‘House of The Dragon’ Season 2 Finale Won’t Give Us What We’ve Been Waiting For

The House of The Dragon season 2 finale is already upon us and the war between the Blacks and the Greens is still practically in the prep stage. Of the many battles that make up the Dance of the Dragons, we’ve only seen the Battle of Rook’s Rest so far. 

Spoilers ahead for House of The Dragon and Fire & Blood!

Book fans know what’s coming next. And what’s coming are battles that are about to cause major casualties and character deaths on both sides while looking like absolute spectacles on screen. Audience and character loyalties will shift and, knowing the show, it is bound to flip the source material in ways that will ignite many a spirited debates. And you bet, there will be memes.

The first major battle is the Battle of the Gullet. It would have been pretty cool to end season 2 with the Battle of the Gullet, which involves a major character death and renewed quest for vengeance. However, HOTD, committed to a five-season run, is in no rush to tell the story. Midway through the season, it became obvious that the languorous pacing of the show meant that we wouldn’t be getting any of the other major battles on our screens anytime soon.

What’s more, the season finale trailer alone confirms that we won’t get to see the Battle of the Gullet in the finale. The show is saving it for season 3, which could take anywhere between a year or two to arrive, based on the gap between seasons 1 and 2.

The other major battle fans are dying to see is the Battle Above the God’s Eye, an epic showdown between Daemon Targaryen and his nephew/brother-in-law Aemond Targaryen. Right now, Daemon Targaryen is at Harrenhal, and Aemond Targaryen is almost thrilled at the prospect of going up against his uncle. But his duties as Prince Regent and the fear of leaving King’s Landing without the protection of Vhagar keeps him away from the battlefield.

There are a couple of important events and battles between now and God’s Eye. And it sure looks like this could be the battle that ends season 3, because it does have that finale quality and major fallout.

So will we see a battle in House of The Dragon season 2 finale?

The Sowing of the Seeds has only just been completed, with only one episode remaining in the season. Following the Sowing, Fire & Blood mentions a couple of battles with high stakes in the Targaryen civil war—the Battle of the Gullet, the Battle of Honeywine, and the Battle at Red Fork and Fishfeed.

From the trailer for episode 8, it looks like we might get at least the beginnings of these three battles, if not the actual battles. In episode 7, we already saw Rhaenyra’s sons and Rhaena Targaryen leave The Vale to sail to Pentos. Now, Rhaena might not go with them and claim the dragon Sheepstealer instead, but the younger Aegon, Viserys, and Joffrey are still going to set sail. The finale might just end with the capture of their ship, the Gay Abandon, at the hands of the Triarchy, which will have decided to help the Greens after Lord Otto Hightower’s machinations.

This also means that in the next episode, we could have Ser Otto back, as well as finally meet Alicent’s third son, Daeron Targaryen, and his dragon Tessarion. In fact, in one of the shots from the trailer, we do see a Hightower host marching, while a dragon soars above them. With Daeron being name-dropped aplenty this season, this might be the character introduction we’ve waited for long.

However, it is worth noting that the Battle of Honeywine—in which the Hightower army led by Ormund Hightower is cornered by two other armies from houses in the Reach that have declared for the Blacks and Daeron saves the day for his uncle—happens a fortnight after the Battle of the Gullet. So all we might get is a bird’s eye view of the armies marching to battle. And Daeron, who hasn’t been in the casting announcements for season 2, might not be introduced until the first episode of season 3.

Similarly, we see House Stark banners crossing the Frey tower bridge and the Lannister and Lefford host marching as well, all pieces moving across the chessboard, ready for a battle.

With the music officially starting for the dance at the end of season 2, and all of these battles lined up for season 3, it sure looks like we won’t get a second to catch our breath when it arrives.