House of the Dragon (Game of Thrones Spin-off) Thread

I actually liked the Aemond-Criston buddy cop show 😄

That search definitely overstayed its welcome a bit.

The last scene with Rhaenys was a bit much.

Alright guys who are you with, the Greens or the Blacks?

Let's not forget the Targaryens, the 'real' ones, are immune to fire, so she would have only killed the Hightowers. Not a good idea to piss off the royals by killing their mum, I don't think. Aemond doesn't need any more reason to hate his relatives.

Are Targaryns really immune to fire? I thought that they weren't and that Dany's case was unique.

Rhaenys should know there will be war since she knows Rhaenyra will not accept any of Aegon's terms that will require her to capitulate the throne, and bend the knee. All Rhaenys did with her stunt was grandstand, and needlessly antagonize Aegon and the greens by making the former look weak in front of countless witnesses which could complicate future negotiations with her husband. The Jurassic Park stare down, and roar was an illogical move with no pay off.

I kind of can't stand how casually Rhaenys murders at least a good thousand people in order to not kill the people dead-set on murdering her granddaughters? The logic is very reminiscent of Last of Us 2's ending, with someone arbitrarily deciding to spare their actual enemies from atop a mountain of dead bystanders. I could see kinslaying being the thing that stayed her hand, but not without buildup and emphasis on that concept beforehand and not on the back of a small and completely unnecessary holocaust. If that's what they were going for then they fucked up.

The episode was weak in general, with weird writing choices and off-kilter dialogue and lots of inconsistencies, but the show not seeming to realize that Rhaenys is now the most evil Targaryen to have ever lived until the births of the Mad King and Dany after all her sermonizing is the thing that casts me right back to GoT Season 8. Even if the Targaryens present are immune to fire (which wouldn't be consistent, not a single one of them is 'fullblooded' like Dany and both Viseryses were/are, and Jon, who is a half-blooded Targaryen too, was burnt in season 1) burning the Hightowers and Cole would still be a meaningful strike against her foes without resorting to kinslaying, and if she really wanted to then the episode gives us ample time to contemplate Syrax' enormous jaws and teeth as well, frankly.

Sigh.

And aside from that, I happened to like the scene she interrupted with Aegon suddenly finding some sense of purpose in the cheers of the crowd at his coronation, feeding his narcissism and finally turning him on to power and authority outside indulging in personal vices and raping servant girls. It was the best one in the episode, showing the prospective usurpers using historical heraldry and relics and awesome ceremonies to impress the crowds and legitimize their rule, even though Aegon's Valyrian steel crown looked fake as fuck and was something of a disappointment. Was a really lovely dark twist on the 'a king is born' trope that would have been the show's best scene if not for the subsequent ridiculousness.

On that note, I've heard people claim that commoners wouldn't really show up for or care about a spectacle like that, being too busy worrying about their own issues, and yeah, no, sorry. I've lived in a monarchy all my life, and people love those spectacles and the sense of national pride and security and unity they inspire. Individual peasants and merchants might not personally care all that much, but King's Landing as a whole would be thrilled to celebrate the crowning of a handsome-ish young King after being ruled by an old man with bits falling off for thirty years. The Dragonpit would indeed be packed with people screaming and cheering just for being there.

Still not taking a side. I like Alicent and Ser Otto a lot, almost as much as Daemon and much more than Rhaenyra, who I still don't feel has been properly called out for putting the entire realm in jeopardy with Harwin Strong. The 'I tried to with Leanor' thing in episode 7 was less than convincing, knowing just what was at stake. And Rhaenys just made it clear it's a miracle that the crown never passed to her. Plus, Luke and Jace are just boring compared to Aemond, Aegon, and Helaena. Aegon especially was the highlight of the episode for me, from tearfully screaming that he isn't suited and doesn't deserve what's being put on him to swelling with ego before the crowd.

I know Rhaenys had to retrieve Meleys from the basement but everything she did after bursting through the floor like the Kool Aid Man was excessive. I would have just apologized for the mess, congratulated Aegon on his coronation and bolted out of there.

Tbh if i was Rhaenys i wouldn't even try to punk Aemond if i wasn't going to kill him because his dragon's a cousin of Godzilla. 

Hmmm. If she had burst up through the floor and immediately made for the door, obviously crushing the absolute least amount of people she had to to escape with her dragon and making it clear that that was her only overriding priority then I could see the show pulling it off without destroying her character. But changing into spiffy armor and sticking around in confined quarters with Meleys' tail slapping innocent people around just to have a staredown with Alicent makes her actions feel much more cold-blooded and idiotic, definitely.

Aemond disappointed me this episode, too. His whining about being better suited for the throne didn't need to be said out loud, and made him feel petty, indecisive and short-sighted for not accepting what was and biding his time or making a definitive move. And his refusal to even smile at Aegon being crowned was childish. The last episode made it seem like there was at least some brotherly camaraderie there when they get into it with Rhaenyra's sons.

The only moment I enjoyed with him was the one at the brothel. His stiffness and that small vulnerability felt very natural for someone who's emotionally stunted to some degree and tries to project a forceful and decisive persona while being a little immature. Also helped to distinguish him more from Daemon in terms of temperament, being much less worldly and comfortable with his own drives.

Between Cole spouting that platitude about every woman being the image of the Mother and deserving reverence, his and Aemond's obvious rapport from the training yard and Aemond being the only one to seem to pray seriously at the table in episode 8, I wonder if there's an implication that Cole has been deliberately impressing his faith and (theoretically) knightly virtues on the kid? That'd be another foil to Daemon's more traditional Targaryen mindset.

Exactly.

Your honour may be worth more than your life.  But it is not worth more than all theirs.  *waves at unwashed, unlettered, superstitious peasants*

Well, the fireproof thing was a one off magical fluke for Danaerys in the books. Targeryans sometimes have a small resistance to heat but that’s not immunity to fire.

Heimdall - As a Lotr Loremaster (I'm only on the council but not given the rank of master) we need you to help us figure out how the elves are dying even though their immortality is biological and how the rings are supposed to stop this.