TV: House of the Dragon (HBO) - Season 2 - Summer 2024, please use spoil tags where it makes sense

[Emperoreddy]

So unfortunately this season lost two episodes because of the writers strike and budget cuts thanks to WBD being a poorly run shit show

 

[GKJ]

The scene with Rhaenyra and Alicent was tense though. Cut that with a knife.

 

[Emperoreddy]

It sets up an interesting situation where Alicent seemingly has agreed to give up Aegon, but how will that work for her when Rhaenyra shows up and Aegon has already flown the coop?

 

[Sad People]

I actually really liked the season finale, Probably my favorite episode besides the battle of rooks rest.

 

[Bakayoko Ono]

I don’t mind a season finale like that, the problem is that there’s probably going to be 2–3 years before the next season.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I feel like if you had the complete show and were binging, you would be all about that episode as a cliffhanger knowing you got the next episode ready to go.

On a two year wait is rough.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

I mean... I thought that was a very GOT type finale. Feel like a lot of people forget most seasons of GOT, it was the penultimate episode where shit completely popped off, then the season finale would deal with the fall out of that episode + set up next season.

That being said, definitely a weaker season then Season 1 overall and yeah even with the above, that finale didn't really do much.

You could make the argument this entire season was like 90% filler. Some good moments and IMO some characters that are truly starting to show intrigue that you'd get in GOT(Allyn and Helaena being the two for me in this episode particularly)... But overall lots of filler.



Still, I'm not exactly losing hope with the series. The stage for Season 3 is set and it looks like it's about to be an absolute f***ing crazy season. Sucks ass to wait 2 years for it, but I'm betting it's going to be extremely well worth the wait.


The good news is even though it's two more years for HOTD, we're getting more westeros content in 2025 with A Knight of the 7 Kingdoms. That will help with the time substantially.

 

[Viggo Mortensen]

What's disappointing is they kept pumping their marketing spin of choosing Team Black or Team Green before the season started, like a game was about to start.....only for the season to feel like we just finished listening to long interpretations of the national anthems.

 

[Bounces R Way]

I actually liked the finale a lot, but yeah I can understand being disappointed there wasn't a big showdown. Several great one on one scenes, Cole and Alicent's brother, Corlys and Alyn, Rheanyra and Alicent, everything between that Lannister guy and the pirate Captain woman I thought the acting was terrific.

Two seasons of mostly setup is definitely a bit much though. S3 has to deliver in a big way for the payoff to be worth it.

 

[hotcabbagesoup]

2026

A lot of side talk of shit popping off in the reach so assume he got captured.

It's really lame that Aemond tells Larys in episode 6 or something to go fetch Otto you toad and the next time we hear of Otto again is in a two-second clip at the end of episode 8 and we still don't even really know what happened to him.

 

[Kurtz]

It's really lame that Aemond tells Larys in episode 6 or something to go fetch Otto you toad and the next time we hear of Otto again is in a two-second clip at the end of episode 8 and we still don't even really know what happened to him.

I think Larys fetched him alright.

 

[Hivemind]

I know GoT season finales were typically about setting up the next set of conflicts and the coming season, but literally ending the episode with a montage shot of each of the armies/key characters positioning themselves was a little on-the-nose. We got a few really good character moments and some plot development, but I was hoping for at least one more key event to actually take place. Actually give us a naval combat or resolution between Rhaena and the dragon in the Vale. They set up the board, but I would have loved to see an actual piece get taken to give us a better sense of actual tension and conflict prior to season 3.

Using the A Song of Ice and Fire "prophecy" to resolve Daemon's arc was a bit of a limp ending, for me. It feels like when Peter Jackson's Hobbit movies crowbarred in the plots about the White Council, Dol Guldur, and the Necromancer in order to remind everyone that this was a prequel to LoTR and Sauron is the big baddy. We know this is Game of Thrones, you don't have to wedge in reminders of Dany and the White Walkers. I enjoyed Daemon's arc this season, but I wish it could have resolved without that.

That shot of Otto feels like they cut a couple scenes somewhere, and then forgot they cut them.

 

[JetsFan815]

The main thing that annoys me is the 2 year wait. I feel if there is gonna be a 2 year wait between seasons you gotta do a better job making the season feel somewhat "complete" and put a button it.

Rhaena's dragon looked cool. Really nice design, prob my 2nd favorite after Daemon's dragon.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Looking it up and GOT was a season every year except a two year gap between season 7 and 8.

Not sure why i always thought it was 2 years

 

[eXile3]

I hope this isn’t an indication of what is to come for HBO shows. You used to know if they were coming out with something it was going to be done well.

There was so much dialogue for the sake of dialogue to pad the run time this season you could literally remove half the scenes and not miss any character or plot development.

I saw a meme calling it a 70 minute trailer for season 3 and that seems about right.

 

[Peasy]

Holy shit what a f***in bore of a season. I swear they literally stretched this out so far just so they could add in an extra season. This entire season could have easily been fit into 3 episodes. This season was like season 7 GOT level, maybe even worse.

Ulf is suppose to be another fan favourite character? To me he just seems annoying so far. Probably going to be another miss just like Aemond.

My expectations were low for this show and my god they couldnt even hit that. If this was a stand alone without any GOT connection and a first of its kind its probably considered being cancelled due to budget.

Just so disappointing.

So from season 1, I will basically have to wait at least 4 years for things to pop off... Jesus christ Hollywood needs to get its shit together.

We now have 6 HBO seasons of GOT IP without the direct writing and dialogue work of George RR Martin, and none have sniffed anywhere near the levels of season 1-4 GOT. At this point, I think this is just the quality that we will get from this IP.

 

[the valiant effort]

Due to further budget constraints Season 3’s premiere will begin with the aftermath of the battle

 

[CupofOil]

That would have been a good penultimate episode but as a finale it was just really lacking. They make people wait 2 years, the least they can do is give some payoff and really further the storylines before the next 2 year hiatus but it feels like not much happened this season in the grand scope of an entire season.

The show is good but I think it's lacking epic characters, characters that you can really get drawn into. Daemon had the potential to be one of these but his story just kind of got stuck in the mud this season. Viserys was that last season, young Rhaenyra was as well, Otto had that gravitas. Game of Thrones had a bunch of them so it was easy to get enthralled with their journeys. I just feel like HoD is sort of lacking the epicness.
The dragons are awesome and the story is interesting enough to keep your attention but it's just missing something.

 

[Peasy]

Wtf was that girl pirate scene. all of that shit was so awful my god how is this the same GOT IP? f***in mud wrestlin and shit. Theyve lost the plot.

Heleana helping and offering advice to the guy that was responsible for her child's murder

Starting to think they simply just don't have the budget to make this a really good series with all the CGI that is needed.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Wtf was that girl pirate scene. all of that shit was so awful my god how is this the same GOT IP? f***in mud wrestlin and shit. Theyve lost the plot.

Heleana helping and offering advice to the guy that was responsible for her child's murder

Loved the pirate people and her. People were complaining that everyone is so series in HoD, then the pirates come around and are hilarious. Absolutely great chemistry between the pirate captain and the awkward Lanister twin.

 

[Peasy]

Loved the pirate people and her. People were complaining that everyone is so series in HoD, then the pirates come around and are hilarious. Absolutely great chemistry between the pirate captain and the awkward Lanister twin.

Sure if youre expecting Pirates of the Caribbean quality.

To each their own.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Sure if youre expecting Pirates of the Caribbean quality.

To each their own.

What pirate quality did you want. Another bunch of serious, boring, no joking characters?

 

[Peasy]

What pirate quality did you want. Another bunch of serious, boring, no joking characters?

Something better than what we got, thats for sure. This was Sand Snakes level of quality lmao.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Something better than what we got, thats for sure. This was Sand Snakes level of quality lmao.

Like you said, to each their own.

 

[HanSolo]

Sure if youre expecting Pirates of the Caribbean quality.

To each their own.

The pirates were fine. I see them as no different than Salador Sann who also was jokes every other sentence in his intro scene. Plus it gave us a new glimpse into Essos, I had no issue with it.

The sand snakes issue wasn't just the bad p***y line and mediocre acting, it was that they were inherently dull and a really unworthy continuation of Oberyn's missing presence.