House of the Dragon Ep 10: The finale episode of House of the Dragon finally premiered and it panned out unlike expectations — in a good way. Warning: Spoilers Ahead. With the throne stolen from Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) under her nose without her knowledge by the House of Hightower in House of the Dragon episode 9, it seemed like a grave war awaited us in the finale episode. However, the series flew far, far away from the Game of Thrones formula to give us a refreshing ending.
The finale episode began with Rhaenyra learning about King Viserys I Targaryen’s (Paddy Considine) death and the news of Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) being crowned the new King. The news angers Prince Daemon (Matt Smith), who dives into the war plotting zone while it leads to Rhaenyra suffering a miscarriage. Making peace with her two losses, the princess rises and rises like a Queen!
Watching her be crowned Queen Rhaenyra moments after she and Daemon put their stillborn child to rest serves as a reminder that the heir of the Iron Throne always puts duty first. And much like her father, Rhaenyra is also thinking first and acting later. While the testosterone-high men are eager to wage war against the House of Greens, Rhaenyra holds her ground, ensuring that she doesn’t start the war before she knows her allies, strength, and weaknesses.
To distract her from her plans, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) visits Rhaenyra and Daemon with the offer to spare their lives if they bend their knee to the newly crowned King Aegon. While Daemon refuses, Rhaenyra suggests that she would have to think about the offer.
The tension is evident in the room as Daemon and Rhaenyra silently clash over dealing with the situation but in all this chaos, it is only Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) who is able to see through the muddy waters —
Rhaenyra is a born Queen and she aims for the peace of the Realm against waging a blinded war. Understanding her vision, Lord Corlys Velaryon pledges his allegiance to the Queen and offers to corner the King’s Landing on the waterfront.
To make a better peace offering, her sons Jacaerys Velaryon and Lucerys Velaryon offer to personally travel to ensure their allies are truly on their side. Travelling as messengers instead of warriors, Jacaerys travels to the North to meet the Lords in the House of Arryn and Winterfell to meet the Starks in the North while Lucerys visits Storm’s End to meet the Baratheons.
Hoping that this meet would transpire in her favour, little did Rhaenyra know that she would be bidding farewell to
Lucerys for good. Upon reaching Storm’s End, Lucerys not only meets Lord Borros Baratheon but also learns that Aemond Targaryen had beaten him to it and offered to marry one of his daughters in return of his support in the war.
The Lord sends Lucerys back with a message for the Queen but Aemond is not done with the meeting. He demands that Lucerys offer his eye in return for Aemond’s lost eye and this leads to the battle of the dragons. While Lucerys adheres to the promise he made to his mother of not getting involved in the battle, Aemond chases him into the stormy skies only to watch his dragon kill Lucerys and his dragon, signalling that the war has truly begun. The episodes ends with Rhaenyra eyeing a war.
House of the Dragon episode 10 review:
To be honest, this episode comes as a surprise. The makers chose to steer away from a quinquennial finale, previously seen in Game of Thrones seasons. Given that a war was in the making, I was prepared for a few heartbreaking deaths. However, I enjoyed this non-violent ending. Also, the episode featured an interesting nod to the first episode through the birthing scene, which was almost as disturbing as the first birthing scene.
Emma D’Arcy and Eve Best were a treat to watch. During the season, I expected more encounters between the duo in which power played a vital role and the finale finally served it. As always, the cinematography is the biggest power of House of the Dragon and the finale was merely a reminder of the same.
The finale has tactfully opened the door for the second season. However, I hope that the new season isn’t as linear as this one.
Catch all the episodes of House of the Dragon on Disney+ Hotstar in India.
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