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Louise Thomas
Editor
House of the Dragon viewers have been left severely unimpressed with the season two finale.
The HBO series’s divisive second season, which The Independent said took “all the wrong lessons from Game of Thrones’s terrible ending” drew to a close on Sunday (4 August) with a final episode that’s been branded “disappointing” and “underwhelming”.
Despite the episode featuring notable character reunions, viewers are complaining that it didn’t feel climactic – and instead focused on setting up what looks to be a more action-packed third season.
In addition to this, fans were hoping there would be a battle of some kind, especially after an exciting end to the previous installment that appeared to put the wheels in motion for an epic showdown.
The frustration has been heightened due to the fact there was a two-year wait in between the first and second season – and that season two had its episode count slashed from 10 to eight.
One fan wrote: “Dear House of the Dragon, taking *two years* between seasons is bad enough, but it is an insult to then deliver a truncated season (eight eps instead of 10 like the first season) which then doesn’t significantly advances the story and ends on a f***ing cliffhanger.”
Another added: “The season finale of House of the Dragon was not very climactic. Basically, sets everything up as a cliffhanger for the next season (in two years lol).”
After watching the finale, another person chimed in: “Fans were expecting a great battle in the finale after the ending to episode seven – why didn’t you give it to them?”
While sharing a complaint about the way the season ended, an additional viewer suggested the episode should have been longer.
“Just finished House of the Dragon. I enjoyed it but was pissed it ended where it did – give me another half an hour or more.”
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The “weak” finale was also branded “one of the worst season finales I’ve seen in a while” by one particular fan, calling it “the worst episode of the season”.
House of the Dragon will return for a third season on HBO in 2025.