House Of The Dragon Twist Makes Game Of Thrones' Ending Worse

The reveal of Aegon the Conqueror's dream in House of the Dragon unfortunately serves to make Game of Thrones season 8's ending and Night King choices even worse. The White Walkers were established as the overarching threat right from the very opening scene in Game of Thrones' first episode, albeit one that would spend much of the show looming in the background rather than being actively involved. But as Game of Thrones' ending approached, so too did the Night King and his army, only for them to surprisingly be dispatched at the halfway point of season 8.

House of the Dragon unexpectedly goes back to the White Walkers, in a fashion. Barring any really major shocks, the Night King will not be appearing in the prequel, but his coming is forewarned at the end of the episode. This sees King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) tell his daughter and new heir, Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) about Aegon the Conqueror's dream of a coming winter and darkness that threatened, meaning the Night King, White Walkers, and wights.

Aside from Aegon's dream being a Game of Thrones retcon, and a twist that so far hasn't made it into George R.R. Martin's books yet either, it also reframes the show's ending and the climactic battle between the living and the dead. The White Walkers' ending already seemed rush, as did much of Game of Thrones season 8. But with the knowledge that the Targaryens had conquered Westeros because of them, effectively making this an event centuries in the making, then it becomes an even bigger waste of potential: 300 years of foreshadowing and knowledge, and just three episodes to deal with the threat in the end.