave everything behind and move far away with Helaena, to which Rhaenyra questions why she should care. Why is Alicent telling her all of this?

Alicent finally gets to the point, saying that Aemond will soon leave King's Landing to meet Criston's army in the Riverlands, leaving the city open for the taking. She tells Rhaenyra that if she comes, the guards will let her in and she'll be known as a conqueror. Rhaenyra questions what Aegon will do, and is frustrated when Alicent says she might be able to convince Aegon to bend the knee. Rhaenyra knows this won't work; she's going to have to kill Aegon if she wants to take the Iron Throne from him.

Alicent chooses between Rhaenyra and Aegon

Rhaenyra then tells Alicent she must choose. She either has to leave Dragonstone and take back everything she's said, or she'll have to make a sacrifice, a "son for a son." Though Alicent doesn't verbally agree, she nods her head, which is agreement enough. They both cry, and Alicent tells Rhaenyra to fly to the Red Keep in three days. Rhaenyra tells Alicent that "history will paint [her] as a villain," but Alicent doesn't care about any of that anymore. Aligned on the plan, Rhaenyra allows Alicent to leave.

This scene between Rhaenyra and Alicent is major, and a major change from the book. Honestly, I don't mind this scene, and after thinking about it more, I've come around to like it. Most of that has to do with the amazing performances from D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke. They are giving it their all in this scene, which makes it super cathartic. The show has also made it clear that this is a story about Rhaenyra and Alicent, and even though book fans might not like that, this fits in with that narrative.

The ending montage of setup

The final minutes of the season 2 finale consist of a montage to wrap up the other characters' storylines and to set up what's to come in the war. This is a really thrilling ending to me, though it feels much more like the ending of a penultimate episode, not the ending of a season finale. I also understand frustrations over the realization that the season 1 finale ends with the war about to begin, and the season 2 finale ends with the war about to actually begin. In bullet points, here's how the episode ends:

• The dragonseeds get suited up, getting ready to fly out to war
• Multiple armies are seen marching, including House Hightower — along with Daeron's dragon Tessarion! — House Lannister, Daemon's new Riverlands army, the Triarchy, Corlys' army, and the Winter Wolves, a.k.a. the Northerners who support Rhaenyra
• Rhaena finally gets to Sheepstealer, though she doesn't claim him yet
• Otto makes an appearance... behind bars somewhere?!
• Larys and Aegon sneak out of the castle, on their way to Braavos
• Rhaenyra and Alicent look out to the sky, separately, fearing what's ahead

So that's how House of the Dragon season 2 comes to a close. There are book changes people won't be happy with, changes that will impact the rest of the show, but I think the writers can figure it out. So far, I haven't felt wronged by them yet, so even though there have been some questionable choices and some poor pacing, I still feel like this will all pay off. The season could've been much better with 10 or even nine episodes, but it is what it is. I still really enjoyed it overall.

House of the Dragon season 3 has been confirmed to be in the works, but we shouldn't expect it to be released until 2026. Let the countdown begin!