George R.R. Martin suggested in a recent blog post that he would reveal what went wrong with ‘House of the Dragon’ in his upcoming entries (per THR).
“I do not look forward to other posts I need to write, about everything that’s gone wrong with ‘House of the Dragon,’” the writer shared in a bit about a Santa Fe festival. “But I need to do that too, and I will. Not today, though.”
He continued, “I have had a pretty wretched year as well, one full of stress, anger, conflict, and defeat. I need to talk about some of that, and I will, I will… I was away from my computer traveling from July 15 to August 15, so a lot of things that needed saying did not get said.”
Martin previously showed support for his HBO projects even when facing heavy criticism. He praised ‘Game of Thrones’ showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, as well as the series itself, despite its change from his books.
The author also had high praise for ‘House of the Dragon’ since its first season. He especially appreciated the prequel’s Season 2 Episode 4, calling its dragon battle the best one ever put on screen. “Our guys knocked this one out of the castle,” his comment read.
Meanwhile, the spinoff show couldn’t escape criticism. Some fans believed Season 2’s ending was abrupt because it was concluded right before a much-anticipated battle’s start. Others missed the dark humor from the books, which they felt was lacking in the series.
Critics also noted the reduced presence of Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke) in Season 2’s storyline. They accused the show of sidelining strong female characters and fan-favorites like Daemon (Matt Smith).
It’s unclear whether Martin’s concerns about ‘House of the Dragon’ are connected to any of these criticisms, though. Despite its issues, the writer will soon return to the project for the third and fourth seasons.