Hmm, I really don't read things that way. Dune has a density of information issue to it that Amber just does not have. Zelazny provides us with a framework for learning the world. And the concepts of a royal family, political backbiting, grand castles, etc. don't really need that much explanation.

Royal power struggle. One true world. Shadow-walking. Trump cards.

Okay, got it. Done and done.

Then you introduce the individual elements within that framework as they arise.

Yeah, I really think a good writer can easily structure this to bring the audience in, in a compelling way.

The writing has to be good, though.

We will see! (Hopefully.)

Think of Zelazny as akin to Raymond Chandler. They've done Chandler badly, and they've done Chandler well -- but it can certainly be done. The zip of Zelazny's dialogue will translate. The ironic egdes of the character will translate. If they do it well, it should still feel like Zelazny.

Not as such, but there are a lot of Zelazny references and homages in asoiaf. They were friends a long time ago, before Zelazny passed away.

it looks like what's going on is these are double episodes. So it will kind of have two sets of credits at the beginning, only if/where the credits differ between the two episodes. So, for example, the won't list the actors twice, because it's the same actors appearing in both episodes. But if the second episode being paired with the first has a different writing credit, or a different directing credit, from the second episode, then there will be two sets of credits there.

So, when you start up the show, and it shows double-credits for a few things -- that episode is two hours, right? (Or an hour and forty-five minutes, or whatever.)

Back when miniseries were a thing credits like this used to be commonplace.

That was a long time ago though.

Or -- to be more clear -- if there are episodes with two sets of writing credits, followed by an episode with no writing credits, it would be because the episodes originally aired in pairs. And that might not make sense now if you're watching it later, on streaming...

Was it a double episode?

I mean, sure. I enjoyed Silicon Valley, but the point I was making wasn't that it's an infallible masterpiece, I was just comparing how it had story arcs to how this season of Mythic Quest doesn't.

Because it sucks this season.

There is no story happening.

There is no narrative thrust to Poppy and Ian starting their own studio. It's not a story. It's just a different setting. A story has characters trying to accomplish a goal, and obstacles in the way of that goal, with the audience invested in watching them overcome those obstacles.

This season has none of that. This season has nothing like that.

What a wasted opportunity. Why is the season not about their company finding its footing, dealing with setbacks, iterating the game, bargaining with investors, etc?

Compare this with, say, Silicon Valley. Different kinds of shows, to be sure. And Mythic Quest is never going to be a show that takes place in a lot of locations, etc. But both are about tech geniuses starting a new company. But within that frame Silicon Valley has storytelling.

Or even when Michael started to try to start a new paper company on The Office. There were story dynamics there. An arc was happening.

This season of Mythic Quest just... does not have storytelling. It's actually very weird.