SPOILER ALERT: This interview accommodates spoilers for HBO’s “Home of the Dragon” Season 2 finale, titled “The Queen Who Ever Was,” now streaming on Max.

Somewhat than a dangerous battle to complete Season 2, “Home of the Dragon” closes with a fiery alternate of phrases between Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) that will depart you on the sting of your seats as so much as any dragon duel would.

As an alternate of beginning in Westeros, the Season 2 finale kicks off in Essos, the sandy, pirate-filled continent off to the east. Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Corridor) is there to barter with the Triarchy to help the Greens in alternate for the Stepstones islands. Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorn) agrees to information the naval fleet, after she beats Tyland in a mud wrestling battle, they normally set sail to interrupt the blockade spherical King’s Touchdown.

Within the metropolis, Prince Regent Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) returns from burning down an entire metropolis alongside together with his dragon Vhagar. His sister Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) and mother Alicent are appalled at what he’s completed, and far more so when he requires Helaena take flight on her dragon Dreamfyre to help inside the warfare. Alicent stands up for her daughter, who reveals that she is conscious of Aemond severely burned their brother King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) all through the Battle of Rook’s Relaxation.

And Aegon shouldn’t be doing properly. He can barely stroll, he’s depressed and he can’t pee with out urine working down his leg. His grasp of whisperers, Larys Robust (Matthew Needham), suggests they flee to Braavos and reside off their remaining gold, so that Aegon can triumphantly return and rise from the ashes afterward. Miles away — nevertheless like Aegon after Rook’s Relaxation — Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) will also be a broken man. He’s shell-shocked after narrowly surviving a dragon assault, and believes that his army is marching in the direction of fiery annihilation. Alicent’s brother Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox) is conscious of that Criston has been breaking his Kingsguard vows by sleeping alongside together with his sister, and Criston admits his want for women has launched him nothing nevertheless grief.

All by way of this season, Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) has had some creepy, cameo-filled visions whereas in Harrenhal, nevertheless this episode choices most likely the most gorgeous ones. The witch Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) brings Daemon to a weirwood tree, the place he has visions of the upcoming “Sport of Thrones” future. He sees Brynden Rivers — increased generally called the Three-Eyed Raven, later carried out by Max von Sydow — White Walkers from previous the Wall and a glimpse of Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen alongside along with her three baby dragons. Daemon moreover sees himself drowning, Rhaenyra sitting on the Iron Throne, a dull dragon and a pile of corpses. The imaginative and prescient ends with Helaena staring once more at him, telling him he ought to play his half inside the grand Westeros story. Again in King’s Touchdown, Helaena concurrently snaps out of her imaginative and prescient when she’s interrupted by Aemond. She tells him of his impending doom from being swallowed up by the Gods Eye and that Aegon shall be king as soon as extra.

The imaginative and prescient scares Daemon enough that he’s glad he ought to bend the knee to Rhaenyra, and pledge his army and help to the Blacks. Lastly, in Dragonstone, Alicent pays Rhaenyra a secret go to all through which she begs her to complete the warfare. After Aemond fired her from the small council, Alicent has come to her senses, and she or he’s completed with scheming and plotting. She tells Rhaenyra the Black forces can conquer King’s Touchdown in three days whereas Aemond is away at warfare with Criston. She even says that Rhaenyra can kill Aegon to fully take vitality. The 2 share a tense, tearful reunion, nevertheless it certainly’s unclear whether or not or not Alicent will maintain her phrase — and if Rhaenyra absolutely trusts her.

Earlier than we’re in a position to see the end result of their dialog, the Inexperienced and Black forces put collectively for all-out warfare. The Lannisters be a component of the Greens, the Triarchy ships face the Velaryon fleet and Starks march south to affix the battle. Larys and Aegon moreover sneak away from King’s Touchdown in a wagon, and we see Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) locked away in a dungeon someplace. Plus, there are two further dragons in play: Daemon’s daughter Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell) discovers a misplaced dragon named Sheepstealer, and the massive blue dragon Tessarion flies over the Inexperienced army. Tessarion belongs to Daeron Targaryen, Alicent’s son who has however to look on the current nevertheless has been away in Oldtown the complete time. It appears as if Season 3 will lastly introduce this missing Targaryen, and we’ll get far more dragon-tastic battles.

In an interview with Selection, Geeta Vasant Patel — who moreover directed Episode 3 from this season — explains creating Daemon’s cameo-filled imaginative and prescient, capturing Rhaenyra and Alicent’s emotional dialog, introducing the 2 new dragons and way more.

Quite so much of followers had been anticipating an enormous battle episode since that’s the season finale, nevertheless this was way more about intense conversations and shifting alliances. How did this episode match the mildew of what you had been anticipating to do for the finale?

I truly didn’t know what to anticipate. I didn’t know if it could possibly be a battle or one factor else. I most probably anticipated a battle, merely as a fan. Then as soon as I study the script, I was pleasantly shocked and fully blissful, in consequence of I really feel we put an extreme quantity of on battles. I really feel what’s truly attention-grabbing about this episode is that it’s about relationships. It’s the dialogue, the twists and turns, the connection between Daemon and Rhaenyra, and Rhaenyra and Alicent. For me, it was pretty thrilling to provide consideration to the dramaturgy. I actually like that. I was excited to dig deep with this. I undoubtedly felt the drawback if people are anticipating an enormous battle, how is that this going to compete with it? However having completed Episode 8 from Season 1, I knew that if we executed the script it could possibly be grand.

You moreover directed Episode 3 from this season, which had the key dialog between Rhaenyra and Alicent inside the church. How did you want their scene collectively finally of the finale to assemble upon that earlier episode?

We made sure that the scenes between them in Episodes 3 and eight had an pure storytelling to them, and that there was a rising movement between the 2 of them. We had been persistently going forwards and backwards, tweaking this and that — so that these two scenes had a really direct relationship.

We shot that scene on the end of Episode 8 nearly on the end of the manufacturing season. There have been two points that had been truly important: We wanted it to actually really feel like Rhaenyra and Alicent had been kids as soon as extra, in consequence of that’s what that scene was truly about. Olivia and Emma did a really good job of bringing that juvenile, fearful, innocent side to the scene, the place they wrestled between what they know they’re alleged to do and what they’re feeling that’s irrational. The reverse issue is we would have liked to ensure that the scene in Episode 3 was on their minds. They’re like a divorced couple that additionally loves each other. Whenever you see an ex, it’s almost as if that battle you had, or what they did to you, is latest in your ideas and easily occurred 5 minutes in the previous. We wanted it to be that razor’s edge feeling as soon as we entered this scene between the 2 of them. They truly pushed and pulled each other in a strategy that I wasn’t sure how that they had been going to complete it.

After their dialog, it appears as if there’s nonetheless some doubt about whether or not or not Alicent is telling the actuality to Rhaenyra, or if Rhaenyra completely believes her. How do you interpret that scene and the place they depart points?

The actors maintain their interpretations very shut. That’s the wonderful thing about them coming into the scene in that strategy. They’re not freely giving one factor that they themselves as characters may not know however. After we shot it, an necessary issue was to know the place the shift was inside the scene, and that was when Rhaenyra says, “A son for a son.” She’s saying that in consequence of she beforehand says, “You’ve by no means sacrificed something, Alicent. You need all these items, however you need your cake and to eat it, too.” After I used to be discovering out that scene, the very very first thing I did was I went to the bookend of it, which is Episode 1. The very first scene that Ryan Condal wrote was a voiceover about how we’ve to sacrifice for obligation. If we’re going to take care of this like a film, that’s the theme of this whole film. This scene wished to provide consideration to that.

There’s a second the place Rhaenyra says, “OK, you’re gonna should sacrifice. If you would like one thing, quit your son.” I really feel that second is precise and true. When Alicent says, “Sure, you possibly can have my son,” she is giving up her son. The shock is inside the montage later when Aegon has escaped. What’s going to happen now? When Rhaenyra finds out that Aegon left, is she going to interpret that as one factor that was pre-planned? Is she getting into cost Alicent? What’s what does that suggest for Alicent?

We meet two mannequin new dragons on this episode, when Tessarion swoops down over the army and Rhaena comes face to face with Sheepstealer. All of the dragons have such distinct appears to be and feels, how did you create these two introductions?

For the shot you’re talking about the place the dragon bought right here up all through the people and swooped down, that was solely a shot in my head as soon as I study the script. There was one factor scary however moreover introductory about it. We have now a unprecedented seen outcomes division that creates each of the dragons’ appears to be and sounds and feels. They each have personalities. It’s almost like these are actors we’re going to work with. I knew that this dragon wished to hold Rhaena to open eyes — merely full, “Oh my gosh, I’m taking a look at a dragon!” This was her dream, and she or he’s the one one who didn’t have a dragon. It was a very large second for her.

I’d type of equate it as as soon as I first acquired this current. It had been my dream for eight years. I keep in mind as soon as I acquired the job, it was merely this overwhelming feeling in consequence of I wanted it for thus prolonged. It wasn’t a coincidence that I acquired it, I pushed so laborious. I related to Rhaena in that second. You want one factor so harmful and everyone’s telling you that you’d be capable to’t get it. The shot that I observed immediately in my head with that scene was the large, huge shot of the dragon and little Rhaena. That was David and Goliath.

There are some gorgeous “Sport of Thrones” cameos with Daemon’s imaginative and prescient the place he sees Daenerys, the Evening King and the Three-Eyed Raven. Whenever you study the script for that scene, how did you go about making the seek for this imaginative and prescient?

I was so honored that I’d get to be a component of executing that. After I obtained the script, all these beats of the visuals had been listed, nevertheless there was space for course. It’s a should to find out how all these points are going to maneuver collectively. You see Daenerys, nevertheless how do you see her? Do you see her face? What’s she doing? I believed the dragons coming out of her in shadow could be truly attention-grabbing in consequence of it’s not about Daenerys, it’s with regard to the story of historic previous. We’re in Daemon’s viewpoint, so that imaginative and prescient wanted to tell the story to Daemon of the historic previous of his people and that Rhaenyra wished to be on the throne. It’s very tempting to be like, “Let’s present Daenerys! Let’s zoom in on this!” However that’s not what it’s about. In precise truth, Daemon doesn’t know who she is. It has to make Daemon understand that he has to bend the knee to Rhaenyra willingly.

The cameos are good nostalgia and fan-service, nevertheless as well as they serve a storytelling goal for Daemon. How did you steadiness these two points?

I was very focused on, “If that is going to be on this imaginative and prescient, what objective does it play? What a part of the story is it telling? How a lot do we have to inform the story? Let’s not assume in any respect about the truth that it is a fan favourite.” That was truly what I tried to do in inserting collectively the storyboards for this, after which executing these. That’s why you don’t see hundreds of further stuff. There could have been, nevertheless that’s not the function. If we don’t give consideration to the function of the story, it merely turns right into a montage that has no which implies.

Daemon moreover sees himself drowning in his imaginative and prescient, and correct after that scene we see Helaena inform Aemond that he shall be swallowed up by the Gods Eye. Followers of the book know what that second is foreshadowing — nevertheless what can you say about capturing that scene? Will we see that imaginative and prescient play out in Season 3?

I can get in trouble if I reveal one thing. I’ll say that when we shot that scene, it was very good. We had an infinite stage, and created these stations. Every station was a second of that imaginative and prescient. For the drowning, I had wanted a tank, nevertheless we didn’t have the funds for for an exact tank with water. After I acquired the storyboards completed, somebody inside the meeting was like, “What if it’s dragon’s blood as an alternative of water? That’s superb!”

So we darkened the water into blood, and we ended up capturing it dry for moist — there’s no water really. It’s merely Matt Smith hanging from a rig with followers blowing on him so it appears to be like he’s underwater. It was truly very good executing all these moments. The roots of the tree that start the complete sequence of the imaginative and prescient, these had been constructed after which delivered to life as seen outcomes. I truly wanted to actually really feel like an umbilical twine. They launched that to life so that that they had been gooey and alive.

Whenever you shot the Evening King second, was it the similar costume from “Sport of Thrones” merely laying spherical in storage someplace?

They suggested me, nevertheless I don’t keep in mind. I’ve a worst memory! I really feel they did have some left over from “Sport of Thrones,” I’m almost constructive. It was thrilling to shoot that, too. The actor who carried out the Evening King — and he was not the exact Evening King, he merely carried out one amongst them — he was so good. He knew straightforward strategies to switch like them. All folks bought right here proper all the way down to the set that day to have a look at us shoot it. Most people who work on this current are followers of “Sport of Thrones,” so everybody was lined up watching us do these takes.

We moreover see Otto Hightower locked up in a dungeon someplace. The place is he?

I was requested to shoot that scene. I have to know the place he’s, too. I don’t know! These guys talk about hundreds of points inside the writers’ room, after which they don’t inform us. They don’t inform any of us! They don’t inform the actors, each. I don’t assume it’s truthful.

This interview has been edited and condensed.