The Queen Who Ever Was
A season finale met with mixed reviews and a pre-release leak.
The Queen Who Ever Was is the eighth and final episode of the second season of the fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones. Written by Sara Hess and directed by Geeta Vasant Patel, it first aired on HBO and Max on August 4, 2024. The episode is notable for being the lowest-rated episode of the series on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 46% approval rating, and for a leak of its scenes days before release.
- type
- Television episode
- series
- House of the Dragon (season 2)
- air_date
- August 4, 2024
- network
- HBO and Max
- writer
- Sara Hess
- director
- Geeta Vasant Patel
- runtime
- Not specified in article
Lore & Background
The episode follows multiple plotlines. In Tyrosh, Tyland Lannister negotiates with the Triarchy for their fleet, facing a mud-wrestling challenge from Admiral Sharako Lohar. Aemond Targaryen, enraged over Rhaenyra's new dragonriders, incinerates the town of Sharp Point with Vhagar. In King's Landing, Larys Strong warns Aegon that Aemond's rage threatens his life, and Aegon secretly departs the city with Larys. At Harrenhal, Daemon Targaryen touches a weirwood tree and sees visions of the future, including a White Walker and Daenerys Targaryen, then reaffirms his loyalty to Rhaenyra. Alicent Hightower secretly visits Rhaenyra on Dragonstone, offering to let her take King's Landing peacefully in exchange for her children's lives, but Rhaenyra insists on taking Aegon's life.
Reader's Guide
The episode serves as the season finale, setting up the next season with multiple armies marching and alliances forming. It was criticized as a weak finale, with its cliffhanger failing to provide a satisfying conclusion, though the set-up for the next season was appreciated. The musical score, cinematography, and cast performances were highly praised, particularly those of Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Abubakar Salim, Harry Collett, and Fabien Frankel. The episode's 46% Rotten Tomatoes rating makes it the lowest-rated episode of the series to date. A leak of scenes from the episode occurred on July 30, 2024, on TikTok, spreading to X and Reddit, which HBO acknowledged as an unintentional release from an international third-party distributor.
Did You Know?
- The episode was leaked on TikTok on July 30, 2024, attracting between 50,000 to 100,000 viewers before the account was banned.
- It is the lowest-rated episode of House of the Dragon on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 46% approval rating.
- The episode features the first appearance of Abigail Thorn as Admiral Sharako Lohar.
- The episode's premiere night viewership was 8.9 million in the United States, a 20.5% increase from the previous episode.
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More in House of the Dragon episodes 1-24
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