With yesterday’s NYCC panel and trailer release, audiences were finally given a more extensive glimpse into the new TV series, which is based on George R.R. Martin’s beloved “Dunk & Egg” novellas. The show is planned to be significantly smaller in scale and duration than Game of Thrones, and will generally have a lighter tone.
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Is Bringing Back GOT’s Tradition Of Action-Heavy Penultimate Episodes
At New York Comic-Con 2026’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms panel, it was George R.R. Martin himself who confirmed that the new prequel series will bring back the tradition of penultimate episodes featuring an action-heavy climax. For AKOTSK, this will be episode 5, with episode 6 used to explore the emotional fallout of the action.
Game of Thrones made a tradition of saving its season climax for the penultimate episode. This included events like Ned Stark’s execution, the Battle of the Blackwater, the Red Wedding, the Battle of Castle Black, the Great Pit of Daznak, the Battle of the Bastards, the trip beyond the Wall, and the Battle of King’s Landing.
Why House Of The Dragon Season 1 & 2’s Penultimate Episodes Didn’t Have Much Action
While it’s disappointing to not have a worthy, action-packed climax befitting of a Thrones season, there are actually specific reasons for House of the Dragon breaking this formula. Season 1 was slower and more politically focused than what we’d come to expect from later Game of Thrones seasons, and that’s because it was primarily used to set up the characters and conflicts for the Dance.
In a sense, the decisions made by the Blacks and the Greens in their respective councils are the climax of season 1, and they were divided into episodes 9 and 10 to explore the duality of the two factions. Both of those episodes also had important action sequences, but nothing on the scale of the Blackwater or the Battle of the Bastards.
Season 2 was actually originally planned to have two more episodes, but Warner Bros. changed the plan and forced them to trim down to 8. The season’s climactic battle was intended to be the Battle of the Gullet, which was foreshadowed in House of the Dragon season 2’s ending montage, but this was left for season 3 instead.
House Of The Dragon Season 3 Can Further Redeem Its Own Action Episode Complaints
House of the Dragon’s seasons have been commonly criticized for lacking action, and while I personally don’t believe this is actually the show’s biggest problem, season 3 is responding to the complaints. The plan for House of the Dragon season 3 is a season packed with battles and action on a level we haven’t seen before in the franchise.
This is certainly enticing and will undoubtedly win back audiences if the battles are executed as well as Rook’s Rest in season 2. When it comes to medieval warfare with big CGI dragons, it’s hard to go wrong. With the sheer number of battles and pivotal events in this season, it’s likely that one of them will be covered in a penultimate episode, restoring the tradition.
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms’ Action-Heavy Penultimate Episode Will Be Very Different From GOT
Even though A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is going to have an action-heavy penultimate episode, it’s still not going to be an epic, large-scale battle. In fact, it’s doubtful this prequel will have any of those at all, as the season is primarily centered around the events of a jousting tournament, and the subsequent novellas are about the same in scale.
With that being said, bigger isn’t always better. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ fresh tone and approach could be just what the franchise needs to reignite the fire. The core of this show is going to be its characters, and I have no doubt that the action will be as riveting and heart-wrenching as ever.
