House of the Dragon vs. The Rings of Power

Which epic fantasy series is better? A debate.

Hello!

On this week’s episode of Criticism Is Dead, we discuss House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power, two IP-franchise fantasy shows striving to become part of TV history for their respective networks.

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03:55 HBO’s House of the Dragon may be smaller in scale, but its soapiness and focus on two women makes for an intriguing, at times delightful, watch.

Has the world moved on from Game of Thrones, three years after a disappointing finale? Judging from the reception to its prequel series, especially the heavy online engagement and fandom, the answer seems to be a resounding “no.” For better or worse, House of the Dragon is following in the footsteps of its predecessor, albeit with tweaks — improvements, one could say — that align the show more with where we are as a culture right now. While the recent successive time jumps have sped through more than I would like, and while the lighting and color palette could be improved upon, the costumes are gorgeous, the cast is excellent, and honestly, it’s fun!

P.S. Reading:

• Alison Herman on womanhood in HotD

• Elif Batuman in 2014 on Magnificent Century, the Turkish soap opera that Pelin compares HotD to

26:07 Amazon Prime Video’s The Rings of Power starts off slow, but it builds a world so lush, so rich, so grand in its scale and mythology, that it’s worth tuning in.

Known far and wide as the most expensive TV show of all time ($700+ million and counting!), the Lord of the Rings prequel series feels like an epic fantasy from another time: one rooted in magical wonder, honor, and the clear-cut fight between good and evil. But there are signs that the show has more going for it than that, especially as the episodes advance (episode 6, for example, is a standout one in both action and complication). The Rings of Power takes itself and J.R.R. Tolkien’s world seriously, sometimes to its detriment, but it’s also kind of refreshing to see a fantasy in this grand tradition, steeped in earnestness about its subject.

P.S. Reading:

• Interview with RoP showrunners

• Jo Livingstone on J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythmaking spirit in RoP

42:54 So, ultimately, which series is better?

Vote in our poll lol:

(We’ll probably also run polls on Twitter and Instagram and will share the results!)

Bonus links

Lee J 🪩 @Lee_Jameson

Nathan Fielder is at the Mets game and they put him on the Jumbotron 😂

Guillermo del Toro on Martin Scorsese:

Guillermo del Toro @RealGDT

I very, very seldom post anything contradictory here- but- the amount of misconceptions, sloppy innacuracies and hostile adjectives not backed by an actual rationale is offensive, cruel and ill-intentioned. This article baited them traffic, but at what cost?

The Critic @TheCriticMag

Martin Scorsese has always been an uneven talent, writes Sean Egan, and fame and prestige have added self-indulgence https://t.co/rIyAKplbwq

Pod fave James Hansen on GBBO’s “Mexico Week.”

Finally, brought to you by Pelin seeing Bjork :)

pelin @onelongpiece

waiting for the eurostar and bjork just sat next to us

That’s it for now, see you next week!

— Jenny

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Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to criticismisdead@gmail.com.

Some credits:

• Music: REEKAH

• Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu