House of the Dragon (Game of Thrones prequel series) (1 Viewer)

[Tino]

I thought the first episode was just OK. I’ll stick with it and hope it gets better. A little too dark, dull and ugly.

 

[Wayne_j]

A big problem with later seasons of GoT was the instant travel portals that several characters seemed to have which allowed them to be in several different places in a single episode.

 

[SamT]

I enjoyed it because it felt more traditional and understandable. If they try to keep it "small" and not as complicated as GOT so you can follow the story it would be great.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I thought the first episode was just OK. I’ll stick with it and hope it gets better. A little too dark, dull and ugly.

The fascination for me was seeing Westeros at a period of political, economic, and social stability. That's something we never really got in the main series; even when that show started, Robert Baratheon's rule was tenuous at best.

The larger struggle here is that there's limits to the scale of the coming battle of succession. We know that whoever comes out on top, Targaryen rule will persist for another century and change. And the fear of the coming white walker invasion that has been prophesied is still nearly two centuries away.

 

[Sam Favate]

I enjoyed it because it felt more traditional and understandable. If they try to keep it "small" and not as complicated as GOT so you can follow the story it would be great.

I enjoyed GoT (except for the rushed ending), but even so, I had to admit there was truth to this joke:

What’s the difference between Game of Thrones and Twitter?
Twitter limits you to 144 characters.

 

[Citizen87645]

We thought it was a promising start. It's been fun seeing Sonoya Mizuno (Mysaria) pop up in various properties over the years since Ex Machina.

 

[Joe Wong]

Slower, but not bad 2nd episode.

Spoiler

In true GoT fashion, a lot of politics and a lot of power plays, as alliances are strengthened as well as weakened. The major pieces are positioning themselves across the board.

A tense moment on the bridge leading to Dragonstone. It almost feels like the presence of dragons is similar to the Jedi in Star Wars; eg., in GoT, dragons are very rare, just like Jedi in the main SW trilogy. Whereas in the prequels, dragons and Jedi are abundant and show up more frequently.

 

[Sam Favate]

I enjoyed it, but I have a nagging sense right now that this **feels** too much like GoT. Young girl hopping on a dragon to go and save the day? Families squabbling over who marries whom so they can gain a hand in succession?

I'm always up for spending more time in Westeros, but this show has got to stake out its own identity.

 

[Joe Wong]

I enjoyed it, but I have a nagging sense right now that this **feels** too much like GoT. Young girl hopping on a dragon to go and save the day? Families squabbling over who marries whom so they can gain a hand in succession?

I'm always up for spending more time in Westeros, but this show has got to stake out its own identity.

Spoiler

With no continent-spanning war or the threat of White Walkers to focus on, it does feel like a lot of political maneuvering at the moment.

But I do like the tensions that have arisen - between Targaryens and Velaryons, between Viserys and Daemon, between Corlys and Otto, and of course, between Rhaenyra and Alicent.

Hopefully we see more of the inhabitants of the wider world of Westeros, and not just King’s Landing… eg. the crab-feeders, etc.

 

[Citizen87645]

At this point I can't envision what that would even look like, given that we're still operating in the same world. Certain things are familiar, sure, but they don't feel derivative given we're exploring a house that was almost fully eradicated when we meet its surviving members in GoT. Dragon riding is their MO, and any GoT property is going to have family squabbles and political drama...

I'm always up for spending more time in Westeros, but this show has got to stake out its own identity.

 

[Sam Favate]

At this point I can't envision what that would even look like, given that we're still operating in the same world. Certain things are familiar, sure, but they don't feel derivative given we're exploring a house that was almost fully eradicated when we meet its surviving members in GoT. Dragon riding is their MO, and any GoT property is going to have family squabbles and political drama...

I think part of the problem is that we’re seeing the same locations as in GoT: the Red Keep, Dragonstone, etc.

 

[SD_Brian]

Hoping things will pick up in the next episode(s), because it's been leaning on the dull side so far. The first two episodes had so much exposition about characters who've not yet appeared on screen to the point where I feel like I should be taking notes in case it all ends up on a test later.

A benefit the original series had was that it was following several different storylines among the various factions, so they could cut back and forth between them, which helped with the pacing. I know the Targaryans are the focus of the series, but I'm wondering if some compelling B-stories might help move things along.

 

[Walter Kittel]

There was a lot to like in episode two.

We get a new opening credit. While I really liked the idea of the Targaryen blood line being the foundation of the new credits, I wish they had not used the original theme music. There were other music choices more closely associated with House Targaryen that would have been more appropriate. I suppose the producers wanted the link to the original series. (?)

We get a glimpse of the crab feeder. Was I seeing greyscale, or something else?

This is an expensive series to produce. The candle budget alone for the Sept probably equals the GNP of a small country.

Boss move by Rhaenyra going to Dragonstone. Loved the visuals of this setting with the cloud cloaked sun. The dragons were beautiful. Also loved the visual design of the egg. It had the appearance of a Faberge egg; which may have been the inspiration. (?)

One of the better scenes in episode two was the heart to heart between Rhaenyra and Viserys. I had to laugh at the choice of crickets in the background. Perhaps a bit too on the nose.

Viserys choice his bride to be poorly, if the goal was the stability and future of the realm. That look on Hightower's face really sealed it for Lord Corlys.

I explicitly avoid previews of upcoming content with this series, so I'll refrain from speculation other than to say that the seeds of conflict feel like they were really established in episode two.

- Walter.

 

[Citizen87645]

I suppose the one thing I wish was different was the Crab Feeder doesn't need to be a possibly supernatural weirdo. That seems like trying to be white walker-ish without needing to be.

 

[jayembee]

The first two episodes had so much exposition about characters who've not yet appeared on screen to the point where I feel like I should be taking notes in case it all ends up on a test later.

I'm finding that I'm reacting quite differently to this as opposed to GOT. In the latter case, I devoured the books so I knew who everyone was and what they're about. This show doesn't have that going for it. The book it's based on, Fire & Blood, is more like a history text than a novel, and like a lot of history texts -- and I speak as someone who was a history major in college -- it rather throws names at you with no sense of who they are.

The show's narrative is based on the fifth (of six) sections in the book.

As for the series, I'm really liking Milly Alcock as Rhaenyra. She's the surprise. I'm familiar enough with some of the other cast that I'm not as surprised by them.

 

[Walter Kittel]

I suppose the one thing I wish was different was the Crab Feeder doesn't need to be a possibly supernatural weirdo. That seems like trying to be white walker-ish without needing to be.

Didn't get a supernatural vibe from the Crab Feeder. (I sure could be mistaken.) We know that the Iron Islands' prominent religion dealt with The Drowned God. Perhaps this is another maritime based religion. I say that partly due to the spiking of the victims which recalls the punishment of crucifixion.

Or maybe he is just creepy AF?

- Walter.

 

[Joe Wong]

Showrunner Miguel Sapochnik departs (for season 2):

'House of the Dragon' shocker: 'Game of Thrones' vet bows out as co-showrunner

Big news in Westeros: Fan-favorite 'Game of Thrones' director Miguel Sapochnik is leaving his post as co-showrunner of 'House of the Dragon.'

ew.com

 

[Tino]

2 episodes in and it’s still just “meh” for me. GOT’s worst episode has been better than these two imo. I’ll stick with it but so far color me disappointed.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

My GF and I watched the first two episodes last evening and really enjoyed it.

GOT is a really tough act to follow and I was expecting the worst from HOD, but thus far, it has been quite enjoyable. The only thing I am surprised about is that Chris Hansen from "To Catch a Predator" didn't pop out during the sequence with King Viserys and Lady Laena.

 

[Citizen87645]

To be fair, Viserys kind of seemed like he wanted to turn himself in with that potential arrangement. I think the creep factor was really on her parents...