I wasn't going to chance watching 'House of the Dragon' after the butchered ending that 'Game of Thrones' left us with, but there was nothing else available. I gave it a chance. The most obvious thing I noticed with 'House of the Dragon' is the lower budget. The first episode seemed like fan-fiction rather than a showcase for seasoned writers and diverse characters. The dialogue and conversations were bland and uninteresting for me. I had hoped for at least a single sex scene to grab my attention, but the writers felt that politics should be the sequence that holds this show together. The focus of episode one was purely set on kingly politics that will no doubt unravel and bring about the ruin of the kingdom. It isn't a little subtle about it, you can see it coming a mile away. The players have all thrown their cards on the table and you already know how the remaining season will play out. As anyone that enjoys political drama may contest it is unusual to find it in a fantasy story with dragons and princesses. It utterly bored me with the arrangement. This slightly necessary element created to further the plot was overdone, and it lagged on character development. I could care less about these people, and I'm already being told that I should be choosing sides or picking my favorites, but alas after an hour I know nothing about them. I can't even recall a single name of one of the characters. My fear is that this show will be the opposite of 'Game of Thrones' and become completely predictable. I will catch more episodes and update this post if needed, but as of right now I'm disinterested in what they've offered. It desperately needs the old tale's dramatic flair.