House of the Dragon 1x01 "Heirs of the Dragon"

For all topics regarding speculative fiction of every stripe. Otherwise known as the Geek Cave.
User avatar
CharlesPhipps
Captain
Posts: 4956
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:06 pm

Re: House of the Dragon 1x01 "Heirs of the Dragon"

Post by CharlesPhipps »

clearspira wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 5:53 am
The last good episode wasn't 2019 though. That's like saying ''The Simpsons isn't a relic of the 1990s because its still on in 2022.'' Nah, bull. It hasn't been popular since about 1997.
I was briefly confused because I thought, "So it hasn't been popular since A Game of Thrones was in paperback?"

But I get it now.

In any case, I hope this is the start of a A Song of Ice and Fire Renaissance.
User avatar
McAvoy
Captain
Posts: 3920
Joined: Thu Oct 24, 2019 3:55 am
Location: East Windsor, NJ

Re: House of the Dragon 1x01 "Heirs of the Dragon"

Post by McAvoy »

clearspira wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 5:53 am
CharlesPhipps wrote: Mon Aug 22, 2022 11:06 am
clearspira wrote: Mon Aug 22, 2022 6:45 am There is no hype for this at all. This show should have been released a long time ago, as it is, its a relic of the 2010s.
It's been 3 years since the last Game of Thrones episode. So, a relic of the 2010s is....2019.

Then there was that Pandemic Thing.

In any case, I'm seeing a pretty good rising tide of enthusiasm.
The last good episode wasn't 2019 though. That's like saying ''The Simpsons isn't a relic of the 1990s because its still on in 2022.'' Nah, bull. It hasn't been popular since about 1997.
Still makes no sense. Calling it a relic of the 2010's because of a lack of a good episode in its last season in 2019.
I got nothing to say here.
User avatar
CharlesPhipps
Captain
Posts: 4956
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:06 pm

Re: House of the Dragon 1x01 "Heirs of the Dragon"

Post by CharlesPhipps »

hammerofglass wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 10:13 am GOT was still water-cooler conversation levels of popular in 2019 though, even if there hadn't been a good episode for years.
Here's the thing, until HBO bought Southpark, Game of Thrones was STILL the most streamed show they had by far.

https://www.businessinsider.com/game-of ... ata-2022-6

This is from June this year. Reruns were beating out Westworld.
User avatar
hammerofglass
Captain
Posts: 2627
Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2021 3:17 pm
Location: Corning, NY

Re: House of the Dragon 1x01 "Heirs of the Dragon"

Post by hammerofglass »

CharlesPhipps wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 6:08 pm
hammerofglass wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 10:13 am GOT was still water-cooler conversation levels of popular in 2019 though, even if there hadn't been a good episode for years.
Here's the thing, until HBO bought Southpark, Game of Thrones was STILL the most streamed show they had by far.

https://www.businessinsider.com/game-of ... ata-2022-6

This is from June this year. Reruns were beating out Westworld.
That's interesting. I didn't enjoy the later seasons but glad somebody does.
When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty.
User avatar
McAvoy
Captain
Posts: 3920
Joined: Thu Oct 24, 2019 3:55 am
Location: East Windsor, NJ

Re: House of the Dragon 1x01 "Heirs of the Dragon"

Post by McAvoy »

One thing I did notice was in the beginning how they intentionally showed the inside of the Red Keep to look like the inside as it looked in the later seasons of GoT. The small courtyard where Cersai had Westeros painted. The giant spiral stairs where the Mountain and the Houd fought. I also don't remember seeing that many people inside it either, though it makes sense in this series as this is supposed to be the height and the beginning of the fall of Tagaryen rule.

Kinda interesting they extended the Iron Throne look into a 'spillage' of melted swords all around the throne.
I got nothing to say here.
User avatar
CharlesPhipps
Captain
Posts: 4956
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:06 pm

Re: House of the Dragon 1x01 "Heirs of the Dragon"

Post by CharlesPhipps »

hammerofglass wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 7:31 pm
CharlesPhipps wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 6:08 pm
hammerofglass wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 10:13 am GOT was still water-cooler conversation levels of popular in 2019 though, even if there hadn't been a good episode for years.
Here's the thing, until HBO bought Southpark, Game of Thrones was STILL the most streamed show they had by far.

https://www.businessinsider.com/game-of ... ata-2022-6

This is from June this year. Reruns were beating out Westworld.
That's interesting. I didn't enjoy the later seasons but glad somebody does.
They could be watching 1-5 for all I know. But yes.
User avatar
McAvoy
Captain
Posts: 3920
Joined: Thu Oct 24, 2019 3:55 am
Location: East Windsor, NJ

Re: House of the Dragon 1x01 "Heirs of the Dragon"

Post by McAvoy »

CharlesPhipps wrote: Wed Aug 24, 2022 2:08 am
hammerofglass wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 7:31 pm
CharlesPhipps wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 6:08 pm
hammerofglass wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 10:13 am GOT was still water-cooler conversation levels of popular in 2019 though, even if there hadn't been a good episode for years.
Here's the thing, until HBO bought Southpark, Game of Thrones was STILL the most streamed show they had by far.

https://www.businessinsider.com/game-of ... ata-2022-6

This is from June this year. Reruns were beating out Westworld.
That's interesting. I didn't enjoy the later seasons but glad somebody does.
They could be watching 1-5 for all I know. But yes.
Possible that people were rewatching due to House of the Dragon. Are there figures for previous months or even years since the finale?
I got nothing to say here.
User avatar
CharlesPhipps
Captain
Posts: 4956
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:06 pm

Re: House of the Dragon 1x01 "Heirs of the Dragon"

Post by CharlesPhipps »

McAvoy wrote: Wed Aug 24, 2022 2:41 pm Possible that people were rewatching due to House of the Dragon. Are there figures for previous months or even years since the finale?
The article was from June of this year.
User avatar
CharlesPhipps
Captain
Posts: 4956
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:06 pm

Re: House of the Dragon 1x01 "Heirs of the Dragon"

Post by CharlesPhipps »

Well generally I think everyone did an okay job with the standouts being Paddy Considine who plays a nuanced and likable guy who is stuck with a job he is manifestly unqualified for but is managing to not fuck it up nearly as much as most kings by simply avoiding getting into any wars or major conflicts. However, the standout performance of the episode is definitely the throne room scene where he completely loses his shit. The thing is, we KNOW that he's being manipulated into all of this by his creepy advisor but it's still nice to see him stand up for himself.

Daemon Targaryen as Matt Smith feels very much like someone created a character deliberately to be a likable bad boy who fills the Jaime Lannister and Tyrion role. The thing is that there's a lot of ways they can play it as either a villain or antihero and Matt Smith manages to thread the needle of him having done some reprehensible shit on screen but to make him enough of a guy who loves his family that you sympathize with him. Oddly, I don't have a problem with the dragons (the fact they have breathing movements is a major plus for me) but I do think his armor looked fucking ridiculous.

Everyone else is...fine.

The teenage girls seem likeable enough but there's not enough contrast between them versus, say, Arya and Sansa. Both of the are highborn ladies even if one is more bookish and the other is a dragonriding badass in the making. Rhys Ifans' Ser Otto Hightower is probably the best actor after Paddy and Matt Smith but he is pretty understated so far with only the fact he's willing to pimp his own daughter giving a sense of just how skeevy he really is.

I'm a little disappointed that Sonoya Mizuno's Mysaria doesn't get more than a couple of scenes where she's mostly just saying generic dialogue (which is not normally how I'd catalog soliciting a threesome). I'd like to know more about her and Daemon's relationship. She seems to be the one who is genuinely happy Daemon's nephew died at the party, which he is having none of, but not much else. Shae got a massive upgrade in character in the show and I hope the same would be here.

Like I said there's some good acting here but there's not enough character beats so far to really be quite there up with GOT's pilot. You fell in love with virtually everyone in the first episode of GOT from Tyrion to Arya to even Catelyn. So that's a bit disappointing but it's still much-much-much better than the latter seasons.
User avatar
CharlesPhipps
Captain
Posts: 4956
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:06 pm

Re: House of the Dragon 1x01 "Heirs of the Dragon"

Post by CharlesPhipps »

HBO renewed the show for a second season.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv ... 235199922/

The move came relatively quickly following the series premiere of Dragon on Sunday, which delivered 10 million viewers overnight — an HBO record for a series opener and roughly on par with the premiere of Game of Thrones season six. Now HBO reports that in the days since, the premiere viewership has climbed to 20 million viewers.
Post Reply