HBO’s House Of The Dragon Season 2 has concluded, and while it holds viewers captive with its intricate political dance and dragon lore, a lingering feeling of temporal stasis pervades. While personally engaging, the season ultimately feels like a beautifully crafted standstill, leaving audiences in a familiar yet frustrating position. Events unfolded, characters evolved, but by the finale, the brutal machinery of Westeros’s civil war feels frustratingly inert. The season finale unfortunately solidifies this sense of a plot stuck in place, spinning its wheels rather than charging forward.
Season 1 culminated with Team Green and Team Black poised at the brink of war. The anticipation was palpable. The slow burn of the first season, rich with character development and intricate world-building, felt like a prelude to explosive conflict. The expectation was clear: war was imminent.
Now, at the close of dance of dragons season 2, we find ourselves precisely at the same precipice. Team Green and Team Black remain locked in a pre-war stance. This time, however, the patience has worn thin. The slow burn, while still present and arguably enriching character nuances, now feels less like deliberate setup and more like narrative inertia. The anticipation for conflict has morphed into a yearning for actual consequence. To end in the same position as the previous season is not just unexpected; it’s narratively underwhelming.
To be sure, advancements have been made. The ranks of dragonriders have swelled, armies are mobilizing, and the drums of war beat louder. Westeros is undeniably more primed for conflict than before. Yet, it remains build-up. Perhaps eighteen episodes of prelude is simply excessive. House of the Dragon season 2 arguably required an additional two episodes to truly deliver on the promise of its premise. Episode nine could have unleashed the long-awaited major battle. This wouldn’t necessitate an exhaustive depiction of every skirmish and dragon duel. The focus could have remained on pivotal moments, leaving broader conflicts to unfold in the periphery, trusting the audience’s imagination to fill in the vast scope of war.
Episode ten, the season finale, could then have explored the aftermath, dissecting the consequences of the battle and meticulously laying the groundwork for Season 3. This structure would likely have provided a far more satisfying narrative arc, mitigating the frustration of a two-year wait for substantial plot progression.
However, the most perplexing element of the finale, and perhaps of House of the Dragon season 2 as a whole, is the cryptic scene featuring Otto Hightower. In a fleeting, almost surreptitious moment as Alicent departs Dragonstone, the episode’s closing music swells, and we are presented with Otto, confined and seemingly imprisoned.
What is the purpose of this scene? Otto Hightower, once Hand of the King, is shown looking disheveled and trapped. Is he in a cage? A ship’s hold? A barn dungeon? The setting is ambiguous, as are the reasons for his confinement and his captor’s identity. Earlier in the season, his absence was noted, with Aemond’s attempts to recall him as Hand mentioned. Since his dismissal by Aegon, however, Otto has been absent. The most plausible, albeit speculative, explanation points to Larys Strong. Tasked with locating Otto, Larys might have orchestrated his imprisonment, perhaps even within the Red Keep dungeons, under the watch of his loyalists. While intriguing, this revelation feels disproportionately weighted against the season’s overarching narrative stagnation, especially when delivered as a final, fleeting cliffhanger.
This season’s reliance on cliffhangers, culminating in Otto’s puzzling predicament, evokes a sense of déjà vu, mirroring the frustrating conclusion of George R.R. Martin’s A Dance Of Dragons. The fifth book in A Song Of Ice And Fire is notorious for its cascade of unresolved storylines and cliffhanger endings, compounded by Martin’s protracted writing process. House of the Dragon, in adopting this cliffhanger-heavy approach, risks alienating viewers seeking narrative resolution. While cliffhangers can be effective in some contexts, in House of the Dragon season 2, they primarily amplify the feeling of narrative inertia. A more satisfying conclusion, offering a sense of denouement and progress, would be far preferable to yet another unresolved thread dangling precariously. This enigmatic Otto scene, instead of sparking intrigue, primarily serves as another narrative loose end in a season already defined by them.
Despite these criticisms, the official confirmation of the series’ planned conclusion offers a glimmer of hope. Knowing the endgame is in sight may temper the frustration with the current pacing.
P.S. The season’s opening scene, depicting Daemon’s swift submission to Rhaenyra, felt somewhat rushed. His kneeling, prompted by a vision of questionable validity, lacked the weight and complexity expected of his character. However, amidst these narrative shortcomings, Ser Simon Strong’s enthusiastic applause in the background of that scene provided an unexpected highlight. His genuine delight offered a moment of levity and endeared him further to viewers, proving to be an unanticipated delight of the season.
