Season 2 episode 8, titled The Queen Who Ever Was, saw Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) finally get to a place where she's able to take back her rightful throne, with an army, her dragons, and even her menace of a husband, Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), at her side.
While many of us might have expected a more fiery finale, the episode still had a few surprises in store - even despite the leak that HBO was forced to address.
We were treated to everything from an incredible gender-flipped admiral from Essos to a huge Game of Thrones twist involving the one and only Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) - and a hell of a lot of changes from George RR Martin's novel Fire and Blood.
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Showrunner Ryan Condal has confirmed that season 3 is currently being written and is due to begin production in early 2025 - but that does mean we'll have quite the wait until we see it on screen. So, in the meantime, here's everything you need to know about how House of the Dragon season 2 episode 8 ended.
House of the Dragon season 2 ending explained: What does Daemon's vision mean?
One of the most notable developments in this episode is Daemon's hugely important vision, which results in him pledging fealty to Rhaenyra after attempting to declare for himself.
First of all, Daemon meets Ser Alfred Broome (Jamie Kenna), who says he's come as an emissary from Queen Rhaenyra - but instead of serving her cause, he urges Daemon to declare for himself. Daemon is as smug as you would imagine, but it's revealed that Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale) has heard everything - and sends word to Rhaenyra.
Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) tells Daemon he's ready to know his fate and invokes an incredibly important vision. With what we assume is weirwood sap flowing down a tree, Daemon places his hand in it and sees various important moments in A Song of Ice and Fire history:
The Bloodraven
The Bloodraven, AKA Brynden Rivers, was the bastard son King Aegon IV Targaryen (although he was later legitimised). During his role in the conflict known as the First Blackfyre Rebellion, Brynden lost an eye, but was rumoured to carry powers of sorcery and as a spymaster.
Crucially, Brynden Rivers later becomes the fantastical figure known as The Three-Eyed Crow (referred to as The Three-Eyed Raven in the television series Game of Thrones). During Game of Thrones, The Three-Eyed Raven mentors Bran Stark, who eventually becomes the first elected ruler of the Six Kingdoms.
The White Walkers
As we know from Game of Thrones, the White Walkers would pose a greater threat to Westeros than any war between houses centuries after Game of Thrones - and in showing him, Alys makes Daemon understand this, with the prince later relinquishing his claim to the throne and pledging fealty to Rhaenyra.
Previously speaking to RadioTimes.com, showrunner Ryan Condal explained the inclusion of the White Walkers this season.
He said: "Part of the challenge of making House of the Dragon is you want to have this interconnectivity between it and the original series. And because it's 107 years before, there are no living characters that that can act.
"So you have to connect through ideas and themes and artefacts, and I think this dream, or this terrible prophetic vision that Aegon the Conqueror had, that we know from from speaking to George, is the thing that kind of stays alive from, hopefully, whenever anybody dramatises his conquest through this time period, which is 100 years after that, and then into the original series, and I think that's the thing that links it together.
"Those scenes are a way of reminding people that there is this bigger, beyond us power that's kind of looming over this series, and that people are aware of it and worried about it. But it's a prophecy that nobody knows when it's going to be fulfilled.
"And of course, we having the knowledge of having seen the original series, know that it doesn't land and affect these characters, but we understand that it's also driving them and it's in the back of their mind.
"It's mediaeval times, this is incredibly superstitious time. I think it lives in the characters' minds in the story, and we want to just remind people of the larger mythological world that we're living through."
King Consort Daemon Targaryen submerged in water
Here, we have to get into some book spoilers - so look away if you don't want to know what happens!
This shows us Daemon's death, when he eventually battles Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) on dragonback in the skies above Harrenhal. Daemon stabs Aemond through his sapphire eye and both men fall to their deaths. Aemond's death is also foreshadowed moments later by his sister Helaena (Phia Saban).
Recently speaking about the choice to reveal that so early, showrunner Ryan Condal said at a recent press conference that he's very conscious that a large proportion of fans have read Fire and Blood and know what's going to happen, with the surprises coming from character nuances.
He added: "I will say that the just because a thing is told to you doesn't mean it's going to happen exactly that way. And we've seen, obviously, in history and all that be misinterpreted before, both in in the world of Fire and Blood and the world of A Song of Ice and Fire. So it didn't feel like we were coming there and listing off a bunch of spoilers."
Queen Daenerys Targaryen as the Prince That Was Promised
Ultimately, Daemon sees a vision of the Prince That Was Promised, the leader meant to unite the realms - Daenerys Targaryen, who is seen emerging from the ashes and hatching her dragons.
Queen Helaena Targaryen
We see that Helaena is actually speaking to Daemon, signalling that she has seer-like powers that were only previously hinted at. She tells Daemon that he knows his part in the story to come, and knows what he must do.
After Daemon's vision, Rhaenyra arrives at Harrenhal. When she asks him who he's sworn to, he warns her of the darkness to come, before bending the knee and pledging his loyalty. He spurs his army on, ready to fight to the death for Rhaenyra.
Condal recently opened up about Helaena's power, saying:" I think she herself is evolving, and she's learning to wield whatever this ability that she has, she's learning to wield it, or to pay more heed to it, or she's learning how to interpret it better.
"I think a lot of the things we've seen with Helaena thus far is she gets some kind of input, and she doesn't know what it means until she sees it come to fruition. She can't really see the future. She's seeing things and then later interpreting them."
What happened to Prince Regent Aemond Targaryen?
After discovering that Rhaenyra has found riders for her dragons, Aemond is left in a rage - which we know is him at his most dangerous. In his rage, he and Vhagar burn the town of Sharp Point, killing thousands of innocents.
As Aemond attempts to drag Helaena to battle, she confronts him, confirming she knows that he burned Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney). She says he will be king again but Aemond will end up dead, swallowed up in the God's Eye, foreshadowing his death.
What happened to King Aegon II Targaryen and Lord Larys Strong?
King Aegon is gradually growing physically stronger, but is still bed-bound after Aemond burned him. Larys (Matthew Needham) comes to warn him about Aemond's rage, and tells him they must leave King's Landing and head to Essos, for his safety.
He tells Aegon about Rhaenyra's new dragonriders and states plainly what Aegon already knows - that Aemond will kill him. Aegon suggests taking his brother prisoner, but Larys points out he will then be left without Vhagar.
While Aegon is left despairing over his injuries, Larys attempts to convince him that the people of the realm will hail the returning king, referring to him as Aegon the Rebuilder.
At the end of the episode, we see that Aegon has reluctantly made his way to safety, hidden in a carriage with Larys.
What armada did Ser Tyland Lannister raise?
We begin the episode in Essos, as Ser Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) attempts to negotiate for an armada to allow the Greens to break the blockade. The people of Essos aren't convinced, asking for the Stepstones - or a fleet of warships. Tyland reluctantly agrees, but they have one more condition - that the commander of the fleet goes with them.
And so, we meet Admiral Lohar, played by actress and YouTube star Abigail Thorn (some might recognise her as Philosophy Tube), a gender-flipped version of the character compared to George RR Martin's novel. She challenges Tyland to a mud fight.
Lohar is impressed and says she'll consider his request, before winding him up by attempting to convince him that he needs to eat the flesh of his enemies. He has a lovely little sing-song before dinner and Lohar agrees to grant his request.
Showrunner Condal recently opened up about Lohar, saying: "The Triarchy has a long history of these, very colourful seafaring pirate types. And even though it's a minor character in the book, if we're going to make such a big deal out of cutting a deal with their sworn enemy and the Triarchy and going to attempt to assault the blockade and bring an end to it, a clash between Green and Black with a sort of third party that's maybe not 100% trustworthy in the middle, you wanted to have a character to hang your hat on to to to dramatise that story through.
"And it's not just Tyland, it's going to be Tyland and his relationship with Sharako and her fleet Sharako was always envisioned as a female character."
What happened to Lady Rhaena Targaryen?
Lady Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell), meanwhile, continues her mission to find the dragon of the Vale, who we know as Sheepstealer. As a reminder, this storyline in the books was originally written for a character named Nettles, who fans have noticed has been written out of the series so far (although that doesn't mean she's not going to arrive in future).
By the end of the episode, we see Rhaena find the dragon she's been searching for all this time - and it seems she's about to claim Sheepstealer.
While many assumed the conflation of Nettles and Rhaena's story meant the former character had been written out of the show, Condal has teased that she might actually still appear.
Asked specifically about the fan-favourite character, he said: "I think that's a ‘Please stay tuned and keep watching the story.’ I will say that we love Rhaena as a character and we've really done a lot of legwork to set her up from the beginning as somebody in this Targaryen household who does not have a dragon...
"I think the Rhaena story, as we're seeing it unfold, is potentially one of those interesting interpretations that we have to offer. And I would just say that we don't do any stuff lightly or without thought. Many of these things we've planned many seasons in advance. So I would just say, you know, buckle up and take the ride with us. And hopefully you like the destination it's going to."
Why is Prince Jacaerys Velaryon so angry?
Throughout the finale, we see Prince Jacaerys (Harry Collett) insecure about the dragonriders.
He overhears Ulf White (Tom Bennett) and Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew) speaking, and is left outraged by Ulf's lack of manners.
Ulf taunts Jace about his dark hair, comparing himself to the prince and claiming they're "cut from the same cloth" - which infuriates Jace. He's already insecure about his parentage, having heard the whispers across the realm, and is desperate to separate himself from the dragonseeds/Targaryen bastards, who he sees as beneath him.
Jace says that if Ulf hinders the Blacks' efforts, he will see him hanged, and Ulf quickly backtracks.
Baela gives Jace a talking to, telling him he needs to prove he's worthy. To make things worse, at dinner, Rhaenyra toasts her new dragonriders and promises they'll be knights if they serve her well. She tells them they'll fly in two days' time.
Ulf manages to wind everyone up - but before he steps too far, Rhaenyra receives a message from Ser Simon Strong, who fears treachery. She calls Addam (Clinton Liberty) to go with her to Harrenhal.
What happened to Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower?
Rhaenyra confides in Corlys (Steve Toussaint) about her new dragonriders, explaining that she doesn't know much about their characters. She rightly points out that Addam of Hull is known to Corlys (unbeknownst to her, he's actually Corlys's bastard son). Corlys describes him as a man of integrity and says he regrets not having much to do with him.
Later, presumably as a result of his guilt, we see Corlys offering Alyn (Abubakar Salim) some fatherly advice - and it's quickly shot down by the son he never acknowledged.
Corlys advises Rhaenyra to strike quickly and, while she had hoped the dragonriders would be a deterrent, she takes his words to heart as he reminds her of Helaena and her formidable dragon Dreamfyre and Aemond's fury. In an emotional moment, Corlys reveals he has renamed his beloved ship in honour of his late wife, Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) - The Queen Who Never Was.
Aemond, thinking of nothing but battle, says an inspection must be ordered before any boats can enter the harbours, which would cause even more strife for the smallfolk who depend on the fishing boats - but he claims everyone must make their sacrifices. Right on cue, Helaena asks her mother why everyone hates them so much and says she was happier before she was queen.
As Alicent floats the subject of leaving King's Landing, Aemond enters and attempts to drag Helaena off to battle. Alicent manages to stop him - and immediately tells the grand maester she needs passage to somewhere, with his utmost discretion.
Mysaria counsels Rhaenyra, who is struggling with the fact that she must doom thousands to their deaths. Alicent arrives, and Rhaenyra is stunned as she admits she has been mistaken. Ultimately, Alicent tells Rhaenyra that Aemond is set to join Criston Cole, and that, if she flies to King's Landing, she will see the guards surrender with no bloodshed.
Rhaenyra argues that she must take Aegon's head if she is to take her throne and orders Alicent to choose. Alicent agrees to go through with the plan. While Rhaenyra says she'll go down in history as a villain, Alicent doesn't care - she just wants to be free. She asks Rhaenyra to go with her, but Rhaenyra is steadfast - she knows her role to come. Alicent leaves, knowing what she has to do.
A final montage shows all across Westeros preparing for battle - Rhaenyra's dragonriders, Lady Laena, who finally discovers the dragon she's been searching for, Daemon's troops, the armada Tyland Lannister has raised, and Corlys's fleet.
We're left with shots of Alicent and Rhaenyra both looking into the distance, contemplating all that is to come.
House of the Dragon season 2 airs on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV.
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