OT: House of the Dragon - Discussion
- Thread starter MadRU
- Start date
It IS a bit to take for one with lady like sensibilities.
Not sure whether its good or bad but I started reading the original novels in probably like 2006. Just tripped across them in the library. I was immediately enthralled and couldn't wait for the next book release. It was an incredibly long wait of approximately 5 years at the time for Martin to finally release A Dance With Dragons (Book 5) which was an amazing story and I eagerly awaited the next novel and by then the show had started in 2011. I figured at the time if all broke correctly he would publish the last two books in time for the series to catch up and they would some how conclude together. Instead we got an amazing 6 seasons of the HBO show and a pretty sucky last 2 seasons, and still we wait more than 11 years since the last book was published. When he finally releases the next book I will be in no hurry to read it. In fact I may go back and read all the prior novels, and watch the whole show again from beginning to end, and then finally read it. It's seriously questionable as to whether he will actually finish this series.
AS others said, No you do not. However.. I do think GoT spent time explaining the world in a creative way.
At least the first 4 seasons of GoT are worthwhile. But even just season 1 will give you some understanding of the world. The start of this new series shows text saying it happens 172 years before a character in GoT from the same family.
I personally beleive this series will assume its audience saw GoT and they might just take shortcuts based on assumed knowledge. It would be a natural thing to do.
So, if I were you I might alternate 1 of the new series and then 1 of GoT until you decide if this world/story is for you.. either one.
On the other hand, NOT knowing anything might allow you to be surprised in some ways that most GoT fans would not.
BTW.. the books.. audio or type.. are good and just a little different... But the GoT books are superior to the one, hmm.. Fire and Blood?.. that this is based on. That book was just an effort to explain the history a bit more and was written after the first 5 novels in "A Song of Ice and Fire" and after the buklk of the GoT seasons. And, as always, there are some differences between the shows and the books... in case you go that way. On some long drives I listend to the books. Liked it a lot.
Good second episode. Rivals taking shape. Rhaenyra is growing on me as a good character. Princess Rhaenys Targaryen does have a presence.
I would say around E7 or E8. The king has to die before the Dance of the Dragons begins.
Did you see the preview at the end of the credits? The answer to your question was there.
It never dawned on me that actress is Rebecca (owner) from Ted Lasso. I'm slow.
+1
I now agree with that. E3 tonight looks like it jumped ahead another few years. The timeline is moving forward quickly.
Strong episode. Daemon is a mo-fo that didn't need any help! LOL.
The first 2 episodes are painfully boring and i can't deal with them making it all about a 15 year old girl
Making it all about a 15 year old girl?
That's literally the story.
I can't deal with them making Hulk all about this green scientist.
She does get older during the series.
Believe she is 17-18 by episode 3.
The battle scene last night was lacking for me. The Crab Feeders were holding off this army with dragons for 3 years, actually beating them. Then all of a sudden one man runs through them so easily. And then Daemon walks into the cave, we see nothing, no fight, and he drags out a third of the great crab feeder, this episode was not as good as it could have been, imho.
The first 3 episodes were amazing. Great story and plenty of action.
That’s what I did with the original series, GOT. Years later I binge watched the entire series and now think it’s the second best series I ever saw. Your choice but I would give the first season at least.
There needs to be story as well as action. I know the source material well. It is full of truly wild s. Event after event after event. You need a little patience. The series just started.
GOT season 1 was one of the best in the history of TV. And it actually had very little "action".
Took a while to grab me. Originally I gave up after watching 3 episodes. Later restarted watching and binged the series in a few weeks.
Give this story time. This is all gravy what we are getting right now. The show REALLY starts when the Dance starts. This is all very detailed set up and theyre doing a phenomenal job.
Buckle up for when the Dance actually starts - I think it will blow GOT out of the water. Just crazy crazy twists and turns. And GOT is my second favorite show of all time.
Buckle up for when the Dance actually starts - I think it will blow GOT out of the water. Just crazy crazy twists and turns. And GOT is my second favorite show of all time.
This is coming from a huge GRRM fan. I bought the original GoT paperback in 1999 when I used to commute to NYC from NB via world trade. For a few years, I was devouring books during those commutes.
I was also a huge WoT reader then as well. But as awesome as that story started, it meanders just as awesomely. And it was apparent that Jordan was never going to finish. Sure as shit, he died before he could.
So, in other words, we have seen this movie before…
Any criticism that anyone has for how the TV series ended has only one person to blame. The big man. He has had DECADES to finish this damn story. It is ridiculous that he hasn’t by now. What is it, 10 years and running since the last book? Awful. Even more awful…I’m not sure I even care any more. That is the real shame of it all. I get that he is older and busier, but 26 years(!)? He should have wrapped this thing up by now.
I have not started HotD yet, but really looking forward to it. I’ve read bits/pieces of Fire and Blood and really enjoyed it. I know some of the critics panned it because of the lack of detail. But TBH, after WoT’s (and a bit of LotR and ASOIAF) self indulgent overdescriptions that go on for pages and pages, I liked just getting to the meat. Incidentally, one REALLY great book/series for that - The Black Company. The author either skips entire battles, or just sums them up and keeps the story going. It’s a nice change of pace from some of these epic fantasy series that drag on a bit.
I equally feel your pain! I started reading that GD series in 1995. After that, I swore that I would never read a series until it is completed. LOL!
The great thing about HOTD is that the source materials are completed. No mystery, we know what happens and where the show needs to go. Thank goodness!
I only watched GOT last year and I thought the first season was slow. Seasons 2-6 is where I thought it was very good. It was somewhat of a good thing that I didn't watch it when it came out. No cliffhangers or waits if I don't want there to be lol. Watched it all in a little over 2 months.
So far I'd say I probably like season 1 of HOTD better than season 1 of GOT. I sometimes refrain from staying fully up to date with a series currently airing. Save up watching 2-3 episodes and then watch them over a day or 2.
Agree with you on the way they played out the Crab Feeder battle. Seemed kind of nonsensical to me.
For those getting bored, I'd suggest maybe doing what I do in refraining from staying up to date and not watching multiple episodes or even a whole season. I think having a catalog of upcoming episodes can help with the psychology of sticking through the slow parts knowing something could be coming soon and you can actually get to it if you want rather than waiting week after week.
AFter Ep 3 comment if you want to avoid possible SPOILERS..
Really liked Ep3... I think they are finally getting around to fleshing out the world and characters. But I have to say... I do not understand "The Triarchy" and the CrabKing and the whole geo-political mess that surrounds "The Stepstones".
They did provide some clues in Ep2.. about shipping lanes... but they could have had an expository scene where someone like the Princess.. and named heir.. asks some statement about the Stepstones and their importance and they could have used a map and pointed to it and explained who everyone is and where they are and why this clash is so important.
So, if anyone else is in the same headspace as me on this.. here is what I have figured out so far:
Valaryon family.. the queen that never was and he husband.. largest navy and shipping fleet and richest house in Westeros. Their seat is Driftwood.. and island just west of the island of Dragonston.. both roughly east-northeast of Kings Landing across Blackwater Bay.
South of them along the same east coast of westeros are the Stepstones.. a series of islands leading out into the Narrow Sea.. which separates Westeros from Essos. Essos is where Dany spent most of the GoT series... There are citystates (The Free Cities) and islands out there that seem to seek to weaken Westeros and The House of Targaryens. They are funding the CrabKing's war against Westeros.
That's what I don't get. They spent no time explaining what the CrabKing wanted. What he thought to gain for himself and his people.. whatever they were.. scavengers, pirates? No effort whatsoever was made to explain that situation... so, with this "victory" apparent at the end of the episode.. what was won? Again.. no effort. About the only thing the story advances is that Prince Draegon has won some standing. I am not even sure who was riding the dragon while Draegon was fighting his one-man assault on the island and caves. No effort was made to show the supporting army arriving to invade.
Some shoddy stuff. I stand by my assessment that this series will be inferior.. but the first half of the episode was an improvement over the first two episodes.
Really liked Ep3... I think they are finally getting around to fleshing out the world and characters. But I have to say... I do not understand "The Triarchy" and the CrabKing and the whole geo-political mess that surrounds "The Stepstones".
They did provide some clues in Ep2.. about shipping lanes... but they could have had an expository scene where someone like the Princess.. and named heir.. asks some statement about the Stepstones and their importance and they could have used a map and pointed to it and explained who everyone is and where they are and why this clash is so important.
So, if anyone else is in the same headspace as me on this.. here is what I have figured out so far:
Valaryon family.. the queen that never was and he husband.. largest navy and shipping fleet and richest house in Westeros. Their seat is Driftwood.. and island just west of the island of Dragonston.. both roughly east-northeast of Kings Landing across Blackwater Bay.
South of them along the same east coast of westeros are the Stepstones.. a series of islands leading out into the Narrow Sea.. which separates Westeros from Essos. Essos is where Dany spent most of the GoT series... There are citystates (The Free Cities) and islands out there that seem to seek to weaken Westeros and The House of Targaryens. They are funding the CrabKing's war against Westeros.
That's what I don't get. They spent no time explaining what the CrabKing wanted. What he thought to gain for himself and his people.. whatever they were.. scavengers, pirates? No effort whatsoever was made to explain that situation... so, with this "victory" apparent at the end of the episode.. what was won? Again.. no effort. About the only thing the story advances is that Prince Draegon has won some standing. I am not even sure who was riding the dragon while Draegon was fighting his one-man assault on the island and caves. No effort was made to show the supporting army arriving to invade.
Some shoddy stuff. I stand by my assessment that this series will be inferior.. but the first half of the episode was an improvement over the first two episodes.
Slight spoiler for E4.....but if you watched the preview after E3, you already heard this.
The main point of the Stepstones battle was to build up Prince Daemon and the loyalty to him. After the victory, a bunch of houses/people declare him the King of the Narrow Sea. This will be important for the Dance of the Dragons.
As for Crab Feeder and his minions, I don't remember the source materials that well on this. Obviously, he is trying to take over the Stepstones and choke trade from Westeros. I guess this will financial hurt Westeros, but I think this at the end of the day this is just a money grab (see link). There was some speculation that Crab Feeder was a part of one of the high Westeros houses or connected to them in some way.
Also, in the show, Corlys Velaeyon mentioned a few times the need to clean out the Stepstones and the damage Crab Feeder is doing.
Great link. That's the kind of info they could have stuck into the series in some way. They were crafty about doing such things as this in the early GoT seasons. Character discussions that revealed the world. I just think it is missed opportunity to get viewers invested in understanding the world and see it as a living breathing world that makes sense.. that the motivations of characters are recognizable.
And, as you say was hinted in the teasers for Ep4... yes.. the need to show Draegon gaining support is obvious.. rather, TOO OBVIOUS. That's the danger of not explaining the world well enough.
The whole battle seems like it is merely a vehicle to explain why Draegon becomes a legitimate contestant for the Iron Throne rather than the need to defeat the crab king in the greater scheme of thing explaining the opportunity that Draegon cashed in on.
In this way it is as if the TV series needed that battle to help that character rather than Westerosi houses needed that battle and they reward Draegon because he won it.
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