Prepare for the Dance of the Dragons

**This review contains spoilers for the first season of “House of the Dragon.”

The Targaryens are back and their lives are just as sordid, messy and convoluted as ever. The long-awaited finale to “House of the Dragon,” a spin-off that picks up generations before the start of the hit HBO series “Game of Thrones,” released Sunday.

“The Black Queen” is a satisfying conclusion to an absolute whirlwind of a debut season filled with beheadings, twists and turns galore. And, as per usual, what stands out about this entry in the “Game of Thrones” universe is the formidable characters at its center. 

Emma D’Arcy had quite the task in front of them portraying Queen Rhaenyra — or Princess depending on which side you’re on — as she copes with the death of her father, the contest of her claim to the Iron Throne, the stillborn birth of her and Daemon’s child and the death of her dear son Lucerys all in one episode. D’Arcy faces this challenge seemingly effortlessly as they take Rhaenyra through the full spectrum of human emotion, juggling grief, apprehension and rage in the episode’s 59-minute runtime. Many shows struggle to create developed, well-rounded characters, especially in as little as ten episodes, but with Rhaenyra, the first season of “House of the Dragon” succeeded in creating a character whose motivations and relationships are made abundantly clear to viewers. 

For those familiar with “Game of Thrones,” Rhaenyra is a more than worthy successor to the formidable and iconic Daenerys Targaryen as one of the most rational and likable characters to grace the screen this year. D’Arcy portrays Rhaenyra with such poise and benevolence that it’s almost impossible to doubt the actions she’s taken — barring her relationship with her uncle, Daemon, but if you’re familiar with “Game of Thrones” in any capacity you’ll know incest is, unfortunately, par for the course. 

In this episode, Rhaenyra is yet again faced with impossible circumstances and important decisions. Even in the face of her childhood best friend Alicent Hightower trying to steal the Iron Throne out from under her, she demonstrates restraint and understanding. While the other characters at the war council advocate for violence and immediate action, Rhaenyra is measured and tries to decide what is best for the realm at large, even at the expense of her claim to the throne — at least at first.

Rhaenyra’s patience is finally tested after she sends her son Lucerys out on a diplomatic mission to appeal to the House of Baratheon as allies and supporters of her claim to the throne. Lucerys arrives only to find that King Viserys and Alicent’s son Aemond — a character so vile and unlikable it pains me even to type out his name — is also there and has already successfully appealed to the Baratheon house and secured their support for Aegon as the rightful King. Their conflict ultimately results in an epic battle of dragons in the sky as Aemond’s mammoth of a dragon, Vhaghar, chases Lucerys down and – against the instructions of Aemond – eats Lucerys and his dragon Arrax clean in two. The look of shock on Aemond’s face surely matched my own as we both realized this would mark the true start of the Targaryen civil war, the dance of the dragons.

It is upon receiving this news, and only then, that Rhaenyra’s composure almost breaks. The episode concludes with Rhaenyra staring directly into the viewer’s eyes. Her eyes say it all: the second season of “House of the Dragon” will see Rhaenyra raise hell and dragon fire.

“The Black Queen” concludes the season and sets up the conflict which will serve as the primary subject of the next season perfectly. The first season had a lot to address, and somehow they managed to execute it all; building a new world situated in the “Game of Thrones” universe that is somehow distinctly its own. At the same time, “House of the Dragon,” amidst time jumps and a massive slate of characters necessary to provide exposition key to understanding the story, manages to develop the tension between the Greens, supporters of Viserys and Alicent’s son Aegon’s claim to the throne, and Blacks, supporters of Rhaenyra’s claim. 

“The Black Queen” comes on the heels of “The Green Council,” an episode that focused exclusively on Alicent’s answer to Viserys’ death and her misunderstanding of the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy that started her attempts to install her son Aegon as heir. The insulation of these two episodes helps heighten the tension between the two camps and lays the groundwork for what is sure to be an insane second season. 

While the fate of the Targaryen civil war is still uncertain, one thing is for sure: as soon as the second season premieres, I will be seated to see just how Queen Rhaenyra will handle her business.