OT: Consolidated Entertainment Thread (TV, Movies, Books, Games) V- Use Spoiler Tags!

[My3Sons]

I haven't read the books and my wife has been alluding to some pretty crucial changes having been made already, but overall I was totally onboard with HotD until the last episode. Everything felt simultaneously extremely forced and also pointless

subtle brag about being able to wallow in illiteracy because your wife reads for you.

 

[Devils731]

My friend sent me some vaguely sourced HOTD news and I think the timing works out.

Basically saying the writing room wrote the season in 8 months, then a month before the show started they were told it’s 8 episodes rather than 10, then a few months later the writer strike happens and they can’t make adjustments to the script.

So you ultimately end up with 8 of 10 episodes for season 2, rather than a re-written compressed season 2 they effectively just shifted the last 2 episodes into season 3.

Seems like the bean counters cutting off their nose to spite their face. They got the cost savings they were looking for at the long term cost of hurting the HOTD and GOT brand, a brand still in a fragile place that they plan on producing multiple series for.

———————

I still enjoyed HOTD but it does end right as it’s ramping up. I bet a fully re-written season would have used episode 7’s big moment as the season finale.

 

[MadDevil]

So they offered more/longer seasons for GOT to D&D, who refused them, and then cut the season length for HOTD. Hopefully season 3 is awesome and ends up being worth the two seasons and 4 years of buildup.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I'm fine with HoTD S2, for the most part, being a quieter season. People want fireworks weekly and that's just not feasibly. You end up turning into GoT S7-8 if you want to do that and we know how hate those seasons are by GoT fans. S3, the shit will hit the wall, they have no choice not to with how they set it up. The shame is we have to have wait a year and a half for it.

 

[JK3]

Stop coping people, it was a terrible finale, stop stanning for penny pinching billion dollar companies, it was a garbage blue ball finale. The Dragonseed episode would have been a better finale.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Stop coping people, it was a terrible finale, stop stanning for penny pinching billion dollar companies, it was a garbage blue ball finale. The Dragonseed episode would have been a better finale.

Sure, it sucked per se, but the only story that they could've had made shorter or done anything was the Daemon/Harranhal visions. That was the worst storyline imo that they dragged along the whole season, everything else is whatever. It's in S2, it sucks right now because, like I said, we have to go through another year and a half before we get any type of content but it'll 100% make sense as the show goes along. It's easier to deal with those finales when you're binge watching them v watching them a year and a half apart lol

 

[JK3]

Sure, it sucked per se, but the only story that they could've had made shorter or done anything was the Daemon/Harranhal visions. That was the worst storyline imo that they dragged along the whole season, everything else is whatever. It's in S2, it sucks right now because, like I said, we have to go through another year and a half before we get any type of content but it'll 100% make sense as the show goes along. It's easier to deal with those finales when you're binge watching them v watching them a year and a half apart lol

A lot of people hated Daemon this season but I thought it was great, it's an actual arc. In the books he's at Harranhal for a loooooooooong time. For sure waiting a year and half to two years is brutal for even the best of finales, it's just ridiculous that a company like HBO doesn't have the cash to flesh out another 2 episodes to make it somewhat satisfying.

No one is thinking of bingeing a show that might not be finished until 2028, that's freaking crazy. This two years between seasons bullshit needs to stop, it's f***ing Pejorative Slured. We live in an era with the best technology to make amazing movies and shows that we've ever seen. There's no reason for it to take that long, we're going backwards.

There's a million TV shows out there that pumped out 22+ episodes a season non stop without blinking an eye back in the day. They didn't involve tons of CGI of course but it was all about the writing. I don't need massive battles, dragons and explosions every episode, that's not what the GOT universe is about. Move the f***ing plot forward, It's pathetic that they can barely churn out 8 episodes when most of it is on a set like the small councils or the Harrenhal stage.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

A lot of people hated Daemon this season but I thought it was great, it's an actual arc. In the books he's at Harranhal for a loooooooooong time. For sure waiting a year and half to two years is brutal for even the best of finales, it's just ridiculous that a company like HBO doesn't have the cash to flesh out another 2 episodes to make it somewhat satisfying.

No one is thinking of bingeing a show that might not be finished until 2028, that's freaking crazy. This two years between seasons bullshit needs to stop, it's f***ing Pejorative Slured. We live in an era with the best technology to make amazing movies and shows that we've ever seen. There's no reason for it to take that long, we're going backwards.

There's a million TV shows out there that pumped out 22+ episodes a season non stop without blinking an eye back in the day. They didn't involve tons of CGI of course but it was all about the writing. I don't need massive battles, dragons and explosions every episode, that's not what the GOT universe is about. Move the f***ing plot forward, It's pathetic that they can barely churn out 8 episodes when most of it is on a set like the small councils or the Harrenhal stage.

I meant the idea that we're watching this show from a year and half basis as opposed to people who are catching on later on or who wait for the show be totally finished before they step in. I never said that I agreed with how long the seasons take to make, lol. It's stupidity, I agree.

 

[JK3]

I meant the idea that we're watching this show from a year and half basis as opposed to people who are catching on later on or who wait for the show be totally finished before they step in. I never said that I agreed with how long the seasons take to make, lol. It's stupidity, I agree.

I'm not exactly sure on your point but there are people that will consume this whole series eventually. Binging it will make it more palateble for sure with the breaks gone. It's like me I guess, I haven't been to the movies in 12 years. I'd eventually see things 5 years later when it was on DVD or cable TV lol. You miss out on the vibe at the time but that isn't doing HBO any favors, they need people to love this stuff and subscribe now.

 

[Oneiro]

Not to get all dorky on things but the business environment has changed in a big way since 2021. Higher interest rates being the big one but also a lot of obvious streaming failures and consolidation. You probably have some friends in white collar jobs who have gotten fired and had a lot of trouble getting a similar position elsewhere. The shuffling of Max and HBO branding, among other things, makes it clear that it’s a too many cooks in the kitchen scenario. All the new blood running these companies won’t take the risks. So it doesn’t really matter that HotD is a big hit - the money won’t be there like it was regardless.

Maybe we can all agree that the internet has sucked for a while but unfortunately, given how many monopolies are around and are even stronger than before the pandemic, I think things will only get worse. I have shifted to mostly watching older stuff I’ve never seen because the dearth of good stuff in every medium - games, books, music, etc - is as worse as it has ever been.

 

[AfroThunder396]

There's a lot of regency bias with HOTD, yes the last half of the season was boring but everything up to and including Rook's Rest was really f***ing good.

The season as a whole was fine, but it definitely seems like studio meddling and the writers strike really messed up production and made them release in a state they weren't thrilled with. There's still some really good stuff in it though.

Spoiler

The Good:

-The acting is phenomenal obviously, Emma Darcy and Olivia Cooke especially.

-The Cargill Story was perfect, no notes.

-I really liked Daemon's arc actually. GoT was allergic to all of the Old Gods/Weirwood stuff beyond the absolute bare minimum need for Bran's plot, so I like how much they leaned into that in this show. I also think his interactions with the Strongs were unintentionally hilarious.

-Watching Daemon and Rhaenyra basically switch places from where they started the season is great writing. Daemon is more mature and measured because he was finally forced to face his mistakes, while Rhaenyra now believes the ends justify the means because she's convinced herself she's a prophecy hero.

-I like what they did with Hugh, Ulf, and Addam. Especially Hugh. I definitely agree it would have been much stronger if S2 E7 was the finale, ending the season with that shot of the dragons roaring behind Rhaenyra would have been great.

-Mysaria, Jace, and Baela are all actual characters that have distinct personalities now. That's nice.

-Criston getting PTSD after Rook's Rest is a really interesting idea and I'm looking forward to seeing where they take it in the future.

-Vhagar feels like a force of nature and the true antagonist of this story. The dragons in general feel like much more of a big deal than in Season 1.

The Bad:

-Yeah, it got very boring in the second half and the finale was a huge disappointment.

-I was disappointed with Corlys the most, he's supposed to be the most powerful man in Westeros and he just spent all season being sad and getting yelled at by his family. They hired a really great actor to play him and then gave the guy nothing to work with.

-Blood and Cheese could have been done much better. I don't think it was bad, but objectively speaking but it lacked a lot of things that make it so effective in the book.

-I really don't like replacing Nettles with Rhaena. The whole Vale storyline was a boring dead end to get her a dragon, and IMO it's a pretty major and unnecessary departure from the canon. Rhaena is fine as a character but this is change for the sake of change and it was done really poorly IMO.

-The Green small council scenes, of which we get a lot of in the second half, get considerably worse with Otto out of the picture.

-If you're going to change Helaena this much and keep her in the story, she needs to actually do something and not just give exposition and vague prophecies that only the audience understands. The scenes with her and Alicent are heartbreaking but other than that she's just kind of there.

 

[Richer's Ghost]

They totally moved the pieces on the chessboard in that finale. It was lets put all the deception and set plays behind us and shake up the power balance both internally and against the other side. Normally this would be done in the first 2 or 3 ep of the new season but they went past the perfect finale point when she was standing there with her dragons behind her and instead plowed ahead.

There's no pleasing anyone at this point. It was a 70 minute S3 setup. Sure I wanted some action fights but big strategic moves were laid out for both sides.

 

[MadDevil]

If you look at GOT typically when they had 10 episodes, it was episode 9 where the big action moment was, with the season finale usually dealing with the aftermath. If you apply that same type of thinking to this, episode 8 ends with everybody going off to war. The plan was probably for episode 9 to be the big opening battle, with the finale dealing with the aftermath, or maybe even spreading into episode 10. For those who have read the book there's kind of an obvious point where I think they may have wanted to end the season if they had the full 10 episodes.

 

[Ripshot 43]

After the huge build up of last weeks House of the Dragon, I can’t wait for tonight’s episode!!!!

 

[My3Sons]

Ok @NjDevsRR this is your chance at redemption.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b59rxDB_JRg&pp=ygUJbm9zZmVyYXR1

 

[NjDevsRR]

Ok @NjDevsRR this is your chance at redemption.

Looks incredible/terrifyng

 

[britdevil]

Ok @NjDevsRR this is your chance at redemption.

 

[NjDevsRR]

Rewatching prison break since its back on Netflix.

Season one is INCREDIBLE. Has to be one of the best first seasons of any show. Season 2 is good, seasons 3-5 are meh. But wow, season one is fantastic television.

 

[britdevil]

Not to get all dorky on things but the business environment has changed in a big way since 2021. Higher interest rates being the big one but also a lot of obvious streaming failures and consolidation. You probably have some friends in white collar jobs who have gotten fired and had a lot of trouble getting a similar position elsewhere. The shuffling of Max and HBO branding, among other things, makes it clear that it’s a too many cooks in the kitchen scenario. All the new blood running these companies won’t take the risks. So it doesn’t really matter that HotD is a big hit - the money won’t be there like it was regardless.

Maybe we can all agree that the internet has sucked for a while but unfortunately, given how many monopolies are around and are even stronger than before the pandemic, I think things will only get worse. I have shifted to mostly watching older stuff I’ve never seen because the dearth of good stuff in every medium - games, books, music, etc - is as worse as it has ever been.

HBO also isn't the same HBO from 2010. Discovery merger and Zaslav being in charge is a disaster.

TBH, the lustre that the HBO name used to carry has been getting duller for the past 10 years, Zaslav has just sped that process up.

 

[NjDevsRR]

HBO also isn't the same HBO from 2010. Discovery merger and Zaslav being in charge is a disaster.

TBH, the lustre that the HBO name used to carry has been getting duller for the past 10 years, Zaslav has just sped that process up.

Last HBO show I really liked was The Leftovers

 

[Satans Hockey]

Awful, wouldn't have guessed she was this young...



The voice of Ash...

 

[My3Sons]

Awful, wouldn't have guessed she was this young...



The voice of Ash...

Thanks for sharing that. We had a dog named Misty that our oldest named after that character when he was little. She did a good job in her voice acting and it's clear she will be fondly remembered. Cancer is still the worst.

 

[JK3]

Last HBO show I really liked was The Leftovers

You and me might be the only ones lol. I really liked it, the premise and idea for the show was really interrsting. The first few seasons were fantasstic but it got bogged down in the later seasons. TBH I don't remember how it ended.

 

[NjDevsRR]

You and me might be the only ones lol. I really liked it, the premise and idea for the show was really interrsting. The first few seasons were fantasstic but it got bogged down in the later seasons. TBH I don't remember how it ended.

Last few episodes are epic

 

[Darkauron]

Leftovers was one of the most frustrating and annoying tv shows ive ever seen. I could never recommend it to anyone