House of the Dragondidn’t move as far as it needed to this season. The final episode, “The Queen Who Ever Was,” leaves the building war on the verge of boiling over, as it has been since Aemond killed Luke. A lot of people will be frustrated at the end of this season. It’s hard to tell whether the extremely high quality of the episode makes this disappointment better or worse. The wait will be a struggle, but perhaps the eventual Dance will be worth it.
“The Queen Who Ever Was” comes from two notable veterans ofHouse of the Dragon. Director Geeta Vasant Patel also helmed the eighth episode of season one and thethird episode of season two. Writer Sara Hess is an executive producer on the show who also wrote the scripts for the sixth and ninth episodes of season one and the second episode of season two. Their creative voices remain strong as the show rockets toward something new.
Release Date
July 04, 2025
This episode, like many that came before it, is mostly about the push and pull that will eventually lead Rhaenyra to choose war. The rightful queen suffered loss after loss in the early days, but the Blacks are making a comeback now.Last week, Rhaenyra sacrificeda bunch of distant relatives to acquire two bona fide dragon riders, massively increasing her potential fire output and leaving Vhagar feeling inadequate. Her two new knights are radically different. Hugh Hammer is a consummate professional who holds himself to the honor of an honest man. Ulf White is bumbling, arrogant, and almost hilariously full of himself as his barroom braggadocio finally nets him a legendary position. He earned Jace’s ire before he said a word, but his bad attitude has half the court ready to feed him to his own beast. Rhaenyra’s hand is as strong as it may ever be, but she’s still holding back.
Meanwhile, the Greens are a bit more concerned about internal squabbles. Larys Strong comes to Aegon’s aid, offering him a way out of King’s Landing before Aemond makes good on his implicit threats.Old One-Eye works outhis feelings after seeing the new dragons firsthand by burning Sharp Point, one of Rhaenyra’s supporters' hometowns. Aemond does not handle the shift in power well. He wants Helaena to mount her dragon, one of the oldest and mightiest in the region, and join the fight. Helaena disagrees, and Alicent backs the young queen, standing up to her son. Aemond can’t even count on Cole anymore. Watching a legitimate dragon war break out in front of him has sapped Cole of all his fighting spirit. He’s now actively looking forward to his death, finally catching up with 90% of the audience. Everyone seems prepared to leap off of Aemond’s sinking ship, though he’s just added a few new ships to the pile.
The episode opens on and repeatedly returns to a running comedic bit in which Lord Tyland Lannistertravels to the Triarchyto buy some ships and break the blockade. The blockade has been a consistent problem for the small folk of King’s Landing. Tyland has to parley with the pirates, which involves selling off the Stepstones. Fans may recall that island chain as the subject of the early conflicts in the show’s first season. It’s notable for being mostly unconquerable. Tyland then meets his new general, Abigail Thorn’s Sharako Lohar. Thorn, most famous for the Philosophy Tube YouTube channel, is a delight and a source of much-needed levity. She puts uptight Tyland through a few rounds of torment before signing on for the naval battle. She’ll presumably meet Corlys and his ship, now known as “The Queen that Wasn’t” in honor of his late wife, in a fight next season.
Where do Daemon’s allegiances lie?
Most ofDaemon’s arc has been himrepeatedly crossing and uncrossing a line. He really considers betraying his queen, declaring for himself, and leading his Harrenhal army to victory. Now that he finally has the army, he’s getting conflicting visions. Alfred Broome arrives to check on his progress and, lucky for Daemon, discovers that the rogue king consort is doing great. Broome quickly offers the opportunity to betray Rhaenyra and lead the Riverlords on his own. The critical moment comes when Alys Rivers comes to Daemon in his sleep. The mysterious witch leads Daemon to the godswood, where he lays his hand on the heart tree. This gives Daemon a brief premonition in which he essentially watchesGame of Thrones. He sees the dragons die out, the White Walkers in the North, the dragons returning to Daenerys, and his own death. It all leads to Rhaenyra on the throne, seemingly the only outcome that prevents the Battle of Winterfell. Of course, every point of his vision has a relevant comparison point in his own life, but it still has an impact. Rhaenyra flies to Harrenhal on Simon Stone’s advice, wary of the possibility of betrayal. She asks him his loyalties point-blank, and he bends his knee to his wife. After all of that,Daemon is finally a team player.
Where doesHouse of the Dragonseason two leave off?
The war willdefinitely begin next season. The finale comes in the form of a heartfelt chat between Alicent and Rhaenyra. Just like Rhaenyra did a few weeks ago, Alicent sneaks her way into her enemy’s chambers. The back-and-forth is as compelling as it was last time. Alicent is prepared to let Rhaenyra into the Red Keep to save her daughter and dethrone her worst son. Rhaenyra, bizarrely, lives up to Alicent’s worst beliefs about her by demanding Aegon’s head. Her unwillingness to let this go leads both sides to their steadfast, ongoing conviction that there’s no easy way out of this. Sure enough,Alicent leaves empty-handed, and everyone prepares for war. This montage features the following:
Though the finale is unquestionably underwhelming,House of the Dragondeliversa stunning display of emotional motivation and personal conflict. The season unquestionably felt a bit disappointing. It can’t have all been leading up to this. Dragons would struggle to carry the weight sitting on next season’s shoulders. Fans will have to tuck in for a long wait and hope for the best because Houseof the Dragonwill return.
