The final episode of the first season of House of the Dragon, HBO’s fantasy precursor to its popular series Game of Thrones, has been broadcast. Despite the fact that the season finale had been leaked online before it was set to show, the excitement and passion with which fans of the franchise were present to watch the final episode of the building tale did not seem to be affected.
In the series finale, word reached Dragonstone that the dowager Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and her half-brother Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) had effectively overthrown the now-queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and taken her birthright. Thereafter, the queen would exercise prudence and diplomacy to avert a full-fledged confrontation despite appeals from many quarters for war to be declared. Her second son, Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault), would be killed by his uncle, Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), and the biggest dragon in the world, Vhagar, in the skies above Storm’s End, breaking that restriction. HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys has warned fans that the return to Westeros will not occur at least until “sometime in ’24,” despite the somewhat dramatic and bleak conclusion to the first season.
Fans may have anticipated for a release date later in the year as the second season of the fantasy series will reportedly start filming in early 2023. The stats revealed that the season finale was the network’s biggest finale since Game of Thrones, so HBO can rest assured that there will be a hoard of fans waiting impatiently for the show to return. Given that HBO had concerns about the frequent recastings of key characters that were a fixture throughout the show due to multiple time jumps, the success of House of the Dragon is one that is sure to have satisfied the network’s decision-makers.
Bloys said in a statement to Vulture, “We’re just starting to put the plan together, and just like last time, there are so many unknowns. It’s not to be coy or secretive, but you don’t want to say it’s going to be ready on this date, and then you have to move it.” Bloys reveals that we won’t be viewing Westeros through the eyes of Dragons for at least a year, which may come as a bit of a letdown to some fans who may have been expecting for an early return. The HBO executive added, “Don’t expect it in 2023.”