I feel cheated by the ‘House of the Dragon’ season 2 finale — here’s why

Opinion
By published

I think we were sold a very different season finale to the one we got

Daemon (Matt Smith) in a suit of armor as seen in the "House of the Dragon" season 2 finale
(Image credit: Theo Whiteman/HBO)

This article contains spoilers for "House of the Dragon" season 2.

I can't be the only one who was expecting to see another battle on Max this evening, can I? After that incredible final shot in the penultimate episode and the "House of the Dragon" season 2 finale trailer, I felt like we were on the precipice of another glorious "Game of Thrones" grand battle. 

To me, everything screamed a jump toward the Battle of the Gullet (which just so happens to be a particularly bloody battle in the Dance of the Dragons). With troops rallied across Westeros' seas and shores, it felt like the slightly uneven pace of the season was about to pivot once more. 

Instead, the season 2 finale stepped on the brakes, just a tad, favoring more relationship drama. Alys helped Daemon see what lay ahead, leading him to bend the knee to his queen all over again, Alicent offered to give up King's Landing to her former friend, and Tyland Lannister got to know a key figure from the Triarchy: Admiral Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorn).

Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty), Jacaerys (Harry Collett) Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy), Baela (Bethany Antonia), Ulf (Tom Bennett) and Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew) seated around the dining table in the "House of the Dragon" season 2 finale

(Image credit: Ollie Upton/HBO)

I appreciate that it sounds like I'm being negative about the season 2 finale, and to be quite clear, I'm not sure that I am. Frankly, Daemon and Rhaenyra's reunion was a suitable pay-off for a storyline that I have previously said was dragging the series down. 

Likewise, I thought it subtly hinted at what's to come for Ulf (which I won't spoil for anyone unfamiliar with his arc), Alicent's bid to end the war was another wonderful exercise in mirroring and Tyland's desperate attempt to win over the Triarchy was a welcome bit of light relief. I'd even love to spotlight the brief exchange between Criston Cole and Gwayne Hightower out in the field: the transformation Frankel's character has gone through might be one of my unexpected highlights of the series.  

All that said, I just can't shake the feeling that I'm at least a little bit disappointed to have my expectations subverted so much. I know it's not the show's fault: I'm the one who expected "House of the Dragon" season 2 to conclude in another fiery clash, after all.

But given the trailer was comprised mostly of scenes that were either from moments of drama or shots from montages of both factions preparing to go to war, I can't shake the feeling that I wanted a little bit more, well, fire and blood ... from this adaptation of "Fire & Blood", especially given we no doubt have a long time to wait for season 3. At least we've got "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" to look forward to!

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Martin Shore
Martin Shore
Staff Writer, Streaming

Martin is a Streaming Writer at Tom’s Guide, covering all things movies and TV. If it’s in the theaters or available to stream somewhere, he’s probably watched it… especially if it has a dragon in it. Before joining the team, he was a Staff Writer at What To Watch where he wrote about a broad range of shows that stretched from "Doctor Who" and "The Witcher" to "Bridgerton" and "Love Island". When he’s not watching the next must-see movie or show, he’s probably still in front of a screen playing massive RPGs, reading, spending a fortune on TCGs, or watching the NFL.