HBO Defends Dark Lighting in Recent House of the Dragon Episode

After viewers had trouble seeing the drama in Oct. 2's episode of HBO's House of the Dragon, the streamer is defending the show's dark lighting. Read why they stand by the choice here.

By Charlotte Walsh Oct 03, 2022 9:58 PMTags
Watch: House of the Dragon: Season 1 FINALE Cast Reactions!

The most recent House of the Dragon episode was, to quote Game of Thrones, "dark and full of terrors."

During the Oct. 2 episode of the Game of Thrones spinoff, Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and Daemon (Matt Smith) finally got together, but viewers had trouble seeing it due to the episode's dark lighting

"Me trying to watch House of the Dragon with the brightness turned up to 100," one Twitter user wrote alongside a pair of magnifying glasses. Another pointed out that publicity photos HBO released from the episode were easier to see, noting, "It's the fact that even the official Game of Thrones and HOTD Twitter pages have to brighten up the photos they post from the episodes and yet still don't see a problem with the lighting."

But despite the disapproval from fans, according to the HBO Max, this was all part of the plan.

"We appreciate you reaching out about a night scene in House of the Dragon: Episode 7 appearing dark on your screen," the HBOMaxHelp Twitter account replied to one concerned viewer. "The dimmed lighting of this scene was an intentional creative decision." Well then!

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House of the Dragon Cast in and Out of Costume

But this response didn't appear to satisfy viewers, with one Twitter user calling the choice "a bad one." 

This isn't the only way House of the Dragon has upset its fan base recently. After Sept. 25's episode, viewers took to social media to express anger over the deaths of three fan favorite characters, Laena Velaryon, Harwin Strong and Lyonel Strong. 

"I'm literally sick to my stomach," one fan wrote, "we got 3 seconds of Harwin and Rhaenyra being a happy family before his own brother killed him for some jealous, father stealing, raggedy ass ginger bitch." Another wondered if "HBO or the showrunners regret killing off so soon or not explaining a damn thing about some of the most loved characters??"

Ollie Upton / HBO

Clearly, Westeros is still known for heartbreak—and shocking deaths. 

Watch for yourself when House of the Dragon airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.

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