As is tradition, antagonists in those shows are just throwaway plot-devices and obstacles. If a story has no respect for its most important type of character it gets no respect from me, basically every story I consider "up there" does something impressive with its antagonists.
To me the two worst mistakes house of dragon does are the simplifying of the political drama with grey characters in both factions into a stupid binary dispute between forces of "good" and "evil", and even in this they fail, because the narrative paints evil acts a "good" even though they cleary aren't( Rhaenys killed a bunch of innocent people for no reason, Rhaenyra clearly had bastards and punish with torture and death anyone who dares to say it, daemon literal send killers to kill a toddler), painting all the blacks as heroes and the greens as villains, and even bend some green characters to support rhaenyra (alicent and helaena) even though make no sense whatsoever. Besides this there is a lot of stupid plots, like really stupid. I hated so much Rhaenyra, the queen of her faction, disguising herself as a goddamn septa, to get into kingslanding, even though corlys is blockading the city, in secret of her own faction, to sneak through the city and the castle, after her husband sent to killers to cut the head of the Aegon and Helaena son putting the whole city and castle in alert, to talk to alicent, who for some god forsaken reason ignores the fact that to her rhaenyra is the one who sent the killers to her grandson and acepts to listen to rhaenyra, and in the end instead of imprisioning rhaenyra right there, basically ending the whole civil war and avoid thousands of deaths, let rhaenyra go back to dragonstone, where the black faction just accepted that their queen vanished for a day to put herself into extreme danger for no reason whatsoever and keep following her as if this wasn't INSANITY, LIKE THEY COULD ARGUE THAT SHE IS LITERALY INCAPABLE OF RULLING AND HAVE DAEMON OR JACE BE REGENT, BECAUSE RHAENYRA JUST PUT EVERYTHING TO LOSE IN THIS STUPID CRAZY PLAN WHO DIDN'T ACOMPLISHED NOTHING !!!! GODS I HATE SO MUCH THIS STUPID PLOT, HOW SOMEONE WRITES THIS ?!
What I think is very important is to respect the expectations of your genre if you're writing He-Man then you would expect him to take all the blows in the background they could be playing It's Raining Men House of the Dragon no one expects that so it's immersion breaking
Love your way of presenting! I think Daemon cant be described as a gary stue because he has character flaws that are constantly explored but in that action scene his plot armour was impenetrable thats for sure
Regardless of how many times they do spin off series they’re gonna have the same issue and that is HBO likes interpreting things in modern friendly way in ruins the story and how it was supposed to be told
This got me thinking about cliffhangers that I had found satisfying and they're much more rooted in try/fail cycles and "yes, but" elements. Like they did "the thing" but things broke worse, or it was done too late to stop the bbeg,, or the problem was bigger than expected
Having grown up watching dbz im immune to this tbh. I just kinda expect there to be nonconsequesial filler around every cliffhanger and storys to begin with conclusions if others. Maybe my standards are low lol
Ahhhhhh! You have invoked my flashback horror to dbz. LOL! I need more coffee before I engage with the overnight comments if you all are gonna do that me.
I remember at one point I was reading a book and they did what you were ranting about literally 2 out of every 3 chapters it was awful, I think I made it maybe halfway through before just giving up. Now I will say that what they are doing is actually a very classic cliffhanger as in "Flash Gorden is hanging off the edge of a cliff how will he survive, tune in next week to find out". As far as the Marry Sue issue goes can you imagine how great it would have been(assuming this wasn't a prequel were talking about) if Damon had run into that cave and you saw the villain hiding in the shadows as he ran past and then just cut his head off from behind? My single favorite moment in attack on titan was when the main character got eaten by one of the giants at the end of an episode, so clearly a thing happened and lead into the deeper plot of the series, but that moment between one episode and the next where I thought oh this story is actually about those two supporting characters not the obvious anime protagonist had me really excited to keep watching because if the "hero" lacked plot armor then all the stakes were real no stormtroopers who cant hit your hero no deus ex machina saves like real actual stakes... needless to say the show continued to be enjoyable but less so. Heck maybe do a video on the intentional uses of marry sues and character death.
Man that would have been sweet. (The surprising death I mean). Also, I feel you so hard on the exhausting thing. I quit a series because I just couldn't stand it anymore. Every chapter, every book, every scene, ended literally half way through the climactic action.
@@JustInTimeWorlds The problem I think was that by separating the buildup/action and the climax you make the climax less and less interesting, then after IDK the 5th or so time they pulled that trick I found myself just getting more and more bored and annoyed and less and less nervous or excited by the next chapter's buildup. I think part of the problem is that a lot of people using that trick do so because they are bad at writing climaxes in the first place and try to keep us in suspense up until the next buildup because otherwise the arc of action just falls flat for them.
Ugh, I'm SO glad I stumbled upon your channel. Your advice is refreshing (as an aspiring fantasy writer who has scoured the internet for helpful advice). Immediate follow. Additionally, I just wanted to mention you have a beautiful and entertaining manner of speaking, thank you!
ITA! Most cliffhangers feel like extortion on the part of authors / franchises. What brings me back is investment in characters and stories that I want to know more about. For example: All righty they conquered their fears and the villain, how is that gonna work out for them, their group, their neighbors, that mysterious figure that has been following them around? Oh dear, they got their butts kicked and have taken refuge in the caves or plains or forest or bunker, how will they survive, will they regroup, is there any hope left, how is that gonna work out for them. Contrived cliff hangers, you gotta buy next book, stream season, whatever, nope, just makes me say, "I'm done"
I think an adjacent issue with providing poor resolution is the constantly never providing consquences for the characters actions. An example from two series I've read is the MC makes a decision that jeopardizes the safety of others either under their protection or in a relationship with them, being lead to be believe they died or may cause others in the future to die only to get handed a solution to the problem or that character miracolously avoided being slain. It has made me drop series solely because I can't take that mindless approach to character anymore, especially, when everyone in the book praises their intelligence or thoughtfulness. I see this in many litrpg, fantasy, or cultivation novels andits disappionting because they have good premises but fail in execution of making it engaging. The few I like to tend to do these well, the characters change book by book, even if the main character doesn't change much other characters do and they have opinions that make them feel more fleshed out.
7:28 This happened to me with The Maze Runner. I read the original trilogy but I still haven’t read the prequel/spin offs because of all the things that were left unexplained after the end.
Right off the bat, the whole 'crabfeeder was set up as the villain' thing isn't really true. The Targaryens, the royals, the greens and blacks Theyre are the ones being cast in the villain light, which is interesting because they're Also the heroes. The crabfeeder was never more than a footnote and even the scene we got from him was more than i expected. This show is about the conflict, not necessarily about any of the specific people involved. It's not the story of Rhaenyra or Daemon or Alicent or Otto it's about the War as a whole, Almost like a dramatic fantasy documentary
@seanpoore2428 They also forget it seems that this was based on a pretend history book and they skip half the book before the show starts. This is not a typical story so comparing it to a traditionally written fantasy novel doesn't work. Period. Most of these people are barely foot notes.
@@seanpoore2428 why do people stick to these heroes and villains view of stories? Or do you mean protagonist and antagonist? Cause they are not the same thing and shouldn’t be used interchangeably.
@@rexibhazoboa7097 I guess what I mean is the main heroic and villainous Actions are committed by the point of view characters regardless of what side they're on, and whether they're protagonists or antagonists kind of depends on what day of the week it is and how you feel about them
I know you are frustrated with the lack of ending in season 2, but that wasn't a choice, it was what they could do. This season was filmed during the SAG/AFTRA strikes, so a lot of things that could have been adjusted just wasn't happening, and the studio cut the episodes from 12, to 10, and then 8. A tv show is very different from a book, lots of different things that alter its trajectory. In conclusion, it was just very bad luck.
So, I hear you on season 2, and if they hadn't (IMO) screwed the pooch so hard on the Crabfeeder thing, I would probably cut them more slack. But man that Crabfeeder thing drove me nuts.
@@gabrielsalesmartins I can't give them a free pass for it, it was poor writing and horrendous practices that led to their strikes/protests. It was used as an excuse for absolutely terrible shows to fail without the individuals and studios taking blame. I know House of the Dragon is better than most of those shows but it had all the same issues that plagued them, those issues are blatantly obvious when you look into it...
I might argue that Alicent had some of the more complex character progression this season. She starts out staunchly imperial, self-assured, and sharply critical. She is absolutely certain that her late husband intended for her son Aegon to rule, legitimizing all her assumptions and paving over her ethics. Its only after she gets exactly what she wants that she starts to realize how naive she is. Her sons are uncontrollable. Aegon is a buffoon and cruel, and Aemond is calculating and dismissive. Neither are a benefit to the realm. Helaena proves to be the least harmful of the Green lineage, but like Alicent, she largely lacks agency as the despotic sons take over. We start to see her dissociation during small council meetings, with clever use of rising white noise indicating her anger. This is only augmented after her admittedly improbable meeting with Rhaenyra where she realizes she is entirely wrong on the foundation of her stubborn certainty about her familial claim. Admitting to herself that she was wrong changes her. She starts to undermine her own sons. She protects Helaena but mocks Aegon, only to realize that her poor parenting has largely made him what he is. The resolution is that her worldview unravels. She recognizes that Aemond would be another Maegor the Cruel and chooses the people, her smallfolk, over the ambitions of her House, even at the cost of her firstborn. I'm cerainly not claiming that she ends up in a better place, but she has some pretty strong changes in motivation and ideals by the end. She's chosen peaceful life with little to no power over grappling at influence by the final credits, which is pretty significant.
Forgot how much the Crabfeeder unseen final battle I found unsettling and unsatisfying. Season 2 I hope will just be a stumble and we’ll see improvement in season 3, thanks for your thoughts though! I honestly think they meant to not end it like this before production problems, but what they chose to do instead feels just as unsatisfying sadly
For me it is the absolute character derailment of virtually every character in order for the viewer to side with team black. The unwillingness to engage with these characters on a genuine level and have their story pan out as they should. Rhaenyra IS irresponsible and does not care about the small folk, she has always done as she pleases(it is her charm). Daemon does not care about the legacy of the targaryans or the future. He doesn't even want the throne for its own sake he just wants to be close to viserys(it is his charm). The valareyons have lost their son (they believe), their brother and are about to lose their family seat the person they suspect killed their son and the person who definitely did kill their brother. When these characters act so differently in a manner that is unearned you lose trust. Alicents surrender is one of the worst things ive seen in ASIOF media. It is completely counter to the character the show has built and it doesnt make sense in universe either
I fully agree with this analysis on cliffhanger usage!!! I think very similar arguments can be made about plot twists and reveals. Many people get so hung up on wanting to surprise their audience or catch them off guard that they lose sight of WHY such a thing would be desirable in the first place. They might throw away proper foreshadowing or kill their main antagonist halfway through the series or engage in entire side plots that ultimately result in being pointless and a waste of time. It becomes extremely tedious and dissatisfying. You might succeed in hitting the audience with something they didn’t see coming, but it’s NOT going to make them enjoy the story. (Looking at you, “The Last Jedi”)
I’ve seen a lot of your videos, and pretty much every time I’m able to use them to check my own writing for any flaws and make adjustments :) I like that. I should order your books
I think those are important issues but they're just the tip of the problems that show has. Canon breaks and nonsensical changes to the story are more damaging. Political additions and real world interference are big problems too. It would be great if they cared as much about the franchise as they pretend to.
The false cliffhangers were in great part the reason I stopped reading Spy Genre as a teenager. Every chapter ended up like that, up to some stupid situation where, at the start, the CIA operative is presented with the situation but told that, nope, he won't have his old partner, just the one waiting behind the door. Jeez. Or similarly, in the middle of fighting terrorists, etc.
Agreed. Now, clearly there are people who love it (the spy genre is huge), but does it have to invade my epic fantasy space?! Stay in your own lane, Cliffhanger!
Yeah, the Clone Wars skip was weird, though somewhat expected because there was the animated series. What the heck they're going to do in season 3 of HOTD to deal with the dissonance, I don't know. Probably freaking time skip and pretend everything is fine.
I disagree with the first few minutes. The time skips work wonderfully. It's a show about history. It's impossible to tell the story if you skip everything in the relevant past.
The thing I love about this season is how it vilify Otto, YET, he's right. Rhaenyra does everything he said she would. Otto was right and did nothing wrong
As is tradition, antagonists in those shows are just throwaway plot-devices and obstacles. If a story has no respect for its most important type of character it gets no respect from me, basically every story I consider "up there" does something impressive with its antagonists.
💯
To me the two worst mistakes house of dragon does are the simplifying of the political drama with grey characters in both factions into a stupid binary dispute between forces of "good" and "evil", and even in this they fail, because the narrative paints evil acts a "good" even though they cleary aren't( Rhaenys killed a bunch of innocent people for no reason, Rhaenyra clearly had bastards and punish with torture and death anyone who dares to say it, daemon literal send killers to kill a toddler), painting all the blacks as heroes and the greens as villains, and even bend some green characters to support rhaenyra (alicent and helaena) even though make no sense whatsoever.
Besides this there is a lot of stupid plots, like really stupid. I hated so much Rhaenyra, the queen of her faction, disguising herself as a goddamn septa, to get into kingslanding, even though corlys is blockading the city, in secret of her own faction, to sneak through the city and the castle, after her husband sent to killers to cut the head of the Aegon and Helaena son putting the whole city and castle in alert, to talk to alicent, who for some god forsaken reason ignores the fact that to her rhaenyra is the one who sent the killers to her grandson and acepts to listen to rhaenyra, and in the end instead of imprisioning rhaenyra right there, basically ending the whole civil war and avoid thousands of deaths, let rhaenyra go back to dragonstone, where the black faction just accepted that their queen vanished for a day to put herself into extreme danger for no reason whatsoever and keep following her as if this wasn't INSANITY, LIKE THEY COULD ARGUE THAT SHE IS LITERALY INCAPABLE OF RULLING AND HAVE DAEMON OR JACE BE REGENT, BECAUSE RHAENYRA JUST PUT EVERYTHING TO LOSE IN THIS STUPID CRAZY PLAN WHO DIDN'T ACOMPLISHED NOTHING !!!!
GODS I HATE SO MUCH THIS STUPID PLOT, HOW SOMEONE WRITES THIS ?!
What I think is very important is to respect the expectations of your genre if you're writing He-Man then you would expect him to take all the blows in the background they could be playing It's Raining Men House of the Dragon no one expects that so it's immersion breaking
Yes, exactly. HotD is supposed to be realistic and gritty. WTF was that beach fight?!
Love your way of presenting!
I think Daemon cant be described as a gary stue because he has character flaws that are constantly explored but in that action scene his plot armour was impenetrable thats for sure
Regardless of how many times they do spin off series they’re gonna have the same issue and that is HBO likes interpreting things in modern friendly way in ruins the story and how it was supposed to be told
modernization ruins good fantasy
its kind of fascinating to watch something popular and well-done like HotD start to fail - you can pin-point the exact moments it starts the descent
This got me thinking about cliffhangers that I had found satisfying and they're much more rooted in try/fail cycles and "yes, but" elements. Like they did "the thing" but things broke worse, or it was done too late to stop the bbeg,, or the problem was bigger than expected
And those cliffhangers work, because the reader is resolved and then plunged back into it. Not just left hanging in the same conflict :D
Having grown up watching dbz im immune to this tbh. I just kinda expect there to be nonconsequesial filler around every cliffhanger and storys to begin with conclusions if others. Maybe my standards are low lol
Ahhhhhh! You have invoked my flashback horror to dbz. LOL! I need more coffee before I engage with the overnight comments if you all are gonna do that me.
I remember at one point I was reading a book and they did what you were ranting about literally 2 out of every 3 chapters it was awful, I think I made it maybe halfway through before just giving up. Now I will say that what they are doing is actually a very classic cliffhanger as in "Flash Gorden is hanging off the edge of a cliff how will he survive, tune in next week to find out".
As far as the Marry Sue issue goes can you imagine how great it would have been(assuming this wasn't a prequel were talking about) if Damon had run into that cave and you saw the villain hiding in the shadows as he ran past and then just cut his head off from behind? My single favorite moment in attack on titan was when the main character got eaten by one of the giants at the end of an episode, so clearly a thing happened and lead into the deeper plot of the series, but that moment between one episode and the next where I thought oh this story is actually about those two supporting characters not the obvious anime protagonist had me really excited to keep watching because if the "hero" lacked plot armor then all the stakes were real no stormtroopers who cant hit your hero no deus ex machina saves like real actual stakes... needless to say the show continued to be enjoyable but less so. Heck maybe do a video on the intentional uses of marry sues and character death.
Man that would have been sweet. (The surprising death I mean). Also, I feel you so hard on the exhausting thing. I quit a series because I just couldn't stand it anymore. Every chapter, every book, every scene, ended literally half way through the climactic action.
@@JustInTimeWorlds The problem I think was that by separating the buildup/action and the climax you make the climax less and less interesting, then after IDK the 5th or so time they pulled that trick I found myself just getting more and more bored and annoyed and less and less nervous or excited by the next chapter's buildup. I think part of the problem is that a lot of people using that trick do so because they are bad at writing climaxes in the first place and try to keep us in suspense up until the next buildup because otherwise the arc of action just falls flat for them.
Ugh, I'm SO glad I stumbled upon your channel. Your advice is refreshing (as an aspiring fantasy writer who has scoured the internet for helpful advice). Immediate follow. Additionally, I just wanted to mention you have a beautiful and entertaining manner of speaking, thank you!
You're very welcome!
Best cliffhanger advise
ITA! Most cliffhangers feel like extortion on the part of authors / franchises. What brings me back is investment in characters and stories that I want to know more about. For example: All righty they conquered their fears and the villain, how is that gonna work out for them, their group, their neighbors, that mysterious figure that has been following them around? Oh dear, they got their butts kicked and have taken refuge in the caves or plains or forest or bunker, how will they survive, will they regroup, is there any hope left, how is that gonna work out for them.
Contrived cliff hangers, you gotta buy next book, stream season, whatever, nope, just makes me say, "I'm done"
I call it cliffhanger fatigue, that feeling of “I’m done”
I think an adjacent issue with providing poor resolution is the constantly never providing consquences for the characters actions. An example from two series I've read is the MC makes a decision that jeopardizes the safety of others either under their protection or in a relationship with them, being lead to be believe they died or may cause others in the future to die only to get handed a solution to the problem or that character miracolously avoided being slain. It has made me drop series solely because I can't take that mindless approach to character anymore, especially, when everyone in the book praises their intelligence or thoughtfulness. I see this in many litrpg, fantasy, or cultivation novels andits disappionting because they have good premises but fail in execution of making it engaging. The few I like to tend to do these well, the characters change book by book, even if the main character doesn't change much other characters do and they have opinions that make them feel more fleshed out.
Character growth matters. Even if it's slow, it has to be there.
7:28 This happened to me with The Maze Runner. I read the original trilogy but I still haven’t read the prequel/spin offs because of all the things that were left unexplained after the end.
Right off the bat, the whole 'crabfeeder was set up as the villain' thing isn't really true. The Targaryens, the royals, the greens and blacks Theyre are the ones being cast in the villain light, which is interesting because they're Also the heroes. The crabfeeder was never more than a footnote and even the scene we got from him was more than i expected. This show is about the conflict, not necessarily about any of the specific people involved. It's not the story of Rhaenyra or Daemon or Alicent or Otto it's about the War as a whole, Almost like a dramatic fantasy documentary
@seanpoore2428 They also forget it seems that this was based on a pretend history book and they skip half the book before the show starts. This is not a typical story so comparing it to a traditionally written fantasy novel doesn't work. Period. Most of these people are barely foot notes.
@@seanpoore2428 why do people stick to these heroes and villains view of stories? Or do you mean protagonist and antagonist? Cause they are not the same thing and shouldn’t be used interchangeably.
@@rexibhazoboa7097 I guess what I mean is the main heroic and villainous Actions are committed by the point of view characters regardless of what side they're on, and whether they're protagonists or antagonists kind of depends on what day of the week it is and how you feel about them
I just discovered your channel and I'm looking forward to going through more of your videos.
Welcome to my corner of TH-cam :)
I know you are frustrated with the lack of ending in season 2, but that wasn't a choice, it was what they could do. This season was filmed during the SAG/AFTRA strikes, so a lot of things that could have been adjusted just wasn't happening, and the studio cut the episodes from 12, to 10, and then 8. A tv show is very different from a book, lots of different things that alter its trajectory.
In conclusion, it was just very bad luck.
So, I hear you on season 2, and if they hadn't (IMO) screwed the pooch so hard on the Crabfeeder thing, I would probably cut them more slack. But man that Crabfeeder thing drove me nuts.
@@gabrielsalesmartins I can't give them a free pass for it, it was poor writing and horrendous practices that led to their strikes/protests. It was used as an excuse for absolutely terrible shows to fail without the individuals and studios taking blame.
I know House of the Dragon is better than most of those shows but it had all the same issues that plagued them, those issues are blatantly obvious when you look into it...
I might argue that Alicent had some of the more complex character progression this season. She starts out staunchly imperial, self-assured, and sharply critical. She is absolutely certain that her late husband intended for her son Aegon to rule, legitimizing all her assumptions and paving over her ethics. Its only after she gets exactly what she wants that she starts to realize how naive she is.
Her sons are uncontrollable. Aegon is a buffoon and cruel, and Aemond is calculating and dismissive. Neither are a benefit to the realm. Helaena proves to be the least harmful of the Green lineage, but like Alicent, she largely lacks agency as the despotic sons take over.
We start to see her dissociation during small council meetings, with clever use of rising white noise indicating her anger. This is only augmented after her admittedly improbable meeting with Rhaenyra where she realizes she is entirely wrong on the foundation of her stubborn certainty about her familial claim. Admitting to herself that she was wrong changes her. She starts to undermine her own sons. She protects Helaena but mocks Aegon, only to realize that her poor parenting has largely made him what he is.
The resolution is that her worldview unravels. She recognizes that Aemond would be another Maegor the Cruel and chooses the people, her smallfolk, over the ambitions of her House, even at the cost of her firstborn. I'm cerainly not claiming that she ends up in a better place, but she has some pretty strong changes in motivation and ideals by the end. She's chosen peaceful life with little to no power over grappling at influence by the final credits, which is pretty significant.
Forgot how much the Crabfeeder unseen final battle I found unsettling and unsatisfying. Season 2 I hope will just be a stumble and we’ll see improvement in season 3, thanks for your thoughts though! I honestly think they meant to not end it like this before production problems, but what they chose to do instead feels just as unsatisfying sadly
yes. Yes YES!
For me it is the absolute character derailment of virtually every character in order for the viewer to side with team black. The unwillingness to engage with these characters on a genuine level and have their story pan out as they should.
Rhaenyra IS irresponsible and does not care about the small folk, she has always done as she pleases(it is her charm).
Daemon does not care about the legacy of the targaryans or the future. He doesn't even want the throne for its own sake he just wants to be close to viserys(it is his charm).
The valareyons have lost their son (they believe), their brother and are about to lose their family seat the person they suspect killed their son and the person who definitely did kill their brother.
When these characters act so differently in a manner that is unearned you lose trust.
Alicents surrender is one of the worst things ive seen in ASIOF media. It is completely counter to the character the show has built and it doesnt make sense in universe either
It's funny because I literally don't remember the crab feeder at all
I fully agree with this analysis on cliffhanger usage!!! I think very similar arguments can be made about plot twists and reveals. Many people get so hung up on wanting to surprise their audience or catch them off guard that they lose sight of WHY such a thing would be desirable in the first place. They might throw away proper foreshadowing or kill their main antagonist halfway through the series or engage in entire side plots that ultimately result in being pointless and a waste of time. It becomes extremely tedious and dissatisfying. You might succeed in hitting the audience with something they didn’t see coming, but it’s NOT going to make them enjoy the story.
(Looking at you, “The Last Jedi”)
100% With a twist, you want the reader to look back and say: Ohhhh! That's what that meant. Damn, that's cool.
I’ve seen a lot of your videos, and pretty much every time I’m able to use them to check my own writing for any flaws and make adjustments :) I like that. I should order your books
Thanks for that 😄 I do try to follow my own advice, but only the readers can say how well I succeeded 😅
Totally agree with you!
I adore this video! Please keep doing what you're doing. This came out of nowhere for me and I love it
You’re welcome :)
As a woman I too have been left so disappointed when there has been so much build up to a climax then they cut away from it
IKR? 😖😏
Dont mean to be too personal but are you south african? All the info says you stay in Finland but that accent says you're from here
I am originally :) Immigrated in 2019.
I think those are important issues but they're just the tip of the problems that show has. Canon breaks and nonsensical changes to the story are more damaging. Political additions and real world interference are big problems too.
It would be great if they cared as much about the franchise as they pretend to.
Great channel.
Thanks ☺️
The false cliffhangers were in great part the reason I stopped reading Spy Genre as a teenager. Every chapter ended up like that, up to some stupid situation where, at the start, the CIA operative is presented with the situation but told that, nope, he won't have his old partner, just the one waiting behind the door. Jeez. Or similarly, in the middle of fighting terrorists, etc.
Agreed. Now, clearly there are people who love it (the spy genre is huge), but does it have to invade my epic fantasy space?! Stay in your own lane, Cliffhanger!
You’re right. I felt Star Wars brushed over the clone wars as well. But HOTD did feel odd when it ended. You are right.
Yeah, the Clone Wars skip was weird, though somewhat expected because there was the animated series. What the heck they're going to do in season 3 of HOTD to deal with the dissonance, I don't know. Probably freaking time skip and pretend everything is fine.
I disagree with the first few minutes. The time skips work wonderfully. It's a show about history. It's impossible to tell the story if you skip everything in the relevant past.
The thing I love about this season is how it vilify Otto, YET, he's right. Rhaenyra does everything he said she would.
Otto was right and did nothing wrong
writing good dialogues is not good writing.