‘House Of The Dragon’ Season 2 Review: What Did It All Mean?

(This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2, Episodes 1-2, 3-4, 5, 6, and 7.)

Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) new dragonriders, Ulf (Tom Bennett), Hugh (Kieran Bew) and Addam (Clinton Liberty) adjust to life in Dragonstone. House Lannister knight Ser Tyland (Jefferson Hall) treats with pirates. Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) continues her search for a wild dragon in the Vale of Arryn. Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), shook by the discovery of Rhaenyra’s fresh dragon army, tries to even the playing field. Daemon’s (Matt Smith) allegiances are decided. Alicent (Olivia Cooke) makes a choice for her family’s future.

According to showrunner Ryan Condal, “The final episode is such a great build for everywhere we’ve been in Season 2 and promising what’s to come.” Audiences are pushing back on that after the highly anticipated finale didn’t deliver on the action-based climax we were expecting.

I too was looking forward to an epic dragon battle, but writer and executive producer Sara Hess’ assessment of Rhaenyra and Alicent’s roles as addressed in the finale sold me a little on the underwhelming ending. Ultimately, the season is about two women fighting for peace in the beginnings of a war dominated by male voices.

“There’s so much in play,” Hess explains. “There are armies. There are dragons. There’s castle strongholds and political maneuvering. But at the end of the day, it comes down to these two women trying to figure it out.”

A subtle display of feminine power as a stand-in for dragon warfare is a bold choice that I could have got behind more if the balance of politics and action was more on point, but maybe the real dragons were the friends we made along the way. 

We may not have gotten our dragon battle, but there was a little dragon action offscreen (which is, critically, not as good). Aemond and Vhagar annihilated a civilian population, signifying Aemond’s desperation; it’s a new look for this character that will surely come with more dragonfire (hopefully where we can see it). 

Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorne) is a highlight of Episode 8. Tyland Lannister has to win the favor of Admiral Lohar if he is to employ the service of the Triarchy fleet for Team Green. Thorne gives a completely unhinged and wonderful performance, introducing a wild character into the fray for a little fun amidst the morbidity. 

On its own, Episode 8 was pretty satisfying; Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) is awake and able to make some important choices, Daemon’s psychological journey at Harrenhal wraps up and Alicent comes to a significant realization. Phia Saban gets some quality screentime as Helaena and Ewan Mitchell displays a new emotional range for Aemond as the character’s confidence and security, which have been relatively stable over the course of the season, is finally tested. The episode brought several loaded scenes and some solid performances, but the jury is out on whether it worked as a season finale.

Perhaps placing a rather significant battle in Episode 4 set fans up to expect something bigger and better to close the season, or maybe dedicating the so much time to the early stages of war demands some indication of a transition to all-out war before the curtains are drawn. Ultimately, Episode 8 disappointed audiences with its decidedly mellow tone.

Season 2 as a whole certainly delivered some compelling storylines and characters; without the time jumps that were necessary in Season 1, the cast and script were able to access facets of characters what weren’t fully available before now. Though some storylines suffered from the slow build of the season – Daemon’s time at Harrenhal, for example, didn’t really compel me until the last few episodes with the return of Paddy Considine – I found myself able to invest in the character journeys more than I did in Season 1. 

This show is a great match for anyone prepared for a steadily paced breakdown of civil war, plus dragons. I would guess that in the grand scheme of the show, the pacing of Season 2 will make the inevitable bloodshed that follows more impactful and meaningful, but the low-key ending is a little tough to swallow given the expected gap between seasons.

Fans waited two years between Seasons 1 and 2, and it looks like Season 3 will follow the same trend. It’s unfortunate given that the next season promises exactly what was lacking from Episode 8. “While this season was very much about the fits and starts of an early medieval war,” says Condal, “Season 3 is clearly going to be about total war.”