House of the Dragon episode 10 ‘The Black Queen’ summary: season finale reactions

We won't forget that face

The House of the Dragon Twitter account has spoken: this means war. 

Who could forget the face of Rhaenyra when she learned the news of her son Luke.... a tragic loss for the Queen and her second child to die since the Hightowers stole the throne. 

The queen is looking for vengeance and justice for her family. 

Take a look inside the episode with the producers and stars

The episodes usually speak for themselves but for those who would like to take a deeper dive with the real experts, check out HBO's House of the Dragon. 

This time we get a closer look into the mind of Princess Rhaenys as she brings the news to Princess Rhaenyra and how she convinces her husband to join her cause. 

And for those wondering what Aemond's intentions were... the cast and producers provide some clarity. 

House of the Dragon Season Finale | Recap on the drama

Season one of HBO's House of the Dragon has come to a climactic end, with fans begging for season two. 

The episode opens, as many assumed, at Dragonstone, with Princess Rhaenys telling Princess Rhaenyra that her father, King Viserys is dead and that the Hightowers have stolen the throne and installed her half-brother, Aegon Targaryen.

Throughout the episode, now Queen Rhaenyra must decide how to respond to the attack by the Hightowers. There are fights, there are tragedies, and there are dragons. 

Read our full recap for more on episode 10, "The Black Queen." 

That's a wrap on Season 1

The episode was packed in a lot of drama and left viewers wanting more. 

But really, much of the episode was quite said, with the now Queen Rhaenyra losing two children. 

Aside from Otto, there were no Hightowers featured in this episode. 

What we do know is that the action of Prince Aemond that ended in the death of his nephew, will probably provoke Queen Rhaenrya to declare war. 

Wow! That's a wrap on season one of House of the Dragon! What a run... cannot wait for season two! 

The prince is dead and the queen is clearly pissed! 

Daemon has summoned a dragon... Earlier in the episode he said that there were multiple dragons around the castle that could be claimed.

Lord Corlys Velaryon bends the knee to Queen Rhaenyra. 

Rhaenyra tells Daemon about Aegon's dream, and he begins to choke her... perhaps mad that his brother did not tell him about the prophecy. 

The Princess is now in labor after hearing the news. 

The princess learns of her father's death, she is clearly shocked. 

At the same moment she learns that Aegon has been crowned his successor. 

Princess Rhaeyns has arrived to Dragonstone. 

We begin, as many thought we would, at Dragonstone. 

We are getting started!

ENTERTAINMENT

What is the recipe for Negroni sbagliato? ‘The House of the Dragon’ star Emma D’Arcy’s cocktail of choice

Does everyone have their negroni sbagliato? Good! The drink that has gone viral thanks to Emma D'Arcy's short video clip proclaiming her love.

Now the unofficial drink of the show, we took a look at how you make one. All you need is some vermouth, bitters, campari, and prosecto. 

When will season 2 of House of the Dragon be released?

With the season finale hitting HBO tonight, many are wondering how long they will have to go without their thrones fix. 

And... it may be a while. Fansided has reported that the crew will begin filming in Spain in March 2023 and plans to wrap up in June. Once we account for editing and post-production, it could be early 2024 before we see another season of the new hit. 

What do we know so far about the tenth episode of House of the Dragon?

The episode's promo kept the details under wraps but there are a few messages we may be able to infer about tonight's finale. 

One of the first shots is of Princess Rhaenys warning Princess Rhaenyra that her father is dead and her life is likely in danger. As we know, Otto Hightower believes that the named heir of Viserys I must be killed so that she cannot rial people to her cause.

At also seems that when Rhaenyra hears that the Hightowers also plan to kill her children, she questions whether she should fight them. Daemon seems to encourage her to do so because of how outrageous it is that they have attempted to "steal" the throne. 

We also see a brief snippet of a meeting with the leaders of the houses that have pledged their support to the princess' cause, foreshadowing that there will be a war.

In the books, it is Rhaenyra's sons who take off on dragon back to visit allied houses and convince them to join their cause. However, we do not know if this is the direction the writer for the show have gone.  

Only time will tell at this point, one hour to go! 

What does "beast under the boards" mean?

Many have noticed that something is a bit strange about Queen Alicent's daughter Princess Helaena Targaryen... We have seen her prophecies come true at least once and maybe twice. 

In an earlier episode, Princess Helaena overheard her mother tell her brother Aeomnd that he would one day have a dragon, to which she responds, "he will have to close an eye." Later, when Aemond claims the dragon of his late aunt Lena Velaryon, her children, and of those Princess Rhaenyra confront him. The fight ends with Aemond being cut in the eye, which he lost sight of permanently. 

However, in the following episode, Princess Helaena began repeating another prophecy, "there is a breast beneath the boards." 

Some online believe that we saw this prophecy come through when Princess Rhaenys came bursting through the floor on her dragon during the coronation of Prince Aegon II.

Latest News

House of the Dragon: Episode 9 | ‘The Green Council’ recap and what to expect from the finale?

The last episode focuses solely on the Hightower branch of the Targaryen family tree; tonight's episode is likely to spend a lot of time dealing with the plight of Princess Rhaenyra, who has had her thrown usurped. If the season ends with no confrontations with the Hightowers, we will not see any interactions until the next season, as this episode is the finale. 

To get all caught up with the happenings of last week, you can read our recap. 

Two.. hours... to go....

Hold tight, we'll be bringing you everything you need to know about episode ten ahead of the long-awaited season finale!

ENTERTAINMENT

House of the Dragon: The Targaryen family tree explained

The House of Targaryen has a very confusing, if slightly 'limited', series of family members. The characters in House of the Dragon are the ancestors of the Targaryens who appear in Game of Thrones, but drawing a line between them is no mean feat. 

Here's our explainer of the House of Targaryen...

House of the Dragon episode ten trailer: The Black Queen

Little more than two hours to go until House of the Dragon: The Black Queen is made available to stream on HBO Max and we're getting in the mood for an explosive finale. This episode preview gives a taste of what's to come tonight, with Prince Daemon and Princess Rhaenyra gearing up for conflict. 

Expectations are high for episode ten

The final episode of season one of House of the Dragon currently has a score of 9.3/10 on TV and film ratings site IMDb. Reviewers are often given advanced access to new shows ahead of their actual release and the critics seem to have liked what they saw from episode ten. 

ENTERTAINMENT

Will there be a Season 2 of House of the Dragon?

Already fearing the end of the long-awaited return to Westeros? Well worry not, the show's creators have already confirmed that there will be a second series of the popular Game of Thrones prequel.

The events of House of the Dragon are set hundreds of years before the storyline of the original show, so there is plenty of stories to be told about the history of the Targaryen household. 

Here's what you need to know about season two...

Hello and welcome to AS USA!

The wait is over! The season finale of House of the Dragon is due to air on HBO Max in little over two hours. 

We'll be keeping you company all the way through with some sneak peaks at what to expect from tonight, and live commentary as the dramatic season finale unfolds. Get yourself comfy, gather your snacks, as we wait for episode ten: 'The Black Queen'