Who else is excited for House of the Dragon?

Since GRRM is heavily involved, I will have to include this in my boycott of all things GRRM.

Finish the fucking books, then I will go back and watch the shows.

Looks just plain silly. Another show for children and foreigners.

I’m very excited! Glad the Two Dicks are not involved. GoT Director Extraordinaire Miguel Sapochnik is the co-showrunner and directing every episode this season.

I've had such a bad feeling about this show since the day it was announced. I just feel like it'll do decently, but will in no way penetrate the wider cultural conversation like GoT did. I felt the same way about WoT and also about The Rings of Power. Furthermore, those not familiar with any of this material might start mixing up al these fantasy characters. I saw a side-by-side promo shot of two kings from HoD and RoP yesterday and even I got confused for a second, those costumes all look so samey.

But, we'll see. Hoping to be entertained. Unlike with GoT, I'm going into this one blind.

Really? This is for adults?

Hard pass.

R1 There is a better chance of Truman Capote coming back to life and finishing Answered Prayers.

Fire breathing Dragons are always at the top of my watch list. Conjure the inferno, and unleash Hell!! I'm there. :-)

Been there, done this. And prequels ALWAYS work out great. Good luck/

If nothing else the show looks great. The production values on HBO shows always put everyone else to shame.

I'm definitely intrigued. This is a real test of George RR Martin. This is the spin off he wanted HBO to make and he handpicked the showrunner for the project. He was pretty deeply involved in this after having a fall out with David and Dan during the later years of Game of Thrones.

[quote] The production values on HBO shows always put everyone else to shame.

Not necessarily. The production values on the recent Time Traveler's Wife sucked.

Ehhh.. after the debacle of season 8 and actually 7 and most of 6 of GOT.. I don't think I have the heart to watch House of the Dragon.. I know D&D are not on the project but I just can't. And it sucks because I loved Matt Smith on Doctor Who.

Rambling thoughts from someone who doesn't know anything about GOT...

I tried to watch it a time or two but it was just too dark in both ways (the actual filming was too dark to watch and the dark material). And did it start out as supernatural? Why not just watch The Hobbit? Isn't it just a rip off?

I got a bad feeling about people who love this. Like, something very white supremisist. (How the helk do you spell that?) I don't know why though. I actually knew a black guy who was into it, but I still get that feeling. Like, the people who watched it longed for something like that, kings and queens and beautiful blond women. Not in a normal way, but in some kind of other way that seemed not okay. Can anyone explain this to me?

The big difference is this is a completed story r11. There is no the "writers have to make up a ending!", the ending is already written and you can go read it now if you wish.

[quote]Why not just watch The Hobbit? Isn't it just a rip off?

No, the two have nothing in common aside from the fact that they belong to the fantasy genre. It's like saying Better Call Saul is a ripoff of Big Little Lies, it doesn't make any sense.

[quote]I got a bad feeling about people who love this.

Yes, fantasy stories set in vaguely medieval worlds have always attracted that sort and that became painfully obvious when The Witcher, The Wheel of Time, and The Rings of Power casting announcements came out and not every actor was white. But normal fans pushed back and that's becoming less and less of an issue now. These stories should be for everyone to enjoy.

I used to watch a lot of GoT reactions on YouTube and I always felt bad for black reactors because there were next to no black characters in that show. But that way of doing fantasy on TV is over now, thankfully.

They have already gotten a lot of heat from incel fanboys about changing the race of some characters to make this show more diverse. But yes in general these fantasy stories loosely based in medieval Europe can be an excuse to make things that are all white. And GRRM is guilty of that in his own novels.

Though I do give him credit that he has always included prominent female characters and included characters who were not straight.

"Where are my dragons?"

I'm a HUGE LOTR fan, but this show looks much better.

I can't wait for all of the dragons, but will have to make a chart of all of the characters which feels a bit like school.

R12, all of those fantasy shows tend to be based on British mythology. But the kings and queens on GoT, and pretty much everyone who is blond, are cursed and evil.

I NEVER thought I would get into GoT. The fantasy genre is so not my jam. I finally gave in after the series ended and started watching it. I binged that MF'r like a coke whore on a 4 day bender.

Will there be white walkers? I love GOT mainly because of them zombies.

Nope r20. No White Walkers in this story, it's about a Targaryen civil war, only crazy monsters should be all the dragons they have. It's a more contained story than the sprawling Game of Thrones.

[quote]GoT Director Extraordinaire Miguel Sapochnik is the co-showrunner and directing every episode this season.

r3 Sorry to disappoint you, but he has directed three episodes and no battle scenes. Says he's staying away from those as they are too exhausting to direct.

R12 Well the Targaryen and their people, the Valyrians ARE pretty much Ayrans with a fantasy twist: instead of blond and blue eyed, they are usually white-to-light blond haired with purple eyes. They practice sibling incest to keep their blood "pure" because they believe they are above other humans (and because they are tied to the dragons through blood magic), and the Targaryens of course have house colors of black and red, and conquered Westeros basically because "we're special (also might equals right) ". So, yeah, that particular part of fandom have a quite a few low/high key white supremacists. They're BIG mad that in this new show, the one other Valyrian family represented is cast with a black actor (in white wig). They are only going to get madder because they firmly believe the Targaryens are the "good guys", but this particular story in the Targaryen history really makes it clear that the family is hive of narcissists that was always doomed to destroy themselves out of existence. It'll just be messy fun for the rest of us!

I can't feel excited. I would have been, but the final two seasons of Game of Thrones pulled back the curtain and showed the Wizard of Westeros to be an incompetent little man who had no substance behind his smoke and mirrors.

If the dragon series were limited to one season, I would watch. But I am sure it's going to drag on (hehe, get the pun?) for years and then the end will not justify the means at all.

During the pandemic, I had a fleeting thought of rewatching all lf Game of Thrones, but I immediately remembered that it was brilliant for years, and its brilliance was the building tension of where it was heading. And then the Long Night turned out to be won by a single poke of a little girl's knife, and poof! Bad guy vaporizes! And my favorite Melisandre? Poof! Vaporizes! And then it all came down to a long-predicted romantic tragedy that ends with a poke! and a death. And then it still wasn't over! It ended with a weirdly punny council meeting that dragged on and on and on.

IT WAS SO BAD!

It actually felt to me as if the writers resented the audience and wanted to make us suffer by ending every single major plot point in the most disappointin and anticlimactic ways possible. I won't put myself through that again. What an insult.

I watched GOT for a few seasons and decided I’d seen enough rape. It’s an extremely rape-y show.

Why would people watch a prequel where they know what happens in the end? It's dumb.

R26 I'd guess most people havent read all the Targaryen history book that Martin wrote. Either way it's not written like a novel so doesnt have to play out to a t the same way.

Discovery + and HBO Max will merge into one next year, be prepared for 1000 lb Sisters and 90 Day Fiancé to take over your screen!

Defenders like to point out differences between the books and the TV series, always saying the mistakes and offenses that took place onscreen diverted from the books.

Can someone illuminate us about the gay stuff in Game of Thrones? The first season featured several gay characters and even gay sex acts. They were just there at first. And then we learned that the show's religious devotees condemned homosexuality just like they have in our real histories. And then, bam, every gay character was offed early on and there was no more same-sex presence at all until a little (straight guy-style) lesbian-villain action was thrown in toward the end.

GOT embodies the ahistorical myth of a purebred Northern European master race destined to conquer the world. So yeah, white supremacist delusions plus T&A, or as Stewart Lee put it, Bilbo Baggins at the Spearmint Rhino strip club.

The monster is a direct steal from the classic NIGHT OF THE DEMON (Jacques Tourneur, 1957).

Sooooo-ooooooo fucking tired of all this wizards and dragons twaddle. Ditto all the computer bullshit needed to even produce this tedious crap.

Omg.

The best aspect of Game of Thrones IMO is that it came close jusifiably being compared with Shakespeare early on. Shakespeare also wrote about fantastical figures, but the most important aspects of comparison were the overall amoral examination of human behaviors, the complex humanity that doesn't necessarily follow an expected pathology, unfaithfully drawing from history and literature to make something that is universally relatable and the sprawling nature of the story.

The comparisons ultimately failed, though. Although Shakespeare's plays often are very long, they are still concise in comparison to GoT, which got really out of hand. And it became evident in the end that Martin's huge world of people ultimately was created as a smoke-and-mirrors cover up to make viewers believe their expectations of the primary characters' actions would be subverted and something profound would be accomplished. It turned out that, nope, everything did turn out to be just a pure fantasy genre trope, and we were just distracted throughout from focusing on the trope in the hopes we'd be illuminated with something profound in the end. In the end, it was bad guys being vanquished and a tribal family of good guys taking over the world. Way too simple of a conclusion for all the rigamarole we were served.

r29 That's just how the gay stuff used to be done in fantasy (and fiction in general) -- we were portrayed either as villains or as noble characters that need to die immediately. It's a slow process, but that's now changing to simply include gay characters as part of a natural fabric of the story, without any particular narrative purpose, same as in real life.

I don't know if this show will have any gay characters, I know for sure the new Rings of Power show won't as the Tolkien estate would never allow it.

I'm just hoping for another viral product placement opportunity!

^Me too!

They were apparently extra careful this time around.

[quote]I NEVER thought I would get into GoT. The fantasy genre is so not my jam.

Same. I really despise sword and sorcery fiction. I read the Hobbit and LotR when I was young and they didn't make much of an impression. I only started watching GoT after the first season was done and I found out that the main character was KILLED in the finale and I thought, well that's not normal, this could be interesting. And I did love it until the final two seasons. Having not read the books, I couldn't be disappointed by the differences in the show. The first 5 or so seasons were brilliant-careful character development, unexpected (to me) twists, gruesome deaths of beloved characters. It had it all, and dragons! Then the last seasons felt rushed. Daenerys lost her mind over a two episode arc and characters were making dumb decisions that seemed so out of line. And I felt like all the important stories (Bran and the three eyed raven) were given weak endings with practically no explanation. But some episodes (Hardhome and the Door) were absolutely stunning.

So basically, hate fantasy, loved the show, hated the ending.

I'll watch this one, but I don't expect it'll be water cooler talk like GoT. Besides, we're still work from home. Who talks by the water cooler anymore?

R38 House of the Dragon sounds like a Chinese food takeout restaurant in Anywhere, USA. They should be scouring the set for Chinese takeout containers.

GOT failed because the showrunners who adapted it WEREN'T interested in: magic beyond the dragons, ancient myth/lore, the dramatic irony of prophecies, the importance of soft power, the limits of hard power, the anti-war themes, the ripple effects of emotional abuse in families, duty-driven leaders, POV traps, the North vs. South politics, the Starks as a whole but especially Bran.

What they WERE interested in: boobs, rape, putting the Red Wedding on screen, Tyrion, eunuch jokes, destiny-driven heros, wonton violence, battle scenes, setting things on fire, cutting all nuance from the books (or perhaps it went over their heads).

They reworked the story for their own enjoyment until they couldn't anymore, and then tacked on GRRM's ending to the tatters. No fuck it feel flat.

[quote]wonton violence

Well, as r40 observes, House Of The Dragon does sound like a Chinese restaurant, so I suppose we should expect lots of wonton violence in this show, too.

The Long Night episode boiled down to one still.

I thought it was amazing that 90 percent of viewers complained that all they saw was a black screen with sound, and the producers were like, "that's your problem for not having a state-of-the-art TV that autobalances values, ASSHOLES!"

I am excited. Next to Jon Snow, the dragons were my favorite part of GOT.

The book this show is based on reads like an unreliable history book. Just a bunch of layed out events and battles. I'm very excited to see how it plays out. Even if you know what happens, the relationships and specifics will be crafted by the show creators. It should be a cool combo of being epic in scope but focused on a central plot of one families civil war.

r41, I refuse to believe The Two Dicks used the ending that GRRM told them he would use for his books. It would prevent them from rushing through the last two seasons of the show so they could get to their Netflix deal which because of good old karma they lost anyway.

How could they use GRRM’s planned ending. Anyone who reads the books know that there are some significant differences in how certain story beats play out. That includes the Kingdom of Dorne and the Martell family that’s brilliantly done in the books that the Two Dicks actually shitted on in the show. The Dorne story in the books includes an awesome character, Oberyn’s niece Princess Arianne Martell, who was totally omitted from the show. Characters are still alive in the books that are dead in the show. Also, aside from Jon Snow, another person shows up that could challenge Daenerys rights to the Iron Throne.

I’m so sick of GRRM being accused of setting up the Two Dicks. That’s bullshit for the reasons I’ve just stated. The failure to stick the landing for the TV show falls on them. GRRM will get the last laugh, AS HE SHOULD. House of the Dragon will be a great success, if not greater, in its own right because the source material is complete and it’s very good.

[quote]But I am sure it's going to drag on (hehe, get the pun?)

Yes, unfortunately.

How embarrassing. This is a show for pre-teens.

Most honolable lestelaunt!

R46 oh no, I agree with you! D&D were the ones who lobbied to take on an epic story they didn't actually like 90% of. I don't blame GRRM at all, because he let them know early on what it all had to lead to and what stepping stones were essential to get there (most of which was already published by that time). They CHOSE to ignore him, and to slice & Frankenstein the story until the only ending that made sense was a generic good humans verse evil monsters blow out...only to swerved the story shoddily back to the grey, greyer, and black character study of human nature in a fantasy setting GRRM intended, probably just to say "don't blame us; this is all from GRRM!" D&D fell out with GRRM around S4, and their interviews reveal them to be rather vindictive towards any criticism, so I truly believe there was some malice along with laziness involved with their decision-making. What they didn't realize is everyone had already pegged them as hacks so the backlash for S7&8 laser-focused on them, instead on GRRM or even on the actors they cowardly left holding the bag in the press.

Anyway, a lot of my optimism about HotD comes from them not being involved AT ALL.

EXACTLY r50!

“I don’t blame GRRM at all, even though the man can’t finish a book to save his life, but he can take on 60000 side projects, including the big ass history book HOTD is based on”

Creative peoole follow their creative instincts. The man has written many, many voluminous books. It's crazy to me that this TV series was made from his books and now its fans think he is their slave and that he should be chained in a dungeon until he finishes the book they want to read. So weird.

R53 I discovered the books around A Feast for Crows, but thanks. I love the books, I love the show. I even love Fire and Blood. But it’s been eleven years and there’s no sign of Winds of Winter. The odds of him finishing his magnum opus get smaller every year.

GRRM should shut up about the books. A month or two ago he made a post on how he was struggling with a Jamie and Brienne chapter. Why make unnecessary updates like that? He's been struggling for years now.

The dance of the dragons has enough story for 2, maybe 3 seasons. If the show is a hit, they can go anthology and do other periods: The Conquest, Maegor and his Black Brides, Aegon the Unworthy and his Blackfyre bastards.

R56 with how intricate the fighting, power shifts and aftermath is they will do 3 seasons minimum. I read the civil war wont even truly start till the end of the season. Most of season 1 will be build up to it.

R57 they show a certain 1 eyed character in the Season 1 trailer. I'd say 3 is the max for this storyline.

R13 that’s the only reason I’m going to give it a try :)

Well, fuck no. I've had sufficient.

[quote] Like, something very white supremisist. (How the helk do you spell that?)

Not that way.

You'd be far better off just not using terms you can't even spell. I am embarrassed for you.

Yawn

I liked GoT (till the end) but this prequel looks too elfish and magical. I hope I’m wrong.

Who cares

I rap about witches and trolls.

R64 incels! There is something about dragons and dungeons... particularly attractive to them.

[quote] Omg.

The Doom of Valyria right?

I prefer the House of Versace

R61, I've known a few people like you.

It sounds woke. I will maybe watch it for free sometime in the far future but I'm not really interested.

I was planning on watching, but with the descriptions that came out, I’ll pass.

r70 Please stop posting videos from the outrage cottage industry. Those people live paycheck to paycheck to pump those videos out, they serve to MAGA incel types, and are amplified by the Russians.

Where exactly did this Fabien Frankel dude come from? He's so handsome, but I haven't seen him in anything before. Just the theatre scene?

I'm so tired of the word "woke" to describe things in a negative way. Immediately when I hear or see someone use that word it confirms for me they are a complete idiot.

r74 Same. Even in those instances where they might have a point, I'm just tired of that fucking word now.

The so-called “Realm’s Delight” is so hard to look at.

R75 R74 I think you just don't like being criticized for the shit you support in tv shows. I am tired of the woke agenda on tv and movies because it makes people hate gay people like me. I don't even wan't to see that crap in media that is supposed to cater to me despite being part of lgbt. These untalented story writers who throw their activism right in your face instead of writing something interesting. They always talk about fighting the patriarchy but instead of CEO's the women in the show decided to become actresses. It's all so fake. R72 who thinks everything he or she doesn't like must come from Russia or is for incels is wrong too because in the video we see a pretty woman who has a mind of her own, which demonstrates that the pro-feminist agenda they push in shows like House of the Dragon is actually not even necessary anymore. She has her own business and doesn't need the feminist drivel which seems to be mandatory to put in shows/movies these days.

r76 It's that damn white wig, makes her look like an albino rat.

[quote]I think you just don't like being criticized for the shit you support in tv shows. I am tired of the woke agenda on tv and movies because it makes people hate gay people like me.

Dude, I'm old enough to remember when a simple inclusion of gay characters in TV shows or movies was called a woke agenda. That kind of talk was everywhere, was widely accepted, and it was annoying as fuck. I don't even know how strong women on TV shows are supposed to make people hate gay people like you. Like, what's the thought process behind that, exactly?

And yeah, of course she has a mind of her own. Just like Candace Owens or the Log Cabin Republicans. Beautiful minds, all the best minds!

R63, there’s nothing particularly magical about the story serving as the foundation of House of the Dragon. It just happens to take place during a time when dragons were more common (approximately 20 as opposed to the 3 seen in Game of Thrones). Even though people said magic left the world when the last dragon died 100 years before Daenerys’ were hatched, there aren’t any homicidal shadows, face-swapping hit men, or walking undead roaming the streets of King’s Landing.

Also, while they might appear elfin in the Tolkien sense (white hair, pale skin), the people shown are Targaryens…humans, not elves.

As for the “woke” accusations, I was annoyed by Corlys Velaryon being black because the Velaryons, like the Targaryens, are from Valyria. They’re one of the oldest noble houses and are known to have the same features as the Targaryens (white-blonde hair, violet eyes, pale skin)…it just seems like of all the characters to change, Corlys was one of the worst options. However, it does kind of make sense that a seafarer would be more exotic…

The one that bugs me more is the humorless non-binary actress playing Rhaynera, who insists on pretending the show is some graduate-level women’s studies course. Unfortunately, her character is crucial to the overall story so it’s not like she’ll only appear in a few episodes.

R79 the woke agenda and the inclusion of gay people just for the numbers without substance makes people hate gay people. In this instance maybe not but because pro lgbt groups often allign with feminists, there is still a chance that the watchers of the show will hate gays anyway because in their eyes it's all the same crap(collateral damage). I think gay people should only be included in shows when the writers genuinely want to include them. Unfortunately, nowadays a lot of female and most gay male characters (and the other shit like non binary) appear like checkbox characters. I don't like any of them and I always hope they are dead in the next episode. In game of thrones, most people were ok with the gay characters in the first seasons or even liked them (like the bisexual pedro pascal character) and this is because the writer wanted to have them in the story and wasn't guilt-tripped into thinking it is mandatory to include lgbt people in a show. I wish we could see more of that. Not forced, just natural.

It's a post-Bridgeton world, the old way of casting fantasy (and period shows in general) is over. GoT was the last big show that got away with it, the world and the industry have changed too much since.

I don't give a shit that the black characters are contained to the "savage lands" in the source material. The center of attention should be the black customers who are paying for these streaming services and who will be consuming this show. And I'm not talking just about America either, Brazil is a huge untapped market that the streamers are super focussed on right now.

Even British historical characters are not bound by their race anymore.

All those complaining this will be "woke, feminist crap" especially in regard to Rhaenyra obviously havent previously read the source material. Not to spoil things but if they follow that she wont be the epitome of a girl boss who can do no wrong in potential future seasons. It wont be like Dany season 8. I'm not an imbecile who is obsessed if things are "woke" but that was poor writing and her character went from a Mary Sue in the last 2 seasons to a cartoon villain at the end.

Ultimately, arguing about the ethnicity of fantasy characters is silly. Besides, the point of the features of Valyrians is to highlight their specialness. They don’t look like anyone else and they possess qualities nobody else does. A black person in the role of Corlys meets that intent.

R84 No true. Danaerys was always a brain damaged and sadistic cartoon villain. She was as violent as the male characters. She was crazy because at one time in season 1 she really believed in the Dothraki beliefs and was glad about her child that was created due to her rape and she was always full of herself, just like Stannis. Yes, her ending was rushed but not too unexpected.

[quote]The woke agenda and the inclusion of gay people just for the numbers without substance makes people hate gay people.

But we exist in the real world with no particular narrative purpose either, why should it be any different in fiction? Much like hair colour, homosexuality is the most natural thing in the world, why should it only ever appear as a plot point? You never ask about the purpose of heterosexual characters, so why do the gay ones require some special consideration if we truly are equals? You're only hyper-focused on them because we've been denied proper representation for so long, you want every instance of that representation to be perfect.

[quote]In this instance maybe not but because pro lgbt groups often allign with feminists, there is still a chance that the watchers of the show will hate gays anyway because in their eyes it's all the same crap(collateral damage).

I say this in the most supportive, brotherly way possible -- grow some fucking spine and stop being so concerned about how the heteros perceive you or the gay people in general. I promise you're overthinking this, and that's coming from someone who used to think exactly like you do now.

R86 if it had been written better I was fine with Dany becoming more villainous. Yes there were hints and she was a violent person but it was always directed at those who had done her wrong/other people wrong or not bent the knee. Her torching King's Landing, instead of immediately flying to the Red Keep needing more build up or reasoning.

Yes this is a well worn argument but the people was not Dany as a villain, the problem was the execution. It fell way short.

And I can't take the woke complaints seriously, especially for a show that hasn't premiered. The story about a woman fighting to become queen is directly from the source material. The only change is making this one family black.

Based on what's been released so far, not a fan of the hair. The color or stringy style. I know Daenerys has set expectations for the Targaryen family locks. It seems like they could have come up with something less pallid looking. They all appear a bit ill.

Me, hope there's a lot of gay sex!

Beyond the legitimate observation of th final two seasons being poorly structured and rushed, I don’t know why people were surprised about Daenerys,

I never got into GOT during season 1 because the absolute focus on the Baratheon-Targaryens and Starks indicated that in spite of any number of colourful characters to come, no one else was that important in terms of the Iron Throne. And they weren’t.

That said, I did enjoy the ride, and the colourful characters when I binged the show before season 5. And it seemed clear to me reasonably early on that GRRM was saying Incest Is Not Best, and absolute power corrupting Dany was the arc her character was following. Few people who cause damage think they’re villains. The negative imagery was there early on.

R92 but it wasn't written well enough. Especially compared to the first 4 or 5 seasons

I am amazed anyone was surprised that Dany used her nuclear weapons on civilians.

R94 yes, she already killed the man who gave her the unsullied or whatever they are called for a dragon. She was a cheating whore.

For what reason r94 did she do this? Because she "went mad". It needed a better execution to get to lemme burn innocent civilians for literally no reason. That should have been a powerful arc, but it wasn't. In a world where GRRM finishes the books I'm sure it will be a very moving and emotional event.

I think it was natural. If I were Daneasriys I would have done the same because I would have been pissed too that the guy who I loved is also the guy who will take the throne away from me. Some people are like that and throw hissy fits as a result. Just like little immature princesses, like me. If I had a dragon, I would have done the same but only with a dragon because on my own I would have been only strong enough to throw hissy fits. Imagine the story of Daniyres without dragons LMAO. It would be like a barbie movie. (Not the one with that gay and Harley Quinn but the computer animated ones) R96

Your actually post actually perfectly illustrates why it was widely considered poorly written r97. Lol, "hissy fit", even when the Targs conquered Westeros with their dragons they didn't behave like that.

Anyway, there has been enough written about David and Dan's writing on Game of Thrones. We should move on. This thread is about a new show, and thankfully David and Dan are in no way involved.

Oh, for sure r96. The last 2 seasons are shit.

In spite of that, though, it’s no more a shocker that Dany was corrupted by all the power she garnered (given her childhood trauma, her history of mass executions, her disgusting DNA, refusal to negotiate and the fact that pretty much other powerful person in the show who did not display humility and sobriety turned into vengeful psycho) than there was of Jon Snow being a selfless martyr. Both arcs were heading that way for seasons.

It’s a shame we had to watch the Cliff Notes version and we likely will never see what the big fella planned to write.

I think witnessing her BFF Missandei‘s beheading had a lot to do with putting Dany over the edge.

The plot was fine. The execution...not so much.

Anyone who still expects the books to be finished is more naive than Season 1 Sansa.

I just can’t get excited for this prequel. It has built in redundancy.

R41 Don’t forget the genital mutilation, “Charlie’s Angels” assassins and burning a 12 year old child alive.

I'm excited for it because the source material is finished and The Anarchy is a fun bit of history.

Best site for news

This story takes place 200 years before the events of Game Of Thrones r102. It's not like the stories are overlapping, just takes place in the same world.

No, thanks. I have had sufficient of this shit.

Reviews are out and they're mostly positive. RollingStone is the one negative review and it's exactly because of the thing that gave me the bad feeling about this show after seeing the trailer -- too focused on the palace intrigue, not enough on the broader world.

Sounds dumb

The reviews are generally positive r107, but they are not glowing. The consensus seems to be "overall its still pretty good".

But given the story they are adapting it is mainly going to focused on one family, The Targs. It's not like Game of Thrones where it is a huge dispersement of characters at various locations around the world.

The Tards? Oh goody.

Actually, r109, there are many other houses and locations involved in the Targaryen Civil War. It won't be spending much time with Dorne or with the North or the Wall, but there are multiple other houses involved (the Hightowers, the Valyrons, the Baratheons, the Strongs, the Lannisters, the Tullys, the Arryns, the Freys) and multiple Westeros locations besides King's Landing (Dragonstone, the God's Eye, the Stepstones, White Harbor, Storm's End, Casterly Rock, the Eyrie, Harrenhal).

One thing that I'd recommend since I've read the book is not to get too attached to any of the child characters. Martin loves to show how rotten people can be by having them kill children.

R107 the entire premise is palace intrigue.

[quote] No White Walkers in this story

That's too bad. Not even POC Walkers?

r112 This is DL you're talking to, something tells me not getting attached to crotchfruit won't be an issue for us.

r113 Yes, and I'm not feeling that. Like NYT's review pointed out, it can come across like Game of Thrones as Masterpiece Theatre. I want a grittier, more grounded vibe.

I've seen a lot of reviews saying it is gritty and grounded. I personally like that it will be centrally located. GOT got scatter brained after awhile.

Margaery was one of my favorite characters so I'm excited for a palace intrigue-heavy story

First release from the soundtrack.

Ramin Djawadi is back!

[quote] [R112] This is DL you're talking to, something tells me not getting attached to crotchfruit won't be an issue for us.

Actually, by far the thing that upset Dataloungers the most during the first series was when Stannis and Melisandre burned little Princess Shireen at the stake.

r120 Really? I wasn't here at the time, that's funny to hear.

r119, I can’t wait to see the opening credits. Hopefully they’re at least as good as the original show’s credits.

R122 it will be like the nanny

Early previews are not promising.

‘House of the Dragon’ Is a Dull ‘Game of Thrones’ Do-Over

Perhaps there are twists to come that will allow House of the Dragon to chart its own original course. And maybe some of its actors and actresses—aside from the already-compelling Smith—will eventually imbue their regal strivers with much-needed charisma. Alas, as it presently stands, this trip back in Westeros time is more world-building history lesson than vital pop-fantasy myth.

The NYTimes expresses limited enthusiasm, says it’s like “Succession,” only with dragons instead of helicopters.

What a revelation G125. The same could be said for GoT

Indeed. Arguably, GoT was the original Succession.

Critics’ takes range from the overtly negative to ambivalence and congratulatory praise

Are these reviews based on the entire first season or just the first episode? Even if it's the entire season, when you look back at GoT in it's entirety, Season 1 alone wasn't really enough to get a proper feel for the thing as a whole.

Like others above, I am almost allergic to 'swords and elves' in written or acted form (read Tolkien as a kid, it was OK but I was never obsessed the way some of my friends were) but GoT sucked me in completely. It was never highbrow, it was never capital A Art, but it was, up until the final few seasons, truly entertaining and very well done in terms of acting, writing, directing etc. And there is a lot to be said for pure entertainment, and the ability to have people drooling over the next episode (it was torture waiting a whole week!).

It'll be interesting if this fails, because GRRM is very involved, and I imagine we'll start to get criticism of him for allowing his head to be turned by money and Hollywood when he should have stuck with what he was good at: writing the ASOIAF/GoT series. It'll also be interesting because GoT starting to suck (and by the end it sucked so hard it was almost embarrassing to watch) coincided perfectly with the showrunners running out of material from Martin - which has led some people, perhaps including me, to imagine that the fact that there are no such worries about this series means that it won't suck - I suppose?

R129, critics were provided the first 6 episodes (out of 10).

Thanks, R130. That's interesting, I had to be forced to watch the first 4 eps of GoT Season 1 before it got it claws fully into me.

In fact this was the scene that convinced me to keep watching. One thing I enjoyed about the early seasons of GoT was how it allowed ambiguity regarding bad guys vs good guys and which was which.

House of the Woke Dragon.

I’ll be watching it for my boo Ryan Corr.

What's "boo", precious? What's "boo"?

R132 and that was an invention of the "evil" showrunners

It fucking better not be, r133

First episode is out.

Where?

I don’t see it.

R139 Download sites.

Meh, it starts with narration, getting us up to speed.

Credit queens, there are no credits.

Oh, wow, R141. I recently listened to an interview with George R.R. Martin in which he said narration is one of the laziest forms of storytelling.

I’m looking forward to this because Viserys Targaryen, played by the scrumptious Harry Lloyd, was my favorite GoT character. I’m hoping for more like him.

It’s insane how book Rhaegar was always described as being the handsomest man in Westeros, yet some troll was cast to play him on the show. Meanwhile, Viserys was supposed to be an inferior version of his older brother, yet the actor who played him was gorgeous.

I'll take a number 32 with a side of chips and spicy prawn balls

I've heard that the first episode leaked. TorrentBay here I come.

[quote] I've heard that the first episode leaked.

So did I at R138-R140.

R148 Good for you, my man. Good for you.

They look so stupid and inbred with that long, white hair. Especially men. And why is the one of them a black man, when all the others are pale white men and women. Was he black in the books as well? And how did those soldiers knew which townies were rapists, murderers, thieves...? They just randomly beat up people that were in their way.

I wonder which one will win? Tits and dragons, or Lord of the Woke?

[quote] They look so stupid and inbred with that long, white hair. Especially men.

They are inbred. that's the point.

[quote]And why is the one of them a black man, when all the others are pale white men and women. Was he black in the books as well?

In the book this character was neither white nor black; Martin said he had copper colored skin. His family, the Valyrons, is from Valyria, so he has the same white hair and violet eyes of the Targaryens (and they have also intermarried with them), but the family has also married with other people, and there are black people in this world (and the previous series established as much). This does not seem to be a world where there is as much color prejudice.

So I watched the leak and oh man, I am not feeling this. It's all so joyless and dry. Cinematography was nothing to write home about, either. And what the hell was that CG in the garden with the princess and her maid? I'll watch the official episode to see if they corrected that. I think Rings of Power might be more up my alley, this felt like a parody of GoT to me. Weird, because I'm totally a fantasy person normally, but this just didn't do it for me at all.

Oh, and Matt Smith's abs looked tauter in that Morbius movie.

R153 What that CG in the garden?

[quote]It's all so joyless and dry.

I'm waiting to watch the official release, but many critics did note it lacks humor.

Cause the original Game of Thrones was a hilarious show?

r154 The shed, the trees, the plants... it was all CG. It struck me as bizarre because surely they could afford to shoot a scene in an actual garden?

r155 Yes, I don't think a single person cracked a joke or even said anything amusing. It's all just Very Important people standing around doing Very Important things.

Game of Thrones had quite a bit of humor r156.

Yeah, GoT was supper quippy. Tyrion was a one-man joke machine.

Unwatchable. Another woke cunt show that has the women being better than the men and besting them in everything.

Nothing is lamer and more played out then complaining everything is woke r160. Thanks for your brilliant insight.

[quote]played out then

Oh, dear.

An "oh, dear" isn't a counter-argument, deer. Youre racist old ass wont bee watching the show anyways, so why are you even hear?

Hopefully my mistakes will make you stroke out, so we'll be fucking done with you already. Cunt.

The reviews are mediocre at best. As expected.

They weren't that glowing for the first season of GoT either, I don't think.

You pulled that out of your ass, r164.

Actually, the reviews are pretty high, at 85% on rottentomatoes.

oh no! there's one black man!

I think for some people the issue is that the characters in that family are written as not-black ("copper-skinned," someone said, above). For some other people it'll just be racism, sure.

I never was interested in watching GOT and several seasons passed without me seeing a single episode. But in its 6th or 7th I got curious how everyone seemed to love it and tried watching s1e1. I got hooked by then end of it - with Jaime pushing Bran from the tall tower. Would this one have something similar to grab the viewers right away?

r169 I watched the premiere and was waiting for exactly such a moment. And it never came? It ended on such a calm note as well. I'm sure we'll get plenty of those moments throughout the season, though. And to be fair, unlike this show, GoT badly needed that hook in its premiere because it didn't have a guaranteed audience.

Geigh.

GoT had so many different characters in the first episode. This show has like 4-5 characters, that's it

They do throw out lots of names in the first episode, though. Like, an overwhelming amount. And that's in addition to that annoying thing where people in shows constantly address each other with their names when they're conversing, something that never happens in real life.

[quote]Nothing is lamer and more played out then complaining everything is woke [R160].

Audiences are voting with their wallets and it’s not the way you want, dear.

They’re tired of the monotonous progression of “strong, empowered” female characters, tedious lectures by racially ambiguous characters against oafishly racist comments by strawmen characters, and racial diversity in settings in which it makes no sense whatsoever.

There’s a backlash, and a strong one. And it’s going to drag real progress toward racial equality with it, just like trans extremism is already hurting LGB rights. But go ahead, keep up with the woke kabuki.

Roar!

🙄

VERILY, I SHALL GAY BASH YOU!

matt smith is fat! (for him)

Having read the book this is based on, I can say in the later seasons there will be yet another smartass dwarf role, although who they could possibly get who would be up to the level of Peter Dinklage is beyond me.: A key character for later in the story is Mushroom, the court jester for the "Green" faction, who is less intelligent and melancholy than Tyrion Lannister but even sassier, and always a survivor.

I think a big problem with this story is that there aren't enough fun side characters like Lady Olenna Tyrell (who enlivened every episode of the original show she was in) or as complex as someone like Sansa Stark, who had such an intriguing character arc (moving from naive catspawn to traumatized abuse survivor to wise stateswoman). On the other hand, one of the things I loved about the first series was how if you got a very good actor they could take a part that wasn't well fleshed out in the books and make it into something much more fascinating, as with the coldly and ruthlessly ambitious Stannis Baratheon and the slippery and sweet but equally ambitious Margaery Tyrell.

[quote]Audiences are voting with their wallets and it’s not the way you want, dear.

Oh, yeah? Is that why Bridgerton was such a huge success and changed the period drama (and with it, fantasy) casting practices practically overnight?

HBO seems to advertise the original Game of Thrones series as often as their new one. It's a perplexing choice; maybe they're trying to remind people that they ate that dragon and magic shit up, but they underestimate how much the last couple of seasons left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. These tropes come in cycles and I suspect we've moved back into monster times, specifically vampires or some other scary thing-of-the-week. Tom Cruise & Universal might get to make their Frankenstein movie, yet.

[quote]matt smith is fat! (for him)

It was very surprising to see. You never saw Robb, Jon and Theon with an untoned torso like that.

The

I thought the pilot was really good. It looked fantastic, and did a great job of bringing everyone back into Westeros and setting the scene. For all the drama about the last season of Game of Thrones it was a show kept people enraptured for years and I have missed that feeling of having that type of water cooler show. Curious to see if this can get close to that.

It was a bit surprising r181. Not that he looks bad really but you usually see actors on these type of shows training hard in the gym so they look impressive. It's surprising to see a normal body that isn't gym sculpted.

Sounds like Matt Smith doesn’t give a fuck about this effeminate show and is just phoning it in

The Targeryans are the mad incestuous ones with dragons. That’s why they’re my favorite GOT family.

bump to piss off the "official" guy.

I bet Matt does it with the girl.

I give it two seasons.

Matt Smith gives me the creeps.

The young girl was good.

Did someone’s nuts get cut off? It was so darkly filmed I couldn’t tell what it was.

[quote] Oh, yeah? Is that why Bridgerton was such a huge success and changed the period drama (and with it, fantasy) casting practices practically overnight?

You’re so 2020, gramps. Welcome to 2022 — Batgirl, canceled. Batwoman, canceled. Eternals: bombed. Prey: not even released in theaters.

^ it was dark, the same as the theme of the series

Wow that was dull. I wanted to love it. And maybe I will in time.

I just felt zero tension the entire episode. Found myself doing other things as it droned on. Which was never the case for GoT. Nearly every single scene in that pilot felt like it might be a character's last.

Better Call Saul proved a prequel to a revered show could absolutely work. But so far HoD isn't doing it.

It was a snoozefest. Witless,humorless and dark. No horrible fake accents like Peter Finals he's yet though. Good actor but he had the wrong accent. The black actor looks out of place. It was almost as boring as Yawn and The Rested.

As for the Better Call Saul comparison to Breaking Bad,it had some of the same characters and some of the same tone at one point of the series. It is much tougher to do that with HOTD. However The Clown will be their Tyrion.

They all just seem so dour.

Is this a Dr. Dolittle remake? Who’s playing Rex Harrison?

Is Anthony Newley providing vocal trax?

Not muh Great Pink Sea Snail!

"Excited" is the most over-used and badly-used word in ages. No one looks forward to, is happy about, or anticipates anymore. This constant state of excitement must be exhausting.

I anticipate r198 ‘s cunting.

I thought it was a bit dull. Lots of characters introduced and I spent some of the episode on Wikipedia trying to figure out who was related to who.

I’ll keep watching for now but I’m not holding much hope.

There is an opening credits, just not in the first episode.

I was bored watching this

r191 God, you're embarrassing, in addition to being completely clueless about the developments and trends in the entertainment industry. Your entire contribution to this thread is just screaming about wokeness. Just please go away, nobody likes you.

Not muh trendarinooooooos!

Hard to argue with that content-packed response, r203!

THE MESSAGE is faltering because people are tired of being fed a diet of it, and only it, 24/7. Why was Top Gun Maverick such a gigantic hit? Not one peep of THE MESSAGE to be heard!

There’s a “trend” for you, Wokely Carmichael!

Great shot showing how so many apartments in the same building were watching House of the Dragon at the same time.

The wigs.

R152 R185 Aren't Lanisters supposed to be inbred, not Targeryans?

R200 Lots of characters? There was only a few characters, unlike the first episode of GoT, where there were dozens.

No R208.

Cersei and Jaime were incestuous but historically the Lannisters did not practice incest.

Things like Brothers and sisters having kids was a taboo in Westeros, the only people who got away with it were the Targaryens. They believed they needed to keep the "blood the dragon" strong and no one could really stop them from doing it.

I was too high to remember what happened. Seemed good. Going to watch it again semi-sober today.

R208, no. At least as far as I know, the Lannisters had no tradition of incest; Jamie and Cersei could never marry and had to hide their relationship. But the Targaryens had that whole royal blood/ancient Egypt-type inbreeding going on.

I read people wondering why the Targaryens got away with incest and they did get push back from the religious base of Westeros. But I'd assume its cause of their dragons that no one dared actually stop them from marrying eachother. Even when they lost their dragons it was so entrenched in the system that no one tried.

That dragon has poor dentitia.

Probably a smoker.

Targaryens = Hapsburgs without the strong jaw and mental deficiencies.

GRRM based it on the Ptolemaic dynasty in ancient Egypt r216. They were a foreign dynasty who conquered a land and frequently married brother to sister.

R217 In fact, there is going to be a very-Habsburg wedding soon enough, between uncle and niece, which parallels Habsburg Phillip IV marrying his niece, Margaret Teresa.

GRRM's books are dependent on the War of the Roses/medieval history as well as ancient Egypt.

^ and Margaret Teresa's parents were first cousins...so incest all around.

It didn't bother me in Game of Thrones, but the whole Midsommar aesthetic for the Targaryens feels so out of place in this.

R205, the fact that you bring up Top Gun really works against you, since the original Top Gun had almost no actors of color on screen, while the sequel was close to 35% people of color.

So while it may not have been open about the message, the message was still clear.

Anything else, you racist dummy?

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

[quote] I read people wondering why the Targaryens got away with incest and they did get push back from the religious base of Westeros.

in BLOOD & FIRE (on which this new series is based), GRRM makes clear that the Church of the Seven HATED that the Targaryens practiced incest, and originally tried to rise up against the Targaryens--there was even a mad septon who encouraged people in Westeros to revolt against the Targaryens. However, they were brutally put down with the help of the dragons, and when the old anti-incest High Septon died, the new High Septon promoted a doctrine of "exceptionalism," wherein only the Targaryens were considered exempt from the anti-incest taboo--but they were argued to be special since they were akin to gods (since only they could control the dragons). That basically became the law of the land: Targaryens could continue to be incestuous and intermarry (like the Hapsburgs and the Saxe-Coburgs and the Ptolemies), but the rest of the people of Westeros could not (which is why Jaime and Cersei having incest was so dangerous).

Of course this did come with a cost, just as it did for the real-life royal families who intermarried. With the Targaryens this manifested as insanity: some of the family had it, and some did not.

The Game of Thrones phenomenon lives on. This show did huge numbers.

Meh.

You know you're back in Westeros when you heard the word ; RAPERS .

Not going to bother after the fuck you ending of GoT

SWORDS AND SORCERY!!!

Gay as shit.

Wish all episodes would leak.

That would be boring r229. Why enjoy it for a day when you can enjoy this show for the next two months.

One thing the streaming wars has taught is the Netflix model kinda sucks. There is a reason all the other companies have abandoned that idea.

R230 Well, that's just..like, your opinion, man

I agree that weekly releases for these big shows are better. However, I also like that The Rings of Power will release the premiere and the second episode on the same day; that's perfect for when you're craving some more content right after the premiere. It also means the show's finale will air eight days before HoD's finale instead of two days prior originally. Gives both shows more time to breathe.

It was good, but I wasn't blown away. I'm surprised they didn't go back to Aegon the Conqueror. Or start after he died and tell the story of Maegor the Cruel. Then we could have seen Balerion instead of just his skull. At least we get to see Vhagar in this series. I'm looking forward to that.

THe truth is GoT was pretty good until Season 8. That was a shit mess. Dany should have died a hero at the Battle for Winterfell. And if it was so fucking important to the story, that Jon kill her, then that is where it should have ended. With the dragon melting the Iron Throne. All that bullshit about John getting arrested by Grey Worm as ridiculous. And Bran was some kind of mystical Prophet/Priest creature. So no, he does not get to be King. The show shoukd have ended with the melting throne.

It lacks drama.

I love the Princess Rhaenyra permanent resting bitch face.

I love the king's nails, they look really nice for a man his age.

Is there plenty of nudity

R238 Matt Smith has sex and shows his ass. Random extras in brothel scenes as well

Yes, from a lot of whores and a fat Doctor Who r238.

Hopefully the Criston Cole actor gets naked

I only just noticed that the black guy has a seahorse on his chest! That's always been my favourite coat of arms in the whole ASOIAF world! I didn't even make the connection when they mentioned he's House Velaryon. He's like a hundred times cooler to me now.

A question for those who have read the book: what's Dorne like during this time period? Is it less or more powerful than during GoT times? Or about the same? It's my favourite Westeros region, I hope it features a little in this show.

Dorne during this time is still an independent country r242. Dorne actually managed to remain an independent kingdom not under the Iron Throne for the first 187 years of Targ rule which is pretty wild.

This thread should remain free of spoilers so let's not talk about what role people might play.

Thanks. Yeah, I didn't want any spoilers, just a general assessment of their strength.

I got too investede in GoT. I do not look forward to getting like that again. For one thing I don't want to be disloyal to Jon or Jaimie.

For anyone looking for companion podcasts, I highly recommend:

House of the Dragon - Bald Move - Both quick reactions and deep dives

Watch the Thrones (quick reaction), House of R (deep dive), Trial by Content (spoilers and predictions) - The Ringer

X-Ray Vision - Crooked Media - Deep dives

The official podcast is ok if you want cast interviews, but it’s still pretty lame

I am happy to see Paddy Considine in anything, he’s one of my favourite 2 or 3 British actors.

[quote] This thread should remain free of spoilers so let's not talk about what role people might play.

Why, I don't remember electing you sheriff.

Renewed.

I wonder if GOT is as good on a rewatch today.

Meh. I'll give the hobbits another turn.

R251, check out Maxim Baldry in The Rings of Power. He has these beautiful, soulful eyes and I'm in love.

Yeah, Baldry's cute. Feels like yesterday that I watched him play lil' Caesarion on HBO's Rome.

Lord of the rings is for children and nerds.

Have y'all heard about the Elio and Linda drama? I don't know how many here are familiar with those two barnacles.

Yes!!! R253, So glad you noticed. I fell in love with little Cesarion in HBO's Rome. He certainly grew in to his looks diudn't he!

if you don't want spoilers, don't read the god damned thread!

internets 101

Opening credits have leaked. They are somewhat confusing, I have no idea what the hell I'm looking at.

Looks like a lot of blood.

Dragon's blood is my favorite incense.

Tried watching it. It didn’t get my attention like GoT did. I guess no one hot like Jamie or Jon Snow to keep me interested

Oh my God! I’m glad they’re using the same opening theme music but not liking the graphics at all! Is that suppose to be Kings Landing. I really hope that clip is fan made.

I think it's supposed to be Old Valyria? Which the present king is carving in his quarters.

When will it finally leak?

I don't think we'll be getting any further leaks. The leaker of the first one wasn't aware that each individual screener was made to be distinct and so HBO immediately knew who leaked it.

Omg, I just checked and I was wrong, the second episode has leaked as well! Ha!

Using the GoT theme is a bit shit. I know it's a prequel but they could have at least composed a new piece of music for it.

I wouldn't mind a twist on the old theme song. Anything but a straight-up copy.

R268 Agreed. I thought it'd use the main GoT theme as an influence, but not just use it.

They might as well have just called it "Game of Thrones: The Prequel" and kept the same opening credits at this rate.

Anyone watched it? It got real pedo

Yes, I finished it just now, it was so good, I am fully on board now. There were moments where I got legit scared and wanted to pause it. Mary!

And finally actual, real, beautiful gardens make an appearance, hallelujah! I have no idea what went wrong in the premiere that they had to be CG.

R270 with Daemon and Rhaenyra?

No, that would "just" be incestuous. Rhaenyra is of age, isn't she?

I forgot that 15 or 16 is considered of age.

At least of age in GOT world

I meant age of consent, rather than age of majority. Age of consent is 16 in many countries and states today, 15 in Sweden, 14 in Italy... I think it's 14 in Westeros, it's said out lout at one point in the second episode.

I'm more shocked to learn that Rhaenyra is supposed to be 15/16 in the show, I thought she was in her twenties because of how the actress looks.

The actress is 22 but she does look a bit younger. Though they will higher a young adult for a role like that.

Hire*

All the hand-wringing by people unfamiliar with the source material has me hoping House of the Dragon doesn’t hold back. I hope the Helaena Targaryen storyline is told without a single embellishment…and I’ll laugh at all the reactions the next day.

For the record, book Daenerys was only 14ish during the events of season 1…which included fucking Khal Drogo (and I’m the books, having sex with her handmaiden).

Is Daemon supposed to be in love with Rhaenyra?

Given the first two episodes they are clearly showing there is some chemistry between them r280. Look at that scene where he gives her the necklace.

So glad ROP starts tonight, it'll help tremendously with this disgusting weekly wait for a new HOD episode.

I want the Crabfeeder to throw a spanner into everyone's designs. Also, the Stepstones are right next to Dorne, so are the Dornish reacting to his actions in their immediate vicinity at all?

Breakdown of the opening credits

We can explain it every month dear

Boring nerd fest with down right fugly leads.. He looks like a Klingon with a bad dye job. She has snake eyes and downright scary piranha mouth and teeth. Lets no even mention the Millie-Vanilli Uncle Ben character. Going with the the LOTR. At least it's a beautiful bromide.

Why must we wait one more day for the next episode? I want to know what happens with the Crabfeeder NOW! It feels like it's been two weeks since the last episode, Jesus.

Has it leaked yet?

Nope.

How about now?

Still no. They might have finally dealt with the leaker for good.

God damn it

Vague spoilertalk below.

Warning. Warning.

Am I the only person who finds battle scenes like the one last night tedious?

I must be because they are standard in every movie that includes any kind of physical conflict. I thought Game of Thrones by and large was better at subverting idiotic movie expectations. But not this one: One man goes running into a full army, slashing them one by one, while arrows rain down from above. And then...he got stuck by a bunch of arrows. That surprised me. It took too long, but good. That would happen. And then...well, after being stuck by at least three arrows, one of which always kills any other person immediately upon striking him, our hero gets up and fights his way through more of the army. But wait! All is lost! He is surrounded! Until...dragons swoop in and save the day!

This is not as good as Game of Thrones. That show usually would set us up to think this kind of thing would happen and then it didn't take the usual stupid action-hero route. People died. They were not superhuman and protected by invisible forces.

If they have to do this shit, I wish the scenes were no more than a few minutes long. It's tedious to me, not tense, to see someone go through all the motions of a battle when you know they are protected from suffering any physical consequence.

Yeah, that fight scene was terrible. I like how they were all coming at him one by one, never few of them, even though they all ran out of the caves at the same time. And how the dragon knows which people he can burn and which not

[quote]And how the dragon knows which people he can burn and which not

Dragons share some psychic bond with their riders. .

Also, we saw at the beginning of the episode when the guy nailed up for the crabs was stepped on by Caraxes, they don't always discriminate entirely in who gets killed when they're on a rampage. They're too big and their attacks are too chaotic to do otherwise.

R292, as much as I enjoy the show so far, I have to agree with you. The episode glossed over so much during the time jump, the fight scenes ended up having zero stakes. I didn’t care what happened because it was made perfectly clear the episode was intended to establish key players in the story to come.

For instance, I know who Laenor Velaryon is because I’ve read Fire & Blood. However, there was zero effort to explain who the man flying in on a dragon might be.

If you're going to complain about the plausibility of dragon attacks, this television show just isn't for you.

Several people have told me that I won't be disappointed because of all the violent deaths to come. That's not my point, though. My point is that the superhero killing off an army one by one and then being shot by multiple arrows—when a single arrow kills everyone else—and continuing to battle with his sword as if nothing happened is frustrating, even boring, to watch.

It's not about wanting the character to die. It's about being bored by a 20-minute-long action sequence that may as well be a scene from a video game.

The driver of tension is consequences. When the hero faces no consequences, there's no tension. If it has to be that way because it was written that way, then fine, but a three to five-minute battle followed by an explanation that the dragons came would suffice and would save many millions of dollars.

I expect everyone will die ultimately, unless Melisandre shows up. We already know this happens hundreds of years prior to Game of Thrones and as far as they told us, Mel is the only one who was alive over that whole span of time. It's not about who dies; it's about engagement in the story. Watching one guy with a sword clang swords for 20 minutes with an army to me is like watching a lumberjack cut down trees for 20 minutes.

Then don't watch it.

PROBLEM SOLVED!

The actress that plays Alicent Hightower is gay or bi. She has a girlfriend

It was a bit dull and soapy. Hopefully next week will be better.

Any fans?

r301 Yes, although most of the discussion these days is in the episode threads.

Hey r174, where did you go? I thought this show was a surefire bomb! It is horrible wokeness right, that's what you told us.

What a crazy episode for our dear Laenor.