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

Slydice · 21-08-2022 5:58pm #1

Making a non book reader thread as I remember GOT was having book readers posting a lot.

(also I recently found the wheel of time tv series thread was hard to follow because of the book readers there)

Right. Series doesn't seem too far back in the past. One timestamp saying 172 years.. so all within 200 years of GoT I'm guessing.

IMDB says: The story of the House Targaryen set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones (2011).

Short Teaser Trailer:

House of the Dragon | Official Teaser | HBO Max

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNwwt25mheo

More links:

Official Trailer (youtube) - Comic-Con Extended Trailer (youtube) - IMDB page - Rotten Tomatoes page - Wiki page

The first episode is in the wild..

1: Well.. it includes a backstory at the start and then introduces what's going on in this prequel.

I think I've probably have forgotten a lot of GoT stuff as I'm pretty sure there were lots of nods to stuff I probably saw in it.

Definitely has a bunch of fightin/sexin/machinations and Dragons!

I thought the look and feel of the episode felt more fantasy/lord of the rings-ey than how I remember the early Game of Thrones episodes.

The overall story.. yeesh.. feels a bit forced. I dunno. At a guess..

So like.. it's gonna be the two cousins then.. fighting it out to be heir.. eh.. alright then. I'm guessing this must be a distraction.. something of a 'hey look at this' while the magician is doing something to the side so that a GoT style surprise will be pulled later. That said.. it's because I'm guessing this will not be as season 8 style GoT plot as season 8 GoT was.

The writer of Colony TV series (boards thread) and I assume GRRM are who I'm guessing are leading the story. With either of them I'd be expecting surprises.

There was one scene where I could spot some green screen effect I think

The funeral.. as the dragon walked down.. the two dudes looked wierd.. I think they were computered into the scene. Dragon looked alright I think but I was distracted by them.

RobbingBandit · 21-08-2022 9:20pm

Great start a lot happens in such a short hour I'm gonna steer clear of here until Tuesday morning give people a chance to see it in full.

El Gato De Negocios · 21-08-2022 9:42pm

Just finished. Twas OK, good, not great. Doesn't look as polished / crisp as GoT imo. I'm just not buying Matt Smith either. Considine was good though, as was Ifans. Will definitely watch it all and see where it goes but after GoT is it just gonna be a similar story with different characters.

Evade · 22-08-2022 9:49am

It was alright for a first episode, I'll give it a few mode to see how it goes. Did it look a bit cheaper than GoT or was it just me?

Sandor Clegane · 22-08-2022 12:44pm

It definitely looked a bit cheaper, CGI looked a bit ropey in spots too,

Also I just can't warm to Smith.

corkie · 22-08-2022 3:03pm

https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/The_Heirs_of_the_Dragon

https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/house-of-the-dragon-episode-1-review-the-heirs-of-the-dragon/

Though much of this first episode understandably focuses on Viserys, it’s clear that House of the Dragon will soon rest on Rhaenyra’s shoulders. Thankfully it looks like young actress Milly Alcock is more than up to the task before Emma D’Arcy takes over as the older (but perhaps not wiser) princess.

Was wondering why two actress where credited for the role of Rhaenyra.

Emma D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (voice only)
Milly Alcock as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen

Dial Hard · 22-08-2022 3:11pm

I suspect there are significantly fewer readers of this source material, tbh.

Anyway, I really enjoyed it. Solid first episode that left me looking forward to next week. Dragon CGI definitely wasn't at the same level as GoT but I can live with that, I guess. Love that they kept the original theme music.

Do we really need spoiler tags? It would be nice to discuss each episode openly. I'd like to assume people are intelligent enough to stay out of the thread until they've watched each episode.

Dial Hard · 22-08-2022 3:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119503243#Comment_119503243

Agree with you on Smith, have never been a fan. Plus, he looked more like a Lothlorien elf than a Targaryen in this, imo.

pjcb · 22-08-2022 7:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119505951#Comment_119505951

thats been super confusing as the younger actress aren't that young

RobbingBandit · 22-08-2022 7:47pm

Matt Smith is playing a grown up Joffery type with a sword and an intention to use it he will be as hated as Joffery was

mjsc1970 · 22-08-2022 11:26pm

Ok. That was enjoyable.

I'll leave it there

McFly85 · 23-08-2022 8:30am

I liked it. It was a nice setup episode for what looks to be a smaller Game of Thrones, which is no bad thing, considering the mess it became in the last 2 seasons.

It looks a lot more CGI heavy, but that may have been a decision made due to COVID, still it didn’t look too bad.

Most of the casting is great too, particularly Considine & Ifans. I’m not sold on Smith, I think he’s the type where I’m always very aware that he’s acting and it takes me out of it a bit, but it’s not a dealbreaker.

is_that_so · 23-08-2022 8:32am

Liked that as a starter and it was a straightforward laying out of the lie of the land. Hard to say if anybody is awful but I can see how Matt Smith might get on people's nerves. Like GOT it'll be where the overall season evolves and it will be interesting to see how the change in actresses works with the planned time shift.

One thing I did like was the reworking of the GOT theme. Fits nicely into this.

Penn · 23-08-2022 8:54am

I thought it was a decent start. Well cast, well acted, set up the characters fairly well. It is annoying that it seems like every family has about 5 base names and everyone is just named a variance of it, which makes it difficult enough to track some characters or recognise previous mentions of them.

I thought Matt Smith was fantastic. He plays snide and scheming pretty well. The only issue I had was it nearly felt him and the young actress were being dubbed when speaking Valyerian.

The actual dragons I feel are going to be fairly boring and I hope they're used sparingly, but a show about scheming and plotting for the throne and just the machinations of that world without having to aim towards the crescendo of Night King/Mad Queen has a lot of promise.

Man Vs ManUre · 23-08-2022 9:00am

Will all episodes be released or it is 1 episode a week for the next 10 or so weeks??

Dial Hard · 23-08-2022 9:03am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119509356#Comment_119509356

One a week.

Drumpot · 23-08-2022 9:07am

Glad there’s more balanced commends in here then the 9/10 reviews it’s been getting.

6/10 is a fair score for that episode.

ohnonotgmail · 23-08-2022 9:09am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119509338#Comment_119509338

I turned on the subtitles in the hope they would include in the name of the person speaking. They didn't. In fact the subtitles were a mess. It wasn't always clear who was speaking.

TheIrishGrover · 23-08-2022 9:12am

It was not bad. Especially liked Rhys Ifans and Steve Toussaint. But remains to be seen how much of the cast will be around by the end of Season 1 and I may lose interest if most are dead by the end.

It's not very subtle:

Viserys' hand on Arya's dagger as he explains that "Winter is coming" and I couldn't help laughing at "He called this "The song of Ice and Fire"". I couldn't help thinking of Peter Griffin going:

Matt Smith practically ATE the scenery, throne and all. I get it, he's being painted as the bad guy.... But with layers (Like an ogre 😀). Sort of a cross between Joffery and Jamie Lannister. And all the nods to the GoT families.

As for the effects, yeah, there was a bit near the start where they are riding through a courtyard and it definitely looked like some poor composition. But, as has been said, this was most likely down to Covid restrictions. No, my biggest issue with the effects was

At the end, when Eagon is taking off. I thought it looked SO silly. All I could think of was "Jesus Christ, they are REALLY getting thrown around as it takes off. Their backs!!!"

But one has to remember, this is a TV SHOW! I remember posting something a few years ago about the effects work in the last couple of seasons. That, only maybe 2 or 3 years before they aired, those level of effects would have been the selling point of a HUGE summer blockbuster.

But it was better than I expected. Mainly down to the secondary casting. I know it had HUGE viewership (Congrats.) but I'm not 100% convinced it can maintain that level of interest. I will continue to watch it and wish everyone (Especially the crew) well but I STILL think it's got a hard time getting that "Water Cooler" following.

Penn · 23-08-2022 9:19am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119509400#Comment_119509400

I think the King is Viserys (like Danearys' brother from Season 1 of GOT). Matt Smith is Daemon (like Aemon who was the Maester at the Night's Watch who was also a Targaryen). The young girl is Rhaenyra (like Prince Rhaegar, who was Jon Snow's real father), and the Queen That Never Was is Rhaenys.

Even the Stark was Rickon Stark like the youngest of Ned's sons.

I know the names and family trees were all done by GRRM way back when, but it's not going to make it easy to follow.

Dial Hard · 23-08-2022 9:26am

I ask again, are spoiler tags really warranted? They make a thread very cumbersome, imo. Perhaps a mod could clarify?

TagoMago · 23-08-2022 9:33am

Thought it was a pretty good opening episode, that intercut scene was pretty harrowing, haven't been made feel queasy like that since GoT S4!

Matt Smith seems to be polarising but by all accounts its a pretty polarising character so will be interesting to see how it develops

Didn't really notice a drop in quality in terms of effects, but think I was comparing it to equivalent scene setters in GoT S1 (particularly the tourney) so in that sense it's a marked improvement

TheIrishGrover · 23-08-2022 9:34am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119509445#Comment_119509445

Yep

FortuneChip · 23-08-2022 9:34am

Can't say I was too won over by anything that happened. It wasn't bad, just couldn't really get too excited by any of it.

Personally felt Matt Smith was the standout performer. He's a bit warped, and jaded, and petty, but he's no coward like Joffrey.

Rhys Ifans seemed well suited for his role. In a position of influence, and keeping his cards mostly close, he'll no doubt be complex enough to follow.

With regards the "Song of Ice & Fire" dream, at this point in time, would this prophecy of The Prince That Was Promised exist? If so, why would such a secretive dream be needed to drive the urgency? Or is it just the specifics of the dream that make it so meaningful, whereas the Prince prophecy is more vague?

ohnonotgmail · 23-08-2022 10:16am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119509409#Comment_119509409

A lot has changed in the 11 years since GoT was released. Are there any water cooler shows now?

mjsc1970 · 23-08-2022 11:31am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119509400#Comment_119509400

Yep. Agree.

TheIrishGrover · 23-08-2022 2:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119509712#Comment_119509712

To prove your point, previously this thread would have had MANY times more entries by this time.

Dial Hard · 23-08-2022 2:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119511089#Comment_119511089

I'd sat that's as much a function of the decline of Boards as it is an indictment of the TV show. The site just doesn't have the users it used to.

Penn · 23-08-2022 2:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119511105#Comment_119511105

Plus a lot of people got burned by the last season of GOT. GOT didn't start off with the viewership or level of discussion in the first season that it had by the last, and so a lot of people are probably waiting to see how this fares out by the end of the season before they decide whether it's worth watching or not. This is a new time, new story, new characters, and 3 years since the end of GOT... people don't have the same level of investment in it yet.

walshb · 23-08-2022 2:45pm

For someone who liked GOT for a couple a seasons and then felt it was pure g1ck, I think I’ll give this a miss.

BruteStock · 23-08-2022 2:54pm

10M views for that episode. HBO's most watched premiere ever. Pretty much everybody I know is watching it and and talking about it.

23-08-2022 3:11pm

Doesn't (and can't) have the freshness that GoT had over a decade ago.

The family tree exposition stuff wasn't done all that well I thought and yes the names themselves are off-putting.

When the dragons finally made it into GoT it was a bit of a CGI-fest compared to what came before and they are obviously here from the start.

Hasn't really grabbed me.

feelings · 23-08-2022 3:47pm

Not a fan of Matt Smith in this roll. He was one of the best Dr. Who's but I didn't warm to him at all in this.

_Kaiser_ · 23-08-2022 5:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119511105#Comment_119511105

Plus this thread is buried in this sub-forum rather than the main TV one

Watched it last night and I really enjoyed it myself. I was late to the GoT party anyway (watched 6 seasons back to back) and I love that they kept the music/audio cues and the general feel of the parent show.

I think Damon was great myself, but other standouts being the King and the Hand (though you'd miss Tywin and Tyrion's sardonic attitudes). First episode sets things up well and I'm glad thay they're still focusing on the political intrigue and backstabbing rather than "ooh, Dragons!!"

Looking forward to more.

Galwayguy35 · 23-08-2022 6:51pm

Not a bad opening episode, thought the dragons didn't look very realistic but apart from that looks like it might be a decent watch.

23-08-2022 7:02pm

i was underwhelmed, to be honest. A big hype in the build up then didn't really deliver. 6/10 would be my score. i'll stay with it and see how it develops.

geecee · 23-08-2022 11:28pm

Rhys Ifans was definitely channelling Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister) in the early scenes at the Kings council, I was expecting his surname to be Lannister!

Homelander · 24-08-2022 8:38pm

I thought it was pretty OK. Not amazing, but being fair it took me a few episodes to really get enthralled in Game of Thrones as well, but definitely solid enough as a scene setter.

Cast was good, maybe Matt Smith was a little two one-dimensional and hamming it up a bit, but no major complaints.

24-08-2022 10:15pm

I enjoyed that a lot more than I thought I would. Gathered it was serviceable from some headlines so had low expectations. Far exceeded them. Glad to have something decent to watch week to week. There's a great menace about Daemon. Didn't know Matt Smith had it in him.

ardinn · 25-08-2022 5:45pm

I enjoyed it, it was fairly gruesome in parts I thought, Got was aswell but it led up to it - I nearly turned it off at the birth (not sure why - im not squeamish) Maybe thats a compliment to the way it was acted.

The names are infuriating however.

Of course its early days, id give it a 7, maybe an 8/10 for entertainment.

Dial Hard · 25-08-2022 5:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119521771#Comment_119521771

I had to look away at parts of the section too and I'm not normally squeamish either.

The names don't bother me, I have to say. It's just a device GRRM uses.

gmisk · 25-08-2022 8:40pm

Finished first episode.

If I had to sum it up.

Watchable, enjoyable, predictable.

26-08-2022 12:49am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119521782#Comment_119521782

What do you mean by a device he uses

corkie · 26-08-2022 5:42pm

Renewed for second season.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/26/game-of-thrones-hbo-renews-house-of-the-dragon-for-season-2.html

pjcb · 29-08-2022 2:47am

Does the king doesn't think he'll live long enough to wait 2 years to try and get the younger lady pregnant?

Did the hand not think that Daemon would have a dragon on call?

Tristram · 29-08-2022 12:30pm

Second episode is excellent. So many interesting ways this could develop. Can't wait for next week. Hope they can manage to sustain pace and momentum over the course of ten episodes.