‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Finale Explained: Spoilers & More About the Ending

House of the Dragon‘s second season was a highly anticipated event, but fans are describing it as anticlimactic. Many HBO viewers have expressed their frustrations over the finale, asking why the season abruptly ended with no actual bloodshed as expected. One viewers may have said it best by tweeting, “Mixed feelings about the House of the Dragon finale. On one hand, it was one of my favorite episodes of the series so far. On the other hand, there’s been so much tension built up throughout the season that not releasing any of it for a 2+ year wait doesn’t really work for me.”

Others even called it the “worst” finale they had ever seen on TV. “House of the Dragon is just a show where everything is constantly about to happen but doesn’t actually happen,” another X user chimed in.

Hollywood Life has broken down what happened during the season 2 finale, below. (Warning: spoilers ahead)

What Happened Between Rhaenyra and Alicent?

Rhaenyra (played by Emma D’Arcy) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke) close out the season finale with an intense exchange. Though it’s only a verbal moment, the characters’ fiery energy provides enough drama for fans to hang on the edges of their seats.

The characters initially meet at the beginning of season 2, but during the finale, Alicent visits Rhaenyra to potentially open King’s Landing’s gates to Team Black. Not only that, but she also reluctantly agrees to having her son, Aegon, lose his head.

How Did the Battle of the Gullet End?

The battle doesn’t end because it doesn’t even start! Episode 8 of season 2 ended just before the Battle of the Gullet was supposed to commence. The anticipated fight was expected to feature all the dragons and drama for fans to eat up.

Director Geeta Vasant Patel spoke to Variety about how the finale was crafted.

“I didn’t know if it would be a battle or something else,” she told the outlet. “I probably expected a battle, just as a fan. Then when I read the script, I was pleasantly surprised and happy because I think we put too much on battles. I think what’s really interesting about this episode is that it’s about relationships. It’s the dialogue, the twists and turns, the relationship between Daemon and Rhaenyra, and Rhaenyra and Alicent. For me, it was quite thrilling to focus on the dramaturgy. I love that. I was excited to dig deep with this. I definitely felt the challenge if people are expecting a big battle, how is this going to compete with it?”