If you haven't yet watched House of the Dragon yet, be warned that the end of the second season may surprise you or disappoint you. Be sure to pick up the story of the Targaryen dynasty from the first episode. What follows is intended for those familiar with House of the Dragon, who have followed the series from its infancy. While the first season lacked confidence, the series blossomed over the eight episodes of the second season, reaching a somewhat anticlimactic finale.

First, a word about the brevity of this season: Eight episodes isn't a lot, even if they often last over an hour. Series creator Ryan Condal has maintained that this reduced format (the first season had 10 episodes) was the result of a creative choice, but we know that, since the merger between Warner Bros and Discovery, the multinational company headed by David Zaslav has been more concerned with cutting costs than with the development of works and their authors.

Connoisseurs who have read all of George R.R. Martin's work, including the story that spawned House of the Dragon, set two centuries before the events recounted in Game of Thrones, anticipated that the series would conclude with a violent finale. The third season is set to be filmed in early 2025, so it will likely be released about a year later.

Condal let the tensions bubble to the surface for hours. The confrontation between the two branches of House Targaryen produced more lengthy dialogues on the responsibility of monarchs, the fate of women – even if they are sovereigns – and the unpredictability of politics, rather than apocalyptic battles. The only exception was the fourth episode, which saw a joint battle involving infantry, cavalry and winged dragons. The battle concluded with King Aegon surviving dragon fire, and Queen Rhaenyra left bereft of dragons.

This first climax, therefore, remained unfinished. The series resumed its meticulous chronicling of the moods of its royal protagonists. Rhaenyra (Emma d'Arcy) has advanced in age and wisdom, and in order to spare innocent lives, her reluctance to engage in combat is as admirable as it is frustrating for Max subscribers, who want their money's worth. Meanwhile, her uncle and husband, Daemond (Matt Smith), languishes in a faraway castle, hesitating on the brink of betrayal, plagued by dreams that would please Dr. Philippe Dayan, the shrink from In Therapy.

Condal even dares to use ellipses, something his Game of Thrones predecessors would never have done. The destruction of a stronghold loyal to Rhaenyra by the prince-regent Aemond (the similarity of the Targaryens' names and platinum hair remains as irritating as ever), who rides one of the last dragons of the black camp, is captured in a few shots of flames illustrated by a soundtrack of cries and lamentations.

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