House of the Dragon (TV Series) King of the Narrow Sea (2022) User Reviews

Episode 4 - Wow

[sofia36 · 8/10 · 13 September 2022]

I haven't read the book so I was genuinely surprised to see that infamous scene between Daemon and Rheniera. Wow!

We finally understand why the Targaryens have a certain reputation 😉 I don't know why I found this much more surprising and scandalous than Jamie and Cerci in Game of Thrones.

I was also shocked to see Rheniera lie and pretend to be innocent 😇 It seems out of character for her to be so dishonest.

Alicent actually appears to care about Rheniera and her reputation.

Everyone says Otto is supposed to be a bad guy - so far I see him as self-serving, but not necessarily evil.

The king's reaction to the news about his daughter was not what I expected. I certainly have more respect for him now. He could clearly see that it has more to do with power than lust.

The characters are finally becoming interesting.

We have some court intrigues and another arranged marriage. Weddings are always eventful so I'm looking forward to the next episode.

Dark

[ansku-17697 · 9/10 · 13 September 2022]

Best episode for me so far. Really sets the tone and pieces on the chessboard for upcoming conflicts. The direction and switching the shots between Rhea and Alicent were genious. Bit reminds of 1st episode when the fight was going same time with the childbirth. Otto prob using the information he knows when season going forward and going to be dangerous player. Or idk he might get hes head chopped off, u never know its HotD/GoT after all. Rhea and Daemon and their actors are killing it ! And all the other actors really at their top game. Going to miss when Rhea and Alicent are changed to the older actors.

Great Episode

[samjstory · 9/10 · 13 September 2022]

Yeah, another great episode. Well-shot, well-acted, and great music. Some pretty big story stuff happens and I'm curious what is going to happen next. Many people are upset that some actors are being changed, but it's not a problem with me, as long as they're good actors. Yes Molly Alcock and Emily Carey have been crushing it, but there's no reason to think the next actresses won't do the same. Based on the Ep 5 preview, it's going to be a wedding episode, and we all know how those tend to turn out in Westeros. Suffice to say I'm very excited for next week, hope the quality stays as high as it's been.

Milly Alcock is incredible

[2wos · 10/10 · 12 September 2022]

Absolutely incredible, back at what Game of Thrones did best,I think it might actually better it's predecessor, it feels the same but different and better, every scene is intense and boiling with pressure, I've read the books and so I know roughly the outcomes but the way it's portrayed with this level of mystery keeps me on the edge of my seat, the visuals are great and the acting is incredible yet again, I had my doubts about Matt Smith when he was casted but he is perfect for the role and has proved his doubters wrong, I'm also upset that we will not see the actress that portrays the younger Rhaenyra for much longer as I think she stole the show this episode.

The return of the true Game of Thrones

[ha77y73ad97 · 10/10 · 13 September 2022]

What more is to be said about this series so far, this really has embraced the best that Game of Thrones had to offer but also being its own thing! Handling such massive time jumps from episode to episode has been seamless! 6 months from ep 1 to 2, 2 years from 2 to 3 and then a further year from 3 to the latest episode. There hasnt been a drop in quality of writing or tone.

Stand outs have to be Alcock, Considine and Smith these together are perfectly balanced in everything that they do. The vurability that was shown in the last episode from Considine to being so much more forcful in his portrayal. Alock cannot be faulted at all she has been the prefect embodiment of the sweet/ innocent to knowing exactly what she wants and learning all the time on how to take it. With Matt Smith opposite her theres no stopping the realms delight and lord fleebottom from being together by the end of the story. Another mention has to go to Ifans for his more subtle Petyr Baelish who will certainly reappear by the end of season 1.

This episode proves that so many writers are adding jokes and action into scripts for a cheap laugh and a few minutes of wow but when a story is structured so well like this from a few pages of source material you know this is truly captivating. This is world building, character development and political intrigue at its finest and truly reminiscent of the early seasons of Game of Thrones were the battle took place off screen where the war was with words not swords.

A song of Ice and Fire

[aboalhyjaa · 10/10 · 12 September 2022]

What an amazing episode, to even think that there is innocent character in the world that George R. R. Martin created will be an absurdity. You see, everyone and I literally mean everyone even the characters we love and support seek their own benefit even if it means lying, deceiving and even cheating to get what they want.

There are some surprising events that took place in this episode, not to me as I've read the book but it's kinda surprising that it happened this early, i guess this show will not be 5 seasons as promised.

I believe that this is the last episode that we will see Milly Alcock (princess Rhaenyra) and Olivia Cooke (queen Alicent) as there will be a jump in the timeline that with it will start the dance of the dragons.

Absolutely captivating!

[markor-33779 · 10/10 · 13 September 2022]

This right here is the episode that made me fall in love with HOTD!

It wasn't the dragons, the sets, or the battles.

It was the absolutely amazing story and character building, the payoff is coming in the next episode and I am soooo excited!

What an amazing way to put the pieces in places for the upcoming fight for the throne. The characters are so sly in fighting for the throne, it's just bafflingly good writing that I never seen before even in the original GOT.

Such a witty episode, I freaken love it, each character just had their entire world rocked and I am here for it! Let's go, bring ittt!

I saw it as a critic

[lred-38884 · 10/10 · 11 September 2022]

It is completely captivating to watch the webs he is weaving from the angle of the audience. The man is not willing to ever give up his hopes and dreams, which can be applauded even if they way he is going about it is wrong.

Once again we get some intense conversations between him and Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) that steal the show. These two are phenomenal on screen together and never disappoint. Their relationship is evolving and changing as the season goes on. Both are strong-willed and stubborn, making it clear there is a whole lot in store for the two of them.

As stated above, there is not a whole lot of action in House of the Dragon episode 4. It is more about the story development and laying the groundwork for something major to come. Eventually the shoe will drop and things will get crazy - and we cannot wait to see how that shakes things up in Westeros when it does.

Riveting television

[tristan_19 · 9/10 · 13 September 2022]

This episode is a whole mood, holy hell. The way everything was directed and shot, all paired with the captivating music made everything feel so heavy and important.

Rhaenyra is a phenomenal character, played to perfection by Milly Alcock. The actress does such a good job at microexpressions and setting a specific vibe. Matt Smith and Rhys Ifans also shine here.

The scene with Viserys and Otto at the end is pitch perfect and so chilling. All the events in this episode matter and connect in such ways you wouldn't see coming.

King of the Narrow Sea is a different episode, and so unique in the way it approaches things. It takes its time to set a picture and lets every character provide something meaningful. It is character development on top of character development on top of political headaches.

Just watch it and enjoy the unique spin on the Game. I also enjoyed that Alicent got more to do in this episode, as opposed to just be there to support Viserys. It was all around a really great episode.

Studio theatre about a petulant girl

[themadhousetraveller · 6/10 · 15 September 2022]

It's really being reduced to the king, the brother and the girl. While the bad guy has indeed an interesting character from the beginning (OK, it is easier for the bad guys), the king has made some development and shows personality by now.

The disappointment comes with Rhaenyra, who just doesn't evolve out of being the petulant little princess constantly sulking over one thing or another.

And...one would think the plot has developed enough to actually let something happen. So far it is a lot of talk about the same few topics (marring off the princess, someone somewhere maybe about to be threat to the realm), and quite random battle or sex scenes just to keep you from turning off.

Don't listen to the people calling it bad or boring

[cmrascoe · 10/10 · 14 September 2022]

They've missed the point. Not everything has to be 100% about the plot. This is a character driven episode, meant to develop our characters and it is done so well with just about every scene. We learn more of character dynamics, personalities, goals and motivations, etc... and it's all handled with great care. It's not boring just because there isn't an action set piece or a fun dragon scene. This episode is focused on character and it still builds the plot with how the characters end up and how their relationships are affected. This is the house of the dragon, so it will focus on the members of that house. There is plenty of tension without a big action sequence. Give it a watch, if you're just looking for spectacle, you'll hate it, but if you are interested in what the show is actually about, and how game of thrones once was when it was one of the best shows ever, you'll love it.

Almost bordering on Soap Opera

[mrblue96 · 6/10 · 13 September 2022]

So don't get me wrong, I very much like this series so far, but I feel like asking the write to pull back on the reigns a bit w/ the melodrama. It's starting to feel a bit like a Soap Opera. I wonder what the writer is going for.

I get it, they're building a story here...establishing characters and plot for, possibly, many seasons to come, but wow, I did not see the story going this way, and I don't feel like it's not at all fresh. It feels like stretching/grasping/reaching, whatever you want to call it. Either way, one more episode like this and I'll have to rethink how much time and effort I want to put into this show.

Lastly, who is the writer consulting with, regarding the battles? I mean really, hiding in caves? Caves?!?! Anyone with any war intelligence knows the best way to defeat an enemy holed up in a castle/fortress...or cave, is to wait/starve/smoke them out, pretty simple. And really, dodging countless arrows, breaking them off at the shaft, fighting on, and surviving?!?! Just plain ludicrous with absolutely no believability to it whatsoever.

The writing seems a little...dumb

[oooStevieooo · 4/10 · 15 September 2022]

As a huge fan of the GoT books, and a so-so fan of the TV series (still haven't watched past season 5) - so far House of the Dragon has not wowed me at all. After watching certain scenes, particularly this episode, I find myself saying "why the hell did I just watch that..." and then other scenes I'm asking myself "how the hell did he come to that conclusion??"

For a 60 minute TV show, it seems like some scenes are just simply not needed, filler material which you can just skip, and other scenes that should be important feel rushed with lazy writing.

At this stage, I am not impressed at all, and slowly becoming disappointed. The 9 and 10 ratings, I can only assume are from the die hard fanboys and fangirls.

This episode places HotD ahead of Game of Thrones.

[randjrg · 10/10 · 12 September 2022]

If you were not convinced already that House of the Dragon's first season exceeds the first season of Game of Thrones, episode four, King of the Narrow Sea, should seal the deal for you. It certainly did for me.

This episode was so damn good. The music and sound design were fantastic. It was suspenseful and the dialogue was solid. In particular, during the middle of the episode, the mixture of the gloomy music and the visuals offered such an uncomfortable and tense experience. Every moment after the first ten minutes or so had me engaged and waiting with bated breath for what would happen next. There's nothing about this show that I would change, as it stands.

I can't wait to see episode five!

The Best Episode So Far

[ahernandez-99436-14810 · 10/10 · 13 September 2022]

I've seen a few takes now discussing this episode being boring. On the surface I can see why, however this is probably the most important episode yet.

Having read Fire and Blood I knew from the get go, just from the season one episode titles, that this season was going to be by and large set up for the Dance of Dragons proper.

King of the Narrow Sea deftly develops these characters in ways that are so important for investment so that things down the line are impactful.

Foreknowledge aside, I think the episode manages to develop the story well enough for non-book readers to see the foreshadowing if they've an eye for it.

Everything about this episode was well executed, but it's in the fine execution of Rhaenyra and Alicent's stories that take this from being a good episode, to a great one.

They represent the opposing forces of order and chaos, and the storm is brewed to perfection as both struggle with their lot in life.

Daemon continues to steal every scene he appears in as well, but the best stand alone character is Viserys. Considine perfectly captures the complex and tragic nature of the king, in turn highlighting one of the biggest causes of the coming Dance, Viserys' weak leadership and soft spot for family.

TARGARYENS! "OH the old gods and the new ones"

[dkianaasadi · 9/10 · 13 September 2022]

Actually I loved what they did with story between Daemon and rhaenyra. THE SCANDALOUS THING all are talking about, which is rooted in people's belief and traditions and the process of labeling and drawing a line for everything by them, is getting crushed down by the story, which is quite enjoying.

Also if you look closely to the house of Targaryen's background, the family relations are not something Westeros can handle but it's completely normal and very much supported by their traditions and religions. Aegon the conquerer had married with both of his sisters and reigned long and gloriously with Fire and Blood. 🔥🐉

The show perspective is really interesting even though if you've read the book .

Looking forward for ep 5!

I'm sure a lot is yet to come .😍

I'M JUST SECOND HAND NEWS

[Trey_Trebuchet · 9/10 · 13 September 2022]

Another really compelling episode.

On one hand, I hadn't expected certain stuff that happened here to happen until at least the next episode, but on the other hand, that excites me for what's to come. I've not read the book, so please don't smite me when I say I'm going in blindly to this series (huge fan of HBO's Game of Thrones though).

I really dug the way this episode was directed, especially the brothel scene. Claire Kilner did a really good job, and all of the performances from the cast are reliably fantastic. I've said it once and I'll l say it again; Ramin Djwaldi is a musical genius.

I also really enjoyed Alicent and Rhaenyra's scene. It'll be interesting to see how their relationship is handled.

All in all, great stuff. This is some top quality television.

Best episode yet..

[usamasight · 9/10 · 12 September 2022]

I realized now (after watching the last 2 seasons of game of thrones ) and this episode is that what makes a good TV show or even a movie is not the action or score or visual spectacular or even good acting (of course these 3 elements will enhance the experience) but not necessary make a good show..

what really make a good show is the writing ... I think writers is under paid in this industry, my openion is that they should paid even more than the actors ,

what make this episode the best of all previous 3 is the writing...to prove my point further the last 2 seasons of the game of thrones had it all except the writing , they had good directing excellent picture super score and great acting and still the weren't the best episode of the tv show; simply because the writing wasn't from RR Mmartin books,

Smart episode

[ayuobsaleh · 10/10 · 12 September 2022]

A beautiful episode, Many events, New aspects for some characters, Intelligence and Pleasure were applied in the best possible way.

The episode clarified many points, and put new points on the lines.

The way to complete the events of the past was very excellent.

The way the narration was smart.

The mystery in the episode was excellent.

The conversations in the episode were excellent, especially from king.

The motives of the characters are clear and logical.

Still daemon my favorite character.

The episode paved the way for very exciting events.

The evolution of the characters is wonderful.

Perfect episode.

Can't wait for the rest episodes.

Big thanks for G. R. R. M and HBO.

House of the yawning...

[dtriantaf · 6/10 · 12 September 2022]

For me it still remains ''House of the yawning, Game of sleep''. Same location, same scenery, same boring characters (except Deamon) same sole storyline + some porn. Things are moving at a really slow pace. A whole episode centered on how Rhaenyra gets laid? Big deal, Oh and the Hand gets... fired! How was I shocked! I wonder how worst would the canceled prequel Bloodmoon be than this? In the meantime I can't wait for the next episode of Rings of Power that everyone supposedly hates,in opposition to House of the Dragon which is getting much higher ratings than I believe it deserves. Sorry HBO...

Incredible atmosphere

[dodimails · 10/10 · 13 September 2022]

I love how this episode was directed.

We haven't seen that much of King's landing atmosphere in 8 GOT seasons : streets, shows, brothels

Even the red keep is beautifully shown with lots of perspectives, corridors, doors opens... We can hear the sound of the wind, fire, night. Like we're in it.

The scene between Sir Criston Cole and rhaenyra is great, everything they do feels real it's refreshing.

It's also remarkable to see how the show always reminds us the reality of marriage and motherhood for women from salivent or Rhaenyra's perspective.

Rhaenyra starts to rise, she's no girl anymore.

Underwhelming

[Kingslaay · 6/10 · 15 September 2022]

I was hoping for a little more from this weeks episode of The House of Dragon. It felt that very little happened this week. Yes we saw Daemon and Rhaenyra do something shocking but it's not a huge surprise. In this universe and given the importance of bloodlines and joining houses its not too far fetched. I am a little pleased that Visery's and the realm had some standards given not too long ago he was seriously considering wedding a child to join houses.

But other than these little affairs there seemed to be a lack of substance and advancement of the storylines. We simply saw the characters go about their day in a rather mundane manner. The pacing of the show is slightly slow and I was hoping things would pick up by this episode. Not so much happened this time. I am hoping the seeds are continuing to be sown for some big events to unfold. I will still eagerly await the next few episodes and give it a go but hoping for a little more. There is only so much preamble and buildup one can take before you need to deliver.

Kinda boring?

[eivindtoft · 5/10 · 12 September 2022]

Maybe i misunderstand the whole plot, but I cant see the progression-line at this point. I feel the whole show centers around 3 individuals that are repeating their actions with the middle lines being filled with slow conversations from other cast-members at the keep.

Daemon

Loved by viserys Hated by Viserys and expelled Fixes a 2 year old complicated war on his own Loved by Viserys Hated by Viserys and expelled again

Rhanerys

Being a brat. Gets reprimanded Having conversations. Acts nice Runs away. Gets reprimanded Having coversations. Acts nice Runs away again. Gets reprimanded

Dameon

Having conversations. Ignores the subject Having new conversations when its to late. Tries to fix the problem Repeat

Game of thrones had several families and several storylines with a broad depth of personalities, both mad and good ones that made way for unpredictable actions and outcomes. We had the wall with Jon, Kings landing with the Lannisters, Winterfell with Stark, Danys journey with the Dothrakis etc..

Isnt something missing? Maybe it will come? I havent studied the GOT history, so maybe im in for a big surprise, but for now, this is slowly becoming a little boring..

Drama filled episode, reminiscent to prime GOT !

[rayjenks · 10/10 · 14 September 2022]

The drama in this episode hits a new high within House of the Dragon. At this point , it is like I am watching an episode from the original GOT , when we actually cared about the actions of the characters.

I love that we are starting to see some consequences from the decisions and actions of the characters. Rhaenyra faces consequences from her night stroll with Daemon . Daemon gets banished for making a move on Rhaenrya. The hand of the king faces the consequences for spying on the kings daughter and having his intentions questioned. I'm certain we will see Criston Cole face the repercussions for hooking up with the princess.

It is satisfying to see the characters face the reality of their decisions , especially after the late seasons of GOT when characters were immune from any serious repercussions due to the stupidity of their choices.

Lastly, I really enjoyed the scenery of the streets of Kings Landing at night . You get the true feel of the slums outside of the red keep and it feels both exciting and dangerous.

Glorious episode

[zarehkasraa · 10/10 · 12 September 2022]

I really have enjoyed every episode till now, but there was an strange boredom; this episode is such a great one, with shocking and disturbing content. The scene where Rhaenyra and Daemon got together was very strange and likable. And now i am seeing why people are talking about the actors of the show, they are really great in this episode. This is the best episode of the show yet and i am ready to see even better ones.

Actings are the best thing about this episode Milly Alcock the Australian actress as Rhaenyra is very good, Matt smith as Daemon has done a great job as a hateful character and Paddy Considine as Viserys is being the best king ever.