House of the Dragon (Season 1 of GoT-related series discussion)

[Kyriakos]

Some thoughts on episode 1 (no spoilers)

The style is nice, particularly in the beginning (intentionally using impressive scenes at the very start).
The catalyst for the plot is a bit too theatrical, imo.

Spoiler :

some offensive comment by Damien or how he is called

, but it's not too bad.
Some violence already, which was bizarre

Spoiler :

even if those killed in the tournament were squires, one would have to suppose it was murder, but no one seemed to care at all.

With so few notable sides, I wonder if they will have massive battles, at least in this season. It doesn't help that we already know which houses get obliterated (since they don't exist in GoT).

I must say that I didn't see the need for the prophesy:

Spoiler :

The whitewalkers, as we all know, can't move over water, so what was the point of Aegon invading Westeros to defend the world from something which would end in Westeros anyway? Maybe he was a philanthropist
Besides, the wall existed thousands of years before this show (and yes, it should have been a moat...)

All that said, it seems there will be considerable action in episode 2 (unless the promo is misleading and has scenes from episodes further down the way)

 

[Birdjaguar]

Excellent first episode to get things going. By the end of it you know who's who and the new game is off and running. They did a good job of setting down all the important plot markers where from the next episodes will spring forth.

Spoiler :

Spare now expense on the sets!
The tournament was grand and depicted as a no holds barred event that I loved; the violence of GOT has not been cut out.
Brothel scenes with T&A;
Dragons from the start! I read in a review that we'll see 17 in the first season.

 

[Samson]

People are complaining, saying the last scene Aemma is in should have a trigger warning.

My feelings is that the GOT series should have been enough of a trigger warning. If the torture, murder, rape and everything else in that series did not warn you of upsetting scenes then I am not sure what other warning is going to help.

Spoiler Beeb article with spoiler :

Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon has been criticised over the lack of trigger warnings for a graphic birth scene in its first episode.
But it's not the first show to hit the headlines over a lack of such warnings.
Netflix series 13 Reasons Why changed a series one scene in 2019 after criticism of how it handled suicide, while more recently fans of Thor: Love and Thunder called for warnings over cancer scenes.
So, is enough being done?
A record-breaking 10 million fans watched the House of the Dragon premiere, which contained a graphic scene called "triggering" by many people on social media.

In the episode, actor Paddy Considine's King Viserys orders a caesarean section to be performed on his wife Aemma Arryn - played by Sian Brooke - while she is conscious which kills both her and the baby.
Director Miguel Sapochnik told journalists his team asked "as many women as possible" if the birthing scene was too violent before they decided to keep it in.
But charities and some people who watched the show think there should be a trigger warning to let people know the gruesome scene is coming up.

Jen Coates, the director of bereavement support charity Sands, thinks it's "really important" for shows like House of the Dragon to create a space where people are aware of what might be shown.
"I think it's fairly traumatic for anybody actually," she tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.
"With 13 babies dying every day in the UK, the situation impacts an enormous community of people directly too."
Jen says Sands were one of the few outlets that put out spoiler and trigger warnings on the internet so "supporters know what to look out for".
"Trauma makes people feel guilt, shame, anger, you may be feeling very isolated sometimes," she adds.

Creator of trigger spoiler website Doesthedogdie.com, John Whipple, says he had forums warning viewers about the graphic scene.
He admits that "many trigger warnings on the site are very specific and don't apply to most people".
But he says: "On the other hand, everyone has something in their past they don't want to relive.
"Having prior knowledge going into a movie puts users back in control of how they experience entertainment."
He thinks streaming services should try "tailor the warnings to each user, possibly even recommending what to watch based on a user's specific triggers".

Viewer Jacqui Hoepner says the birth scene made her "leave the room".
Jacqui, who is from Australia, says a warning would be appropriate as it would've made her "more prepared" for the scene.
The scene reminded her of her own traumatic birth experience when she had an unplanned C-section as her baby was breech.
"I felt very out of control of the situation. It was a really terrifying experience, that's why the scene was triggering," she told Newsbeat.
"Considering half of the global population can have children and lots have experienced birth trauma, I think it would've been necessary".

 

[Kyriakos]

In theory, they could have such a warning in front of the episode - like what BBC does (did?) for shows where it applies.
But yes, like you said, this is (if anything) tamer than GoT, and probably not many viewers would find scenes problematic due to blood/gore.
The Boys, which arguably has worse gore and sex-scenes, does have such a warning. Which becomes a bit superfluous after a while, when you get what the style of the show is.

Personally I missed the iconic opening map sequence, which was a cool element in GoT.
There appears to be very little new music either, only variations of the Targaryen theme stand out.

 

[Samson]

When I watched it I thought that they were more careful to not show the gory details of childbirth than they were to not show the details of torture. Considering how much it happens, I am not sure that the sensibilities are really right. Sure, it is a traumatic event that many people experience, but hiding the details does not seem likely to make the world a better place.

 

[lymond]

I was going to return to it, but then a giant wave of internet rage informed me that they messed up the last 2 seasons big time. Seems like a waste to watch a show only to be let down like that right at the end. I assumed I would read the books instead, but I doubt that will happen either due to time constraints

Keep in mind that a lot of criticism came from book readers once the show moved past what was actually written (the book series is still not complete and may never be - it's been over 10 years since the last book and GRRM is still twiddling his thumbs). I read the books long before the series myself but enjoyed every season of the show - immensely - with the exception of the latter parts of the final season. Mainly my disappointment was how things turned out based on my expectations and partiality. In hindsight, and while I think certain things could have been handled better, I think there was a certain genius to how things turned out and much of it was most definitely foreshadowed in both book and show.
If you enjoy this type of genre then there really is nothing on the small screen that matches GOT. It will always be up there as one of the best series ever made.

 

[Fippy]

GoT started off so well that hype levels were at maximum, i'm not sure if book readers were a majority in the end..everybody started watching, books or not

If we talk about season ~4 till the end, Kingdom (asian series) kept me much more interested.
So that would be something i rate higher on small screens.
GoT did feed of peoples discussing, with all said and done now i'd say the experience could be average (for the last seasons).
Or maybe you like the dragons so much and they save it..

 

[EvaDK]

It was alright; comparable to the first aired episode of GoT.

My main worry right now, is that HotD becomes too repetitive of what we have already seen in the other show, just with more dragons and blonde wigs.

 

[Kyriakos]

If this is the actual intro, it's pretty pointless: no places to show, just a rocky inside with Targ family symbols.

They could have at least showed King's Landing and (going by the promo of episode 2) the place where a battle seems to be taking place. Instead of a metaphor for violence and incest (blood) and a rocky hardness.

 

[Kyriakos]

This business with HBO releasing "teasers" for the next episode, that have scenes from episodes further down the line, is rather vile. Battle scene when there's no battle.

Anyway, not a good sign that already in ep2 I had to wait for scenes to pass without caring at all.

Also:

Spoiler :

What is that idiocy with the "crab-feeder"? Does he have cannons and can destroy ships? Didn't expect Leatherface in a westeros setting.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Episode 2 was excellent and there is a story to tell. It is unfolding at a measured pace that brings in the future plot lines very nicely. There was no filler. The players, pieces, and relationships are getting their places as the foundation for the following episodes.

Anyway, not a good sign that already in ep2 I had to wait for scenes to pass without caring at all.

Says more about you than the show. You should consider taking a class on storytelling to help you understand the basics.

 

[Fippy]

Why watch teasers, Kyr? I'd never do that for series i already started

First 2 episodes were okay, maybe 7/10 if speaking in ratings.
I'm not that fast with giving out praise. Production values are good, no surprise there.
Wasn't too impressed with episode 1 until an interesting finale came along, some rather silly violence that felt forced.
King Viserys has convinced me as character, but he's the only one so far. Episode 2 has better pace imo (Kyr might disagree).

 

[Kyriakos]

Why watch teasers, Kyr? I'd never do that for series i already started

First 2 episodes were okay, maybe 7/10 if speaking in ratings.
I'm not that fast with giving out praise. Production values are good, no surprise there.
Wasn't too impressed with episode 1 until an interesting finale came along, some rather silly violence that felt forced.
King Viserys has convinced me as character, but he's the only one so far. Episode 2 has better pace imo (Kyr might disagree).

Imo other than the king, and maybe Daemon (possibly also due to the actor being recognizable), the rest of the cast is rather nondescript. The worst should be the hand of the king, who just doesn't have any gravity or presence, but the Velaryon leader is also not very believable.

 

[Sommerswerd]

I was going to return to it, but then a giant wave of internet rage informed me that they messed up the last 2 seasons big time. Seems like a waste to watch a show only to be let down like that right at the end. I assumed I would read the books instead, but I doubt that will happen either due to time constraints

It does not matter, the other seasons are worth watching. I did a whole writeup of how to selectively watch to avoid nerdrage disappointment and you actually can stretch it all the way to the last season as long as you stop with S8 Ep 2. The places to bail are 1) after you finish season six 2) after you finish season seven; 3) after you finish episode two of season eight. If you stop after any of those, you will avoid the vast majority, if not all of the "messing up".

 

[Birdjaguar]

The show has been renewed for season 2.

 

[Sommerswerd]

I started watching HoTD last night. So far, its OK, pretty standard GoT stuff. Kind of a rinse and repeat of the original. Enjoyable, but definitely has a retread, been there, done that, feel to it. All the characters and storylines feel like remixes of what they did in the original series.

 

[Kyriakos]

I started watching HoTD last night. So far, its OK, pretty standard GoT stuff. Kind of a rinse and repeat of the original. Enjoyable, but definitely has a retread, been there, done that, feel to it. All the characters and storylines feel like remixes of what they did in the original series.

I think they went into more trouble to establish the main characters in the first episodes of GoT, than in this one. Like Fippy said, only the king stands out.
A bit of a problem when in the small council table virtually no one else has any gravity. What is even the name and title and family of that (not the hand) bearded white guy advising the king? Iirc he is in two scenes already, and in one speaks for a while to the king, and yet he doesn't stand out as anyone and disappears in all other scenes.
Likewise for that kingsguard. In GoT they introduced Barristan by saying stuff you could remember as something connoting his worth, but what did this guy do other than look grim and have a mustache?

 

[MagisterCultuum]

I think they went into more trouble to establish the main characters in the first episodes of GoT, than in this one. Like Fippy said, only the king stands out.
A bit of a problem when in the small council table virtually no one else has any gravity. What is even the name and title and family of that (not the hand) bearded white guy advising the king? Iirc he is in two scenes already, and in one speaks for a while to the king, and yet he doesn't stand out as anyone and disappears in all other scenes.
Likewise for that kingsguard. In GoT they introduced Barristan by saying stuff you could remember as something connoting his worth, but what did this guy do other than look grim and have a mustache?

I think you mean Lyonel Strong, the Lord of Harrenhall and Master of Laws?

The Small Council members are nondescript enough I had to double check to make sure you didn't mean Lyman Beesbury (the Lord of Honeyholt and Master of Coin) or Grand Maester Mellos, but it seems they don't have beards.

I must say Lyonel Strong does seem to be miscast.

In the book he is a huge man, the closest thing his generation had to The Mountain, who is very muscular and has a reputation as a brawler. He should be mostly bald. He talks very slowly with a much softer voice than would be expected from a man of his size. The first impression most people get when meeting him is that he is a dimwitted brute, but in fact he is probably the most intelligent lord in all of Westeros. He was educated at the Citadel and was well on his way to becoming a Maester when his elder brother died and left him as the heir of Harrenhall. He will become more important later.

Spoiler :

He will become the new Hand of the King after Otto Hightower is stripped of his office for his constantly badgering Viserys to set Rhaenyra aside and declare Alicent's son Aegon as his designated heir. Lyonel is still part of Otto's faction but knows when to keep quiet lest he anger his king.

His son Harwin "Breakbones" Strong will take over for Daemon as the head of the City Watch. He is said to be the strongest man in Westeros and was named Rhaenyra's sworn sword. He is widely rumored to be a lover of Rhaenyra and the true father of his first 3 sons. They look a lot like him and nothing like her husband Laenor Velaryon. It is an open secret that Laenor is gay, like Renly Baratheon 200 years later.

Lyonel's other son Larys the Clubfoot will join the Small Council as Master of Whisperers (the spymaster, Varys' position in GoT) and Lord Confessor (the chief torturer).

 

[Sommerswerd]

I think they went into more trouble to establish the main characters in the first episodes of GoT, than in this one. Like Fippy said, only the king stands out.
A bit of a problem when in the small council table virtually no one else has any gravity. What is even the name and title and family of that (not the hand) bearded white guy advising the king? Iirc he is in two scenes already, and in one speaks for a while to the king, and yet he doesn't stand out as anyone and disappears in all other scenes.
Likewise for that kingsguard. In GoT they introduced Barristan by saying stuff you could remember as something connoting his worth, but what did this guy do other than look grim and have a mustache?

Yeah all the characters feel like poor man's versions of the GoT characters.

 

[Birdjaguar]

The House of the Dragon show is rooted in an existing story and will focus the Dance of Dragons which comes later. Season 1 is just the set up. If viewership stays strong, I would expect maybe 6 seasons of storytelling.