TV Series Review: ‘House of the Dragon’ end of season review

House of the Dragon wraps up after a thrilling 10-episode run in its first season and rewards its fans with a finale that sets up an all-out war full of fire and dragons for the Iron Throne. This hopefully leads to what fans sorely missed out on in the disappointing end to Game of Thrones season eight.

Spoilers Ahead

HBO (Home Box Office) bounces back with some of its best work for those who have waited so long to see the Game of Thrones universe back on top, giving fans a dance of dragons and a flurry of swords.

From the mind of George R.R. Martin, House of the Dragon is masterfully directed by Miguel Sapochnik, and tells the tale of the Targaryen dynasty 200 years before the birth of the mother of dragons and shows the rise and inevitable fall of the House of the Dragon through greed, deceit and manipulation.

George R.R. Martin, the original author of ‘A Game of Thrones.’ Source: Wikimedia Commons

The second half of the season following the mid-season finale makes the bold choice of jumping forward 10 years in time, a decision that up to this point was easing forward in small jumps at a time. Due to this decision, many of the younger actors in the show were recast including the show's two main protagonists. Rhaenyra Targaryan, previously played by Milly Alcock, is now taken over by Emma D'Arcy and Alicent Hightower previously played by Emily Carey is now played by Olivia Cooke.

D’Arcy plays the role of Rhaenyra in a more reserved manner than Alcock's fierce performance as she seems to have settled into the duties bestowed upon her within her marriage to Ser Laenor Velaryon (played by John Macmillan). Similarly, Cooke plays her role with much more poise and acts very self-serving than previously seen before, most likely due to Alicent’s loss of trust within the House and the resentment built up within her over the years.

Despite this jarring change in actors after five episodes both Cooke and D’Arcy settle into their roles quickly and a decision which could have possibly derailed the upward course of the series only acts as a bump in the road as we learn quickly of the journey both of our protagonists have followed settling into the life, they have become complaisant in.

We meet D’Arcy as Rhanarya in episode six with her giving birth to her third child Joffrey Velayron, in a very tense scene full of emotion, upon her child's birth Queen Alicent calls for the newborn to be brought to her immediately. Despite the gruelling pain Rhanarya insists on being the one to take her child to the queen as we see the two remain cold towards each other. This moment reveals that the child of both Rhaenyra and Laenor does not share the white hair of her parents and fuels rumours of ill faith within the relationship, with Ser Harwin Strong (played by Ryan Corr) at the centre of the allegations.

Episode seven begins with a funeral for Daemon's wife Leana, who since we last saw him has spent the last six years building a family of two daughters with the third dying during labour, causing Leana to kill herself in a moment of grief. The funeral also lends itself as a reunion between Daemon and his brother Viserys as well as Rhaenyra. Following the funeral, a confrontation between Alicent and Rhaenyra’s children leaves the queen's youngest missing an eye. Tensions rise to a boiling point when Alicent charges Rhaenyra with a blade. Meanwhile, a plot between Rhaenyra and Daemon to fake Leanors death so that they can wed one another, the episode ends with Leanors supposed death and escape from his duties.

The logo in use throughout the show. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Episode eight starts with a further six-year time jump as we see King Viserys still clinging on to life as his health is shown repeatedly to be declining with each episode. Rhaenyra and Daemon return to kings landing with their family now grown facing Alicent’s children, Lucerys Velaryon (played by Elliot Grinhault) previously taking an eye from Aemond Targaryan (played by Ewan Mitchell) who now sports an eye patch and menacing grin towards his cousins. Despite Viserys ill health, he orders a family dinner surrounded by those most important to him in a brief moment of bliss smiling faces from both sides of the family. The episode ends with Viserys laying in his bed weak reaching out for his first wife Aemma, but not before telling Alicent a few words that would shape the trajectory of the realm moving forward.

Aegon the second (played by Tom Glynn-Carney) the eldest son of Alicent is to be declared king, due to Viserys final words towards Alicent revealing his dying wish for Aegon to be king in a misunderstanding that saw Viserys speak of Aegon the conqueror's prophecy of Ice and Fire. A search for Aegon comes underway, and the hand of the king (played by Rhys Ifans) gathers up all those who may oppose the new king's succession and asks them to bend the knee. The episode ends with the new king Aegon being sworn into power with the people of Kings Landing watching on when a dragon crashes from under the floor of the Red Keep disrupting the ceremony.

House of the Dragon ends as strong as it starts with its finale, a heart-breaking course of events that sees Lucerys die at the hand of Aemond in a battle on dragon back and sets up a season two of even greater heights. This death comes from Rhaenyra’s scrabble to find alliances in the realm and her eldest son Jacaerys Velaryon (played by Harry Collett) suggesting both he and his brother meet face to face to convince potential allies of her succession as Queen. The beginning of the episode sees Rhaenyra lose her and Daemons child as a stillborn, the further loss of Lucerys sees something inside her snap. The death of Lucerys is revealed to Rhaenyra in a muted scene at the end of the episode where we see her turn to face the camera with a look of hate and heartbreak as she knows war now must be waged.

Episodes can be streamed on repeat on NOW. -★★★★☆