The Black Queen (House of the Dragon)

"The Black Queen" is the tenth and final episode of the first season of the fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones.

Rhaenyra is subsequently crowned Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and opposes her faction's demands for open war, instead wanting to secure alliances.

It received critical acclaim, with praise going towards the writing, musical score, cliffhanger and set-up for the next season, the whole sequence in Storm's End, and performances of the cast, especially those of Emma D'Arcy and Matt Smith.

Believing Viserys was murdered, Daemon forms an alliance of Houses still loyal to him and urges Rhaenyra to declare war against the Greens.

Erryk Cargyll, having escaped King's Landing, arrives on Dragonstone bringing Viserys' crown to Rhaenyra; Daemon proclaims her Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.

At a war council, Corlys offers his fleet to establish a shipping blockade of King's Landing with Rhaenys patrolling the area on dragonback.

Luke relays Rhaenyra's message, reminding Borros that his late father swore an oath to support her succession.

Borros forbids the two from fighting inside his hall and permits Luke to safely depart on Arrax, though Aemond pursues them on Vhagar.

In the United States, "The Black Queen" was watched by a total of 9.3 million viewers, which included linear viewers during its premiere night on October 23, 2022, both on HBO and HBO Max, making it the network's most-watched season finale since the series finale of its predecessor Game of Thrones.

[7] Edwards wrote in her verdict: "The season finale is another rock-solid episode, with dragons, disaster, and excellent performances from the cast.

"[9] In his review, Power stated, "with its series finale, House of the Dragon has emphatically seized the crown [...] and effortlessly taken up on the baton from Game of Thrones.

"[11] Reviewing for IGN, Helen O'Hara gave it an "amazing" score of 9 out of 10 and wrote in her verdict, "It's been a sometimes slow-burning first season to House of the Dragon, but the emotional impact of this finale shows that all that ground-laying has established characters to care about and invest in.

Other aspects of the episode that were highlighted by critics included Yaitanes' direction,[13] Djawadi's musical score,[15] and the set-up for season two.