Spoiler alert! The following contains details from “House of the Dragon” Season 1 finale, “The Black Queen.”
Life as queen turns out to be brutal for Rhaenyra Targaryen as seen in Sunday’s “House of the Dragon” season finale “The Black Queen.”
In one dark day, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) is informed that her father King Viserys (Paddy Considine) is dead, and also that her one-time childhood BFF Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) has usurped the throne by crowning her reprehensible the last Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carneyon) as king.
As a kicker, Rhaenyra is warned that the Hightowers are coming for her and her children. The traumatic news sends Rhaenyra, pregnant with her sixth child, into early labor and another devastating “House of the Dragon” birth scene.
“It’s (expletive) happening,” Rhaenyra screams.
Yes, it sure is on the season finale which had some shocks, but mostly did the table-setting for what looks to be a bloodier Season 2 of “House of the Dragon.”
Here are key points for from the season finale, now streaming on HBO Max.
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Rhaenyra does everything to prevent war, until the end
The funeral and cremation for Rhaenyra’s stillborn child, with her husband Daemon (Matt Smith) at her side, turns into her coronation.
After the somber ceremony, Ser Erryk Cargyll (Elliott Tittensor) produces the crown of King Viserys, swearing fealty to Queen Rhaenyra. Daemon himself places the crown on her head and bows to his wife, saying “My queen.”
But it’s husband Daemon who begins clashing with his wife over war plans. He wants to use their dragon advantage to lay siege to the Greens faction supporting the new king. Rhaenyra is the only voice striving to keep out of war.
During a tense meeting with rival Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) on the causeway of Dragonstone, Rhaenyra flies in with a power statement on her dragon Syrax. But still she shows restraint. While Daemon wants to battle right there on the causeway, she stops him.
Rhaenyra agrees to at least consider the Hightower offer that she swear fealty to Aegon for serious concessions, which would stop any war.
“When dragons flew to war, everything burned, I do not wish to rule over a kingdom of ash and bone,” Rhaenyra says to her husband, during a tense standoff at the Black Council. Their disagreement grows violent when the two speak in private and Daemon clutches his queen’s neck.
The finale shows that not only is war coming, but also turmoil to the marriage of Rhaenyra and her most important ally and husband Daemon.
Dragon fighting leads to war-causing tragedy
Queen Rhaenyra’s work for peace comes crashing to an end after the most painful death in her life. That’s saying something in an episode which begins with her father’s demise and the death of her unborn son.
In an effort to shore up her allies, Rhaenyra agrees to the plan to send her sons with dragons as emissaries, making them promise not to start any violence. The underachieving, but lovable Prince Lucerys “Luke” Velaryon (Elliot Grihault) is sent to appeal to the nearby Lord Borros, which looks to be an achievable goal.
But Luke arrives on his dragon Arrax to find that his eyepatch-wearing rival Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), has beaten him to the punch. Aemond has already made an attractive proposal to Borros to support the Greens faction. Further, Aemond, who lost his eye as a child at Luke’s hand, demands that Luke pluck out his own eye as long-simmering payback.
Even when Borros breaks up the Aemond-fueled fight and sends Luke away with guard protection, the mocking Aemond gives chase on his much-larger dragon Vhagar. The storm-filled airborne melee shows both dragons acting dangerously out of control from their riders.
Vhager delivers the show’s biggest dragon-rogue shock – ripping Arrax and Luke with a ferocious dragon bite. Aemond apparently only meant to give his rival a serious scare. He cries out and looks shocked as dragon and human parts fall to the ground. His look of concern says it all. It’s major blunder with serious repercussions caused by his unruly dragon.
When Daemon gently breaks the news to his wife about Luke’s death, Rhaenyra at first crumples looking at the fire and appears unsteady. But the final shot of the season finale shows her turning to the camera, her face a study of building fury. There will be no more restraints. Dragons have flown to war, now everything will burn.
