Ok, so we're only two episodes in and 5 stars might be being harsh - time will tell - but so far I'm staggered by the juxtaposition between what I've watched and the rave reviews I've read.

Recently I rewatched the first GoT season and even on its meagre budget the look and feel of it is more authentic, more visceral, the characters more engaging, the story more nuanced and the episodes better directed.

This, however, feels like GoT lite with little to no intrigue and reams of scripted exposition.

I understand why the dialogue in this prequel is intentionally more antiquated than in the original show, but that's no excuse for the stilted, awkward delivery in some scenes; Especially guilty here is the actor portraying Lord Corlys, who's more wooden than a table - I'm not blaming the actor, I'm blaming the script.

We also have the strange CGI backgrounds which seem to have been willfully instructed to depict King's Landing and Dragonstone as watercolour paintings, I've seen more convincing artwork on SyFy.

Rhaenyra who is presumably the protagonist is actively dislikeable, the plot is thinner than straw and it just doesn't feel like the complex, expansive, massive and in depth Westeros that we have come to know and yearn for.

So, redeeming features? Matt Smith, despite it taking a while to get used to his blonde wig, is actually exceptionally good as the rougeish, probably psychotic but charming Daemon Targaryen. There's also Olivia Cooke who is outstanding as the empathetic and hauntingly resigned Alicent Hightower. I'll also give a nod to Paddy Considine who plays King Viserys with a tenderness that's palpable but feels somehow out of place given the broader arc of that character.

I know that I'm going to watch the series through to the bitter end because I hope to see it become more than the one dimensional struggle to become ruler than it's currently set up as.

I really hope to revisit and update/upscore this review if it improves.