The actress change should have happened a couple episodes ago, with the jump to age 17. Milly Alcock is 22 (I'm shocked tbh, she doesn't look it), but using the same actress for ages 13 and 17 was a big mistake.


Edit: Additionally, two thoughts:
A) So far I thought it was because I knew the outcome, but no. I find myself a bit disconnected, and it's because I don't actively root for or against anyone. I'm not on anyone's side, I don't like any faction particularly more than the other. For all of GoT's 'shades of grey' there was a clear moral distinction with the Starks on one end and the Lannisters in the other. Not so here. This can be a strength, but also makes me view this with a more historical interest and less investment. After all, I don't care about these people.

B) I think it's a mistake that more effort has not been made to familiarize us with the dragons. After all, they'll be very relevant eventually. We need to see dragons and riders bond, we need to see what these dragons are like, how they behave. We need to see them as characters so as to perhaps feel a little bad when they inevitably die and/or start tearing each other apart.

 

Meh. Like you said, Milly Alcock looks younger than she is and how would having a 30 year old play a teenager be better?

 

I feel like it almost would’ve made more sense to have like ep 1 an actress for 13 yr old Rhaeynra, and then Milly Alcock for 2-5. Because I agree with you that it was weird having her the whole way through, but I think she was superb.

Then at 6 you still do the timeskip they’re doing.

100% agree about the Dragons. I feel like Im pretty deep in the lore, and even then there’s just… not much to identify them by? The previews make me think we might get what you’re after, since there’s gonna be ALOT of dragon riders in the near future.

The other point though- I like that there’s a lot of ambiguity, and that Rhaeyrna isn’t the Dany expy I initially feared she might be. It makes me really excited for the future, because it seems like theyre not going to treat these characters with gloves and have it be “Rhae is good! Breaking the Wheel, fuck this misogynistic society”- it seems like we’re gonna get more of a “fuck this society, but she is very much a part of it and no saint”.

In the meantime though, definitely not a lot of people that are likable or easy to root for. My favorite character rn is the new Hand lmao, and that doesnt really give me
much to work with. Hopefully that changes now that the extended prologue is done.

 

I could have sworn I heard somebody say in the show that Rhaenyra was 15 years old earlier, not 13. Perhaps that was Alicent Hightower, although I had the feeling she was older. Or I'm just conflating the beginning of the show and a few episodes later, after Alicent has already had a child. During which Rhaenyra might have transitioned from 13 to 15. Hmm. It's been several weeks since I've watched an episode, though.

 

I'm pretty sure in ep 2 it was said that 6 months passed since the queen's death and in ep 1 Rhaenyra was 14, then 15 in ep 2, 17 in ep 3 and 18/19 in episodes 4 & 5.

 

We're a fanficy-forum, so, what if, here in fanfic-land, how/when/where does the Dance change if Rhaenyra and Aegon (II) are to be wed?

 

I enjoyed the episode, until the end. How is Ser Cristin not arrested here? Why are they getting married ahead of schedule as a result?

 

There’s honestly been a lot of casual murder on this show with 0 consequences. Like I found the Blackwood boy killing the Bracken funny- but like, you just murdered someone in front of the heir, and the most that happens is the Kingsguard wisking her away?

Very weird.

 

The show does seem to take a lot of leeway with the rule of law, even if you account for things like difference in station and unequal wealth/power.
It's kinda baffling how Daemon can basically commit treason by taking over and occupying Dragonstone, ursurping the rightful seat of the Crownprincess, and still be grudgingly welcomed in Kingslanding. Hell, the king thought he deflowered his daughter and decided to send him to his home, rather than to the Night's Watch.
Even the suggestion that he'd get made heir to runestone, when his wife died before inheriting it, while the Lady still lives, as do other people of Royce blood, is ridiculus.

 

This is the problem with adaptations. Joffrey Lonmouth was killed during a tourney where Cristin Cole attacked him with a morningstar and cracked his helm, and he died several days later after failing to wake up from the initial attack. It wasn't anything as blatant as an attack in plain sight of the king that just seemed to come out of nowhere. That was done purely for the spectacle and nothing else.

 

He challenged the kid to a duel, so all's fair.

 

1) He probably would have been had he not quickly left the hall. I'm guessing, since she stopped him from knifing himself, Alicent will commute his sentence.

2) I took the sped up marriage ceremony to mean the festivities were canceled.

 

Binged HOTD up to episode 5 despite being sceptical from GOT crashing and burning - but I'm impressed, and generally liked the show.

The good parts, of the top of my head - fairly compelling characters (e.g. Cole caught between love and honour, Otto Hightower being a well-intentioned, able man trying steer the ship of state, even as his own ambitions undermine this) and relationships (e.g. the friendship between the Queens). Also, the politicking was great, and I unironically liked the council meetings - the wedding maneuvering was best of all, of course.

Bad stuff were - worldbuilding-inconsistent violence (e.g. random nobles getting killed in a way that wouldn't be socially acceptable - maybe Cole can get away with it by claiming Laenor was a threat and by having political protection; but the Bracken-Blackwood shit, or the tourney devolving into duels is just...). Things are clearly being rushed, and there are transitions where it's not clear what is going on (e.g. Velaryon dragonriders appearing without introduction).

Overall the good certainly outweighs the bad, and I'm looking forward to more.

 

Caught up on Sunday's episode last night.

What stood out: That feast scene went on WAY too damn long, was super boring, and then was randomly super violent. 0/10.

Rest of the episode: Overall, average.

 

I binged watched the episodes. They're just...bad. It's ok if the show wishes to stand next to atrocities like the Arrow or the Sandman (un-watchable).

But it cannot compare to GoT, especially the first four seasons. Don't know how no one has mentioned how utterly empty the scenes are.

The queen has a tête-à-tête with a random overly cartoon-ish limping man (his first scene?) and they have a completely ridiculous dialogue in some open area in the keep entirely alone. No guard in sight. Anywhere.

The king visits the Colrys lord guy with no entourage? At a castle with broken down walls? With no one to meet them? Oh yeah, the lord-kids welcome the king. Alone. And then they meet at some place with a large table full of food. Where the fuck are the servants.

It's so immersion breaking that all I'm thinking is I'm watching a couple actors playing roles with bad lines.

 

Welcome to shows filmed during the age of Covid?

 

This is a really good point, which for some reason had completely not occurred to me.

Now that the pandemic has (largely) elapsed, I assume season 2 will be a lot more....populated.

 

I haven't watched much of HOTD yet, but I think that a lot of shows filmed during COVID/immediately after don't come off well at all in comparison to pre COVID productions. Marvel is a pretty good example of this imo. She Hulk is unwatchable, and Thor 4 was the worst movie they've ever made. Wheel of Time was a disappointment, and The Rings of Power just seems to be a bit meandering so far. Tbh, the only shows which I've thoroughly enjoyed that were made/continued during COVID were the Boys season 3 and BCS season 6. Everything else seems to be majorly inconsistent quality wise.

 

Is it Covid though? They have scenes with lots of extras, like the dance this last episode. Maybe it's covid, maybe they're cheap.

 

It's a covid thing. In the past you could easily have extras in the background, but now unless the scene needs to have them you will have many tv shows and even movies keeping just the actors and no one else.