HBO Explains Why House Of The Dragon’s Latest Episode Was So Hard To See

The latest episode of HBO’s House of the Dragon was very dark, and not just in terms of its subject matter. Many fans complained on social media that some scenes were literally had to see. Some wondered if this was an issue with their TVs, but in fact it was an intentional design choice, HBO has said.

There were sequences in Sunday’s episode that took place during the evening, and the darkness of the scenes prompted confusion, frustration, and memes. Brendan Hodges on Twitter called attention to the darkness. Of course, fans can help illuminate scenes on House of the Dragon or any show by turning up the brightness, closing all the shades, and turning off all the lights, but this isn’t exactly ideal.

The HBO Max Help Twitter account (via Variety) said to a fan asking about the darkness, “The dimmed lighting of this scene was an intentional creative decision.”

This is not the first time that HBO has faced criticisms about the literal darkness of its fantasy series. The Game of Thrones episode, “The Long Night,” showcased an epic battle where major characters fought and died, but fans had to close all their shades and crank up the brightness on their TVs to see the action.

Miguel Sapochnik directed The Long Night and Sunday’s House of the Dragon episode, “Driftmark.” He is leaving House of the Dragon for its upcoming second season.

In addition to the darkness of Episode 7, the first season of House of the Dragon rubbed some fans the wrong way with a CG mistake that left a green screen glove in the final cut. HBO quickly edited this out.

For more on House of the Dragon Episode 7, check out this behind-the-scenes video breakdown featuring insight from the cast and crew. The next episode airs this Sunday, October 9–check out a trailer.