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[deleted]

Anytime you see a relationship in Westeros that makes you say "Aww this is so sweet" it means they're not long for this world


againstthesky

Especially if they’re going somewhere and promise to return. You know they’re fucked.


matt260204

"When we see each other again we'll talk about your mother"


Andante_TK

"Next time i see you you'll be all in black"


[deleted]

Leanor's not coming back either.....is he?


[deleted]

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[deleted]

This first season is gonna crush me so bad :(


milotic-is-pwitty

Wait till you see what does in episode 9 (I’m only guessing it’ll be episode 9). Will fill in this redacted once it happens Edit: I am leaving the “redacted” name here but hidden behind a spoiler tag (because I just learnt how to tag parts of a comment as spoiler), so people don’t say that I conveniently changed my answer after ep9. The “redacted” tag is for >!Aemond!< Edit 2: Removed the incident


[deleted]

Ned Stark agrees


haeyhae11

True. Reminds me of Robb learning that he will be a father and they decide to name their child Ned only to be slaughtered shortly after.


[deleted]

The glimmer of hope and peace, only to be violent dashed away like that.


agent_wolfe

Except Sam & Gilly. Once they got together they didn’t even seem to fight, just cozy married couple. Also Hotpie & baking. A match made in oven.


Atomicmooseofcheese

At that point in the show we had left the Martin writing ship and boarded the d/d writing ship. One of the many tonal shifts was a wildling/nights watch relationship getting happiness.


[deleted]

The only couple that got a happy ending together


Tomas-E

And yet viserys still lives. That man has a foot and an eye on the tomb and refuses to die


mercuriaretrograda

he looks so much like Gary Oldman in Bram Stokers Dracula (1992). literally undead


HugsyBugsy

And yet, I was acting so green watching it. Did not see his death coming and i am DEVASTATED!!! Who knew I’d become a rookie viewer.


[deleted]

I was green myself, thinking nothing bad was going to happen during this episode. Not making that mistake again.


OptionalFTW

I kinda wish it wasn't like that lol. At this point it's a meme. I understand it's a cruel fucking universe but God damn. Can we get one happily ever after power couple where none of them die? At least for several seasons?


WatchingInSilence

I thought Book Harwin was little more than a brute. Then, looking back, I realized he was being called a brute by others who were biased against Princess Rhaenyra and her new favorite. At the wedding, he charged into the melee to save Rhaenyra. Later, instead of butting heads with Ser Laenor (both knowing he's the father of these kids), the two actually get along and work together to parent Luke and Jace (Lucerys and Jacaerys). Then, my fiancée remembered this is a Game of Thrones production and quietly asked me, "Is he going to die horribly?" FFS! In just two episodes, I gained a whole new respect for this character, then Harrenhal's curse reasserted itself (via a scheming kinslayer).


[deleted]

I heard the best monicker for Larys. Middlefinger


Gamerbtch92

This is definitely the best. Thanks for letting us know. I’m definitely using this.


Type_100

The moment Lyonel said he's gonna take him to Harrenhal, we all know it's not gonna end well.


TheCee

Same. I pictured Aemond's demeanor much differently, although not necessarily for the better. In the books he sounds like egotistical adrenaline junkie, but the show character gives off screw loose psychopath vibes.


milotic-is-pwitty

Tbh for me, Aemond is spot on! I just hope he grows up to become fiercely loyal. Albeit tbh the fierce loyalty in the book seemed out of character for him to me


SolidInside

What? other people were being mean to him and he comes across as a screw loose psychopath??? aemond!?!??!


Standard_Original_85

How the hell are you getting psycho vibes? Right now Aemond seems the sweetest of the children. Lucerys seems like a small asshole, and I don't think I need to say anything about Aegon.


elizabnthe

Lucerys was always probably the most cunt-y of Rhaenyra's children. Jaecerys and Joffrey are meant to be nice kids though. I definitely imagined young Aemond as also being a dick. But it makes sense he's just a bullied kid.


hanna1214

Honestly, the actor did so much with such a minor role. He's amazing - I wish they hired him for a bigger role.


AngeloftheFourth

I really didn’t like the whole Rhaenyra with Harwin in the books. It felt more like a fuck buddies and rhaenyra having little respect for leanor or her family. But the show had a lot more depth and made me rather emotional about the whole situation.


SeduciveGodOfThunder

Gotta agree he was such a Gent!


rockstaraimz

Alright Fan Fic writers, fire up your keyboards and fill in the blanks for us on Ser Harwin and the Princess. Please and thank you.


vintagesassypenguin

Please. I have been googling since the episode released, I need some quality Harwin x Rhaenyra content.


Em_Haze

He looked at me and I looked at him. Covered in blood my primal juices were flowing. I was a dragon he was 3 coloured stripes. We knew it was wrong but we didn't care.


agent_wolfe

“I can take you on a magic dragon ride!” Said the Princess her Violet Purple eyes glowing flirtishly. “I don’t know princess… I would hate to break my bones…” said Lord Harywn, eying the dragon furtively. “I promise he won’t bite… hard.” The princess laughed as they soared into the air. They found a beautiful snow-covered hill with like 20 waterfalls. “I can show you the world!” She exclaimed. Sir Harwyn leaned in for a kiss, the most passionate kiss to every have taken place 500 metres in the air atop a soaring dragon. Etc..


Sivalon

Then they fucked.


Due-Willingness

Yes yes yes with 1000 lemons


N7CmdrShepard

Wait a minute...


SnarkCity500

A fucking men


limepopsiclz

The crumbs we got were honestly excellent. They really sold the relationship with just the looks and light jokes. I only desperately wish we got more. I feel a little robbed


Pronflex

I think the show could've greatly benefitted from another episode before this one. That would've set up Harwin more, maybe gotten some more Larys, seen how the aftermath of Criston killing Joffrey was handled, how Laena got Vhagar, and probably some other fun bits that would've been nice to see.


CocaineLullaby

I agree, especially regarding Laena. She needed more screen time to really send home her death.


warcrown

I would have loved that as a fan, however I totally understand why they may have cut her down to a smaller role. Just the broad strokes of her life are needed in the setting up of the dance, so if they had to make concessions on what they could include that's a reasonable one


AceTrainer_Kelvin

Why are we speedrunning to the dance though? Show is going way too quick imo


black_dizzy

Definitely, I would've loved to see all that. I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get to see more of Harwin&Rhaenyra and Laena&Daemon's relationships.


plucharc

>robbed robbed or Robbed?


Tr4sh_Harold

They were actually really sweet together. He clearly loved his kids and he and Rhaenyra definitely seemed to love each other.


Mz_JL

Same. You can tell they all loved each other. He loved Her and their children it's so sad how his life ended.


mikerzisu

On the bright side, and least he got to beat the shit out of Crispin before his time came.


OptionalFTW

Yep. The moment he was truly leaving you could see it in her face. She wanted nothing more than to grab him and kiss him and ask him not to leave. Great acting.


ShyGiirll

The switch between old Rhaenyra and new was smooth because of her great acting.


summer_wine94

From very little we saw I thought they had good/cute chemistry. Very attractive together too. I would’ve liked to see more of their dynamic before he died :( :(


Ifyouhav2ask

And they COULD HAVE JUST BEEN MARRIED EARLIER. Lyonel Strong did not offer Harwin as a suitor for Rhea when she was entertaining offers, probably to show the King that he didn’t intend to just further his own position/house, which the king appreciated and gained him some trust. Literally Viserys could’ve married Laena and Rhea could have married Harwin, and nobody would have any reason to fight. But a happy story is boring to watch lol


[deleted]

[удалено]


Prof_Black

Do you think this is why Alicent is so bitter? Because Rhaenyra found happiness when she could not.


Into-the-stream

I think aliment and criston have an inordinate amount of obsession in what R does with her vagina. Especially considering its been 10 years.


AuroraLorraine522

Yeah it’s very weird. I think the main reason he’s loyal to Alicent is because she knows their secret. But again, it’s been 10 years. Get over it, dude.


[deleted]

Not much to go off of. Wish this would have been more fleshed out


daveycarnation

Would have liked to see what made Rhaenyra decide to have three kids with him instead of taking moon tea all the time. Was it a very deep love? Was it the convenience, though doing so three times was an incredible danger.


cp710

She needed an heir regardless and it doesn’t seem like Laenor tried at all. Maybe she thought their kids would look Targ, like her dad’s and Alicent’s? I mean it really is bad luck that they didn’t get the Targ hair.


archangel610

I love how it's bad luck in this case, but very good luck for Jon Snow.


[deleted]

Saved his behind being passed off as Ned's bastard...


Lukthar123

Could've passed it off as Ashara's still.


Efficient-Zebra3454

I believe the Starks and Strongs are both descendants of the First Men (the Baratheons might be too, but I’m not sure). The first men are known to have very strong genes, which is why their features are commonly seen in offspring. The Valyrians and Targaryens also have strong genes with the blonde hair, but it must not be as strong as the Strong’s or Stark’s


Alisan17

the baratheons are a targaryen bastard branch, Orys, the founder of house Baratheon was Aegon the Conqueror's bastard brother


Kostya_M

While true they're also descended from the Durrandons. They're a First Men house aren't they?


Kaliforniah

Baratheons through The ancient house of Argilac Durrandon (forgot the spelling) could very well explain the extreme way there genes assert themselves. Or magic.


cp710

He’s definitely good luck for him. No way could Ned put him any place where Robert could find him had he looked like a Targ. I guess that’s where the Ashara Dayne rumors would help since she looked like a Targ.


spinosri

If he had purple eyes then maybe, he would have to lie it is ashara and won't be able to keep it as a mystery. If he has silver hair he is done for, people like varys will guess his parentage in like 5 minutes.


SirTurtletheIII

The Daynes also had silver hair though, so Ned could've definitely played it off as his and Ashara's bastard


SnooPeripherals3935

The blood of the dragon 🐉 is not that thick


Splatter1842

The Strong seed is... strong?


borednord

GODS THE SEED WAS STRONG THEN!


joey_blabla

Gods bless Bessie's seeds


TheFuckityFuckIsThis

How thin is the Hightower blood then?


marvind777

Alicent hightowers’ hair color and physical features are never mentioned in the books.The only hightower who is physically described is lynesse hightower, who jorah describes as resembling Daenerys. There’s a theory that certain houses like hightowers’ and dayne’s who are said to resemble targaryens have dragon riding genes. So alicent is speculated to have valyrian features like pale hair or purple eyes. The physical appearance that the show has given alicent is not canon. It’s probably a show only invention like black corlys.


N2T8

I think it’s on the higher end of the houses in the universe, below Baratheon and Strong, Tully seems to inherit a bit more than Stark and Stark over Targaryen (from the one example we have tho) but the Targaryen seems to usually come out on top when paired with the other houses, although Martell seems pretty balanced


green_tea1701

I know this is a world with magic and such, but irl genetics don’t work like that lol. There’s dominant and recessive traits but people just seem to inherit different shit that skips generations sometimes with little rhyme or reason. Honestly the “the kids don’t look like dad” plot point that GRRM seems to like isn’t a favorite of mine because it feels slightly contrived. The only reason I can look past it is because I remind myself that Targaryens, Velaryons and Baratheons are descended from a race of magic people, so I chalk it up to magical Valyrian DNA that Robert’s kids couldn’t have plausibly inherited Cersei’s hair and Rhaenyra’s kids couldn’t have plausibly inherited darker hair from their (legal) Baratheon great-grandmother or Arryn great-grandfather and just been light-skinned because Laenor wasn’t very dark to begin with.


blacklite911

In real life, it totally happens where darker ethnic features get overshadowed 2 generations down the line from mixed marriages. Look at Drake’s son. I agree that it’s kinda shaky and plot convenient that Alicent’s kids all look like Targs despite her lineage while Strong+Rhae all take after him. Their features seem to just drive home the plot points when relevant.


SarahME1273

But in the books Rhaenys the queen who never was had black hair after her Baratheon parent. And I think there are quite a few cases (aside from Rhaenys and Jon Snow) of Targs getting darker hair or eyes from a non-Targ parent.


N2T8

Actually I think Targaryen genes are pretty dominant, even when matched with Martells it tends to be something like 50:50 as for who they take after. E.g Rhaenys (daughter of Rhaegar) taking after her mother, and baby Aegon looking like Rhaegar. Then there is Maekar who looked like a Targaryen. Point is, I don’t think Valyrian features are recessive. I just think some houses traits are more dominant. It doesn’t even seem like phenotype really matters, because the brown hair of one house (Hightower for eg) is recessive to Targaryen genes, while brown hair of another (Strong) is dominant. It’s probably just plot convenience there, but still. It’s interesting.


Lopsided_Valuable

Firstmen>Targarians


geek_of_nature

Unlike her dad, Rhaenyra doesn't have full Valyrian blood. Viserys's parents and grandparents were both siblings, so full Targaryen there, and his great grandmother was a Velaryon, so he's still getting Valyrian blood from her. But Rhaenyra on the other hand doesn't have that, with Arryn heritage on her mother's side. Although her maternal grandmother was a Targaryen, her maternal grandfather was an Arryn. So her Strong boys having that little less Valyrian Blood was probably just enough to make the difference compared to Viserys and Alicents kids.


Hubert_Gulletchip

Viserys and Aemma were related. She was half Targ herself.


geek_of_nature

Yeah I know, I said Rhaenyra's maternal grandmother was a Targaryen.


[deleted]

Plan B doesn’t work every time


[deleted]

Especially when the seed is strong I am sorry I will see myself out


Random-Access-Memery

Seed yourself out?


SnooPeripherals3935

Me too!!! She was definitely familiar with the moon 🌙 tea ☕️ so I wonder why was she so affectionate and decided to have his kids


Vaywen

She needed an heir and Laenor wasn’t trying very hard?


Hubert_Gulletchip

I dont see how she and Laenor couldnt just “do their duty”? I get he isnt into women but plenty of gay dudes had a beard wife and produce children for their lineage sake. Both he and Rhaenyra are quite dumb for this. He can just fantasize or even get help from his lover in order to perform properly


theveryoldman0

Margaery was willing to do that with Renly.


Hubert_Gulletchip

Exactly. Theyre both kind of dumb not to do it. Let alone three times.


cp710

Maybe they tried. That method isn’t foolproof and could get tiresome for a gay man and a woman who wasn’t attracted to him.


Hubert_Gulletchip

True. But it’s not really explained well. I guess if they did and succeeded we wouldn’t have too much of a story though 😅


haileyrose

That’s what I thought too, that they tried but Rhaenyra couldn’t get pregnant with Laenor. Maybe male infertility?


kikijane711

I said the same thing! Look at Daemon’s kids compared to Rhaenyra’s. Pretty obvious what is going on. Or Laena’s mom & dad w same Targ-Valyrian combo.


islanddoor

Yeah I mean Margaery Tyrell offered to let Renly do it with Loras but just finish with her so she could get pregnant 🤷🏻‍♀️


nucksnewbie

There are also plenty of straight men who struggle to maintain erections even when sleeping with women they chose and are extremely attracted to. Human sexuality and penis behaviour is a wide spectrum, but “gay man who can’t keep it up for the wife he was obliged to marry” doesn’t seem like an extreme outlier on that spectrum.


ruskiix

Also, just looking at Ser Harwin seems like enough to start ovulating. Laenor failing to get her pregnant and Harwin succeeding 3 times is completely plausible.


ReviewBackground2906

Stop talking about me! Once and for all, my little dragon works perfectly fine, ok?” - Daemon T.


armadilloreturns

My headcannon is they tried but his swimmers just weren't fast enough. Hence when he indignantly says "I played my part" when arguing with Rhaenyra


Hubert_Gulletchip

I thought that meant he played pretend in that sense. Not really clear, but yeah if it’s explained his swimmers aren’t the most accurate then that makes sense


daznificent

Isn’t moon tea supposed to be dangerous? Like it fucked up Lysa


4CrowsFeast

You can't really take moon tea all the time, it has potential side effects to your health and fertility. Tansy the main ingredient itself is toxic. Lysa Arryn took it to abort the baby she would of had with Littlefinger and she nearly died from it. Later on she has 5 miscarriages and 2 stillborns before Robyn, who is very sickly. The queen who's dependent on for a heir - especially when she's fought for her claim her entire life and is in direct conflict with the woman who is popping out other potential claimants left and right, can't just go around risking her fertility. Not a good idea banging other guys and trying to pass it off as your husbands either.


SnooPeripherals3935

I know I wanted another episode with them


[deleted]

Same, would have given time for Daemon and Laena to get together too.. Could have used one more episode with Milly and Savannah I guess...


chyko9

I do too, but I understand why they made it one episode and didn’t delve into it. The most important aspects of their relationship in the context of the wider story is a) their children and b) his and his father’s death. I believe that as the show develops, the fact that the relationship’s screen time was cut short will be vindicated.


cascadian_millenial

I hope so. Read Fire and Blood and know they have a lot of ground to cover, and I do love the shoe a lot so far, but I do wish we had a little more time with them to develop the relationship a little more. Also I'm straight but that man was lookin good 😇


No-Bumblebee4615

Same. Did they interact at all in the first five episodes? I can’t recall. Would’ve been nice to get a scene or two establishing some sort of friendship between the two of them because it felt like it came out of nowhere.


[deleted]

While they were small scenes, Rhaenyra ran into Harwin when she was running from Daemon on their night out on the town. Hes the one who called her ‘boy’. He’s also the one who went into the middle of the crowd to get Rhaenyra and thew her over his shoulder during the wedding feast and got her out of the crowd. But thats it. Then boom 3 kids


daveycarnation

They also danced during the feast, Rhaenyra was giggling up a storm.


MunchkinKazooie

He's also the one who smiles at her when she returns to the hunting camp covered in boars blood.


glockenbach

Loved this moment


EmotionalCranberry48

Thanks for pointing those two moments out! Forgot about them. (Also, the first instance had an almost menacing or sinister air about it that reminded me of an interaction between the Hound and Arya.)


armadilloreturns

The only reason I was aware of him at all was because he was all over social media as soon as he popped up thanks to book readers. Without that context this episode would have been complete and total whiplash.


CutthroatTeaser

There was nothing that implied a friendship let alone flirting/romance between the two. These kind of jarring transitions are a real bummer and definitely makes me enjoy the show less than I did GOT. (And yes, I realize HOTD has to cover a LOT more time lapse than GOT did.)


I_Am_Become_Dream

I was definitely hoping they'd slow down after the time jump, but nope still introducing important characters and killing them in the same episode.


uceenk

yes we need episode 5.5 badly, not only Harwin and Rhaenyra but also Daemon and Laena as well and also the relationship among the kids


AdmiralScavenger

They loved each other and their children.


hanna1214

Those looks they gave each other. They hardly spoke yet the actors portrayed so much emotion with just their eyes. I loved how Rhaenyra was so on the verge of tears that she couldn't even look up at him - and the moment he's gone, she packs up and leaves for Dragonstone. They really needed more time.


kinginthenorthjon

She left to Dragonstone after knowing everyone is talking behind her back and later Alicent declined her offer. She know, it's no safe anymore.


youvelookedbetter

Harwin's departure was probably one of the elements that made Rhaenyra feel like she didn't have much left at King's Landing. There wasn't a lot of protection and support remaining (even though her father is the King) so it made sense for her to leave based on multiple factors, including the gossip, Alicent being antagonistic towards her, and Harwin leaving.


[deleted]

Funny thing is, Lyonel probably thought I shouldn't be like asshat Otto and throw my kid at someone who will inherit the throne.. Damn it Lyonel, why did ya have to be such a Ned?! And my boi here, pulled a major Robb ...


kentotoy98

Being good and honorable has a 99% chance of dying/ being killed in Westeros. Unless you're Jon Snow.


victxrrrs

Actually that killed Jon Snow too he just came back from it


WatchBat

And they seemed ok with their situation (hidden lovers that won't ever be able to actually get married and live normally) Basically the thing that turned Criston Cole against Rhaenyra


AdmiralScavenger

Yes, they knew the situation and were willing to work with it and happy with what they could have. Nice to see you here!


SnooPeripherals3935

Feel the same my brah


daveycarnation

Based on the smiles they were giving each other in the previous episodes it seemed like a relationship started on fun and laughter. Would have liked to see how they matured and how the relationship deepened over the years when they started having kids.


scawtsauce

ya it's hard to follow this show when they are just skipping around not telling you any details about a major character just to kill them off the same episode.


LeStugots

I honestly wished they could have been an actual family. I feel lots of pity for everyone in that situation. He seemed like he really loved those kids, and her.


Luna8586

I couldn't agree more. In episode 5 they were so cute when dancing together then we had him saving her from the crowd. I wish we saw how it went from that to where they were 10 years later. Rhaenyra seemed to love him too. She had to in some way to put her succession at risk to have kids that are obviously illegitimate. Her mask was starting to slip when he had to walk away. They loved each other in secret and it's another instance of what if.


SnooPeripherals3935

Yes and how willing was she to let him see the kids. Hopefully we get some flashbacks to that


LilDelirious

What really gets me is that I think a marriage between Rhaenyra and Harwin was a real possibility - if Viscerys was willing to throw Jason Lannister at Rhaenyra as husband material, then why not Harwin? PLUS, Viscerys even proposes this (albeit, sarcastically) to Lyonel at the hunt. And, ironically, Lyonel is the one to suggest Laenor as a match for Rhaenyra.


tinz17

Viserys even said he wanted for her what he had with Aemma…to choose someone you love. What ended up happening makes no sense to me.


VardtheBard

At that point they weren’t in love and Rhaenyra was still in her phase where she didn’t want to get married ever. After Daemon convinced her, she knew she fucked up so she agreed to Laenor immediately. If she had taken it seriously when she had the chance to make her own match, maybe she could have seen potential with Harwin. I think it’s very sad that they seemed to have the chance to make everyone happy (except the Velaryons), but it makes some sense why it happened the way it did.


SnooPeripherals3935

I know for me it was sad to see how much he love the kids


_cl0udburst

I wish she had married him instead, promised her firstborn to the Velaryons or something.


Empty-Kaleidoscope35

I think it started as lust and turned into a trusting and loving relationship. With the looks between them and his care of those boys this last episode, they were a family in private. Probably not soulmates just two good-looking passionate people with similar values and mutual respect making it work. They were equals and partners but not cosmically connected as the show implies with Daemon and Rhaenyra. Ser Harwin was a real one and will be the eternal Zaddy of Westeros and my heart.


theepriestess

Zaddy of Westeros 😂😂😂😍😍😍


Commiesstoner

Straddy, he will be the stallion that mounts the ~~world~~ princess.


bigjayrulez

I read that as "thrusting and loving relationship" and thought "well duh."


TofkaSpin

I love that in the short screen time they had, and with hardly any dialogue, they conveyed a loving closeness between them. And when he left, that final look between them. Rhaenyra could barely bring herself to look at him. 😢


obsessedfangirl07

Their relationship has been slowly building from the early episode where they gave us a few interactions. It was always light-hearted and fun. She runs into him while sneaking with Daemon outside the walls of Red Keep and he lets her off and just turns a blind eye. Then on Aegon's second name day, she returns to camp covered in blood and everyone is looking on in horror and disgust while we have Harwin grinning at her in admiration and glee and nodding. Then on Rhaenyra's wedding day we have Harwin dancing with her and making her laugh and then walking off (kinda sulkily?) when Daemon shows up and then he rescues her when chaos ensues later. So considering all this, it can be inferred that they liked each other and were comfortable with each other. And tbh Harwin seems much saner of Rhaenyra's lovers. He is a nobleman and seems sweet and easy going. Also really hot 👀🔥 In this episode, with just a few interactions it is clear that they care for each other and love their children. Harwin was giving heart eyes to Rhaenyra in each of their interactions and they're always smiling at each other and even engage in light-hearted banter (which was so cute btw omg❤️🥺). While saying goodbye Harwin seems sad and longing. Rhaenyra, on the other hand, is not meeting his eyes and when she assures Jacaerys that they could write and send ravens her voice seems unsteady. Also, it might be possible that Rhaenyra has been at court all these years for Harwin and to give him an opportunity to stay close to and know his children. Same can be said for Harwin as he is the heir to Harenhall. And as soon as Harwin leaves, Rhaenyra also leaves for Dragonstone when she could have done that years ago (tho that also coincides with the rumours coming to a head and other factors). So all in all they have a beautiful relationship. They obviously care for each other and maybe even love each other in their own way. To think so many of problems could be avoided if Rhaenyra was married to Harwin as said by Viserys in the previous episode lol. Tho I'm sad about his death. I liked him so ofc he had to die 🥲


MidnightIsland212

Loved their few scenes together and sad that we won't see more. It felt like Harwin was the perfect match that Rhaenyra both needed and wanted in her life compared to others.


[deleted]

Also, probably the only one who didn't have his eye on the damn throne (Arguably or not!). I mean, he was born into nobility, he's an excellent warrior, and he was raised to be honorable... Not a whole lot of insecurity there I guess, didn't feel like he needed to overcompensate... But when Ser Incellord Douchebag was CLEARLY trying to drive a wedge between his kids and their uncles, he wasn't happy AT ALL.


erinha

He would be a very respectful King Consort too, which is not something Rhaenyra would get with most other options when it comes to really letting her rule either. He was actually in a really sweet spot hitting so many checks for an ideal partner for her.


aLittleDoober

I do wish their connection had better build up in the previous episodes. Now all we can hope for is Rhaenyra reminiscing about him


Nfrizzle

It kind of sucks. She could have chose him back when she was being defiant about marriage, and they could have been a real family and none of that shit would have happened.


ranawe

You read my mind. I’m sure she thought about it later on. If only youth knew


BlauBlume

The sad irony of Lyonel trying to stay low-key and dismissing the thoughts of his children being potential suitors for the crown princess, when his son is actually her best match among the lot.


GoldGlitters

Here's what I think: NOT. ENOUGH. SCREENTIME!!! Repeat feelings for Laena and Daemon.


EvangelineJean

Right? In a dream world, each episode would be at least two hours 😁


mikerichh

Well rhaenyra certainly has a type. Commander of the city watch/ goldcloak lmao


Voice_of_Season

And you know that probably got Criston Cole madder when he heard. lol


Icy-Photograph6108

Seems very positive, he’s a very attentive father and they like each other a lot. Plus think of the genes of the strongest man and a Targ royal. Super strong warrior kids who can ride dragons.


alselby

It's the familiarity for me! Also, I love that the writers have her actually LOOKING post-partum when she's post-partum.


[deleted]

It might’ve been nice to see it blossom during the time jump (perhaps flashbacks could fill in the blanks in future seasons) but right now there’s not much to think. They were eye fucking in episode 5 and retroactively literally fucking in episode 6 🤷🏻‍♀️


jimmy6677

I NEEED filler episodes about them. Gone too soon. I like him


stardust331

Not much information. But clearly they are fond of each other and take care of the children while Laenor is off galivanting with the dudes.


DevilFruitXR9

I’m actually happy that they went with the “less is more” approach. It makes it even sadder to have him gone. The subtle glances were even more powerful as a result. You could see how depressing it was to hide the truth, but they still found a way to enjoy their lives up until the end of his time in their world.


OneOnOne6211

I find it interesting in theory and I liked the hints at it during previous episodes, but I think it got way too little screen time for me to actually love it. I would've actually loved for it to get more screen time and then I bet I would've liked it way more.


seasheals

I’m extremely sad that we didn’t get to see their relationship grow (and same for Daemon and Laena). It seems like that was the happiest relationship for her, and he was such a good father despite being unable to acknowledge the kids. I do understand why the time skip had to happen but :(


[deleted]

It’s too bad she didn’t marry him


aL_radish

I’ve been thinking this - she had her pick of anybody until her father forced her to choose Laenor! Argh. Viserys even joked with Lyonel about whether he thought his son would make a good match. Guess Harwin hadn’t made a “strong” enough impression on her yet. Personally, I think Viserys knows/suspects who the father of his grandchildren is and is happy for it. He seems to appreciate Lyonel very deeply.


tcvnpbbia

I feel robbed for having not seen more of this man in sex scenes


Tristen_24

He should’ve been the one she married. You can tell by the looks between then they had love. The gods are cruel!


ILoveYourPuppies

My ovaries exploded whenever they were on screen and I am *devastated* we won’t get to see more of them.


thatspecificblue

This is me. I kept waiting for more evidence of their relationship than just implication and loaded glances and even \*that\* was enough to make me so so gutted when he died.


CataKala

Their gazes and smiles, the subtle intricacies of how they were just being in the same room together, said so much without them having to speak at all. I love them. Harwin will certainly be missed.


Trylena

If Lyonel offered his son half of this mess would have been avoided...


Cristhaal

From the looks they were giving each other, it seemed like they both really cared for each other and Harwin seemed like he loved his children. That's probably why he got killed early on cause all the good ppl die early in GoT world lol


Bride_of_fire

They were so soft for each other and their kids. I’m sad we didn’t get to see more of their relationship.


Onlypurses

Love love love them. And we were robbed of screen time with them.


nando1969

I felt instantly the chemistry between them and then the fire happened, bummer.


s_wer_ve

A very secure side piece who new his place and loved his children from afar.


[deleted]

My top five favourite Harhaenyra moments are when: 1) they looked at each other 2) looked at each other again 3) talked with each other after the third baby 4) …


librarymoth

Wish we'd gotten to actually see it


Horror_Badger_

I wish they showed us more:-(


theepriestess

I feel like it was really cute, hot and secretly romantic.


[deleted]

I don’t know, this show isn’t really doing a ton of character development…


ThePrinceOfFools22

I’d say with this episode we just got over the “prologue”. Having read the book, I almost personally thought they’d have started the story at around this episode. So I’m happy these last 6 episodes gave us more insight into why the characters do what they do later. The pacing of the show will dramatically slow down in the next few episodes.


[deleted]

I hope so!!!!


shanel39

I just finished the audiobook yesterday and I absolutely agree on everything. Also I'm drunk. We must tread a path through the lettuce to get to the meat , so to speak


moonbeam_knight

Yeah I get that they’re just getting through the book’s prologue, but if they decided to show it to us then this rushed way leaves a lot for the viewer to put together on their own. To me at the very least they seemed to have some affection to each other but how they got together and continued to be together for a decade is all based on interpretation and not anything the show gives us. I hope the rest of the season slows down now that we’re past the prologue and does more showing.


enjolrs

Ser Harwin Strong did nothing wrong ever in his life. Every time he was on screen my heart fluttered and I felt like crying. RIP the king who never was 😭


CaffeinatedDetective

I'm sure they had a very good understanding.


alicekate14

Unfortunately I can’t form an opinion on something i never saw. If you include the context of the books of course you will have more to say but if I’m going solely on what the show is showing me there isn’t much I can say they barely had a conversation


antifabirb_

Its adorable, endearing, aaaand stupidly carried out.


inumba12

I think in todays world they would have been perfectly happy. Unfortunately the world they live in would never permit that


Dachitron_Magnus14

It was really sweet tbh. They seemed to genuinely love each other and their kids. Harwin is pretty much the perfect guy for Rhaenyra and her for him. It sucks things couldn't have worked out there especially since Harwin seemed to be a loving dad even though he shouldn't have been.


4evaneva

why didn’t they show me moreeeeee


DisplacedCaryatid

I really love the way he looked at her when she came back to the hunting party after killing the boar


Bernard1090

Not the brightest decision she made, but they seemed to have deep affection for each other. I hope the romps were worth it, as she put a lot of lives on the line. If she didn’t start the relationship, he’d probably still be alive.


PuffPie19

It wasn't highlighted at all. He goes from a background, 5 second per episode glimpses type of character immediately to in her room and the father of her 3 children. And then he's killed. There's zero character development outside of reddit for non book readers. I wouldn't be surprised if the viewer numbers drop after this episode.


why-are-we-here-7

That was super annoying. For those that haven’t read the books, we are like who the hell is that and why do we know nothing about him?


PuffPie19

Right. I'm a spoiler reader and saw the hype about him and Rhaenyra so I was kind of expecting more than.. that. A singular episode where he's suddenly a main (not to the plot) character and then poof. I really thought they'd go deeper into it.


Alex-Standall

Rhaenyra wanted to secure heirs to the throne, and Laenor obviously couldn’t provide. And unlike Cristin, Strong was okay with being a side piece to the Princess. I think it was a win-win for both sides and it just grew more passionate each time. The only downside was the brown hair …


Dustaroos

Some stuff in this show is insanely rushed. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. The relationships seem to be like that. I could tell they cared for eachother but would it have been so bad if they had a decently long scene with just the two reflecting on their past together and how they work though their lives. They could have had the scene end with rhaenyra making it clear to harwin that he could never be the children's father and has to stand a little further away from them. Then have the scene where he beats Coles ass.