HBO goes ‘Dracarys’ after ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 finale leaked online

A still from House of the Dragon season 2 Pic/Instagram

In a shocking yet disappointing encounter, fans of ‘House of the Dragon' were dismayed after the finale episode for its second season was leaked on social media. Days before the eighth episode could be aired, a TikTok account uploaded nearly 30 minutes of footage, leaving HBO with a major crisis to be managed. 14 videos of the final episode have been circulated across social media platforms by miscreants. While the clips have garnered thousands of views, fans have been advised caution to avoid any spoilers.

A statement from HBO read, "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."

The 'Game of Thrones' franchise has faced similar issues in the past, often occurring when episodes are sent to HBO's global content partners just before airing, as per The Hollywood Reporter. The 2022 leak, for example, was traced back to a distributor covering Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

The previous episode saw Queen Rhaenyra build an army of dragons with its new riders. Seasmoke gets Addam of Hull, Vermithor gets Hugh the Hammer, and Silverwing gets Ulf White. The ending scene shows Ulf clumsily riding Silverwing over Kings Landing which grabs Aemond's attention. He rides over Vhagar to follow them but retreats after noticing Rhaenyra and her dragon army standing at Dragonstone. The finale episode teases a massive showdown between the Greens and the Blacks - popularly known as ‘Dance of the Dragons'.

Meanwhile, HBO has greenlit the third part. The network has ordered another season of the Game of Thrones prequel series, though hasn't specified how many episodes, The Hollywood Reporter stated.

Based on author George R. R. Martin's ‘Game of Thrones' book ‘Fire & Blood,' ‘House of the Dragon' follows the Targaryen dynasty in the fictional continent of Westeros. It takes place nearly 200 years before the events of ‘Game of Thrones' and about 100 years after the Targaryens united the Seven Kingdoms.