Previously on HBO’s House of the Dragon, Aegon and Sunfyre reunite; meanwhile, Alicent finds Aemond and convinces him to come home. Seeing that Alys doesn’t like her, Alicent has no choice but to drug her son to escape Harrenhal.
The season finale of House of the Dragon is officially here, and it did not disappoint. Between the intense action sequences and the quieter emotional moments, the episode delivers plenty of chaos, heartbreak, and tension as the season comes to an end.
The episode starts with Rhaenyra learning the news that Aegon is alive and Sunfyre has risen. Rhaenyra freaks out and is scared of what could happen, but Daemon does his best to assure her that nothing will happen. She then decides that she will kill Aegon, while making sure Daemon and the army take care of Ormund and Daeron.
Before the battle begins, Rhaenyra wields her newfound power. She expels Mysaria from King’s Landing, places Baela in a cell for insubordination, and orders Alyn the Hull to murder the Septon’s high priest. Fortunately, Mysaria escapes her captors after warning Halaena that Rhaenyra is not safe. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra tries talking to Halaena, as she learns that the girl has been starving herself and her unborn child. With Halaena not listening, Rhaenyra has guards force-feed her.
As the battle nears, Ormund learns that Ulf is nowhere to be found. While he’s looking for him, Gwayne Hightower grabs Lord Corlys to bargain with Daemon, Ser Roderick, and the Team Black soldiers. Gwayne promises Daemon everything if he will allow Daeron to rule Oldtown. Corlys agrees. Daemon gets angry at the idea and threatens Gwayne in a chokehold before harshly letting him go and taking Lord Corlys as his hostage.
At Alys’ home, Aemond awakes from hearing noise only to see that Sunfyre has come with Aegon. Aegon planned to kill his brother, but Aemond begs for forgiveness. Only after Aegon sits on the Iron Throne will he then forgive his brother.
Daemon takes Caraxes and makes it inside Tumbleton to find Ormund. He runs into Ormund’s right hand and a mighty duel instead. Meanwhile, Ormund finds Ulf asleep in the bathroom and violently orders him to do as he’s told. Ulf flies his dragon and burns the Targaryen soldiers, showing that he’s turned. But he also attacks the Hightowers, killing Ormund while he fights Ser Roderick. Ulf destroys the castle, which collapses with Daemon underneath the rubble. He awakes with minor injuries. As he’s making his way around, Corlys finds him and calls the battle lost. They must return to King’s Landing.
At the end of the episode, Rhaenyra learns that Halaena has killed herself.
One theme that stands out in this episode is desperation. With the war reaching forward to the finale, several characters are pushed to their limits and forced to make decisions under extreme pressure. Rhaenyra, in particular, is desperate to prevent the situation from getting even worse, while others are simply trying to survive. We also see this from Daemon, Ormund, and even Gwayne. Desperation in this episode doesn’t look the same for everyone mentioned. They all have their own wants and needs and are willing to go to certain lengths to satisfy those.
Another major theme is the consequences of war. Throughout the entirety of the episode, we see everyone– civilians, soldiers, and families- being affected by the war and having to fight for their lives and try to survive. There’s still a cost in having a war even if the only means is to win. There’s a scene where Daemon looks around him and notices people crying and hovering over their dead loved ones. And in that moment, it clicks for him that just because they won doesn’t mean innocent people wouldn’t have gotten hurt. This is the case with Hugh the Hammer, as he finds his wife was a casualty of the war.
Overall, this was a great episode for a season finale. Although it’s hard to tell if Daeron was killed or not, it was slightly satisfying to see Ormund Hightower get flamed off. There was a lot of action, satisfying moments, and emotional moments as well. Everyone did an incredible job, but Matt Smith stole the show. He showed that Daemon can be strong and courageous, while also acknowledging his mistakes. Rumor is that we will have to wait another two years for season 4, but will that be the case?
Rating: 10/10