House of the Dragon Boss Defends Season 2 Finale After Fans Call It "The Worst" Ever

6 August 2024, 13:00

By Sam Prance

Ryan Condal says House of the Dragon season 3 will "satisfy" fans following backlash to the season 2 finale.

House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal has defended the season 2 finale after a negative reaction from fans online.

On Sunday (Aug 4), HBO aired the House of the Dragon season 2 finale after months of anticipation. However, people were left disappointed by the episode. Instead of shocking fans with murder and drama in classic Game of Thrones fashion, the finale was a relatively muted affair that acted as a setup for the upcoming battle that is set to take place in season 3.

In reviews, The Guardian called it "aggressively anti-climactic" and Forbes said it was "hugely underwhelming". Meanwhile, one fan tweeted: "House of the dragon season 2 finale is up there with the worst finales since the invention of TV shows." Another wrote: "Wow, we just watched a 70 min trailer for a season that will come in 2 years."

Now, Ryan Condal has responded to the backlash and explained why The Battle of the Gullet was not part of the finale.

• Read more: House of the Dragon Season 3: Release Date, Cast, Book Plot, Trailers And News
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Fans of the House of the Dragon books will already know that the season 2 finale teases the Battle of the Gullet which is one of the most deadly battles in Westeros history. Speaking to Variety, Ryan said: "We were trying to give the Gullet - which is arguably the most anticipated action event of ‘Fire & Blood,’ trying to give it the time and the space that it deserves."

Ryan then continued: "Obviously, we’re building to that event. That event will happen very shortly in terms of the storytelling of ‘House of the Dragon.’ Based on what we know now, it should be the biggest thing to date that we’ve pulled off."

Ryan teased that they "wanted to build some anticipation toward" the battle and it will "excite and satisfy the fans".

House of the Dragon season 3 won't come out until 2026 but Ryan has promised that it will be worth the wait. He revealed: "I know everybody wants this to come out every summer. It’s just that the show is so complex that we’re really making multiple feature films every season."

Ryan ended by saying: "So I apologise for the wait, but I will just say if Rook’s Rest and the Red Sowing are any indication, we’re gonna pull off a hell of a win with the Battle the Gullet in the future."

And now we wait!

Read more House of the Dragon news here:

• House of The Dragon's Aemond And Aegon Battle Scene Is Completely Different In The Books
• House of the Dragon's Olivia Cooke Criticises Age Gap Between Her And Alicent's Kids
• House Of The Dragon's Ewan Mitchell Explains Why He Didn't Wear A Prosthetic For Nude Scene
• House Of The Dragon Boss Explains Why Jaehaerys' Death Was Changed From The Book
• House of the Dragon Cast Confirm They Played Rhaenyra And Alicent As Queer

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