Yeah I agree, so far it's just like the good older seasons of Game of Thrones before people started teleporting, but the characters don't seem as strong.
I'm certaintly not telling people to watch this like I did with the original, but there's nothing wrong with it at all and I won't tell people to stay away like with Rings of Power.
That's sums up how I feel as well quite nicely.
The characters and overarching plot might not be as compelling as early Game of Thrones, but it's also kind of refreshing to not have the insane build up from it that ultimately crashed and burned in disappointment. The best parts were early on leading with the politics, and while there was a ton of promise for what was to come, D&D ultimately fucked it up, while the writing took a nosedive in favor of flashy CGI that couldn't compensate.
Perhaps my main criticism of HotD is that they
do keep bringing up the Long Night, Song of Ice and Fire, The Prince Who Was Promised, ect., when we already bloody know what a crock that all turned out to be. It would be one thing if HBO did some (admittedly unrealistic) damage control and retconned the hell out of D&D's botched ending some way, some how prior to HotD, but they just can't help but keep saying this shit that is a direct reminder of how pointless the original series was by the time it was through.
Other than that though, we at least don't have some looming threat of apocalyptic proportions or cross continental plot tug of war going on (i.e., Westeros, Essos, Bravos all trying to fight for screen time), so the show can just focus on this Dance of Dragons build up instead.
When you repeatedly do absolutely nothing to suggest sufficient time has passed for long distance travel, it starts to get tiresome.
Speaking of time skips, do they really need to recast characters for a ten year jump? Would it really have been that hard to make Milly Allthecocks look like she's in her early to mid thirties with some creative wardrobe and makeup? It was already something of an uphill battle to generate interest in them and it's going to destroy continuity to have the two central actresses suddenly be recast when nobody else is.
I was as critical and skeptical as anyone could be going on, but I completely agree because although it took bit get their footing in the roles, I've warmed up to the lead actresses and think they're doing a great job. Switching in the middle of the first season feels like we could have to go through the same thing, but not with the benefit of being a completely new show with all new characters.
They are also talking to Henry Cavill. Not sure if they need both to do the deal for Season 2.
But they started talking to both Cavill and Olsen about it at the same time. They are at the top of the list for Season 2 casting.
Hopefully they get Cavill, Netflix doesn't deserve him for The Witcher after the way they handled it (like everything else).
