The much-anticipated season finale to the Game of Thrones prequel show, “House of the Dragon,” aired on Oct, 23, closing out the show’s first season with a whopping 9.3 million viewers tuning in to see what lays ahead for House Targaryen. The show, which premiered on Aug. 21, sets the scene for the civil war that happens amongst the royal family of House Targaryen as a result of the death of King Viserys I. Both his son and daughter grapple for the Irone Throne, leading the great House of Dragons into a war amongst themselves. The show has a gleaming rating of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, serving as a smash hit for HBO. 

The previous episodes of “House of the Dragon” had been laying the foundation for the war to come, having two time skips and painting a backstory that shows the creation of enmity between Rhaenyra and her stepmother Alicent Targaryen. The show sows seeds of tension and resentment among their children too, which all leads to the culmination of anger and betrayal between these two families. 

The finale, titled “The Black Queen,” opens by showing us that the death of the king had sent his pregnant daughter, Rhaenyra Targaryen, into an early labor alongside the news that her half-brother, Aegon Targaryen, had usurped the throne and crowned himself as King of the Seven Kingdoms. The stress of her predicament has led Rhaenrya to having a still birth and as such her baby girl is pronounced dead at delivery. Despite having to deal with two deaths in her family within such close proximity to each other, Rhaenyra still has to deal with the treasonous actions of her family in the capital city, King’s Landing. She is crowned Queen of the Seven Kingdoms by her husband, Daemon Targaryen and prepares to deal with the impending war to come as a result of her brother’s unlawful ascent to the throne. It is prudent to mention that Rhaenyra chooses not to win the war with violence, but with words by gathering as much support from other great houses as she can despite being urged to march on the capital by Daemon. We see both sides of the war being hesitant to draw first blood, but both are holding strong to their claims to the Iron Throne with Rhaenrya’s side, dubbed Team Black, rebuffing terms of surrender from Alicent’s side, known as Team Green.  

The climax of the episode comes with the voyage of Rhaenyra’s second born son, Lucerys Velaryon, to Storm’s End to treat with Lord Borros Baratheon and secure his support for Team Black. However, upon his arrival he encounters a member of Team Green, his uncle Aemond Targaryen. Lucerys is rebuffed by Lord Baratheon and the years of resentment between Lucerys and Aemond leads to Aemond chasing his nephew with his mighty war dragon in an effort to scare the boy. However, this ends with Aemond’s dragon, Vhagar, killing Lucerys and his own dragon, Arrax causing Team Green to draw the first blood. 

After learning of the murder of her precious son, Queen Rhaenyra is the last thing viewers see as she turns around with war in her eyes and we know that in the season to come the infamous Dance of the Dragons will truly begin.