'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Finale Review: That’s It?
After all the buildup and the slow pace, the finale threw away almost every opportunity to go out with a bang, and instead spent most of its runtime whimpering about how awesome the next season will be.
This writer would immediately like to present evidence to the court of faithful viewers, scenes like the one between Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) and Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox) to prove without a shadow of a doubt, this finale was a wasted opportunity of Vhagarian proportion. Gwayne rather sporadically realises that Criston has been carrying on an affair with his sister. Admittedly, the scene does allow these two men, who have spent the whole season resenting each other, to find a mutual understanding in their despair for a war which is bigger than either of them could have dreamed. But such a scene could probably have been created without the random discovery of Criston’s affair, especially considering that we have no idea how Gwayne found out or why the rest of the observing soldiers seemingly ignored the fact that one of their commanders literally held the other at swordpoint.
Another example is the scene where Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) finally finishes the repairs to his ship. Here, once more, the episode does give us moments which promise something emotional, but only to a point. He renames his ship after his fallen wife, and he tries once again to connect with his illegitimate son, Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim). After giving him the stony, silent treatment for several episodes, Alyn finally gets a chance to reveal how much resentment and hurt he feels towards his biological father. The scene is, admittedly, well written and well acted, and had it been in an earlier episode with some kind of payoff, it might have been more effective. However, the payoff doesn’t come. It is only fodder for what might happen in future episodes.
Meanwhile, a significant portion of this episode is devoted to the plight of Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) and his efforts to win the Triarchy to the Greens’ cause. This means we get several scenes where he is flummoxed by the eccentric Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorn). It might have been more amusing if it wasn’t for the fact that Lohar’s character has seemingly been cribbed from a future character in the story, at least where the book is concerned. Racallio Ryndoon - one of the only trans-coded characters in GRRM’s universe - is sure to have been a remarkable addition to the series when we eventually get to him. However, with the introduction of Admiral Lohar, that puts everything into question. At best, Racallio will come off as a copycat or a retread. At worst, the character might very well be erased from the story’s canon, which would be a terrible decision on the part of the creators.
It wasn’t all bad news, though. We got a fascinating scene where Helaena (Phia Saban) puts her brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) in his place with a disturbing prophecy. We also get two decent scenes where we see the impact of the previous episode. Now that he’s a proven dragonrider, Ulf (Tom Bennett) has allowed it all to go straight to his head. Whether it’s his scene with Prince Jacaerys (Harry Collett), or in the dinner scene where he drunkenly disrespects Rhaenyra to her face, it’s clear that Ulf is all about pushing boundaries, giving full rein to his arrogance and indulgences. It not only gives Rhaenyra a moment to wonder whether she made the right choice in elevating a man like Ulf to the status of dragonrider, but it also allows for a decent conversation between Jacaerys and Baela Velaryon (Bethany Antonia). Jace’s inferiority complex is challenged by Baela, who encourages Jace to stop letting others’ slander define him.
Somewhat ironically, though, the character who received the best conclusion by far was none other than Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith). For all that he spent most of the season stuck in Harrenhal, his story felt the most like a genuinely completed arc. He went from resenting his niece-wife, to plotting his own bid for kingship, to undergoing real remorse for his past behaviour. All of this culminates in Daemon receiving a vision of the future, something which had always been denied him in the past. It appears to have left a genuine impression on him, so that when Rhaenyra drops by to confront him, she is surprised to find a genuinely changed man. Finally, he sees the bigger picture, and the part he has to play in it. While it’s strange that Rhaenyra can just travel to Harrenhal at a moment’s notice (Skyrim-like fast travels were, after all, one of the things which signalled that Game of Thrones wasn’t trying anymore), it still means something when Daemon declares his loyalty to her, and rallies the riverlords in her name.
Speaking of Rhaenyra, it really does feel like the creators didn’t know what to do with her in this episode. Apart from the aforementioned dinner scene, none of her scenes really feel substantive. Just like the rest of the season since their kiss, Rhaenyra’s interaction with Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) doesn’t build on that connection. It might as well not have happened for all that it impacted the rest of their scenes. Worse than that is her big confrontation between herself and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). It is even more inexplicable than the first time they interacted face-to-face, and thus it’s all the more ridiculous in its execution. It just seems like a flimsy reason to have the two stars of the show in the same room together, feeding the conflict which didn’t need to be fed. The rivalry between the two women was already strong enough as it was, and there are future opportunities for them to interact face-to-face in a far more organic matter. Instead, we are given this confrontation which struggles to justify itself, so that the episode’s attempt at a big dramatic conclusion is only made to be more muddled than anything else.
Admittedly, with some adjustments, this episode could have worked as a satisfactory, if muted, penultimate episode, as several others have already said. Instead, it acts less like the finale to a season and more like a trailer for the next one. Whether it was due to a lack of budget To reiterate, the second season’s slower pace was still a welcome change from the first season’s attempt to cram almost twenty years into ten episodes. That said, the second season appears to have over-corrected in the opposite direction. If that alone was the problem, though, it might be deemed acceptable, but when you add in all these other flaws, it makes for a very disappointing series of missed opportunities.