How many episodes will ‘The House of the Dragon’ S2 have and how many seasons are left?

There was a time when thousands of dragons roamed the skies, but the glory days of ancient Valirya will never return. When he met the remaining members of House Targaryen in ‘Game of Thrones, ' it had been years since dragons had flown over the skies of Westeros, and this week, we will learn why.

Members of Houses Targaryen and Velaryon are still dragon riders in ‘House of the Dragon,’ the prequel to the events portrayed in ‘Game of Thrones,’ although the number of riders is no longer what it once was.

‘The House of the Dragon’ is set more than one hundred years after Aegon The Conqueror proclaimed himself king of the Seven Kingdoms. Now, his surviving relatives will battle for control of the Iron Throne, and with their dragons, the “dance” will begin.

Episode 4 is titled ‘Dance of the Dragons,’ and combat will take place between the enormous flying reptiles belonging to each faction: The Greens, led by Queen-regent Alicent Hightower, and The Blacks, led by Queen of the Seven Kingdoms Rhaenyra Targaryen. The Dance of the Dragons is the name in Westori history that was given to the Civil War after King Viserys’s death.

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The events will captivate audiences, but those hooked on the show should know that the second season will be halfway over after tonight. Unlike the first season, which included ten episodes, the second will only feature eight.

Everything we know about the seasons of 'The House of the Dragon'

According to the show’s creators, ‘The House of the Dragon’ has been conceived as a series that will last several seasons. The first, which premiered in 2022, builds the historical context for the war about to unfold in the second season, which premiered a few weeks ago.

In the first season, we met both characters (and half-siblings) claiming they are the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. First, there is Princess of Dragonstone Rhaenyra Targaryen, the named heir of her father, King Viserys. Her claim to the throne has always been weak as a woman, but her father never waivered in his decision to name her his heir.

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However, trouble begins to brew for the princess when, after the death of her mother, her father marries her childhood friend, Alicent Hightower, the daughter of his Hand. King Viserys has two sons with his second wife, causing friction among the aristocracy and machinations for the monarch to change his mind and name one of his sons.

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Upon his deathbed, King Viserys begins to mumble about the prophecy of the Song of Ice and Fire, and Alicent believes that he is attempting to say that he wishes for their eldest son, Aegon, to follow his reign. In last week’s episode, we saw Alicent realize her error while secretly conversing with Rhaenyra about the last moments of her father’s life. However, for Alicent, the lines have already been drawn, and war is inevitable, rejecting Rhaenyra’s final plea for peace.

Will the show end after season two?

No. Based on the images and trailers released thus far, season two is expected to show the beginning of the civil war, which will continue into the third season. Though filming has started, no release date has been given for when season three could air.

The showrunners and HBO have yet to reveal precisely the number of seasons that ‘The House of the Dragon’ will contain. Despite this, George R.R. Martin – author of the novels and part of the creative team of the series – has shared that, in his opinion, there should be four seasons of 10 episodes. So what happened? We know that this season will only contain eight episodes. In recent statements to EW, screenwriter and producer Sarah Hess has acknowledged that the creative team did not make the decision, although she has not explained the specific reasons.