House Of The Dragon Season 2's Big Mistake Was Breaking Game Of Thrones' Best Rule

Warning! This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2.

Summary House of the Dragon season 2's mistake was having only 8 episodes instead of the traditional 10, leading to a lack of payoff.

House of the Dragon's showrunners didn't choose the shorter season, impacting the story and leaving fans frustrated with the lack of plot progression.

The absence of major events in episode 9, a tradition in Game of Thrones, contributed to the disappointment of season 2's finale.

House of the Dragon season 2's biggest mistake was ignoring a rule that was present throughout most of Game of Thrones. By the time of House of the Dragon season 2's ending, the reception from fans and critics alike was notably mixed. While not dubbed a disaster like Game of Thrones' divisive ending was, many are not happy with House of the Dragon season 2, stating that it spun its wheels a lot regarding forward plot progression and had little in the way of climactic, spectacular action sequences outside of episode 4.

It is worth noting that many of these criticisms are valid, though perhaps the increase in online negativity is painting House of the Dragon season 2 in a poorer light than it deserves. That said, as the wait for House of the Dragon season 3's story begins, there is little to do but look back upon the most recent installment in retrospect. In light of the many conflicting opinions, one that many would agree with links to House of the Dragon's sister series, with the show breaking a tradition held by Game of Thrones' first six seasons.

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House Of The Dragon Season 2 Having Fewer Episodes Backfired

House Of The Dragon Season 2 Was Reduced To Eight Episodes

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The tradition in question is having 10-episode installments, something Game of Thrones upheld in its first six seasons, and House of the Dragon season 1 possessed after the former show's final two entries featured incredibly rushed storytelling. Unfortunately, after House of the Dragon season 1 learned that lesson and had a balanced, 10-episode story, House of the Dragon season 2 once more reverted to fewer episodes. Instead of the usual 10, House of the Dragon season 2 had eight episodes, a plan that backfired as it felt like an extended set-up for season 3.

Although the criticism that "nothing happened" in House of the Dragon season 2 does not hold too much weight, having two more episodes after the season finale would undoubtedly have led to further progression of the show's overall story. The finale especially felt like a lot of set-ups with no payoff, which could have been avoided by having the teased Battle of the Gullet in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 9. The finale could then have featured future teases after a major conflict, leading to a more balanced season overall that was simply not possible with eight episodes.

Game Of Thrones' 10 Episode Seasons Were Perfect, And Allowed Its Episode 9 "Rule"

Game Of Thrones' Earlier Seasons Perfected The Formula For A Westeros Show

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All the evidence needed to support House of the Dragon season 2 having 10 episodes was found in the show's first season and the first six entries of Game of Thrones. The latter show perfected the formula for dense storytelling, with 10 episodes each running over 60 minutes often allowing for individual seasons to have enough story progression, character work, big battles, and political machinations to feel like complete stories. House of the Dragon season 2 fell short in this regard and even lacked Game of Thrones' episode 9 rule.

In the 10-episode seasons of Game of Thrones, episode 9 was often used to include major events. Be it a climactic battle, a shocking plot twist, or huge character developments, Game of Thrones' penultimate episodes were huge event-like stories that paid off a lot of what the previous eight had been building toward. House of the Dragon season 2's episode 9 should have been the Battle of the Gullet, yet the eight-episode cap did not allow for this.

Game Of Thrones Episode 9's Major Event Season 1, "Baelor" Ned Stark was beheaded by Joffrey Baratheon Season 2, "Blackwater" Tyrion Lannister led the armies of King's Landing in the Battle of Blackwater Season 3, "The Rains of Castamere" Robb Stark, Catelyn Stark, and the entire northern army were killed at the Red Wedding Season 4, "The Watchers on the Wall" Jon Snow led the Night's Watch against the invading Wildling army Season 5, "The Dance of Dragons" Daenerys rides Drogon for the first time and survives an assassination attempt by the Sons of the Harpy Season 6, "Battle of the Bastards" Jon Snow faces off against Ramsay Bolton in the Battle for Winterfell

If this had been the case, the set-up found in earlier episodes would have felt warranted, raising even more anticipation for season 3 as opposed to the frustrating wait fans now face. Rather than have a season's worth of build-up culminating in nothing, the Battle of the Gullet would have continued Game of Thrones' episode 9 "rule" in perfect fashion, allowing episode 10 to tease what is to come in season 3. Instead, House of the Dragon season 2's story felt borderline infuriating, as what was teased for so long will not come to pass for another two years, at the least.

Why Did House Of The Dragon Season 2 Have Fewer Episodes?

The Showrunners Are Not Responsible For House Of The Dragon's Shorter Season

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While it has not been confirmed exactly why House of the Dragon season 2 had only eight episodes, some hints have been provided. Before the release of House of the Dragon season 2's premiere, Entertainment Weekly did a preview article in which writer Sarah Hess reportedly stated that the cut to eight episodes was not the choice of the show's creative team. This aligns with a report from Deadline from March 2023 that the season was originally planned as a 10-episode arc before being cut down to eight.

An interview with THR from June 2023 also mentions an upcoming sea battle, undoubtedly referencing the much-teased Battle of the Gullet. All signs point to the reality that House of the Dragon's showrunners intended to have a 10-episode story for season 2 before being limited by studio mandates. Again, it is unclear why these mandates were enforced, but there is no denying House of the Dragon season 2's story fell victim to the shorter episode count.