House of the Dragon, HBO’s fantasy prequel to its hit series, Game of Thrones has aired its final episode of the first season. The season finale had leaked online before it was scheduled to air, however, that did not seem to dampen the enthusiasm and fervor with which fans of the franchise were on hand to take in the final episode of the building saga. The finale had seen news arrive at Dragonstone, informing now-Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) that her childhood best friend and her half-brother, dowager Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney), had effectively usurped her and stolen her birthright.
What would ensue is restraint and politicking on the queen’s part to avoid a full-blown conflict despite calls from many quarters for war to be declared. However, that restraint would be ripped off with the events that took place in the skies above Storm’s End, where her second son, Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault) would be killed by his uncle, Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), and the world’s largest dragon, Vhagar. Despite this rather tense and gloomy end to the first season, HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys has informed fans that the return to Westeros will not happen at least until “sometime in ’24.”
While speaking to Vulture, Bloys remarked, “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.” While this might sound like a bit of a disappointment to some fans who might be hoping for an early return, Bloys confirms that we won’t be seeing Westeros through the eyes of Dragons at least for a year. “Don’t expect it in 2023,” the HBO executive said.
It had already been reported that the second season of the fantasy series will begin filming in early 2023, and fans might have hoped for a release date later in the year. However, HBO will be assured that there will be an eagerly anticipating trove of fans awaiting the show’s return, as the numbers showed that the season finale was the network’s biggest finale since that of Game of Thrones. The success of House of the Dragon is one that is sure to have pleased the decision-makers at HBO, given that the network had reservations regarding the multiple recastings of major characters which was a feature throughout the show due to multiple time jumps. We are, however, set for a far smoother ride as regards time jumps in the second season, but for Westeros, perilous times lie ahead.
The first season of House of the Dragon is available to stream on HBO Max.