Ollie Upton/HBO
"House of the Dragon" season two had been building up to multiple action-packed battles only for nothing to happen — and fans aren't happy
By the end of season one, Rhaenya Targaryen's (Emma D'Arcy) half-brother Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) had usurped her throne, and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), another half-brother, killed her son. As a result, many fans believed season two would involve an all-out war, with Rhaenyra seeking revenge on both siblings.
Instead, the writers used season two to build up even more tension for the war, and gave viewers only one major battle.
Fans believed the finale might have another battle to give the season a climactic end, but they were disappointed again.
Like the rest of the season, the episode was filled with talking and scheming. Instead of a battle, it ended with a montage of multiple factions readying equipment and marching to war.
One fan wrote: "Well, that was probably one of the most underwhelming season finales I've ever watched."
Another said the episode was a "70 minute trailer for Season 3."
But other fans defended the finale, saying it still had many great dramatic moments, such as one scene where an important "Game of Thrones" storyline was foreshadowed.
However, other fans were upset that they would have to wait until season three to see what season two was building up to.
There is no release date for season three yet, but due to the length of production, it will likely not arrive until at least 2026.
Season one of "House of the Dragon" was 10 episodes long, but HBO confirmed last year that season two would only have eight.
Deadline reported in March 2023, citing an unnamed source, that one of the major battles was moved to season three after the season was shortened. This may have been the Battle of the Gullet fans thought they would see in the season two finale.
In August 2023, "House of the Dragon" director Clare Kilner told The Hollywood Reporter that showrunner Ryan Condal chose to shorten the season to eight episodes.
"Ryan's decision was to give it a good opening and a good ending, and they're jam-packed with emotional and visually exciting events," Kilner said.
But Sara Hess, a writer on the show, told Entertainment Weekly in May that "it wasn't really our choice," implying that HBO or its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, made the decision.
A representative for "House of the Dragon" did not immediately respond to a comment request from Business Insider.
Regardless of the reason for the decision, fans are not happy with the lack of action in season two, and the show will have to make up for that in season three.
