[QuickTidal]

Starts on Sunday. I'm not excited, but like I said...I'll check it out. Wife is interested in it more than me, which is odd. LOL

[Malankazooie]

I'm looking forward to it. The expansive television landscape needs more dragons, so heck, why not see what it is about? If it sucks I'll nope out and on to the next > LOTR powerful rings doohickey?

[worry]

Yah that's how I feel too, except I'm gonna watch it even if it sucks. Who cares? Lotsa stuff sucks.

[Briar King]

Skeptical. Really wanting entertainment but fearing a lecture.

[Briar King]

Here we go. *fingers crossed

[Briar King]

Well it’s certainly pretty looking I ll give it props for eye candy.

[Briar King]

Hmmm

Is this based on a book? Did not like the ending.

[ContrarianMalazanReader]

Good set up. Let's where the story takes us.

[worry]

I liked it. It’s a little drier than GoT but I think that was bound to be the case, given the source material. If they can do this in and out in like three seasons, it’ll probably work.

It’s also quite a bit nerdier so I dunno that it’ll catch fire like GoT did, so they should be thinking ~three seasons anyway.

[QuickTidal]

A few things.

1. Matt Smith is great, as always.

2. The brighter more "A KNIGHT'S TALE" tone of the era shined through enough I guess...but it's juxtaposed against some WELL WELL over the top gore and violence.

3. Speaking of, I don't know what the fuck is wrong with the people at HBO, but I don't need to see an axe that's been chopped into a skull, then RAKED out of said skull, blood spraying everywhere on my TV. I simply don't. I feel like HBO goes out of it's way to try to justify it's existence as a "premium" service by being like "Look! Sex, and Gore!....you got your money's worth!"....ugh....nevermind the fact that they decided to show a forced, and unmedicated C-section and juxtapose THAT against the tourney...What in the ever-loving fuck are the writers thinking? But yeah, They had a scene discussing what they would do to Aemma to save the child....we ALL know what they were talking about...show her reaction to Viserys trying to calm her AND THEN CUT AWAY.....no one and I do mean NO one needs to see that shit so viscerally. That scene. can fuck all the way off and so can the writers.

4. It was also brighter from a cinematography angle. One of the biggest complaints about GOT was that they so often shot it so incredibly dark that even with the lights off and the contrast bulked on your TV, it was still hard AF to make out what was happening. I'm glad the team behind this gets that's not the way to make decent TV.

5. Lastly, I am leery of this show simply because there is absolutely no one to root for. There's no Ned Stark or his brood to root for. It's all Targaryen's all the way down and they are all varying degrees of "utterly asshole". I can watch and I know they WANT me to root for Rhaenyra but she's not much different at al from the others of her family.

I liked bits of it, but overall my impression was one of distaste at the pointless violence/gore, and one of "there's no one to root for".

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 22 August 2022 - 11:44 AM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Cancelled, on 22 August 2022 - 02:18 AM, said:

Hmmm

Is this based on a book? Did not like the ending.

It's broadly based on the second half of the first book of Fire & Blood. It's a 'history' rather than a novel iirc.

'[...] reading it feels like "you've been assigned a mildly interesting, but often tedious, piece of homework". [...] "Martin’s evocative storytelling style and gift for gripping narrative are mostly absent from this dry history". [...] Tor.com described the book as "... the best Song of Ice and Fire book in 18 years", a reference to A Storm of Swords.'

https://en.wikipedia...26_Blood_(novel)

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

QuickTidal, on 22 August 2022 - 11:43 AM, said:

A few things.

1. Matt Smith is great, as always.

2. The brighter more "A KNIGHT'S TALE" tone of the era shined through enough I guess...but it's juxtaposed against some WELL WELL over the top gore and violence.

3. Speaking of, I don't know what the fuck is wrong with the people at HBO, but I don't need to see an axe that's been chopped into a skull, then RAKED out of said skull, blood spraying everywhere on my TV. I simply don't. I feel like HBO goes out of it's way to try to justify it's existence as a "premium" service by being like "Look! Sex, and Gore!....you got your money's worth!"....ugh....nevermind the fact that they decided to show a forced, and unmedicated C-section and juxtapose THAT against the tourney...What in the ever-loving fuck are the writers thinking? But yeah, They had a scene discussing what they would do to Aemma to save the child....we ALL know what they were talking about...show her reaction to Viserys trying to calm her AND THEN CUT AWAY.....no one and I do mean NO one needs to see that shit so viscerally. That scene. can fuck all the way off and so can the writers.

4. It was also brighter from a cinematography angle. One of the biggest complaints about GOT was that they so often shot it so incredibly dark that even with the lights off and the contrast bulked on your TV, it was still hard AF to make out what was happening. I'm glad the team behind this gets that's not the way to make decent TV.

5. Lastly, I am leery of this show simply because there is absolutely no one to root for. There's no Ned Stark or his brood to root for. It's all Targaryen's all the way down and they are all varying degrees of "utterly asshole". I can watch and I know they WANT me to root for Rhaenyra but she's not much different at al from the others of her family.

I liked bits of it, but overall my impression was one of distaste at the pointless violence/gore, and one of "there's no one to root for".

'Watch, watch, watch, said the wall; but human kind
Cannot view very much reality.

Hodor, hodor, hodor said the hold; but human kind
Cannot bear very much reality
(Not even when cut open---so far...)'

[Malankazooie]

Haven't watched it yet, but yeah, I would steer clear of HBO-anything if you have a problem with the graphic nature depicted in the show. It's kind of their brand. Oz anyone? Also in White Lotus

Spoiler

Dude straight up squats and takes a shit in a patron's travel luggage.

Don't even get me started on Euphoria.

Spoiler

"I want you to cum with my tongue in your ass, Oh fuck!"

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Malankazooie, on 22 August 2022 - 04:17 PM, said:

Haven't watched it yet, but yeah, I would steer clear of HBO-anything if you have a problem with the graphic nature depicted in the show. It's kind of their brand. Oz anyone? Also in White Lotus

Spoiler

Dude straight up squats and takes a shit in a patron's travel luggage.

Don't even get me started on Euphoria.

Spoiler

"I want you to cum with my tongue in your ass, Oh fuck!"

Maybe Amber Heard has a future in show business after all....

[Briar King]

Azath Vitr (D, on 22 August 2022 - 12:54 PM, said:

Cancelled, on 22 August 2022 - 02:18 AM, said:

Hmmm

Is this based on a book? Did not like the ending.

It's broadly based on the second half of the first book of Fire & Blood. It's a 'history' rather than a novel iirc.

'[...] reading it feels like "you've been assigned a mildly interesting, but often tedious, piece of homework". [...] "Martin’s evocative storytelling style and gift for gripping narrative are mostly absent from this dry history". [...] Tor.com described the book as "... the best Song of Ice and Fire book in 18 years", a reference to A Storm of Swords.'

https://en.wikipedia...26_Blood_(novel)

I remember the references in the main books being told and portraits of the Targs either online or in Hedge Knight graphic novel.

[Malankazooie]

So I guess there were so many viewers last night that the show crashed for some. This is why I hate fandom of any type (Marvel, Star Wars.. you name it). The same crybabies who went on incessantly about how awful the last seasons of GoT were, but yet made YouTube reaction videos to Hold the Door and Battle of the Bastards episodes, all flooded back in for House of the Dragon. The same people who gushed about GoT but then were all like "didn't really watch it, not sure who Joffrey is, is he a bad guy or something?" Ugh, I loathe fans of this type.

[Briar King]

Interesting. I hadn’t heard that.

[ContrarianMalazanReader]

I am of the few who wasn't disappointed with the final season of GOT, maybe because I had mentally prepared myself once the series started to deviate from the books around season 5. I am also one of those fans of GOT who've chosen to wait until all seven books are published, though I might change my mind and read up until TWOW, as there's a strong possibility of us readers being left with an unfinished saga similar to what happened to Dune (I refuse to acknowledge the final two books by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson), considering GRRM's age and how long he's taking to write the last two books.

This post has been edited by ContrarianMalazanReader: 23 August 2022 - 01:26 AM

[Malankazooie]

Episode 1 in the books. I enjoyed it overall. It wasn't jaw dropping fantastic or anything, but it was good.

What up with the Iron Throne? Guess they have gone through different design layouts over time? I know how it is depicted in the books would be kind of impractical for an adaptation to a television series.

Those trees with the faces really pop too. Cool look imo.

In some of the scenes I felt the dialog was stilted. I guess it's ok and tolerable, just noticed that. I did like some of the impressionable lines that were delivered. One that stands out is - "we have royal wombs, the childbed is our battlefield." Yup, and boy did that foreshadow what was to come.

Matt Smith is pretty fantastic. He chews the scenes at the detriment of the other actors though. Pump the breaks on your chops my guy.

The blonde/silver wigs are goofy though. Guess they will grow on me over time. We'll see.

Bitchin' tourney/jousting/combat scenes. They brought their A-game on those scenes. Love the full suit of amour and their variety on display.

Did that one guy have to stop in mid pump when Prince Daemon made his speech in the whore house? Awkward!

GoT had the red wedding, this has the red birth. Oh my!

Didn't like the design of Daemon's dragon. It looked odd. Longer, narrower torso, which is fine, but it seemed out of proportion or something. Looked weird.

Let the backstabbing, underhanded political maneuverings commence!

[EDIT] Oh yeah, all the this spinning up of political treachery with the bigger issue as a backdrop - keeping the Targaryen line going because of what is passed from father to daughter foretelling the winter and man's demise coming out of the north.

This post has been edited by Malankazooie: 23 August 2022 - 03:09 AM

[Briar King]

See I didn’t enjoy that part. It’s been a min since I read the books but that felt out of place to be so clearly stated to me. The only prophecy stuff I can remember was Rheagar trying to be the Prince who was promised or some such thing with blue roses. No one believes the Watch. It felt off idk. That and Dragon Gals flight around KL just screamed member berries to me.

Those wigs are atrocious.

This post has been edited by Cancelled: 23 August 2022 - 03:20 AM