Here’s what happened to House of the Dragon Season 2's cancelled Episodes 9 and 10.
Episode 8 ended up being the finale of Season 2, and it left many fans with mixed feelings. To put it bluntly, the entire season, and the finale, led to a climax that never occurred.
Instead, the big battle of King’s Landing doesn't look like it’ll play out until Season 3, which probably won't be released for another two years.
Audiences have been very vocal about how unsatisfied this narrative choice has been, with some even voicing how it's not worth their time to continue investing in the show.
[ House of the Dragon Makes 5 Major Changes From Fire and Blood Book In Season 2 Episode 8 ]
Here’s Why House of the Dragon Season 2, Episodes 9 and 10 Were Canceled
Turns out that House of the Dragon Season 2 was originally set to have ten episodes, but both Episodes 9 and 10 were canceled.
The story of what happened to them starts with a report from Deadline in March 2023.
According to the article, the outlet heard that “the initial plan was for another 10-episode arc,” though this “eventually changed.”
While many guessed that the move was one based on cost-cutting by Warner Bros. Discovery, an HBO spokesperson “stressed that the episode count trim was story-driven:”
“In what is a relatively common practice, HBO did not reveal the episode order in the Season 2 renewal announcement last summer. I hear the initial plan was for another 10-episode arc, which eventually changed, leading to some script rewrites. Given the leadership change at HBO’s parent company, some pointed at Warner Bros. Discovery leadership’s focus on cost-cutting. An HBO spokesperson, who confirmed to Deadline that Season 2 will contain eight episodes, stressed that the episode count trim was story-driven.”
Here’s the thing: it makes absolutely no sense for the trim to happen for story reasons. Especially since Deadline also noted that “a major battle” was moved to Season 3—aka, the climatic battle of King’s Landing.
Even more damning is how in May earlier this year, Executive Producer Sara Hess admitted to Entertainment Weekly that cutting those two episodes “wasn't really [their] choice”—an odd statement to make if the decision was a story-based one.
Warner Bros. Discovery is well known for its aggressive and widely disliked methods of cutting cuts (such as canceling Batgirl and Coyote v Acme).
It’s also worth pointing out that there was an impending writers' strike about to happen when that announcement was made, which would have served as the perfect fuel for the studio to try and save some money.
If you aren't afraid of spoilers, you can learn how House of the Dragon Season 3 will begin here!
Was Shortening Season 2 of House of the Dragon a Good Choice?
Needless to say, Warner Bros. Discovery's decision to cancel Episodes 9 and 10 from House of the Dragon Season 2 was a poor one.
The lack of the climatic battle at the end of the season has made people feel like Season 2 was a lot of nothing. Especially since the end of Season 1 heavily teased nonstop chaos and war, which simply didn't happen.
A cleaner way to shrink the season down would have been to adjust some of the middle parts of the sophomore run so that the end of the season could still be the Battle of King’s Landing.
Plenty of slower moments and secondary storylines—such as Daemon's constant vision trips —could have been trimmed and heavily adjusted.
With a two-year gap between Seasons 1 and 2, fans might have to wait until 2026 before they get the big battle they want.
House of the Dragon is now streaming on Max.
Read more House of the Dragon Season 2 finale here:
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