By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)
This review contains spoilers.
The Series One finale of House of the Dragon has arrived!
After last week’s explosive ending, everything is geared up for an incredible finale!
Princess Rhaenys arrives at Dragonstone to break the news about the new King. As Daemon, who believes Alicent to have had a direct hand in it, prepares for battle, Princess Rhaenyra has to contend with an early, and troubled, birth. After losing the baby, we are treated to a highly emotional scene, with the music and performances all doing the heavy lifting. With her father’s crown returned, and her baby buried, it’s time for Rhaenys to gear up for the fight! Once again, the music was incredible and really heightened the scene.
As the battle plan is laid out, on a unique and visually stunning backlit table, Rhaenyra and Daemon map out their allies. At the same time, the fit again Lord Corlys sails to Dragonstone, his intentions unclear. There appeared to be some tension between Rhaenyra and Daemon, but with both of them dealing with the loss of the former King and their child, and having to deal with the upcoming war, you can forgive them for pulling in slightly different directions. Hearing the names of the different houses and factions was a nice little sweetener in the scene, and it just helped with the world-building and scale. Ser Otto Hightower arrives at Dragonstone to offer up terms of their surrender – and in a familiar scene, the stand-off scene between Daemon and Otto begins with Rhaenyra riding in on her dragon like a badass. She allows Otto to leave, with her answer to follow. But with news that the Northern powerhouses, such as Houses Stark and Baratheon, have been offered terms. Their list of powerful allies hangs in the balance. With Daemon still pushing for war, mainly via the use of Dragons, Rhaenyra and Daemon continue to be at odds – a house divided!
Lord Corlys arrives at Dragonstone, who intends to sit out the war, declaring for neither side. However, after quickly being brought up to speed, he must enter the war room and bring his much-needed counsel. With that said, Rhaenyra clearly has a handle on things! The children are sent out on Dragonback to send word and confirm their would-be allies. Prince Lucerys arrives at Storm’s End, only to be greeted by Vhagar and Prince Aegon, who is already at Lord Borros Baratheon’s side. While Lord Borros allows Lucerys to leave unharmed, Aegon has other ideas! In what was to serve as a taster for future seasons, it’s time for our first dragon battle! The storm setting and the lighting made for an intense escape, however, it was in the daylight that the chaos arrived! With both dragons acting independently from their master’s commands, Arrax strikes first, but while his agility is superior, he is still a juvenile, and with Vhagar being at least five times the size of him, there would ever be one winner in a direct fight and that was the case! Vhagar kills Arrax and Lucerys in a single bite, much to the shock of Aegon – who never intended to be the cause of Lucerys’ death! With that one action, the Dance of the Dragons has begun!
As an ending, it had that series finale feel to it, but the rest of the episode was more about setting up the next series and gathering allies – so if you were expecting unrelenting action from start to finish, you might be disappointed with the final episode – however, I’m not! I thought it was a fitting end to the first series and with such a tense and dramatic ending, the episode worked just fine for me! The show has continued to build week after week and with an all-out dragon war on the horizon, series two looks set to take the show to even greater heights.
As a series in general, I have loved every minute of House of the Dragon and I think it is a real return to form for the Game of Thrones franchise. My general take is that the series has been well received by most fans and casual viewers and with the prospect of so much more to follow, there will be a lot of excitement when the show eventually returns with its second series. The performances in this show have been exceptional, and while I have my favourites, the cast is incredibly strong throughout, which when combined with good writing just makes for such a rewarding viewing experience.
Series One of House of the Dragon ends on a high befitting this incredibly enjoyable series and with so much promise for the future, fans will await its return with great anticipation.
What did you think of the finale of Series One of House of the Dragon? Let us know in the comments or find us on social media.
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