Following the big-budget (and controversial) ending to Game Of Thrones in 2019, House Of The Dragon’s writing team chose to tap back into the intrigue, violence and unpredictability that first made the franchise a hit. But after much scheming and world-building in season one, season two involved a bit more bloody violence – we’re still reeling from that absolutely massive finale, even if some fans expected more.
There’s still plenty of Targaryen civil war to explore from George R.R. Martin’s fictional history book Fire & Blood too, so don’t get comfortable during the show’s hiatus. Here’s what could be in store…
How did House Of The Dragon season two end?
With an epic tease
The first season of House Of The Dragon introduced viewers to a previously unseen-era of Westeros. It was a time of magic, prosperity and, most importantly, peace. But the death of King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) and some confusion around his final words at the end of the first season, eagerly picked over by his squabbling offspring, kickstarted a war of succession.
Season two picked things right back up, with rightful heir Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and her husband/Viserys’ brother Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) out in Dragonstone plotting their return to the throne, while Viserys’ wife and Rhaenyra’s childhood best friend Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) remained at King’s Landing, with her son Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) sat on the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, Aegon’s brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) skulked in the shadows, plotting his own rise to power.
After a lot of backstabbing, some brutal battles and the occasional burst of dragonfire, season two of House Of The Dragon ended with neither side making much progress towards beating the other. Daemon had spent the season building a land army in Harrenhal before finally pledging himself to Rhaenyra, who has recruited a number of lowborn Targaryen bastards to become dragon riders, giving her the advantage in the air.
However, Ser Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) had traveled to Essos to buy an armada, ready to destroy the blockade led by Rhaenyra’s former father-in-law Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint). King Aegon finished the season escaping King’s Landing, afraid his Prince Regent brother Aemond would be coming to finish him off after leaving him crippled and covered in burns during The Battle Of Rook’s Rest.
With all the pieces in place for a devastating conflict, we finished with Rhanerya questioning the brutality she’s about to reign down on King’s Landing when Alicent appears in Dragonstone with an offer of a peaceful resolution – even if it costs her son Aegon his head.
When’s season three coming out?
Hopefully, 2026
Before the first episode of House Of The Dragon season two aired, HBO confirmed a third season had been commissioned.
“George [R.R. Martin], [showrunner] Ryan [Condal], and the rest of our incredible executive producers, cast, and crew have reached new heights with the phenomenal second season of House of the Dragon,” said executive vice president of HBO Programming Francesca Orsi in a press release. “We could not be more thrilled to continue the story of House Targaryen and watch this team burn bright again for season three.”
Condal has also revealed writing for the third season had already begun, in order for the show to stick to its production schedule and release a new season every other year. With two years between season one and two, fans can tentatively expect House Of The Dragon’s third season to release at some point in 2026.
What will happen in season three?
War, basically
The closing moments of season two focused on the imminent battles of land, sea and air, so it’s likely season three will drop viewers right into that promised Westeros warzone. The Lannister-led armada of Essos and the Sea Snakes will clash, while Daemon’s army is on the way to King’s Landing and is sure to cross paths with the forces of King Aemond under the command of Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). With such a focus on dragon numbers, it’s likely we’ll see some more scaly clashes in season three, especially with the dragons all-but-extinct come the time of Game Of Thrones (200 years later). After the slow-build of season two, it’s fair to assume these battles will be as pivotal as in the latter seasons of Game Of Thrones.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Westereos without some political intrigue. If Rhaenyra takes Alicent up on her offer of a peaceful takeover at King’s Landing, we can’t imagine she’ll be best pleased to learn that Aegon has gone missing. His traveling companion Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) clearly has a plan for the exiled King too. Back on Dragonstone, the resentment Prince Jace feels towards the new dragonriders is probably going to end in disaster, and it’s yet to be seen if Rhaena survives her encounter with wild dragon Sheepstealer. There are also question marks over the fate of Rhaenyra’s children, Viserys and Aegon – who were last seen en route to Pentos with a clutch of dragon eggs, and Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) who’s chained up god knows where. A happy ending is unlikely.
And what’s after season three?
We have some ideas…
House Of The Dragon has been confirmed to finish after season four. It was previously reported via Deadline that season two was shorter than the first [eight episodes instead of ten] to allow some major battles to feature in season three, with Condal and Martin looking at a potential four-season plan for House Of The Dragon. “You certainly don’t want to rush to get to an end, but you also don’t want to overstay your welcome,” Condal explained in an interview with EW. “You want to find this very satisfying place to go out that ties up enough loose ends and leaves others intentionally open because, as we know, this history marches on for another 150 years to Daenerys [and the story of Game Of Thrones]”.
Condal also hinted that House Of The Dragon could move beyond Dance Of The Dragons and tell other stories about the Targaryens. “There’s the story of the conquest, the story before the conquest, the Targaryens leaving Old Valyria. You have a tale like this, where the Targaryens have dragons and are in power. And then, there are also stories where the Targaryens no longer have dragons, but are still in power. What changes there, and how is that different? It’s a very rich tapestry,” he told Collider. “There is 300 years of Targaryen history to explore, and there are many stories within there that are really fascinating.”
This is backed up by Daemon’s vision of the future in the final episode of season two – with images of White Walkers and Daenerys Targaryen presented to him via the weirtree. It’s the biggest connecting thread between House Of The Dragon and Game Of Thrones yet – and gently lays the foundations for HBO to potentially tell the entire story of the Targaryens, from Aegon The Conqueror to The Mad King. This could be done via a rapid-paced House Of The Dragon, but Condal has suggested “the cadence of the show, from a dramatic storytelling perspective, will continue to be the same from Season two,” so don’t be surprised if HBO goes on to confirm a spin-off from the spin-off, if House Of The Dragon sticks the landing.