This is it. After this week’s season finale, we won’t see the Targaryens on screen until 2024. In Season 2, it’ll be all-out war.
See episodes one, two, three, four,five six, seven, eight and nine power rankings before digging in to this week’s recap.
1. Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen
After not appearing in the penultimate episode, Queen Rhaenyra shows up in a big way in the season finale. The episode kicks off with Princess Rhaenys dropping two bombshells on her. The first is that Queen Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys, died. On top of that, King Aegon has been crowned king. To add insult to injury, Queen Rhaenyra finds all of this out while pregnant.
Princess Rhaenys is impressed by Queen Rhaenyra’s measured and thoughtful response to King Aegon taking the Iron Throne. However, in a depressing turn of events, the stress from the situation leads to a miscarriage. She doesn’t have any time to mourn her unborn child because she immediately starts to secure her alliances with the other Lords across the Seven Kingdoms. Unfortunately, she makes one massive mistake when she sends her son, Prince Lucerys, to meet with Lord Borros Baratheon of Storm’s End without any kind of deal in place. Lord Borros laughs at Prince Lucerys for coming empty-handed because Prince Aemond already agreed to marry one of his daughters in return for an alliance. Queen Rhaenyra’s decision ultimately leads to Prince Aemond murdering her son. After losing two children in less than a week, Queen Rhaenyra is ready to take the Iron Throne by any means necessary. We can’t wait for Season 2.
2. King Aegon Targaryen
He’s the King now, and everything that happens in this week’s episode is because he’s now sitting on the Iron Throne.
3. Queen Alicent Hightower
She’s a kingmaker. She’s set the stage for a Targaryen World War. We can’t wait to see the Greens and Blacks go to war.
Familiarize yourself with this fiery cast of characters in our House of the Dragonguide.
4. Vhagar
Well, it looks like we know who’s the most powerful dragon in the Seven Kingdoms. When Prince Lucerys first lands in Storm’s End to speak with Borros Baratheon about his family’s oath to support Princess Rhaenyra as King Viserys’ heir to the Iron Throne, you clearly see the massive Vhagar in the distance. The ominous dragon is almost reminiscent of Godzilla. The last 10 minutes of the season finale almost plays like a horror movie, as Vhagar threatens Prince Lucerys and his dragon, Arrax. Eventually, Vhagar grabs Arrax with her massive teeth and rips the young dragon’s body in half like a wet paper towel.
With dragons clearly highlighted as the most valuable weapons in the upcoming war between Queen Rhaenyra and King Aegon, Vhagar quickly cements herself as the most powerful dragon — and most powerful weapon — in all of the Seven Kingdoms.
5. Lord Corlys Velaryon
The Sea Snake’s naval fleet is one of the most valuable weapons in the Seven Kingdoms. As a result, the Greens and the Blacks are heavily lobbying for Lord Corlys to take their side in the upcoming war. When he tells Princess Rhaenys that he wants to remain neutral in the upcoming war, his wife sharply reminds him that his grandchildren — Queen Rhaenyra and Ser Laenor’s kids — are always going to be viewed as threats to the throne by King Aegon. This makes him take Queen Rhaenyra’s side in the war. After he makes his announcement, he swiftly disagrees with Queen Rhaenyra’s relaxed approach. He says that they need to secure their allies. On top of that, he wants to impose a trade blockade on King’s Landing to ensure that no supplies can get to King Aegon and the Hightowers. Queen Rhaenyra agrees with his strategy, and they secure their allies right away. The Sea Snake is clearly going to be one of the most influential people in this upcoming war.
6. Prince Daemon Targaryen
Prince Daemon is ready to go to war. While Queen Rhaenyra is trying to calm everyone down and plan her next moves carefully, Prince Daemon is busy getting as many troops ready for battle as possible. This clear divide in their approach reaches a climax when he grabs Queen Rhaenyra by the throat and chokes her. This disgusting move by Prince Daemon is unforgivable. He’s trying to exert his power over his wife so that he can get his way.
7. Prince Aemond Targaryen
Prince Aemond is officially starting a war between the Greens and the Blacks. In Prince Aemond’s attempt to literally go eye for an eye with Prince Lucerys — after Prince Lucerys slashed one of Prince Aemond’s eyes — he decides to chase him on dragonback. Prince Aemond doesn’t seem to be trying to kill Prince Lucerys, but his dragon, Vhagar, doesn’t want to listen to him. After Prince Lucerys’ dragon, Arrax, defensively shoots a small burst of flames toward Vhagar, the larger Vhagar disregards Prince Aemond’s command to listen to him and proceeds to rip Arrax apart. As Prince Lucerys falls lifeless to the ground, Prince Aemond realizes what he’s just done. Because of his childish obsession to take an eye away from Prince Lucerys, he ends up killing his nephew and becomes a kinslayer. This means war, and Princess Rhaenyra is not going not back down.
8. Princess Rhaenys Targaryen
Without Princess Rhaenys, Queen Rhaenyra wouldn’t have had a chance against King Aegon. Princess Rhaenys escaping from King’s Landing and convincing her husband to back Queen Rhaenyra has helped even the playing field for the upcoming war.
9. Ser Erryk Cargyll
There’s only room for one knight this week, and Ser Erryk takes the crown for literally delivering King Viserys’ crown to Queen Rhaenyra.
10. Prince Lucerys Velaryon
RIP Prince Luke — we hardly knew ye.
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