The Black Queen

I would rather feed my sons to the dragons than have them carry shields and cups for your drunken, usurper cunt of a king.

Daemon Targaryen

Major Plot Points: Rhaenyra is crowned Queen on Dragonstone. The Sea Snake returns to the world of the living and joins Team Black. Daemon handles all of this in a healthy way. Lucerys goes on his first big boy mission to prove himself, and does not.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Rhaenys was not the one to break the news to Rhaenyra about the crowning of Aegon II. She was already at Dragonstone and never a prisoner of the Greens. Another key difference, it was not written that she or Corlys suspected Rhaenyra in the death of Laenor, and they always gave their support from the beginning.
2. Rhaenyra going into labor immediately after hearing the news of her father’s death and the Green’s coup, caused her and Daemon to blame the miscarriage on Alicent and Otto. What was not stated in the show, the stillborn child was a girl named Visenya, who was one of Aegon the Conqueror’s two sister-wives and the original rider of Vhagar.
3. It’s time for everyone’s favorite part of the blog. Crown talk. When Ser Erryk gives Rhaenyra her father’s crown, it is an important note that this is also the crown of Jaehaerys Targaryen, the king who preceded Viserys. Jaehaerys was called “The Conciliator” and even at the time of Game of Thrones, known as by far the greatest leader Westeros had ever had. Rhaenyra the rest of the episode is following in both her father and great-grandfather’s footsteps by opting for diplomacy over violence. It remains to be seen how she reacts next season now that she has lost 2 children (Lucerys and baby Visenya) to this succession war.
4. I briefly mentioned once how House Celtigar, like House Velaryon and Targaryen, are the only other house with ties to Old Valyria. This episode they were finally mentioned as an ally of Rhaenyra but at this point in the series I doubt they ever are talked about as Valyrian descendants.
5. One reason for Daemons outbreak about “feeding his sons to the dragons”, is because in Westeros history, sending your children to an old enemy to be squires and cupbearers, is actually just the highborn equivalent of taking hostages to ensure obeisance. Theon was a hostage at Winterfell in the beginning of Game of Thrones for the same reason.
6. The page that Otto gives Rhaenyra has an additional easter egg behind it. Interestingly, this specific page tells part of the story of Nymeria, the Rhoynish queen who led her people across oceans from Essos to Dorne, she is arguably the most famous female leaders in Westeros history, and as most will remember, Arya named her direwolf after her.
7. Vermithor, the dragon Daemon sings to, was ridden by Jaehaerys. The only rival to his size and strength is Vhagar (Vhagar is still larger). I am not totally sure what the message of this scene was, since obviously Daemon could not tame Vermithor as he already was linked to his dragon Caraxes. Perhaps he wanted to independently attempt to bring Vermithor to his cause?
8. Lord Borros Baratheon made a point to make his Maester read the letter. In Fire and Blood he was noted as “not being fond of books”. AKA this man is actually illiterate.
9. Aemond is shown to have a sapphire in place of his missing eye now, and in the opening theme, his sigil is now depicted as a sapphire as well. This is straight from the book.
10. It was only written that Aemond slew Arrax and Lucerys in the skies above Storm’s End. This is a more nuanced interpretation, as we see Aemond frantically trying to stop Vhagar from killing them after Arrax attacks Vhagar against Luke’s wishes. Aemond even uses the Valyrian term “Dohaeris” which means serve. This is one of the few Valyrian words viewers may remember, as the answer to the now famous Game of Thrones saying Valar Morghulis (All men must die) was Valar Dohaeris (All men must serve).

Other Points to Notice

1. There are several parallels in this episode to the pilot, one being a tragic birth, first Aemma, now Rhaenyra. One more is how in episode 1, Viserys is crowned with the crown of Jaehaerys, as Rhaenyra is in this finale.
2. Daemon, as is his nature, refused to be with Rhaenyra during her birth because all he could think about was revenge. This descent and division between he and Rhaenyra comes to a much more violent climax later in the episode. I’ll get to it eventually.
3. One brief cut that may have been missed, when Rhaenyra is refusing help and delivering her stillborn child, at the peak of her screams we see a 1 second flash of her dragon, Syrax, also growling and feeling her pain. This scene also comes right after we see Caraxes listening to Daemons commands and threatening the Kingsguard. Knowing how this episode ends, I believe this is showing how the dragons are truly not controlled by the Targaryens, but instead are linked to their rider’s experience and personality.
4. Lighting up the Dragonstone map was an incredible sequence, but it immediately made me think, “Why did Stannis never light it up in Game of Thrones?”. I like to think this is just Stannis being frugal with his candles.
5. The book page that Otto hands Rhaenyra, is the same one that Rhaenyra tears out in the pilot and gives to Alicent, when she remarks how they both should run away together. I believe this can be interpreted as a genuine attempt from Alicent to stop hostilities.
6. A major theme of this episode, and show, is that dragons were not meant to be controlled. When Rhaenyra speaks of the prophecy to Daemon, this lets him know that the only person he ever truly loved, Viserys, did not once consider him an actual heir or candidate to rule since he never told him about it. This causes Daemon to violently assault Rhaenyra, and reminds us once again, that dragons cannot be controlled, and there is no human in the show that personifies the temperament of a dragon more than Daemon.
7. Corlys was swayed to Rhaenyra’s cause once he was able to see her lead a council confidently, as well as when he looked and saw Laena’s children standing beside Jace and Luke. Even though Corlys knows Jace and Luke are not his grandchildren, he still stands behind his declaration that they are his kin due to the name they were given at birth. The music that played during this scene, when the plan to secure the Narrow Sea and siege King’s Landing, also paralleled the war council Robb Stark had in S1E10 of Game of Thrones. And sure enough, the current Lord of Winterfell, Cregan Stark, was mentioned heavily throughout.
8. Besides being the best dragon cinematography of all time, a symbolic aspect of Luke’s death, was that it only happened after he left the raging storm. And this was right after he left the stronghold called Storm’s End. So Lucerys truly met his demise at Storm’s End.
9. The shot of a devastated Rhaenyra turning to look at the camera in the final scene, mirrored the shot of young Rhaenyra turning to look at the crowd of lords swearing to serve her as heir in Episode 1.

Stray Observations:

1. Hearing Luke call Rhaenyra “perfect” is hilarious knowing how much of a little shit she was as a kid. It is nice that we finally got some late characterization of Lucerys though.
2. Very glad they addressed the fact that Rhaenys did not burn the entire group of the Greens last episode. Her justification made sense.
3. Not sure why, but I got chills when Rhaenyra, while going through labor, told Jace how he was her heir and he must listen to her commands alone.
4. Caraxes is the coolest dragon design. Just this evil snake monster that looks completely evil in every way.
5. Rhaenyra not wanting to rule over a kingdom of “ash and bone” sounds eerily similar to when Daenerys did not want to be “Queen of the ashes”. Hm
6. Corlys was so calm about his brother dying once Rhaenys explained what he did. “Yea he had it coming lol shit.”

RIP: Arrax, and Lucerys “Velaryon” (Strong)

Final Thoughts:

Well that was a great season. What started as an uneasy excitement to return to HBO’s interpretation of this world, quickly became must watch TV that once again captured the attention of the world. While this season was not without it’s mistakes (the time jumps made it hard to care about new characters, specifically Harwin Strong, and the children), it also handled the loose way the book was written in a way that was satisfying to both book readers and show only watchers. We now have a much more intricate and character driven tragedy that is set to fully explode in season 2.

Highlights:

-Every scene with Viserys, specifically him walking to the throne one last time, which was definitively the best scene of the season, if not all seasons of Game of Thrones as well

-The casting of young/old Alicent and Rhaenyra

-The attention to detail of set pieces, sigils, and yes, crowns

-Daemon being equal parts cool and downright horrible

Rating: 9/10

See everyone in 2024 for season 2. And tune into my blog next year when I write 5000 words weekly to cover how every episode of The Witcher season 3 is an embarrassment to television.

The Green Council

You desire not to be free, but to make a window in the wall of your prison.

Rhaenys Targaryen

Major Plot Points: Alicent and Otto compete to find Aegon first. Rhaenys escapes the clutches of the Greens. Larys satisfies his urges. Aegon the Second is crowned.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Alicent, knowing that Viserys would be dead soon, instructed all of his servants to only report to her when it happened. In the book, Alicent never waivered from her plans to crown Aegon, and did not find motivation in misheard last words of Viserys speaking about prophecy.
2. Lyman Beesbury’s death at the small council was presented as 3 different possibilities from 3 different sources. 1 was that Otto had him confined in a black cell where he died of a chill, another was that Criston Cole slit his throat, and the final recount was that he was tossed out of a window and impaled on the spikes outside the keep. Either way his death was then kept a secret and his family demanded his body/release after months of not hearing from him.
3. The search for Aegon in King’s Landing is a show only invention, as Aegon was crowned quickly the day after Viserys died. I believe the show added this plot for several reasons, to show the divide between Alicent and her father, the divide between Aemond and Aegon, and of course just to demonstrate that Aegon is a depraved loser that does not even want to be king.
4. We get a glimpse of “one of many” of Aegon’s bastards. This one is named Gaemon Palehair, and believe it or not, his story will be a hilarious and interesting one to follow. Just make sure to make a mental note about the white haired royal bastard living in a whorehouse.
5. Lord Caswell, as pointed out in last week’s blog, was always one of the only lords to show constant respect and admiration to Rhaenyra throughout this season. We see him hanged (this is the correct tense btw, not ‘hung’) and killed this episode for supporting her and trying to warn the Princess. In Fire and Blood, he was actually beheaded immediately for refusing to kneel to Aegon in the throne room. At least here he tried to accomplish something with his loyalty.
6. Rhaenys was never a prisoner of the Greens. It gave us a cool dragon scene though.
7. Alright everyone, I’m sorry but this episode is going to make me do it. We have to discuss the intricacies of the crowns worn by the Targaryens. Unlike in other fantasy settings, the crown worn by the current king is not the same for each ruler. The first king, Aegon the Conqueror, wore a circlet of steel and rubies. This crown is the one that Aegon II also inherits in this episode. Besides his namesake, this crown was also worn by the 3rd king of Westeros, known as Maegor the Cruel. Aegon II wearing this crown is clearly a message to the realm that he will use force when needed, as the other men wearing it were the strongest militant kings Westeros had ever known. Viserys, wore the crown of his grandfather Jaeherys (a simple gold band with 7 different colored jewels to represent the faith of Westeros), and both ruled over times of diplomacy and peace, and are historically looked back on fondly. There is clearly something to the crowns chosen that casts a light over the current monarch’s style of rule. I am expecting dozens of emails asking me for a more detailed history on the many different Targaryen crowns and who wore them, so do not hesitate to ask. Maybe after Episode 10’s recap I will just do a full blog only about crown/sigil/and heraldry lore.
8. When Aegon II was crowned, there was not a thunderous applause. Just some scattered clapping and even a few “Long Live the Queen!” shouts.

Other Points to Notice

1. The silent intro into piano music is reminiscent of Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 10, The Winds of Winter, in which Cersei blew up the sept of Baelor. We also saw a child spy run around in the beginning of the episode, just like we do here as the child informs Alicent’s handmaiden (who we know is a spy for the White Worm) about Viserys dying.
2. Ser Harrold Westerling seems like the only decent person to react to the death of Lyman Beesbury. By all laws, Criston should have been arrested for what he did, but since Alicent always kept Cole safe, he had no power to do what he thought was right, and it was a major factor of why he retired.
3. Helaena still speaks in weird prophecies and phrases. “There is a beast hidden beneath the boards” she tells her mother, and shortly after this becomes literal when Rhaenys explodes out of the floorboards of the dragonpit on Meleys.
4. Alicent asking Rhaenys for help came off as even more desperate than when Rhaenyra asked her for help last episode. Alicent probably knew it was a futile effort, but she seems too stuck in her ways to realize the main reason Rhaenys will not help her, is because Rhaenys sees Alicent as trying so hard to uphold the male dominated society that once robbed her of the Iron Throne.
5. Just as Erykk and Arykk seem to choose different sides of the succession conflict, we also see how divided Aemond and Aegon are from each other. Aemond knows he is more capable of ruling, and what I find interesting about Aegon, is he knows this too. Later in this episode we see that he never once believed his father loved him, and only when the crowd starts cheering for him do we see him smile. An emotionally stunted guy with serious daddy issues who yearns for constant love from those around him will surely end up being the best king in history.
6. It’s probably best to not think about this too long, but Larys having the queen demean herself like that as he pleasured himself, was equal parts about sexual gratification and him controlling their power dynamic.
7. Another strong parallel to Game of Thrones, S1E9 of both shows end with a new king being displayed to the realm, and a crowd of peasants being shown some serious violence (Ned’s execution and Rhaenys destroying the floor of the Dragonpit). It makes sense why Rhaenys did not brutally murder the entire Green side of the family, as she is not really a violent person and sees this conflict between Rhaenyra and Alicent/Aegon. Plus there is a huge stigma on kinslayers in this universe, not to mention half of the people up there were innocent and undeserving of death, like Helaena and even Aemond.

Stray Observations:

1. Harrold Westerling retiring out of disgust from the Kingsguard mirrored Ser Barristan Selmy doing it to Joffrey in Game of Thrones Season 1.
2. It is absolutely hilarious that there are a pair of identical twin brothers named Erryk and Arryk.
3. Criston Cole saying how every woman should be spoken of with reverence is annoying after we heard him call Rhaenyra a cunt. Fun fact, the madam of the brothel that he questioned on Aegon’s whereabouts, was actually the real life acting coach of Fabien Frankel who plays Cole. He said this was the most nervous he had been the whole season filming a scene.
4. Of course Flea Bottom has children fighting pits. Why wouldn’t it?
5. This episode continues a Game of Thrones tradition of displaying the corpse of a main character who died an episode before. This always leads to that actor being credited with 1 additional episode than the one they actually died in. And sure enough, go check Paddy Considine’s IMDB page, he is credited with being in this episode.
6. Myseria seems to be going to the same plastic surgeon as Criston Cole, since they are the only 2 characters to have not aged whatsoever in 20 years.
7. When Otto refers to Rhaenyra as Alicent’s childhood companion, it almost does seem like he is implying that they were closer than normal friends. The writers seem to be letting the audience decide for themselves on the nature of Alicent and Rhaenyra’s relationship as teens.
8. While there have been many more Aegon’s since Aegon the Conqueror, this Aegon is the only one to have been crowned, and thus adopts the title of Aegon II, or Aegon-Second of His Name.

RIP: Lord Lyman Beesbury, Lord Allun Caswell, a bunch of peasants that got dragon stomped.

Lord of the Tides

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.

Other Points to Notice

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.

Stray Observations:

1. Seeing 3 dragon eggs together will always remind me of Daenerys and her 3.
2. Jace why did you wait until you were 16 to learn High Valyrian? This guy sucks
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. It is funny how technically Rhaenyra is not lying when she tells Rhaenys that she did not kill Laenor.
6. 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……
7. Viserys walking into the throne room may be my favorite moment of not just this show, but Game of Thrones as well.
8. 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
9. 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.
10. 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

We Light the Way

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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”.
8. 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.

Stray Observations:

1. 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.
2. We now see Lyonel Strong wearing the hand of the king pin. He did seem the obvious choice.
3. 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.
4. Larys Strong is going to be a major issue going forward.
5. 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?
6. “Its not a phase dad”- Laenor Velaryon
7. 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.
8. I know he’s a prick, but Jason Lannister is the best character on this show. What a legend.
9. 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.
10. Ser Gerold had serious balls accusing a prince of murder without real proof. Poor guy.
11. 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.

King of the Narrow Sea

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.

Other Points to Notice

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. We see that Viserys at this point is just completely covered in sores and cuts. Seems he still has not grown into that throne.
6. 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.
7. Not much to say about Rhaenyra and Criston Cole, it did feel like a pretty unbalanced power situation though.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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:

1. I wish we got to actually see the little Blackwood boy stabbing the Bracken knight.
2. The Bracken knight reminded me of Adam Devine from Workaholics.
3. Viserys mocking Rhaenyra about the tapestries seemed a bit more petty of a move than we’d expect of him.
4. 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)
5. The people of King’s Landing do not seem to love the idea of Rhaenyra on the throne.
6. Seeing a child as a spy definitely brings back memories of Varys and his “little birds”.
7. 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.
8. 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).

Second of His Name

“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: Rhaenyra goes 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:

1. The sword that Daemon wields in his battles, Dark Sister, originally belonged to Visenya Targaryen, the older sister-wife of Aegon the Conqueror.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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).

Other Points to Notice

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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
9. 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.

Stray Observations:

1. 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.
2. At this point, Alicent seems to be the much more willing one to try to salvage her relationship with Rhaenyra.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. “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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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

The Heirs of the Dragon

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:

1. The (highly expository) intro refers to the time as 101 A.C. This means 101 years since “Aegon’s Conquest”.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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
7. The Baratheons and Targaryens are loosely related from some marriages, which is why Rhaenys calls the Baratheon knight “cousin”.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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

Other Points to Notice

1. 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.
2. The triarchy that is raiding pirates and controlling sea routes mentioned by Otto Hightower surely won’t come up again?
3. 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.
4. 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).
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. “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.

Stray Observations:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Did you have “watch a man’s peen get sliced off” on your episode 1 bingo card?
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. I’ve never given birth personally but that no anesthesia C-section was so hard to watch what the fuck HBO.
7. I was shocked when Daemon actually yielded to Criston Cole. Maybe not such a prick after all?
8. 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.
9. 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”.