After scenes from Season 2, Episode 8 of House of the Dragon were leaked online, HBO did not mess around in responding to the mistake.
House of the Dragon Season 2 is pushing forward towards an epic finale after Episode 7 highlighted more than a dozen cast members in anticipation of that last episode.
As powerful riders have claimed wildly powerful dragons in recent weeks, Season 2's last episode unquestionably has plenty to look forward to — at the right time.
HBO Confronts House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 8 Leaks
On July 30, a huge number of clips showing footage from Season 2, Episode 8 of House of the Dragon were leaked onto TikTok by an anonymous source.
According to Variety, one TikTok account posted 14 separate videos that showed about 30 minutes of footage from the Season 2 finale.
The clips were taken by somebody filming a screen with a secondary device, likely a cell phone. Unsurprisingly, HBO is aggressively watching out for more leaks of this nature after sending a statement on the subject to The Hollywood Reporter (THR).
The company released the following statement, placing the blame on an "unintentional release from an international third-party distributor" and prepping fans for the episode's official release:
"We are aware that clips from the 'House of the Dragon' season finale have surfaced across social media platforms. The clips were posted after an unintentional release from an international third-party distributor. HBO is aggressively monitoring and removing clips from the internet, and fans can watch the episode in its entirety this Sunday night on HBO and Max.”
Unfortunately, this is far from the first time House of the Dragon and its sequel series, Game of Thrones, have dealt with early leaks.
Per Variety, House of the Dragon Season 1's final episode was put in a similar bind as it was leaked two full days before its October 23, 2022 release date on Max.
Game of Thrones had footage from multiple episodes in Season 8 leak in 2019, forcing HBO to stop sending out advance press screeners.
How Will HBO Deal With House of the Dragon Leaks?
Unfortunately, with only two days before House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 8 arrives on Max, HBO has seemingly done all it can to prevent any more footage from leaking.
The studio may look to take legal action against the perpetrator, especially if the leak came from an inside source. However, an investigation like that likely would not yield any immediate results for fans to learn about.
Given that both seasons of House of the Dragon have had leaks like this, along with Game of Thrones Season 8, HBO might have to be more stringent with its screener access for the media.
While this could potentially hurt early reviews, both seasons have performed admirably already by averaging an 89% Tomatometer score and 84% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Per THR, Season 2's viewing numbers were only slightly under Season 1 at about 8 million viewers per episode through the first four weeks, which could change in either direction thanks to these leaks.
While HBO will not be timid in pursuing the source of these leaks, Episode 8 is still expected to have a huge audience as this second season of the studio's hit drama comes to an end.
House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 8 will debut on HBO and Max on Sunday, August 4 at 9 p.m. ET before moving to Max with the rest of the season.
Read more about House of the Dragon below:
Here's Why Hugh Hammer Betrays Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon
The Dragons of House of the Dragon: Visual Guide to Every Dragon and Their Rider (Photos)
What Happens to Aegon In 'House of the Dragon': Does He Die?
