“Finale fail”— Fans express disappointment over House of the Dragon Season 2 Finale

HBO's House of the Dragon season 2 came to an end with its eighth episode on August 4, 2024. In the nearly 70-minute finale of House of the Dragon season 2, the viewers saw alliances and betrayals shaping the conflict. The war was on as Rhaenyra demanded Aegon’s head to maintain peace and control.

The finale, titled The Queen Who Ever Was, written by Sara Hess and directed by Geeta Vasant Patel, has disappointed House of the Dragon fans. A recent tweet by the official handle of the show highlighted the turning point of the finale in House of the Dragon season 2 and the main incident of the season with the caption, "A son for a son."

Fans, with their varied views, commented about what they thought of the House of the Dragon season 2 finale and how it turned out to be.

“Finale fail,” commented an X user.

“This was such an insanely disappointing season. So much opportunity, such poor execution. Take as long as you want to make another season, you fumbled the bag,” said another user.

Some fans were disappointed to the extent that they found the complete season to be exaggerated, and others found it a waste of time.

“This whole season could have been 2 episodes. Ridiculous,” said a user.

“LAME. Such a disappointment. That whole Lannister bit, thank you for a waste of 20 minutes in the finale. I love this series so much and this episode was STUPID,” said another user.

While some found the finale not up to the mark, as they were expecting more from the makers of the show, others seemed to enjoy it and appreciate what the show offered.

“Great finale, great season,” said a user.

“Amazing session, great episode, many moments give goosebumps,” said a user.

“Loved the finale,” said another user.

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What happened in the House of the Dragon season 2 finale?

House of the Dragon season 2 finale was molded with thrilling and unexpected moments. It started with Tyland Lannister trying to negotiate with Triarchy to get ships to break Rhaenyra’s blockade.

To meet his demands, he had to wrestle in the mud, which he eventually won. Though Tyland got what he wanted, this was just a short-term achievement as this would have high tariffs for the throne, which he might not have realized or ignored.

Meanwhile, there was chaos in Westeros as the Greens were left with very few dragons. Aegon’s dragon had died, and Helaena didn’t ride Dreamfyre into the battle. Larys convinced Aegon to go to Essos as he wasn’t in good shape, and Aemond lost his mind due to their poor situation and attacked Harp Point and his sister Helaena.

The family tensions in Dragonstone were at their peak as Jace couldn’t connect with Ulf, Hugh, and Addam. Rhaenyra was not sure whether to start the war even when she had more dragons, and Daemon promised his loyalty to Rhaenyra after looking at her vision of a woman's rule.

Alicent offered to sacrifice her sons for stability and peace, and shockingly, Rhaenyra agreed to have her son beheaded. The episode reached its peak as the characters started to prepare for battle.

Hugh, Ulf, and Addam prepared for war, Corlys and Alyn set off by sea, Criston and Gwayne headed to Harrenhal, Jason Lannister led a group that looked like a circus, Aegon and Larys sailed to Essos, and Otto Hightower was put in jail.

Though the preparations for the battle were shown, the makers held back the climax of the battle, which disappointed viewers the most.

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The HBO series House of the Dragon season 2 first aired on June 16, 2024, on HBO Max. Fans can watch House of the Dragon season 2 on HBO and Max.