Netflix Tips for November

By Kája H. and Michal

The Watcher

The Watcher is a short TV series about a family who move to the suburbs to live a calmer life. Little do they know their lives will change right after they enter  the house. They  start receiving letters from someone called The Watcher who claims he is watching them. The Watcher knows every single detail about their lives. No one's secrets can stay hidden and creepy things start happening to them. But who can it be? Their unwelcoming neighbors or the past owner of the house? or even a family member? This series can get quite tense, frightening and shocking but what makes it even more scary is the fact that it was based on a true story. This series was filmed during the fall time which is something we can relate to. I definitely recommend this series if you like solving mysteries and are not afraid to be afraid. 

Photo: The Watcher, IMDB.com

I have another tip for you from Michal who decided to recommend to you a series called House of the Dragon.

Dragons are back

Almost exactly a year ago on October 5 the official teaser trailer for the long awaited dragon-centered HBO TV -series House of Dragon was shared. The 78-second clip gave a glimpse into the world of one of, if not the most, successful TV series of all time -  Game of Thrones. The series helps bring you inside the lives of the famous family known for their winged beasts of fire, bright white hair, ancient history, and high status upon the Iron Throne. 

The teaser introduces the story, a prequel set 300 years  before the events of Game of Thrones, and new characters who are to once again battle for the Iron Throne. This includes Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, who is the heir to the Iron Throne, and her uncle Daemon Targaryen. The series follows the preceding events which lead to the family's civil war, known as the Dance of Dragons, which also happen to be the beginning of the end for House Targaryen.

The series has become very popular - as expected - and has for some become an instant classic. Its thrilling dragon-riding scenes are what GoT fans had to wait multiple seasons for. Television review organizations such as IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes have put House of Dragon in their top 3 in their lists of current most popular TV Series. The praise is well deserved, especially  considering the budget for the 10-episode series was $20 million dollars per episode. Of course a great amount of the budget went on special effects and the construction of sets, however the cast budget was also well-spent. 

Paddy Considine, who portrays king Viserys, gave one of the performances of his career. In a CBR review of the acting performances, Tom Steel wrote: “... nobody could have seen his performance as King Viserys Targaryen coming. … While the makeup and other departments focused on making his illness look horrific, Considine turned Viserys into the most sympathetic character in television.” Unfortunately, even though the performance was great, there were problems with the character. Not long after the release of episode 3, titled "Second of His Name," fans noticed a VFX error that unfortunately made the final cut of the episode. King Viserys, who due to a mysterious illness is missing 2 fingers on his left hand, appears in a frame where the greenscreen glove, to help remove the fingers, is visible. Another thing that unexpectedly met unwanted social media attention was a scene in episode 7, entitled ”Driftmark”. Fans complained that a specific scene was too dark for their taste and had problems making sense of what was going on due to the low visibility. Fans were  outraged and demanded an apology , which forced HBO’s official Twitter account to address the public by saying, “We appreciate you reaching out about a night scene in House of the Dragon: Episode 7 appearing dark on your screen. The dimmed lighting of this scene was an intentional creative decision.”

To cut a long story short, House of Dragon has been long in the waiting and is currently available on HBO Max. Set close enough  in the world of Game of Thrones to feel familiar but also unique enough to be worth your time. If you enjoyed one you'll definitely enjoy the other. Season 1 was concluded on October 23, with a very exciting cliffhanger, which implies the release of a season 2. Since shooting is only to begin in 2023 the release date will most likely be around spring of 2024.

If these recommendations aren’t your forte there are thousands of Movies and Series on Netflix that can take your interest this upcoming fall. After all, who doesn’t love going back and watching their favorite shows for a second time?

James Hibberd, “‘House of the Dragon’ Just “Fixed” George R.R. Martin’s Least Favorite ‘Game of Thrones’ Scene”, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/house-of-the-dragon-fixed-game-of-thrones-scene-1235205222/IMDB organization and judges, “TV Series (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)“, https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?title_type=tv_seriesRotten tomatoes organization and its judges, “HOUSE OF THE DRAGON (2022)”, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/house_of_the_dragon/s01#desktopEpisodeListSayantan Choudhary, “Why was House of The Dragon Episode 7 ‘Driftmark’ so dark?”, https://wikiofthrones.com/why-was-house-of-the-dragon-episode-7-driftmark-so-dark 

Images:

Photo 1: King Viserys, NYPOST.com, author unknown, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Viserys.jpg?quality=75&strip=allPhoto2: Shot of controversial scene, resources.stuff.no.nz, author unknown, https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/4/z/1/4/u/k/image.related.StuffLandscapeThreeByTwo.1464x976.4z14s2.png/1664840871386.jpgPhoto3: House of Dragon main cover template, slashfilm.com, author unknown, https://www.slashfilm.com/img/gallery/riding-dragons-in-house-of-the-dragon-is-incredibly-mundane/l-intro-1659628473.jpg