House of the Dragon season 2 defended by HBO boss after George R.R. Martin criticism
HBO boss Casey Bloys has defended season 2 of House of the Dragon, insisting fans were not "divided" when it came to an end this summer.
It comes after Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin expressed dissatisfaction with elements of the recent season in a blog post he has since deleted.
In a conversation with Deadline, which suggested that House of the Dragon's viewership may have been split over its second season - Bloys was asked about the show's prospects at the upcoming Emmys amidst the so-called "divide".
In a possible reference to the author, Bloys quipped: "Yes, maybe one fan was.
READ MORE: House of the Dragon season 2: What really happens to Aegon Targaryen after episode 4's tragic twist?
"But no, the show did really, really well," he continued. "I expect that will be in competition."
Bloys also commented on HBO's potential award hopefuls, saying: "I have high hopes for Penguin and Colin [Farrell] and Cristin [Milioti]. We've got White Lotus coming back, we've got Last of Us coming back, we've got Emmy winner Hacks coming back. So I'm looking forward to next year."
One particular point of contention for author Martin regarding House of the Dragon season 2 was the adaptation of the notorious 'Blood and Cheese' scene, reports the Express.
In the first episode of season 2, King Aegon II's (Tom Glynn-Carney) eldest son is decapitated while asleep due to a tragic mix-up.
Despite the scene's impact on television, Martin appeared to be unhappy with the omission of certain details from the book.
The show also fails to include Aegon and Helaena's (Phia Saban) youngest son in the scene.
At the time, Martin expressed his concern that tweaks made to the show could potentially have a disastrous butterfly effect on the show's future seasons, including a major season 3 event that we won't spoil here.
Nonetheless, plenty of fans expressed their enthusiasm for the show's second season, with many arguing it had been even stronger than the last.
Martin's relationship with HBO also appears to be unaffected, as the new Game of Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has just finished filming.
All episodes of House of the Dragon seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream via Sky and NOW.