The first episode had a prologue scene that had nothing to do with most of the episodes plot besides killing the deserter, then that prologue didn’t matter until like 7 or 8 episodes in where one more plot point was brought up.

Then 90% of the episode was just introducing various characters and table setting. Then at the very end it showed Bran being knocked off the tower and kicked off the incest plot

The first episode of HOTD had a prologue with a succession crisis to set the scene for a similar central conflict the entire show, then had Daemon slaughtering people and set up conflict in court, then we got a violent tourney, the seeds for Alicent and Viserys, a miscarriage that threw the succession back into question, and the finally Daemon being disinherited and Rhaenyra being made heir.