House of the Dragon Season 2 gets second lowest-rated finale in Game of Thrones history

House of the Dragon Season 2’s finale has not been well-received by viewers, becoming the second-lowest-rated final episode in Game of Thrones history.

The Game of Thrones spin-off has wrapped its second season and fans of the franchise have not held back in voicing their disapproval.

Viewers of the original eight-season show have gone so far as to claim House of the Dragon’s final episode gave them “PTSD”, stating it felt more like a “70-minute trailer”. Many are blaming Season 2’s shorter run time, as it contains only eight episodes instead of the usual 10, despite showrunner Ryan Condal insisting the buildup is intentional.

Now that the numbers are in, it’s clear the show’s audience is in agreement about the climax, which officially became the second-lowest-rated finale in the entire franchise.

While the Game of Thrones Season 8 finale still maintains the top spot with an abysmal 4.0 out of 10, episode 8 of House of the Dragon Season 2 has secured silver with a 6.8 rating.

On X (formerly Twitter), viewers offered numerous explanations as to why the season finale had failed to impress fans.

Some felt it was due to the directors and writers “going away from the books” to develop and explore “their own plots”, stating this strategy was evidently “not working”.

“We just want character relationships that make sense, basic plot progression, and a vast fantasy world to not relegate characters to single locations for hours on end,” one person wrote. Another agreed, calling the 6.8 rating “way [too] high” as it was “just bad writing”.

Others felt the episode itself was “great” but made for a “bad finale” and “was basically an hour-long teaser for Season 3” – a season viewers would need to wait years for.

“This season was just build up. Like a training arc with a little nibble in the mid-season. Necessary, but not very entertaining.”