It may seem like only yesterday that HBO‘s House of the Dragon returned from its two-year break, but the show’s second season is almost over. Only one episode of the season remains and, for perhaps the first time in the series’ story, it looks like Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) actually has the upper hand over her enemies. Viewers will have to wait to see how long Rhaenyra is actually able to hold onto her current advantage, but with her army in the Riverlands finally assembled and at least seven dragons and riders at her disposal, the Black Queen has never had a better opportunity than now to make an impact in the Dance of Dragons.
There are, of course, still several mysteries that must be resolved in House of the Dragon‘s forthcoming season 2 finale in order to determine the exact shape of Westeros’ present political landscape. As book readers will already be able to tell you, the Game of Thrones prequel also has the chance to cap off its second season in truly shocking, explosive fashion, if it so chooses.
Taking all of that into account, here are five questions you should be asking heading into the House of the Dragon season 2 finale this Sunday.
1. Will Hugh and Ulf swear fealty to Rhaenyra?
House of the Dragon season 2’s penultimate episode, The Red Sowing, ends with two of the season’s recurring supporting figures, Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew) and Ulf White (Tom Bennett), using their Targaryen heritage to claim — at Rhaenyra’s behest — two of Westeros’ oldest and most formidable dragons, Vermithor and Silverwing, respectively. The climactic, game-changing installment subsequently ends with Rhaenyra watching Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) fly away in frustration from Dragonstone as she stands flanked by a Hugh-ridden Vermithor and an Ulf-mounted Silverwing, as well as her own dragon, Syrax.
The image makes it explicitly clear that the number of the world’s dragonriders has quickly grown. What’s less clear, however, is just how much of an allegiance both Hugh and Ulf feel toward Rhaenyra. Did she demand that they and all of the other King’s Landing citizens who came to Dragonstone swear fealty to her before they attempted to claim a dragon? Or did she allow them to try in the belief that letting them do so would be enough to earn their future loyalty? Either way, now that they’ve become two of the world’s most powerful men, it’ll be interesting to see just how indebted to Rhaenyra, their potential Queen, they feel when House of the Dragon catches back up with them this week.
2. Are Daemon and Rhaenyra going to reconcile?
While the strength of Rhaenyra’s position as an actual threat to the Greens’ power seems more obvious now than it ever has before, the state of her relationship with her husband and most powerful dragonrider, Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), is still uncertain. The two didn’t part ways well in House of the Dragon season 2’s second installment, and both Daemon and Rhaenyra haven’t been sure what the future of their relationship will be ever since. Daemon has amassed an army in the Riverlands just like Rhaenyra asked him to do, and he has also spent that time dealing with visions that have shaken both his resolve and his once-unquenchable thirst for power.
Daemon seems, at long last, ready to stand behind Rhaenyra rather than in front of her. In many ways, it feels like House of the Dragon season 2 has been building toward a reconciliation between the two characters all along, too. Whether that’ll happen in this Sunday’s finale remains to be seen, but the two will have to reforge their bond somehow if the Blacks really want to have any hope of actually defeating Aemond, Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), and the rest of their enemies.
3. Will Rhaena claim the dragon at the Vale?
Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell) isn’t featured heavily in The Red Sowing, but her last scene in the episode does suggest that she intends to go off on her own and attempt to claim the Vale’s wild, sheep-eating dragon. This dragon, known among book readers as “Sheepstealer,” does have a role to play in the Dance of the Dragons.
However, House of the Dragon‘s source material, the fictional Targaryen history book titled Fire & Blood, states that Sheepstealer is ultimately claimed by a lowborn girl named Nettles, who hasn’t yet appeared in the HBO series. Fans have been waiting all season for Nettles to show up, but it’s possible that House of the Dragon has chosen to ultimately give her role and story to Rhaena instead. That is, in fact, a possibility that is looking increasingly likely with every episode. Fortunately, we probably won’t have to wait long to find out the show’s plans for Sheepstealer.
4. Where is Otto Hightower?
Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) has been absent from House of the Dragon ever since he was ousted from his position as Hand of the King by Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney). Aemond recently announced his intention to reinstate Otto as Hand while he serves as Prince Regent in Aegon’s place, but no one has been able to find or successfully get word to Otto.
Not even his daughter, Alicent (Olivia Cooke), and his son, Gwayne (Freddie Fox), seem to know where he is. Otto is too powerful and important a character for House of the Dragon to mention his apparent disappearance and not follow up on it, which means we’ll likely find out exactly what he’s been up to all this time in the show’s season 2 finale.
That’s a mystery Fire & Blood readers may already have the answer to. Indeed, if the trailer for House of the Dragon‘s next episode is any indication, it looks like Otto’s storyline is progressing very similar to how it does on the page, which means that there’s still one more question we need to ask before the show’s season 2 finale airs in just a few short days…
5. Will the Battle of the Gullet happen this season?
House of the Dragon‘s second season has been relatively light on blockbuster battles. The season’s only real military conflict so far has, in fact, been the Battle at Rook’s Rest, in which Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) met her untimely end. With only one episode to go, though, the season could still manage to fit in an important moment in the Dance of the Dragons known as the Battle of the Gullet. Major House of the Dragon spoilers to follow.
The conflict, which results in the destruction of one-third of Corlys Velaryon’s (Steve Toussaint) fleet, the deaths of Rhaenyra’s eldest son, Jacaerys (Harry Collett), and his dragon Vermax, and the capture of her youngest son, Viserys II, is a naval attack launched by the Triarchy after an offer of alliance is made to them by Otto Hightower. It’s a major turning point in the Dance of the Dragons, one that helps level the playing field again after Rhaenrya’s successful recruitment of multiple dragonriders. With all that said, it’s unclear whether House of the Dragon‘s season 2 finale is going to include the Battle of the Gullet.
The event has already been set up throughout the season, thanks to Aemond’s multiple mentions of the Triarchy, but it’s possible this week’s episode will merely end just before the battle begins or as it is starting. Either way, it seems safe to say that House of the Dragon‘s season 2 finale has the potential to be the show’s biggest episode yet or more of a climactic lead-in to even more devastating moments to come. We’ll find out which it is when it premieres this Sunday.
The House of the Dragon season 2 finale premieres Sunday, August 4, on HBO and Max.
