House of the Dragon - Episode 1 Season 1 | a Review
originally published on 18/09/2022;
Hello everyone, I am the singer of icy, yet fiery songs, G.E.M.Simov, a born maniac of fantastical proportions, here to tell you all about the First Episode of the First Season (seeing as there’s almost definitely going to be a second one) of the serial: “House of the Dragon”.
Simple review details - I try to rank films on an out of 10 basis, granting up to 3 points in 3 categories, as well as a last, single point from my own self, depending on my experience with it. Due to the fact that this is a fundamentally unfinished work, I will have to slightly change up my criteria, and follow up the collection of episodic reviews with a review for the season, collectively, in which I will be able to present everything that needs to be said in as complete a manner as possible.
In addition, as a disclaimer, I might refer to this episode as ‘the movie’ or ‘the film’ (used interchangeably), by merit of the fact that it is an hour long. As a secondary disclaimer, I will abstract myself wholly from the idea of having read “A Song of Ice and Fire”, as well as the idea of having watched “Game of Thrones”, and will attempt to view and judge this based on its own merits, as its own thing.
Presentation
Considering the fact that this is a movie shot in the very recent past, and considering the capabilities of technology as it is, it looks pretty decent from the point of view of fidelity itself. However, fidelity is not what we are looking for, really, when I set my sights on the Presentation of a film.
What is important - and what I am looking for - is plausibility, which almost overlaps with believability, albeit not completely, with a number of other things that have to do with the immersion of the viewer, as well as the conveyance of the emotional states of the characters or even the overall state of the story in question.
In addition to that, there’s the topic of sound to be considered, and I will start with that. The music played throughout the first episode of House of the Dragon (henceforth HOTD) was not impactful or truly noticeable, with a few dour exceptions. What that means to say is that the music, overall, was passable, even decent, but it failed to leave an impression, good or bad, on yours truly.
That tends to be a good thing, especially if the film in question does not have moments that provide an opportunity for musical expression. I must say that the first episode of HOTD did not really have moments that lent that opportunity to the musical score, as a result of which it is acceptable for there to be nothing too noteworthy.
However, as mentioned earlier, there were exceptions. Those exceptions are all the songs that found themselves blaring, while nothing was being said by the characters and no sounds were interfering with them. Blaring, mind you, a motif so familiar that it has been ingrained into my skull’s surface. When that was the motif for Game of Thrones, and when it was new and fresh, it was very entertaining. Maybe not entertaining, but amusing and even catchy. However, that quality - the catchy one - made it prone to sticking with a viewer long after the episode that was being watched has been concluded.
That is a bad quality. Now, an even worse quality is that of music being monstrously reminiscent of other music on grounds of its composition. The motif in question - the GOT motif - is the great problem. I know I stated that I would try to abstract myself from the fact that I have seen Game of Thrones, but this is something I feel the need to mention, to point out and denounce, as it only took away from the experience.
It whisks away the focus of the viewer, attracting it all to itself, rather than serving as a means of enhancing whatever it is that is being shown on the screen. In this particular case, the foul qualities are doubled, due to the fact that the viewer is incredibly likely to have seen Game of Thrones, and, thus, by playing music that is taken note-for-note from Game of Thrones, at least in sections, is not going to emphasize focus, it is going to draw attention away.
The viewer who has seen Game of Thrones WILL start thinking of Game of Thrones, and, in particular, the moment when that musical track is played. Their minds will focus on recreating the image, and they will be watching HOTD with half an eye, at best. That is problematic, and I would go as far as to say that it is a big issue in desperate need of resolving.
Now, it is natural that a prequel series will feature aspects of the series that it is preceding (and simultaneously succeeding), but doing this is, at best, a lazy attempt at recycling (which is good, recycle more!), and at worst an attempt at evoking the good memories of Game of Thrones, those being associated with the earlier seasons of the show, through which evocation they seek to predispose the viewer to associating those good memories NOT ONLY with the old show, but now with the new show, even if the new show has not created or earned these good memories.
Enough about that, albeit I fear I will point at this as an issue in every episode hereafter, and let’s turn our attention elsewhere. Sound Effects (SFX) and the unfortunate reality of well done sound effects. There’s not much to talk about in regards to that.
Whenever a film, or any piece of media, really, has well done SFX, they make everything feel right. There is no great LACK of things, there is nothing that sounds out of place, and yet that is the only way one notices SFX. Whenever the SFX are well done, that’s when nothing is out of place, everything is plausible, believable and very-much-normal. As a result of that, one does not pay any attention to them, because how does one discern normal from not-normal, especially in the case of SFX, when normal is synonymous with good?
These are words of praise. I did not see anything that stuck out as particularly foul or wrong, safe for one very key moment. The breathing that is heard at around 3/5ths of the film, and the fact that it appears wrong, it sounds irregular, slightly gurgled, even. That, I thought, is wrong, that’s no way for any healthy person’s breathing to sound… And a few moments later, everything was revealed to me. It was wrong, indeed, but by design. That was good. Very good.
Let’s get on with that, then. The revelation in question is magnificently performed as a result of very clever camerawork. The audience is shown what it expects - exactly what it expects, with nothing out of the ordinary, but the camera does not stop its movement. It keeps moving, slowly, as though it was panning towards something more important. The thing that was being shown even loses focus, there’s a cut, and another, and the movement continues…
Until the audience lays eyes on the revelation. That was very well done, even if it was not a complex shot at all. It was, frankly, very simple, and yet that simplicity seems to have been the potent, poignant thing needed for such a situation.
Unfortunately, though, the camerawork - which is the main means of presentation in film - is a mixed bag. Preceding the aforementioned scene - directly preceding it, mind you - is another scene. Actually, it might be better to describe it as two scenes that are intertwined, for the events within them take place simultaneously, all the while they are very different.
One features an incredibly human occurrence, one that is filled with understandable emotion, with tremendous weight, while the other features an incredibly inhuman occurrence, one that is void of any reasonable emotion and is as weighty as the consequences of it, rather than as a result of itself.
One features life, in all its facets, the other features man’s proclivity for insanity, if I may so describe it. It is quite interesting how they are juxtaposed, and how one of the characters speaks in relation to the events unfolding, but what is it that is being shown? Is anything at all being shown, really?
Perhaps it is the capacity man has for horrible, inhuman deeds - as they are so dubbed by humanity itself, whilst also being performed exclusively by humanity - as well as the capacity man has for… Humanity?
It leaves me wondering in all the inappropriate ways. Is it profound, or does it attempt to appear profound, cutting up the scenes and interpositioning them within one another? In fact, does it not lessen the weight of the more human scene, does it not take away from the sensation it brings? Would it not have been better for the audience to observe this tremendous tragedy in full, at length, without interruptions that serve only as distractions?
That’s a head-scratcher, truly. Then, of course, that is not the only example. The very beginning of the film, too, is a bit of a bumbling mess, in the eyes of yours truly. It begins with narration - very, very short narration, which narration is slightly inconsequential, while also being something that hints at the whole of the conflict to be found within the show.
Then, it is followed by a most unpleasant and slightly annoying shot of the king (at the time) unraveling a scroll… Without the camera ever truly focusing on the scroll’s writing, thus making it very difficult for the viewer to read what is said on the scroll (and not just because of that, but also due to the fact the font is as gothic and overflowing with needless accessories). THEN, there is text, there is reading to be done, which leaves me slightly befuddled.
Having narration is perfectly fine. Having a context within which the narration is occurring - that’s even better, but it is not present here. Having the narration consistently show up in moments of potential confusion, to clear things up - that would be even better, but it appears as though that will not be present.
Then - then - having written text appear, the purpose of which written text is to purely establish WHEN the events are taking place, in relation to the events of Game of Thrones… Is very annoying, due to the fact it is pointless. When one seeks out succession in terms of shows, they either crave more of the characters - of which there were like 5 left in Game of Thrones, so that’s not happening anytime soon - OR they crave more of the world.
Surprisingly, the world of Game of Thrones, by merit of the fact that it featured vast swathes of unknowns and incredible amounts of established history, provided a stupendously interesting setting. A setting which people wound up falling in love with and diving deeply within. That, then, indicates the foreknowledge that it is needless for this precise temporal clarification, as those are all characters that have not been seen before, and those are characters who are not going to be able to be alive in the original timeline (that of GOT).
In short - this is pointless and stupid, still doing its damndest to bring about memories of Game of Thrones and the positive emotions associated with the show in question, so that it may reflect well on HOTD.
Let’s not even tarry on the content of the narration, though. The narration spoils a massive swath of the story, by confirming to the audience that, yes, that character there - that’s the main character. ALSO, that there main character is NOT going to die, because that main character is doing the narration, which narration is presented as a story being told or memories being recalled, THUS the main character needs to be alive to be able to tell that tale.
There it is, taking away lots of tension. One of the reasons Game of Thrones was so explosively interesting and entertaining was the uncertainty that it posed - who will live and who will die, due to the fact that everyone could drop dead like a fly at any given moment. By having this narration, HOTD decides to not bother with that and present the audience with a character - THE MAIN CHARACTER - who will be a constant in the show.
That takes away a lot of tension. That’s a pretty bad move, especially considering what else the narration was used for - establishing the context of the story that is being unveiled, followed by a scene doing just that. It would’ve been phenomenally easy, and perhaps way better, to have one or the other, rather than both. Having only the scene would have left ambiguity, while having only the narration would have created a necessity for there to be some kind of narration.
Alas, it is what it is.
One more thing that I’d like to point at and say: “This really isn’t necessary!”
The gratuitousness of it all. In the very first episode of this show, the audience is treated not only to people fucking, not only to people being cut open in a scene totally reminiscent of torture, not only to people getting their dicks, arms, legs and heads cut off, but also to people getting their heads CAVED IN. Now, excuse the exhaustively inexhaustive list which provides detail that might’ve been better left unsaid, but this is a lot.
Why was it done? To exemplify… What? The brutality of the world? To give the audience the impression that this show is JUST like Game of Thrones, it has EVERYTHING that GOT had - incredible violence and incredible sex? Well, unlike HOTD, GOT was very slow, calm and collected. Sure, it started off with incest sex right of the bat, but that was the only thing that happened. There were no maimings, there were no far-too-horrible sights to behold (aside from Sander Clegane).
What this feels like, and pardon the French at display here, is a load blown too early. In the first episode, the audience got everything. How does that get topped? Who knows. But what I am really feeling distaste towards is the indulgence in those things, the indulgence which goes on not to show much of anything.
It simply is, without there being a real need for it to be. It could have just as easily been done without the displaying of certain atrocities, which display can very easily turn many viewers off of the show. An example would be the showing of the severed phallus, or was it the severed testicles? Either way, why does the audience need to see this? The sight of the man’s posterior, the sound of his screams and the context would have been more than enough to convey the message.
There was no reaction shown - no reaction of any important character. In fact, there were no characters reacting, other than the maimed man’s. The only named and important character on location at the time was busy doing other things, but what needed to be shown in relation to his approach and his reaction was shown when he beheaded a man. Everything else could have been left on the wayside, as it serves no purpose, other than to be gore porn.
The same applies for the other aspect of gratuity in the film. Nudity and sex. The scenes featuring these goodies all involve a certain character and his… Concubine? I suppose it is his concubine. Either way the first scene seeks to show.. Something, but what does it show us? It shows us two people fucking, with a conclusion on the fucker’s part that seems either forced or unsatisfying. There is nothing of value said or shown at that point, and then the fucker pulls away, wraps himslef in a cloth and takes a seat, at which point the actual events of the scene take place.
Why could it not have just started off with the fucker walking off and draping himself in the cloth? The questionable quality of the fuck’s conclusion is not really explained, and there’s only hinting. Is the character in question under stress? Is he distraught? Well, it appears as though that is the case, but… It is shown well enough without the 10 second clip of them simulating sex.
There’s a slew of such things. Moves that I look at and ponder - why was that done? Situations which I consider should have been shown only slightly differently, and maybe with less focus on things that are just bland spectacle.
Now, even though I’ve piled on such harsh words, these are the majority of the problems I’ve run into with this movie. I must say that the presentation of HOTD’s first episode is very satisfactory. 2/3
Acting
This is the area in which I have the least to say. The actors in HOTD are all nigh-unknown to me, even if I feel as though I’ve seen one or two of them before. From what has been so far observed, there are a few good casting choices - such as Matt Smith for Daemon Targaryen (a far better casting choice than being the villain in “Morbius”, sheesh) or Steve Toussaint who just looks and sounds really cool (to me) as Corlys Velaryon.
I also quite like Paddy Considine as Viserys Targaryen, though that might be because he reminds me of Till Lindemann (RAMMSTEIN’s vocalist). In relation to their performance in the film, well… I’ve no real complaints. I feel as though the performances were passable, maybe even good, but my lack of expertise in that field makes it difficult to really judge.
I did find some deliveries a bit unnerving, or maybe not unnerving, but rather wooden, even if the intention behind them was not such. That’s mainly aimed at the actresses depicting Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower… Still, their performances were only stilted in certain scenes, rather than in all of them. In fact, I feel as though they performed very well in some scenes, and then there was the tree-esque aspect in others, which leaves me confused as to how to approach this.
Still, as mentioned, I’ve a lot more to like than to dislike about the acting - maybe with the exception of Daemon’s concubine, but I can’t really judge her part in this as she has had 2 lines. 3/3
Story
I think this episode of the show was a whole lot of nothing. There were two big events in it, and then there was one, maybe two minor events. For a whole hour of film, I find that to be somewhat lacking.
This episode falls into the trap of being an introductory episode, of sorts. I suppose that is what it is, due to the fact that it fails on a number of fronts. Number one would be the proper introduction of the characters - the audience gets to know maybe 2 characters, while the remainder of the actual characters are just present, though they’re more or less acquaintances. Even one of the characters the film decides to focus on - Daemon - remains somewhat ambivalent. What are his intentions, what are his desires, what kind of person even is he, that is not well shown to the audience.
At least, it is not seen by yours truly.
The only characters who do get shown to the audience properly would have to be the King, Viserys, and the princess, Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra, by merit of being the main character, is shown to the audience quite well, and there’s a number of interesting quirks pertaining to her that get discovered by said audience over the course of the film.
A number of them are well shown, and we are not told. Such as the fact that she is either used to seeing bloodshed or the fact that she is excited by it, maybe even captivated, or the fact that she is intelligent, if a bit airheaded. The audience is also shown, or rather told, what Rhaenyra’s desires are. It’s quite easy to figure that out, though, because she is so closely connected to the other character the viewer gets to know.
King Viserys is very interesting, at least to yours truly. He appears to be a mellow ruler, but only in appearance, even if there is a supposition that things might not be so. He seems to have only the best interests of the kingdom in mind, whilst also striving towards his own goal - which happens to coincide with the best interests of the kingdom, so that’s funky. The fact that he pursues those goals, however, is a bit problematic, as it is good for a kingdom to be stable.
And, well, stability happens to be in short supply, regarding the King’s current situation. Not only is he a good person, and maybe ruler, if a bit soft - or at least he is presented as being such - but he seems to truly love his family, albeit with the caveat that he has taken his goal, which is almost a quest, to heart. To such a point, of course, that it interferes slightly.
The other characters are still very much side characters, although there was some unveiling on their part. Of course, there is no development to be seen just yet - as is to be expected - but the shallowness of our introduction to them is slightly unnerving.
Lastly, prior to jumping into spoilers, there is one very, VERY big issue. The last front that this episode fails at, dreadfully, is the establishment of conflict. Of proper conflict, of course, as there are some minor squabbles here and there, but there really isn’t anything that seems as though it could properly drive the series forward. By comparison, GOT featured 2 threads: Brann's fall from the tower and the great change suddenly throwing itself at Eddard Stark’s life. HOTD features, well, one thread, but it is a very strange thread.
There’s a tentative question in regards to who will succeed the king. The king, of course, is also taking part in answering that question, but the question remains. However, those who are candidates all seem to be on very good terms with one another - especially the big, MAIN candidates - for they are shown as being close. Close enough that they meet without the king’s knowledge.
The other candidates, who are more secondary, are also not presented as big threats, as the ones behind said candidates are loyal to the king - or so they appear - and seem to have the best interests of the realm at heart, rather than their own wants and desires in mind. Thus, the big question comes from the event which concludes the episode, but from what is seen… It’s not that bad.
As a result of that, the only real driving force making me want to watch HOTD is my curiosity in relation to the world and in relation to the conflict. After all, there MUST be conflict, right? So what will that conflict be?
Here ends the spoiler free section, you’ve been warned.
The show starts off decently well, I’d say, as it introduces the main character whilst also plopping a little hook. The hook, of course, is actually a gun - that of Chekhov - and it is the demeanor of characters towards the queen, as well as her own demeanor towards herself, in relation to her situation. Pregnant; wanting to give birth as a result of perceiving it as her duty to the realm.
The way the main character is developed is almost engaging, though there was something far too cliché about it, which cliché-ness bothered me slightly. The way all the characters are introduced, actually, is very appropriate, I suppose. The way Daemon is presented, seated on the iron throne, and the things he says and his demeanor, the way the king is presented, the way the councilors are presented - it is all somewhat appropriate.
Even Rhaenyra’s friend, Alicent Hightower, is presented in a decent manner. The introductions are all very reasonable, but they are slightly lacking. The main problem of the episode, of the film, if we so call it, is that everything seems to be moving quickly, but, at the same time, slowly.
As mentioned, there doesn’t seem to be much happening. The 4 events I mentioned are all situated after the halfway point of the episode. It all moves in a sluggish manner. Introduction to the story, how the king became king and the circumstances around that, introduction to the main character, scenic shots, scenic shots, incredibly bare-bones introduction to the main character’s bodyguard, scenic shots on and on, introduction to the king and a slight introduction to the council, introduction to the uncle, and THEN a character moment that has Alicent and Rhaenyra studying, which moment lasts quite a short while. Then, we get another moment which seems to be raising tension, but appears very minor - the king has a wound on his back that isn’t healing, a wound from the Iron Throne.
Following that, another character moment between the king and queen, in which the audience is treated to the queen’s devotion and even shame in the face of her king, and his apparent love for her, his gentleness in the face of her troubles and certainty in the future. Confidence, which I found really neat, even if it was slightly adjacent to crazy.
At that point we finally get the first event, which is the minor event, as it seems not to have such a great bearing on the story AND the plot of the episode itself. Uncle Daemon leads the city watch and rounds up loads of criminals, lopping off limbs left and right as punishment for crossing the law. Very demonstrative, very bloody, very funky.
That event leads into the first proper bit of conflict, though it seems weak. It seems weak, because the stakes are not too high - the hand of the king does not like the brother of the king - good ol’ uncle Daemon - and does not approve of his methods. There’s a similar disposition on Daemon’s part towards the hand of the king, who will remain the hand of the king because I can’t be bothered with making sure I’ve got his name right.
That’s all well and good - there’s disdain in the court, but none of it appears to be directed at the king himself. There seems to be no threat for the king, who is being established as one of the main characters in this show (so far), and thus the conflict seems minuscule. Perhaps this is a means of building up towards something else in the future, as though it is foreshadowing that upon the king’s death the situation will be very tense and, potentially, very violent.
Following that, there’s a scene in which Daemon copulates with his concubine and has a moment of weakness, and then there’s the tournament hosted in honor of the King’s new heir! The king’s new heir who has not yet been born, and whose sex can not be known until it is born. But the king is certain it will be a boy, and so he is hosting the tournament to celebrate. Very interesting how there was a tournament in the beginning of Game of Thrones, too…
Either way, the tournament lasts a WHILE, and very few things happen. There’s only one character that’s known to the audience, for whom the audience can root, but then he is presented in such a manner that he’s almost antagonistic in the context of the tournament. Then, there’s one fellow who’s potentially interesting and is potentially going to show up in the future, but he’s a bit of a nobody.
Still, the way he is presented - as a capable warrior only getting to best Daemon because Daemon decided to celebrate too early (whilst also really bigging up his antagonistic performance) who is also very prone to being merciful. I mean, the duel between them comes following a very nasty set of fights that end with bloody murder. It is refreshing to see mercy, and it is also interesting how mercy was shown exclusively to the important character.
One could say that it was a means of gaining favor with the Targaryens, as killing one of them would’ve made this knight very problematic and maybe quite despised by the Targaryens. However, besting him in combat AND sparing him - that’s a class act.
While the tournament is underway, the queen has begun her labors, and that’s the human moment I mentioned in the Presentation section of this review, juxtaposed with a most inhuman one. Simultaneously, that human moment is almost inhuman, in a sense. The fact that the queen can’t give birth, due to complications, and the fact that she opts to apologize to her king first, is very interesting. It shows just how seriously she has adopted her role, and just how great its importance is for everyone around her.
I must point out that I liked the great deal of struggle depicted in the king. When the maester suggests the choice, the king takes a while. He really loves his wife, it seems, but he also has that task, that great quest. Regardless, the options all involve the death of his wife, while one features a chance for the baby, and so he makes his choice.
The scene was… Heavy, purely on a conceptual basis, because, as mentioned, it constantly kept getting cut up by the tournament. Then, when the deed is done and the baby is finally ‘born’, the sound cue was absolutely incredible. The gurgled breathing - it could’ve easily been the queen breathing, but the baby was in focus - it told the viewer what was going to happen. It was a wondrous “show, don’t tell” moment.
Shortly thereafter, we have a funeral for the queen and the baby, and we get a bit of character… Well, not development, but rather unveiling. Daemon is shown in a light I’d say is very good, and it seems as though his relationship with the King and Rhaenyra is very solid - he cares for them a great deal. The great strain this tragedy has put on the king is well displayed, too, as he spends the rest of the episode dealing with this loss in whatever way he may.
Unfortunate as it is, things get a bit nasty. There’s a very timely discussion pertaining to succession, and the king gets the contenders mentioned to him - his brother, his daughter and his… Cousins? The children of his cousin? They also discuss his brother’s ability to be king, and just how appropriate it would be if he became king. In any case, Viserys is not interested in hearing that now and storms off.
The hand of the king sends his daughter, Alicent, to comfort the king, and they’re shown having a very awkward chat - as conversations in that sphere tend to be, but it seems as if it goes… Well.
Then Daemon makes what I can only describe a severe and continuous lapse in judgment. He buys out a brothel (a pleasure house, if we quote) and seems to get coerced into toasting (by his men and by his concubine/lover/whatever). That gets him in severe trouble, as he toasts in honor of the “heir for a day”.
Greatly hurt by this, Viserys calls him and confirms if that is so, has a conversation with him (which conversation seems to have been in need of being had far, far earlier on in their careers, respectively as king and brother of the king master of whatever it was the king said he was master of), and then strips him of his title as commander of the city watch and sends him off to the Vale (which is what Daemon is lord of).
It’s a decently good scene, and the acting is actually pretty good, too, but I can’t help myself. I can’t just think - wow, nine years, and just now do you find the time to have this chat? Interesting how Daemon did not initiate such a conversation with his brother the previous two times his position was changed. Interesting how his brother did not talk to him about the state of things, in the council at least, more.
Interesting how they did not, seemingly, talk at all, even though they have both, evidently, served on the same council (Viserys being king) for however long they have. This isn’t how people are. This isn’t how siblings are, either. Siblings develop bonds and have this perception of closeness to one another, or at least relation, which relation makes them prone to caring for one another. When people care for one another, they tend to be able to trust each other, and with that trust comes the ability to open up, even if only slightly.
These two brothers are depicted as caring for one another a great deal - Daemon gets less depiction, but he does get something - yet they can not exchange a few words?
Either way, this happens. This is the second big event, though it is still, more or less, bound to the first big event (death of the queen and the baby), and it is a potential forbidden fruit that causes all the issues. It could be where the conflict stems from, but… Bah, it just doesn’t seem plausible to me. I suppose I’m look at this as a person who considers people reasonable, and as conflict is one of the least reasonable things, I can’t imagine how these characters, who have displayed an ability to wield reason, wind up throwing reason away and going to war.
Fortunately, there’s another potential fruit of discord - Rhaenyra is named heir. She’d be the first queen to sit on the Iron Throne, and that’s very prone to being problematic. You know, sexism, tradition, social roles. In fact, it’s so well emphasized - that this show is going to be focusing on this, from the very start of it, through the whole character of the queen (wife of Viserys), and onto Rhaenyra herself, who wants to be a dragon-riding knight, rather than anything else (let alone a womanly woman to fight fights on the bed) - that, in fact, I am almost certain that’s going to remain the case.
It’s not a bad thing, to be fair. Having that be the theme of the show, but… It’s implausible. It’s not believable. The mythos of Game of Thrones, and by extension House of the Dragon, is based on medieval Europe. Medieval Europe’s culture, history, politics - everything. Thus, slapping in this conflict - of women being treated like people - seems almost outlandish. As horrible as it is (and it is very dire and dour) that time period, that epoch, which inspires GOT, is fraught with inequality.
Then, the show itself - GOT - acknowledged that and worked within the limits set by that culture, that rigid, tradition based culture. Women are more of an object, rather than a person - that garbage. HOTD, then, being set in the world of GOT, prior to GOT, is going to have to stick to those rules too, whilst also maybe making them even more pronounced, because the traditions either need to settle, or they need to be emphasizes as being monstrously old.
It seems as though the traditions are more than a century old, so it should be the latter case, but… I feel as though it’s a very inappropriate medium. Did people in the middle ages doubt the existence of God? No, because those who did got to meet God very quickly (or maybe his co-worker down in Hell). Would a movie about atheism, or existentialism, be appropriately set in medieval Europe, in which one of the only certainties was that God was and that he was doing His thing?
I’d say no, because it’s implausible, it’d ring hollow. So, too, I fear the situation with House of the Dragon will be. It is still a little early to tell, but I’m worried the story will try to spin around concepts that require a far, far more progressive approach to things - such as distancing oneself from the concept of nobility based on blood before anything, or concluding that monarchy is the road forwards - and thus in a world where everything is ass-backwards, we can’t have a really believable discussion of a thing that is ass-backwards (women’s position in society), while depending on the story to be told via these ass-backwards things.
That could just be me.
Either way, before being officially ordained as chosen heir, Rhaenyra gets called by her father to the dungeons wherein Balerion’s skull resides, and they have a very interesting conversation. A conversation which only reinforces the perception that Viserys is a good king, a good ruler, and a good human being (my eyes could be getting deceived, I just get that impression). Viserys also shares the details of his great quest, his desires and what drives him forward - the vision Aegon had of the end of the world.
This scene is also cut up by the scene of Rhaenyra’s preparation for and conduction of the heir-naming ceremony, at which point the episode ends.
So is the story good? It’s… It’s okay. I’ve a lot of questions that need to be answered, but that’s what a show’s first episode ought to be for - to present a reason for the continued consumption of the material that’s being provided. There really wasn’t much that provoked me to thing, nothing that conceptually tickled me, only things that I observed and took note of, seeing where they were could go.
Here’s hoping they go somewhere. 2/3
Legendary Point
Does this episode get the legendary point, so craved and wanted by all and none at the same time? Well, considering the fact that this is just an episode out of the whole, and an episode that did not do as much as I was hoping it would do, I can’t give it the point. I am going to keep watching HOTD, yes, but I’ll have a very good amount of skepticism trained at it. I want no repeat of the great grief caused by GOT, so maybe that’s why I will NOt give this episode the legendary point.
I’m not going to allow myself to get hyped. 0/1
Conclusion
7/10. With all that said, it’s a good starter, though I am certain it is riding off of its predecessor’s greatness. Hopefully, it goes off on its own and reaches greatness of an independent variety. Would I recommend it to folks? Well, I would recommend it to fans of “A Song of Ice and Fire”, as well as fans of “Game of Thrones”... I would probably urge fans of fantasy to give it a look, but I’ve no certainty in whether it will tickle political fancies.
Definitely do not watch it with your family - especially small children or older folks. This is some needlessly grueling stuff, and even the slightly squeamish, I’d say, ought to avoid it outright. It’s just not a good time in those regards.
I tuck it under my belt, another shining achievement that I proudly display. Even if it is slightly dim, it is still a light.