George R.R. Martin Suggests He Has Some Things To Get Off His Chest About ‘House Of The Dragon’
Is George R.R. Martin ready to spill some tea?
In his latest blog post, the Game of Thrones author suggested that he has a few thoughts he’d like to share about the making of The House of the Dragon.
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“I do not look forward to other posts I need to write, about everything that’s gone wrong with House of the Dragon … but I need to do that too, and I will,” he writes. “Not today, though.”
Ah, so when? No word on when we can expect his follow-up, sadly. The majority of his Aug. 30 blog is devoted to a local tradition in Santa Fe, N.M.
The second season of HOTD ended with more of a whimper than a bang since the HBO drama was given two fewer episodes than season one as part of a long-term plan for the drama. That meant a major campaign — the bloody Battle of the Gullet between the Blacks and Greens — was going to be postponed until season 3.
While talking with reporters earlier this month, showrunner Ryan Condal didn’t straight-up address how the reduction of episodes led to a relatively low-energy season 2 finale, or why the decision was made not to go out with a bang. But Condal did remind fans that the drama is not exactly rich with infinite time and resources to stage a battle at every turn. (Maybe that’s what Martin has a bee in his bonnet over?)
“As a showrunner you are always in a position of having to balance storytelling and resources you have available to tell that story,” said Condal. “We are also starting to think about, what is the final destination of this series and where are we going? A combination of factors led to that re-balance. There is a tremendous amount of resources, construction, armor, costumes and visual affects needed to give the Gullet, which is arguably the second most anticipated action even to Fire and Blood, the time and the space it deserved. We are building to that event. It will happen very shortly in terms of storytelling. It will be the biggest thing to date we have pulled off. We want to have the time and space to do that at a level that will excite the fans.”
In July, Martin blogged that he was actually pleased with season 2 — at least at that point in time.
“I have visited real castles that did not look half as imposing as the Red Keep and Dragonstone did. And they were HUGE,” he wrote. “I also got a sneak peak at the first two episodes of season 2. What a great way to start the season. The directing was superb. Game of Thrones veteran Alan Taylor directed the first episode, and Clare Kilner the second. Both of them did a magnificent job. And I cannot say enough about the acting. Emma d’Arcy has only one line in “A Son for a Son,” but they do so much with their eyes and their face that they absolutely dominate the episode; her grief for her slain son is palpable. Tom Glynn-Carney brings Aegon alive in ways we have not seen before; he’s more than a villain here, he shows us the king’s rage, his pain, his fears and doubts. His humanity.”
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