Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

House of the Dragon - GoT Prequel Series (non book reader)

1…161718192022»

Comments

  • #632
    breezy1985
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,718 ✭✭✭✭breezy1985


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122468390#Comment_122468390

    Ya it was usually episode 9 of 10 that was the big climax or action episode in GoT.

    Good that they put an end date on this. Was worried they might try to spin us in circles for years "Lost" style.



  • #633
    thefa
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 988 ✭✭✭thefa


    Another good episode. Problem for me is that it feels like episode 8 of a 10 episode season. Appreciate most of the character development but there’s about a full episode of dreams and dialogue that could probably have been cut in lieu of an action set piece. Maybe, in the fullness of time, it will be good to watch through as a completed series but it felt like a little lacking.


    Just a few thoughts on the episode itself.

    Thought the Addam & Corlys scene was very good. I still fancy the chances of Addam being made the heir of Driftmark if they survive.

    Ulf seems like a complete disaster. Himself and Jace obviously aren’t getting on either. At least Hugh has his wits about him but didn’t seem to like the idea of attacking towns. Allyn seems to be very loyal and have Rhaenyra’s trust already.

    Helaena’s fortune telling seems to be unquestioned and gives a good bit away if all true! Between that and Daemon’s visions, a few of the outcomes seem to be decided already.

    I felt like another Alicent & Rhaenyra secret meet up was excessive but I guess it opened up the opportunity for taking kings landing and showed how the characters changed from early in the season. If she can take kings landing but the Essos fleet surrounds kings landing, then I guess she will end up with the problems Aemond has been badly dealing with?

    Was Alicent really willing to have Aegon killed? Granted he’s not in best condition but also have to presume Aemond isn’t left alive given his personality. Were Larys and Alicent in cahoots on getting Aegon out of the city as it seemed separate?



  • #634
    bren2001
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,905 ✭✭✭bren2001


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122469426#Comment_122469426

    Were Larys and Alicent in cahoots on getting Aegon out of the city as it seemed separate?

    No. Otherwise the conversation with Rhaenyra is pointless.



  • #635
    breezy1985
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,718 ✭✭✭✭breezy1985


    Ya that's definitely Larys making his own play.

    I think she knows both sons are gonners and is making an honest plea to save the daughter. Thing is her "good son" that we haven't seen is also in trouble because he could be a rally point for Greens.



  • #636
    Homelander
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,431 ✭✭✭Homelander


    Slight letdown of a finale, definitely felt very much like an Episode 8 in the normal run of things. Everything leading up to the final minute feels like there should've been an episode 9 with enormous plot advancement and then a tenth to deal with the aftermath and set things up for the next season.

    Enjoyed the season overall but the flow and pacing this time around just wasn't as good as the first. Daemon lingering around Harrenhaal and the Sea Snake constantly at the docks, others moving in circles quite a bit, eg how many times did Rhaenyra have a "my tactics are being questioned" moment.

    Felt kinda like they wanted to give everyone some screen time even when said person wasn't always doing anything of any major significance.

    Still "good" but second half of the season was somewhat disappointing, first half was much stronger I thought.



  • Advertisement
  • #637
    Yeah Right
    Registered Users Posts: 635 ✭✭✭Yeah Right


    I get the impression that this was supposed to be 9 or 10 episodes and they crammed it into 8. Removing all the 'puff' pieces and leaving the meat of the two episodes just makes everything seem rushed, I just don't understand why they'd do something like this for what is, essentially, a cash cow. You'd think they'd have learned with GoT…….

    Why bother with the Tyland Lannister scenes at all? What's the point of introducing new characters in the season finale? Just shift that part to episode 1 of the new season and it will make more sense. Even the casting choice of the 'tough girl' admiral was off.

    Why is Laena/Baela running around, sleeping rough, chasing dragons? Hasn't she got one of the most important jobs of all?

    Showing the aftermath of Sharp point being burned seems like a cop out. Let's see vhagar with the stabilisers off, please. If you're gonna show that she's the size of a castle but able to hide in the sky somehow, at least let us see Aemond's embarrassment become manifest in him scorching a load of smallfolk.

    Similarly, seeing all this royalty slipping in and out of heavily-fortified strongholds also seems like a cop-out…….Nobody noticed the cripple putting the newly-crippled king the back of a wild west style covered wagon and escaping? Nobody?

    Criston Cole is an absolute shambolic character. I get that these guys are supposed to be morally grey but he's done more u-turns than Sinn Féin. The scene of him waxing philosophical while holding the hanky was hilarious for the wrong reasons.

    The dragon riders are good, can't see the Ulf guy staying with team black for much longer, however.

    Corlys' other son decides now is the time to give him an earful over missing birthdays? Why is he working for him if he hates him so much?

    Daemon and Rhaenyra are back together now? Yay……wait isn't she into women now?

    Too many questions. Too rushed. Too game of thrones-y. Too bad I loved most of it and will probably rewatch the sh1t out of it until season 3.



  • #638
    bren2001
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,905 ✭✭✭bren2001


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122470737#Comment_122470737

    I get the impression that this was supposed to be 9 or 10 episodes and they crammed it into 8.

    They finished writing the show in January 2023. In March 2023, they announced it was reduced from 10 episodes to 8 and something had to be moved to Season 3. Pretty clear they wrote 10 and were only given a budget for 8.



  • #639
    Penn
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 34,018 ✭✭✭✭Penn


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122470737#Comment_122470737

    "Corlys' other son decides now is the time to give him an earful over missing birthdays? Why is he working for him if he hates him so much?"

    I'd say there probably isn't much work in that area other than on the crews of the ships, but he and his brother were just general crew until that son helped rescue Corlys when his ship was attacked and he went missing, presumed dead. So their positions were elevated because of that, then Corlys obviously started paying them more attention as he realised they were probably his illegitimate sons, elevated them further, than Adam got a dragon.

    So I think their familial relationship was probably known or suspected in the past but completely ignored, but now it's all coming to the forefront.

    It's probably one of the story arcs I like the most to be honest. Really like all the actors, especially Corlys, and will be interested to see how it develops.

    As for Rhaenyra being into women now, she may be bisexual, or just got caught up in the moment due to isolation and loneliness and whatshername offering a comforting shoulder.



  • #640
    breezy1985
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,718 ✭✭✭✭breezy1985


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122470737#Comment_122470737

    Early GoT used to skip the battles too and just show the aftermath. It was a way of dealing with the more limited budgets early on. At times I wish it had stayed that way.

    Everything about the Tyland scene was just a load of silly cliche "yyyaaarr" pirate shte.

    They really need to age Cole more. Would help sell the idea that he is just sick of all this sht and seen too much. I do like his scenes though.

    Corlys son does seem pretty loyal to him and the job. I wouldn't read too much into him losing it with the father the odd time.

    As for Rhaenyra surely you are old enough to have heard of bisexuals.



  • #641
    Sudden Valley
    Registered Users Posts: 4,155 ✭✭✭Sudden Valley


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122470816#Comment_122470816

    I don't think she wants Daemon back to be honest. But given there was quite a few filler scenes in episode 7 and 8 I was surprised that the Mysaria scenes were so flat after their scene in episode 6.



  • Advertisement
  • #642
    bren2001
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,905 ✭✭✭bren2001


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122470787#Comment_122470787

    Why is he working for him if he hates him so much?

    He doesn't really have a choice. Corlys is the head of the House Velaryon and Lord of Driftmark. He'd likely be executed if he didn't obey his Lord or tried to flee.

    A Lord ignoring their bastard and letting them live in poverty is normal enough. Its an interesting storyline with the 3 of them.



  • #643
    expectationlost
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,962 ✭✭✭✭expectationlost


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122470757#Comment_122470757

    surely thats the show runners fault for going over budget…



  • #644
    bren2001
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,905 ✭✭✭bren2001


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122475269#Comment_122475269

    No.

    After HBO were acquired, they slashed budgets on everything. Very likely HotD didn't get the budget they were promised



  • #645
    PhiloCypher
    Registered Users Posts: 2,390 ✭✭✭PhiloCypher


    Anyone thinking the blue balls from that cliffhanger is being resolved in the opening episodes of season 3 is in for a rude awakening. If season 2 is anything to go by they only have room in the budget for one blow out episode a season and they aren't going to use it up in the first 2 episodes. That Tyoshi fleet and Lanister army are going to take till episode 4 or 5 to reach their destinations.



  • #646
    bren2001
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,905 ✭✭✭bren2001


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122475891#Comment_122475891

    We could also possibly start the season in the aftermath of battles.



  • #647
    Brief_Lives
    Registered Users Posts: 3,179 ✭✭✭Brief_Lives


    Season 2 is finished?



  • #648
    This is it
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,587 ✭✭✭This is it


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122476161#Comment_122476161

    I've only just finished episode 8, came here to read over the last few days and thinking that couldn't have been the season finale... :/



  • #649
    Liamalone
    Registered Users Posts: 4,964 ✭✭✭Liamalone


    Fantastic!



  • #650
    The Golden Miller
    Registered Users Posts: 5,492 ✭✭✭The Golden Miller


    In the end of season 2, the biggest thing I took away from it, was how beautiful Alicent looked, ironically more beautiful the more pressure she looked under. Something about her eyes, looks stunning.

    Otherwise it ended up being a season of filler tbh, after how good season 1 was, and parts of season 2 started. Far too long with this dream stuff in the riverlands, and on the docks and in dragonstone.

    A case of dragging something over 4 seasons, that just doesn't have the material to carry it, like the Hobbit films. Hopefully season 3 and 4 will be better, but annoying we waited so long for nothing to actually happen.

    A similar case, but not quite as bad, as waiting over 30 years to see what officially came next after episode 6 in Star Wars, only to be given a complete rehash of episode 4.

    So all I took away from HotD season 2 was, was how beautiful Alicent was haha, which was all that kept me coming back tbh.

    Ironically Rings of Power started slow, but the second age is covered in such detail, even in the appendices, that we won't have the issue of a lack of material to space the coming seasons. It's mental that there's such detail in the appendices of LotRs alone, that they'll still have to cut stuff out.

    Just shows the difference in quality. The Wheel of Time similar. But that will suffer the opposite problem from it's source material, an author who tried to drag it out to give the impression he could do world building as well as Tolkien.

    Thats the problem with GRRM, he takes the Tolkien blueprint, but adds shock value to try and separate himself, but on the whole simply doesn't hold up. The surface of Middle Earth hasn't even been scratched for a live action audience, whereas we're at the point if dragging it out for Westeros



  • #651
    Loafing Oaf
    Registered Users Posts: 16,673 ✭✭✭✭Loafing Oaf


    This is 'real' apparently

    Untitled Image

    so I guess that makes young Oscar

    Untitled Image

    Does his mother not have to be Piggy Tully?



  • Advertisement
  • #652
    Goldengirl
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,065 ✭✭✭✭Goldengirl


    Disappointing and rushed .

    Obviously just setting up for the next season , but where was the big penultimate or finale episode .

    Feel cheated .

    Bu..ut will of course watch Season 3 !



  • #653
    bewareofthedog
    Registered Users Posts: 392 ✭✭bewareofthedog


    Boring dialogue and characters with a dragged out plot. Going around in circles for the last 6 episodes with a crap finale to boot. Extremely average show especially compared to the original.



  • #654
    expectationlost
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,962 ✭✭✭✭expectationlost


    good honest trailer

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7oeOvOupR0

    although, filler is the most overused and misused word in TV discussions, and The Fly was a 'bottle episode'.



Advertisement