It’s obvious House of the Dragon had more planned for season 2 but it got pushed back

It's obvious House of the Dragon had more planned for season 2 but it got pushed back

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of binge-watching epic sagas under my belt, let me tell you that the Season 2 finale of House of the Dragon left me feeling like I was stuck in an endless dungeon crawl without any loot or healing potions.


In the final episode of season 2 of “House of the Dragon”, titled “The Queen Who Never Was”, several suspenseful moments were left unresolved. Rhaena Targaryen discovers a dragon in the Vale, but we don’t find out what happens after that discovery. Tyland Lannister manages to win over the Triarchy and prepares to challenge the Velaryon blockade in the Gullet; however, the outcome of his attempt remains unknown. The armies of Lannister, Stark, Hightower, and Tully are on a path towards conflict in the Riverlands, but they have yet to engage in battle. There’s an impending battle brewing in the Reach, but we don’t know the specifics. Otto Hightower is imprisoned, but the reason for his captivity remains a mystery. Alicent Hightower has intentions to allow Rhaenyra into King’s Landing if she decides to invade, but her plans have not come to fruition yet.

The way the final episode was structured felt rather amusing, as it set up numerous future events but failed to deliver on any of them, particularly since the significant confrontation between the two warring factions occurred in the fourth episode titled “The Red Dragon and the Gold.” Despite intriguing sequences such as the Sowing of the Seeds, these scenes merely prepared riders for forthcoming battles. Instead of a decisive step forward in the conflict, the finale provided an emotional reunion between Rhaenyra and Alicent, which fell short of satisfying expectations, at least from my perspective.

Beware MAJOR SPOILERS below

It's obvious House of the Dragon had more planned for season 2 but it got pushed back

In George R.R. Martin’s book “Fire & Blood,” there are significant conflicts approaching that could have served as a thrilling finale for a season. The first is the Battle of the Gullet, a naval skirmish between Corlys Velaryon’s armada and the Triarchy fleet. Joining the fray are Rhaenyra’s son Jace, along with the recently initiated dragonriders Ulf, Addam, and Hugh. Despite the Triarchy suffering defeat, Corlys’ stronghold, Driftmark, is left in ruins and Jace meets his untimely demise.

Following this, Rhaenyra and her dragon-riding companions swoop down on King’s Landing as Aemond is absent, attempting to confront Daemon at Harrenhal. However, Daemon has managed to evade him and instead arrives in King’s Landing to offer aid. In a peaceful power grab, Rhaenyra seizes the city, setting her up on the Iron Throne – a striking scene that would have made for an ideal season finale.

It seems there are whispers about the original “major battle” from season 2 being rescheduled to appear in season 3 instead. This intel is reportedly from the trusted source, Deadline.

Apart from casual conversation, it’s also true in the case of House of the Dragon. Unlike its first season which had 10 episodes, this one has only eight. When questioned about the decrease in episode count for this season, producer Sara Hess suggested it wasn’t their decision.

As a dedicated gamer speaking about my favorite TV show, I’ve noticed something unusual – the second season has less episodes compared to the first. Now, Ryan Condal, our showrunner, was cautious in his words when discussing this change. He didn’t mention anything about budget constraints or stretching out the story for more seasons, instead leaving it open-ended, suggesting it wasn’t a matter of choice. Regardless, we fans can only eagerly wait to see what this shift brings!

In the final analysis of it all, once season one landed and we knew where we were in the narrative, we had a clear path of view to the end and knew what the end of this particular chapter in the Targaryen history was. Looking at that, and knowing essentially how much storytelling time we needed to get there, there was a bit of a rebalancing of the narrative that was necessary to happen. This eight-episode cadence helped us to find that.

Another way to phrase it could be: “There’s a chance that the writer and actor strikes in 2023 impacted the show’s production. Regardless of the causes, unfortunately, the second season of House of the Dragon concludes somewhat abruptly, leaving us with a considerable wait until season 3.”

Read More

2024-08-05 17:41

Previous post All teams qualified for BLAST Premier Fall Final 2024
Next post Eighties pop icon is barely recognisable as she takes to the stage in a tiny black dress while headlining Rewind Festival