Back in March, HBO announced it was cutting the Season 2 episode order for House Of The Dragon from ten to eight. There wasn’t a clear reason given at the time, and the announcement resulted in some differing perspectives within the Game Of Thrones fanbase. At the time, I expressed some concern about the shortened season but wanted to hear more details on why the choice was made. Well, some of those details finally came this week from HBO exec Francesca Orsi, and now I’m not sure how to feel.
The HBO Head Of Drama sat down for a lengthy interview with Deadline and talked about a variety of different projects including Succession, The Last Of Us, Perry Mason and more. During the chat, the subject of House Of The Dragon came up and she talked about how the show locked all its scripts prior to the writer’s strike and is currently filming. That’s when the episode count came up, and Orsi offered the following thoughts…
There was some question about the narrative shape of Season 2. We were developing it with Ryan Condal and Sara Hess, and we realized that we were sort of treading water narratively in the middle of the season. So it just felt (like a) much more rigorous, more urgent emotional arc for our characters if we compressed the season. And then that also dictated how we would kick off Season 3.
The how we would kick off Season 3 is a reference to some plot points, including a major battle, that were originally earmarked for Season 2. They are being moved to the beginning of Season 3, assumedly to stretch the show out further. Orsi said during the chat that she expects House Of The Dragon won’t go “any less than four (seasons).” That’s great news for fans like me who were originally concerned they’d condense The Dance Of The Dragons into three seasons that would fly by. I’m glad the show is willing to stretch things out further, and I’m open to this whole thing taking five seasons.
But to be honest, I’m still concerned about this quote from Orsi, particularly this part: “we realized that we were sort of treading water narratively in the middle of the season. So it just felt (like a) more rigorous, more urgent emotional arc for our characters if we compressed the season.” I suspect how people will feel about that quote likely comes down to why they enjoy Game Of Thrones/ House Of The Dragon. For me, I like the slow burn. I like minor stories that slowly develop and later turn into major stories. I’ll take less forward progress now for more meaningful forward progress later. I don’t want an “urgent” tone all the time.
The House Of The Dragon fanbase is a big tent, however, and there are plenty of people who think episodes in the first few seasons of Game Of Thrones are boring. They prefer the more deliberate pace of Season 6 especially, and I totally understand that. It’s a different type of experience but one that is ultimately more exciting and keeps you riveted in a tense way. That’s certainly what we got in Season 1 of House Of The Dragon, though the producers later said all those time jumps and non-stop plot action were to fill audiences in on the backstory, and the show would later settle into a more conventional narrative arc.
Maybe? I’m not really sure how to feel. There’s so much uncertainty moving forward. After the first season, co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik left the show amidst some behind the scenes drama. His absence is going to change the show, at least in some small ways. The elimination of time jumps and the focus on a more in the moment storyline is going to change the show. So will eliminating entire episodes in the middle of the season in order to make the narrative more “urgent.” So will planning the show as a four or five season arc rather than a three season arc.
I tend to like a longer, slower story. So, I’m frustrated with only getting eight episodes this season but excited about the show going at least four seasons. Ultimately, though, the goal of any show should be to tell the best possible story in whatever amount of time is needed to execute that vision. Change is coming. So, for now, all I can do is trust HBO and those involved with the project because they've earned that right, even if the end of Game Of Thrones wasn't everything that many of us had dreamed.
