This show essentially captured the cinematic storytelling that Game of Thrones was able to create. The acting is pretty good and the characters by the end of the season are decently established alongside the storyline. It still earns the HBO mark and incorporated some of the adult themes and elements from GOT (nudity, gore, incest etc.) that brings the shock and taboo. There's still the web of lies, corruption, discussions, and moving bits among all of the people each vying for something or for the throne as before. Plenty of drama and a good amount of action to go along with everything else. There were some issues with the season from the excessive amounts of focus on miscarriages that were sometimes really graphic and almost unnecessary to get the point across. Additionally, the beginning dragged as it struggled to establish the storyline the characters and so on only for mid-way through to change them up after finally getting the audience connected to them. It was almost like searching for its own identity within the GOT world/lore while trying to stay true to the expectations everyone would have. I think by the end that was accomplished enough for season two to be primed for a really good season. There were also certian characters that were surprisingly good like King Viserys who ended up with a great key role in the storyline that acted very differently than most characters of GOT or even House Of Dragon that was almost a little relieving because of how human he was. A nice touch I thought of distinction and a new layer to add among the common GOT world tropes.

Overall the season dragged a little in the very beginning and struggled again mid-way through with the age jump but despite this created an entertaining storyline worthy of a GOT prequel/follow up that ends having prepared season two for what I would predict to be far greater now that this show has seemed to really find itself. I look forward to Season Two where I hope my predictions are right and this show really just soars.