LOST was also impacted by being on network TV... and they were milking it and demanding 23-24 1 hour episodes/season, because that was how network TV schedules ran... and undoubtedly they were going to run out of content and plot twists. Given those demands, its amazing they were able to come up with what they were. It did lead to the golden television era where there was less emphasis on numbers of episodes and quality/content became the most important factor... even if shows had to take 2-3 years off in between seasons. If LOST was produced today (especially on a cable network), they'd be just as big... if not bigger... by still hitting all the high points but being able to cut out all the fluff and extra useless stuff that was simply there because they needed to churn out so many episodes.
Lol. So a medieval C-section and an old father pimping out his daughter after the King just lost his wife and son the night before didn't quite do it for you?? There was also an orgy, a guy getting his dick cut off, and just a good ole fashion sex scene. I do agree though that casual fans of GOT who came in later to the series probably won't want to make appointment views for this one. It's a series that is deep in lore, and the history of the books. Also the Targaryans in the books are famous for using like the same 4 names for everyone in the family line so yeah it's going to be hard to keep up especially when they introduce like 8 different Aegons. Still I really liked it. The filmakers seem way more competent, and they are able to craft the story beats in a more compelling way instead of having to make a series based on half finished books. This one we already know the ending, and who dies so they can pretty much just craft the story the way they want, and they seem to know what they are doing. My favorite parts of GOT was the succession, back stabbing, and the medieval politics so this one came off with a solid start for me.
I'm just saying it isn't shocking anymore. It's pretty run of the mill after 8 seasons of Game of Thrones. With all that, the most interesting thing was: Spoiler: are we using spoilers? I dont know The visions of the Night King and we probably won't be talking about that ever again in this show
Encouraging to see the solid reviews so far from my fellow CF brethen on this. I just need @The Drake to start watching this. Will watch it tonight w/ the wife.
I have never watched all of GOT only about 1/2 of the 1st season, I am excited to finally get immersed in this and then watch the original.
It's okay, but I'm still not ready to jump on another 10 yr boondoggle by a neckbeard who spends more time bullshitting in interviews than the stories he writes.
my only gripe Spoiler the trope where Daemon eavesdrops on the council dumping on him was pretty lame
GOT was pretty slow overall (outside of a few scenes) for the first few episodes. I had to tell lots of people to keep watching as it was a grower. I liked Ep 1. Solid enough setup and start
I honestly much prefer cohesive&proper story telling over some cheap shock factor that everyone is totally over with after years of GoT. That stuff doesn't do it for most fans anymore.
One of the reviews I read yesterday, reviewer had seen the first six episodes, stated the episodes get progressively better as the season goes on....
That's a good sign, because I thought the first episode was excellent. I did not expect to like it as much as I did. The show itself was great, but the technical stuff like set designs, costumes, and cinematography were all top notch, better-than-movie quality.
I thought it was a solid intro episode. Casting is not as good as GoT, writing is pretty good. The special/visual effects were weirdly hit or miss for me. I thought some of the dragon scenes looked pretty good, and some looked like they were from a mediocre video game. Odd since my recollection is the dragons looked amazing in all the GoT episodes. Also, there are some scenes where it felt like they had applied that weird de-aging filter to people's faces. Maybe it was the makeup, but it was distracting. Like their facial features were almost blurry smooth and didn't look natural. Acting was pretty good. The decision Viserys had to make was a brutal one and I immediately felt for him and his wife. Which is a good sign that I was already rooting for/against characters in the pilot episode. Not sure about the actress playing Rhaenyra, though. But then again, it took me a bit to warm up to Emilia Clarke too. Hopefully it gets better. If it stayed at the level it was in the pilot episode, I would still watch but it wouldn't be appointment TV like GoT was.
Wow... yeah it'll be fascinating to get the take of someone who watches this first and then goes to GOT to watch in a linear fashion. One things for sure though you'll definitely see a drop off in budget from HOTD to Season 1 of GOT. Still though, season 1 has some of the best of GOT in terms of the medieval politics which it's the part I think I like the most. But going into season 1 of GOT and already understanding some of the back history of the Targaryens and the great houses that you'll get from HOTD will pay DIVIDENDS. I remember having to watch season 1 of GOT like 4 times because I was so overloaded with "this house, that house, this house, that house, etc. etc." that my brain kind of exploded.
I kind of know what happens in GOT, just not a lot of specifics, so it will not be totally new, but it will be interesting to know some of the backstory of the Houses.
