Part of the problem with House of the Dragon is that aren’t (yet) any characters that are sympathetic are that you can root for without allegiance.
For example: it was easy to be sympathetic to Sansa Stark. She was always put upon but wasn’t quite a rag doll. It was always fun to watch Aria Stark and Danyeres Targarean (sic?) slowly build as formidable characters. Tyrian Lannister I always enjoyed watching. He was likable and I rooted for him as a character even if I thought the Lannisters as a clan unworthy of rooting for.
Plenty of others, too. All the characters in Game of Thrones seemed to grow quickly into memorable type and then you wondered how long they would last: the next season? The next episode???
My chief problem with Game of Thrones is that the characters spent A LOT of time yakking about what their forebearers did. (Lesson: Show me. Don’t tell me.)
In the House of the Dragon, all the characters embody good and bad traits. More mature, perhaps, but no one stands out. There is isn’t anyone (yet) you can get behind and cheer for or wonder about. Some cool scenes. Some interesting (but not yet truly remarkable) characters. Some serious balance-of-power shifting. But right now, no house or character has the upper hand going into season two.
Maybe season one for House of the Dragon should be seen as more the “world-building” season.
No one got time for that. As an actor, you either have it or you don't. As simple as that. They messed up with casting in the HOD. Hollywood is so woke that they forgot how to make entertainment today. Just my two cents.
Maybe season one for House of the Dragon should be seen as more the “world-building” season.
—
And then put out of its misery.