House of the Dragon is quickly headed towards its explosive finale. A recently-released preview for the final episode of the season promises audiences Fire and Blood as the Green Council has finally made its move to secure Aegon (Tom Glynn-Garney) as King. While episode 9 was an episode focusing solely on the Greens, this episode promises to focus on Rhaenyra's (Emma D'Arcy) Black Council and will change the course of Targaryen history.
House of the Dragon has been building up to this moment for an entire season now. The season has spanned twenty years by this point, chronicling the friendship and estrangement of Rhaenyra and Alicent (Olivia Cooke). Following the death of Paddy Considine's King Viserys in episode 8, “The Lord of the Tides,” Alicent mistakenly believes that Viserys was naming his son Aegon as heir and becomes convinced that it was her duty to install her son on the Throne. Now, Rhaenyra must decide what course to take: will she hand the Iron Throne over to her brother and avoid bloodshed, or fight for what she believes to be hers?
In a House of the Dragon trailer posted to the Game of Thrones YouTube channel, audiences see how Rhaenyra is struggling to respond to the situation in King's Landing. Following her daring escape from the Red Keep, Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best) reveals to Rhaenyra that her father has passed away. Immediately, Rhaenyra's advisors counsel her for war, Daemon (Matt Smith) foremost among them, but Rhaenyra seems reluctant to do so.
Rhaenyra commands more dragons than the Greens, but war would mean thousands of her subjects would die. Her father charged her with uniting the Realm, but how can she do that if the Realm is plunged into the Civil War. Her sons, Jacaerys (Harry Collett) and Lucerys (Elliot Grihault), appeal to their mother to send them as envoys to gather support. For Lucerys and his dragon Arrax (one of the dragons that appear in House of the Dragon season 1), trouble seems to be brewing: they’re seen fleeing from Vhagar.
The House of the Dragon finale episode looks to be a tense and action-packed affair. Without giving too much away, the source material is full of betrayal, bloodshed, and emotion. The preview of the episode hints that the show will follow this faithfully.
A second season has already been ordered, and George RR Martin has put the show's sweet spot at four seasons, so this is not the last fans will see of House of the Dragon. The repercussions of what goes down in this final episode will be felt for the rest of the show. It promises to be the biggest game changer yet.
House of the Dragon airs its season finale this Sunday at 9 PM EST on HBO and HBO Max.
Source: Game of Thrones/YouTube