House of the Dragon season 1 finale: Aftermath of Rhaenys’ choice

As we get ourselves set for the House of the Dragon season 1 finale on HBO this coming weekend, we obviously know the game has changed. Rhaenys just totally wrecked the coronation of Aegon Targeryan thanks to her dragon and with that, made her allegiance very much clear. She has chosen to side with Rhaenyra, which makes us think most of Driftmark will fall in line.

Of course, we do think that Alicent very-much fumbled her negotiation with Rhaenys from the moment she was held prisoner. There was no way that she would ever bend the knee to her after the fact.

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Now, let’s come to the big question at hand here: Why in the world did Rhaenys not kill the new King and everyone in attendance? She had that opportunity, but Eve Best has a fascinating and well-thought explanation. Just take a look at what the actress had to say on the subject to Entertainment Weekly:

“It’s the pinnacle … It’s the moment when she shows herself to be the greatest possible ruler. It was the most outrageous and explosive action of the season. In a way, it’s also the most merciful and most graceful act. It’s because she’s so intelligent and in the end chooses to do the right thing, which is not to destroy. It’s a truly forgiving moment and sort of a loving moment, in a weird way. She has all the ammunition, and the desire for revenge is so great. She’s suffered so much loss, and for her own sake and on behalf of so many others, the urge to destroy is so strong. And yet the choice not to destroy becomes even stronger. That’s the mark of greatness and [a] truly inspiring moment — I think actually one that is particularly resonate in this context of what we’re going through right now in our world with everything that’s going on with Russia. The choice not to drop the bombs is the greater choice.”

Of course, her opting to not set the place ablaze means more lives will likely be lost later amidst a potentially-huge war, but they are not lives lost at her hand. She can return to Driftmark knowing that Aegon, Alicent, and everyone else have far greater priorities.

Related – Check out more insight on the subject of House of the Dragon right now, including some other thoughts about episode 9

What do you most want to see on House of the Dragon season 1 episode 10?

How do you think the finale is going to end? Be sure to share right now in the comments! Once you do just that, come back — there are other updates ahead and of course, we want you to stay in the know! (Photo: HBO.)

This article was written by Jessica BunBun. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.