‘House of the Dragon’ Set Up One Final Surprise in the Season 2 Finale

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 finale of House of the Dragon.

House of the Dragon Season 2 saw several major upsets, from Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) rising in power by attacking Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) to Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) gaining three new dragonrider to Alicent (Olivia Cooke) betraying her sons to make a deal with Rhaenyra. However, one of the biggest moments early on lost us an important character: Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans). He’s not dead, but the significant character is missing from the show for several episodes after being dismissed by his own grandson for his reasonable caution and sent away from King’s Landing. Otto’s removal was a blow to the Greens, who relied on his strategic advice.

No longer the Hand of the King, Otto looks for other ways to be useful in the war, but the series doesn’t follow him. Instead, the story goes on without him. Otto does not reappear until the last minutes of the Season 2 finalewhen Otto shows up, now imprisoned. However, the brief scene does not show who captured him. With only a glimpse at his situation, it’s impossible to tell who may have him, especially as the once-powerful man has enemies everywhere. Not only would Rhaenyra’s allies benefit from Otto’s imprisonment, but also those trying to gain power among the Greens.

House of the Dragon

The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO series Game of Thrones. Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon is set nearly 200 years before Game of Thrones, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Creator

Ryan J. Condal, George R.R. Martin

Main Genre

Drama

Seasons

4

Distributor

HBO

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Where Was Otto Captured in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2?

Otto’s long absence makes his capture more of a mystery. It has been six episodes since he appeared, giving him plenty of time to travel across Westeros. The last we heard of him, Otto was planning to leave King’s Landing with the intention of recruiting more allies for Aegon. Though he and Alicent discuss different ideas of where to go, including Oldtown, where he could focus on mentoring Daeron, they seem to agree that his best course of action is to go to High Garden, the home of the Tyrells.

There, Otto hoped to secure the Greens’ wavering support in the Reach that they had been counting on. But his diplomatic mission did not go as they planned. The Greens mention Lords of the Reach siding with Rhaenyra, who are attacking the Hightower army. As far as what happened to Otto, his capture remains mysterious. At some point, he stopped responding to Alicent’s letters, which must have been when he was taken prisoner. But that was all the way back in Episode 2. What happened in between that time is anyone’s guess.

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Who Could Have Caught Otto and Who Has a Reason?

With the civil war raging throughout Westeros, there is no end to the enemies Otto has. While any one of them would be thrilled to have one of the masterminds of the Greens in custody, there are a few suspected. First, if Otto traveled to the Reach, then the Black supporters in the region could have taken him hostage. The Beesburys are some of the most vocal Black supporters as they blame the Greens for the death of their former lord, Lyman Beesbury (Bill Paterson), who sat on Viserys’ (Paddy Considine) council until Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) killed him in the hours following the King’s death. Considering that it happened on Otto’s watch, they could easily hold a grudge against him.

But another theory suggests Otto didn’t get so far. Based on the look of Otto’s cell, some fans suggest he is locked away in the Red Keep. However, those cells are technically under the control of Aegon, who chose to banish Otto rather than imprison him. Alicent and, eventually, Aemond have control over these cells as well, and both have tried to reach out to Otto. But, one cunning character in King’s Landing may want Otto out of the way. Larys Strong’s (Matthew Needham) manipulations of Aegon got Otto sent away, and he gained power in his absence, giving him reason to keep Otto away. While Larys is certainly devious enough, Otto being in the Red Keep’s cells would mean both Alicent and Aemond are blind to what is going on.

Does ‘Fire & Blood’ Answer the Question About Otto?

When it comes to the next part of the story, fans can usually make an educated guess based on the events in Fire & Blood, which chronicles early Targaryen history, including the Dance of the Dragons. But it gives no insight into who may have captured Otto. His story diverged from Fire & Blood after his dismissal from the council. Little is mentioned of the character when he is no longer the Hand of the King. However, he stays in King’s Landing. He is present when Rhaenyra takes over the capital city, and his support of Aegon is punished by beheading.

While Fire & Blood can do nothing to reveal the mystery of where Otto is, that may be a good thing. Season 2 leaves Rhaenyra poised to take King’s Landing, which would be the end of the Otto if the series follows the book. Yet his captivity may keep him alive longer, bringing the character back for Season 3. His quiet ambition and ruthless cunning are worth continued exploration, especially as he had a minimal role in Season 2. Otto is a significant asset to the Greens, and extending his life beyond his Fire & Blood death would allow him to play a bigger role in the story.

House of the Dragon is available for streaming exclusively on Max in the U.S.

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