The Rings of Power Cringy Dialogues Don't Stand a Chance Against House of the Dragon
Reddit's viewers trash The Rings of Power for its "cringy" dialogues and poor writing, comparing the series to House of the Dragon.
Upon completion of season 1 of the Rings of Power, viewers took to Reddit to compare the series with House of the Dragon, the finale of which is scheduled to air next Sunday. Many viewers seem to agree that the HBO show offers better acting, better writing, better storytelling, better pace, and is overall more exciting.
Redditors say that House of the Dragon focuses on powerful character-building set in a fantasy background, while the Rings of Power is centered on fantasy elements with poorly written characters in the background. The Rings of Power has that Disney- like fairy-tale vibe about it, compared to the real drama and political controversies in House of the Dragon.
Many viewers even confess they have trouble staying awake during the Rings of Power. Almost everyone agrees that this effect is achieved due to the quality of dialogue in both shows. "Every scene [in House of the Dragon] is important for a plot point and there isn't bloated or Disney-esque dialogue," a Redditor wrote.
The reason for such difference lies in the overall quality of writing for both series, another commenter thinks. "Playwright versus novelistic dialogue. Novelistic dialogue works for monologues, never conversational pieces. There's a rule of writing called Conservation of Scale. If everything's important, nothing's important."
However, there are viewers who are not so keen on House of the Dragon dialogues either, especially ones from the first episodes.
"House of the Dragon has definitely picked up the slack, but the dialogue for the first few episodes was abysmal IMO. Every exchange began with the characters announcing exactly how they feel and why. No room for nuance or interpretation," one of the Redditors admitted.
Looks like writing dialogue is one of the biggest challenges for every show creator.
Very likely, the root of criticism lies in the ability of both series to follow their book canons. While House of the Dragon is highly praised for barely altering its source material, the book Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin, many fans agree that The Rings of Power pay little tribute to the masterful writing style of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Whatever the case, both series have gathered an impressive viewership and millions of fans. What side are you on? House of the Dragon or the Rings of Power?