After eight episodes of tension building and plot developments teetering on the edge of glorious action, House of the Dragon‘s season-two finale flamed out harder than Aegon and Sunfyre in Aemond’s wake. At least, that’s how the fans feel.
Viewers descended on Twitter/X moments after the finale aired and their reactions were more alarming than the image of Aegon’s member bursting like a sausage on a spit.
“This season of House of The Dragon was the worst season in the whole GOT universe, including season eight of GOT,” wrote one disgruntled fan, who arguably went a little too far (it was hardly the Fall of Daenerys-level bad).
They added: “Why not give us a real season finale? Seemed like every episode you thought ‘next week will be the one’ and ‘the one’ won’t come for another two years.”
Their dissatisfaction was echoed by another, who wrote:
“Might have been the worst season finale I have ever seen. House of Dragon had one compelling episode this whole season. In hindsight, this show sucks.”
With the exception of the ‘Blood and Cheese‘ storyline coming to fruition and Rhaenys’ (Eve best) epic demise in episode four aside, HotD‘s second outing charted a much slower path compared to anything fans of the Game of Thrones franchise are used to. It was also far less punctuated with dramatic moments than its already steadily paced season debut.
While Game of Thrones offered a balance of shock and world building, House of the Dragon‘s focal point is clearly the latter, with its focus on interpersonal relationships leading to a more intimate viewing experience.
This is especially true of season two and, actually, we’re not mad at it. In fact, we’d even go as far as to say we like having something that isn’t a carbon copy of the parent show.
For the most part, its arresting moments don’t come from gore and violent game-play. They come from the intense longing for reconciliation beneath Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) snippy conversations, they are in the subjugation of Daemon (Matt Smith) to his queen and the trepidation felt watching Helaena (Phia Saban) refuse Aemond’s demands, knowing how his sinister mind works.
It’s a tight vice that squeezes with every conversation, decision, look and averted gaze. The problem is that this is war and as deliciously compelling as this quiet tension is, eventually the high stakes need to erupt into bouts of dragonfire and swordplay.
Lucerys’ (Elliot Grihault) death at the end of season one felt as though it were going to propel the show into a bloody war. It did not. That anticipation grew with the squelching sound of the infant Jaehaerys’ (Jude Rock) head being lopped off early on in season two, but the show failed to sustain the natural, explosive repercussions and the evolution of war throughout.
To make matters worse, HotD left fans on the most anti-climactic cliffhanger, with the Blacks and Greens and all their sworn houses marching off to a war we already know is coming, thus sapping all the anticipation from what’s to come, while also making us ask ‘Will it ever?’
Sadly this could be indicative of a larger problem for the show. Is there enough story to plot out over several seasons? Or would House of the Dragon have benefited from a shorter, succinct run?
Unlike Game of Thrones, which is based on George RR Martin” extensive saga of five published books (and two more planned), House of the Dragon‘s Targaryen civil war is covered from start to finish in one book, Fire & Blood. The novel is also billed as a ‘history’ book which means not only is there less material to build on, there’s also less of a floor plan to work with.
Showrunner Ryan Condal has deviated from the source material at times: Aegon and Helaena have two children instead of three, Lohar (Abigail Thorn) has gone from pirate king on page to pirate queen, Rhaenyra and Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) kiss on screen but not in the book. But the creator has, for the most part, remained loyal to the text.
However if it’s already thinner in comparison to GOT, is it possible it’s already been stretched past capacity?
There was a lot to intrigue viewers watching Aemond slink so effortlessly and callously into the position of Prince Regent and as adrift as Daemon’s Harrenhal arc felt from the main plot, it all came full circle when he publicly bent the knee to Rhaenyra because of course someone as proud and selfish as Daemon would need more of a reason to follow than ‘I love you’ – and now it makes sense.
But season two’s even slower plotting has us questioning if these episodes aren’t just padding between larger anchor points we’ve yet to get to.
We’re not ready to chuck the baby out with the bathwater just yet. We thoroughly believe there is more gripping story that needs not be squeezed out of HotD. Rather it will flow like the river of blood we’re all anticipating. Yet we can’t help but wonder whether or not season three ought to be House of the Dragon‘s last, lest it actually go the way of Game of Thrones season eight.
House of the Dragon season 1 and 2 are available to stream on in the US on HBO and Max, and Sky Atlantic and NOW.
Game of Thrones seasons 1-8 are also available on DVD and Blu-ray.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.