The Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, has quickly become one of the biggest shows of all time. Drawing in a large number of viewers with its gory and epic battles, gripping political theme, and complex character, House of the Dragon has captured the interest of fans all across the world. Currently premiering its second season, the show recently suffered a setback when its season finale was leaked.
Mirroring events that happened with season one and Game of Thrones, HBO released a statement soon afterward, promising swift action. Yet, fans have a valid demand that they should pay heed to.
House of the Dragon Season 2 Finale Leaks on Social Media
The second season of Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, has so far been somewhat of a delighting and controversial affair. Yet, fans and critics have been enjoying the show’s compelling storytelling filled with unexpected plot twists. As many were eagerly awaiting its season finale, scheduled to air this coming Sunday (August 4), bits of the episode were leaked on the social media app TikTok.
With roughly 30 minutes of the finale leaked, the TikTok account was banned soon, but not before the clips made it to different social media sites. In response, HBO released a statement, promising aggressive action (via Variety),
We are aware that clips from the ‘House of the Dragon’ season finale have surfaced across social media platforms. The clips were posted after an unintentional release from an international third-party distributor. HBO is aggressively monitoring and removing clips from the internet, and fans can watch the episode in its entirety this Sunday night on HBO and Max.
As HBO works to remove the pirated clips, a similar feat happened with the House of the Dragon season one finale, and even Game of Thrones suffered its fair share of leaks, with several episodes of its final season having appeared online for streaming days before official release.
Fans React to House of the Dragon Season 2 Finale Leak
HBO has always struggled to prevent leaks when it came to Game of Thrones, for during its run, the series suffered from multiple major leaks. During GoT’s season 8 aka the final season, several episodes had already made their way to platforms like DirecTV and countless illegal sites. The same so far has taken place with House of the Dragon (via Variety).
Even back then, fans had demanded the platform to either increase the number of episodes or alter the storyline to prevent the show from being spoiled for good. Especially during the airing of Game of Thrones final season, fans were particularly persistent that HBO should make the season 10 episodes long. And similar fan demands have emerged today.
in response they should make season 3 10 episodes
— t✰ (@twrIdd) July 31, 2024
Let them go back to 10 episodes next season as an apology
— Adam Reid (@__adamreid) July 31, 2024
They should produce and release a 10-episode season 3 in response to this leak
— Mordi's Percy☯️↗️ (@peterpercivhal) July 31, 2024
This insolence should be punished by extra season 3 episodes.
— JWJ (@JohnWareJunior) July 31, 2024
Either make s3 10 episodes or keep it 🤷🏻♂️ they wanted to give d&d free reign to keep going in a show with no source material but the one that has it there want to breeze through and make ridiculous changes
— issaghostt (@eastsideghostt) July 31, 2024
How about hbo makes a 10 episode season instead?
— Mason (@mason5o5) July 31, 2024
As fans continue to demand 10 episodes long season 3 as an apology, given the leaks and issues this season has so far suffered, it is unlikely HBO will follow through with these demands. Even in the past when Game of Thrones suffered major leaks, similar demands were made by fans, but hardly anything was done to cater to their needs.
While loyal fans await the official premiere of the season 2 finale, only time will tell how much of an impact this leak will have on the show.
House of the Dragon can be streamed on HBO.
