Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for House of the Dragon’s Season 2 finale.
TheSeason 2 finaleofHouse of the Dragoncertainly brought resolution to many of the conflicts that have lingered throughout the past eight episodes, but ultimately ended up leaving much to the imagination of viewers as they eagerly await the true beginning ofthe war between dragons. IfHBO’s past production timelines for shows of this scale tell us anything, it is clear that the audience will have to waitat least a year or twobefore finding out what will happen to all of their favorite Westerosi characters. With tensions between the Blacks and the Greens hitting an all-time high in the final moments of the season, many unanswered questions linger — and it remains to be seen when they’ll be answered.
House of the Dragon
The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO seriesGame of Thrones.Based on George R.R. Martin’sFire & Blood,House of the Dragonis set nearly 200 years beforeGame of Thrones, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.
Where Is Otto Hightower, and Who Captured Him?
SinceEpisode 3of this season, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) has seemingly been absent from any events of the war where he was once a key player. He was sent away by the then-king, Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) after expressing frustration at his grandson’s reckless and violent behavior following the events ofBlood and Cheese. Throughout the season, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) hinted at his suspiciously uncharacteristic silence and refusal to respond to her letters, which all came to a head in the finale. In the final moments of the season, Otto is quickly shown in some sort of confinement, conjuring questions aboutwhere he is being kept and who exactly captured him.
While it is hard to discern anything about the environment Otto is being kept in, it’s safe to assume it is some sort of cell or dungeon that he is unable to escape from. The possibility that Otto never truly left King’s Landing is certainly a valid theory, especially considering one of the most reasonable guesses about who could be behind his imprisonment is Larys Strong (Matthew Needham). Otto Hightower is certainly no fool, so it would take someone as cunning and mischievous as Larys to conjure a plan to capture and hide him without anyone knowing. With the Greens needing more help than ever before,the whereabouts of Ottoare destined to be answered in the season to come.
Will Rhaena Bond With Sheepstealer?
In the same final montage, Rhaena Targaryen(Phoebe Campbell) is shown coming face to face with the wild dragon Sheepstealer after a long history of being unable to bond with dragons. Throughout the season, we see Rhaena struggle with her inability to claim a dragon of her own, especially after Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) asks her to leave Dragonstone to guard her youngest children far away from the looming war.
In her journey across the realm, Rhaena learns of awild dragon that has been roaming around and feasting on sheep in the Vale, and the finale follows her quest to locate the beast. The episode only features a brief glimpse of the moment Rhaena first lays eyes on Sheepstealer, a dragon that is regarded as vicious and hard to tame in the widerSong of Ice and Firelore. Although assumptions can be made about the events that follow their initial meeting, no one can say for surewhether she will successfully bond with the dragonor if this encounter will end in a much more tragic way.
‘House of the Dragon’ Showrunner Reveals When Production Will Begin for Season 3
The co-showrunner also revealed the planned number of episodes for the upcoming season.
Will Alicent Be Able to Keep Her Promise to Rhaenyra?
One could certainly assert that the entirety ofHouse of the Dragonthus far has been primarily a story of the friendship between Alicent and Rhaenyra.The relationship between these two charactershas long served as the backbone of the show, and in more recent events, been the cause of major developments in the ongoing war. In the final moments of the final episode,Alicent makes a promiseto Rhaenyra that will allow her to take full control of King’s Landing and ultimately take her spot on the Iron Throne. In order to do this, Rhaenyra explains to Alicent that she will be forced to kill her son Aegon, which Alicent agrees to.
Alicent may seem genuine in her desire to leave the war behind her, but she is blissfully unaware of Aegon and Larys Strong’s recent decision back in King’s Landing. Fearing the threats of Prince Regent Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) andRhaenyra’s newfound wealth of dragonriders, Aegon and Larys decide to flee the Red Keep until it is safe to return. With her son on the run and the possibility of deceit, there is a chance thatAlicent’s vow to end the warby betraying her family will ultimately be broken.
What Will Become of Rhaenyra and Mysaria’s Relationship?
Following thesurprising kiss scene between Rhaenyra and Mysaria(Sonoya Mizuno) inEpisode 6of this season, many were left wondering exactly what will become of the budding romance between the two key players of Team Black. The final two episodes of Season 2 did not spend much time exploring this dynamic, instead switching its focus to the estranged relationship between Rhaenyra and her husband Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith). As shown in their intense reunion atHarrenhalin the finale, it appears that Rhaenyra and Daemon have found their way back to each other and plan to keep it that way.
While this mending between Rhaenyra and Daemon may prove beneficial to their war efforts, it certainly will complicate the close working relationship that Mysaria and the Black Queen have developed in Daemon’s absence. Considering Mysaria has her own troubled romantic past with Daemon, it would not be surprising if she harbored resentment against Rhaenyra for leaning more into the guidance of her husband rather than her own.Only time will tell if the three will be able to work togetherin order to secure Rhaenyra her place on the Iron Throne.
When Will the Battle of the Gullet Happen?
After the fatefulBattle of Rook’s RestinEpisode 4of this season, viewers have been awaiting the next large battle to commence between the Blacks and the Greens. In Season 2, the show regularly featured Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and his bastard sonAlyn of Hull(Abubakar Salim) preparing his damaged ship to return to sea and battle, which has led to a lot of anticipation of seeing the Velaryon fleet in action. In the finale, Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) is also shown rallyingthe pirates of the Triarchyto lend their fleet of ships to the Greens' cause. It may have seemed like the show wasgearing up to feature the famedBattle of the Gulletin the finale, but audiences ultimately were not treated to a large fighting sequence. It may be safe to assume that the writers are saving this major event for the premiere episode of Season 3, but we can’t know for sure exactly when this fateful battle will transpire.
What’s Next for Daeron Targaryen and Cregan Stark?
Some viewers may have expected to meetsome future key players in the warbetween dragons in the finale, but ultimately were left wondering how and when they would join the fight. The very first sequence in Season 2 ofHouse of the Dragonfeaturesthe nostalgic return of House Stark and Winterfellwhen Prince Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett) meets with Cregan Stark(Tom Taylor) to rally him to Rhaenyra’s side. Although this may be one of the most memorable scenes from the entire season, we’re not shown Cregan or his army again — his brief appearance in the finale’s ending montage wasreportedly cut from the episode.
Another character that has been teased for a large part of Season 2 isDaeron Targaryen, the third and youngest son of Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) and Alicent, who has spent his life apart from the political drama of the Red Keep in Oldtown. Despite finally receiving confirmation that bothhe and his dragon Tessarionare very much alive this season, fans only get a quick glimpse of them in the final moments of the episode. With these characters bound to contribute greatly to the cause of the teams they swear allegiance to,the upcoming season should offer more of a hint at what comes nextfor the two young soldiers.
Assumptions about how the rest of the fateful war between the two competing factions of the Targaryen family cancertainly be drawn from the show’s source material, but nothing is guaranteed in an on-screen adaptation. As the wait for Season 3 officially kicks off, there is no telling just how long fans will have to wait for the answers to their most burning questions.
House of the DragonSeason 2 is available to stream on Max.
