The biggest moments from House of the Dragon Episode 10

The House of the Dragon finale is finally here, and it’s as spectacular as most of us envisioned. Game of Thrones usually had Episode 9 as the largest and most extravagant episode with jaw-dropping moments. HotD has decided to leave that for the finale, which was a great decision, leaving the end of the season on a cliffhanger and the audience craving for more. So much has happened in this last episode that it’s difficult to pick just a few moments as the best ones. Nevertheless, here are the biggest moments from Episode 10 of House of the Dragon.

More: 15 details you might have missed in House of The Dragon Episode 10

The most intense birthing scene ever

As soon as Rhaenys arrives at Dragonstone to inform the Blacks that Viserys is dead, and Aegon is king, Rhaenyra goes into labor. She has done this at least three times before, and once shaken it off like it’s nothing. However, this birthing scene was definitely the most painful one to watch. The maesters say that she has gone into labor long before her time. It’s most likely that the reason is the stress caused by hearing news of an impending war, and that the Greens are coming for Rhaenyra and the Blacks.

It almost seems as though Rhaenyra simply has no time to wait for the baby to be born, since she cannot afford to be pregnant when so much is at stake. Drawing more from fantasy than reality, she goes through a birthing process similar to Fire and Blood, as she screams at the baby to ‘get out.’ Her maids watch in horror as she proceeds to give birth all alone, resulting in a stillbirth due to the nature and time of the birthing. Of all the horrifying scenes in any Thrones episode, this one undoubtedly ranks in the top tier. It also re-establishes Rhaenyra as a woman of incredible strength, as she seems almost completely unfazed in the aftermath.

Commander Daemon

Whatever people say of Daemon Targaryen: that he is good/bad/stupid/ruthless, it is impossible to say that he is not an exceptional warrior. Throughout this series, Daemon has fumbled in his relationships, unsure if he wants to be king but claiming he deserves it. In this episode as well, his stupidity is on display when he assaults Rhaenyra, his wife and queen. When war is at hand, though, Daemon proves his usefulness. Every single time that Daemon has been in a war in this series, he has been in his element. Whether it be the war on crime in King’s Landing or the Stepstones, Daemon proved his ability as an accomplished warrior with almost no equal.

As soon as troops are being rallied, tactical positions need assignment, banners are being called, Daemon is the man for the job. He quickly summarises the entire strength of the Blacks, making us see that they actually have more power than we realized. Namely, more dragons. It’s almost as if Daemon has been calculating this in his head even before the conflict began. His resourcefulness in converting two members of Aegon’s Kingsguard with the threat of death is also notable. Most importantly, no one else among the Blacks is able to walk in alone to face Vermithor, The Bronze Fury. Vermithor is the second-largest dragon in the realm, and only Daemon is capable of preparing him for use as a weapon of war for the Blacks.

All of ’em: Here are all of the 17 dragons from House Of The Dragon

The Coronation of Queen Rhaenyra

Rhaenyra’s coronation is an almost complete contrast to Aegon’s. The royal council chose him, the High Septon blessed him, and a large crowd witnessed his coronation. On the other hand, Rhaenyra has a small band of rebels and no symbol of legitimacy. In fact, her entire coronation seems to be a farce and a desperate attempt to claim back her supposed right. That is until a defector from the court appears. Now, we know from the books that this knight is Ser Erryk Cargyll. It’s odd that when he shows up, no one asks who he is, given that he is so similar in appearance to his twin brother Arryk. Ser Erryk differs from his brother in one crucial way, in that after seeing the inner workings of the court, he has lost faith in the idea of Aegon as a king.

This lends legitimacy to the fact that Rhaenyra is the rightful queen, as a member of Aegon’s Kingsguard supports her of his own will. Though Daemon has a different idea of the true meaning of loyalty, Ser Erryk displays another perspective. Erryk presents Daemon with the crown of Viserys, which he has seemingly stolen from the court. Daemon places the crown on Rhaenyra’s head in a moment far more emotional than Aegon’s grand ceremony. This small band will go forward to be the core members of the Blacks that support Rhaenyra’s cause.

More: Everything we know about the Cargyll Twins from House Of The Dragon

Stand-off on Dragonstone, again

As callbacks to previous episodes go, this one is pretty much on the nose. Otto and Daemon face each other on the walls of Dragonstone, while Rhaenyra flies in on Syrax and lands behind the Hand. At least this moment makes it worth the fact that Otto took the baffling decision to face Daemon and Caraxes with only a band of soldiers back in Episode 2. Unlike that episode, though, Rhaenyra is now on the other side of the argument. She, too, makes a tactically odd decision of placing Syrax behind the Green faction. If things came to a fight and Syrax had to use dragonfire in a pinch, the Blacks too would be in the path of the flames. Perhaps this solidifies the fact that Rhaenyra had absolutely no intention to use Syrax in a fight, but only placed her there as a subtle warning.

This is in contrast to Daemon in Episode 2, who had Caraxes in a position to open fire on Otto’s group on a whim. In this episode as well, Daemon is raring to go to begin the fight. Truly, the last few episodes seem to show the caution and restraint exercised by the various princesses and queens of the realm. Otto Hightower, though, continues to have baffling confidence that he will escape a situation unharmed. Perhaps this is what makes him a good Hand? He reminds Rhaenyra of Alicent’s love for her, and her decision to offer terms rather than assassinate the Blacks, causing Rhaenyra to stay her hand. This is the second occasion so far when a dragon-riding Targaryen woman could end a conflict in one fell swoop, but chooses not to.

The storm breaks out above Storm’s End

Every book reader has been waiting for this, we all knew it was coming to this. We all waited, grinning, thinking how shocked people would be who did know what was coming. We were mildly surprised when it did not happen in Episode 9, but it only whetted our appetite. However, House of the Dragon managed to shock us all. Though it may seem as though Aegon’s coronation was the event that began the Targaryen civil war, there was still room for a peaceful resolution. Both armies had enough military strength to call a stalemate, and messengers were being sent in peace to negotiate with allies. However, when Aemond Targaryen set his one good eye on his childhood bully and the reason for his handicap, it was all doomed to hell. I said it while watching the episode, and I’ll say it again, Lucerys should have run.

When you see the largest dragon in the realm, and its rider is your worst enemy, that’s when you run. However, Lucerys is not one to shirk his duty, and the inevitable conflict finally ensues. An ancient dragon versus a near-hatchling is not a fair fight. Vhagar chomping down on Arrax was a shock to some, for sure. But the truly shocking revelation was that it was never Aemond’s intention to murder his nephew. He lost control of his mount. HotD’s version makes more sense for Aemond’s character arc, his duty to his family is more important than his vendetta. After all, this is the moment that caused Rhaenyra to snap and officially began the Dance of the Dragons. The line from Otto Hightower in the books comes to mind, as he said to Aemond, “You only lost one eye, how could you be so blind?” Well, now we know.

Next: House of The Dragon episode 10 finally showed us what Storm’s End looks like