House of the Dragon season 1 ended in October and fans are eagerly awaiting the announcement of when the second season will premiere. Season 1 was mainly a set-up season, outlining the characters' relationships and motives so that when the Dance of Dragons begins, viewers will understand the stakes. Among the chess pieces set up are rivalries that will be explored in the following seasons such Daemon vs Aemond and Arryk and Erryk Cargyll.
Fire and Blood has these warriors fighting each other and the show has hinted that it will follow the book's character arcs. They would do well to build the animosity between the characters the same way Game of Thrones did for the Hound and the Mountain. The "Clegane-Bowl" as it was known, was a series-long hope for fans of the show who wanted to see the two monstrous brothers fight. The interest in the Cleganes' relationship led to many hilarious memes and tweets regarding their final battle and less-than-brotherly relationship.
Death, Destruction, and Fire
When the Hound and the Mountain finally meet in the penultimate episode of Game of Thrones, there is nothing left to stop them from fighting. The entire city is either burning to the ground or being violently pillaged by Daenerys' forces but the Mountain and the Hound only have eyes for each other.
Like P Diddy and Elijah Conner in the meme, both characters have an epic stare-off with no one wanting to break contact even though their surroundings are falling apart all around them. It goes to show how these two have thought about nothing but each other for the last few years.
The Mountain's Face
There were only hints as to what was really behind the Mountain's helmet after Qyburn got through with him. In one episode, his face is revealed but covered in shadows. The audience only sees his zombified face in full the first time the Hound does.
The Mountain's armor and silent character have major influences from Darth Vader, but his helmet removal makes the comparison even more apt. Whoever did the makeup for the Mountain must have looked at the famous redemption scene from Return of the Jedi because the face and the Hound's reaction would fit very well in that scene.
Eye Gouging
Even before the Mountain became the "Sir Robert Strong", he was committing some of the most horrifying on-screen actions in the show. Most fans will remember the sick feeling they had when the Mountain gouged out Oberyn Martell's eyes and smashed his head in.
So when the zombie Mountain put his thumbs in the Hound's eyes and pressed hard enough for them to bleed, fans closed their own eyes, expecting another bloody end. It would be perfectly in line with most Game of Thrones deaths to end the Hound in that surprising manner and people would rightfully look like Ellaria Sand in the meme.
Cleaganes And Arya
There was a lot of speculation about where and when the Clegane-Bowl would occur, or even if it would. And then in season 8, the Hound and Arya Stark reunite for the first time since she left him to die and their happy meeting is one of the better parts of the final season.
But then fans started to realize the two were spending more time together and the Clegane-Bowl was set to happen. A lot of people thought the fight would kick off with the Mountain attacking or even killing Arya resulting in the Hound jumping in to defend or avenge her.
Constant Enemies
The Hound and the Mountain's relationship is one of constant bitterness. Even when they are on the same side, they can't be in the same room, or they'll end up trying to kill each other. In season 1, the Hound is a Kingsguard and fights his brother in a friendly joust, it takes King Robert to stop them.
And that is how it goes for the rest of the series, the two don't meet each other often but when they do, everyone else in the world is forgotten. Much like Peter Griffin and the Giant Chicken, these two are dead set on fighting each other at any time.
Cersei Gets Out Of The Cleganes' Way
When the Hound and the Mountain have locked eyes, it is best to stay out of it. There isn't much that is going to distract them. And after a string of dumb decisions in season 8, Cersei finally makes a smart one by awkwardly moving out from between the two during their epic stare-down.
The Hound fights for the army against Cersei, and the Mountain has been reanimated for the sole purpose of defending her but when it comes to their mutual hatred, even she can't be bothered. The brothers only have eyes for each other and the politics of Westeros aren't even considered.
It's Gonna Be A No From Me, Sandor
All the Hound has dreamed about since he was a child was killing his brother in retribution for his maiming when they were just boys. His ultimate goal is to kill him, but that was before the Mountain was resurrected as an unstoppable zombie-knight.
The Hound stabs him multiple times, including in the eye, and throughout, the Mountain simply refuses to die. The Hound's strength means his blows should certainly kill the monster but whatever Qyburn did means that the only way Sandor is killing his brother is by taking them both out.
The Mountain Dead...
The Mountain held his brother's face into burning hot coals when they were just little boys, an early sign of Gregor Clegane's psychopathic tendencies. Since then, the mutilated Sandor has rarely had a reason to smile but if there were news that his brother was dead, he would be beaming.
And as a constantly disappointed knight, his face would drop if he then learned that Gregor was not dead. Any bad news about the Mountain is great for the Hound and any good news is always concerning.
Knives Can't Kill Him
While the Mountain is the strongest knight in Game of Thrones the Hound is a more formidable swordsman with incredible strength of his own. One-on-one, the Hound is probably the best person to even have a chance of defeating Gregor Clegane.
So when he eventually gets to fight him it seems like Sandor has the upper hand for most of it. He even delivers the first wound that should be fatal but when it doesn't even phase the Mountain, Sandor realizes it is not just his appearance that has been changed and the fight is not going to be so easy.
The End Of House Clegane
Sandor and Gregor's demise is very reminiscent of another famous fantasy universe scene. The Cleganes jump out of the Red Keep just like Voldemort and Harry Potter in the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2. With the Hound doing the tossing just like Harry did.
Even Harry's line "Come on Tom, let's finish this the way we started, together," could have been said by the Hound as he threw himself and his brother over the wall into the fire. Their hatred started when the Mountain put Sandor into the fire, now the Hound is bringing them back to start.