The crown cannot stand strong if the House of the Dragon remains divided
Viserys Targaryen
Major Plot Points: Rhaenyra returns to King’s Landing. Daemon helps his brother put on his crown. Viserys enjoys a final meal. Alicent misinterprets the dying words of an old man.
Observations from a Book Reader:
The title Lord of the Tides, as could be guessed, goes to whatever Velaryon is in control of Driftmark at that time. Historically, this title also almost always came with a seat at the small council as Master of Ships for the King. Unlike every other position, Master of Coin, Grand Maester, etc, Master of Ships was jokingly referred to as being hereditary.
The 3 eggs from Syrax that Daemon collects, are for his 2 new children Aegon and Viserys, with the 3rd being put aside for the child Rhaenyra is currently pregnant with. This was not explicitly made clear in the books, but it is a nice connection that Rhaenyra’s children get eggs from her own dragon.
Daeron Targaryen has not yet been mentioned on this show for some reason, but he is the 4th and youngest child of Alicent and Viserys. GRRM confirms he will be in the next season, and it makes sense that he is not around in the show at this point, due to him being fostered in Oldtown not in King’s Landing.
Helaena enters Aegon’s room and mentions that Dyana is supposed to dress the children. The children she is referring to are those of her and her brother Aegon. At this point they have 3 children all born in the 6 years between this episode and last. Jaehaerys, Jaehaera, and Maelor.
House Celtigar, rulers of Claw Isle, are also directly from Old Valyria. They did not make the cut of this show, so for all intents and purposes it is only the Targaryens and Velaryons with direct relations to the ancient civilization.
Vaemond did try to become the successor of Driftmark in the book. However, he did not petition the crown directly. Rhaenyra sentenced him to death and Daemon went to Driftmark and executed him. King Viserys then took the tongues of Vaemonds younger cousins who continued the bastard rumors after Vaemond’s death. The show took a more better approach in my opinion, but it did seem ridiculous for someone even as arrogant as Vaemond to yell and question the king so directly. Another slight difference, Vaemond was a nephew of Corlys, not his brother.
Since the entire prophecy of the Song of Ice and Fire is never mentioned in Fire and Blood, there was no indication of Alicent being motivated by hearing from Viserys that her son was to be some sort of savior. This is an interesting angle though, as it seemed that somehow Viserys had healed the rift between Rhaenyra and Alicent, only to accidentally break it down when Alicent believed he gave her his blessing to put Aegon on the throne. Of course the Prince who was Promised is Jon Snow, and not Aegon. Classic Jon, fucking shit up before he was even born.
King Viserys in his final year with his daughter Helaena, entertaining his grandchildren; Jaehaerys, Jaehaera and Maelor with a story, by Douglas Wheatley, as depicted in Fire & Blood.
Other Points to Notice
Corlys is injured while fighting in the Stepstones. The Triarchy at this point is once again trying to wrest control from Westeros, but this time they do not have a cool leader like the Crabfeeder. Corlys’ brother Vaemond offers an immediate antithesis to Corlys’ statement that history is more about names than blood.
Lord Caswell is the only person at King’s Landing who greets Rhaenyra on her return. He was also one of the only lords to congratulate Rhaenyra as she ascended through the palace in Episode 6 to go see her father with her newborn baby.
The attendant that brings Alicent in to see Dyana (the serving girl raped by Aegon) is the same woman we see relaying information to Myseria at the end of the episode. Clearly Myseria knows everything going on with the Greens but her endgame is not known. Also it has been confirmed by the director that Alicent gives Dyana moon (abortion) tea, not poison as some viewers initially thought.
Daemon at one point said that Vaemond only cared about Driftmark, and not about the greater succession issues that would surface by skipping over Luke as Lord of Driftmark. However when he meets Alicent and Otto to discuss him succeeding Corlys, he outwardly implies he will support them against Rhaenyra when the time comes, showing that he is very plugged in to the brewing succession war as well.
Viserys entering the throne room was him as publicly as possible saying that Rhaenyra was his true heir. This was fully an act of support. He also allowed Daemon, not the guard, to assist him, showing that after all this time the brothers were on good terms. Fun fact, his crown falling off was an accident, and Matt Smith placed it back on his head while filming. The crew loved this moment so much that they wrote it in, and scrapped a later scene where Daemon makes a toast, as they found this wordless exchange far more powerful.
Viserys did not get cut on the iron throne this time when he sat there. In this moment he was a true king worthy of the seat.
Jace and Helaena dancing together and enjoying each others company is especially sad when you remember that Rhaenyra initially tried to marry them to one another.
Daemon placing the crown back on his brother’s head
Stray Observations:
Seeing 3 dragon eggs together will always remind me of Daenerys and her 3.
Jace why did you wait until you were 16 to learn High Valyrian? This guy sucks
GRRM today posted that Paddy Considine should get an Emmy for his performance as Viserys in this episode alone, and I cannot disagree. Easily the best acted character so far.
Alicent wearing the 7 pointed star and outwardly displaying banners of the Faith of the Seven serves 2 purposes. First, it alienates Rhaenyra and removes Targaryen heraldry, second it endears her to the population of King’s Landing.
It is funny how technically Rhaenyra is not lying when she tells Rhaenys that she did not kill Laenor.
Fun fact, this season of HoTD has already employed 2 different female directors (Including Geeta Patel who directed this episode). This is twice as many female directors as Game of Thrones employed over the course of its 8 seasons……
Viserys walking into the throne room may be my favorite moment of not just this show, but Game of Thrones as well.
I dont know why but I hate in this world when the term “good wife” or “the good queen” is used. It sounds so weird to me
Aemond is one loose cannon, It already feels like there is something bad brewing between him and Daemon, as Aemond seems to be an angrier younger version of him.
The last words Viserys speaks are “My Love”. Even at the end he was still only thinking of Aemma and the guilt he had over her death. This is probably the main reason he favored Rhaenyra over his other children, since she was his only connection to her.
RIP: Vaemond Velaryon, King Viserys Targaryen, First of His Name
History does not remember blood. It remembers names.
Corlys Velaryon
Major Plot Points: Rhaenyra and Daemon finally get their incest on. Aemond exchanges an eye for a dragon. Alicent goes knife crazy. Viserys limps around sadly.
Observations from a Book Reader:
The Merling King is a sort of religious figure to House Velaryon, they claim that he was the one to give the Driftwood Throne to them, granting them rule over Driftmark. He is somewhat regarded as a god to them, although it is uncertain if this is just largely ceremonial.
It was an open secret that Laenor preferred the company of men, and it seems that the show is indicating that this is public knowledge, since Corlys tells Qarl to “retrieve your patron.” This is actually a subtle jab as well, making it sound like Qarl is only around because Laenor pays him. More reason why Laenor would be so apt to leave his family behind now that his sister is dead.
One major difference from the book, Rhaenys was not truly considered for the crown. While she was an option, her son Laenor actually received more votes at the great council. She was still snubbed, but Rhaenys is right when she says that Corlys has his own ambitions and they are not fully selfless.
In Fire and Blood the Targaryen royal family was on Driftmark for Laenor’s funeral, not Laena’s. On the way Viserys told Aemond that he may be able to get a dragon egg or a dragon itself if he was “bold enough”. This angered Aemond enough to try to mount Vhagar, and he was caught by his cousin Joffrey, who went to get his brothers. He then flew Vhagar briefly before landing, and this was when the skirmish occurred where he lost his eye. Side note, at this point in history, it is claimed that Vhagar was now nearly as large as Balerion, the largest known dragon in history.
It was a reach for Alicent to try to get Criston Cole to take out Luke’s eye. Even though he is assigned to be her protector, he is still a member of the Kingsguard, and if he even slightly went against a direct order from the King, he would be imprisoned and most likely executed immediately.
We do not really get to see the origin of the Alicent and Rhaenyra rivalry in the book. The show has done an excellent job on this, and Alicent makes her feelings plain when she is wrestling with Rhaenyra and the knife. She was forced to be a dutiful wife and sacrifice her adult life, and resents Rhaenyra for ignoring those same duties and having bastards, while always doing whatever she wanted.
Laenor was killed by Qarl at a fair in Spicetown. There was said to be several witnesses, but it is noted that Qarl was never seen again, which is quite suspicious now looking back. It is definitely possible that Laenor was not actually killed, but it never comes back up. The one show-only angle of this that I am interested to see, is what will become of Laenor’s dragon Seasmoke. I believe that as long as Laenor is alive, it should not be possible for anyone else to claim his dragon, even if he is a world away
The marriage between Daemon and Rhaenyra is the first ever on screen full Valyrian wedding ceremony we see. Unlike when she was married to Laenor, this ceremony is not done by a Septon in the Westerosi tradition. Instead we see them exchange vows and blood with one another, which reflects the Valyrian obsession with keeping ancestry and bloodlines pure.
Visenya Targaryen riding Vhagar
Other Points to Notice
Vaemond Velaryon (the man giving Laena’s eulogy) was not subtle with what he said about Velaryon blood: “Ours runs thick, ours runs true”. He even glanced at Jace and Luke when he said it. Clearly he is more upset about Rhaenyra potentially having bastards, than his brother Corlys was.
Helaena is seen playing with a spider, saying seemingly random things again. However last week when she was playing with the large centipede, she made a comment “He’ll have to close an eye”, right after her brother Aemond spoke. Since Aemond literally did lose an eye this episode, perhaps she actually does have some gift of prophecy. “Hand turns loom; spool of green, spool of black; dragons of flesh, weaving dragons of thread.”
Not only is Viserys decaying physically, he also may be slipping mentally as he called Alicent by his first wife’s name, Aemma. Ser Harrold Westerling quickly used her actual name to Viserys after he slipped up, probably to help ease the awkwardness.
Corlys and Rhaenys have quite different views on legacy. I side with Corlys here, as all that matters is the last name for the history books. I wonder how many kings/queens from past civilizations were bastards from different fathers or mothers.
This show actually filmed a scene that would have shown us how Laena tamed Vhagar as a girl. They probably removed it since Aemond claiming Vhagar is much more significant to the story, and seeing the same dragon tamed by 2 different kids would be redundant.
Alicent demanding a literal “eye for an eye” is eerily reminiscent of season 1 Game of Thrones where Cersei demanded that Sansa’s direwolf, Lady, be put to death after Arya’s wolf, Nymeria, attacked Joffrey and fled. Alicent then slashes Rhaenyra in a rage, but this reaction makes sense. Remember that she is convinced from her father that Rhaenyra will kill her children when she becomes Queen. And now her son has lost an eye at the hand of Rhaenyra’s children and her fears seem to be coming true, while she is also seeing Viserys weaken daily and knows her time may be running out.
While Alicent does tell Larys not to pursue getting an eye from Jace or Luke (you know Larys would pull it off too), there is a noticeable difference in her reaction to him at the end of this episode as opposed to last episode. The events that transpired here have now made her much more willing to entertain the idea of Larys working his unsavory and violent methods to get her what she wants. This slide into a “winning at all costs” mentality for Alicent will definitely make for some interesting TV coming up.
Surely this will end well
Stray Observations:
I forgot to mention last week, Viserys had his left arm amputated during the time skip
Of course Daemon laughs at a funeral
Viserys and Daemon seem to be on good terms again. I wonder how long till his next banishment comes.
“No matter how fat the leech grows, it always wants for another meal” Fuck yea Daemon, Otto is the worst.
After seeing Rhaenyra and Daemon hook up when she was a younger actress, seeing them do it now feels pretty normal to the audience, can’t be shocked twice I guess.
From a kid perspective, I understand why they felt like Aemond stole Vhagar, but realistically what he did was valid. Dragons belong to no one, and rarely went from parent to child. If you can claim one, then it’s yours by rights.
The shot of Rhaenyra recognizing the Valyrian steel dagger that Alicent was using, as the same one with Aegon’s prophecy on it, was pretty incredible.
Of course Otto doesn’t care about Alicent’s outburst. He is just happy to see that she is as determined as he is to overcome Rhaenyra and get Aegon on the throne.
RIP: Random guard Daemon killed and then used as Laenor’s body double. This guy really got screwed over badly.
Major Plot Points: Rhaenyra gives birth and has to deal with gossip. Alicent accidentally plots a murder. Daemon becomes single once again. Criston talks a lot of shit.
Observations from a Book Reader:
The title of the episode is a reference to a 2013 novella written by GRRM for the anthology book Dangerous Women. This novella told the story of the Dance of the Dragons for the first time and it was fleshed out more in another short story called The Rogue Prince before both were combined and given even more details in Fire and Blood.
Laenor was white with blonde hair in the book. Rhaenyra having 3 brown haired kids was still looked at suspiciously by the rest of the kingdom, but it wasn’t quite as obvious her children were bastards as it is in the show. I think this change makes a lot of sense, as it is a clear visual sign to the audience what is going on. Especially when we see that Laena and Daemon’s children are black with white hair.
The dragon that scares Aemond in the dragonpit, is Dreamfyre, originally ridden by Rhaena Targaryen, grand-daughter of Aegon the Conqueror. We also heard in Episode 2that the eggs Daemon stole were from Dreamfyre.
We see Laena riding the gigantic dragon Vhagar, the last of the remaining 3 dragons from when Aegon the Conqueror arrived. As a child, Laena found and tamed Vhagar, surprising everyone as Vhagar had not accepted a rider in years. Sadly, the scene of her doing so was cut from the show, even though in an earlier episode Vhagar’s status was discussed.
Before marrying Daemon, Laena was betrothed to a son of the Sea Lord of Braavos. Daemon antagonized him while visiting Driftmark, and got him angry enough to duel. Daemon slew him with ease, and married Laena a few days later. This did not cause too much of an uproar, as the man who was killed was by all accounts, an arrogant prick.
It is unknown if Rhaenyra’s children were able to discern their true parentage in the book. I have to think that they figured it out but knew enough to never discuss it, as their lives would almost certainly be forfeit if it came out.
The death of Lyonel and Harwin Strong at Harrenhal was a subject of great controversy. Instead of knowing who was responsible, the book just gave a list of suspects, including Corlys Velaryon, who was theorized to have killed the man that made made a cuckold of his son. Turns out it was Larys the whole time. With his father and brother dead, he is now the Lord of Harrenhal, but the sick part is he probably does not care about that at all. For him, this was a simple way to force Alicent into his debt, as it would bring her father back into the game, and take care of the problem with Rhaenyra’s almost public affair with Harwin. Littlefinger was a sociopath but Larys seems to be even more monstrous so far.
The Fall of Harrenhal. Aegon the Conqueror melted half of the castle, killing Lord Harren, the original owner. This event is what began what came to be known as the curse of Harrenhal
Other Points to Notice
The opening scene is something we had not seen from this show or Game of Thrones before. 2 long continues takes from the birth of Joffrey to Rhaenyra getting to her father’s room. There is also a distinct lack of background music that adds to the “realness” of the scenario
Harwin Strong is now the Lord Commander of the City Watch (The police of King’s Landing who wear gold cloaks). While we find out for sure later in the episode, this scene makes it very clear there is a relationship between Rhaenyra and Harwin.
Alicent’s reaction to Criston calling Rhaenyra a cunt is telling. Criston is a full on angry spurned lover at this point and he truly hates her. Alicent is more so just worried and upset about the damage Rhaenyra is doing by siring bastards. She is correct, as brazenly presenting bastards, if found out, would cause House Velaryon to rebel and surely cause a war. She is also now fully on board with putting Aegon on the throne over Rhaenyra, as she tells her son himself. It’s important to remember a big motivation for Alicent is her belief that her children will be killed if Rhaenyra takes the throne, either by Rhaenyra or her supporters.
Criston does a great job of exposing Harwin in the practice yard, as Harwin’s brutal reaction only makes sense if Jacaerys is in fact his son. It seems like Criston really only does it to be spiteful. He hates Rhaenyra so much at this point that he also hates her children. Harwin attacking Criston is reminiscent of last episode when Criston killed Joffrey. Harwin is obviously punished far more for it, since Criston is a member of the Kingsguard and therefore regarded as “untouchable”.
The small council meeting appears to be a total disaster. The rift between Rhaenyra and Alicent is almost as bad as the divide between the 2 houses they were discussing, the Brackens and Blackwoods. Lyman Beesbury, the master of coin, seems to be totally senile and can’t follow the conversation. And then Rhaenyra tries to marry her son to Alicent’s daughter. This would have legitimized Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne and united both sides of the family in the succession. Alicent would never agree to this though, as she believes that Jacaerys is a bastard, and that her son Aegon should be on the throne.
The sigil on Larys’ walking stick that we see when he enters the dungeon, as well as the sigils placed on the mute criminals he employs, is that of a bee, and not that of House Strong. There is a quote about Larys in the book, “The words dripped from his lips like honey from a comb, and never did poison taste so sweet.” His bee sigil could be a reference to that quote, and just as Littlefinger discarded his family sigil for a mockingbird, perhaps Larys is discarding his family sigil for the bee. Which would be a pretty direct message to the audience that Larys is going to be the Littlefinger of this series.
Unlike his brother, Daemon was much less willing to throw Laena’s life away for a c-section. He may have decided on it eventually, but Laena quickly left the situation to end things on her own terms, which was an incredibly cool way to go out.
Laena Targaryen going out like a legend
Stray Observations:
It’s nice to see that Laenor and Rhaenyra have a close relationship, if not a romantic one. But it is also hilarious that it’s the only healthy relationship in this series.
King Viserys is like 50 in the books at this point. I can’t decide if the show-runners aged him up, or they made him look this way just to show how ill he is.
Let’s take a second and name every Targaryen kid. Rhaenyra’s sons: Jacaerys (Jace), Lucerys (Luke), and newborn Joffrey. Alicent’s children: Aegon, Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron. Daeron was not in this episode which means he either was not born yet, or the show is cutting his character. In which case I just gave a completely pointless name to anyone reading this who probably already had Targaryen name overload.
The Valyria model Viserys is working on actually looks cool at this point.
It’s nice to know that Viserys is an expert on dominant/recessive genes due to his time owning a horse.
It does seem like Daemon truly cares for his wife and daughters. But he also appears really depressed. I don’t think domestic life is for this guy.
Am I crazy, or when Emma D’Arcy (Rhaenyra) speaks her mouth movement is similar to Lena Headey as Cersei sometimes?
Daemon and Laena’s 2 twin daughters are named Baela and Rhaena.
The shot of Laena being burned alive by her beloved dragon, combined with the music and follow up shot of Daemon observing it, was the scene of the episode for me.
As Larys said, the Strong deaths were easy to sell to the realm, because almost all the people in Westeros believed that Harrenhal was cursed. Ever since it was built, the house that controlled it met eerie and grim deaths. It is the Westeros equivalent of the Defense Against the Dark Art’s Professor curse in Harry Potter.
RIP: Laena Velaryon, Ser Harwin “Breakbones” Strong, Lord Lyonel Strong
The beacon, on the Hightower. Do you know what color it glows when Oldtown calls its banners to war?
Larys Strong
Major Plot Points: Laenor Velaryon gets married to his beard. Criston Cole deals with his first high school breakup. Viserys wheezes and coughs. Alicent buys a new dress. Daemon becomes single again
Observations from a Book Reader:
The episode title “We Light the Way” is taken from House Hightower’s house words. The Hightowers, fittingly, own the Hightower in Old Town. Basically a glorified lighthouse but they have used it for centuries to observe the Sunset Sea west of Oldtown for bandits/threats. A dead giveaway that this episode would have a significant move from a Hightower.
Rhea Royce (Daemon’s soon to be late wife) resides in the Vale, the mountainous region of Westeros home to the countries most impregnable castle, the Eyrie (thats the one with the trap door that Lysa Arryn was pushed through in Game of Thrones). House Royce is a very powerful family there, which was surely the original reason Daemon was married off. Of note, in the books it was never stated that Daemon was responsible for Rhea’s death. It was obviously suspicious, but knowing how Daemon feels trapped by the marriage this outcome makes sense.
High Tide, the fortress of the Velaryons, is actually only accessible to the island of Driftmark via a tiny causeway when the tide… is high.
Larys “The Clubfoot” Strong makes his real debut here. He is one of 2 sons of the new hand of the king, Lyonel Strong. Due to his physical issues, he focused his efforts on information, politics, and manipulation. The way he plays Alicent into “accidentally” finding out about Rhaenyra’s abortion tea was masterful.
Laenor’s preference of men over women was told in the books as more of an “open secret” never outright stated. The way the show handled it makes sense though, as it removed ambiguity moving forward towards next week’s major time skip. His lover, Ser Joffrey Lonmouth, was hilariously nicknamed “The Knight of Kisses”, and he tells this to Criston later in the episode.
Alicent arriving in the green dress was a clear declaration of her own loyalties, and a bit different than the book. The connection with the flame in the Hightower was never made, but it does aid the audience in understanding the significance of her wearing her own house colors, and not her husbands. In the book, she first wears this dress at a tournament for her son Aegon’s 5th nameday. Rhaenyra, sitting next to her, wore a black dress with the red Targaryen dragon emblazoned on it. To the lords present, it seemed like they were clearly marked out in response to one another. From that day forward (and it seems in this show), supporters of Rhaenyra as queen were known as the “Blacks”, and supporters of Alicent’s son Aegon, were dubbed the “Greens”. We immediately hear Lord Hightower tell Alicent that Oldtown stands with her. Lines are being drawn.
Criston Cole did kill Joffrey Lonmouth, but it was in a melee during the tournament for the wedding, not at the pre feast. While it passed as an accident, Rhaenyra and Laenor were furious about it, and shortly after it occurred Criston was Alicent’s most loyal servant. This gave credence to the theory that Joffrey’s death may not have been all that accidental. Criston’s motive in the show for the brutal murder appears to be a mix of jealousy of Rhaenyra, coupled with rage he felt when Joffrey not-so-subtly threatened him with blackmail. Either way it’s hard to be too sympathetic with him, these are the actions of a deranged stalker not an “honorable knight”.
The blood and rat at the end of the episode, is a direct link to a future event about to transpire known as “Blood and Cheese”. Do NOT google this if you want to avoid spoilers. I only mention it because I have to show my omnipotence as the author of this blog.
Other Points to Notice
While I have not been a fan of Otto Hightower, he does give some genuine and correct advice to Alicent. In his mind, if Aegon does not take the throne, his grandchildren will be killed to silence their claim. He did a horrible job communicating his thoughts to Alicent before this, but at least now she knows where he stands.
I love that Corlys tried to get Viserys to agree to the idea that Rhaenyra and Laenor’s children should keep the name Velaryon, under the guise of “tradition”. This was one of the few times Viserys actually made a good diplomatic compromise.
One of the major reasons the usually responsibility-averse Rhaenyra so adamantly shot down Criston Cole’s marriage/runaway proposal, is that she now believes she must become Queen to save the world, as her father keeps pushing this fact with Aegon I’s dagger/prophecy. She begins telling him about “the path” Aegon put them on, but Criston had already stormed off.
The conversation with Otto, and then finding out that Rhaenyra was sleeping around without telling her, seemed to have been the final straw for Alicent. Even though Rhaenyra only swore that she did not sleep with Daemon, Alicent still clearly saw this omission as a major betrayal. There is also the possibility that she was dealing with feelings of jealousy, as it did seem like their original relationship could have ended up as a romantic one.
Viserys, while sick, bemoans to Lyonel that he wishes once in his tenure as king, he could have been tested and proven his mettle in hard times or even war. What is tragic about Viserys is his inability to see that he is being tested at this very moment. He lacks the foresight or control of his own court to ensure this succession issue will go away, and his inaction will unfortunately be what he is most remembered by.
We see Laena Velaryon and Daemon flirt with each other, in their own weird way. Laena was the little girl that Viserys almost married in Episode 2. She seems to have grown older and into politics quite fast the last 3 years.
The man who saves Rhaenyra from the melee is Lyonel’s other son, Harwin “Breakbones” Strong, and he is clearly quite different than his snakelike brother Larys. At this point in time he is commonly known as the strongest man in Westeros, and he effortlessly is able to move through the fray to rescue the princess. If you remember episode 3, Harwin was the only man present that was smiling and laughing his approval when Rhaenyra, covered in blood, brought the boar corpse to her father’s camp. Keep an eye on this one and his clubfooted brother.
The Strong Family. Larys, Lyonel, and Harwin. Lyonel really doesn’t look old enough to be their dad but whatever.
Stray Observations:
Corlys Velaryon is famous for sailing to every known continent in the world. Viserys can barely survive on a quick boat ride half a day away.
We now see Lyonel Strong wearing the hand of the king pin. He did seem the obvious choice.
The poor reception Viserys gets at High Tide, is quite the stark difference than the reception we saw King Robert get when he arrived at Winterfell in the Game of Thrones pilot. Someone will appreciate that joke.
Larys Strong is going to be a major issue going forward.
While i understood what Rhaenyra was getting at, I am really confused as to what roast duck/goose actually represent 1:1. I think roast duck is men and goose is women?
“Its not a phase dad”- Laenor Velaryon
While it is important narratively that Alicent finds out about Criston and Rhaenyra’s affair, I did hate the “sitcom” trope way that he accidentally blurted it out to her. It felt cheap in a way that this show is better than.
I know he’s a prick, but Jason Lannister is the best character on this show. What a legend.
The Velaryons walking in as a family was very well done. Their family has actual strength, and is united to each other, this served as a clear and blatant contrast to House Targaryen.
Ser Gerold had serious balls accusing a prince of murder without real proof. Poor guy.
It seems a bit strange that Criston got away with a brutal kill like that in public. My guess is that Alicent will vouch for him and say that Joffrey attacked him first. He was shown to possess a knife.
RIP: Lady Rhea Royce, Ser Joffrey Lonmouth. Also RIP to Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra and Alicent. They both killed it. The new actors next week have a lot of work to do.
The truth does not matter Rhaenyra, only perception
Viserys Targaryen
Major Plot Points: Daemon Targaryen comes home. Viserys gets mad at his advisors. Rhaenyra has a John Hughes coming-of-age episode.
Observations from a Book Reader:
The young boy suitor of Rhaenyra, who endures taunts from the crowd, is a member of House Blackwood. The man he kills after being insulted is from House Bracken. Blackwood and Bracken are 2 of the oldest and most respected houses in Westeros, dating back thousands of years before Aegon the Conqueror. However for all history, these 2 houses have had a bitter and violent feud that never ends, and even persists during the Game of Thrones time period. They’re the Hatfields and McCoys of Westeros.
Daemon was actually named “King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea” in the books, but the shorter version works. Even though he offers his crown to Viserys, several more people follow his lead and claim that “kingdom” for themselves in the future. Not sure if the show will cover all of them.
The sword Viserys carries as a sceptre in the throne room is named Blackfyre. It belonged to Aegon the Conqueror, and is largely only used as a symbol of rule in this period of Westeros. That sword will eventually cause Westeros a lot of trouble 100 years later, when it falls into the hands of a Targaryen bastard, Daemon Waters, who starts a rebellion and changes his own last name to Blackfyre.
The reason the Red Keep has so many secret passageways, is because King Maegor the Cruel, who commissioned the construction of the castle, was a paranoid and altogether batshit insane man who wanted a quick escape if his enemies trapped him there. Once the Red Keep was finished being built, he had all the builders assembled for a celebration feast before slaughtering ever single one of them ensuring that no one would ever know the extent or location of every secret. Great dude honestly.
The book keeps the events of what happened between Daemon and Rhaenyra very vague. It never revealed if they actually did sleep together, or if she lost her virginity to Criston Cole. The only thing that was for certain, was that Daemon and Viserys got in a major fight around this time and he left King’s Landing seemingly for good. It’s nice to see these things as they definitively happened.
Viserys tells Rhaenyra that King Jaehaerys (his grandfather and the prior king) would have denounced and disinherited her for what she did. And history says that Viserys is correct. Jaehaerys’ daughter Saera, was caught in a sex scandal with 3 knights at an age similar to Rhaenyra, and after Jaehaerys scolded her, she attempted to steal a dragon and escape. She was then sent to Oldtown to join the faith, but ran away and was last seen somewhere in Essos.
The “abortion” tea given to Rhaenyra at the end of the episode, is more than likely tansy tea. This same drink was once given to Lysa Arryn (Catelyn Starks sister in Game of Thrones) by her father, after she manipulated a young drunk Petyr Baelish to sleep with her by pretending to be her own sister. It seems this type of response was the norm in Westeros.
Storm’s End, ancestral home of House Baratheon
Other Points to Notice
Immediately the show opens on Rhaenyra listening to suitors in Storm’s End. This castle is the home of the Baratheon’s, and we see Lord Borros Baratheon next to Rhaenyra. We never really got to see Storm’s End in Game of Thrones, but it is known to be one of the most impenetrable strongholds in Westeros.
Viserys and Daemon appear to be 2 people who deep down want nothing more than to get along, but no matter what happens one of them will always piss off the other and then they’ll be mad at each other for 2-5 years at a time.
While it seems that Alicent and Rhaenyra are reconciling slowly, Rhaenyra’s comment about squeezing out heirs, clearly hurt Alicent and shows that no matter what their positions will divide them.
While not named in this episode, the baby Alicent is holding is her second child, Helaena Targaryen. Younger sister of the child Aegon we saw last episode at the royal hunt.
We see that Viserys at this point is just completely covered in sores and cuts. Seems he still has not grown into that throne.
Daemon’s intent on seducing Rhaenyra is more than just being horny. By “spoiling” her, he thinks that Viserys will have no choice but to wed them together, which instantly gets him back in sight of the throne. But when she seemed to genuinely want to go through with it, he saw how fucked it would actually be to do.
Not much to say about Rhaenyra and Criston Cole, it did feel like a pretty unbalanced power situation though.
Although not explicitly stated, the White Worm (person in control of the spies that inform Otto Hightower) is none other than Mysaria, and this is who he sees first when he wakes up after his bender. It looks like he never did actually marry or impregnate her like he claimed he would.
Daemon does not even try to refute that he had sex with Rhaenyra to Viserys. Even though it didn’t happen, he still plays his hand. While being so hungover he can’t even stand up.
While we know that the Prince Who Was Promised, referenced on the dagger, refers to Jon Snow, it shows just how inaccurate some prophecies can be, seeing as Jon never actually ended up on the throne. He was pretty responsible for the defeat of the White Walkers though. This reveal is actually better for just book readers, since that prophecy still has yet to be uncovered in the main series, and will probably be more satisfying than HBO’s take on it.
Stray Observations:
I wish we got to actually see the little Blackwood boy stabbing the Bracken knight.
The Bracken knight reminded me of Adam Devine from Workaholics.
Viserys mocking Rhaenyra about the tapestries seemed a bit more petty of a move than we’d expect of him.
It was incredible to see King’s Landing at night from the view of an actual citizen. This show focuses so much on just the royals that you forget how gross and lame it would be to actually live in this country. There also was some very subtle foreshadowing during part of these scenes, but only someone who knows what to look for will see it. (no spoilers)
The people of King’s Landing do not seem to love the idea of Rhaenyra on the throne.
Seeing a child as a spy definitely brings back memories of Varys and his “little birds”.
Even though Otto didn’t outright lie about the situation, he did say that Daemon and Rhaenyra actually “coupled”, but this obviously didn’t actually happen. A schemer through and through.
The scene between Otto and Viserys, when Viserys removes him from office, is definitely my favorite scene of this show so far. I loved how Viserys was also able to see clearly that Otto manipulated him into falling for his daughter.
RIP: Unnamed House Bracken Knight, Rhaenyra’s maidenhood (sorry for this one).
“I did waver at one time. But I swear to you now, on your mother’s memory, you will not be supplanted.”
Viserys Targaryen, to Rhaenyra Targaryen
Major Plot Points: Rhaenyragoes on an awkward family car ride. Viserys takes down a stag. Daemon refuses to let his big brother win his war for him. Aegon does baby stuff.
Observations from a Book Reader:
The sword that Daemon wields in his battles, Dark Sister, originally belonged to Visenya Targaryen, the older sister-wife of Aegon the Conqueror.
The gigantic retinue that travels with the royal family is more in line with how George R.R. Martin portrayed hunts in his book series. They were giant, weekend long parties with very little actual hunting. In Season 1 of Game of Thrones, we saw King Robert’s “Hunting Party” but due to budget constraints, it was literally just Robert, his brother, and 2 other people. GRRM claims it is the scene he hates the most from all 8 seasons of the show.
When Viserys exits his carriage, Hobert Hightower announces to the crowd that they are there to celebrate Aegon the Second on his 2nd name day. Now, baby Aegon is not actually the second Aegon since Aegon the Conqueror. There was another one years before, but that Aegon never lived to be crowned. The convention in Westeros is to only add the number to a persons name when they are crowned King. This is a not-so-subtle way to depict how the crowd all clearly believes baby Aegon to be the future heir, a detail that does not go by Rhaenyra.
Larys “The Clubfoot” Strong, one of the 2 sons of Lyonel Strong we see this episode, is shown to be the only man to sit with the ladies in the royal tent. As we will see throughout this series, this is a man to whom information is everything. Lyonel’s other son, Harwin, is known as the strongest knight in Westeros at the time, and is whom Viserys assumes Lyonel will suggest to marry Rhaenyra, before he suggests Laenor Velaryon.
Viserys being so against Rhaenyra marrying Aegon is interesting. At this point in history, Targaryens marrying one another is so ingrained in culture that it is surprising how against Otto’s suggestion he is. I wonder if this was done because the show-runners do not trust the audience enough for them to understand why Viserys would actually contemplate it. It can be justified though that we already know Viserys has an aversion to young children being married off and that is why he is disgusted.
Vaemond Velaryon is outspoken in his negative feelings towards Daemon. This is a man who has seen his house be placed beneath the Targaryen’s his whole life, and his discontent does not end with just Daemon.
Laenor Velaryon is seen flying the dragon Seasmoke. While this was a fun reveal, it was a bit tough to actually see who was flying, and I think many people may have been confused as to how he even had a dragon since it wasn’t outright stated that it was Laenor, Corlys’ son and a half Targaryen himself (his mother being Rhaenys, the queen who never was).
Visenya Targaryen (The older of Aegon the Conqueror’s sister-wives) and her sword, Dark Sister
Other Points to Notice
The mask that the Crabfeeder is wearing looks identical (albeit worse condition) to the masks worn by the Sons of the Harpy in Mereen, who constantly sabotaged Daenerys’ attempts to rule.
Caraxes immediately stomping on the soldier that Daemon was there to “save” was a pretty overt metaphor to who really suffers when these “Great Houses” go to war.
It seems that Otto Hightower is but a pawn to his older brother Hobert’s ambitions. We see him immediately be pressured by his brother to have Aegon placed upon the throne.
Rhaenyra is pretty against the idea of going to kill a boar in the hunt. Interesting that she of course is the only person that does kill a boar in this episode, showing that she does not hesitate to get her hands dirty when the situation arises. Similar to her uncle.
Jason Lannister really comes off as a prick when he casually tries to “propose” to Rhaenyra. At this point in history, while rich, the Lannisters certainly do not command the same prestige as they did under Tywin. Another reason why the offer annoyed Rhaenyra so much. It’s also hilarious his name is Jason.
Otto is one sly bastard. He immediately breaks up a potential blow-up between Rhaenyra and Viserys, and does it while mentioning how the sighting of a white hart stag is a “regal portent” for Prince Aegon’s nameday. This not only quiets down the argument, it also is him planting the seed to King Viserys that the gods are showing favor to Aegon (his grandson) as heir. He then doubles down on this later.
Lord Lyonel’s suggestion of Rhaenyra marrying Laenor is actually brilliant. It would bring the Sea-Snake (Corlys Velaryon) back into the fold, and he is also a dragon-rider. Even while drunk and angry, Viserys seems to greatly calm down after this because he knows Lyonel is the only person trying to genuinely help him, just like last episode when he gave good advice on his marriage suggestions. Something to keep an eye on.
Viserys failing to kill the stag in one blow could be interpreted in a number of ways. I believe it is just showing that while good natured, Viserys does not have the real stomach to rule or do what needs to be done, especially when considering that the stag was tied up and defenseless. It is a stark difference from the non hesitation we see from both Rhaenyra and Daemon this episode to kill when it is needed
Daemon agreeing to a suicide mission is a desperate attempt to save his own pride. He would rather die than be embarrassed by only winning against the Crabfeeder with his big bro’s help. Luckily, Daemon seemed to be allergic to arrows in this otherwise incredible sequence. It does make sense why the Crabfeeder falls for this trick, as killing Daemon would cause massive issues to the stability of the army, and Westeros as a whole.
King Viserys sitting alone at his own party, drunk and sad
Stray Observations:
Miguel Sapochnik will not be returning as co-show-runner next season. Which is a shame because he’s done great here so far, as well as directed some of the best episodes from the original Game of Thrones. He will be staying on as a consultant, and the split was completely amicable. The general theory is that he is just ready for new projects with HBO.
At this point, Alicent seems to be the much more willing one to try to salvage her relationship with Rhaenyra.
This show takes place back when instead of using an iPhone, you could just pay a minstrel to play the same song on repeat for hours.
The Crabfeeder appears to have late stage Greyscale all over his face. Not totally sure why this detail was added, but he looks insane so mission accomplished.
“That man’s pride has pride”. I wonder if Viserys intentionally said this due to the Lannister’s always being referred to as lions, who of course travel in prides. Probably not but it does kinda work.
Only time will tell if Viserys actually did have a prophetic dream of a son on the throne, or it was just a regular person dream.
If the white stag is a “regal portent”, then it sure is interesting that it appears to Rhaenyra and not to her father who was there for her brother.
Daemon is shown here to not be all bark and no bite. He easily dispatches the less trained soldiers of the Triarchy’s army. He also does not speak a single line this entire episode.
RIP: The brutally murdered stag, Craghas “The Crabfeeder” Drahar, and of course that one random soldier who got absolutely pancaked by Caraxes
I will speak of my brother as I wish. You will not.
Daemon Targaryen, to Corlys Velaryon
Major Plot Points: Rhaenyraand her Aunt discuss the role of women in politics. Daemon has a temper tantrum and wants attention. Viserys wrestles with his conscience while being manipulated on all sides to pick a new wife. There is an all you can eat buffet for crabs.
Observations from a Book Reader:
CraghasDrahar aka “The Crabfeeder”, was indeed in the book. He is a cunning general that leads the forces of The Triarchy to attack the Stepstones. Map below shows where The Stepstones are located, and at this point in history Westeros had a shaky claim to them, as they bordered Essos and the independent land of Dorne.
The Triarchy is the name given to the alliance of Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh, 3 extremely powerful and wealthy cities in Essos.
It is still unknown exactly what caused the Valyrian Empire to fail. Some think it was a massive volcanic eruption, others that experiments with dragons and magic caused it to disintegrate. At its peak, Westeros is not even half as powerful as the Valyrian Empire was.
The Velaryons (Corlys’ family) came to Westeros with Aegon the Conqueror and at the time of this show, are by far the richest family in Westeros, with the strongest navy in the kingdom. It can be confusing however since their family name “Velaryon” is so similar to “Valyrian”, the race of people from Valyria of which they and the Targaryens are a part of.
Balerion, mentioned by Laena, was of course the otherworldly gigantic dragon ridden by Aegon the conqueror. Viserys was indeed the final rider of the beast. Vhagar was the dragon of Aegon’s sister, Visenya, and was nearly as large and powerful as Balerion. Viserys does mention that Vhagar is still very much alive somewhere in the Narrow Sea which would make Vhagar one of the most powerful and ancient creatures still alive in the known world. Chekov’s dragon????
Generally, only the direct line of succession would have an egg placed in their cradle. Daemon making up a story about being married, and taking the egg, was basically just him acting out and ignoring the fact he is no longer heir. Mysaria is the woman Daemon was sleeping with in Episode 1, and even though Daemon used her as a pawn here, he does deeply care for her.
Daemon would sooner die than ever lay a hand upon Rhaenyra. He is an arrogant prick, but this is one of 2 examples this episode we see where we can gain insight into the fact that he does truly care for Rhaenyra and Viserys. The other being when he lashes out at Corlys for talking badly of his brother.
Lyonel Strong, the man that Viserys had his heart to heart with, is the Master of Laws. He is also the Lord of Harrenhall, which is a very important castle at this point in history. He has 2 sons, one of which, Harwin, is known as the strongest man in Westeros.
Corlys and Daemon are both 2 men of action. This alliance, while not outright treasonous yet, will cause major ripples in the political landscape of the country. The Crabfeeder is screwed.
The Stepstones are the islands in between Essos, and Westeros. As you can see here, they are very close to Dorne’s capital of Sunspear.Corlys Velaryon “The Sea Snake”
Other Points to Notice
Daemon staying in Dragonstone is extremely symbolic, as the seat of “Prince” of Dragonstone has always been given to the person next in line for the throne. By all rights, it should be a title given to Rhaenyra, and she says as much when confronting Daemon.
Otto seems reluctant to acknowledge Rhaenyra in any way, he clearly did not want to let her pick Ser Criston Cole as the newest member of the Kingsguard.
Viserys asking Alicent not to mention their talks to his daughter does tell us that deep down he knows she would be weirded out by the situation.
Impossible to not feel like the friendship between Rhaenyra and Alicent could develop to being more than friends. I’d say after the events of this episode, that is out of the question now. Their relationship as children was not explored in the books, but like other details added so far, this one makes sense and adds some great potential for conflict down the line.
Otto Hightower is a brilliant manipulator. He knows he cannot outright tell Viserys to reject the marriage proposal to Laena Velaryon, but he then phrases his objection as a simple “I do not envy you”. Knowing of course that Viserys rarely voluntarily takes the path of discomfort.
Otto calling his daughter “The most comely girl in court” is very weird, and he then berates her for picking her fingernails, which we see her do when she is anxious. This comes off as highly insensitive, especially since Otto is basically forcing her to throw herself upon Viserys.
Rhaenyra ironically is the one who seemed to push Viserys over the edge to marrying Alicent. If she knew his intentions, I doubt she would have been as understanding in their conversation.
Princess Rhaenys Targaryen “The Queen Who Never Was”
Stray Observations:
Very conflicted on the new opening theme. The graphic is showing the Targaryen family tree, but it’s not as easy to follow as the Westeros map. The music being the same makes sense because its iconic, but man I was hoping for a new theme song that could compete with the old one. Small complaints.
This episode was kinda the “Introduction to Corlys Velaryon” crash course. His importance to the plot moving forward cannot be understated.
I don’t think I like Otto Hightower. His brand of politics is particularly sleazy because it’s hidden under the guise of good natured advice, but I don’t think this man has any good nature deep down whatsoever.
Once again I am pointing out how much better this show is than Game of Thrones was at giving knights full liveries and sigils. All the kingsguard candidates had bright and vivid colors on that let you know exactly where they were from. Little details like that are what is making this show great for me so far.
The maggot treatment for the necrotic finger of Viserys, is hilariously still one of the most effective treatments in modern medicine for infections of that type.
Rhaenys did a great job of getting under Rhaenyra’s skin. Was it to motivate her to take more power for herself before time slips her by? Or was it the bitter ramblings of a jealous ex-heir who saw too much of herself in her niece?
Caraxes would have destroyed Otto and his men in maybe 15 seconds. Ridiculously powerful dragon.
Viserys really could not stay mad at Rhaenyra for long. At a certain point he has to give her more agency, she is clearly apt to it.
How do you get an audience to be OK with a grown man marrying a 15 year old? Simple, make the other option a 12 year old who looks like she is 9.
RIP: All of those poor fishermen and fisherwomen who got eaten by the seemingly unstoppable crab infestation of Westeros.
The idea that we control the dragons is an illusion. They’re a power man should never have trifled with. One that brought Valyria its doom. If we don’t mind our own histories, it will do the same to us.
Viserys Targaryen, to his daughter Rhaenyra
Major Plot Points: A tourney in honor of the King’s new heir, Aemma Targaryen gives birth, Daemon is granted a new job title, Rhaenyra gets some new responsibilities, Alicent talks to the King about history
Observations from a Book Reader:
The (highly expository) intro refers to the time as 101 A.C. This means 101 years since “Aegon’s Conquest”.
Rhaenys was the daughter of Jaehaerys Targaryen’s eldest son Aemon. This is why some believed she had more right to rule than Viserys, who was the son of Aemon’s younger brother, Baelon.
Syrax was Rhaenyra’s dragon, and you can hear Alicent remark she may one day be as large as Caraxes. Caraxes was Daemon’s dragon and his violent temper was legendary.
The Velaryons are also from Valyria like the Targaryens. The two families intermarry frequently. In the show the only Velaryon we have seen so far (besides a quick camera pan that shows his 2 white haired children) is Lord Corlys, he’s in the below picture second from the right, next to his wife, Rhaenys, the queen who never was.
Rhaenyra and Alicent weren’t described as being such close friends in the book, but the book took a much higher level at describing the events portrayed on the show, so I think it makes perfect sense.
Fun little detail I discovered, the marbles that the small council members place on their table before discussion is a tradition that comes from Valyria, where marbles represented honor. So they place them down to display their commitment to being honorable. Definitely doesn’t work but still a cool thing
The Baratheons and Targaryens are loosely related from some marriages, which is why Rhaenys calls the Baratheon knight “cousin”.
Criston Cole (the guy who beats the Baratheons, and then eventually Daemon) is from the south, and of Dornish descent. At this point in Westeros history, Dorne is not yet part of the Targaryen kingdom. However, King Viserys is still called “King of the Seven Kingdoms”, because they lay claim to it. In actuality the crown has 0 control or power over Dorne.
Targaryen’s were forced to “convert” to the Westeros dominant Faith of the Seven in order to appease the people and prevent a religion fueled revolution. However they still followed the strictly Valyrian practice of funeral pyres, and their ashes were all brought to King’s Landing.
It is always discussed as a myth, or wives tale, that any ruler who sits upon the Iron Throne and is cut by it, is not fit to rule. It is seen as the throne itself rejecting their sovereignty. Not a great look for our boy Viserys.
Some VERY interesting stuff from Viserys at the end here. He mentions that the doom of Valyria was brought upon by the taming of dragons. This is new info for book readers as well, the fall of Valyria is still shrouded in secrecy. Next up, he talks of the fact that Aegon invaded Westeros based on a prophetic dream, which also predicts the Long Night, and by extension, the white walkers. Apparently GRRM made them put this information in the show which means that Aegon had these dreams in the books too. Not as exciting for show watchers who know how it all ends, but this is great for book fans, adds some fresh intrigue for the first time since 2011.
Let’s get our tinfoil hats on. Rhaegar Targaryen (Jon Snow’s father, Daenerys’ brother) was seen in a vision by Dany in the House of the Undying (Season 2 blue lipped wizard house from Qarth) playing a song on his harp, and told Dany it was the Song of Ice and Fire (this was book only). We now also hear that Aegon referred to his dream of the Targaryens saving the world from the winter as the same thing. For some unknown reason Rhaegar forsook his wife/children and then ran off with Lyanna Stark. She grew pregnant and then Rhaegar was killed by Robert Baratheon at the Battle of the Trident. It could be imagined that his actions were prompted by a knowledge of this prophecy, hence why he uses the prophecy name in his song
Jaehaerys Targaryen, The Old King, and his retinue. You can see Aemma Targaryen pregnant with Rhaenyra back left
Other Points to Notice
Interesting to see how the people of King’s Landing do not find a dragon flying over their city to be anything special at all. No one even looks really. 172 years later things were quite different.
The triarchy that is raiding pirates and controlling sea routes mentioned by Otto Hightower surely won’t come up again?
The heraldry of the different houses in this show, along with the crazy helmets and armor, was all put in the show at the request of GRRM, who felt that the original Game of Thrones lost some of the magic the books had in terms of ridiculous color and outfits.
Immediately we see tension between the king’s brother Daemon and his hand, Otto Hightower. The Hightower’s are the lords of Oldtown, one of the largest cities in Westeros and where the Citadel is located (where the maesters go to school to get their chains and questionable medical knowledge).
Alicent does not get an approving look from her father, Otto, when she grants Daemon her favor. It was a power move by Daemon to even ask her, seeing as how he had just beaten her brother in a joust by a dirty play, and was known to never get along with her father on the small council.
When Rhaenys remarks that the knights at the tournament were “green as summer grass”, it was very reminiscent of when Catelyn Stark makes the same observation on Renly’s army before he was to fight his brother Stannis in the field. Usually not a great foreshadowing of military prowess.
Otto sending his daughter to the King’s chambers can’t be written off as him just trying to help his grieving friend. The fact that he made Alicent wear her mother’s more mature fitting clothes make his intentions pretty clear. The man is certainly ambitious and has no problem using his daughter in a power play.
The dagger that Viserys gives Rhaenyra, is in fact the same exact dagger that we first see in S1 of Game of Thrones, when an assassin uses it to attempt to …assassinate Bran Stark. Many conspiracies and plot-lines later, in Season 8 that same dagger is used by Arya to kill the Night King. Very long journey for that knife.
“Promise me Rhaenyra, promise me.” is a DIRECT callback to, in my opinion, the most iconic line in Game of Thrones: “Promise me Ned, promise me” said by Lyanna Stark as she held baby Jon Snow in her arms and begged Ned to never reveal his true father. Let us hope this promise does not cause quite as much trouble.
Daemon Targaryen and Caraxes “The Blood Wyrm”
Stray Observations:
It’s cool seeing Harrenhall as a place where actual events happened, not just acts of torture and random conversations between Tywin Lannister and Arya.
I like how they took the original iron throne that has become so famous from Game of Thrones, and made it look more brutal again.
Did you have “watch a man’s peen get sliced off” on your episode 1 bingo card?
The tournament in season 1 of Game of Thrones was so much lower budget it’s hilarious. HBO basically could only afford one set of bleachers.
Took me my second viewing today to notice that Daemon’s horse has a fucking dragon scale helmet on it. Targaryens take the “dragon” thing way too far sometimes but I’m here for it.
I’ve never given birth personally but that no anesthesia C-section was so hard to watch what the fuck HBO.
I was shocked when Daemon actually yielded to Criston Cole. Maybe not such a prick after all?
Heir for a day. Daemon is incredible. Calling his brother weak was probably not a good move if he wanted to stay in King’s Landing though.
The last shot shows Rhaenyra and then plays Daenerys’ theme music. Pretty cool but I kinda hope this show tries to keep its distance from Game of Thrones. I probably could have done without the winter prophecy as well, but if GRRM wanted it in then we just have to hope it does not spiral out of control. People are still mad at the other show’s ending. If you need a refresher on the Game of Thrones finale, past me did a fantastic job covering it here.
RIP: Queen Aemma Targaryen, and the “Heir for a day”.
“They are the knights of summer, and winter is coming.”
Major Plot Points: Tyrion hatches a plot to discover a mole. Sansa meets her new hand maiden. Jon gets the Night’s Watch evicted. Arya’s plans to head north get cancelled. Bran has some furry dreams.
Observations from a Book Reader:
Bran is not the only Stark to have wolf dreams. Arya and Jon both have them frequently. We never see from Robb or Rickon’s POV, but it is safe to imagine they also have them, indicating all of the Starks are wargs.
Brienne was madly in love with King Renly. This was due to him being the only person in the war camp that was kind to her. Btw Renly named his Kingsguard the Rainbow Guard in the book. Way too on the nose for a tv show, although GRRM claims it was only named that due to there being 7 colors in a rainbow. Ok George.
Margaery is 16. It is also hard to tell if she is politically savvy or actually an innocent pawn of Olenna Tyrell.
The priest that baptized Theon was believed by many to be his uncle, Aeron Greyjoy, but this was later proven false when the show introduced us to the actual Aeron Greyjoy in season 6. Better known as “Damphair” (That’s Damp-hair not Dam-fair) Aeron was once a reaver like his brothers but ended up a devout priest of The Drowned God. Theon’s other uncle (besides Euron), Victarion Greyjoy, was removed from the show.
Amory Lorch is the knight who kills Yoren. Polliver is the man responsible for killing Lommy and stealing Needle. Arya often recites their names in her list.
Crazy Aeron “Damphair” Greyjoy
Other Points to Notice
This is the first time Jon sees a White Walker.
The Greyjoy words are “We Do Not Sow”, although most people know them by “What is Dead May Never Die”. These are words of their religion.
Tyrion’s plan to discover the loyalties of the Small Council is a masterstroke. I do wonder if he planned to actually marry Myrcella off to Theon/Robin Arryn if Varys/Littlefinger snitched.
First time we hear someone doubting that Margaery is a virgin. In the very next scene Margaery herself makes it seem even more doubtful.
Cersei was correct to worry about Myrcella going to Dorne to marry Trystane Martell. Gregor Clegane raped and murdered Elia Martell (late wife of Rhaegar Targaryen), then murdered her 2 infant children, all for Tywin Lannister.
“Power resides where men believe it resides” Remember this Varys quote.
We see Arya grouping Sansa in with the Lannisters in her anger filled memories. She has no idea Sansa tried to convince Joffrey to save Ned. It also seems like Yoren is the one to give her the fireside “prayer of names” idea.
Stray Observations
Jon saw Craster sacrifice a child. Hard to feel like he made a mistake here.
I can’t remember if Gilly is ever shown again with the trinket Sam gave her. This is something I will look for as the series continues.
First sighting of Margaery Tyrell and Brienne of Tarth. \
Giving Theon a ship named “Sea Bitch” was far too good to be true.
What an incredibly awkward Lannister/Stark family dinner. But then we see Sansa be a huge bitch to Shae and all of a sudden you remember how awful she was to everyone in Season 1.
If Theon sent that letter to Robb, so much would have changed. I may even not hate Theon at this point.
Is this the first time all season we see one of Tyrion’s Mountain Men? I almost forgot about them
RIP: Yoren. A true Man of the Night’s Watch
Episode 14: Garden of Bones
“There’s no cure for being a cunt”
I had no choice but to use this quote
Major Plot Points: Arya and Gendry head to Harrenhal. Robb grows very interested in the field of nursing. Dany finds The Greatest City That Ever Was or Will Be. Tyrion gives Joffrey a birthday present. Cat observes a brotherly reunion.
Observations from a Book Reader:
Harrenhal was known as being a cursed castle. Most of the previous rulers died spectacularly. It was said Lord Harren made the castle bigger than any others around, and the mortar was mixed with human blood.
Roose Bolton was more of a cartoonish villain. Pale blue eyes, long hair, and rarely spoke above a whisper. He was also obsessed with being leeched to keep his blood clean.
Robb married the daughter of a minor lord, Jeyne Westerling. Not Talisa the nurse. He married her because they slept together and, fearing she was pregnant, his honor obligated him to not let their child be a bastard.
Daenerys found out about Qaarth from her scout, but her scout brought with him 3 people from the city to welcome her. 2 of those 3 (Xaro Xhoan Daxos and Pyat Pree the warlock,) were shown waiting for her at the gate. The 3rd we do not see this episode.
The scene between Renly and Stannis was a bit different. At one point, Renly reaches for his belt, and to the surprise of Stannis, pulls out a peach. Stannis is enraged by this and questions him why. Renly offers him a bite and says “A man should never refuse to taste a peach. He may never get the chance again. Life is short, Stannis. Remember what the Starks say. Winter is coming.” Renly and his peach torture Stannis’ thoughts for years to come.
The secret gate Davos brings Melisandre to, is the same secret gate he used to deliver onions to Stannis when he was under siege by the Targaryen army in Robert’s Rebellion.
Renly and his peach.
Other Points to Notice
The Lannister soldiers in the beginning of the episode serve as a reminder that soldiers are pretty much the same on both sides. Fighting and dying for lords they never even meet.
It began to grow extremely obvious that Joffrey would never marry Sansa. How could he marry someone that he made the entire royal court watch be tortured and stripped.
Tyrion asks Ser Meryn Trant what kind of man beats a young girl. We eventually find out Meryn Trant actually beats little girls on his own time for fun in brothels. Thankfully Arya took out the trash.
Renly truly does have the numbers. He has by far the largest army of the 5 kings. Not to mention he isn’t already occupied with an ongoing war.
We see the first recast of The Mountain this episode. It is hard to tell that The Mountain is even The Mountain, since the recast is so awful. Just a generic tall skinny guy.
The Tickler asks prisoners “Where is the Brotherhood”. He is referring to The Brotherhood Without Banners, led by Beric Dondarrion.
Stray Observations
First time we meet Roose
Bolton. I do not believe that he planned
to betray Robb at this point yet.
Fun fact, Talisa the nurse, is played by Oona
Chaplin. Grandaughter of Chaz Chaplin, the famous silent actor with the Hitler
moustache.
Tyrion sent Joffrey the 2 whores
that we have previously seen sleeping with Old Man Pycelle. One of course was Ros, the only whore in
Westeros.
Joffrey is very young to have such…unconventional
desires.
Littlefinger ABSOLUTELY betrayed
Ned. There really is no gray area here. What a boss though, lying through his
teeth.
Gotta say, Season 2 is definitely
the most boring Daenerys storyline. Almost nothing of note happens besides her
vision quest.
Episode 15: The Ghost of Harrenhal
“I dreamt that the sea came to Winterfell. I saw waves crashing against the gates and the water came flowing over the walls flooded the castle. Drowned men were floating here in the yard. Ser Rodrik was one of them.”
Major Plot Points: Catelyn sees something supernatural. Tyrion begins to hatch a fiery plan. Arya gives a man a name. Dany sees a magic show. Bran comes to the defense of his bannermen.
Observations from a Book Reader:
Hard to tell in the show, but the shadow that killed Renly was described as looking exactly like Stannis. If you look really closely, you can almost make it out.
This was not the only time Melisandre sent Shadow Stannis to kill someone. After Renly died, Stannis laid siege to his childhood home of Storm’s End. The knight holding the fort in Renly’s name, Ser Cortnay Penrose, refused to give in to Stannis’ demand of handing over one of Robert’s bastards stashed in the castle. He was no match for a shadow monster.
The Targaryens are responsible for the Alchemist Guild brewing so much Wildfyre. The Targaryens always believed they had a special bond with it. One in particular, Aerion “Brightflame” Targaryen died from drinking it, believing it would turn him into a dragon.
Quorin Halfhand was described as one of the greatest rangers the Night’s Watch ever had. Jon traveled with him for a much longer, frantic, period.
Quaithe (the masked woman) almost speaks entirely in prophecy. Many of the things she tells Dany stick with her throughout her journey.
Qhorin Halfhand
Other Points to Notice
One of the reasons that Stannis was always bitter towards his brothers, was that after the Rebellion, Robert gave Stannis Dragonstone, and Renly got Storm’s End. Dragonstone was the original home of the Targaryens, and while it was a formidable fortress, it had no land for farming or political power. Storm’s End was the ancestral castle of the Baratheons, and Stannis believed it was rightfully his, as the next eldest under Robert.
Stannis may not have seemed upset about his brother dying, but he does eventually tell Jon Snow that looking back he was disgusted by the act and he realized he still did love Renly at the end. Can’t remember if this was in the show, I doubt it because D & D seem to have a hate boner for Stannis.
Arya serving as Tywin’s cupbearer is the best decision the show made that was independent of the books. Through Arya’s eyes we get to see Tywin actually has somewhat of a soft side. For some reason I can’t explain, Maisie Williams and Charles Dance have incredible on screen chemistry, I really wish they had more scenes together.
The oath that Brienne and Cat swear to one another, is the oath that is usually reserved for a Lord and a Knight. It seemed appropriate at the time.
Qarth law mandates that if Dany and Xaro Xhoan Daxos were to wed, she would have to give him half of all her possessions, including 1 of her dragons.
Stray Observations
Robb and Renly would have made a great alliance, and almost certainly would have beaten the Lannisters.
It is still hilarious Theon has to captain a ship called “The Sea Bitch”
Last time Jon and Jeor Mormont ever see each other. That makes it 1 biological, and 2 adoptive fathers Jon has outlived.
RIP: The Tickler. Best interrogator in Westeros
Episode 16: The Old Gods and the New
“Gods help you Theon Greyjoy. Now you are truly lost.”
Major Plot Points: Arya learns about Tywin’s childhood. Sansa is indebted to The Hound. Dany becomes desperate. Catelyn and Robb learn who is babysitting Bran and Rickon. Theon is blinded by love.
Observations from a Book Reader:
Ser Rodrick Cassel was not present at the siege of Winterfell. He was killed by Ramsey Snow when Ramsey took back Winterfell from Theon much later. Theon instead beheaded one of the main townspeople.
During his tenure as Lord of Winterfell, Theon freed a prisoner named Reek from the dungeons. This was of course Ramsey in disguise as one of his old servants. He made the switch with him to save his own life when Rodrick Cassel found them pillaging and raping across the north. After he was freed he went back to the Bolton home (the Dreadfort) and raised an army to attack Winterfell.
Xaro Xhoan Daxos constantly begged Dany to marry him, but he pretended it was from a place of love. Dany was much quicker to see through this ruse, especially since she could tell he clearly was not into the ladies.
Meera and Jojen Reed were already in Winterfell with Bran before Theon took Winterfell. They fled with the Stark boys from the very beginning.
Other Points to Notice:
Osha was very quick to remember that Theon has a weird thing for her. She immediately saw her opening and took it. It did not work the first time, but it sure did work the second time.
Theon is not able to behead Rodrick in one blow. The show seems to make a point that not being able to do this in one swing indicates an internal moral struggle. Ned was always able to behead men in one swing, because he was following his code of honor and had no qualms about it. Later in the series this is revisited with Robb.
It is not clear if Littlefinger identified Arya, but for a split second it seemed like he was about to say something. Either way it never comes back up. The conversation he has with Tywin also effectively sets up the end of the season when Tywin and the Tyrell army arrive at King’s Landing to defeat Stannis.
Once again, the Hound goes out of his way to save Sansa. This time if he didn’t arrive she would have truly suffered. He claims he did not do it for her, but that is clearly a lie since Joffrey never ordered her saved.
The Spice King, although a dick, was smart to not give Dany ships. At this point she had no army, and her dragons were babies. She would have lost immediately in Westeros.
Stray Observations
Props to Maester Lewin for getting
his raven out that fast.
Since Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie
are actually married now, it is funny to imagine that the scene where he pulls
back her hood was actually the first time the 2 ever laid eyes on each other.
Osha tries the seduction trick on
Ramsey many years later. It does not go
well.
RIP: Ser Rodrick Cassel. The best mutton chops in all of the Seven Kingdoms.
Ser Rodrick Cassel. He even had sick chops in the books.
Episode 17: A Man Without Honor
“So many vows. They make you swear and swear. Defend the King, obey the King, obey your father, protect the innocent, defend the weak. But what if your father despises the King? What if the King massacres the innocent? It’s too much. No matter what you do, you’re forsaking one vow or another.”
Major Plot Points:
Theon goes on a hunt. Robb helps a nurse get supplies. Jaime makes an escape attempt. Dany witnesses a power play. Tyrion and Cersei have a heartfelt conversation.
Observations from a Book Reader:
Arya was in Harrenhal a long time. But before she escaped, it came under the control of Roose Bolton, who held the castle for Robb. She was his cup bearer and often had to cover him in his leeches, which as I once mentioned, was something he was very fond of doing.
Jon captured Ygritte, but he never was separated from his group. He secretly let her go in the night. The very next night, Jon had a dream he was Ghost and could see all of Mance Rayder’s army and the group of wildings following them. He then woke up when he was attacked by a hawk. The other rangers realized that Jon was a warg, and found the hawk and an injured Ghost. Jon’s warging abilities are never explored in the show.
Jaime never killed his cousin while in captivity. He was a dick, but not a completely monstrous one. It seems like the show added this scene just to give Jaime something to do, since he was immediately recaptured. Also to make his redemption more drastic? I think it was a waste of time.
Pyat Pree and Xaro Xhoan Daxos absolutely did not make a power play on The Thirteen. It makes it more dramatic though.
Other Points to Notice
Almost everytime Theon talks , there is a camera shot that shows Dagmer (tall balding ironborn soldier) is completely laughing at him on the inside.
Tywin talks about his legacy again in this episode. It becomes more clear throughout the series that the idea of his legacy is all that he cares about, much more so than his actual children.
This is the first time we hear “You know nothing Jon Snow”. Only about 50 more to go.
Theon mentions that if he doesn’t find the Stark boys, he will be treated as a failure and a eunuch among his people. Funny enough, he is technically right.
The First Men that are always referenced, were of course the first settlers of Westeros. They mostly lived in the North, while the south was later invaded by the group of people known as the Andals. This is why the Starks claim to have the blood of the first men, while southern houses do not.
This is the only time we ever see Tyrion comforting Cersei
Stray Observations
Jon seemed to get very mad when Ygritte made fun of his balls. Jon’s facial reactions really made this scene hilarious.
This is Daenerys at her worst. She just walks around screaming and yelling at everyone for quite some time. Hard to watch.
Cersei is almost motherly to Sansa after she has her period. The whole scene I was just waiting for her to become a huge bitch to her.
Even though it was not Bran and Rickon, what Theon did to those 2 children makes him borderline irredeemable in my eyes.
RIP: The Spice King of Qarth. For all his faults, he was a hilariously dickish character to watch.
Episode 18: The Prince of Winterfell
“A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you’ll know the debt is paid.”
Major Plot Points: Tyrion plans for a siege. Arya gives a man his own name. Robb breaks a promise. Bran feels guilty. Jon heads for Mance Rayder’s army.
Observations from a Book Reader:
The “Lord of Bones” is also known as Rattleshirt. He remains a thorn in Jon’s side the entire time he infiltrates Mance’s army
Jaime was kept in the dungeons underneath Riverrun, the home of the Tullys. Robb and his army were based out of there for much of their campaign.
Cat and Jaime had a much longer conversation before she freed him. Her decision to free him was a horrible idea tactically speaking, but we do not know if Cat’s gambit would have worked since Jaime arrived at King’s Landing after Cat and Robb were already dead.
Qhorin was much more explicit about his plan to get Jon inside Mance’s army. Here it seems like Jon is genuinely confused when he gets pushed.
The Lord of Bones
Other Points to Notice
Yara is legitimately angry with Theon for killing the Stark boys. Imagine he told her that they actually got away? Theon is pathetic.
When Jaime was freed, you can start seeing the cracks in the foundation in Robb’s army. Rickard Karstark is justifiably furious about his escape.
Arya knows that as soon as Tywin leaves she is in immediate danger. The Mountain would probably end up killing her one night for looking at him wrong.
We receive our first clue about the importance of dragonglass. It is from this pile that Sam gets the piece which allows him to kill a White Walker.
Tyrion was truly in love with Shae. It is hard to tell if she truly feels the same for him. It was even harder to tell in the books.
Stray Observations
The prisoners that Arya questions about Jaqen’s whereabouts are the other 2 she freed from the burning prison cart. Rorge and Biter.
Tyrion and Bronn bickering over Bronn cutting his nails is peak television.
What was wrong with Sam’s teeth? They looked extremely dirty.
Was there any doubt that Cersei would bring out Ros? After all, she is the only whore in Westeros.
On the surface it seems like such a triumphant moment when Talisa and Robb hook up. But in reality it may be the single most tragic moment in the entire series.
RIP: Farm Boys. Technically they died last episode, but now we know.
This week I really fell behind. Probably going to get worse as we go on, but that’s alright. Next up is the Battle of the Blackwater, which is many people’s favorite episode of the series. I’m also really excited to get to season 3 this weekend which, along with season 4, marks the peak of the show
Things I Liked:
There were a lot of great things that happened in this block of episodes. Every Ygritte and Jon scene, the casting of Davos, and watching Tyrion as Hand of the King. But by far my favorite part was watching the scenes between Arya and Tywin. It never happened in the books, and yet it felt like it belonged more than almost any other scene that actually was from the books. It was the only opportunity we as viewers had to view Tywin in a non-warlord light. It also ensured that Arya got to stay up to date with her family’s whereabouts.
Things I Did Not Like:
I really
hated the scene when Jaime kills his cousin.
It served no purpose whatsoever, and just made Jaime seem like a
complete dick. Also Daenerys’ storyline was
extremely sparse. They surely could have
written more for her to do.
TV talk with Mr. Lemons 