Includes SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2's finale and MASSIVE SPOILERS for Fire & Blood, the show's source material.
Summary
- George R.R. Martin wanted 4 seasons with 10 episodes each.
- House of the Dragon seasons 3 & 4 need 10 episode seasons to capture the Dance of the Dragons.
- Crucial battles like the Gullet and Tumbleton, along with dragon events, require significant attention.
Plans for HBO's House of the Dragon's season 2 ending received critique for having too much set-up and not a significant enough climax to merit a finale, and more information has been revealed about the writing process behind season 2, pointing to the idea that a key battle had been pushed to season 3. This is likely the Battle of the Gullet.
In an interview with conclusion of the Dance of the Dragons. HBO may need more episodes to make this possible.
House Of The Dragon Season 2's Original 10-Episode Plan: What Did HBO Change & What Was Cut?
House of the Dragon season 2 only consisted of eight episodes instead of 10, but just how much did this change the original plan and why was it done?
George R.R. Martin Wanted House Of The Dragon To Have 4 Seasons Of 10 Episodes
House Of The Dragon Is Cutting It Close At Its Current Pace
A Song of Ice & Fire book series author George R.R. Martin suggested that the Dance of the Dragons would need "four full seasons of 10 episodes each to do justice." If HBO is planning four seasons, they're already falling short of that mark by season 2 only having eight episodes. The difference of two episodes may not seem too consequential, but with season 2 only covering the Battle of Rook's Rest and the Sowing of the Seeds, there's still so much ground to cover for two more full seasons.
House Of The Dragon Seasons 3 & 4 Need 10-Episode Seasons (At Least)
8 Episode Seasons Just Wouldn't Be Enough Time For Everything
Considering the whole of the Dance of the Dragons, the final two seasons have a massive list of battles and events still to cover, assuming the whole saga will conclude with the Hour of the Wolf and Aegon III's coronation. In of major battle spectacles, the Gullet and Tumbleton (both) are probably the largest and most vital sequences to play out that need dragons and armies involved. The Storming of the Dragonpit and the Battle of the God's Eye will also need a significant amount of time and CGI to do justice to. That's already five major dragon battle events for twenty episodes.
Aside from that, the Fall of King's Landing has already been set up for the imminent future; there are other dragon matters like Rhaena and Sheepstealer, Daeron's introduction with Tessarion, etc. Not to mention, battles like the Butcher's Ball, Honeywine, and Red Fork that don't heavily involve dragons can't just be needlessly skipped over. The pacing problems of House of the Dragon season 2 could continue to affect the series, and it may need even more episodes to space out these events to do them justice.
Sources: Entertainment Weekly
Taking place about 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.
- Cast
- Eve Best, Gavin Spokes, Graham McTavish, Bill Paterson, Matthew Needham, David Horovitch
- Franchise(s)
- Game of Thrones
- Seasons
- 4
- Streaming Service(s)
- MAX
