House of the Dragon season 2 only had eight episodes, causing some pacing issues, but the original plan may have been a bit different. House of the Dragon season 2’s ending, in particular, has faced criticism when it comes to the storytelling decisions of the show, as so much of it feels like setup for the future. “The Queen Who Ever Was” is currently the second-lowest episode of the entire show on IMDb, behind season 2, episode 6, “Smallfolk,” and behind only Game of Thrones’ series finale, “The Iron Throne,” as the lowest-rated season finale of the franchise.
I mostly liked the finale, but understand the criticisms, especially as there will be an approximate two-year wait for House of the Dragon season 3. However, whether this was just down to showrunner Ryan Condal and the writers is another matter entirely. House of the Dragon season 1 had 10 episodes, after all, and the change down to eight clearly hurt the show in some way, and various comments and reports give an indication of how things might’ve changed behind-the-scenes.
House Of The Dragon Originally Had 10 Episodes: When Did It Change & Why?
The Shorter Episode Count Was Revealed In March 2023
House of the Dragon season 2 was renewed shortly after the season 1 premiere. At the time, no episode count was given, but it was assumed it would be another 10-episode installment, since that’s what season 1 had and what had been the norm for most of Game of Thrones’ run (plus, shorter episode counts hurt that show too, as seen with the response to Game of Thrones season 8).
However, in March 2023, Deadline reported that season 2 would consist of eight episodes, and that the belief is the original plan had been for 10. This itself came just two months after the scripts for season 2 were finished, according to writer and executive producer Sara Hess [via EW]. As Deadline’s report noted, this came amid other cost-cutting measures at Warner Bros. Discovery (which has continued into 2024, as per Bloomberg). However, they also cited an HBO spokesperson who said it was for story reasons.
Of course, House of the Dragon is a large, complex production, and various other factors such as time and production difficulties will be accounted for as well, so that’s not to say [budget] was the sole reason.
In an interview ahead of season 2’s release, Hess told EW that “it wasn’t really our choice” to have a reduced episode count. Though she did not divulge any more details, it’s possible that means the reason was budgetary. Of course, House of the Dragon is a large, complex production, and various other factors such as time, scheduling, and production difficulties will be accounted for as well, so that’s not to say it was the sole reason. It’s also important to note the WGA Strike was looming at that point, albeit not confirmed (it began May 2023, four months after the scripts were finished, two months after the shorter episode count was revealed).
Martin himself also commented on the strike and how it pertained to House of the Dragon season 2’s scripts. On his Not A Blog site, shortly after the WGA strike was officially announced, he wrote:
“The scripts for the eight s2 episodes were all finished months ago, long before the strike began. Every episode has gone through four or five drafts and numerous rounds of revisions, to address HBO notes, my notes, budget concerns, etc.”
This would line up with Hess revealing the scripts were done in January 2023, four months before the strikes. Martin notes that the scripts for the eight episodes were finished, but what’s not 100% clear is whether that already included any adjustments for the reduced episode count, or if that came later.
The Battle Of The Gullet Was Seemingly Delayed To House Of The Dragon Season 3
This Could Have Been Planned For House Of The Dragon Season 2, Episode 9 Or 10
Deadline’s report from March 2023 also noted that “a portion of the plot originally intended for Season 2, including a major battle,” would be moved to season 3 instead. Though not confirmed, the story of George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood indicated even at the time that this was the Battle of the Gullet, a major sea battle that involves the Velaryon fleet facing off against the Triarchy. Or, in other words, the exact battle that season 2’s finale directly set up.
In a virtual press conference discussing the season 2 finale [via THR], Condal himself discussed the Battle of the Gullet, and the factors that went into it being saved for season 3 instead of taking place in season 2 (though he did not confirm at what point that decision was made). He said:
“One of the challenges of making television at any scale [is] nobody has infinite time and resources. When you’re as a showrunner, you’re always in the position of having to balance storytelling and the resources that you have available to tell that story. One of the things that came into play in season two is: What is the final destination of the series and where are we going? It was a combination of factors that led us to rebalance the season knowing now where we’re going.
“We wanted to rebalance the story in such a way that we had three great seasons of television [after season one] to round out and tell this story. When you’re trying to mount the show, which requires a tremendous amount of resources, construction, armor, costumes, visual effects… we are trying to give The Gullet – which is arguably the second most anticipated action event of Fire & Blood – trying to give it the time and the space that it deserves .
“We are building to that event that will happen very shortly in terms of the storytelling, and it should be the biggest thing to date that we’ve we’ve pulled off. We just wanted to have the time and the space to do that at a level that is going to excite and satisfy the fans in the way it’s deserved. We also wanted to build some anticipation toward it. So I apologize for the wait, but… with the team that we have together, we’re going to pull off a hell of a win with The Battle of the Gullet.”
The Battle of the Gullet is an epic action sequence: in the book it involves some 90 Triarchy warships, the Velaryon fleet, and multiple dragons. That it’s at sea makes it even more complex to film than a land battle, as it would likely necessitate the use of a water tank alongside extensive CGI even before you add in the dragons. If this had been in season 2, this could have taken up a large portion, if not the entirety, of episode 9 or 10, with some time given to further setting it up and expanding upon other key plot points.
Another point that had been speculated as perhaps taking place in season 2 was the fall of King’s Landing, which is also set up by the finale (with Alicent offering to open up the gates, and even agreeing Rhaenyra must kill Aegon). I think if we were getting the Gullet – which appears to be the case – then this would’ve been unlikely to have followed quite so quickly after since it’s another huge plot point, but it might have added to the setup or had more of a cliffhanger for it, allowing this to be the event that begins season 3.
House Of The Dragon Season 2’s Reduced Episode Count Hurt The Ending
The Season 2 Finale Is A Lot Of Setup
Whatever the real reason for House of the Dragon season 2’s reduced episode count, it did have a negative impact on the show. That’s clear in the reception to it, but also by watching it. Again, I liked the finale a lot, believe the writers did a good job (especially if the cuts were due to budget constraints), and think it will work even better with the full view of the series on rewatches. Still, you can feel a sense of the strain of reworking and repositioning things, given just how much the ending set up season 3.
What’s most notable in the reduced episode count is the timing. The report from Deadline came just two months before the writers’ strike (though the decision could have been made internally before then). Though the strike date wasn’t confirmed at that point, it was already looking likely, so it would have been extremely difficult to completely change everything to fit into eight episodes instead of 10.
At a guess, it’s likely much of it remained, and then the finale was reworked, such as the ending montage, in order to lead into season 3, when a lot of it very easily could have been episode eight or nine of a 10-episode season. At the same time, there were several complaints along the lines of “nothing’s happened” during House of the Dragon season 2, with criticism of its slower pacing.
If the Battle of the Gullet were to be added in, giving it a second huge battle sequence, then the season as a whole would likely be viewed very differently (and more positively).
That can’t be attributed quite as much to the reduced episode count. It is also, I think, a little unfair, given we got Blood and Cheese, two secret Alicent and Rhaenyra conversations, the Battle at Rook’s Rest, riots in King’s Landing, the sowing of the dragonseeds, and lots of political machinations and movements, as just a few major events. Nonetheless, if the Battle of the Gullet were to be added in, giving it a second huge battle sequence, then the season as a whole would likely be viewed very differently (and more positively).
Will House Of The Dragon Season 3 & 4 Have More Episodes?
Could There Be A Return To 10-Episode Seasons?
After the reduced count of season 2, it’s currently unconfirmed whether future seasons will follow suit. Condal has announced House of the Dragon season 4 will be the last one, which does, at least, fit with the idea that the entire story and how much time is needed to tell it has been mapped out (but that itself doesn’t mean budgetary concerns aren’t a factor in that).
However, Condal said at the virtual press conference [via THR] that season 3 will likely have eight episodes. It’s not an unreasonable assumption that season 4 will do too, in that case, which would mean there are 16 episodes of the show left. Hopefully that’s enough time to tell the story, but there is a lot left to happen in the Dance of the Dragons, especially with leaving the Battle of the Gullet on the table for season 3.
To Condal’s point on wanting to do that justice and it being among the biggest in Fire & Blood, that is true. But there are also a lot of other battles and major sequences as well – this is a war, after all. It would be unfortunate to cut or condense some of those, and fitting them all in to two seasons is a tall order, especially when factoring in the cost of such large-scale events, especially those involving a dragon or two (or three, or four!).
For the most part, I think the writers have done a very good (and at times great) job with House of the Dragon, and there’s reason to be optimistic about its future. At the same time, if there are budgetary issues, then that is invariably a concern, because a story like this demands being told a certain way (and that way is expensive). It would be a real shame if that ended up marring the series, but only time will tell if that is the case with seasons 3 and 4.