Television House of the Dragon (HBO, August 21) - update: first reviews posted

[Greatoneshere]

8 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said:

Also when you consider how many mothers, sons, daughters and other assorted family members she killed when she made her entrance in the first place... I guess the smallfolk don't count?

 

I'm assuming either (a) it's like Batman Begins' batmobile chase scene where "miraculously no one got injured" or (b) nobility, as usual, don't count the plebes as people. Or both.  

[cusideabelincoln]

1 hour ago, skillzdadirecta said:

"House Of The Dragon" Producer Sara Hess Said She Doesn't Understand Everyone's Obsession With Daemon: "He Ain't Paul Rudd"

WWW.YAHOO.COM

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"He’s become Internet Boyfriend in a way that baffles me. Not that Matt [Smith] isn’t incredibly charismatic and wonderful, and he’s incredible in the role,"...

 

@Greatoneshere

 

As far as the latest episode, while it was very well made I will admit I had a problem following the story and some of the characters' motivations and Rhaenys not stopping the coup right then and there made no sense to me at all. I don't believe that scenes was in the books and may have been a case of the writers writing themselves into a corner... they gave some lipservice as to why she didn't in the post episode discussion but it didn't really make sense to me. Hopefully the season ends strong though.

 

52 minutes ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

Yeah I saw that article too - I must agree with the producer, though the director explains it some (though it still mystifies me). I also agree that Rhaenys' decision at the end didn't make sense and the explanation of "mother relates to mother" makes no sense when you consider war will make a lot of mothers lose their children.

 

The show is willing to throw away consistent logic and motivations in favor of depicting a "bet you didn't see that coming" scene (usually involving gore) in just about every episode. Criston Cole should not be alive, let alone a member of the King's guard. Alicent pleaded desperately to make sure all members of her former husband's family can survive, yet she is pushing the one agenda that will guarantee a war. And she also tries to persuade the once-should-be Queen away from supporting her own niece who has been named heir and Queen.

[Greatoneshere]

9 minutes ago, cusideabelincoln said:

The show is willing to throw away consistent logic and motivations in favor of depicting a "bet you didn't see that coming" scene (usually involving gore) in just about every episode. Criston Cole should not be alive, let alone a member of the King's guard. Alicent pleaded desperately to make sure all members of her former husband's family can survive, yet she is pushing the one agenda that will guarantee a war. And she also tries to persuade the once-should-be Queen away from supporting her own niece who has been named heir and Queen.

 

I agree overall, though characters are fallible and can feel pulled in to multiple directions so it's not unbelievable for Alicent to want two opposing things at the same time, though it's on the show to sell it. I agree Criston Cole should have been executed after killing Laenor's boyfriend but now that he's under Alicent's protection I imagine he has full plot armor.

[Fizzzzle]

I agree the handling of Ser Criston is weird. Like, he just straight up murdered a member of the small council, the lord commander told him to take off his cloak, he was just like "no," and... all is forgotten? 

 

Maybe all won't be forgotten, but they probably should have better illustrated the ramifications of that action.

[cusideabelincoln]

17 hours ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

I agree overall, though characters are fallible and can feel pulled in to multiple directions so it's not unbelievable for Alicent to want two opposing things at the same time, though it's on the show to sell it. I agree Criston Cole should have been executed after killing Laenor's boyfriend but now that he's under Alicent's protection I imagine he has full plot armor.

 

They should lean more into selling Alicent's manic side. The only scene we've gotten to show her as crazy is when she slashed Rhaenyra. Every other scene is empathetic, and this why I'm not buying into her dumb decision making.

[Greatoneshere]

1 minute ago, cusideabelincoln said:

 

They should lean more into selling Alicent's manic side. The only scene we've gotten to show her as crazy is when she slashed Rhaenyra. Every other scene is empathetic, and this why I'm not buying into her dumb decision making.

 

While her more manic side would be interesting to show more, I don't know that I'd agree with empathetic. She's an awful person, a self-hating woman jealous she didn't exhibit free will earlier in her life so she resents Rhaenyra for it. She's petty and pitiable. She allies herself with thugs and monsters like Criston Cole and Larys Strong. She sucks.  

[cusideabelincoln]

5 hours ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

While her more manic side would be interesting to show more, I don't know that I'd agree with empathetic. She's an awful person, a self-hating woman jealous she didn't exhibit free will earlier in her life so she resents Rhaenyra for it. She's petty and pitiable. She allies herself with thugs and monsters like Criston Cole and Larys Strong. She sucks.  

 

I think the time jumps in the show are probably my main issue since we don't get enough character investment. Alicent's transition is basically skipped, left up to our imaginations. One episode we get a calm, calculated, and likeable young Alicent, and then we jump years ahead and get a high-strung adult Alicent. Overall Olivia Cooke's portrayal is also unsettling. Even in the calm and empathetic moments, she always looks highly anxious.

 

The time jumps also made every episode feel formulaic until the King died: Someone is born (and we get to see it!), someone dies, people arguing over who should be heir to X location, and throw in the surprise gore scene. I'm glad we can actually move one and get a story now, and I also hope that means we get to spend more time in other locations besides the Red Keep.

[Greatoneshere]

1 hour ago, cusideabelincoln said:

I think the time jumps in the show are probably my main issue since we don't get enough character investment. Alicent's transition is basically skipped, left up to our imaginations. One episode we get a calm, calculated, and likeable young Alicent, and then we jump years ahead and get a high-strung adult Alicent. Overall Olivia Cooke's portrayal is also unsettling. Even in the calm and empathetic moments, she always looks highly anxious.

 

The time jumps also made every episode feel formulaic until the King died: Someone is born (and we get to see it!), someone dies, people arguing over who should be heir to X location, and throw in the surprise gore scene. I'm glad we can actually move one and get a story now, and I also hope that means we get to spend more time in other locations besides the Red Keep.

 

Yeah, I'd agree with all of that, including the cyclical nature of the time jumps (which, to be fair, there were only two real time jumps). According to Olivia Cooke, the character was meant to be even more of a "Trumper" than she already is, hence lack of empathy on my part.

 

‘House of the Dragon’ Star Olivia Cooke Was Told to Play Her Character Like a Trump Supporter

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"House of the Dragon" star Olivia Cooke revealed co-showrunners Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal advised her to play a "woman for Trump."

 

 

[skillzdadirecta]

‘House Of The Dragon’ Finale Leaks Online

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Some fans of House of the Dragon couldn’t wait until Sunday to see what happens: a copy of the season finale has already leaked online, Deadline has confirmed. “We are aware that the te…

 

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

That was a heart ending for the session. Really not glad about 

Spoiler

The level of detail of the stillbirth. 
 

 

 

But I’m very excited for the next season 

[69los]

Finally got to see Storm's End.

[Joe]

44 minutes ago, b_m_b_m_b_m said:

That was a heart ending for the session. Really not glad about 

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The level of detail of the stillbirth. 
 

 

 

But I’m very excited for the next season 

 

I feel like I’m desensitized to violence on tv and film, but this definitely was rough.

[johnny]

this season was so fucking good 

[Moa]

Haven’t seen the latest episode yet but I’m enjoying the return of having to actively avoid Game of Thrones spoilers on the internet. 

[TheLeon]

That backlit table/map is sick as hell. 
 

I’ve been a little lukewarm on this season as a whole, but these last few episodes have me fully on board.

[SimpleG]

Spoiler

 

[SoberChef]

[Joe]

Spoiler

 

 

[Guest]

That was a great and infuriating finale. I need more now!

[Greatoneshere]

Not a big fan of another "whoopsie/miscommunication" so soon after Viserys speaking to Alicent while dying and high off of milk of the poppy with Aemond not intending to kill Luke but it coming off that way. Other than that, a great season finale that begs for a season 2, so I'll definitely be watching. It's not been an excellent season of television, but the season has been genuinely good and is slowly redeeming seasons 7 and 8 of Game of Thrones. If Martin can get book 6 out soon-ish, then we may be on the path to healing after all.  

[SoberChef]

Read a few interviews & it looks as though they won't get to filming season 2 until probably late winter/early spring of 2023 ... that says to me that we won't see season 2 until probably April/May of 2024. That being said however, IF HBO were to alternate HotD & TLoU bi-annually going forward for the next number of years, I wouldn't hate that one bit!

[BloodyHell]

Im just done with this show I think. Obviously I'm the minority, its doing very well, but I detest all of the main characters, and I still don't like the actress swap. Just not for me. At least in GoT, there were characters I could get behind. I can't find that here. 

[SoberChef]

Let's hope that Cregan Stark will be someone worthy of your love then @BloodyHell

 

My heart genuinely breaks for Rhaenyra, she's been through SO much & just has to keep on taking it, like when is it enough already? I'll be shocked if she herself doesn't go full on "mad king" going forward!

[skillzdadirecta]

Every Dragon in Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon - IGN

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Game of Thrones saw the return of dragons to Westeros after an almost two-century absence. Its HBO prequel series House of the Dragon, based on George R.R. Martin’s history of the rise and fall of the Targaryen dynasty titled Fire & Blood, is set back when dragons still dominated the skies of Westeros. The following is a list of all the dragons that appeared during the Dance of the Dragons.

 

[Massdriver]

Okay, I upgraded my rating from good to very good. 

 

The show is still not as good as peak GoT (think seasons 2-4), but I'm happy with how everything came together the last few episodes. It's definitely addictive TV. When it ended, I just wanted to see more. 

 

Martin says it needs 40 episodes total to tell the story properly.

 

All of the giving birth scenes tested my stomach this season, but I made it through! 

 

HBO has every motive to keep giving us more GoT after the numbers have come in: 

 

Quote

 

All episodes of the series are averaging 29 million viewers in the U.S., more than tripling their average debut-night audience with strong catch-up viewing, according to HBO. 

Season 7 of Game of Thrones averaged 32.8M viewers per episode in the U.S. 

 

House of the Dragon also trended at No. 1 on Twitter for 10 consecutive hours in the U.S. Sunday night.

 

Outside of the U.S., HOTD surpassed GoT Season 8, making it the most viewed HBO title ever in Latin America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan on an HBO streaming service. The series streams on HBO Max in 39 countries in Latin America, 21 countries across Europe and on HBO GO in southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan

 

‘House Of The Dragon’ Gets Biggest Finale-Night Viewership For HBO Since ‘Game Of Thrones’ Ender

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‘House Of The Dragon’: Biggest Finale Night for HBO Since ‘Game Of Thrones’ In 2019

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[johnny]

On 10/25/2022 at 5:49 AM, BloodyHell said:

Im just done with this show I think. Obviously I'm the minority, its doing very well, but I detest all of the main characters, and I still don't like the actress swap. Just not for me. At least in GoT, there were characters I could get behind. I can't find that here. 

The actor for Rhaenyra is fantastic. They're both great. I don't get what your beef is with them. And the new actor for Alicent is better than the younger one, by a lot I think. 

[TheLeon]

I guess if you get attached to those younger actors quickly, I can see how you don’t want to see them replaced. But from episode one, I was ready for them to grow up so we could get Cooke-ing. 
 

I did like Milly Alcock and want to see her in more stuff. Apparently she’s in a road trip dark comedy series with Tim Minchin called Upright. First season is on AMC+ (Sundance Now), I’ll probably check that out soon. 

[GeneticBlueprint]

[Moa]

Book readers, should I read the book?

 

I went through the ASOIF books while the show was still catching up to the source material and it didn't really reduce my enjoyment of the show, but I want to know if Fire and Blood is good.

[GeneticBlueprint]

46 minutes ago, Moa said:

Book readers, should I read the book?

 

I went through the ASOIF books while the show was still catching up to the source material and it didn't really reduce my enjoyment of the show, but I want to know if Fire and Blood is good.

I’ve said this here before but it is really dry. It’s a history told by a Maester with lots of lineage and rote descriptions of combat. Basically the Old Testament of Westeros. If you like this fictional universe it’s pretty fun world building. But I think you have to really like it. 

[skillzdadirecta]

1 hour ago, Moa said:

Book readers, should I read the book?

 

I went through the ASOIF books while the show was still catching up to the source material and it didn't really reduce my enjoyment of the show, but I want to know if Fire and Blood is good.

What @GeneticBlueprintsaid. The Rise of the Dragon book is the same thing as the previous book but with illustrations. It may also spoil some stuff too so be warned.

 

[Greatoneshere]

2 hours ago, Moa said:

Book readers, should I read the book?

 

I went through the ASOIF books while the show was still catching up to the source material and it didn't really reduce my enjoyment of the show, but I want to know if Fire and Blood is good.

 

1 hour ago, GeneticBlueprint said:

I’ve said this here before but it is really dry. It’s a history told by a Maester with lots of lineage and rote descriptions of combat. Basically the Old Testament of Westeros. If you like this fictional universe it’s pretty fun world building. But I think you have to really like it. 

 

Well, it's three different in-universe characters, as unreliable historical narrators, giving unreliable accounts of what happens. Maester Orwyle is one of them. Either way, Martin himself has said the TV show is "what really happened" and the book are the three narrators' versions of events by comparison, so you don't need to read the book, the TV show is, arguably, more canon than the book is (as I understand it). That being said, there's more information in terms of lore and mythology in the book than the show can fit in, so you will miss that stuff if you don't read the book. 

[BloodyHell]

17 hours ago, johnny said:

The actor for Rhaenyra is fantastic. They're both great. I don't get what your beef is with them. And the new actor for Alicent is better than the younger one, by a lot I think. 

It's not that she's in any way bad, i just prefer the original actress. There was no need for the change. It doesn't just look like another character, it feels like one. Either way, the swap is the least of my problems with the show. The unlikeable cast of characters is what sealed it for me.

[GeneticBlueprint]

There definitely was a need for the change. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find an actor in the same person that could portray both the teenage angst and youthful wanderlust of Milly Alcock's Rhaenyra as wonderfully as she did and the mature, hardened, 'seen-some-shit' steel that Emma D'Arcy's Rhaenyra does. Not to mention trouble finding an actor that looks like she could be 14 in one episode and then having birthed six children in another. I'm not calling D'Arcy "fat" by any stretch of the imagination but Milly Alcock is extremely petite. Same goes for Emily Carey and Olivia Cooke as Alicent. So while actor changes broke continuity in some sense, I think in another sense it maintained continuity better than keeping the same actors ever could have.

[Greatoneshere]

16 years pass from episode one by the time we reach episode ten. There's no way they could have kept the same set of actors, it would have been very hard to believe. I'd say it's the kid actors where they messed up with that 6 year time jump, with Aegon going from taller and older looking to shorter and younger looking, then Aemond going from very small and about the same age as Luke to fucking Osferth from The Last Kingdom when Luke, by comparison, remains short and small when Aemond and Luke are essentially the same age.