House of the Dragon season 2 has to pick up the pace if they want to stick the landing

It feels like we'd been waiting for House of the Dragon to return for a lifetime, and now, we're already over halfway done with the second season. While a shorter season generally doesn't bother me, I'm definitely starting to feel less than pleased with the eight-episode count here. And no, that's not just because this is my favorite show on TV and I want it to last longer; it has to do with the pacing.

Adapting a book like Fire & Blood — a Targaryen history book written in the voice of an archmaester — can't be easy, but showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik did a great job with the first season. I'm still loving the second season; I'm just getting very nervous about how Condal and the writers are going to stick the landing. Though this show is much more than dragons and battles, that is what fans have been looking forward to — and even promised — with the second installment. The Battle at Rook's Rest was brought to life very well, but is that the most exciting moment we're going to get out of season 2? Have we already peaked?

What's next in the Dance of the Dragons?

I won't get into major spoilers from Fire & Blood here, but let's review what's next in the Dance of the Dragons. Now that the Battle of Rook's Rest is over, the Blacks are in need of more dragonriders. In the book, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen's son Jacaerys is the one who recruits dragonseeds, bastards with Targaryen blood capable of mounting the beasts, though in the show it looks like this will be a team effort between Jace and Rhaenyra. After the Sowing of the Seeds, there are four battles: the Battle of the Gullet, the Battle of the Honeywine, the Battle at the Red Fork, and the Battle by the Lakeshore. There is then a pivotal moment in the war that happens after these battles, one that viewers will no doubt love to see onscreen.

Before the start of the season, I thought we'd be getting these battles and this pivotal moment in season 3, but where we're at in the second season, we're going to need something exciting after the dragonseeds storyline is introduced. I didn't want to see the Battle of the Gullet yet, but now, I really do. What else is there to show? Can the writers really drag out the Sowing of the Seeds for multiple episodes? And if so, how in the world would that ever be a satisfying ending?

Here at Winter is Coming, we speculated what could happen in the back half of season 2, and it's certainly possible the show is going to re-order battles around so we get the Battle by the Lakeshore, for instance, in the second season, leaving the Battle of the Gullet for season 3. We'd see the real Benjicot Blackwood if that were the case, which I know book fans would love. And honestly, I'd be more than okay with that — at least something would be happening — though I'd still be unsure of how the ending would turn out.

We need to ditch the slow episodes at this point in the season

The fifth episode of the season, "Regent," significantly slowed down the pace from "The Red Dragon and the Gold," and hey, maybe after the Battle at Rook's Rest, we needed that. But while the episode features strong performances and a few interesting moments, it also feels like a filler episode at a bad time. And my fear for the season's ending intensified after seeing the preview for Episode 6. It doesn't look like we'll be getting the Sowing of the Seeds next week, unless the teaser is purposefully leaving it out, meaning the next episode might be another filler. Yikes. I promise I do not mind slow pacing if it's a slow burn, but what the hell? Where is this going and why is the story being so drawn out?

Now, I haven't lost all faith. Although Deadline reported in March 2023 that "a portion of the plot originally intended for Season 2, including a major battle" was moved to the third season, Condal teased two big battles in season 2 to Den of Geek in May 2024:

"The battles are episodes unto themselves. We have two of the largest sequences that we’ve ever filmed on House of the Dragon. Both of them outstrip anything that we did in season one. They are episodes within episodes."

- Ryan Condal

Of course, the Battle of Rook's Rest must be one of the two, so what'll be the other one? I'm sure it'll look great, but what impact will it have on the season's ending? And if we have two very slow episodes in 5 and 6, followed by two very fast-paced episodes in 7 and 8, will that feel off-balance? Yes, I know I'm overthinking this, but I'm just nervous, okay? There won't be much momentum for the next battle if we continue to slow down with only three episodes left. And frankly, the show will start to lose people.

Having read Fire & Blood, I know the payoff for the slower episodes has the potential to be epic, but what happens if we never even get there? The first season was a setup for the Dance of the Dragons; the second season can't be that too.

Fingers crossed I'm proven wrong about all my fears! There's only one way to find out. New episodes of House of the Dragon season 2 premiere every Sunday night on HBO and Max, with the season finale scheduled for August 4.

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