House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 - "A Son for a Son"

[Drizzle]

House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 1 - "A Son for a Son"

Directed by Alan Taylor

Written by Ryan Condal​

Didn't see a thread yet so I figured I'd start us off with the season two premiere. Welcome back to Westeros, y'all!

 

[OrbOfConfusion]

Solid premiere that shows that the series continues to pull no punches, which I appreciate. I really should've done a rewatch of Season 1 at some point.

 

[Drizzle]

Quick thoughts on it: I thought that it was a solid return. I loved seeing the North again and Blood and Cheese took a different turn than the book but it was still pretty brutal.

 

[Kane52630]

First episode back and they start killin kids and kicking dogs?

 

[Kane52630]

Also massive improvement over the production budget from season 1, Alan Taylor really got all the smaller details right. It looks like the later seasons of GOT done right.

 

[Kane52630]

When the Stark theme started right from the top.

 

[Sawyer]

Someone help me, I’ve fallen down.

 

[Kane52630]

Someone help me, I’ve fallen down.

Cooke fan since 2014.

 

[squeekness]

Sure seems like nobody's plans go very well, lol.

 

[KaijuDude1992]

Damn Alan Taylor did a great job directing this episode, especially those last 10 minutes. I knew they were building up to something horrible happening, but I wasn't expecting that, and man was it gruesome.

The sounds of that kid getting killed and slowly decapitated is going to stick with me for a while.

The sound design did most of the work, but it was still a really effective/shocking scene IMO.

 

[Sawyer]

Cooke fan since 2014.

Bates Motel began in 2013, so I have you beat by a year.

 

[Silver Surfer]

Of all the messed up things I have seen in the GOT-verse, this might be the worst.

F Daemon. He's the biggest scumbag on the show and that's saying something. Ramsay level stuff.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Also massive improvement over the production budget from season 1, Alan Taylor really got all the smaller details right. It looks like the later seasons of GOT done right.

I felt like the first episode looked obviously worse, and the direction felt far more network TV then last season. Everything is so washed out, it's like they hit it all with bloom lighting.

 

[flickchick85]

Also massive improvement over the production budget from season 1, Alan Taylor really got all the smaller details right. It looks like the later seasons of GOT done right.

I feel like we watched different episodes.

 

[flickchick85]

For me this was a pretty standard Thrones premiere. Aside from the first and last seasons, the premieres have never really grabbed me. This was no exception. It was fine.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

On the plus side, Clare Kilner returns next week.

 

[Kane52630]

I felt like the first episode looked obviously worse, and the direction felt far more network TV then last season. Everything is so washed out, it's like they hit it all with bloom lighting.

I feel like we watched different episodes.

Big fans of dark as sh** cinematography, eh?

 

[squeekness]

Of all the messed up things I have seen in the GOT-verse, this might be the worst.

F Daemon. He's the biggest scumbag on the show and that's saying something. Ramsay level stuff.

He's working towards his own ends, no doubt.

 

[OrbOfConfusion]

It's going to be fun rewatching this episode and spotting all the times that Cheese just randomly appears in the background. I'm glad they set that up early. Like a game of "Where's Cheese? He's hidden somewhere in this room. Can you find him?"

 

[Drizzle]

For me this was a pretty standard Thrones premiere. Aside from the first and last seasons, the premieres have never really grabbed me. This was no exception. It was fine.

GOT premieres peaked with season 4:

It's going to be fun rewatching this episode and spotting all the times that Cheese just randomly appears in the background. I'm glad they set that up early. Like a game of "Where's Cheese? He's hidden somewhere in this room. Can you find him?"

The one shot of him in the beginning in the council chamber was a fun "if you know, you know" shot but I didn't realize that he had a whole Where's Waldo? thing happening in the Red Keep scenes.

Of all the messed up things I have seen in the GOT-verse, this might be the worst.

F Daemon. He's the biggest scumbag on the show and that's saying something. Ramsay level stuff.

Interestingly enough, Book Daemon is still way worse than Show Daemon. In the show, Daemon made it pretty clear to them that he only wanted Aemond dead but in the book the order is for them to kill one of Aegon's sons (he has two in the book and that's an important aspect of the whole scene that was omitted here because I guess they didn't want to bother with adding another kid to the cast). I guess the showrunners still want to make Daemon somewhat likeable even after the heinous stuff he did in the first half of season one.

 

[Silver Surfer]

Interestingly enough, Book Daemon is still way worse than Show Daemon. In the show, Daemon made it pretty clear to them that he only wanted Aemond dead but in the book the order is for them to kill one of Aegon's sons (he has two in the book and that's an important aspect of the whole scene that was omitted here because I guess they didn't want to bother with adding another kid to the cast). I guess the showrunners still want to make Daemon somewhat likeable even after the heinous stuff he did in the first half of season one.

Watch the scene again, they cut away for a reason. It was there: a son for a son.

 

[Drizzle]

First episode back and they start killin kids and kicking dogs?

Spoiler

 

[Kane52630]

Spoiler

View attachment 93788

I haven't checked it out yet but I just know the youtube reaction crowd will be more concerned with one than the other.

 

[Stringer]

I haven't read the books, but I like that Aemon isn't another Joffrey or some sadistic ruler so far. He's spoiled and a jerk but isn't cruel and seems to genuinely love his kids.