When Is the 'House of the Dragon' Finale? And What to Expect

House of the Dragon's first season is almost at its end, with the series bringing George R. R. Martin's fabled Dance of the Dragons to life.

Based on the author's book, Fire & Blood, the HBO hit has followed Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy, previously Milly Alcock) as she is chosen as heir to the Iron Throne by her father King Viserys I (Paddy Considine).

Her right to rule was constantly questioned, though, with the show's penultimate episode seeing Viserys' wife, and Rhaenyra's childhood friend, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke, previously Emily Carey) making their son Aegon king instead.

With tensions rising and war brewing, there is a lot for fans to expect in the finale, and here is everything you need to know.

When Is the 'House of the Dragon' Finale? And What to Expect

House of the Dragon will end on Sunday, October 23, in North America, with the finale airing on HBO at 9 p.m. ET. The episode will also be available to stream on HBO Max.

With only one episode left, it's to be expected that House of the Dragon will only just begin to touch on the Dance of the Dragons that almost completely destroyed the Targaryen dynasty, and saw almost all their dragons die.

The event, as retold in Fire & Blood, took place from 129 to 131 AC, or After Aegon's Conquest, with the first stone being thrown when Alicent crowned her and Viserys' eldest son rather than let Rhaenyra take the throne.

During this period, the Targaryen house was split into two groups, the blacks and the greens. The blacks were those who supported Princess Rhaenyra, while the greens were allies of Alicent and her family.

The penultimate episode saw Rhaenyra's aunt, Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best), make her position clear on the matter. She will continue to support Rhaenyra and she could have killed Aegon, Alicent and her supporters then and there if she wanted.

In the end, Rhaenyra flew away on her dragon Meleys, and though it wasn't shown exactly where she was heading it's likely that the finale will reveal she went to visit her niece on Dragonstone to tell her of the betrayal.

Per Martin's book, the news causes Rhaenyra to go into early labour, and as she goes through the birth she begins "calling down the wrath of the gods" on Alicent and her half-siblings.

Following this, Rhaenyra brings together her supporters, dubbed the Black Council, and they begin to make preparations to fight against Alicent's camp.

Though Maritn's world is known for its bloodshed, it isn't clear if any characters will meet their demise in the finale of House of the Dragon because, in the author's book, Rhaenyra and her husband Daemon (Matt Smith) make it a priority to bolster support from other rulers in the Seven Kingdoms following Aegon's coronation.

Aegon II also sends an offer of peace to Rhaenyra should she simply accept him as king, but in the end she doesn't take it and it becomes the start of the war between the two sides, which will be an apt place to end the show's first season.

House of the Dragon concludes at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.