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House of the Dragon
S2.E8
All episodesAll
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IMDbPro

The Queen Who Ever Was

  • Episode aired Aug 4, 2024
  • TV-MA
  • 1h 9m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
44K
YOUR RATING
Emma D'Arcy in House of the Dragon (2022)
House Of The Dragon: The Queen Who Ever Was
Play trailer0:56
2 Videos
41 Photos
ActionAdventureDramaFantasyRomance

As Aemond becomes more volatile, Larys plots an escape, while Rhaenyra looks to press her advantage.As Aemond becomes more volatile, Larys plots an escape, while Rhaenyra looks to press her advantage.As Aemond becomes more volatile, Larys plots an escape, while Rhaenyra looks to press her advantage.

  • Director
    • Geeta Vasant Patel
  • Writers
    • George R.R. Martin
    • Ryan J. Condal
    • Sara Hess
  • Stars
    • Matt Smith
    • Emma D'Arcy
    • Olivia Cooke
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    44K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Geeta Vasant Patel
    • Writers
      • George R.R. Martin
      • Ryan J. Condal
      • Sara Hess
    • Stars
      • Matt Smith
      • Emma D'Arcy
      • Olivia Cooke
    • 605User reviews
    • 22Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos2

    House Of The Dragon: Aemond Targaryen & Criston Cole Find Aegon Injured
    Clip 2:54
    House Of The Dragon: Aemond Targaryen & Criston Cole Find Aegon Injured
    House Of The Dragon: The Queen Who Ever Was
    Trailer 0:56
    House Of The Dragon: The Queen Who Ever Was
    House Of The Dragon: The Queen Who Ever Was
    Trailer 0:56
    House Of The Dragon: The Queen Who Ever Was

    Photos41

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    Top cast46

    Edit
    Matt Smith
    Matt Smith
    • Prince Daemon Targaryen
    Emma D'Arcy
    Emma D'Arcy
    • Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen
    Olivia Cooke
    Olivia Cooke
    • Queen Alicent Hightower
    Rhys Ifans
    Rhys Ifans
    • Ser Otto Hightower
    Steve Toussaint
    Steve Toussaint
    • Lord Corlys 'The Sea Snake' Velaryon
    Fabien Frankel
    Fabien Frankel
    • Ser Criston Cole
    Matthew Needham
    Matthew Needham
    • Lord Larys 'The Clubfoot' Strong
    Sonoya Mizuno
    Sonoya Mizuno
    • Mysaria 'The White Worm'
    Tom Glynn-Carney
    Tom Glynn-Carney
    • King Aegon II Targaryen
    Ewan Mitchell
    Ewan Mitchell
    • Prince Aemond Targaryen
    Phia Saban
    Phia Saban
    • Queen Helaena Targaryen
    Harry Collett
    Harry Collett
    • Prince Jacaerys 'Jace' Velaryon
    Bethany Antonia
    Bethany Antonia
    • Lady Baela Targaryen
    Phoebe Campbell
    Phoebe Campbell
    • Lady Rhaena Targaryen
    Jefferson Hall
    Jefferson Hall
    • Ser Tyland Lannister
    Freddie Fox
    Freddie Fox
    • Ser Gwayne Hightower
    Gayle Rankin
    Gayle Rankin
    • Alys Rivers
    Kurt Egyiawan
    Kurt Egyiawan
    • Grand Maester Orwyle
    • Director
      • Geeta Vasant Patel
    • Writers
      • George R.R. Martin
      • Ryan J. Condal
      • Sara Hess
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews605

    6.444.3K
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    Featured reviews

    6prabhnanak

    Lackluster

    This season has been overall disappointing with an exception of a few episodes. I didn't expect the season finale to be like a filler episode. I don't wish to write anything else. Considering how the last episode ended, I was expecting things to take speed and perhaps more of dracarys. What I got was boring and meaningless dialogues. You just keep waiting for the episode to pick up pace but to no avail. I can't believe they made us wait 2 years for absolutely NOTHING. 8 episodes of just setting up what's to come next!?

    I rated the episode 6 because despite the bad writing, the acting was top-notch especially when it came to the "choice" in the climax.

    Extremely disappointed.
    5prnrywcj

    Another Snoozfest

    Quite possibly one of the most boring season finales I've seen. The characters are basically all over the place at this point. I debated skipping this episode entirely and truth be told, if I did, it would've been inconsequential.

    Why the show runners felt the need to deviate from the source material so much is beyond me. What they failed to realize for this season, was that perhaps the most compelling story, was the actual story! The first season did an amazing job at wiping away the bad stain the ending of Game of Thrones left when it ended. The second season, on the other hand, with exception of maybe 2 or 3 episodes, unfortunately reminded us of what happens when you abandon the source material.
    5gregbradley-76583

    Feels more like GoT Season 8 writing.

    It's become more apparent this season (and especially this finale) that the "writers" have no idea what to do with the source material if GRRM isn't holding their hand every step of the way. The filler is blatantly apparent now (those who've read Fire & Blood realize how much they try to add to fill in the gaps) as is the constant transporting and slow-paced dialogue "Like... mist... in... the... morning... sun." They also consistently ignore the logistics of the world to deliver us scenes between prominent characters, much like the latter seasons of GoT. Imagine if Ned Stark was just in King's Landing one episode, then ended up back in Winterfell next episode to have a quick chat with Caitlin, then magically ended up back in King's Landing and nobody seemed to notice or care he'd even left to begin with.

    The reason Game of Thrones beginning seasons felt so phenomenal is because there was legitimately so much actual dialogue to reference from in the books to the point they had to cut much of it short, yet it still had GRRM's actual quality tied to it. Same with the characters and their movements, and the attention to detail Martin has in his writing. The moment D&D ran out of actual source material, they also forgot the logistics of the world and the characters immediately started having less intricate and meaningful conversations; instead stuffed with slower paced poetically metaphorical verbiage. The dialogue seemed more to serve the purpose of sounding fancy and cool but lacking actual substance.

    Fire & Blood isn't meant to be stretched out in this manner. Season 1 was good, but Season 2 is them getting too cocky with Season 1's success and stretching beyond their means. Overall, this season was definitely a miss, filled with stretched filler material that really didn't need to go on as long as it did. The finale most certainly cemented that.
    4mrspieck

    Proving George how right he is.

    Truly a disappointment of an ending. I don't understand the point of building up the entire season if it leads to nothing. Will this 70-minute teaser even pay off next season, or will they drag on half the series until one of the major events finally happens? This season could have included at least one of the 4-5 important events.

    Alicent's character assassination is laughably bad. Is this the same Alicent who previously sought an eye for an eye for Aemond? Now she's simply giving up on Aegon and fast-traveling to Dragonstone, unseized by any guards, and allowed to roam the castle unquestioned.

    I just don't understand the motives here. It's not surprising coming from writers who openly admit adding random scenes strictly for shock value without moving the story along. They're trying to prove George's point about writers always thinking they can make a better product but ending up with something worse or even bad.

    It's such a shame. I honestly hoped the finale would have some spice, but almost every episode felt the same: Rhaenyra complaining about her powerlessness, Daemon hallucinating in Harrenhal. Unreal.

    The acting is the only good thing in this episode.
    lewakers

    Boring finale

    I'm not quite sure how they've achieved it but the showrunners have somehow made a story about a war between dragons, extremely tedious and boring.

    The last few episodes have been slow and you could have condensed everything we learnt into a couple of scenes, but I let that go because I thought it was leading up to a satisfying finale, alas that was not the case, and rather than progressing the plot we get characters teleporting to have pointless conversations, multiple scenes in Essos with characters nobody cares about, and just when it finally looks like something interesting is about to happen, the episode ends.

    This show desperately needs new showrunners who will stop trying to turn it into a soap opera, I feel they completely miss the point of A song of ice and fire, in that there are no real good guys.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The episode title is a play on Rhaenys Targaryen's sobriquet "the Queen Who Never Was."
    • Goofs
      Tyland Lannister states that he is the Master of Ships; actually, he is the Master of Coin.
    • Quotes

      [Gwayne points his sword at Ser Criston]

      Ser Gwayne Hightower: Do you think nothing of your oath, Lord Commander?

      Ser Criston Cole: I think of nothing else, my lord.

      Ser Gwayne Hightower: [disdainfully] Steward's son from Dorne, fucking the queen of the Seven Kingdoms.

      Ser Criston Cole: Former queen. She has broken no oath, for all I may have done.

      Ser Gwayne Hightower: I could send you to the Wall.

      Ser Criston Cole: You could. Stain the Hightower name for a generation. King's mother and his Hand.

      Ser Gwayne Hightower: She is my sister.

      Ser Criston Cole: She saved my life. Twice. Once from the headsman's axe and once from myself. Since then, she has been the beacon I follow.

      [a pause; Gwayne lowers his sword]

      Ser Criston Cole: Do not think I have no shame in me, ser. Desire for women has brought me grief after grief.

      Ser Gwayne Hightower: Then resist it.

      Ser Criston Cole: [chuckles] Oh, would that it was so simple.

      Ser Gwayne Hightower: Your brothers in the Kingsguard find a way.

      Ser Criston Cole: Do they? Mm, perhaps they do. Or perhaps all men are corrupt... and true honor is a mist that melts in the morning.

      Ser Gwayne Hightower: That is a bleak philosophy.

      Ser Criston Cole: I have no philosophy. Or rather, my philosophy was this.

      [Criston draws his sword]

      Ser Criston Cole: To protect the righteous and dispense justice on the rest. And now... you saw what I saw. The dragons dance and men are like dust under their feet. And all our fine thoughts, all our... endeavors are as nothing. We march now toward our annihilation. To die will be a kind of relief. Don't you think?

    • Connections
      Referenced in Carter Slusher: Day 161 Daily Vlog 08/04/2024 (2024)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 4, 2024 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Monsanto, Castelo Branco, Portugal(exterior scenes)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 9m(69 min)
    • Color
      • Color

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