Or rather, House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power. They’re not really streaming so much as new current series. And they’re not related but I wasn’t sure if there would be enough interest for separate threads. Or even enough interest for a shared thread!
Anyway, I’ve watched the first two episodes of both, plus read comments on my tv boards, plus reviews. I’ll wait to post comments until/if more people are interested in discussions.
Remember - there will be spoilers!
We’ve only watched the first episodes of both. I really liked HoD. Was just meh about RoP. Will watch the second episode before deciding if I’ll see it through or not.
I have no interest in GOT prequels, though I really enjoyed the original. I’ve only watched the first episode of the LOTR prequel. The scenery and costumes are great, not so sure about the plot or the casting though! Curious to see if the naked man in the comet is going to be who everyone thinks.
I preferred the HotD because I felt the characters were so interesting - not sure whether or not to root for any of them yet but I easily became invested in them and what will happen next. I watched the first episode then read lots of commentary then watched again several days later and understood a lot more. Episode 2 has less action but a lot more positioning to set things up for the future. Amusingly my tv boards are now referring to the king’s brother as Matt/Daemon. A lot of people are saying he borrowed Legolas’s wig ;). I did enjoy (most) of the eight GOT seasons and it was fun to see familiar locations.
The third LOTR movie (Return of the King) may be my favorite movie even though I’m not a Tolkien fan per se - read the books after seeing the movies. The RoP was beautifully produced, especially all the elf venues. But it moved around so much it wasn’t easy to figure out who everyone was and what was happening, and only a few characters were starting to get developed. It was helpful to read commentary and reviews to clarify things. I did like the human healer mom and the pre-Hobbit girl.
From what I read, the giant who came in on the comet may not be who everyone thinks but likely is of the same species - witnessed by the power of voice and talking to flying insects.
I wouldn’t mind having 2 threads. Last night I watched the first 2 episodes of LOR. I liked the scenery in the elves world and the dwarves world.
Just watched episode 3 of HoD and enjoyed it - lots of action not to mention callbacks (call futures?) to the GOT series. It’s not perfect - the big fight was no Battle of the Bastards - but I’m happy enough.
This is a fun recap - SPOILERS - like it says at the start, “That’s a bit more like it.” Recap: In 'House of the Dragon' Episode 3, the pace quickens, the plot thickens : NPR
I texted my oldest son a bunch of questions about “Rings.” He has encyclopedic knowledge of LOR and GOT (and Star Wars and the Marvel universe). Very handy. I thought the Elves were sailing into heaven/Valhalla but he reminded me there is no need for an afterlife when you are immortal. 
I read the book talk threads on my tv boards just to get an inkling of what’s going on and there’s a lot of discussion about how the show does and doesn’t go with the book lore. I now understand that Valinor indeed is not like Valhalla but rather some kind of exclusive residential leisure land for immortals to get away from Middle Earth and just chill, apparently. I read one article that basically discusses five major mysteries of the show and analyzes them in terms of Second Age and Third Age and tons of other details of which I am not cognizant.
I had no trouble enjoying the movie trilogy with only a minimal surface knowledge of the books. The new series in theory is designed to appeal to the uninformed. But if I can’t even understand/appreciate the background, significance, and future of locales, items, and characters, I guess I’ll just watch it for the great production values and not worry about plot etc.
Quick note on episode 3 of HoD - Matt/Daemon had over six minutes of screen time with no dialogue - never spoke a word, said it all with his face and actions. I didn’t even realize while watching!
Lol. We actually did notice that. At the end H remarked “well I bet he had an easy time learning this lines for this one!”
Edit: I’m really enjoying the new series.
I realized I wouldn’t have to rewatch that part with closed caption! (I watch initially on HBO “live” on the tv without them, then rewatch on HBO Max on the computer with.)
I had modest expectations of House of the Dragon, and the show has turned out to be really good. The major characters have depth and are interesting, and the plot set up is really interesting and feels very relevant today.
Just for the record, my least favorite part of Game of Thrones was the ice zombies. I don’t like zombie shows because the zombies take up a lot of screen time and they don’t have any motivation as characters that I care about. In 8 seasons of GoT the writers were not able to come up with a motivation for the Night King or the White Walkers that wasn’t nonsense, yet the end of the show completely turned on the stupid ice zombies. Magic in fantasy, time travel in sci-fi, and hacking in shows set in the present, are very dangerous plot devices because they undermine everything that comes before and after in the plot. The ice zombies were a form of magic, and it seemed like the show highlighted the plot problem with the ice zombies with both Cersei and Littlefinger pointing out at different times that if the white walkers win, then everything else that happens is irrelevant.
I liked the political aspect of the show and the interaction of the characters in this brutal environment. Side plot arcs, like a young Arya as Tywin’s cup bearer at Harranhal was just great television. I honestly wanted the show to just get the ice zombie plotline over with.
Watched episode 3 of RoP last night - it looked absolutely great, but as someone posted on my tv boards, "As of now, this is almost feeling like homework instead of entertainment. " Almost all of the reviews and most of the comments deal with what is not known, what is assumed, what is potentially going to happen, and what’s different from the books and is that good or bad. There are some serious Tolkien experts! So I am going to keep watching but suspect that I will miss a ton by being a surface viewer. I’ll watch for the great sets!
I’m a huge LOTR fan and loved what I’ve seen so far of last night’s episode. The sword of Elendil and Isildur are central to the storyline and I’m super excited for the buildup to the War of the Last Alliance.
I haven’t finished the latest episode yet, so I don’t know all that has happened, but it’s clear the Harfoots (ancestral hobbits?) have a wizard in their midst. I’m anxious to find out his identity.
As these seasons progress - how is everyone doing?
On RoP, I am still just watching for the drama and great production values. I still don’t know what I am supposed to take away from each episode but luckily there are dozens of articles after each one explaining what I saw, who everyone was or might be, what happened or might have happened, and what will or might happen. Also how it differed or was compressed from the books. It’s no wonder I am really not understanding why anything is significant!
On HoD, I did prefer the young Rhaenyra but at least I generally understand what’s going on and why it matters. Much more relatable characterization! Here also, however, there seem to be many nuances relating to the books and GoT, but at least you can watch without having to educate yourself. I am glad about the tv boards because they help me catch things I miss while watching - such as the who both guys were in the boat in the last scene. Made a big difference in understanding the preceding scenes! Still love (as they call him in the boards) Matt Daemon.
I really love HoD but agree that I preferred young Rhaenyra. I’m enjoying HoD better than the original GoT. I feel like it’s easier to follow because there aren’t a million different story lines.
Just watched the RoP finale - nice surprises that have me looking forward to Season 2. Overall, I thought Season 1 was entertaining and well produced.
I also watched the season finale of RoP and read quite a few reviews/discussions etc. Then today I was inspired to watch the beginning of Fellowship of the Ring - since the new series is after all the prequel. And now I’m watching the entire movie and thinking no comparison. The series seemed good but the movie was perfect.
I also watched the beginning of the Fellowship of the Ring and completely forgot about the gemstones for the Elves rings. I did not know the rings for the elves, dwarves and humans were created at different times. Nori leaving with the wizard was no surprise, but Sauron was.
Not watching ROP yet, but found last night’s HOD to definitely elevate the story. As usual, the GOT stories pack a punch with the penultimate episode. I think next week will simply set the stage for next season with a new king. Overall, not nearly as compelling as GOT (the depth of the stories in different environments and the kids really made that a richer experience).