House of the Dragon

[thunderlounge 7815]

2 minutes ago, CurlyDumps said:

Scope-wise, we're cooped up in the castle a lot and not seeing other places/stories. Maybe that will change.

I’m sure it will change. We had to be introduced to all the characters in GOT too, and first watch it took a bit to really get rolling.

It just happened that some big things (big on first watch, super big by the end) went down early on. 
 

Right now they seem to be building that familiarity with the main house, etc. Characters will develop. 

[CurlyDumps 4468]

7 minutes ago, thunderlounge said:

I’m sure it will change. We had to be introduced to all the characters in GOT too, and first watch it took a bit to really get rolling.

It just happened that some big things (big on first watch, super big by the end) went down early on. 
 

Right now they seem to be building that familiarity with the main house, etc. Characters will develop. 

By the end of the s1e2 of GoT, we had been introduced to the Baratheons, the Starks, the Lannisters, the Viserys/Dany/Drogo story, plus side characters like Jorah, Hodor, others I'm forgetting. We'd been to Winterfell, King's Landing, the Wall, The Kingsroad, Essos... 

Not trying to disparage the current show, but the scope and scale of GoT was much bigger. 

[thunderlounge 7815]

Introduced being the keyword.

I’ll reserve judgement for a while myself and see how it plays out. 

[RomaVicta 29902]

2 hours ago, Augustus said:

Hope we get a good villain out of the crab feeder and a nice little war.

These are good characters, no question.  They lack something that the characters had in the first few episodes of GoT.  Can't put my finger on what that is.  They're not as compelling/interesting?  Not sure.

But I don't think it's fair to compare them, really.  This is an entirely different story in a very different time.

They're not brought alive through dramatization. So far, they're just plot pawns without much dimension. 

It better stories like GOT or other series, we enter the plot by following characters. We get a sense of family dynamics at the Stark house through Arya showing us she's a tomboy through action rather than just announcing she'd rather be a knight than a princess as is the case with the princess in this new series.

In GOT, we see there is tension between Lord Stark, Catelyn, and John Snow without a word being said. I think Jamie and Cersei are introduced having incestual sex. We likely find out it's incest later as a story development. None of this stuff is announced. It's dramatized in a way to suggest relationships and characters in an interesting way so you wonder what will happen next. What's the mystery with John Snow? How will Arya's desire play out; will she be forced to conform or will she be able to rebel? Oh look, a nice moment with John Snow recognizing who she is and giving her the perfect gift.

Despite all of its production value (which they're too much in love with) and fabulous cast, the House of the Dragon is limp and sponging off interest in other versions of this world. It's a pale replica of the books and the best parts of GOT.

[mdmost 43001]

I really enjoyed the episode. The princess flying in on the dragon to Dany boss the parlay was pretty great. The King is definitely setting up his eventual downfall, if the Iron Throne doesn't kill him first. The Queen that never was and the princess' scene felt like the Cersei/Ned moment where the line was drawn in the sand between the factions. I did enjoy the "I want your advice" scene which the King completely goes again. He chose comfort over duty. It's nice to have a Sunday show to look forward to again. Next week looks like some dragon action. 

[CooterBrown 18004]

I like that we are being introduced to a bunch of houses that either don't exist by the GOT timeline or are very minor in the later years. It seems like it is setting up a lot of houses to be completely destroyed in the war.

 

[Augustus 3061]

2 hours ago, thunderlounge said:

Sounds a bit bookfaggy. There has yet to be an indication in the 2 episodes thus far that grayscale exists. 

I thought there was context in GoT demonstrating greystone had been well known for ages.

I haven't read anything regarding the events of this series, though I read the history before it.

Counterpoint.  There's been nothing to indicate they "don't" know what greyscale is, and I'd argue the biggest indicator is that it doesn't look at all like greyscale, and to our knowledge the King isn't infecting everyone around him with greyscale.

[Pig Bellmont 8712]

15 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:

They're not brought alive through dramatization. So far, they're just plot pawns without much dimension. 

It better stories like GOT or other series, we enter the plot by following characters. We get a sense of family dynamics at the Stark house through Arya showing us she's a tomboy through action rather than just announcing she'd rather be a knight than a princess as is the case with the princess in this new series.

In GOT, we see there is tension between Lord Stark, Catelyn, and John Snow without a word being said. I think Jamie and Cersei are introduced having incestual sex. We likely find out it's incest later as a story development. None of this stuff is announced. It's dramatized in a way to suggest relationships and characters in an interesting way so you wonder what will happen next. What's the mystery with John Snow? How will Arya's desire play out; will she be forced to conform or will she be able to rebel? Oh look, a nice moment with John Snow recognizing who she is and giving her the perfect gift.

Despite all of its production value (which they're too much in love with) and fabulous cast, the House of the Dragon is limp and sponging off interest in other versions of this world. It's a pale replica of the books and the best parts of GOT.

“Listen, tv shows about dragons are super cereal and I’m not enjoying myself”

Thats what you sound like.

IMO I don’t think comparing the other series matters. I’m personally not looking for anything life changing- but I am entertained. 

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

I’m surprised we haven’t seen any white walker stuff. The king let his daughter(I’m still bad with their names) know about the undead people up north .


Maybe would’ve thought we could’ve seen a night king appearance or something.

[thunderlounge 7815]

24 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

It seems like it is setting up a lot of houses to be completely destroyed in the war.

Right? The details are subtle right now, but whatever. 
 

It may flop. It may kick ass. 
 

But you’re not going full on red wedding, battle of the bastards, hardhome, or any other type of deal right off the bat.

 

[MissingInAction 25024]

You chicken Littles need to settle down. 

GoT was great when the great conflicts got you invested first. Jesus it took 8 God damn seasons for winter to come. 

I come quicker after an 8 ball and a fifth of jack.

I fully expect a huge reveal when Squidward the crab feeder faces off against some.dragons. 

My gut tells me he's got some kind of kraken thing lurking around the depths which he has been using to capture all those ships.

That or whatever is infecting his skin protects him from dragon fire.

Don't anyone dare accuse me of book faggotry.

I don't read books and never will.

Illiterati por la Vida!

Edited August 29, 2022 by MissingInAction

[henrygandorf 29189]

1 hour ago, CurlyDumps said:

Speaking of other stories, one thing that is sorely missing is humor. This series could really use a Tyrion, Bronn, or Jamie. Right now there's like none of these guys. Even just the way some of the characters addressed each other jumped out at me as feeling kind of off. Like are we in Middle Earth or Westeros right now?

humor was invented during the 170 years in between.  and they said there were no notable advancements.

[Augustus 3061]

43 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

I’m surprised we haven’t seen any white walker stuff. The king let his daughter(I’m still bad with their names) know about the undead people up north .


Maybe would’ve thought we could’ve seen a night king appearance or something.

 

Pretty sure the NK and White Walkers didn't reappear until around the time GoT started.  Am I wrong about that?

[RomaVicta 29902]

1 hour ago, Pig Bellmont said:

“Listen, tv shows about dragons are super cereal and I’m not enjoying myself”

Thats what you sound like.

IMO I don’t think comparing the other series matters. I’m personally not looking for anything life changing- but I am entertained. 

I only watch TV to change my life in profound and philosophical ways. I'm very deep and sensitive.

My remarks are about the rudimentary reasons the story doesn't work for me. I'm not asking for high art, just competence.

As for your quote: I do mention that I watched the original series. So, what does that say about my stand on super cereal?

I think your objection has more to do with you than me. There are mere opinions. 

[Pig Bellmont 8712]

11 minutes ago, Augustus said:

 

Pretty sure the NK and White Walkers didn't reappear until around the time GoT started.  Am I wrong about that?

I haven’t read the books but didn’t they disappear the same time as the dragons? I think in GOT magic and that red comet came back, but I haven’t re watched the original series

Edited August 29, 2022 by Pig Bellmont

[Augustus 3061]

2 minutes ago, Pig Bellmont said:

I haven’t read the books but didn’t they disappear the same time as the dragons? I think in GOT magic and that red comet came back, but I haven’t re watched the original series

My memory is hazy on all this.  But I thought the White Walkers had disappeared after the Long Night, whenever that was.  Dragons had only been gone for a couple hundred years, tops.

Nobody in Westeros even believed in them.  (the white walkers)

Edited August 29, 2022 by Augustus

[Vegas64 673]

I understand what the pedant Roma is saying because it was the most cringe, telegraphed "twist" that the King was going to announce the Hand's daughter in that dramatic fashion and surprise. Yawn. Boring. Predictable and lazy writing. Also Daemon seems to be written inconsistently for my tastes so far.

Otherwise, it's decent, I love the costumes and set pieces and production value. I don't mind the slower pace, I like the intrigue and politics as much if not more than the scifi dragon cgi crap.

Ser Cristen is being set up to be Grey Worm or Jorah or the long haired daenyrios (sp?) a la strong, loyal and good protector to Rhayenra's (sp?) Dany.

5/10, will watch ep. 3.

Edited August 29, 2022 by Vegas64

[seven 1367]

I don't think choosing alicent was supposed to be a surprise or "twist" to the viewer. 

[kingkoopa6 8347]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ch22mE0DRDl/?igshid=Y2ZmNzg0YzQ=
 

lol facts 

[kingkoopa6 8347]

for some reason, im thinkin the king fucked up

yes i get it....

 

but she ends up being this... right? 

Edited August 29, 2022 by kingkoopa6

[kingkoopa6 8347]

6 minutes ago, kingkoopa6 said:

for some reason, im thinkin the king fucked up

yes i get it....

 

but she ends up being this... right? 

I’m no treaty oak 

 

[Drew 2405]

5 hours ago, slorch said:

The good guys aren't badasses, save for the princess.

The bad guys are even less compelling.

Who's the good guys and who's the bad guys?

[shadow_operative 15932]

16 hours ago, Haphap said:

more like, GOT was 1400 and HOT D was around 1200.   

your mom GOT some HOT D.

[mackavelli 183]

Deamon hooker a baddie. 

Yeah I’m a big fan since ex machina and devs

[Buzzrock 14903]

I don’t mind the deliberate pacing but for me Considine was miscast. All I can see is Hot Fuzz and The World’s End.

[PRONG HORN 3141]

On 8/28/2022 at 2:24 PM, veritas aequitas said:

I only made it through part of the 1st episode. The acting sucked compared to GOT and there is a lot of creepy looking people in it.

 

I don't know about the acting, but I noticed a distinct lack of charisma among the characters.  

 

[Homercles 10205]

8 minutes ago, Buzzrock said:

I don’t mind the deliberate pacing but for me Considine was miscast. All I can see is Hot Fuzz and The World’s End.

He does have the facial expression of constant worry and indecisiveness down pat…which suits him. 
 

Personally I keep seeing Simon Ross, the reporter who blew up Blackbriar in the Bourne Ultimatum.  Then again the original trilogy is some of my favorite action series so I’ve watched it a bunch of times.  
 

[Augustus 3061]

Interesting.  I've found Considine to be absolutely perfect for Viserys.

And Smith is killing it as Daemon.

We just haven't got to the action yet, and may have a ways to go before we get there.

Which is why I'm hoping Daemon wrecking shop in the Stepping Stones will be fun.

[speed817 19256]

These made me laugh...

 

[Buzzrock 14903]

Daemon and Rhaenyra are both great. Y’all are crazy with your inbred banjo player bullshit. 

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4975]

10 minutes ago, speed817 said:

These made me laugh...

 

Rouge

noun
a red powder or cream used as a cosmetic for coloring the cheeks or lips.

[closetohumping 17437]

Maybe I'm just easy but I'm liking it so far.

[WBT 20561]

1 hour ago, Buzzrock said:

Daemon and Rhaenyra are both great. Y’all are crazy with your inbred banjo player bullshit. 

Thank you.  I think she's cute.

[wild_turkey 3159]

Regardless of what most people think about GoT seasons 7-8, most people that enjoy this type of show would agree that GoT seasons 1-4 were some of the best in television history.

So if your measuring stick for HOTD is to compare it to the first season of GoT, you probably just need to get ready to be disappointed. It’s a completely new show with new characters, stories, and conflicts. It probably won’t be as good as GoT season 1, but that doesn’t stop it from being a good show in its own right and hopefully have a clean story that doesn’t tank at the end.

[Augustus 3061]

2 hours ago, wild_turkey said:

Regardless of what most people think about GoT seasons 7-8, most people that enjoy this type of show would agree that GoT seasons 1-4 were some of the best in television history.

So if your measuring stick for HOTD is to compare it to the first season of GoT, you probably just need to get ready to be disappointed. It’s a completely new show with new characters, stories, and conflicts. It probably won’t be as good as GoT season 1, but that doesn’t stop it from being a good show in its own right and hopefully have a clean story that doesn’t tank at the end.

Couldn't agree more.  The first 4 seasons of GoT are incomparable.

[RomaVicta 29902]

8 hours ago, Vegas64 said:

I understand what the pedant Roma is saying

You go on to agree with me. I'm not sure you have a full grasp of pedant. 

I am surprised that an opinion written in straightforward language is collecting ire from a few around here. I don't intend to persuade someone not to enjoy the series, nor do I think that's even possible for the most part. I'm not scorning anyone in writing an opinion.

I'll bow out. Enjoy the show.

[shadow_operative 15932]

6 hours ago, Augustus said:

Couldn't agree more.  The first 4 seasons of GoT are incomparable.

well the first four seasons of the wire and breaking bad would have something to say about that, but then again if i'm comparing GoT to BB and The Wire then we're basically saying the same thing. 

i agree that when you compare this show to GoT, which one naturally would, that this show doesn't compare so far- by this point in GoT we had all been introduced to and were somewhat invested in ned, arya, jon snow, robb, king bob, jamie, cersei, the hound, the mountain, joffrey, and most importantly tyrion, among others. what an unbelievable cast of characters to be introduced to so early on. which of course means that i also agree with those say, "don't waste your time comparing this to GoT, just enjoy it on its own." 

i agree that this last episode was a somewhat repetitive snooze fest at times, that didn't need to be as long and drawn out as it was, but i feel like we can already see the seeds of discontent being sown? and i think that it's setting up nicely for some epic conflicts in the near future. i'm still totally "in" when it comes to this HOT D, just like your mom.

[crash_davis 23103]

I like the show. My only complain is the lack of great dialogue.

Go re-watch a couple of episodes from the early GOT seasons. The dialogue and banter from the characters were incredible. I loved the dialogue more than the all the different kickass plot lines.

Martin is exec producer on this series, but you can tell he didn't have any hand in writing the detailed scripts. Viserys is hard to watch because he's such a shithead. That's kinda the point of his character. As alluded to in the first episode, he and his fuckery contributes to the downfall of the Targaryen family.

[BurdineBandit 815]

22 hours ago, sidis said:

 

oh shit, i just put it together that the actress that plays daemon's chick is sonoya mizuno...who was the other android besides alicia vikander in ex machina.  hmm.

I thought it was Kelsey Asbille/Chow at first, of Yellowstone, Wind River, Fargo (who I thought was native, she's not)...... I think Mizuno edges her out though. She's smoke. 

[WBT 20561]

I bailed after GOT Season 4 but one thing I'm noticing is so much CGI background everywhere.  Do they not go to Dubrovnik anymore?  Did this transition start in later seasons of Thrones?  It's a pet peeve of mine how little seems to be shot on location anymore in movies and in TV.

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

20 hours ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

I’m surprised we haven’t seen any white walker stuff. The king let his daughter(I’m still bad with their names) know about the undead people up north .


Maybe would’ve thought we could’ve seen a night king appearance or something.

I’m hoping there is more history into that and the people who created him. 

[henrygandorf 29189]

10 hours ago, RomaVicta said:

You go on to agree with me. I'm not sure you have a full grasp of pedant. 

I am surprised that an opinion written in straightforward language is collecting ire from a few around here. I don't intend to persuade someone not to enjoy the series, nor do I think that's even possible for the most part. I'm not scorning anyone in writing an opinion.

I'll bow out. Enjoy the show.

 you are the derka of this thread.  prepare to have your head on a pike.

4 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

well the first four seasons of the wire and breaking bad would have something to say about that, but then again if i'm comparing GoT to BB and The Wire then we're basically saying the same thing. 

also mad men, the west wing.  i'm picking up a pattern here.

[CooterBrown 18004]

I bailed after GOT Season 4 but one thing I'm noticing is so much CGI background everywhere.  Do they not go to Dubrovnik anymore?  Did this transition start in later seasons of Thrones?  It's a pet peeve of mine how little seems to be shot on location anymore in movies and in TV.

Unfortunately stretching a production budget is more important than appeasing the 1% of the audience that gives a shit.

[thunderlounge 7815]

I’m assuming they are still using all the production stuff up in Belfast. Had a huge studio for the green screen stuff, as well as a  big ass lot where they had some sets for Kings Landing and Winterfell. 
 

As much as they had invested there, they’re probably still using that area. Plus all the stuff that is Westeros around there. (Kings Road, Winterfell, etc.)

 

[Covri 6246]

On 8/28/2022 at 10:48 PM, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

She's apparently about the same age as our main gal, so fifteen or so. He told his daughter he had no intention of replacing her as heir, iirc, so I think he is just wanting someone who he enjoys spending time with and wants to remove himself from all the plottings that go along with things. He's a dude, so I assume he will bed her, but I think he is counting on there not being a male heir. That, or he plans to marry his daughter off soon enough to produce a grandchild male heir that he can claim has a more legitimate claim than any offspring of his new wife, her being officially named as the heir and all.

[closetohumping 17437]

[Nicole44 22059]

So good. Really enjoying this so far. 

[52-80 19147]

[Bama Chick 28596]

I’m assuming they are still using all the production stuff up in Belfast. Had a huge studio for the green screen stuff, as well as a  big ass lot where they had some sets for Kings Landing and Winterfell. 
 
As much as they had invested there, they’re probably still using that area. Plus all the stuff that is Westeros around there. (Kings Road, Winterfell, etc.)
 

HBO has posted a behind the scenes video for both episodes and it looks like all the sets and greenscreen studio are new.

I’m sure other productions use that soundstage so there’s no way they just let those old big ass sets just sit there.

The behind the scenes video for episode two featured the in-the-round green screen studio and its super cool. They actually project the background scenery while the actors are filming so they can see and react to the dragons or whatever CGI action is going on around them.

If you have 20 minutes to kill, they’re worth a watch.

[Jerry Callo 8699]

1 hour ago, Bama Chick said:

If you have 20 minutes to kill, they’re worth a watch.

Anyone sitting around watching shows about dragons has 20 minutes to kill.