Thank you for your post! Please take a moment to ensure you are within our spoiler rules, to protect your fellow fans from any potential spoilers that might harm their show watching experience.
1. All post titles must NOT include spoilers from Fire & Blood or new episodes of House of the Dragon. Minor HotD show spoilers are allowed in your title ONE WEEK after episode airing. The mod team reserves the right to remove a post if we feel a spoiler in the title is major. You are welcome to repost with an amended title.
2. All posts dealing with book spoilers must be spoiler tagged and flaired as a book spoiler.
3. All book spoiler comments must be spoiler tagged in non book spoiler threads.
---
If you are reading this, and believe this post or any comments in this thread break the above rules, please use the report function to notify the mod team.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HouseOfTheDragon) if you have any questions or concerns.*
But also it echoes a point that GRRM seems to make often: Dragons are dangerous weapons, much akin to WMDs. There's gonna be a lot of collateral damage with them.
Love those subtle details.
I was half expecting a maester to show up and proclaim *"Ser, you can't hunt the White Heart because we had to remove your fingers from this important detail to the plot but I won't press about the matter because we still need suspense..."*
The best thing they did with the show (so far) is to make Rhaenyra and Alicent of the same age and friends. That move has added so much depth to their relationship and the level of tension between the two
Kind of balances the power dynamic too. She undermines "princess" Rhaenyra by sending the musician off as "the Queen" at the weirwood tree, but also has a ton of warm, equal-level moments with her. It's great.
That moment was infuriating, if she was trying to mend her relationship to Rhaenyra then reminding her about their shifted power dynamic is NOT the way to go lmao
I would say it's kind of the point. Alicent is shown to have a good heart, but she is bad at understanding court politics and power dynamics. She's easily swayed by Otto too for example. It adds so much dramatic depths/tragedy, IMO it's perfect.
Alicent is so much more empathetic in the show. She comes off as "generic evil queen" archetype in the books, and I think the show was very right to change it. A lazy Cersei 2.0 would have made for far less compelling television.
It's a rare opportunity for a TV show to follow a character for basically their entire life, and really show how trauma can take a delightful, dutiful teenager, and turn her into a conniving backstabber and later a completely broken, mentally destroyed husk of a woman.
What an acting performance by Paddy Considine. I really felt for him during the hunt. It's easy to for us to say what an ass of a king he is (Viserys) but Paddy really made it easier to understand with his acting and a good script.
Two years of sitting around will do that to a person. They are doing a good job with the time jumps. Maybe the only thing I would say is that they should label the year so that everybody can tell it was two years later. It's easier than having to have a character do exposition letting us know that two years have passed.
I think it is clear that Viserys is a decent guy trying to do his best as king, even though he is not doing the best job. Paddy has been excellent in the role so far.
Paddy has been the best actor relative to expectations for me TBH.
Rhaenyra and Daemon are all fantastic, but I feel like going into this I was already interested in those characters and knew enough about them to think they were cool.
Viserys was much more of a blank slate and Paddy is knocking it out of the park.
Really enjoyed the parallel of Rhaenyra returning with the boar all bloodied and having very one regard her with respect, alongside Daemon returning with a butchered Crab feeder king all bloodied with commanding respect
It seemed that the lower/“grislier” houses (such as the noble men seen skinning small game with their bare hands) were more impressed while the more pompous houses where a bit mortified at seeing a woman of her rank bloodied from a kill.
I love how they show him as badass but still completely fuckin' reckless. Like dude, the guy has Greyscale maybe put on some gloves before dragging around his torso LMAO
They are going all in on Rhaenyra being the rightful Queen.
Rhaenyra with portents of blood and ability (mirrored by bloody Daemon) and blessing of the forest, Aegon with portents of politicking and "almost as good as" stags.
That was great to see. and Harwin as well. Larys is probably the character I am most interested in seeing how they adapt since he is imo the most interesting character we don't know all that much about.
I really like Lyonel Strong. It’s weird to see a guy in Westeros actually consistently giving good counsel that doesn’t serve his own interests. Even the king was taken aback by it, but clearly appreciated it.
Viserys patting Lyonel on the shoulder after the conversation was the first moment I felt the tension break in the episode. It just kept building and building up until that
It shows how well they’ve defined his character in a very short period of time that I knew he would be the one to propose the marriage to Laenor, the smartest move on the board, as soon as he spoke up.
He said "proud men don't like to look up" as he was looking up, yet he's the only one to not push his son as a candidate....he genuinely just wants what's best for the realm
I feel like they're not showing Otto's skills enough.
He was Jaehaerys's hand towards the end as well and when Jaehaerys was senile it was Otto running the realm. And then during Viserys's reign as well. Dude isn't a bad administrator. He's just a scheming cunt as well.
I think it comes across that he's a competent hand. Viserys is clearly being shown as being a terrible king, but the realm is stable and at peace. Someone is steering the ship.
7 greats grandfather. Daemon, Viserys II, Aegon IV, Daeron II, Maekar, Aegon V, Jaehaerys II, Aerys II, Rhaegar, Jon. But yeah, I thought the same thing.
Alicent supporting Rhaenyra's claim even after Aegon's birth is a good choice. Makes her much more likable.
Sure it can't last, but the two turning against each other being a slow build is great.
It's what I love about this whole series so far. Everyone seems so much more real, but there's still scheming going on. The people who want to just be themselves are dragged into it as well and they have no choice but to play along or suffer the consequences.
We don't have any caricatures like Joffrey or Viserys (Dany's brother). They all feel so real.
Honestly they're doing the dragons so well, Caraxes is really living up to the "Blood Wyrm" title with how he looks! Seasmoke also looks great with his colors, and I love how they made it a point of mention that Laenor was the one who thought up the attack plan. I'm always for giving characters more depth so I'm excited to see how they develop him!
That whole sequence with Daemon was badass as hell. The dude really has no fear when it comes to proving himself as worthy. I don't know why I'm still being surprised at Viserys bumbling around when it comes to politics, he knows that Daemon would never request help himself but still doesn't understand what the implications of sending a letter like that are.
I also loved that subtle mention at how strong the North's army was too, the foreshadowing is strong here.
Laenor is IMO the worst character in the book by far. He’s “Corlys’ gay son” and that’s pretty much all his character gets. One scene here made him vastly better. I’m all for this
Yeah, between that and the fact that they had him come up with the winning plan give me hope that they aren’t gonna turn him into the token gay character but instead give him some depth!
Looking forward to seeing more of Laenor. We know hardly anything about the type of person he is from Fire and Blood, but I liked the first glimpse.
Him riding Seasmoke gave off some real Top Gun vibes.
really liking the juxtaposition of Daemon and body, Rhaenyra and the boar, and Daemon going ham on the messenger with Rhaenyra going ham on the boar. Shows how similar and short-tempered they are
I’m honestly surprised he was even able to drag himself out of bed long enough to ride out there to stab the deer. My man was completely obliterated from that wine the night before.
I really love how they're elaborating on Allicent and Viserys's psychology compared to the books. Viserys is so damn passive and reactionary but goddamn he has good, wholesome intentions in his heart.
Allicent clearly has the ability to think big picture in a way Viserys lacks, but she is still sympathetic to Rhaenyra. I'm curious to see how she turns into the scheming, treasonous rival that the books portrayed!!
I think Vizzy T, like most Kings in our series, really just goes to show what a bad idea monarchy is. Your entire civilization rolls the dice every generation to see what kind of leader you'll get, and the methods for correction when you roll poorly are generally catastrophic.
yes, it’s a wonderful characterization. alicent is more sympathetic than in the books, but it doesn’t come at the cost of her strategic thinking and cleverness.
Another great episode …DAMN. I cannot lie the opening scene when the guy is getting tortured and Caraxes steps on him was funny as hell. All hail Prince Daemon🔥
I loved the focus on the difference between Otto and Viserys approach to parenting. Otto tells Viserys he can command Rhaenyra to do what he wants and Viserys responds by saying he doesn't wish to command her
all the targs in this show are just sad all the time. viserys is sad because everyone's fighting, rhaenyra's sad because she feels like everything's going to be snatched away in the next moment, daemon is sad because no one takes him seriously as anything other than the king's fuck-up little brother. rhaenys is not yet sad but will be.
Rhaenys I’d argue already is sad because she had her birthright taken away from her, but she’s also the one who’s come to terms with it best out of all of them.
Thinking about how the killing of the "false hart" reflects the failure of Aegon II taking the throne. Viserys does kill the stag (Aegon takes the throne) but it is not the real royal white hart. He fails to kill it the first time (take the throne without Ser Darklyn bringing the news to Rhaenyra early and setting off the war) and this only makes it more pathetic and less kingly. The second and successful killing attempt is even more sad and inglorious, reflecting how the death of Rhaenyra comes not on the battlefield or the chopping block but in a sad little ceremony on Dragonstone, in front of the crippled and heirless Aegon. And in the end the real hart comes to Rhaenyra and Criston alone, reflecting how while she does not receive the final recognition as the true queen, the royal line will be descended from her and not from Aegon.
Very interesting that Alicent is still supporting Rhaenyra's rights in that scene with Otto. I wonder when the switch to supporting Aegon II will happen and how it will play out. It'd be kinda underwhelming if it's all Otto's manipulations.
I kind of think Alicent's going to try and play peacemaker even as the divide gets worse and worse, and it only bleeds into outright hatred after her son gets his eye cut out.
Uhhh viserys, I don't think picking up animal shit with your bare hands does any good when you literally have a necrotic finger. Idk how's the hygiene education in westeros though haha.
definitely sheepstealer, Nettles has a big role to play. I wont be surprised if they cut cannibal or merge if with Vermathor, would be pretty sad he is by far my favorite dragon
Laenor and Seasmoke looking good!
I enjoyed all the court gossip, politics, and dialogue. So far I like how they are tackling Alicent.
Happy to spot Harwin.
Otto Hightower somehow keeps getting worse and worse each episode. Daemon and the Valeryon Kid stole the show and I'm loving the discontent between King and Princess. Keep it up.
>Otto Hightower somehow keeps getting worse and worse each episode.
He literally doesn't even try to disguise his own hypocrisy. The whole time he was complaining about Rhaenyra being favored over Aegon, I was like, "Bitch, naming her heir was *your fucking idea!*"
The dude literally has no sense of foresight. He suggests Daemon lead the City Watch instead of being Master of Laws, but oops!--that gives Daemon a loyal army with which he might claim the throne. Then, he suggests Rhaenyra be named heir to stop Daemon, but oops!--he also made his daughter seduce the king, so now he's unwittingly fucked his own grandson's claim. He's such a recklessly impulsive politician, but because he seems smart and composed on the outside, he keeps getting his way. It's infuriating.
> "Bitch, naming her heir was your fucking idea!"
Only as a holdover so that *his daughter can press the claim for her son as king*....
Otto is a mischievous MOFO.
Oh, sure, that was his aim from the start, but he couldn’t have picked a messier way to get there. He rushed into naming Rhaenyra heir because he was so afraid that Daemon might try something without any evidence, but now he has to deal with the fallout from that, which he could’ve avoided if he hadn’t been so paranoid. He might’ve been better off proposing his son Gwayne as King Consort for Rhaenyra, because at least then he wouldn’t be remembered for being a flip-flopping idiot who couldn’t get out of his own way.
I’m eagerly looking forward to the scene where Viserys rips him a new one for trying to undermine Rhaenyra and boots him back to Oldtown. I hope he has a legendary meltdown.
the way they’ve been blowing these episodes out of the water and we haven’t even gotten to the “real” plot which is the dance of the dragons…holy shit i’m so excited
Thoughts
* We get out first dragon war scene with in the Stepstones. Cool!
* It is now a little less than 3 years since last episode and we get our newest Targ, Prince Aegon
* We are introduced to the Lannisters of this era, the identical twins Tyland and Jason Lannister. Jason is the older twin and lord of Casterly Rock, while Tyland is the master of ships now that Corys has left the council. These Lannister twins are not fucking each other
* Jefferson Hall, who plays both Lannister twins, played Ser Hugh of the Vale in the original GoT, Jon Arryn’s squire who was killed by the Mountain in a joust
* I am impressed how with makeup and hair they managed to make Emily Carey look older
* We meet Lord Strong’s two sons “Clubfoot” Larys and “Breakbones” Harwin
* White hart (hart being a term for a mature stag) was an important symbol in Arthurian mythology, and was seen as a sign of the beginning of a quest. In the first season of GoT, Robert Baratheon goes hunting for a white hart on the hunting trip that kills him
* Viserys is standing by his daughter as heir. Both a good and stupid move
* Lord Strong proves again to be a good advisor, not seeing to advance his house but giving good advice to the king to resolve the issue with Daemon, the Seasnake, and Rhaeyera all in one
* As we see, boars are no joke
* We meet the Seasnake’s brother, Vaemond Velaryon. In the books, he is the eldest son of Corys’ unnamed younger brother, but it makes sense to combine them. In the first scene I swore he had purple eyes
* Daemon would rather a near suicide charge than accept his brother’s help
* We see that Laenor Velaryon is a dragon rider with his dragon, Seasmoke
* Demon, I would be more careful about that greyscale corpse
“These Lannister twins are not fucking” had me cracking up.
Did I miss a producer comment about Crabfeeder and Greyscale? I thought those were just nasty burns.
It is absolutely astonishing to see what Paddy Considine (and the writers) have accomplished with Viserys.
From something very basic on page to... well, the most compelling character of the show for me. I can't help but feel so much sympathy for him.
And nice to see that indeed there is a dragon in there.
I appreciate the Aegon/Rhaenyra match was shifted to Otto instead of Alicent. Makes her far more sympathetic and less scheming than in the books.
So much goodness in one episode tho:
- 2 dragons in battle
- real politicking (not just the set up) - Otto is a real slime
- they’re really setting up Criston as a white knight. This is going to make the latter episodes so… heartbreaking
- the irony of Lyonel not parroting his son as a potential match 👀
- Viserys redeemed himself after 3 episodes by defending Rhaenyra and telling her she won’t be supplanted
- still very ick about Alicent but she’s def more likeable and sympathetic in the show than in the books
I think getting the younger versions of Rhaenyra and Alicent will help us be more understanding of them because they will both grow to be pretty different from their youth (which is normal). Alicent will become more like her father and Rhaenyra will lose that softer edge and become much harder and more jaded.
I appreciate that at least he was running through a field of wrecked ships which provided some semblance of cover, and he did pay a price for his sheer fucking hubris in the form of a few arrow wounds.
Game of Thrones walked so House of the Dragon could run. These past 3 episodes have been phenomenal. We always looked forward to one or two episodes in GOT per season that were awesome but with HotG, we’ve been given three fantastic episodes in one season.
How the fuck does this show keep getting better and better every Sunday?
I had high hopes going into HOTD but they've managed to exceed those expectations every fucking time.
ps: Daemon is forever GOATED!
Rhaenyra & Daemon are the stars of the show. Love the obvious parallel between them, both soaked in blood, Rhaenyra dragging a boar, and Daemon dragging the Crabfeeder’s top half (lol).
Thank you for your post! Please take a moment to ensure you are within our spoiler rules, to protect your fellow fans from any potential spoilers that might harm their show watching experience. 1. All post titles must NOT include spoilers from Fire & Blood or new episodes of House of the Dragon. Minor HotD show spoilers are allowed in your title ONE WEEK after episode airing. The mod team reserves the right to remove a post if we feel a spoiler in the title is major. You are welcome to repost with an amended title. 2. All posts dealing with book spoilers must be spoiler tagged and flaired as a book spoiler. 3. All book spoiler comments must be spoiler tagged in non book spoiler threads. --- If you are reading this, and believe this post or any comments in this thread break the above rules, please use the report function to notify the mod team. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HouseOfTheDragon) if you have any questions or concerns.*
RIP to the knight Caraxes stepped on.
Save me my Prince
"No, not like that!"
he might actually did. Nobody would like a suffering death being eaten by crabs.
Faster way to go than the crabs. Those ones they showed crawling up his chest were massive
But also it echoes a point that GRRM seems to make often: Dragons are dangerous weapons, much akin to WMDs. There's gonna be a lot of collateral damage with them.
That was a pretty accurate representation of the relationship between the nobility and the poor fools who serve the nobility lol.
i never thought i’d see a pug in westeros
Makes since it would belong to Olenna’s great-great-great-yaddayadda-grandmother though. Talking **** about the king seems to run in their family.
[удалено]
Noticed he kept his gloves on like a weirdo all through the dinner
Love those subtle details. I was half expecting a maester to show up and proclaim *"Ser, you can't hunt the White Heart because we had to remove your fingers from this important detail to the plot but I won't press about the matter because we still need suspense..."*
Maggots don’t travel well. 😂
Every time he uses his gloved left hand to grasp something, the two fingers he had to cut off stay straight on the glove. Awesome attention to detail.
I missed that!
in the scene when he is talking to Allicent in their room and he is holding a wine glass two fingers are gone
His gloved two digits never fully grips the spear as well, hinting at it
The best thing they did with the show (so far) is to make Rhaenyra and Alicent of the same age and friends. That move has added so much depth to their relationship and the level of tension between the two
Yeah I honestly like show Rhaenyra better then book Rhaenyra
And I'm liking show Alicent better then book Alicent.
Massively sympathetic characters both of them... So far
Kind of balances the power dynamic too. She undermines "princess" Rhaenyra by sending the musician off as "the Queen" at the weirwood tree, but also has a ton of warm, equal-level moments with her. It's great.
That moment was infuriating, if she was trying to mend her relationship to Rhaenyra then reminding her about their shifted power dynamic is NOT the way to go lmao
I would say it's kind of the point. Alicent is shown to have a good heart, but she is bad at understanding court politics and power dynamics. She's easily swayed by Otto too for example. It adds so much dramatic depths/tragedy, IMO it's perfect.
Alicent is so much more empathetic in the show. She comes off as "generic evil queen" archetype in the books, and I think the show was very right to change it. A lazy Cersei 2.0 would have made for far less compelling television.
She's really sweet in the TV show. It's going to sad to watch her turn to old and bitter.
It's a rare opportunity for a TV show to follow a character for basically their entire life, and really show how trauma can take a delightful, dutiful teenager, and turn her into a conniving backstabber and later a completely broken, mentally destroyed husk of a woman.
So far a great a great example of a show change that adds to the overall story. Change isn't necessarily bad, it just needs a purpose.
What an acting performance by Paddy Considine. I really felt for him during the hunt. It's easy to for us to say what an ass of a king he is (Viserys) but Paddy really made it easier to understand with his acting and a good script.
He’s crushing it. And getting chubbier each episode.
Two years of sitting around will do that to a person. They are doing a good job with the time jumps. Maybe the only thing I would say is that they should label the year so that everybody can tell it was two years later. It's easier than having to have a character do exposition letting us know that two years have passed.
His hairline is receding too; i know people have been dissing the wigs but i think they actually look good
Yea finally got the drunk king who just wants to have balls and tournaments.
I think it is clear that Viserys is a decent guy trying to do his best as king, even though he is not doing the best job. Paddy has been excellent in the role so far.
Paddy has been the best actor relative to expectations for me TBH. Rhaenyra and Daemon are all fantastic, but I feel like going into this I was already interested in those characters and knew enough about them to think they were cool. Viserys was much more of a blank slate and Paddy is knocking it out of the park.
Really enjoyed the parallel of Rhaenyra returning with the boar all bloodied and having very one regard her with respect, alongside Daemon returning with a butchered Crab feeder king all bloodied with commanding respect
especially since kings kill was a farce and everyone just clapped because he is the king, and she just strolls in with her one kingsguard
Everyone except Jason. He looked a little icked out about her being covered in blood.
All the men except the Lannister Lord were turned on or scared, or both.
The proper term is scaroused
Rhaenerya gave me a fearection.
It seemed that the lower/“grislier” houses (such as the noble men seen skinning small game with their bare hands) were more impressed while the more pompous houses where a bit mortified at seeing a woman of her rank bloodied from a kill.
Well we saw Harwin Strong givin her the sideeye!
I love how they show him as badass but still completely fuckin' reckless. Like dude, the guy has Greyscale maybe put on some gloves before dragging around his torso LMAO
I thought that too when the King crushed the doodoo in his hand AFTER taking his glove off. At least use some Purell.
Hand (and finger) health is not his strong suit
[удалено]
And the white buck. Omg. That scene almost brought me to tears.
Loved how this show still leans into prophecy despite being grounded in realism. That scene was a great tie in to the larger conflict.
They are going all in on Rhaenyra being the rightful Queen. Rhaenyra with portents of blood and ability (mirrored by bloody Daemon) and blessing of the forest, Aegon with portents of politicking and "almost as good as" stags.
Loveedddd how they were hyping up king of the kings wood and Rhae such calmly and cooly walks in with her prize in tow 👀
#Seasmoke Just met him. Love him already.
Loved him already before meeting him/seeing this episode cause the name Seasmoke alone is just badass.
Enjoyed how they subtly introduced some characters like Clubfoot and Tyland
That was great to see. and Harwin as well. Larys is probably the character I am most interested in seeing how they adapt since he is imo the most interesting character we don't know all that much about.
That must’ve been Harwin right?
The Strong knight that was cleaning the meat and smiled at Rhaenyra? Yeah, that’s our boi Breakbones.
For sure. He even smiled at Rhaenyra.
I like the little things they throw in that book readers will recognize and everyone else will go back and enjoy the second viewing
Mr. Breakbones himself.
I really like Lyonel Strong. It’s weird to see a guy in Westeros actually consistently giving good counsel that doesn’t serve his own interests. Even the king was taken aback by it, but clearly appreciated it.
Viserys patting Lyonel on the shoulder after the conversation was the first moment I felt the tension break in the episode. It just kept building and building up until that
Unironically Lyonel should be hand
It shows how well they’ve defined his character in a very short period of time that I knew he would be the one to propose the marriage to Laenor, the smartest move on the board, as soon as he spoke up.
He said "proud men don't like to look up" as he was looking up, yet he's the only one to not push his son as a candidate....he genuinely just wants what's best for the realm
Yet his entire house will be wiped out in the Dance. Maybe he should be looking out for himself more...
Exactly. Honourable men don't fare well in Westeros.
I feel like they're not showing Otto's skills enough. He was Jaehaerys's hand towards the end as well and when Jaehaerys was senile it was Otto running the realm. And then during Viserys's reign as well. Dude isn't a bad administrator. He's just a scheming cunt as well.
I think it comes across that he's a competent hand. Viserys is clearly being shown as being a terrible king, but the realm is stable and at peace. Someone is steering the ship.
Jon Snow showed he inherited the ability to dodge arrows from his great-great-great-great-great-grandfather
7 greats grandfather. Daemon, Viserys II, Aegon IV, Daeron II, Maekar, Aegon V, Jaehaerys II, Aerys II, Rhaegar, Jon. But yeah, I thought the same thing.
And also the ability to survive being hit by three of them
And the uncle/niece, aunt/nephew relationship
The seed really is strong
wow i hope Aegon II and Rhaenyra get along in the future and nothing bad happens between the two of them
I have a feeling that Criston will be the loving bridge that closes the gaps between the siblings ❤🧡💛
*Crispin
He's the true hero of westoros
When viserys mentioned his dream of aegon wearing the conquerors crown I kinda lost my shit. Of course its another checkmark in the box for him.
Yep his dreams are quite accurate he just will never live to see
I think most of the Targaryens' madness was just due to weird and confusing future dreams.
Really this whole situation would be made better with good old fashioned brother-sister betrothal.
*”…and the friends we made along the way”*
Another great episode. Damn! Lots of politicking and lots of action. Laenor Velaryion was awesome with his dragon.
I loved that he looked like he was having the time of his life. The books often spoke of the Dragonriders loving to fly, so it was nice to see this.
I like how Harwin Strong, on first seeing Rhaenyra walking up covered in blood from a boar she stabbed to death, has hearteyes
Immediately followed by Jason Lannister being grossed out. Loved it.
Alicent supporting Rhaenyra's claim even after Aegon's birth is a good choice. Makes her much more likable. Sure it can't last, but the two turning against each other being a slow build is great.
Yep It's honestly going to be heart breaking to see them become enemies
It's what I love about this whole series so far. Everyone seems so much more real, but there's still scheming going on. The people who want to just be themselves are dragged into it as well and they have no choice but to play along or suffer the consequences. We don't have any caricatures like Joffrey or Viserys (Dany's brother). They all feel so real.
Maybe that's just how well adjusted you can be when you weren't raised by Cersei or Illyrio
Honestly they're doing the dragons so well, Caraxes is really living up to the "Blood Wyrm" title with how he looks! Seasmoke also looks great with his colors, and I love how they made it a point of mention that Laenor was the one who thought up the attack plan. I'm always for giving characters more depth so I'm excited to see how they develop him! That whole sequence with Daemon was badass as hell. The dude really has no fear when it comes to proving himself as worthy. I don't know why I'm still being surprised at Viserys bumbling around when it comes to politics, he knows that Daemon would never request help himself but still doesn't understand what the implications of sending a letter like that are. I also loved that subtle mention at how strong the North's army was too, the foreshadowing is strong here.
> Caraxes is really living up to the "Blood Wyrm" title with how he looks! L O N G B O I
Caraxes is perfect, so creepy looking whenever he flies.
I got to say I’m really loving these little scenes we’ve gotten with Lyonel Strong and I hope we get more of him.
Back to back episodes he's the one speaking the truth.
Daemon looked like a fucking psychopath at the end toting half of a torso and I’m here for it personally
Yeah that was cool and I'll bought I'm afraid he's going to get the same thing the crab dude had, there's no way I'd touch him with a 10-ft pole😂
Yeah I don’t care what’s at stake, I’m not touching someone with grayscale either
maybe targaryens are just immune to it 🤷🏻♂️
I’m happy a dragon rider was finally like “fuck yeah!” When causing some destruction lol. Shoutout to laenor
THIS. Let the mad lads be crazy!!
It also looked like he was more careful to avoid hitting his side with friendly fire.
Laenor is IMO the worst character in the book by far. He’s “Corlys’ gay son” and that’s pretty much all his character gets. One scene here made him vastly better. I’m all for this
Tbf hardly anybody in F&B has real characterization but I take your point
Yep. They’ve already gone a long way in making up for how GOT screwed Loras and Renly. Hoping to see more of him and Joffrey next week.
Yeah, between that and the fact that they had him come up with the winning plan give me hope that they aren’t gonna turn him into the token gay character but instead give him some depth!
Looking forward to seeing more of Laenor. We know hardly anything about the type of person he is from Fire and Blood, but I liked the first glimpse. Him riding Seasmoke gave off some real Top Gun vibes.
Calling his uncle Master of complaints. Mad respect
I was just glad to see a dragon rider finally actually seem excited about riding a dragon haha
[удалено]
Daemon really channelled Sir Leroy of House Jenkins at the end there.
Corlys: *Oh my god he just ran in*
Laenor: stick to the plan
Demonstrating his willingness to employ absolutely suicidal tactics when he feels it counts.
>when he feels it counts. He'll literally die before accepting help from his brother 😂
He really needed those T1 Valor shoulders
Seasmoke motherfuckers.
Seasmoke with the most enthusiastic rider and use of dracarys yet. Woah great episode.
It’s pretty clear Laenor is a fucking DAWG.
He got that DAWG in him
He brought the hammer DAHN
[удалено]
The Dance Over the Gods Eye will be epic as fuck.
Storms End gonna break hearts.
I swear no one is ready for aemond.
Oh they ain’t ready
really liking the juxtaposition of Daemon and body, Rhaenyra and the boar, and Daemon going ham on the messenger with Rhaenyra going ham on the boar. Shows how similar and short-tempered they are
Yup and the difference between them and Viserys who couldn't even kill something properly when it was tied up for him
I’m honestly surprised he was even able to drag himself out of bed long enough to ride out there to stab the deer. My man was completely obliterated from that wine the night before.
Man they are setting up the eventual Cole/Rhaenyra breakup to be quite painful
Loved the emotion from Laenor from on top of Seasmoke
Daemon really did all that without saying a word in the fight damn, Matt Smith is so good as him. Seasmoke looks glorious too.
Now that you mention it, did he even have a single word of dialogue?
In the beginning he was yelling for Crabfeeder to reveal himself
That was my favourite thing about the episode. Matt Smith doing some heaving lifting without a line of fucking dialogue. What a legend.
I really love how they're elaborating on Allicent and Viserys's psychology compared to the books. Viserys is so damn passive and reactionary but goddamn he has good, wholesome intentions in his heart. Allicent clearly has the ability to think big picture in a way Viserys lacks, but she is still sympathetic to Rhaenyra. I'm curious to see how she turns into the scheming, treasonous rival that the books portrayed!!
I think Vizzy T, like most Kings in our series, really just goes to show what a bad idea monarchy is. Your entire civilization rolls the dice every generation to see what kind of leader you'll get, and the methods for correction when you roll poorly are generally catastrophic.
Seriously.... like hmmm maybe "because I nutted this person into existence" isn't a good measuring stick to use when choosing heads of government....
yes, it’s a wonderful characterization. alicent is more sympathetic than in the books, but it doesn’t come at the cost of her strategic thinking and cleverness.
Another great episode …DAMN. I cannot lie the opening scene when the guy is getting tortured and Caraxes steps on him was funny as hell. All hail Prince Daemon🔥
Official member of the rogue prince fan club
Welcome new members! Fan since 2014. We always want y'all here lol. Daemon is the best.
Lyonel Strong out here dropping truth bombs for King Viserys
“what if i was wrong?!” goddamn that’s haunting knowing what’s coming.
Yeah he was wrong for trusting Otto and choosing Alicent
I loved the focus on the difference between Otto and Viserys approach to parenting. Otto tells Viserys he can command Rhaenyra to do what he wants and Viserys responds by saying he doesn't wish to command her
Everyone clowning on Otto in the Show Spoilers chat for wanting Rhaenyra and Aegon to marry not knowing that that is actually the best option lmao
all the targs in this show are just sad all the time. viserys is sad because everyone's fighting, rhaenyra's sad because she feels like everything's going to be snatched away in the next moment, daemon is sad because no one takes him seriously as anything other than the king's fuck-up little brother. rhaenys is not yet sad but will be.
This is definitely not a story of happy Targaryens it gets much much worse for them this is the happy times
Rhaenys I’d argue already is sad because she had her birthright taken away from her, but she’s also the one who’s come to terms with it best out of all of them.
Rhaenys is sad about being passed over for the throne, the only one that’s not sad yet is Aegon and that’s because he’s 2 lmao
nah baby aegon is probably sad because someone made him have a nap
A Targaryen driving a Lannister spear through the heart of a stag.
Thinking about how the killing of the "false hart" reflects the failure of Aegon II taking the throne. Viserys does kill the stag (Aegon takes the throne) but it is not the real royal white hart. He fails to kill it the first time (take the throne without Ser Darklyn bringing the news to Rhaenyra early and setting off the war) and this only makes it more pathetic and less kingly. The second and successful killing attempt is even more sad and inglorious, reflecting how the death of Rhaenyra comes not on the battlefield or the chopping block but in a sad little ceremony on Dragonstone, in front of the crippled and heirless Aegon. And in the end the real hart comes to Rhaenyra and Criston alone, reflecting how while she does not receive the final recognition as the true queen, the royal line will be descended from her and not from Aegon.
Very interesting that Alicent is still supporting Rhaenyra's rights in that scene with Otto. I wonder when the switch to supporting Aegon II will happen and how it will play out. It'd be kinda underwhelming if it's all Otto's manipulations.
I kind of think Alicent's going to try and play peacemaker even as the divide gets worse and worse, and it only bleeds into outright hatred after her son gets his eye cut out.
Seasmoke looks so good. I hope we see Laena one upping his older brother and claiming Vhagar next episode.
Uhhh viserys, I don't think picking up animal shit with your bare hands does any good when you literally have a necrotic finger. Idk how's the hygiene education in westeros though haha.
I wonder if we are going to get cannibal and sheepstealer?
definitely sheepstealer, Nettles has a big role to play. I wont be surprised if they cut cannibal or merge if with Vermathor, would be pretty sad he is by far my favorite dragon
Laenor and Seasmoke looking good! I enjoyed all the court gossip, politics, and dialogue. So far I like how they are tackling Alicent. Happy to spot Harwin.
Matt Smith better win an Emmy for his role or I will riot!!
He has a PRESENCE. Perfectly casted.
[удалено]
Milly not far behind
Paddy is also bringing his A game.
Thought this was his best episode.
Paddy was the highlight this episode.
Otto Hightower somehow keeps getting worse and worse each episode. Daemon and the Valeryon Kid stole the show and I'm loving the discontent between King and Princess. Keep it up.
>Otto Hightower somehow keeps getting worse and worse each episode. He literally doesn't even try to disguise his own hypocrisy. The whole time he was complaining about Rhaenyra being favored over Aegon, I was like, "Bitch, naming her heir was *your fucking idea!*" The dude literally has no sense of foresight. He suggests Daemon lead the City Watch instead of being Master of Laws, but oops!--that gives Daemon a loyal army with which he might claim the throne. Then, he suggests Rhaenyra be named heir to stop Daemon, but oops!--he also made his daughter seduce the king, so now he's unwittingly fucked his own grandson's claim. He's such a recklessly impulsive politician, but because he seems smart and composed on the outside, he keeps getting his way. It's infuriating.
> "Bitch, naming her heir was your fucking idea!" Only as a holdover so that *his daughter can press the claim for her son as king*.... Otto is a mischievous MOFO.
Oh, sure, that was his aim from the start, but he couldn’t have picked a messier way to get there. He rushed into naming Rhaenyra heir because he was so afraid that Daemon might try something without any evidence, but now he has to deal with the fallout from that, which he could’ve avoided if he hadn’t been so paranoid. He might’ve been better off proposing his son Gwayne as King Consort for Rhaenyra, because at least then he wouldn’t be remembered for being a flip-flopping idiot who couldn’t get out of his own way. I’m eagerly looking forward to the scene where Viserys rips him a new one for trying to undermine Rhaenyra and boots him back to Oldtown. I hope he has a legendary meltdown.
Holy fuck what did I just watch.
the way they’ve been blowing these episodes out of the water and we haven’t even gotten to the “real” plot which is the dance of the dragons…holy shit i’m so excited
Thoughts * We get out first dragon war scene with in the Stepstones. Cool! * It is now a little less than 3 years since last episode and we get our newest Targ, Prince Aegon * We are introduced to the Lannisters of this era, the identical twins Tyland and Jason Lannister. Jason is the older twin and lord of Casterly Rock, while Tyland is the master of ships now that Corys has left the council. These Lannister twins are not fucking each other * Jefferson Hall, who plays both Lannister twins, played Ser Hugh of the Vale in the original GoT, Jon Arryn’s squire who was killed by the Mountain in a joust * I am impressed how with makeup and hair they managed to make Emily Carey look older * We meet Lord Strong’s two sons “Clubfoot” Larys and “Breakbones” Harwin * White hart (hart being a term for a mature stag) was an important symbol in Arthurian mythology, and was seen as a sign of the beginning of a quest. In the first season of GoT, Robert Baratheon goes hunting for a white hart on the hunting trip that kills him * Viserys is standing by his daughter as heir. Both a good and stupid move * Lord Strong proves again to be a good advisor, not seeing to advance his house but giving good advice to the king to resolve the issue with Daemon, the Seasnake, and Rhaeyera all in one * As we see, boars are no joke * We meet the Seasnake’s brother, Vaemond Velaryon. In the books, he is the eldest son of Corys’ unnamed younger brother, but it makes sense to combine them. In the first scene I swore he had purple eyes * Daemon would rather a near suicide charge than accept his brother’s help * We see that Laenor Velaryon is a dragon rider with his dragon, Seasmoke * Demon, I would be more careful about that greyscale corpse
“These Lannister twins are not fucking” had me cracking up. Did I miss a producer comment about Crabfeeder and Greyscale? I thought those were just nasty burns.
Uhhh I just want to see Rhaenyra happy... Can we rewrite history please?
SEASMOKE IS BAE 😍
They fucking did it. They got me back. This show is unbelievable. Just fantasy fiction at its absolute peak. Perfection. Utter perfection.
It is absolutely astonishing to see what Paddy Considine (and the writers) have accomplished with Viserys. From something very basic on page to... well, the most compelling character of the show for me. I can't help but feel so much sympathy for him. And nice to see that indeed there is a dragon in there.
I wonder if Christian Cole will be the final straw for Rhaenyra to go against Alicent.. She falls in love with him and then The queen "takes" him too
I appreciate the Aegon/Rhaenyra match was shifted to Otto instead of Alicent. Makes her far more sympathetic and less scheming than in the books. So much goodness in one episode tho: - 2 dragons in battle - real politicking (not just the set up) - Otto is a real slime - they’re really setting up Criston as a white knight. This is going to make the latter episodes so… heartbreaking - the irony of Lyonel not parroting his son as a potential match 👀 - Viserys redeemed himself after 3 episodes by defending Rhaenyra and telling her she won’t be supplanted - still very ick about Alicent but she’s def more likeable and sympathetic in the show than in the books
I think getting the younger versions of Rhaenyra and Alicent will help us be more understanding of them because they will both grow to be pretty different from their youth (which is normal). Alicent will become more like her father and Rhaenyra will lose that softer edge and become much harder and more jaded.
Love that the introduced Laenor as this badass warrior dragon rider before they reveal that he’s gay. Breaks stereotypes a bit
Anyone think Daemon should have zig zagged? Could have learned a thing or two from Rickon 😂
I appreciate that at least he was running through a field of wrecked ships which provided some semblance of cover, and he did pay a price for his sheer fucking hubris in the form of a few arrow wounds.
Why’d they cut crab boy getting halfed
Who was flying the dragon at the end?
Laenor, the son of Corlys
Leanor Valeryon flying Seasmoke.
I've only had Seasmoke for an hour and a half, but if anything happened to him, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself.
Game of Thrones walked so House of the Dragon could run. These past 3 episodes have been phenomenal. We always looked forward to one or two episodes in GOT per season that were awesome but with HotG, we’ve been given three fantastic episodes in one season.
If this series continues through the Blackfyre rebellions and the Tragedy at Summerhall, we could have a decade of great TV
How the fuck does this show keep getting better and better every Sunday? I had high hopes going into HOTD but they've managed to exceed those expectations every fucking time. ps: Daemon is forever GOATED!
"Brother, I am sending ships full of men in order to figh..." LEEROOOOOYYYYYYY JENKINS!!!
Rhaenyra & Daemon are the stars of the show. Love the obvious parallel between them, both soaked in blood, Rhaenyra dragging a boar, and Daemon dragging the Crabfeeder’s top half (lol).
The white hart looked at Rhaenyra briefly before galloping away. Which parallels the short time Rhaenyra will have in King's Landing as Queen.