The first few episodes didn't strike me as being anything all that special. Whereas the very first episode of Game of Thrones pulled you in immediately with conspiracy and scandalous lies, this series did not hook me until the pig with the wings.

All of the characters are well-developed and interesting! My favorite is probably Daemond. I got some Jaime Lannister vibes from him, and Jaime was my favorite character in Game of Thrones. But I really like Aemond, too. I was able to relate to him because I was bullied by my own family members and I wanted to find a way to best them.

Every single one of the actors, including the children, is fantastic in their role! Paddy Considine steals the show!

The dialogue is very well-written.

The sets are immaculate.

The costumes are very fitting and some are even very creative.

The effects, both digital and practical, are very impressive.

The violence is satisfyingly gruesome.

The music is great.

There are some nice quiet moments where you understand everything without any dialogue.

Aside from most of the episodes feeling unspecial and even boring to me at times, the time-skips were jarring, and sometimes the pacing felt too slow.

I'll definitely stay tuned for the next four seasons. And I hope at some point they do something like the Red Wedding.