Epic House of the Dragon finale concludes with a bang

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR HOUSE OF THE DRAGON’S FINALE EPISODE

House of the Dragon’s much-anticipated finale has aired — a day after the episode leaked on the internet, much to HBO’s consternation — and has provided fans with a thrilling conclusion to the epic prequel series.

Infighting, war-mongering, a gruesome birth scene and an epic dragon battle — the episode has it all.

But best of all, it hinted that when it comes to the battle for House Targaryen, series one is only the beginning.

The episode picks up at Dragonstone, where Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) is chatting with her second son Lucerys “Luke” Velaryon (Elliot Grihault), who is concerned he doesn’t have what it takes to inherit the seat of Driftmark.

Theirs is a lovely, warm connection, Rhaenyra’s words proving salve to her worried son.

But their mother-son bond will not last.

By the episode’s end Lucerys will be dead, killed by the mighty dragon Vhagar, ridden by his uncle and rival, Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell).

The dragon goes rogue, taking out Luke’s smaller beast Arrax, who proves nothing more than a tasty snack for the mighty female, who has unintentionally sparked war by killing Luke in the process of her vengeful feed.

In the final moments of the finale we see Rhaenyra receive the news of her beloved son’s death, and it’s clear she won’t take it lying down.

The cards are set for all-out war.

Up until that point Rhaenyra had opted for diplomacy and patience when deciding how to avenge her unseating as the rightful heir to the Iron Throne.

We see her turn ominously to the camera with murderous intent in her eye, her stare set with steely determination.

She will avenge her son’s death, fight for her rightful place on Throne, and plunge the Realm into war.

And we’ll get to watch it all play out in season two.

“Somehow, I think this moves the goalposts of suffering,” series star D’Arcy said of Luke’s death in the Inside S1 E10 featurette available on HBO Max.

“Once you’ve lost both your parents and you’ve lost a lover, you think you know grief. And I think what’s so awful is that losing Luke tells her she knows nothing about grief, and it changes her outlook on the world going forward.”

Rhaenyra had been trying to keep the realm united, despite the fact her half-brother King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) had unlawfully been crowned heir, thanks to the misunderstood musings of a dying King Verserys (Paddy Considine), translated via his widow Rhaenyra’s one-time friend — now stepmother — The Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke).

In the penultimate episode we see Alicent’s father, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), effectively put into place a succession plan for Aegon, also known as the “drunken, usurper c... of a king” (Matt Smith’s character Daemon’s words, not ours), into action.

But after hearing of her father’s death, Aegon’s ascension, going into premature labour (and losing her baby), seeing her husband Daemon turn on her and her two sons ride off on their dragons — one to his death — Rhaenyra realises she now has no choice, nor does she want to find a peaceful solution.

She must now fight for The Iron Throne, whether she wants war or not.

Vhagar, in her cranky dragon actions, has started a battle.

Her rider, Aemond, is forced to face the consequences of his actions in challenging Luke to settle his old “eye-for-an-eye” score.

The Dance of Dragons has begun.

As the show’s executive producer and co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik explains, “the last vestiges of the little boy that’s left in Aemond” all but disappear.

“Maybe he was trying to scare Luke, but I don’t think ultimately he intended to kill him,” he told HBO Max.

“But now he’s done it, and he has to decide whether or not he’s going to own it in his travel back to King’s Landing.

“Because obviously, if usurping the throne and their crowning Aegon in the dragon pit wasn’t the start of the war, killing one of the queen’s sons is.”

As Versyrs says in a previous episode: “The idea that we control the dragons is an illusion. They’re a power man should never have trifled with.”.

How true his words have turned out to be.

One thing’s for certain, the Game of Thrones world has only grown richer for the inclusion of House of the Dragon, which has set its stage spectacularly for one almighty showdown in series two.

Bring it on, we say.

4/5 stars

House of the Dragon is streaming now on Binge.