Chemistry Makes The ‘House of the Dragon’ Finale Work

By Kaleena Rivera | TV | August 8, 2024 |

By Kaleena Rivera | TV | August 8, 2024 |

(spoilers for the second season finale)

“We march towards our annihilation,” intones Criston Cole, which is as succinct of a finale summary as anyone can possibly get, as the opposing sides assemble their armies on both land and sea in season two’s final moments. It’s not the massive battle we’ve been promised—a point of contention for many viewers—but it does give us a thorough look at how expansive each sides’ resources are and how evenly they match up. It just…took a while to get there.

If I had my druthers, this would have been the penultimate episode instead, not so much as a bid for more action but rather as a means of mitigating this season’s laggy midsection, a condition that took an upward turn just last week. But as cool as dragons are (cool enough to traipse around the wild in search of one without food, water, or any sort of plan, I suppose), House of the Dragon, like Game of Thrones before it, is truly at its best when it’s allowed to steep in its political and personal drama. With the drama on a low simmer over the course of several episodes, along with little happening on the action front, it makes for a season second half that moves along rather groggily.

With all of the strategizing and Harrenhal-ing—a plot that came to fruition at last but took double the amount of time it should have—the show wound up sidestepping a lot of dramatic opportunities that it could have made plenty of use out of. What words could have been exchanged had Helaena met once or twice with the now-bedridden Aegon with his grievous injuries, set against the threat of their power hungry brother and the unresolved trauma of their son’s murder? It would have been fabulous to see Baela and Rhaena, who, regardless of being two vital members of House Black, still feel underdeveloped, be granted some meatier material. On the upside, the production sure got a lot of repeated use out of that Driftmark dock set.

It isn’t all missed potential by any means, as we were given multiple reminders of how engaging this show can be when it plays close to its central characters. I know I’ve said a few times how good Tom Glynn-Carney is, but the scene with Aegon being forced to come to terms with the prospect of running for his life, a life that, in his eyes, doesn’t seem worth keeping, is truly excellent (he’s second only to Emma D’Arcy in terms of nonverbal acting). The other member of the ‘bad person who’s done terrible things but I find myself sympathizing with them nonetheless,’ club, Criston Cole, has a parallel scene in which he ponders death and wades so deeply into nihilistic waters that Gwayne, who arrived fully prepared to kill him, can only sit beside him in a depressed wonder. It’s stellar work by Fabien Frankel, who manages to imbue Cole with profound sadness and trauma without for even a moment making it seem as though he’s seeking pity.

However, the episode highlights happen when our central characters are reunited. Rhaenyra and Daemon haven’t occupied any screen time together since episode two, and even though they work just fine apart—when Daemon has something better to do than be caught in a haunted castle version of Groundhog’s Day, at least—they’re excellent together, the weight of their shared history almost acting as a third scene partner. I strongly suspected Daemon would bend the knee but there was still a small The Return of the King-esque thrill that went through me when the entire hall followed suit, ending in a rousing cheer as Ser Alfred Broome’s cowardly self slinked off (this will certainly not be the last we see of him) and Ser Simon Strong claps delightedly in the background. I’ll never stop being miffed over the squandering of Matt Smith for so much of the season, but I’m hoping we see him back in full form when season three arrives. This is a power couple if ever I’ve seen one.

In all sincerity, though, for one-on-one chemistry it’s really hard to beat Rhaenyra and Alicent, who have, with the exception of one brief occasion, been kept apart by plot necessity. It’s unfortunate because the two of them together is part of the reason behind season one’s success. Alicent’s royal sabbatical has given her clarity, if not a sense of accountability, over how the events of this saga have unfolded—I was pleased when Rhaenyra pushed back against Alicent’s attempt to downplay her role in Aegon’s challenge against her, “Did not your hand bring it forth like a midwife?” After some back and forth, it all comes back to the beginning: a son for a son. Some would insist that the death of poor young Jaehaerys fulfilled that demand already, but both women are fully aware that it’s not a one-for-one vengeance repaid. Shockingly, Alicent agrees, if only to save the only child of hers that can be saved from the relentless power struggle that has doomed her sons.

But even after the harsh words, resentment, and mutual pain, Alicent still has enough love in her to close the literal distance between them and say, “Come with me.” Unlike the last time that request was made of her, several decades earlier on a ship with a naive man desperate to salvage his honor, the older and wiser, but duty-bound, Rhaenyra turns down the opportunity with far more tenderness and what seems to be more than a little bit of ruefulness on her face. It’s too late for love to save anyone now. Actually, it’s too late for betrayal as well, since one of the final shots we see is of a pensive Aegon in the back of a wagon with Larys headed to goodness knows where. Non-book readers (myself included) now find themselves in a similar state of unknowing, as we await season three which will, at last, give us the long-awaited Dance of Dragons.

Kaleena Rivera is the TV Editor of Pajiba. She can be found on Bluesky here.