Reviews – Page 4 – Simon’s Incoherent Blog

House of the Dragon: Season 2, Episode 7 – The Red Sowing

“Well then – let us raise an army of bastards.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Now that’s more like it. This wasn’t a barnstorming, action-packed episode of House of the Dragon; but it didn’t need to be. It’s a penultimate episode, and what it needed was to set things up for the finale while providing a building sense of pace in the narrative. After last week’s ponderous instalment, I’d been uncertain it could do that, but it succeeded admirably.

House of the Dragon: Season 2, Episode 6 – Smallfolk

“There are older things in this world than you, or I, or living memory. You are not the player, but a piece on the board.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

It was another… shall we say, leisurely paced episode for House of the Dragon this week, which may not win it many more admirers from those who find the show very slow going. To be fair, this week, even I had my reservations. I’d expected a lull in the pacing after the Big Battle of ep4, but with only two episodes of the season to go, it feels like the show should be upping its pace.

House of the Dragon: Season 2, Episode 5 – Regent

“Do not underestimate your subjects. They are a thousand thousand living in the shadow of the Red Keep, and forgotten for too long.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

After last week’s Bloody Big Battle, it was back to House of the Dragon’s trademark political scheming this week – but with some justification. The fallout from the Battle of Rook’s Rest is seismic, and even if you find the show’s predilection for men with beards arguing in dark rooms tiresome, given last week’s events it was entirely necessary dramatically.

House of the Dragon: Season 2, Episode 4 – The Red Dragon and the Gold

“Rhaenyra’s supporters will believe what they wish. And so will Aegon’s. The war will be fought, many will die, and the victor will eventually ascend the throne.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

If it was a Bloody Big Battle you were waiting for, this week’s episode of House of the Dragon delivered in spades. For many people (though not me), the show’s deliberate, sometimes slow pace has been its weakness. For myself, I’ve enjoyed all the political skulduggery that’s characterised this more thoughtful prequel to Game of Thrones thus far. But even I enjoy some carnage-based medieval spectacle now and again. Especially if it involves dragons.

House of the Dragon: Season 2, Episode 3 – The Burning Mill

“There is no war so hateful to the gods as a war between kin. And no war so bloody as a war between dragons.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

This week’s ep of House of the Dragon ramped up the show’s ever-present sense of impending doom to maximum as everyone ruminated on the causes and reasons for a war that now seems not only inevitable, but imminent. From the outset, we were shown how such wars often have roots in much older grudges, as what appeared to be a trivial argument between two groups of spotty teenagers with swords quickly escalated to become the bloody battle that gave the ep its title.

House of the Dragon: Season 2, Episode 2 – Rhaenyra the Cruel

“I would remind you only that when princes lose their temper, it is often others who suffer.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

The politicking continued in Westeros this week, despite the last ep ending in an act of provocation that seemed certain to spark all-out conflict. House of the Dragon continues to be a more low-key show than its all-guns-blazing parent, a fact lamented in the Guardian this week, as they declared the show “boring”.

Doctor Who: Season 14, Episode 8 – Empire of Death

“Every sun is dead. The universe has come to a halt. And it is my fault.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Well, if it wasn’t obvious before, it certainly is now – Russell T Davies is definitely back. Empire of Death was everything we’d gotten used to from RTD season finales of old: a deadly threat to the entire universe; a ‘Davies ex machina’ McGuffin appearing out of nowhere to save the day; and a Big Reset Button that meant you could kill off whatever beloved character you like, because you could always bring them back. It was a rollicking rollercoaster ride of action and emotion that doesn’t really bear scrutiny if you stop to actually think about it too much. Just like all the season finales from 2005-2009, the last time Russell was in charge.

House of the Dragon: Season 2, Episode 1 – A Son for a Son

“Duty is sacrifice. It eclipses all things, even blood. All men of honour must pay its price.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Gird your loins (metaphorically speaking), for after a gap of nearly two years, HBO’s spinoff/prequel to Game of Thrones is finally back for a second season. That large gap reflects a very big, expensive production – but of course it also represents a lot of backstage difficulty with both a writers’ and actors’ strike. Nonetheless, it’s notable that it’s back a couple of months before arch-rival Amazon show Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Doctor Who: Season 14, Episode 7 – The Legend of Ruby Sunday

“You’ve seen my life. I bring disaster, Kate, disaster.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

It seems like the new season of Doctor Who has barely started, but we’re already into the endgame with this jaw-dropping penultimate episode, the first of a big two-parter. A run of eight episodes is, sadly, pretty short to flesh out a new Doctor, particularly when he’s been virtually absent for two of those eight episodes – but Ncuti Gatwa has been as superb as I always knew he would be. This episode showed us more of that irrepressible joie de vivre, but coupled with the melancholy we’ve seen in the past, drawn from centuries of bad experiences which, rightly or wrongly, the Doctor considers himself responsible for.

Doctor Who: Season 14, Episode 6 – Rogue

“Oh my Bridgerton – this is my actual dream!”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

So, this week’s Doctor Who was the much-anticipated “Bridgerton episode”. Just in case you weren’t aware of its inspiration, Ruby and the Doctor helpfully dropped the name of the show they were imitating over and over again – “it’s just like Bridgerton!” I wasn’t entirely clear, but it seemed at one point that even the villains were mentioning their love of Netflix’s hit Regency drama.