House of the Dragon finale: Shocking twists and looming threats

"A son for a son" resonated in the first episode of the new season of House of the Dragon. After Aemond killed Luke, Rhaenyra's son, it was clear there was no turning back, and that blood must be shed once again. These ominous words return in the series finale. Haven't watched the last episode of this season yet? Get ready for spoilers! What happened?

Aegon, who really shouldn't be alive after what his one-eyed brother did to him, is broken. Beaten, mentally and physically shattered, he reflects on his fall and lack of a future. Yet the ever-scheming Larys convinces him there is a way out of this situation: Aegon will still lead the crowd. The crafty royal advisor has already managed the gold and is depositing it in the Iron Bank. They can go there and wait out the worst, which will inevitably come. And then Aegon will return in glory and fame.

Alicent returned to King's Landing. Time in seclusion by the forest and lake must have been filled with thoughts and difficult conclusions. The queen flees the city, taking her daughter Helaena and her child. She finds the strength and anger in herself to stand up against Aemond, not allowing him to put Helaena on a dragon. Her daughter is not a warrior; she does not crave power and fame, but she has powers: she sees the future. Like Cassandra, she boldly tells the bloodthirsty Aemond that she knows he attacked Aegon and that he will someday die in obscurity. When he threatens to burn her, she only responds, "It won't change anything."

Alicent boldly goes to her greatest mortal rival—Rhaenyra. She speaks about abandoning royal life and wanting freedom. She offers her former friend an easy victory: Aegon, her son, will leave King's Landing, and the guards remaining in the city will surrender to Rhaenyra's forces. And someday, Aegon will be persuaded to kneel before her. Rhaenyra refuses and calls: "A son for a son." What will Alicent decide? She neither says yes nor no. She turns away in tears and leaves Rhaenyra’s castle.

After several episodes in which Daemon wanders from the magical tree to the table, lost between visions and reality, we finally have a clear situation. Ser Alfred Broome came to him from Dragonstone. He paints a very enticing vision of taking the throne: "What we need now is a king."

However, Alys Rivers offers him a completely different vision. She takes him to the tree where Daemon lays his hand, and a vision begins. In it, the Three-Eyed Raven comes to him; we see a terrifying white walker, puddles of blood on the battlefield, and even—here, every "Game of Thrones" fan’s heart skipped a beat—Daenerys Targaryen and the birth of her three dragons (we see her figure from behind, without Emilia Clarke playing her). The vision ends with a scene in which Rhaenyra, not Daemon, sits on the Iron Throne. The real Helaena suddenly approaches the shaken man, making him realize he has an important role in this story. So when the real Rhaenyra stands before her rebel husband, he quotes the words from "A Song of Ice and Fire," prophesizing: "Winter is coming." In the presence of soldiers, he bends the knee to the queen.

Ships have set sail from the port, soldiers are forming armies, and dragons with riders have taken to the skies. Meanwhile, what about Otto Hightower? He is behind bars, imprisoned... but what happened to him? We don’t yet know. However, Larys and Aegon are escaping the city in a makeshift wagon. No words, no dialogue, just haunting music. All the characters know that great and terrible things are coming; we know this even better. It’s hard not to feel chills at this moment. And that’s how the whole season ends, without a great battle but in great dread and anticipation.