Fans Slam House of the Dragon for 'The Worst Lighting on TV'

The night is dark and full of terrors... and House of the Dragon, if you really squint and tilt your head juuuuust right.

Last night's installment of the Game of Thrones spin-off, "Driftmark", left fans frustrated and confused after a dramatic beach scene became so dark it was near-impossible to see. Complaints about poorly lit scenes were often levied at Game of Thrones, but until now, House of the Dragon had seemingly avoided repeating the mistakes of its predecessor (for the most part). 

After the scene in question darkened TV screens across the world, fans took to Twitter to slam House of the Dragon for its lack of lighting. "I'm watching a black screen 30 mins in," one viewer wrote. "I thought my TV was broken," tweeted another. 

This episode of house of dragon has the worst lighting of anything since the long night. I thought my TV was broken

— yelhsa leinad (@XxAshes2Ashes) October 3, 2022

Can I get a little light in this episode ? #HouseOfTheDragon pic.twitter.com/wM9wqy9vOT

— Nellie (@NellieWatches) October 3, 2022

the lighting in house of dragon is insane im watching a black screen 30 mins in wtf

— Shohei Ohtani Stan Account (@AndyKHLiu) October 3, 2022

i love tv! i love to look at it and see it and just look at that screen and see all the things on that screen hoo boy it's so fun pic.twitter.com/OxelT3KLie

— Kathryn VanArendonk (@kvanaren) October 3, 2022

They sure saved a lot of money on lighting in this episode of House of the Dragon pic.twitter.com/UoM4dmBWW6

— Arthur Slade (@arthurslade) October 3, 2022

Does House of the Dragon have the worst lighting on TV?

— Kalhan (@KalhanR) September 26, 2022

House of the Dragon please hire a better lighting director I can't keep doing this week after week pic.twitter.com/T8K8JT7Z7E

— Mary Clarke (@marycclarke) October 3, 2022

whoever does the House of the Dragon lighting pic.twitter.com/vcPj6VinVz

— esme (@killbiill) October 3, 2022

house of the dragon really bringing those old game of thrones lighting vibes tonight https://t.co/BklntfWr47

— Andrew Goldfarb (@garfep) October 3, 2022

Can someone donate more studio lighting to “House of the Dragon” because episode 7 was filmed almost entirely with one AAA battery flashlight.

— 🏳️‍🌈 THEE Anita and None Other 🏳️‍🌈 (@anita1956) October 3, 2022

The darkness was apparently no mistake, either. In response to viewers' complaints about the scene, the official HBOMaxHelp Twitter explained that the "dimmed lighting of this scene was an intentional creative decision":

Hey there! We appreciate you reaching out about a night scene in House of the Dragon: Episode 7 appearing dark on your screen. The dimmed lighting of this scene was an intentional creative decision. Thanks! ^LL

— HBOMaxHelp (@HBOMaxHelp) October 3, 2022

House of the Dragon airs Sundays at 9:00 PM ET on HBO and HBO Max.

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Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. She was previously a reporter/producer at Decider and is a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.