Following a strong opening and a subsequent series of, let’s be honest, largely uninspiring episodes with only a handful of memorable moments, ‘House of the Dragon’s’ second season has reached its cliffhanger conclusion. The promise? After a first season that gave us the complete context for the upcoming Targaryen civil war, and a second installment which, beyond one or two explosive sequences, primarily set the stage for said battle, the third outing will finally be the fiery, action-packed spectacle that fans have eagerly awaited.
“We are building to that event that will happen very shortly in terms of the storytelling, and it should be the biggest thing to date that we’ve pulled off,” showrunner Ryan Condal said of the impending carnage, speaking at a press conference following the finale. “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 the way it’s deserved. We also wanted to build some anticipation towards it. I know everybody wants this to come out every summer. It’s just that the show is so complex that we’re really making multiple feature films every season. So I apologize for the wait, but I will just say if Rook’s Rest and the Red Sowing are any indication, we’re gonna pull off a hell of a win with The Battle of the Gullet.”
That encounter, one of the bloodiest sea battles in Westerosi history and what Condal describes as “arguably the second most anticipated action event of Fire & Blood,” should see the Triarchy clash with Corlys Velaryon’s fleet, the latter aided by a group of dragon riders both old and new. The scale and drama of it could surpass anything we’ve ever seen before in the ‘Game of Thrones’ universe—assuming it’s executed well, of course.
“One of the challenges of making television at any scale [is] nobody has infinite time and resources,” Condal continued, explaining why certain set pieces had to be postponed until the third installment. “When you’re a showrunner, you’re always in the position of having to balance storytelling and the resources that you have available to tell that story. One of the things that came into play in season two is: what is the final destination of the series and where are we going? It was a combination of factors that led us to rebalance the season knowing now where we’re going. We wanted to rebalance the story in such a way that we had three great seasons of television to round out and tell this story.”
So, will the show conclude with season three? “No, I think it’s four,” Condal replied, adding that season three is currently being written, with preparations commencing this autumn and a plan to begin production in early 2025. Here’s hoping that both of these remaining installments deliver in a major way—and don’t simply keep delaying the payoff until the very last moment.
