House of the Dragon just used 3 words Game of Thrones fans didn’t want to hear

Jessica Cullen
Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen and Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra

House of the Dragon Season 2 is now over, and the finale didn’t waste the opportunity to include one of George R.R. Martin’s most famous lines.

Much of Season 2 has been spend with Daemon in Harrenhal, with suspicions high that he might prove disloyal to Rhaenyra. But in Episode 8, he cemented his vow to his queen and raised an army on her behalf, but not before saying the three words nobody was expecting.

When Rhaenyra arrived at Harrenhal to confront him, Daemon revealed what he’d seen in his vision, telling her trouble was ahead. Specifically, he said: “Winter is coming.”

Any Game of Thrones fan will be familiar with this particular phrase, which was plastered all over the original show’s marketing. It was the promise of what was to come in the fantasy world, even if it didn’t quite work out that way.

Inserting this dialog in the prequel series might have seemed like a smart way to earn some nostalgia-based respect from House of the Dragon viewers, but the opposite seems to have happened.

In fact, many are horrified that the show would try to include one of Game of Thrones’ most iconic pieces of dialog. For one, it’s only a reminder that the original show ended on a sour note.

“Daemon seeing Dany and the Night King’s army and saying ‘winter is coming’ just for Bran Stark to wind up on the throne……… all of this for Jon Snow to end up being a Targaryen for nothing… I can’t believe what they took from us,” one X user wrote.

“Respectfully, why did they make him say that,” wrote another.

One comment said: “Nostalgia baiting for an ending we all hated, ugh what the f**k are the writers doing.”

“Which has nothing to do with this series. NOTHING,” another user said of the phrase.

Winter is coming, and so is House of the Dragon Season 3. Learn more about that and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms with our guide, and check out our list of the shows like House of the Dragon to watch while you wait.

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