Why HBO Cutting House Of The Dragon's Season 2 Episode Count Should Worry Fans
Yesterday, after some whispers from Varys’ little birds, word broke that HBO was reducing the episode count for House Of The Dragon Season 2. As opposed to the debut which included ten episodes, the second season will reportedly feature only eight. Reaction from the fanbase was a bit mixed, and CinemaBlend’s own Laura Hurley talked about why she thinks it’ll ultimately be good for the show’s long-term health. Maybe. But I’m really nervous, and I’d like to talk about why.
I loved almost everything about House Of The Dragon’s first season. I thought many of the characters were vibrant, really unique and of course, morally reprehensible. I thought the acting was top-notch, and most of all, I loved how it felt like it belonged in the Game Of Thrones universe but didn’t feel like it was trying to impersonate it. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the breakneck pace. Between the time jumps and all the moments of massive change and abrupt character development, there were occasions in which it felt like I was watching a highlight video.
Initially I was concerned that’s what we were going to get for the entire show, but I was heartened after showrunner Ryan Condal, who has completely taken over after co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik allegedly left over some behind the scenes friction, told The Sunday Times back in October that the show would return to a more classic Game Of Thrones pacing in Season 2. That’s exactly what I want. To me, the best parts of Game Of Thrones weren’t the battles or the big splashy set pieces. The great moments came from character building and scheming and letting plots simmer slowly in the background until a big payoff later. I was hoping we’d dial everything back significantly for Season 2 and beyond.
But now I’m concerned again. In Laura’s piece, she talked about how Game Of Thrones’ big issues with its later seasons mostly came down to needing to tie up so many loose ends in such a short amount of time. She talked about how it felt rushed and like there was a lack of planning, and fans should be happy that in Deadline’s report about the reduced episode count, it specifically said the decision was made after Ryan Condal started plotting out the entire series’ run and concluded Season 2’s story only called for eight episodes.
I think there’s certainly some truth to that, but at the same time, the battles, at least to me, don’t mean anything if you haven’t properly built up the story before they arrive. It takes time to maneuver pieces around the board, and to me, the big problem Game Of Thrones had is it got obsessed with moving the pieces too quickly. Everyone laughed about how fast travel became in later seasons. To some, that was a continuity error, but to me, it was evidence of the show not being patient enough to put in the work. A major character doesn’t need to die every episode. There doesn’t need to be a HUGE MOMENT every single time we watch. Sometimes delayed gratification is better in the long run.
To be clear, I’m still all-in on House Of The Dragon. I’m going to watch every episode live like it’s 1996, and I’m sure I’ll have a fantastic time doing it. But I like the Game Of Thrones franchise when it’s moving slowly and carefully. I don’t want it to jump from big moment to big moment, and while this news isn’t a guarantee the show will move too quickly, it should be very worrisome to any fans who particularly enjoyed characters like Littlefinger, Varys and Tywin Lannister.
