WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE SEASON FINALE OF HOUSE OF THE DRAGON. PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
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When initially telling people my thoughts on Sunday’s episode of HBO’s House of the Dragon, I kept it simple; it made me scream, cry, and want to throw up.
This season brought a whirlwind of emotions. As a fan of George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood, I thought I was going into all this well prepared. I knew what was to come, and yet the writers once again brought everything to life so well that I felt like I was going into this season blind once again.
We were introduced to the green’s side in episode 9, where we saw how Queen Alicent and her merry men of usurper’s plotted and schemed to take the throne for themselves, and crown Aegon II instead of Rhaenyra.
One thing I did admire about that episode is that we see how Alicent still tries to protect Rhaenyra, even after betraying her. Viewers are speculating that there is a hidden romantic love between the two queens, but we will have to see what the writers will do with that in later seasons. Personally, I wouldn’t be opposed, as it gives the betrayal an even more heartbreaking feeling to it.
As we dive into episode 10, the teams now change to the blacks. Keep in mind they are getting their information after the coronation of Aegon II, when Rhaenys escaped King’s Landing. But of course, not before the most badass stare down scene I have ever witnessed between Meley’s and the greens.
Right from the start, Rhaenyra is informed that not only her father has died, but that Alicent has betrayed her and has crowned Aegon as king. Being so distraught, we witness a very graphic scene of her giving birth too early to her stillborn daughter. Daemon, of course, is grieving with her, but as his scenes show a more war hungry and almost violent side, a lot of viewers are angry with his portrayal.
However, none of these characters are supposed to be all good or all evil. Dameon is a temperamental Targaryen who has just lost more family in a day than he has in a while. After this, it is revealed that maybe King Viserys didn’t trust him as much as he thought he did during the time Dameon was set to be heir, and it sets him off. He is losing family left and right and the thought of Rhaenyra being as weak as his brother and giving into the greens creates an angry feeling.
I do not condone his reaction to all of this, but I will say the writers were right to put that into the show. He is not perfect, and deeply flawed; he is the “rogue prince” Daemon Targaryen.
And of course, going into the final scene, where most of the heartbreak and tears occurred; The Siege of Storm’s End.
I knew we would leave off on this, as this is the event that kickstarted the Dance of the Dragons from a diplomatic situation to a full-blown messy war. And yet, I wasn’t prepared for what the writers turned it into.
In the book, we are only told of what happened from the Maesters’ side. None of them were there to witness what really happened, so the details are vague; Aemond killed Luke while they were riding their dragons out of Storm’s End. There is no emotion shown between the two, and it portrays Ameond as being a horrible blood thirsty person.
What we were given instead were two children who had absolutely no control over their dragons. As the late King Viserys once told Rhaenyra, “The idea that we control the dragons is just an illusion.” As the tensions were high between the riders, the storm blew out of control, it was a recipe for disaster. The dragons taunted each other, and Vhagar was out for blood.
Many viewers are saying that Vhagar, being so old, could possibly have dementia. Many believe that in the moment, Veghar believed she was with Visenya again, fighting the dark haired Dornish (or in this case, a dark-haired Luke) who dared to threaten her rider.
Whatever it was that went through her head, I don’t think I’ll ever forget the sounds of Aemond pleading with Vhagar to stop, and the look on his face when he realized the consequences of his actions; he took a war dragon out to antagonize a smaller dragon, and Vhagar’s instincts enacted when thinking she was under attack.
As we see Daemon give the news to Rhaenyra at the end of the episode, the look she gives the camera is chilling. It is pain, it is suffering, it is full blow murder. My finals thoughts on this season, and where we will start again in 2024 are simple:
An eye for an eye. A son for a son.