Television

The first season was definitely better than the second, but overall I think it's very good. One of House of the Dragon's particular strengths compared to Game of Thrones is that it is focused predominately on two families and a small number of key people within those families. Game of Thrones derailed over time as it added more and more characters and had less and less time available to resolve its many overarching storylines. I think it's much more likely that House of the Dragon will have a satisfying conclusion (not least because it is an adaptation of an already completed story). If I were to make one criticism, the big plot twists are much easier to spot in advance and that can sometimes make them feel a little forced. I know that this is a show set in the universe of Game of Thrones and I know that it will be trying to deliver the same big moments a) because the original author is the same but also b) because the producers are trying to recreate a success of that scale. Knowing how insane Game of Thrones got, I just feel super alert to all the tricks and foreshadowing and can feel stuff winding up in House of the Dragon way earlier than I could in its predecessor. Still a great show though, one of the very best currently airing.