*** GoT: House of the Dragon - Season 2***

117,046 Views | 1231 Replies | Last: 19 days ago by TyHolden
The Dog Lord
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Just watched again with the wife. Much better knowing not to expect anything wild. She also really liked it since I warned her to lower her expectations.
The Dog Lord
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easttexasaggie04 said:

Are there any shows on MAX worth watching or should I go ahead and cancel it?


Not all of these are new/recent, but…

The Outsider
Mare of Easttown
Tokyo Vice
Chernobyl
The White Lotus
Banshee
Quad Dog
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Saw this somewhere. This should have been the last scene of season 2. And episode 8 should have been the opening of season 3.
PatAg
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Quad Dog said:

Saw this somewhere. This should have been the last scene of season 2. And episode 8 should have been the opening of season 3.

Would have been a great cliffhanger and also a decent resolution of that storyline for the season.
oragator
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I saw some comments about how nothing happened before I watched it, so my expectations were properly set.
Had this been an action packed season it would have been a great finale, I actually enjoyed it a lot as a stand alone. But the whole season could have been done in about 3 episodes for what was shared. It was 9 hours of episodes, and for that, think of how little actually happened.
I will say though that the juxtaposition they set up between the two conversations Alicent and Rhaenyra had this season were really well done. In the first one it was Rhaenyra who was largely right and trying to talk peace, but Alicent wouldn't listen. In the second one it was the exact opposite. And the second juxtaposition of them being friends and enemies was great too. Plus the first one Rhaenyra went to Alicent, the second one was the opposite. They did a good job of leveling the culpability just in those to scenes.

But the pressure is on for next season, it better be far more action filled or the Teflon around the franchise is going to start to wear away.
Yesterday
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Save for the dragon battle that season was lame. The finale only put a cherry on top of a terribly boring season. Not sure I'll be interested in season 3. I fell asleep in the finale. How could they let that happen.
PatAg
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Everyone will be watching Season 3, the finale was up 14% from the Season 2 premiere and was the season 2 high.
So despite all the complaining online, viewership increased.
Cibalo
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At this point I have invested in 2 seasons worth to see the big battle. I will stick around to see it and then see where it goes after that. How they do it will determine if I keep watching.


Also would it kill them to at least show some boob one time? Perfect time to have Lanister walk in and see a trio of "wives" ready to mate before cutting to the next scene.
Brian Earl Spilner
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Quad Dog said:

Saw this somewhere. This should have been the last scene of season 2. And episode 8 should have been the opening of season 3.



You're absolutely right.
Brian Earl Spilner
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Also I forgot to mention before, but the music at the end went hard.
Yesterday
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tk for tu juan
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Brian Earl Spilner said:

Also I forgot to mention before, but the music at the end went hard.
easttexasaggie04
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brillag
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Would you watch this season again? Would you watch this series again up to this point?

Hard no from me and I think that sums it up pretty well.
Urban Ag
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brillag said:

Would you watch this season again? Would you watch this series again up to this point?

Hard no from me and I think that sums it up pretty well.
Yes. I honestly believe the acting, the cast itself, and the dialogue is so next level, that yes I would.

Sunday night I knew the clock was running out but I was so dialed in (and wouldn't check the time). Seeing the Stark infantry marching made me damn near rocker kick on the couch. Then it was over.

Disappointed? Sure. But two years from now the wife and I will know what we're doing on Sunday night.
Urban Ag
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Unsolicited advice and maybe, likely, this has been discussed before.

Pretty sure this is a 100% or close to UK cast. Under good conditions, translating the various dialects of "UK English" can be difficult. When the actors are talking quietly or there is too much background noise (wind, rain, dragons, war) it's gets all the more difficult.

Watch it in subtitles.

Catching every word of the brilliant writing is worth it.


/imagine being from London and touring the US and trying to decipher "American English" from say Boston to Houston to Chicago. Ouch.
brillag
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Oh no doubt we'll continue to watch as well. But so many episodes of this season have just drug on with nothing happening.

If I'm flipping channels next summer (I realize this is streaming but just to make a comparison) and come across Season 1 Episode 6 or Season 2 Episode 3, I'm not stopping. There have been plenty of tv shows and movies that I've watched and rewatched loads of times. This is not that.

IMO people are hooked and will continue to watch because of the potential. It just has yet to deliver aside from a few moments here and there.
Danger Mouse
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I agree that the season finale could have been saved as the Season 3 opener. Too much time on Daemon.

But overall I would give the season a B.
Class of '91 (MEEN)
E
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I've watched GoT with subtitles for years… highly suggest doing so

You can even catch little things like Pycelle farts


Capstone
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I think a lot of people, myself included, got spoiled with the pacing of GoT. It pretty much held to the one book, one season philosophy. Add into that the crazy amount of time they are about to take to produce/release season 3 and the issue is exacerbated.

From what I've seen, this is going to be a 4 season arc. At the current pace, it is going to take 5-6 years to from beginning to end.

I read all the books that GoT was based on, but nothing since then. I did a little Googling and Fire and Blood was under 800 pages. So, it is on par with the 5 novels (so far) in ASOIAF - the last of the 5 books exceeded 1,000 pages.

Additionally, to me, none of the characters are nearly as compelling or fleshed out as the starting lineup in ASOIAF. There isn't a Littlefinger, Varys, Tyrion, John Snow, Tormund, Hound, Brianne, Dany, etc. Even villains like Joffrey and Ramsey were compelling in that they absolutely made you despise them and hope for their brutal demise.

I'm sure that Aemond is going to die at some point, but I don't know that I care. That was never the case in GoT.
BCG Disciple
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Daemon is the only compelling character. And last episode seemed very much out of character for what we have learned about him.
Definitely Not A Cop
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https://instagr.am/p/C9sismsyN0R
Urban Ag
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Ser Criston

Every man hates him

Every man wants to be him

PatAg
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Capstone said:

I think a lot of people, myself included, got spoiled with the pacing of GoT. It pretty much held to the one book, one season philosophy. Add into that the crazy amount of time they are about to take to produce/release season 3 and the issue is exacerbated.

From what I've seen, this is going to be a 4 season arc. At the current pace, it is going to take 5-6 years to from beginning to end.

I read all the books that GoT was based on, but nothing since then. I did a little Googling and Fire and Blood was under 800 pages. So, it is on par with the 5 novels (so far) in ASOIAF - the last of the 5 books exceeded 1,000 pages.

Additionally, to me, none of the characters are nearly as compelling or fleshed out as the starting lineup in ASOIAF. There isn't a Littlefinger, Varys, Tyrion, John Snow, Tormund, Hound, Brianne, Dany, etc. Even villains like Joffrey and Ramsey were compelling in that they absolutely made you despise them and hope for their brutal demise.

I'm sure that Aemond is going to die at some point, but I don't know that I care. That was never the case in GoT.


I'm pretty sure this show is also not the whole book, but only like 1/4 of it. Someone said something to that effect
bobinator
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BCG Disciple said:

Daemon is the only compelling character. And last episode seemed very much out of character for what we have learned about him.
I don't think so. We don't really know the full extent of what he saw in the vision. We also sort of know at least one big piece of how this show ends which leads me to think that what Daemon saw is leading him to "play his part" which is stepping aside for Rhaenyra right now, but not permanently.
dude95
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BCG Disciple said:

Daemon is the only compelling character. And last episode seemed very much out of character for what we have learned about him.
Deamon (not this season), Aemond, Larys, Cargyll twins, Hugh, Rhynaenys even Otto are all compelling to me.

The problem is the show is filled with Rhaena, Agon, Jace, etc. Too many plotlines that are rehashed 7 different ways. Too much whining from too many characters. There's more action here than GoT - which looking back had very little action. Outside of Sansa - none of those characters really whined or were annoying without being evil. They had confidence or they were stupid (Theon) or they were the ones to be defeated.

No one is sure of themselves so why should we be sure of them.

bobinator
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dude95 said:

Deamon (not this season), Aemond, Larys, Cargyll twins, Hugh, Rhynaenys even Otto are all compelling to me.
I think this list shows the problem with the writing of this show that I've hammered over and over, the only compelling characters that actually have known motivation, ambition, goals, etc are Daemon and Otto.

Every other even somewhat compelling character is mostly interesting because they've been put in an important position and we don't really know much about them (and I'd add Helaena to that list.) The mystery makes them compelling more than truly good character development. Compare Larys to say, Littlefinger. Practically the same character, one with infinitely more depth than the other.
Definitely Not A Cop
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Apologies if it's been discussed, but why was Jace throwing an hissy fit about low born dragon riders? Wasn't it his idea in the first place?
bobinator
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I thought it was Mysaria's idea.

But as to why he's pissy, it ties into something else that annoyed me in the last episode which was the little dragon training cult or whatever they are quitting. That doesn't make any sense to me unless the reason they quit is because they didn't want innocent people to die but that's not at all how that scene came across.

It came across more like "these low borns would be tainting the magic of the dragon" which is absurd. Either a) they're right, and the lownborns are all going to die in the process or b) they're wrong, some of these lowborns really might have the ability to ride the dragons, and if so, then why are they bothered by it?
Poot
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Jace's idea was to bring in high borns that weren't officially royalty.

His hang-up with bass turds is that it weakens his claim to being officially royal. It's always been suspected/known that his dad was Harwin Strong. But one of the things he could point to was that he was a dragon rider, so that pointed to him not being a bass turd. If any Targ bass turd can dragon ride, it opens him up to more scrutiny and it damages his claim to being a true heir to the throne.
bobinator
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It doesn't really though, it's just him whining again. If his mother is the one in charge and recognizes him as her son it doesn't matter who his father is. Now if his claim to the throne were through his father, but it wasn't his actual father (like with Joffrey) that would be different.
Phrasing
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Poot said:

Jace's idea was to bring in high borns that weren't officially royalty.

His hang-up with bass turds is that it weakens his claim to being officially royal. It's always been suspected/known that his dad was Harwin Strong. But one of the things he could point to was that he was a dragon rider, so that pointed to him not being a bass turd. If any Targ bass turd can dragon ride, it opens him up to more scrutiny and it damages his claim to being a true heir to the throne.
Quote:

It doesn't really though, it's just him whining again. If his mother is the one in charge and recognizes him as her son it doesn't matter who his father is. Now if his claim to the throne were through his father, but it wasn't his actual father (like with Joffrey) that would be different.
I think both can be true at the same time. Poot's point is correct in that this is why Jace is whining - it's what Jace is thinking.

Bob's point is correct too, that Jace is wrong in that line of thinking. This was Baela's point to him in Ep 8 as well. Stop whining!

I think Jace is wrong as well, it doesn't matter and he needs to get over it. But I can also understand him feeling that way.
bobinator
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Yeah I get that it would be unsettling to see these randos be able to do the thing that you think makes you special, but they're still not you. They're not the son of the queen, they aren't a threat to his claim.

I think a good road to go down that would have shown some forward thinking from Jace is at what cost are these riders? Who's to say where their loyalty will really reside? Why would they be loyal to house Targaryan when for so long they were ignored by it? They might join it for this war but then what?

Him being against it for something more pragmatic and showing some maturity of thinking from his character might have landed better.
Wes97
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Some of you might want to do a little studying on life in the medieval world.

In this show/world it has been called "Targaryen exceptionalism." That doctrine of the faith was why they could get away with incest, multiple marriages, and all sorts of other things that would have gotten common folk arrested, killed, excommunication, etc.... It was because they were assumed to be special and blessed by the gods. The normal rules did not apply to them.

This is not just a show invention however. This same logic was prevalent during the Middle Ages in Europe. Why could various kings get away with divorcing, sleeping with multiple women, Prima Nocta, etc.... Because as Kings they were "chosen or blessed" by God.

As soon as you start saying any common person can do one of these things, then you start chipping away at that principle. If anyone can ride a dragon (in this world) than why shouldn't anyone be able to have multiple wives or practice incest or whatever the next thing is.
bobinator
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They're not "any common person" though. They're all Targaryan descendants.

If anything, them retaining that dragon-riding blood magic despite not being high born would give MORE credibility to the idea that Targaryans are blessed by the gods or whatever.
 
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