House of the Dragon

It is not uncommon for successful shows to experience a major drop in quality from the initial season to the next but wow, the season 2 of House of the Dragon dropped off the proverbial cliff.

After a great season 1, proving to many that the world of Westeros could still play host to interesting story lines, season 2 managed to mess that up. Too many side plots that added nothing to the overall story, too much sitting around and brooding by Queen Rhaenyra and the endless Harrenhal scenes were awful.

As so many others have pointed out, the pacing was completely off for the entire season leaving me zoning out during episodes. Now we are told that filming for season 3 will commence next year so season 3 where we might finally get some dragon-on-dragon action is likely 18 months away? While I looked forward to season 2 after a great season 1, I have to admit to not being all that excited for season 3.

What a shame.

Season 1 had such a great pace. We moved through years in 2 or 3 episodes, which allowed for the story to move along and milestones to be achieved. This season we are 4 episodes in and the story has only moved a few weeks. This show is eerily slow and nothing is happening. The Dameon story line is boring and useless. Rhanerya has been absent in most of the episodes and not making any decisions. The show writers listened to wasteful criticism from some of last year's audience members, who complained the pace was too fast and now they have destroyed the show!!!! You can't take everyone's critique too serious. This show is way tooo slow and it has lost it magic from last year.

This work has reached an unparalleled level of awfulness, the worst episodes are in the second season.

I'm tired and angry at this work and the stupid games the writers are playing. I didn't expect the series to reach such a level of triviality and disgust that has reached its peak. In reality, this is the price of GRRM selling the rights to his world after spending a long period of his life on it. You write and leave, and it ends up in the hands of a network that doesn't care about quality, and they team up with some bad writers, who I'm too embarrassed to call them writers, and then HBO put them in an animal barn instead of a writing room.

This ugly quality only comes from an animal barn, and I believe even if you were in an animal barn, you would be able to produce better ideas and writings, better than the work of the writers of House of the Dragons who think they can write innovative and new lines better than the original source... Unfortunately, this is the painful result.

The first season was so good-amazing world-building, layered characters, and every episode built momentum until that unforgettable cliffhanger finale. Leaving me thinking that Game of Thrones is back!

But then came Season 2, and I couldn't help but ask: what went wrong?

Game of Thrones gave us some of the most fascinating female characters in TV history-Cersei, driven by trauma, ambition, and family; Daenerys, evolving from a powerless slave to a liberator and queen. These characters were complex, flawed, and compelling.

Now, we have a queen who complains about the men around her while making questionable decisions behind their backs. Instead of delving into the nuances of her choices, the writing reduces her to frustration when she's confronted. Meanwhile, Daemon-arguably the most captivating character-has been sidelined, left to have a mental break down. Aemond, who commands attention in every scene, has been reduced to barely any screen time even though every scene he's in is left with intensity.

It feels like the writing has lost its edge. I never thought I'd say it, but I'd rather rewatch Game of Thrones' final season than sit through this again. Season 2 deserves better writing, and so do we.

In truth, the show presents all the GOT trappings, but offers none of its heart. Consider why we cared about GOT. First, we watched the Stark family children and their trials, torn from their home in the North: Sansa in King's Landing, then worse; Arya among the Nameless Men, then wandering Westeros with the Hound; Jon Snow at the Wall and beyond on his northern quest, then finding his truth with Dani. Secondly, the Lannister story-arc had legs. We came to care about both Jamie and Tyrion. Finally, we watched Dani rise from trophy wife to Targaryen queen. That is, we experienced these complex and beautifully written characters as they grew.

Contrastingly, House of the Dragon offers no one to support, truly; no main character to root for. Thus, it descends quickly into mere palace intrigue, cut with gut-wrenching violence. Who do we like, here? The arrogant and self-serving Rhaenyra offers little empathy; and while the young Queen Alicent seemed sympathetic, she grows icy cold. The King's weakness undermines our connection to him and, finally, Daemon is just unfathomable. Put simply, we don't care about these people and, without character sympathy, the show is empty. Great stories aren't about what happens to people. They're about what happens to people we care about. A lesson HOTD should learn.