Many characters are cursorily introduced at the same time, many fleshless names are shot at the audience, and nobody has a bit of charisma.
The plot is not only dull, but also unfocused. For example, it would seem there's going to be an important conflict between Daemon Targaryen and Ser Criston Cole, but that is very sloppily prepared. And if there won't be any conflict, Daemon's defeat in the tournament is pointless.
Another example. The scene of Daemon's killings and maimings is poorly conceived: we are told the victims are criminals, but we haven't seen any public disorder or unlawful behavior.
One more example. The sore in the king's back should be supposed to mean something ominous, but there's no sense of foreboding and the scene is wrapped up carelessly.
One last example. What is the idea behind Alicent's night visit to the mourning king? Beside the fact that such a visit is outlandish, does it imply something sexually charged? We would have expected so, but the scene leads nowhere. Sure, the widowed king may well marry Alicent later on, but are we presumed to believe that she opened up the path to the marriage by striking him with her compassionate soul?
To sum up, nothing more than a botched attempt at resurrecting Game of Thrones.
The plot is not only dull, but also unfocused. For example, it would seem there's going to be an important conflict between Daemon Targaryen and Ser Criston Cole, but that is very sloppily prepared. And if there won't be any conflict, Daemon's defeat in the tournament is pointless.
Another example. The scene of Daemon's killings and maimings is poorly conceived: we are told the victims are criminals, but we haven't seen any public disorder or unlawful behavior.
One more example. The sore in the king's back should be supposed to mean something ominous, but there's no sense of foreboding and the scene is wrapped up carelessly.
One last example. What is the idea behind Alicent's night visit to the mourning king? Beside the fact that such a visit is outlandish, does it imply something sexually charged? We would have expected so, but the scene leads nowhere. Sure, the widowed king may well marry Alicent later on, but are we presumed to believe that she opened up the path to the marriage by striking him with her compassionate soul?
To sum up, nothing more than a botched attempt at resurrecting Game of Thrones.