House of the Dragon (season 1)

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⭐ 10.0/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

Let me start off by saying that I don't think this is a perfect show despite the score. I think there are definitely a few issues. This one season covers some twenty years of time which is a tough task considering they want you to invest in characters, their motivations and day-to-day political happenings. There are a million characters, all who have similar names, and so in turn you never really spend as much time as you'd like with anyone. Yet with the characters you spend the most time with, their characteristics and motivations change so fast that it's hard to invest in their thinking. Daemon goes from psychopath to pretty normal guy in between episodes, and you don't really track why except that he's married now.

There are other nitpicks. The actors changing definitely threw me for a loop. This show is genuinely humorless and lacks any attempt at charm. It also, you know, glorifies brutal killing, incest, and is overall sexually charged like any G.R.R. Martin story is.

Yet all that aside, this is my favorite TV experience since the peak of Game of Thrones. If you like fantasy, this is much-watch. From high stakes drama to mind-melting action to top-rate world building, I really do think Martin is our generation of Tolkien where he is kinda doing things nobody else has done with fantasy, or at least not in a way that has garnered a following that appeals to cultish genre fans and mass audiences alike.

As far as drama, this is terrific. Yes, there are a ton of characters, but the real magic in this show is to get you to care about them all anyways. There are also no "good guys" really at all, yet you find yourself cheering for people at different times when they do something you like. Daemon is evil, yet you can't help pumping your fist when he does something to defend a character you like. You can also like certain people (a noted #teamgreen man myself) and yet hate what the outcome would be if they win. Just so many levels of intricacy and competing thoughts make this show a masterpiece.

The set pieces were also incredible. This show, naturally, has a bit more dragon in it, and yet they keep them off screen enough to keep them mystical and terrifying. The final scene of the season was the greatest monster scene I've seen since the masterpiece of Godzilla vs Kong. I'm half joking about Godzilla, but I don't think I've ever seen or felt anything like that from a TV show.

The history and world are just brilliantly thought out and formed. I think it's amazing. I have no notes besides to say that although George is clearly a very weird dude, he crafts interesting worlds that seem totally natural and realistic (as far as fantasy worlds can be).

So yeah, I loved this season of TV. It took me a bit to warm up, possibly because I was hoping Rings of Power would win the competition between the two. But when I gave up on that and invested in this show fully, it was no contest. This show rules. Also now I'm sad that Rings wasn't this. I also think that despite its intricacies, and despite that this show was clearly for fans of Thrones, this show is easier to recommend as it feels a little tamer on the violence and sex front and might not scare away new watchers as quickly.

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