Note, there will be some spoilers, especially on House of the Dragon.

Rings of Power:

Mercifully, the season ended last week. And none too soon. It ranged from the mediocre to the downright bad.

Andor, Episode 7:

This was a strong episode, and like episode 6 was NOT predictable, in the way early episodes were.

In this episode, we see some of the moral ambiguity of the Rebellion, as Luthen explains that he wants to provoke a bloody overreaction by the Empire, so more people will revolt. We also see Andor torn about what to do. He can't really go back to his old life, but also isn't ready to become a full-time rebel. His being arrested for a crime he didn't really commit, and getting convicted without due process is the kind of thing that often happens in crackdowns by authoritarian states.

At times, I felt the pace of this episode was too slow. But, overall, it does a good job of developing both the setting and the characters.

House of the Dragon, Episode 10:

This, too was a solid episode, and - unlike 9 - had no glaring missteps.

If I have a complaint, it's the way this episode REALLY doubles down on the strategy of making the Blacks - especially Rhaenyra - more sympathetic than the Greens. Far more than in the book, Rhaenyra displays a sense of duty to realm, and seeks to exercise restraint in order to prevent a devastating war. By contrast, book-Rhaenyra is mostly concerned with securing her own power and that of her children.

Prince Aemond, when he kills Lucerys, comes off as even more of a villain in the show than in the book [though, admittedly, in the show, unlike the book, Luc’s death is partly a result of the dragons getting out of control]. The death of Luc hardens Rhaenyra's heart in the book, as well. But in the show it may turn out to be more of a turning point, because book-Rhaenyra was more villainous to begin with.

As I see it, in Season 2 the show-runners can further double down on the pro-Black line, by continuing to minimize their bad behavior and/or blame any excesses on people other than Rhaenyra. Alternatively, show-Rhaenyra might become more like book-Rhaenyra, but only because of her (justified) rage about Lucerys' death. In the show, Luc is even more a sympathetic innocent than in the book.

Finally, it's perhaps worth noting that both book and show make clear that the Blacks actually start the conflict with major advantages over the Greens. Though the latter control King's Landing, the former have overwhelming superiority in dragons and (thanks to the Sea Snake) at sea. The Greens don't have anything like sufficient advantage in land forces to offset this (and land forces are highly vulnerable to dragons!). The imbalance is so great, that it's hard to understand why the Greens (who have some capable leaders, especially Otto Hightower) ever thought they could prevail. Perhaps it's just the assumption that no one will follow a female ruler. Or maybe it's something else. Regardless, this is a plot hole that neither George R.R. Martin nor the showrunners have adequately addressed.

While I have a few reservations, overall this was an impressive first season of House of the Dragon! I can't wait for Season 2.