House of the Dragon showrunner explains why season 2 episode 2 ending took months to shoot

House of the Dragon season 2 premiered just over a week ago and has been a source of constant discussion in the fandom. This is thanks to its daring sequences, the most recent of which featured a brutal finale where twin brothers had to fight and kill each other for honor and loyalty.

In what was a great addition to the slow-building drama, the second episode of House of the Dragon season 2 culminated in a tense finale, where Ser Arryk (Luke Tittensor) was sent to assassinate Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy). However, the assassination took a turn when it fell to his twin brother, Ser Eryk Cargyll (Elliot Tittensor), to defend his queen.

The storyline is also an important part of the title as none of the two knights are wrong in the scene, and it ends up being one of the most memorable sequences of House of the Dragon. The finale of the episode seemed to hit all the right notes, both visually and emotionally, delivering a final few moments that will live in the history of the GoT-verse.

All this looked so appealing because of what went on behind the creation of this scene. In a recent interview with CinemaBlend, showrunner Ryan Condal mentioned that this shot took months to create. He stated that the "stunts were carefully choreographed" and credited the actors for their level of training. He revealed that they went over the scene several times, carefully choreographing every move, which added to the thrill of the brothers trying to kill each other.

"Yeah, that was quite a production…it was planned for months. The stunts were carefully choreographed. I have to say, to their [Luke and Elliot Tittensor] credit, they trained the hell out of that sequence and really basically are in every shot of that. That's actually them. They did all this sword and stamina training and everything," Condal explained.

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What did Ryan Condal say about the final scene of House of the Dragon season 2 episode 2?

In his latest interview with CinemaBlend, which was published on June 26, Ryan Condal explained why the scene mattered as much as it did, shedding light on the amount of work the team put into creating this ending to the very long episode. The showrunner added the scene was shot "over multiple days" and spoke about the emotional aspect of it as he said:

"It's incredible what they did. And we shot that over multiple days on set, but it was very emotional. This cast is a big family and everybody's gotten to know each other very well. And even though that was not their last day on set because of the way we crossboard and block the show, it was closer to the end, and I think it was a big emotional thing for the two of them to pull off. But they did an amazing job with it, and I think it really stuck with all of us."

The House of the Dragon showrunner further elaborated on how the context of the story played a big part in this brilliant scene.

"It's so hard to see these two guys, who are honorable knights, who find themselves put on different sides of this conflict based on the nature of it, the fact that the royal family has torn itself apart… I mean, they've taken an oath that prevents them from doing harm to a royal family member, but when one of them is now the enemy, how do you reckon with that as a knight who's cloaked themselves in honor and chivalry for their entire lives? Condall added.

He said it was a "really complicated thing" and continued:

"I think that's why it ends the way it does. But I find that to be one of the most moving scenes in the show that we've filmed so far. And I'm glad it's landed."

House of the Dragon season 2 delivered one of the finest endings in this episode, and fans hope that there will be many more such installments in the future.

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The first two episodes of House of the Dragon season 2, and the entire first season, are now streaming on Max.