A Son for a Son

After years of waiting, House of The Dragon is back and better than it was before. Just like all premieres should be, it's a soft, sad, and suspenseful slow burn that leads right up to the next big cause of the Dance of Dragons. Blood and Cheese sequence was rushed and underwhelming but it's overshadowed by the rest of the episode's amazing writing, dialogue, acting, and cinematography. This season will truly be something very special and I cannot wait. Emma D'arcy does such a great job playing the part of a vengeful grieving mother as she mourns the loss of Lucerys. The new season is filled with familiar GoT themes like revenge, anger, rage, sorrow, and DRAGONS!!!!

I could give a 9, but I save it for later, even though this was probably one of the best episodes so far, I have a feeling that there is still room for better episodes, the worm-up round was intense and full of good scenes, but as the plot thickens there will be more great episodes to enjoy in the future... This is a very well made series, and the acting is good. I definitely enjoy this very much, and waiting for the next episode.

The story is interesting, and the main characters are really funny, they all give their personal twist to the story, with their harsh language and personal traits, some are mad and others dramatic... Great show.

The buzz around this show when it was originally coming out was huge and quite insane on social media. Not a lot of people were as neutral on that season in the end as I was, but it does seem like it quickly found the spark that was missing for a lot of fans of this epic type of television storytelling. I was very excited about this season, because it seemed like they were going to be more focused and not jump around in time constantly. And already with the first episode, the show has upped its own standards and provided a great season opener.

The pacing of this episode is very methodical and akin to the previous episodes of the best "Game of Thrones" seasons. It takes its time to set up all of its pieces and get the audience onboard with the current state of things, quickly reminding us of what happened previously so that everyone is onboard. It takes its time and that's what the first season severely lacked as it felt like every piece was rushed to make sure that we got to the stuff that we wanted to see quickly. The episode plays around with grief a lot, and it all leads to a beautiful funeral scene that is wonderfully edited and an emotional piece of storytelling told almost without any words. It makes us wait for some of the highlights, but the episode is full of them, and especially the last act of the episode carries a huge punch that shows the early stages of war in all of its ugliest forms. It shows how the circle of vengeance and hatred has overtaken morale and common sense in this time and this show could end up becoming a truly breathtaking exploration of war and the effect it has on people involved, told through the veil of a fantasy show. The character work is done sparingly but effectively in this episode, and especially Rhaenyra's arc, which is small as she rarely appears throughout the episode, but it still gets the emotions stirring because of great writing, and especially because of Emma D'Arcy's continued supreme acting.

"A Son for a Son" makes for a thrilling return to Westeros and sets up the game pieces for a truly remarkable and gripping season. It features the slow, yet deliberate pace that made its predecessor such an engaging show, and its character work is truly remarkable, achieved through some great writing and excellent performances.

Wow, absolutely blown away. The cinematography was absolutely stunning. The pieces are being set in motion, hailing back to its tried and true game of thrones. Both parties vying for control over the lands and the houses within them. KEY houses being mentioned and even shown, putting big players into place for the upcoming war. The acting was phenomenal as usual, with a scene of grievance bringing a tear to myself and my friend's eye while watching. Seeing the way the different characters dealt with the events of the end of season 2 was beautiful to watch. But the real showstopper is the events that took place after all that. I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING. My jaw was on the floor. What. A. Way. To. Start. A. Season.

What a fantastic comeback after such a long wait. Being the first episode of the season, it's natural to pick up where everything left off-the story, the emotions, and so on. Yet, it still felt incredibly well-paced, with a lot happening at once, reconnecting us with the characters from the previous season, and gradually setting the stage for what's to come, which we understand will be total chaos.

This keeps getting better and better! I had lower expectations for the start of this second season to be honest, but from what I've seen today, I understand that the first season was just a warm-up; and this season... well, this season is going to be pure hell and madness.