House of the Dragon season 2 finale again sets the stage for war… next season, maybe

The second season of “House of the Dragon” has officially come to an end, with the eighth and final episode putting the final pieces in motion that signal the start of House Targaryen’s civil war in earnest.

Rhaenyra was planning to take King’s Landing, The Green was preparing a navy to counter the Sea Serpent, Daemon was finally getting his army, and the Winterwolf had crossed the Twin Islands and invaded the Riverlands. Of course, all of this happened after a second season that was mostly action-packed except for one battle with a dragon, with some of the show’s most important characters holed up in their castles and having the same conversations over and over for the entire eight-episode run.

Now, we’ll have to wait perhaps two more years until we finally see House Green and House Black begin their battle for the Iron Throne in Season 3. A lot has changed in Season 2, but ultimately, the same promise remains as was shown at the end of Season 1: the Targaryen civil war truly begins now. As House of Dragon fandom reacts to Season 2, it’s hard to imagine that some of the action hinted at at the end of the final episode won’t come to fruition in the next season.

It’s never a good thing to be compared to Season 8-level Game of Thrones. This season has been full of exposition, but unless you were hyper-focused on every conversation taking place in a gloomy castle, you might have missed some key details touched upon in the Season 2 finale, including the info-packed montage that closed the episode, depicting multiple green and black forces taking up positions for battle.

While the show may not be as successful at explicitly explaining the current state of each army, I am fortunate enough to know the map of Westeros better than I do the geography of North America and can fully explain where House of the Dragon is at the end of season two.

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King’s Landing

Rhaenyra plots to take the city

HBO

One of the biggest plot twists in the season two finale was Alicent showing up at Dragonstone to meet with Rhaenyra, who offers to hand over King’s Landing to House Black in exchange for sparing Alicent and her daughter’s lives.

The plan shouldn’t involve much fighting, but it also relies on Alicent having full control of the remaining Green forces in King’s Landing, Aemond and Vhagar being out of town, and Rhaenyra’s new dragonriders not screwing anything up (I’m looking at you, Wolf). This is Westeros, and a plan that tries to avoid bloodshed will result in twice as much bloodshed. Alicent has one other small problem: as part of her deal with Rhaenyra, she agreed to her son, Aegon, being killed for trying to seize the throne. How will Rhaenyra react when she arrives in King’s Landing and sees that he has fled?

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Harrenhall

Christon Cole and the Hightower host battle the forces of Demon and the Rivermen

HBO

The most disappointing and downright boring storyline in the second season of House of the Dragon begins with Daemon Targaryen trying to raise an army at Harrenhall in the Riverlands. Though he’s spent more time this season getting drunk on mushroom tea than talking to the Riverlords, he still managed to rally them to Rhaenyra’s cause. Daemon even manages to renew his loyalty to her cause, thanks to visions that depicted White Walkers, Daenerys hatching dragons, and Rhaenyra sitting on the Iron Throne.

Now he must use this army to battle the Hightower forces led by Criston Cole, likely to be joined by Aemond and Vhagar. If you recall, earlier this season Aemond ordered Criston to lead the remaining Green forces after the Battle of Luke’s Rest to march to Harrenhal, where they will be joined by Jason Lannister and the forces of the Westerlands.

Another factor that could come into play in the Riverlands is Reyna’s attempt to ride Sheepstealer, a wild dragon in the Vale. If successful, Reyna could soon join the fight on the Black side, as the Vale is close to Harrenhal and the Riverlands.

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Red Fork

The Lannister army encounters the Winter Wolves from the North

HBO

It helps to know the geography of Westeros here. The Lannister forces are heading down a river called the Trident towards Harrenhal. In the final montage of the episode, we actually see them approaching a point on the river called the Red Fork. Basically, they’re approaching Daemon from the north, and Criston and his forces are approaching from the south. This sounds like the perfect opportunity to besiege Daemon, but in reality, after crossing the Twin Rivers in the Season 2 finale, the Lannister forces will be faced with Clegane Stark and his Winter Wolf, who are heading south.

If you’re forgetting the Winter Wolves, that’s an army of old Northerners heading south to fight a war rather than plunder the North’s food reserves as winter closes in. It’s one of the few armies whose size is known, as Cregan Stark promised 10,000 men to Jacaerys Velaryon.

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Blackwater Bay

Trinity vs. the Sea Snake

HBO

Tyrande Lannister’s attempts to woo the Triple Alliance took up a surprisingly large chunk of the season finale’s airtime. While it was a fun romp into the world of pirate culture in Westeros, this type of story would have been better served earlier in the season than taking up 15 minutes of a final episode that will take two years to watch.

Still, Tyrande, the Green Party’s money guru, manages to strike a deal and get Lothar, a captain in the Triumvirate’s navy, to agree to lead the Sea Snakes against the King’s Landing blockade. This could turn into a fierce naval battle, but Tyrande and the Triumvirate may need to come up with a strategy for dealing with the dragons who will likely be aiding Lord Corliss’ navy.

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What this means for House of the Dragon season 3

All advertising, no results?

HBO

All of this is setting the stage for what should be an action-packed season of House of the Dragon, which is exactly how we all felt when we watched Vhagar devour Luserys in the season 1 finale. Part of House of the Dragon’s problem is its connection to Game of Thrones, which could thrive for an entire season without action because the drama and dialogue were as sharp as a sword. House of the Dragon rarely reaches that level, and the reduction in dragon fights and sword fights makes that all the more evident.

Luckily, season 3 has had plenty of time to develop, with it expected to premiere in the summer of 2026. The Game of Thrones fanbase, already dissatisfied with the final season of the original series, is likely to voice their disappointment pretty loudly in season 2. This should at least encourage the showrunners to add more action to the upcoming season of “House of the Dragon.” Of course, they could double down and give us more scenes of Alicent camping in the woods.

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