Warning: spoilers ahead for the House of the Dragon season 2 finale.
It’s impossible to overstate just how devastated Game of Thrones fans were with the finale of the show when it aired in 2019.
While viewers still aren’t over their dire disappointment five years later, revelations made in the House of the Dragon season 2 finale have rubbed even more salt into the wound.
Game of Thrones spent years building up the mystery of who would finally end up on the Iron Throne, with many predicting that Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) would reign victorious over her enemies.
However, in the finale, the beloved Mother of Dragons bafflingly descended into madness, burning hordes of innocent people alive in King’s Landing despite her reputation as a saviour and ‘breaker of chains’.
Her lover and nephew Jon Snow (Kit Harington) subsequently stabbed and killed her to prevent her from committing any more atrocities, before Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) was eventually chosen to rule as the King, which many deemed utterly nonsensical.
One of the reasons why fans felt so disheartened about the finale was because George RR Martin, the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire book series, hadn’t finished writing the story yet… meaning that the show’s creators had to come up with their own ending.
It also felt very rushed, given the final season consisted of only six episodes, one fewer than the penultimate season, and four fewer than the rest.
In Game of Thrones, fans learnt about a prophecy centred around the ‘Prince that was Promised’, who was believed would deliver the world from darkness.
While some speculated that Jon was the Prince that was Promised, given he turned out to be a Targaryen, it was also suspected that the prophecy was about Daenerys, as it included a word translated from High Valyrian that could mean either ‘Prince’ or ‘Princess’.
The prophecy was left heartbreakingly unresolved in Game of Thrones, given Daenerys’ shock death and Jon joining the Wildlings to go beyond the Wall in the North.
But in the House of the Dragon season two finale, Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) has a vision about the prophecy, and sees a glimpse of his future descendant Daenerys with her three baby dragons.
After years of theorising, this moment appears to have confirmed – finally – that Daenerys was intended to fulfil the prophecy as the Princess that was Promised.
Just like that, we’ve been transported back five years, reliving the crushing devastation of Dany’s fate like it was only yesterday… and the Game of Thrones finale feels even more shattering than it was before.
When the HBO show ended, there were some very hopeful theories that Dany could be resurrected.
After Jon killed her, her dragon Drogon picked up his mother’s dead body and flew away with her, sparking suspicions that she could be taken to a red priestess across the sea who could bring her back to life.
When the Jon Snow spin-off was still in the works before being shelved for the time being, this remained a (very slim) possibility, if Emilia was willing to reprise her role with Kit.
Let’s face it – this theory might have been too optimistic for its own good.
At this point in time, it seems that we have to reluctantly accept two truths: that House of the Dragon has confirmed Dany as the Princess that was Promised, and that Game of Thrones therefore failed to resolve one of the most important storylines in the entire show.
We already knew the latter… but it just hurts even more now.
When George RR Martin finally finishes the A Song of Ice and Fire book series, readers will discover who he intended to sit on the Iron Throne at the end.
If his intended ending is drastically different to Game of Thrones season eight (which it most likely will be), perhaps the cast could reprise their roles for a do-over?
Oh you sweet summer child (we say to ourselves). Time to get a grip on reality.
House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones are available to watch on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
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