House of the Dragon showrunners defend most controversial omission from season 2 finale

*Warning - This article contains minor spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2 finale.*

House of the Dragon season 2’s grand finale left some fans enthralled by what the third instalment might have in store, while others were disappointed not to see any major battle sequences. However, the showrunners of the HBO series have since explained their decision to bring all its major characters right up to the brink of a huge battle without ever crossing into actual fighting.

Teasing what awaits fans of the Game of Thrones spin-off in season 3, showrunner Ryan Condal discussed the choice with reporters on Monday. Condal admitted he understood why some fans might be displeased with the decision, which wasn’t made lightly, while also promising the third instalment would make it all worthwhile.

Season 2 ends with plenty of moving pieces as various teams steel themselves for the impending civil war. Towards the end of the episode, we see various armies for Team Green and Team Black heading off to battle.

Many pieces are now also in place for some of the most legendary fights from George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Ice, including the Battle of the Gullet, which is Greens’ attempt to break Corlys’ blockade.

As reported by TVLine, Condal detailed the reasons for holding off on the epic battle sequence for now.

“When you’re trying to mount this show, which requires a tremendous amount of resources — construction, armour, costumes, visual effects — we were trying to give the Gullet, which is arguably the most anticipated — well, maybe the second most anticipated action event of Fire & Blood — trying to give it the time and the space that it deserves,” he said.

He continued: “We are building to that event. That event will happen very shortly, in terms of the storytelling of House of the Dragon.

“And it should be, I mean, based on what we know now, it should be the biggest thing to date that we’ve pulled off.

“And we just wanted to have the time and the space to do that at a level that is going to excite and satisfy the fans in a way that’s deserved.”

While a premiere date for House of the Dragon season 3 has not yet been announced, Condal confirmed that pre-production will start in Autumn, 2024, with production beginning “early-ish 2025.”

He added: “I apologise for the wait, but I will just say that if [the Battle of] Rook’s Rest and the Red Sowing are any indication, the team that we have together, we’re going to pull off a hell of a win with the Gullet in the future.”

House Of The Dragon is available to watch on Sky Atlantic and HBO.