House of the Dragon Season 2 Finale Becomes Series’ Second-Lowest-Rated Episode

Emma BowmanAugust 7, 2024

House of the Dragon Season 2 Finale Becomes Series' Second-Lowest-Rated Episode

The season 2 finale of House of the Dragon was poorly received by viewers, becoming the second-lowest-rated episode in Game of Thrones history.

The spin-off Game of Thrones has finished its second season, and fans of the series aren’t shy about voicing their disapproval.

Viewers of the original eight-season show went so far as to claim that the House of the Dragon finale gave them “PTSD,” saying it felt like a “70-minute trailer.” Many blamed the shorter length of Season 2, as it only contained eight episodes instead of the usual 10, although showrunner Ryan Condal insisted the buildup was intentional.

Now that the numbers are in, it’s clear that the show’s audience is in agreement about the finale, as it officially became the second-lowest-rated episode of the entire series.

The two lowest-rated season finales in #GameOfThrones history on IMDb

GOT S8 Finale — 4.0
HOTD S2 Finale — 6.8 pic.twitter.com/vKrc6EulXZ
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) August 5, 2024

While the Game of Thrones Season 8 finale remains at the top of the charts with a dismal 4.0 out of 10, the House of the Dragon Season 2 episode 8 took silver with a 6.8 rating.

On X (formerly Twitter), viewers offered a variety of explanations for why the season finale failed to impress fans.

Some attributed this to the directors and writers “deviating from the books” to develop and explore “their own storylines,” arguing that the strategy clearly “didn’t work.”

“We just want meaningful character relationships, basic plot progression, and a big fantasy world, not having characters stuck in a single location for hours on end,” one wrote. Another agreed, calling the 6.8 rating “too [high]” because it was “just bad writing.”

Others felt the episode was “fantastic” but a “terrible ending” and “basically an hour-long trailer for Season 3” – a season viewers will have to wait years for.

“This season is just preparation. Like a training arc with a little change in the middle of the season. Necessary, but not really exciting.”