Paint by the numbers. Even the directors explanations of the episodes have them saying things like "every good game of thrones season needs this this and this." No... they don't. Game of thrones initially was good because it DID NOT need this this and this. It just allowed the world to naturally unfold. HoD does not do that.

. Also, pretty much the entire plot is based around "patriarchy=bad" and it's kind of pathetic really. Game of thrones had that too but it was one of MANY subplots going on and it fit in the world. It still fits in this world but it's not a sub plot... its the. MAIN and ONLY plot. Again, this wouldn't be so bad if it was more like game of thrones with multiple different stories and perspectives. In this, its the only story/perspective.

. That brings me to my next point, something that made GoT original so appealing was the multiple subplots and characters. There was a character for everyone, and all of them got pretty decent character development and screen time. House of Dragon only follows one storyline and can get dull pretty quick. Not to mention, that single storyline has basically no character development either. All the men are either evil or incompetent and don't grow, and the women just sit there and complain about how they could do better but won't ever be allowed to due to the patriarchy.

. Also, I'm not sure how people can't see that the "shock value" scenes in HoD are literally the same as the later seasons of GoT. They make basically no sense whatsoever. All the "shocking" scenes in early GoT actually were pretty logical. The red wedding makes total sense if you are actually following the story, it wasn't shocking at all... The only shocking part about it is that a lot of viewers have grown accustomed to overuse of plot armor protecting protagonists from suffering consequences of their poor choices. The shocking scenes in HoD make no sense and are clearly just inserted in there because they don't understand what made the subverting expectation scenes in early GoT so good.

. Overall this is a hollow shell of GoT, mostly being used as a form of virtue signalling by using an already popular brand name to insert feminist ideals. And yes, I watched every episode currently out (6 episodes) so this isn't just some incomplete emotional review. It was actually a chore to get through those episodes. I had to stop multiple times to take naps or go do something else to prevent myself from falling asleep. I have seen early GoT seasons 5+ times and I could still sit there and binge entire seasons if given the free time. HoD is worth the watch to have something to make fun of, but that's about it.

. I am genuinely surprised it has gotten so good reviews. Really makes me wonder if we actually watched the same series or if people just desperately want GoT content so much they are willing to put up with this trash simply to be a part of the world again.