Is there a House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 9? “Incomplete” season explained

House of the Dragon Season 2 has been widely criticized after its latest episode, with many hoping to tune in next week for Episode 9 – as you may have expected, we have bad news.

At the end of House of the Dragon Season 1, Aemond accidentally killed Lucerys, kickstarting the Dance of the Dragons once and for all.

However, if you were expecting an action-packed second season, you’ll probably feel disappointed right now. Excusing Rook’s Rest and Rhaenys’ death, the second season has mostly set the stage for the war’s big events, like the Battle of the Gullet, the Fall of King’s Landing, and perhaps even the Battle Above Gods Eye.

The closing moments of Season 2 Episode 8 are tremendously exciting; Tyland Lannister sets sail with Sharako Lohar, Aegon escapes with Larys, and Tessarion makes a brief appearance. So, is there another episode next week?

Why there isn’t a House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 9

There won’t be an Episode 9, because House of the Dragon Season 2 is only eight episodes long.

Excluding Game of Thrones Seasons 7 and 8 (in more ways than one), this is a major change. New seasons are typically 10 episodes long, and they follow a pattern: something enormous happens in the penultimate episode (Ned’s beheading, the Battle of Blackwater Bay, the Red Wedding), and the finale picks up the pieces.

House of the Dragon’s first season was similar, with Episode 9 following Aegon’s coronation before Rhaenys crashes through the floor with Meleys and flees King’s Landing.

So, why the shorter season? An earlier report by Deadline said it was “part of a long-term plan for the show, which includes HBO mulling a green light for a third season.”

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, director Clare Kilner said the “decision was to give it a good opening and a good ending, and they’re jam-packed with emotional and visually exciting events.”

Now, here’s where it gets interesting: according to Sara Hess, one of the show’s writers, it “wasn’t really [their] decision” to cut down the episodes.

This echoes fans’ suspicions, with many believing HBO ordered a shorter season due to the large budget required to end on something like the Battle of the Gullet.

Deadline’s original report noted that a “major battle” had been moved to Season 3, with broader plans for the series to last four seasons.

Fans slam “incomplete” Season 2 after finale

It’s fair to say House of the Dragon fans aren’t best pleased after the Season 2 finale. It’s been widely described as an anticlimactic, “70-minute trailer for Season 3.”

“Despite its slow pace, Season 2 feels incomplete… for a season to feel satisfying, it needs payoff to all of the buildup,” one fan wrote on Reddit, with another commenting: “There is slow and there is slow. You could forget a war is even happening with the molasses-esque pace of this show… the season seemed to be mostly filler.”

“Well, that was probably one of the most underwhelming season finales I’ve ever watched,” another viewer tweeted. “HBO – what the actual f**k are you thinking! Cliffhangers are fine but S2E8 was a dull slow anti-climactic sh*t ending. Incomplete – like a flashback to the sh*t finale of GOT. Where’s the rest of the f**king episode! F**k you #HBO,” a fourth wrote.

Condal hasn’t addressed the complaints, but Episode 8’s director Geeta Vasant Patel gave her take on the season ending without another big battle.

“I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know if it would be a battle or something else. I probably expected a battle, just as a fan. Then when I read the script, I was pleasantly surprised and happy, because I think we put too much on battles,” she explained.

“I think what’s really interesting about this episode is that it’s about relationships. It’s the dialogue, the twists and turns, the relationship between Daemon and Rhaenyra, and Rhaenyra and Alicent. For me, it was quite thrilling to focus on the dramaturgy. I love that.

“I was excited to dig deep with this. I definitely felt the challenge if people are expecting a big battle, how is this going to compete with it? But having done Episode 8 from Season 1, I knew that if we executed the script it would be grand.”

In the meantime, you can find out what we know about House of the Dragon Season 3 and discover the five shows like House of the Dragon to watch while you wait. Don’t forget, there’s a new Game of Thrones spinoff in the works too.