So far so good. Being a newly father, that scene was very tough for me. Not sure my wife would want to watch, but the nice thing about shows with fairly unknown actors and actresses is that any one is game. This show has some of that but lesser than most since we have a basic understanding of who lives and who doesn't. So far the journey is on point.
Good show but the intro with the bloodlines is trash. Hard to make anything out unlike the GOT intro. I'm not a fan of reusing the theme but I understand why they did.
Only seen one episode, mind, but my hopes - which were already low - are fading. Nothing to do with the storytelling. Everything in it feels fake. CGI dragons , cgi castles, cgi cities. I saw a horse and wondered if it was really real. But sure they have to have cgi for dragons, even if their dragons look like trash. But the sets feel fake, the costumes feel fake. One of the great things about GOT (at least in the earlier seasons) was that a lot felt real. Set in real castles, actually walking out in snow. You could see wind move people's hair. The sound of metal hitting metal. Leather tunics were made out of leather. I know their fur cloaks were made from dyed Ikea rugs but they pulled it off. I think this show was done entirely in front of a green screen with a bunch of fake crap.
They are spending more money to make something that looks less real. It's an artistic choice that probably polls well in the 24 to 28 demographic. They've proven it can make money with Locke and Key and Carnival Row. It sucks for me though because it's hard to find anything produced any other way. Just like you don't have to show sex to have sex in your story (another lesson they could learn) you don't need soaring drone shots of a cgi metropolis to have a metropolis in your story. I'd find it much more satisfying if they spent their money in different ways.
To me, it's way too early to even form this opinion. As you've said, you've only seen one episode and your qualms aren't even with the storytelling. Most people watch fantasy epics like this for the plot and characters, not for the scenery and architecture. But to your point, in episode 2, when Daemon, Otto and Rhaenyra confront each other on that narrow bridge, you can see their hair blowing as if there was wind. In episode 1, when they're laying you-know-who and you-know-who to rest, everyone's hair is blowing in the wind, since the setting is outdoors and Rhaenyra is commanding the dragon to spit fire. That's pretty good attention to detail. They're setting up the story for the rest of the season. There's no 'metal hitting metal' because there's no need for that yet. The most 'war-like' thing that happened in ep 1 was the jousting competition, and that didn't feel fake at all. I have no problem with negative reviews, but it really seems like you're just yelling at air and shaking your fist at the clouds, here. If you want to give up on the season, 1 episode in, then more power to you. But I really think you should formulate your opinion on the season as a whole, rather than just after 1 episode just because it doesn't feel like GoT.
Spicy Take: I feel nothing for this show so far 3 episodes in, I dont really care what happens next. I feel there is no real intrigue and no one to root for. I dont care about this Targaryen stuff. I legit just want to see which person is riding which dragon and that's it.
It's ok so far. People have crazy expectations when the original took a lot of time to build up. Only difference is no dwarf or Ned Starl getting chopped in the first ep. Will watch and see how it goes.
I was definitely skeptical about the show, but have been pleasantly surprised with how engaging it is. Does it have the tension, drama, violence, backstabbing, and debauchery that GOT had? It does but not at that level, and that's ok. You get to see a different side of Westeros, one of relative peace (at the moment) and prosperity, during the age of dragons. But conflict is always brewing, and no matter how peaceful things are, the "game" is always churning. From the get-go you can tell the pace of the story is so much better than those last, rushed seasons of GOT. I also like the attention to detail and the political formalities. For example, the marbles at the council to signify who's in attendance or when Rhaenyra is choosing a knight for the Kingsguard and she's moving the house figures like pieces on a chessboard, those little details make the show all the more immersive. The cast is excellent and Milly Alcock steals the show for me. And to see the Dragons unleash their power is awesome. I'd say the only thing that feels fake is the shots of the dragonriders on their dragons, but I don't know how you can do it differently to make it look better. In any case, I'm really enjoying it so far.
