In the Season 2 finale of “House of the Dragon,” there’s an unexpected cameo from a major “Game of Thrones” character: Daenerys Targaryen. All season long, Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) has been having wild dreams and visions. In the Season 2 finale, he has a vision that includes seeing the White Walkers, the Three-Eyed Raven, Daenerys’ three dragon eggs, and Daenerys herself at the end of “Game of Thrones” Season 1 (where she’s naked, emerging from fire unburnt, with her three newly born baby dragons crawling on her). Her back is to the camera, so if it was really Clarke, they’d show her face. Nevertheless, it’s unquestionably Daenerys that Daemon is seeing in his vision.
house of the dragon
Daenerys Targaryen 🐉 pic.twitter.com/XFnJ5eyRud— Queenlilibeth (@queenlilibetth) August 5, 2024
She will be born over a hundred years in the future, but at least one of her ancestors is already seeing her.
In the vision, Daemon also sees himself submerged into a large body of water, he glimpses his niece/wife Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) sitting on the Iron Throne, and he sees Rhaenyra’s half-sister, Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban), who tells him, “It’s all a story and you’re but one part in it. You know your part. You know what you must do.”
This vision helps Daemon – who has been waffling all season in his support of Rhaenyra – re-affirm that he supports her as the rightful Queen of Westeros. “House of the Dragon” is about a civil war between Rhaenyra and her half-brother, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), who usurped her throne.
Season 2 ends with Aegon escaping the city in a covered wagon – he got horribly injured earlier in the season by his brother, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell). Aemond has ruled in his place while he’s recovered. Aegon gets persuaded that he should go lie low while Aemond and Rhaenyra fight. Then, after the dust has settled, he can return to rule as “Aegon the victorious.”
Meanwhile, Aemond unsuccessfully tries to get his sister, Helaena, to fly her dragon and support him in war. Helaena, who is a Dreamer (someone who has prophetic dreams and visions), tells him, “Aegon will be king again. He has yet to see victory. He sits on a wooden throne. And you. You’ll be dead. You are swallowed up in the Gods Eye and you are never seen again.”
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all rights belong to warner bros pictures and hbo pic.twitter.com/cUTLcSUZwg
— jvrdanli (@ftersn) August 5, 2024
In the final shots of the Season 2 finale, Aemond and Rhaenyra’s respective armies are shown marching, preparing to go to war against each other. Rhaenyra has three more dragon riders: Addam (Clinton Liberty), Ulf (Tom Bennett), and Hugh (Kieran Bew), who are also shown suiting up with armor. And, Aegon and Aemond’s mom, Alicent (Olivia Cooke), secretly visits Rhaenyra to tell her that she’d leave the city gates open so that Rhaenyra can come in as a “conqueror” without spilling blood and take the Iron Throne after Aemond goes off to fight.
Season 2 has been a mixed bag. The dragon battle in which Aemond burned Aegon was the high point. But the show spent too much time spinning its wheels around Daemon’s dream sequences, which felt like they were just stalling and benching him. It also slowed down the plot after that battle, but it didn’t have good character development in place of the plot.
Daenerys Targaryen please forgive them for all the mess they made with GOT, your deserve moreee
Not the producers making all the shit as Season 7 of GOT with The House of the Dragon 🥲#HouseOfTheDragon pic.twitter.com/0qqQXH6xGd
— CARLOS (SFTTPD) (@ccxrlxss) August 5, 2024
For all of its faults, “Game of Thrones” juggled its large cast well and made every character feel like they had depth and personality. “House of the Dragon” struggled to do that in Season 2. It had a lot of dramatic deaths, but they lacked emotional impact since we hardly knew some of these people.
Key Points:
i. Unexpected Vision: Daemon Targaryen has a vision in the Season 2 finale where he sees Daenerys Targaryen at the end of Game of Thrones Season 1, hinting at her future significance.
ii. Dreams and Support: Daemon’s vision reaffirms his support for Rhaenyra Targaryen as the rightful Queen of Westeros amid their ongoing civil war against Aegon.
iii. Civil War: The season ends with armies of Rhaenyra and Aemond preparing for battle, while Aegon escapes the city to lie low.
iv. Character Struggles: The show has faced criticism for not fully developing its large cast, with some characters like Helaena and Rhaena lacking depth.
v. Mixed Reception: Despite some high points, such as the dragon battle, Season 2’s pacing and character development have received mixed reviews.
James Kravitz – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
