The second season of House of the Dragon has come to an end with a lot of plots, turns, and surprises that are in line with the third season, but I'm certain that things don't go smooth for Rhaenyra based on a few things I'll land on this post. This episode named "The Queen Who Ever Was" ties directly to both Rhaenyra the "soon" Queen to be and Rhaenys the Queen Who Never Was, now carve into Corlys ship name after her. Episode 8 turn out to be a disappointing episode for many reasons, the audience wants to see chaos and dragons, battles in the ground but all we got was more drama and unnecessary without much context scenes. From Daemon’s visions to Rhaenyra’s planning, and Alicent’s decisions, this finale is way far from what the audience was expecting been the episode with the lowest score on IMDB. If its not necessarily action what you are looking for then its just fine, I know many people do enjoy the drama between the two families, suspense, treason and betray with whispers going around, the episode does good at that aspect same way it link this prequel series to the events of Game of Thrones in ways that the viewers may not have anticipated. Featuring some of the most beautiful visuals.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11198330/
- Platform: MAX
Daemon's Mystical Journey
Visions of Past and Future
In this episode, we see Daemon embark on a mystical journey that changes everything we thought we knew about the character and the world he inhabits and practice every day, the scene starts with Daemon sleeping on a weirwood bed with Alice Rivers sitting by his side, it looks like she was crying too, this moment sets the tone for what's to come as Alice leads Daemon to the godswood, where things get really weird really fast, we see a creature that looks like a mix between a fawn and a human, walking on two legs with hooved feet for a very brief moment, this could be one of the children of the forest, beings we haven't seen since Game of Thrones, their appearance here suggests that the magical elements of this world are becoming more prominent.Things get even crazier when Daemon touches the weirwood tree, he's transported into a series of visions that span centuries, he sees Brendan Rivers, also known as the three eyed raven entangled in the roots of a weirwood tree, this is a huge deal because it confirms that the three eyed raven from Game of Thrones is indeed Brendan Rivers, a Targaryen bastard from the future, we also see a white walker leading an army of the dead, which connects directly to the threat we saw in Game of Thrones, but perhaps the most shocking vision is of Daenerys Targaryen, naked and surrounded by her newly hatched dragons, this vision spans hundreds of years into the future, showing Daemon a clip of events that will shape the fate of Westeros long after he's gone, this is the moment when he understand what is at risk. Targaryen are not new to visions and dreams becoming a reality, not all have this visions and dreams but its deep into their traditions, this is probably the reason it shock Daemon so much to the point to understand that this is not about him anymore and plenty more is at risk other than the crown. This visions change everything for him, having him forget about the throne and go with the most reasonable option, stay on his wife side and defend the realm.
Rhaenyra's Strategic Moves
Preparing for War
While Daemon is off having mystical experiences, Rhaenyra is busy preparing for the inevitable conflict with the Greens, we see her hosting a feast for her new dragon riders, including Hugh Hammer and Ulf White, this scene showcases the growing strength of Rhaenyra's forces, but it also hints at potential problems, Ulf's behavior at the feast is particularly concerning, showing a lack of respect and protocol that could cause issues down the line. This series has been really hard to watch and avoid spoilers online with content creators who wide open the Pandora Box releasing all kind of spoilers on YouTube and other short content platforms revealing how this two new dragon riders will become a problem, specially Ulf who I think is going to take Criston Cole seat as the biggest dirt bag of the series. Rhaenyra also discusses strategy with Corlys Velaryon, planning to target Oldtown and Lannisport, strongholds of the Green faction, these scenes demonstrate Rhaenyra's growth as a leader, as she takes a more active role in planning the war effort, but I still feel that she lacks determination and fear what dragons can do without understanding she must in order to stop Aemond and Vhagar.Its very evident that not everything is smooth sailing for Rhaenyra, there are hints of tension within her own ranks, Jace, her son, seems to feel sidelined when Rhaenyra chooses Adam of Hull to accompany her to Harrenhal instead of him, this could lead to resentment and conflict within the family, additionally, the behavior of the new dragon riders, particularly Ulf White, suggests that they might not be as loyal or controllable as Rhaenyra hopes, these internal tensions could prove to be just as dangerous as the external threat from the Greens.
Alicent's Surprising Decision
A Change of Heart
One of the most unexpected developments in this episode is Alicent's decision to secretly meet with Rhaenyra, for those times this is the same example as "this meeting was unnecesary and could have been an email" send a raven not need to go to Dragon Stone to basically repeat the same scene from previous episodes just from the other side of the table this time, this scene which parallels Rhaenyra's earlier attempt to negotiate with Alicent, shows a significant shift in Alicent's character when she confesses to her past misdeeds and offers to help Rhaenyra take King's Landing once Aemond, this change of heart seems to stem from Alicent's growing disillusionment with the actions of her son Aemond and her desire to end the conflict before more innocent lives are lost, she also had to take the same decision as Haelena and choose if her son Aegon has to die to stop all this madness.Helaena's Surprising Role
A Powerful Seer
Not the biggest surprise of the episode is the revelation of Helaena's true nature and abilities but its true that its the first time she reveals how she have seen everything, we learn that she's not just a dreamer but a powerful seer with a deep connection to the magical forces of the world, her ability to communicate with Daemon through the weirwood network and her knowledge of future events make her a far more significant player than previously thought, Helaena's prophecies about Aemond's fate and Aegon's future as king add another layer of suspense to the story as we saw Aegon departure Kings Landing with Larys Strong as he fear Aemond can kill him at any moment.The Implications for the Future
This last revelation by Helaena raises more questions about her role in the coming conflict, for Aegon to be king again this means Aemond needs to fall and Kings Landing still be with him, unless the is the last man standing once this civil war is over. At the same time where does Helaena stands on this war rather than be the Queen and telling other small clips of whats going to happen next because when Aemond try to force her to ride Dreamfire to attack with him she refuse, she is not a warrior and wont kill innocents.
Season 3 needs to set the foot down and move apart from politics, romance and suspense to become the very chaotic season everyone wants to watch, there are many scenes that were unnecessary on this episode that could have been dedicated to more important things like Rhaena bonding with Sheepstealer or a bit more context of how the Greens plan to defeat Corlys at sea.
As I mention Alicent visit was totally unnecessary and extremely predictable the moment she as Grand Maester passage and discretion. At this point in the series that is not what the audience wants to watch, a second dragon or army battle was totally necessary to keep the spark alive and they didn't.
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