House of the Dragon season 2 episode 8 review: "Excellent sequences can’t save a finale that’s all set-up and no conclusion"

Warning: This review contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2 episode 8

Finally the tide has turned for the blacks. The House of the Dragon season 2 finale begins with the dragonseeds now embedded in palace life and turning the numbers decidedly in Rhaenyra’s favor. But this leaves the queen with a choice: either she must hope that her collection of dragons is enough of a deterrent or she must strike now on King’s Landing to try and take her kingdom back.

It’s an intriguing moral quandary that sees the Dragon Queen navigating many of the same questions her future relative Daenerys Targaryen will - can she sentence thousands of innocents to death in the name of the greater good? Emma D’Arcy is wonderful at steering this breadth of feeling for Rhaenyra, who now finally feels as confident as her season 1 self. Yet, even they can’t solve the problem that the finale wastes its entire 69-minute runtime with her contemplating her choice, rather than acting on it.

This, as we’ve discussed throughout the season 2 run, is nothing new. The pacing has been the biggest victim of the cut-down sophomore season, which has often felt sluggish and repetitive. The finale continues the pattern, with its first half plodding along with new storylines before its superior second half rattles through the fascinating threads. Ultimately the unbalanced narrative results in an ending that’s all set-up and no conclusion.

Storytelling

There are a fair amount of fresh elements to juggle in episode 8, which begins with the introduction of new characters in Essos. Tyland Lannister is aiming to land a new ally in the fun sequence that plays out throughout the final episode, featuring mud fights and quips about wives. Meanwhile, the dragonseeds are adjusting to their new responsibilities with mixed results. Ulf has no respect for authority, while the thorny nature of parentage weighs heavily on Jacerys too.

The tensions heighten in King’s Landing too. Aemond, realizing he’s on the back foot acts rashly, destroying Sharp Point to ash. Alicent, fresh from her lake dip, is plotting her escape while her ailing son Aegon (and Larys Strong) do similarly, devising how they can flee before they face the dragon fire once again.

With the stakes higher than ever, there are some really poignant moments for each of the characters. Aemond and Helaena in particular get a wonderfully tense sequence as the pretender tries to convince his sister to mount Dreamfyre and join them in the fight. Often overlooked as mad, Helaena actually sees the most sense and it’s genuinely chilling to watch her tell her brother that she knows he burned Aegon on purpose. “I could have you killed,” Aemond tells her with tears shining in his eye, before she calmly bats back, “It wouldn’t change anything.”

Another stand-out moment comes between Daemon and Rhaenyra, as he finally bends the knee to his queen. It’s such a shame these two have been separated for almost the entirety of season 2, as when they’re together, they’re electric. Their exchanges of fealty in High Valyrian are countered with an easy banter in the wonderfully written scene.

Similar currents spark through the final reunion between Rhaenyra and Alicent - another addition to George R. R. Martin's book that works very well. House of the Dragon has always been at its heart about these two women, thrust unwillingly onto either side of this war. Naturally then, sparks fly when that dynamic is brought together once again.

Alicent, notably in her blue colored robes rather than green, calls on Rhaenyra to try and navigate the end of this war. Olivia Cooke is magnificent playing the Queen Dowager as she faces an impossible choice that her son must die for this to happen. “History will paint you a villain,” Rhaenyra warns her. “I am at last myself,” Alicent concludes, in a moment of reckoning.

Thorny legacy

The finale is at its best when it looks at its own place in the Game of Thrones legacy. There are callouts throughout to the nature of stories and how these figures will be remembered in history to come. Whether it’s Rhaenyra telling Alicent about how the archives will view her, or Daemon's repeated references to the nature of “stories”.

This notion is best explored through his vision in the Godswood - an elegiac, emotional moment where he sees all that is yet to pass. The White Walkers appear, Daenerys emerges from the fire with her newly hatched dragons, and we see the Iron Thone calling.  “It’s all a story and you’re but one part in it,” Helaena tells Daemon as he realizes that winter is coming.

Yet, the fact that this episode is so focused on the future, and what will come to pass, is also its downfall. It’s hard not to compare it to the season 1 finale, which ended with fire in its eyes. The heartstopping sequence where Vhagar kills young Lucerys was terrifying – and provided just the right amount of drama to make for a brutal, bloody ending.

Season 2 goes along a different tact. Focusing on the war of words between Rhaenyra and Alicent, meaning that the final moments are all anticipation. We see the dragonseeds suiting up as all corners of Westeros prepare for a huge battle, but just as the rest of season 2 has felt slow-paced and building, its ending is no different. We’ve spent a season suiting up for battle, and it seems we’ll still be waiting years for it to finally happen.

For more on House of the Dragon season 2, check out our guides to House of the Dragon season 2 ending explained and our breakdown of Daemon's vision in the House of the Dragon finale.