I was pretty excited for the start of this series but found my attention wandering three or four episodes in when nothing much seemed to be happening. Sure, there were characters I liked and some pretty epic action sequences like albino Dr Who carving up those pirates on the beach that time.
But, I dunno. It seemed to be missing something.
Honestly, I think it might have been the lack of weird, off-stage magical shenanigans. With no zombies, no sexy fire witches, none of that silliness, it all seemed a bit like a BBC costume drama.
I let a couple of episodes stack up and finally got around to watching them in a mini-binge last night.
Huh.
It got better. Specifically, the big story finally hit its stride in the last two episodes which were as good as any from the original series. GoT TOS had a thing about making the second last ep of each season the big one, and the closer something of a denouement. The producers went for a more conventional arc here, ramping up the tension before blowing it all up in the last chapter.
I won’t do spoilers, obvs. But I was happy enough to come back for more next tme.
GoT was about two things, politics and a creeping horror/disaster that the audience knows will upend the politics side of things for the characters, so its scope was large from the start.
HoTD isn't even really about politics, it's about relationships, feelings, and love, and on the periphery, misogyny, because the realm's man babies will literally burn it to the ground to put an incompetent man on the throne than bend the knee to a capable woman. Take the dragons out and It's really a medieval Succession.
Totally agree on the last 2 being the best. There is a noticeable lack of a character or family to root for. As they get closer and sniff the throne they all fall into the old truth... Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The only honorable characters so far are the head of the Kings guard and some of the knights. But maybe next season we will meet the Starks
GoT was about two things, politics and a creeping horror/disaster that the audience knows will upend the politics side of things for the characters, so its scope was large from the start.
HoTD isn't even really about politics, it's about relationships, feelings, and love, and on the periphery, misogyny, because the realm's man babies will literally burn it to the ground to put an incompetent man on the throne than bend the knee to a capable woman. Take the dragons out and It's really a medieval Succession.
I enjoyed it, happy to watch the next season.
Totally agree on the last 2 being the best. There is a noticeable lack of a character or family to root for. As they get closer and sniff the throne they all fall into the old truth... Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The only honorable characters so far are the head of the Kings guard and some of the knights. But maybe next season we will meet the Starks