HBO
Leading figures on "House of the Dragon" defended the season two finale after it was criticized by fans as "underwhelming."
Many fans expected the season to end with the Battle of the Gullet, one of the major encounters in the source book "Fire and Blood."
The season had been building to a massive clash between the Blacks and the Greens, two factions fighting for. Instead, the finale showed scheming, talking, and teasing for a battle that won't arrive until the next season.
The show got a big audience, Variety reported, citing Warner Bros. Discovery, that 8.9 million people tuned in, around a million up on its premier.
But some were quick to voice their disappointment on X.
Geeta Vasant Patel, who directed the episode, told the New York Post on Monday that showrunner Ryan Condal wanted to go a different direction than a huge battle sequence to end the season.
"I know that in the universe, a season finale is the go-to. You have a bunch of dragons fighting in the sky. And, I love it," Patel said. "But, I support Ryan Condal's great vision in this episode to challenge that expectation with really strong dramatic storytelling, the nuts and bolts of dramaturgy."
"So I felt excited, and I definitely felt the challenge. Hopefully, it left you feeling something powerful," she added.
Patel also told Business Insider on Friday that the penultimate scene — a heart-to-heart between rivals Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke) — was a good way to end the season because it keeps the show grounded.
"I think it was a really good call for them to have this episode be about the relationships, because that's what it should be about," Patel said. "And if there happens to be action along the way, great. But if there isn't, then fine. It shouldn't have to be like that."
In season two, there are numerous assassination attempts and two battles. But fans were disappointed that there was relatively little action despite the backdrop of a civil war.
Liam Daniel/HBO
Condal, at a press conference attended on Monday, tried to explain why.
He said he wanted the series to replicate the Cold War, which is why there weren't many battles in season two, Vulture reported.
Condal said he pushed back the Battle of the Gullet into the next season to give it "the time and space it deserves."
"As a showrunner, you're always in the position of having to balance storytelling and the resources you have to tell that story," he said.
Condal said the writing team had to "rebalance" the "Fire and Blood" story so that it would fit across the current season and the next two seasons.
Condal also promised that the war "really comes to a big head" in season three, which begins production in 2025.
"The show is so complex that we're really making multiple feature films every season, so I apologize for the wait," Condal said.
"But I will say if Rook's Rest and the Red Sowing are any indication, we're going to pull off a hell of a win with the Battle of the Gullet in the future."
