A very simple alteration would make the final scene make sense: The dragon didn't burst through all at once. Meleys begins by ramming the floor, ominous earthquake reverberates through the hall, stone cracks, the floor gradually collapses, all the people clear out of the area, then finally the dragon rips the floor apart. No one need to have died in this scene.

If this were a Rings Of Power episode, we would cheer up for how good it was compared to the rest. Really shows how good the rest of HotD was so far.

The thing that bothers me THE MOST is viewers cheering Rhaenys "yeaaah, what a badasss! and she's so merciful, my queen taking the moral high ground!". While she just murdered tons of innocent civilians in peacetime just to look cool in a grand exit. That's worse than a war crime. That's terrorism.

It's not a proper girlboss moment unless it has at least a triple-digit death count

If you can't use the dragon to prevent a civil war with one word... don't put it in front of the entire other faction with their pants down.

I liked how this episode characterized Aegon, you don't like him but you sort of understand him and I liked his talk with his mum. Aemond as usual seems to be the most favoured by the writers out of all the children and had more nuance added to him. Heleana is....... pretty I guess and can see the future. Alicent was definitely the star of this episode.

Rhaenys action at the end makes me think maybe Viserys was the right choice all along. I think Viserys would have been appalled.

I would think that if both groups are looking for Aegon they would be looking for him in the usual places he hangs out, thus resulting in his brother and cole coming across the others.

The worst part of the Rhaenys scene is that "it worked", meaning there are a ton of fools online celebrating it like "yeah, slay queen!". Ironically, the same people that demand Criston's head for killing 2 people (which is a horrendous thing to do, obviously). It's sad to see such tribalism; it seems that the act of murder is not frowned upon, but only the fact that the ones who suffered it were "the good ones". Moral relativism at its prime. Also, it's weird to see how Rhaenys is the one who kept talking about men being a synonimous for violence and then she does that. Self-awareness= -100

Feel like the last scene would've worked far better if they made 2 changes: Frist, Rhaenys emerging from the massive staircase (which is already established) rather than breaking through the floor, therby not killing civilians and there wouldn't be the issue that she should've been killed by falling boulders. Second, if Aegon had Sunfyre on-hand as part of the coronation ceremony. They'd be left in an actual stand-off, so it would make far more sense sense that Rhaenys wouldn't kill the usurpers and would flee instead (which the greens would allow because starting a dragonfight with thousands of civilians on hand would kill far too many for the greens to be comfortable with)

I felt that the discussion between Rhaenys and Alicent was more the two of them trying to play mind games and sow seeds of doubt in each other. Rhaenys latching onto Alicents talk about men and twisting it to her advantage to make Alicent doubt herself rather than the scene being purposely woke. I think no one realises exactly how hard Criston and Larys simp for Alicent too. Also Rhaenys actions at the dragonpit kinda make sense for something that happens later on in the story.... it shows that most of the nobles truly don't give a crap about the smallfolk, also it'll be good propaganda for the Greens

I saw the bit of Ser Criston cracking Lymann's head as the first casualty of the war.there was a tension of 'who's it going to be?'. It's also developing Ser Criston as a 'broken' guy who's getting more and more twisted, darker with pent up frustration and that will be the death of him. The secret he has with the Queen is pretty much nothing now, but he always feels it like it was the first day because oath means a lot to him - that's how I interpret his character at least. The episode was building them up before anything big started - some good tension in that respect. I thought the reason she doesn't get her dragon to kill them at the end is basically to show she'd picked their side. I assumed. Now they owe her.

“Mummy, when is daddy coming home from the coronation?” “Oh, sweetheart… unfortunately Princess Rhaenys wanted to have a Girlboss moment. We’ll never see most of our neighbours ever again.”

In an episode that is meant to be all about the ruthlessness and callousness of the Greens, how is it that the most unambiguously evil action of the episode was committed by Rhaenys? This is just a gold mine of propaganda for the Greens; “overcome by love for his subjects, Aegon II graciously held a public coronation, smiling and basking in the adoration of his people as the young monarch began his reign when Rhaenys the Butcher attacked the innocent King and his family slaughtering countless innocents as she was overcome with bitterness after being passed over for the throne for so many years and it was only due to her dragon being more merciful than her that she did not commit regicide that day. And rather than arrest her for her crime, Rhaenyra gave this monster a seat at her high table. Does her sin know no limit?!” This day could not have gone better for Otto if he tried. Like, how do you screw it up THIS bad? 🤣 After so many episodes of S1-4 quality, this was the return of our good old friend from S6; spectacle over sense.

Shad: "I don't like children being killed". Me who's read the book: VAGUE SPOILER MAYBE Shad may be in for a bad time. Dont google Blood and cheese.

I think this is the best way I can put this episode. I didn’t really mind the woke parts because a character being hypocritical is fine in my book, but the ending scene… I can’t really defend that. I realized a bit afterwards that this could be used as foreshadowing for a later event in the series, but still the logistics of how Rhaenys got out is ridiculous. She should’ve gotten her head hit by falling debris because no helmet.

It's a petty attempt at a justification. But we did get a scene where a soldier calling out to be saved by Daemon ends up being crushed by his dragon without him even noticing. Maybe crushing peasants is not something a dragon rider blushes over? That being said, I think that sadly Shad's fears might be confirmed in a recent article from the people involved in this episode. They say they wanted a powerful moment for Rhaenys in this episode. (As shad put it a "Boss" moment) And from the interview summarized in the article. The answer as to why was entirely focused on her showing mercy to the Greens, and that her morals is what prevented her from wholesale slaughtering them. That being said it is kind of a little nuts to say this is show how "fair/merciuful" Rhaenys is by not killing the royals. But at the same time it shows her murdering hundreds of people for seemingly no reason at all. To keep peddling my little justification. We do know some nobles in Westeros care seemingly very little about the lower classes. I mean as much as we paint Viserys as this benevolent ruler. We do now that under his rule he let King's Landing spawn rampant crime and people were afraid to even walk the city. Daemon of all people is the one that pushed to try and clean it up. So there is something to say about the disconnection of the ruling class with the lower class. But does that mean that they are cool with murdering 100s of them for absolutely no reason? Doesn't seem plausible. EDIT: Shad asked where did Rhaenys kept her dragon armor? I reckon she used the inventory slots her dragon mount? :P

The most disturbing thing is that Rhaenys could have killed Alicent's family and end the war, but she chose not to and one of the showrunners said because she couldn't kill another mother. Right after she most likely could hundreds of mother and their families. They should have made so that Rhaenys departed via a backdoor exit, considering there is a war coming there are still more than enough chances for her to have a girlboss moment if that's what they wanted to achieve.

The best moment in this episode was Ramin Djawadi's music when Aegon walks through the line of soldiers

An interesting tidbit that might not mean much: Sara Hess. She has a writing credit on IMDB for this episode, and low and behold, also for episode 6, the one that Shad was 'feeling conflicted' about in his review. Could she be the origin of these less desirable plot points, or the victim of circumstance? I think only time will tell.

I rewatched that moment, the way its shot and edited makes me think this is gonna be brought up later 🤔 used against Raenhys and Team Black. When her Dragon burst through the floor they focus on people getting hurt, if you look closely when her Dragon takes off through the doors, they drag some people off the stairs as Raenhys flies away! They're gonna have to bring this back up in the story somehow

The death of Lord Beesbury really stung my heart. It made me abuzz with grief and a hive of other emotions.

Despite that ending, this episode was pretty good. There was actual character development in this episode compared to the entire series of Rings of Power 😂

I would've liked to had- Alicent hears a dragon roaring in the distance, she steps out to where she can see Rhaynes flying away, and then utters the words, "Oh fahq!"

Shad, I bought your book! Looking forward to reading it. I'm rooting for you man! I'm sure it will be a great read. 😄

Shad, remember that Alicent comes from your beloved medieval time. Of course she thinks men are more vigorous and violent. Of course she thinks women (the pudic ones at least) can't lead and are prone to peace. She's a character that values virtue and decency in all the traditional senses, and it's normal that it has the mentality "men strong but violent, women weak but innocent". She's not a Targaryen, she wasn't raised with any kind of power(like, a dragon for example) , that wasn't conceded to her by the men in her life. Only with manipulation and plotting she's gaining some of it, even exceeding his dad. The writer are not using her as a mouthpiece for woke propaganda; Alicent is saying those things (to wich Rhaenys doesn't react, so we can assume that she doesn't feel the same way). I like your criticism most of the time, but that was some reactionary shit pulled from a critical drinker video. I understand the criticism to woke pandering of today's studios, but this show is doing it well.

The fact that it was at the end of the episode really left a sour taste on my mouth and I'm kind of worried they're focussing too much on spectacle for the finale I feel like an abused housewife right now where the new guy accidentally raised his hand in a way that feels threatening and now the ptsd hits

You kinda can justified Aemond and Crispin finding the white worm since they are close to a brothel where the kind of place they look for Aegon

12:30 in the books Ser Criston Cole cut Lord Beesburry's throat with a dagger. I don't know why they changed that in the series.

I agree with you. I really enjoyed the coronation scene, and then this dragon scene happened…. I wish they would let Aegon have his moment and ride Sunfyre, like in the books. But I guess they needed girlboss Rhaenys

Me and mum both sat there like, “she should’ve just burnt them”

The official "in the episode" bit tried to defend the end by saying the queen that never was didn't want to kill another mother and thus just left. Which makes no sense. I fear the dragon brought the season 8 writing with it when it burst through the floor. Other than that I loved it.

I also found it odd that Rhaenys, a noblewoman and ruler of Driftmark in her husband’s absence was attending court all by herself. Where are her servants, retainers and escorts? And also, this is shortly after that family dinner right? Rhaenyra and Daemon just up and left with their own entourage in such a brief time leaving a sickly Viserys unchecked after all that’s happened?

The bit at the end was the dumbest moment in the show so far. Very latter Game of Thrones; empty, illogical spectacle. I'm sure Twitter loved it. The rest of the ep was ok, but did feel rushed. There wasn't as much tension as you would expect given Viserys' corpse is supposed to be locked away rotting for days (something they could've anchored the episode with - his body looking worse and worse as the days pass, perhaps attracting some of those rats) as the Greens make their moves. Recall GoT after Robert dies, people are being murdered, even babies, to cement Joffrey's rule. All we see here is some nameless Lord (they need to do better at portraying which Houses these Lords are from btw) being hanged. I don't expect a scene for scene replay but they could've done more to up the tension - just trying to keep Viserys' death quiet could've achieved that. Aemond is still a scene stealer and the actual coronation (where there was tension) was done well - until it wasn't - but the episode could've been better. The Rhaenys scene was the one big addition to GRRM's work so far and it was shit. A slight worry for the future, esp. when there is no Paddy/Viserys to enjoy and paint over any cracks.

I don’t like how they took away Aegon’s moment with Sunfyre ( who isn’t even properly introduced yet) just to have a useless Rhaenys moment…..

Just a quick note for now. Alicent hasn't been ruling in King Viserys stead, she couldn't sit the throne and hear petitions, the Hand (daddy Otto) was doing that. So yes Alicent was still serving men, because even if she's the one in power at the council table, ultimately no one outside the council room knew that and Otto's decisions were leading the realm. Evidence by the greeting that the Princess received last episode when coming to the keep, that was Otto's doing.

A small point but it's been only 20-22 years in the show this season, so yes Cole should have more signs of aging still but he'd be late 30s/early 40s if he was 18-20 at the tourney in Episode 1!

Shad you're just straight up forgetting about Otto lol. Otto is hand of the King, he speaks with the King's voice and Authority, and is above the Queen. That's canonical fact lol. So Alicent is absolutely powerful but has always been below a man, her Father, Her Husband, and then her Son.

My Lord of the Knight's Watch I may have a suggestion on why Lady Rhaenys didn't roast the Hightowers and their group. This is my perspective going into the show blind before the reviews and whatnot. I believe wholeheartedly once she got her dragon, she planned to break through the ground, crowds are damned, and kill the Hightowers before the war began a cold to prevent the war (Dance of the Dragons). However, when Queen Alicent used her body as a shield to protect her son, it made Rhaenys 'flinch' at the sight and lost her nerve to kill the Hightowers before resolving to flee to not be captured or killed. As you stated before the Showrunners intended that she won't kill another mother. Speaking from experience of loss, I believe Queen Rhaenys hasn't come to terms with most of her family having died yet. Her uncle was beheaded, Her husband was badly sick & son presumed dead. I believe that it weighed down on her heart and mind throughout the show. I don't think it wasn't that long ago so the wounds are still fresh and up to that point but when Alicent protected her son it reminded her of the fact she failed to protect her son and made her lose her nerve. On a side note: King Viserys I Targaryen (God Rest his Soul) being remembered as 'The Peaceful' was a beautiful moment. Great review looking forward to the ending.

The ending scene was GOT season 8 tier

Oh my god I just cannot get over giving Rhaenys fan service that just makes her seem dumb. She has allied herself, her granddaughters, her home to Rhaenyra. And she knows civil war is inevitable. Why wouldn't she use the opportunity to eliminate usurpers to the throne? I understand wanting to give fan service, but at least have Vhagar, Dreamfyre and Sunfyre flying overhead or something and she knows that she won't make it out alive. Or something, anything. This "she doesn't want to do it to another mother" (from Ryan Condal) makes no sense. She dooms thousands of mothers and their children to death and suffering with her inaction (not to mention killing probably hundreds of civilians by coming through the floor). This shouldn't have been her choice to make. This scene shouldn't have gone down like this. If they desperately just wanted Rhaenys to be at the coronation and have her moment. Either have her be up against the other dragons and she barely escapes. Or she makes her way out silently somehow. Or however. Just take out the opportunity that she could have killed the greens but didn't. She weighed a handful of people against thousands and chose to let war happen. It didn't happen like this in the book for a reason.

I was also baffled by why the doors were being closed...People online are saying its because theyre gold cloaks loyal to Daemon. How does that explain anything?! Are they trying to contain the dragon? Impossible. Are they trying to hold the people in to die, why? Peoples' brains are scrambled eggs nowadays 🤦‍♀️

They really wanted to end the episode with a Bang and they hope that no one would notice or care about the problem with that bang

I think they mentioned that some of the Gold Clocks are still loyal to Daemon. I guess they were trying to trap the Greens inside with the dragon? IDK

I believe Lord Caswell was allowed to get close to leaving because Otto was trying to be nice to the lords who bent the knee. Instead of just putting them all on a brutal lockdown, give them freedom of the castle, which would include access to the yard and stables. Once he tries to open that gate, that's when it's too much and they stop it. Otto doesn't want to be seen as too cruel, especially to those who bent the knee. You won't win any friends locking up the people who give in to your demands

Otto has had interesting development. In the first few episodes he seemed genuinely interested in the good of the realm. Now his true nature has been shown. He seems almost spiteful when proclaiming “Viserys the peaceful” and when he is working for the “good of the realm” it doesn’t seem to extend outside the walls of the red keep.

"It's hard to put a leash on a dog once you've put a crown on its head"

This episode looked like it was directed by Marvel superhero franchise writers lmao.

I saw the end scene Rhaenys as a show of force, part of it "i'm not a scared little rabbit to just run away" and part "I could end you all right here and now"

In the books Lyman Beesbury is almost certainly killed for treason. He was either: put in a jail cell until he starved, had his throat slit by Ser Criston, or was thrown out of the window into the Spiked Dry Moat of Maegor's Holdfast

Rhaenys didn’t say Dracarys because she saw a herculean plot armor shielding them.

I can't believe they actually had a glaringly pointless scene WITH A DRAGON! I mean, I like how Rhaenys escaped, but what was the point of confronting the Greens while on Meleys' back if you're not gonna charboil them?!

@1:14:25 A bit of a context here Shad is that I believe princess Rhaenys actually wanted to go to the Dragonpit in the first place. She said to Erryk when they are escaping that she doesn't want to leave Meleys her dragon & when she realized the people are moving to that same dragonpit, it became much more easier for her to recover her dragon.

The moment Rhaenys came out, Season 8 PTSD kicked in…

RIP the smallfolk that were Girlbossed to death by Rhaenys, at least your deaths will have big consequences down the line. I didn't hate the scene like most people but it was a sudden shift that could have better been executed, Her armor was shown in the background during the conversation with Alicent and as soon as they mentioned the coronation was going to be in the Dragon pit and Haleana said stuff i knew what was going to happen. I do think this undermines Aegons rise as a "villain" since him riding around Sunfire with the entire city cheering him on would really inflate his Ego and make him more invested in the war. But it gives Rhaenys more screentime and it was very weird in the books how she just does nothing for 30 years before joining the Dance. If rhaenys killed everyone in the coronation ceremony, war would still happen. You still have the oldtown hightowers, Daeron, Haelenas children as trueborn targs for the greens to rally around. Kinslaying allegations would make rhaenyrras claim even more difficult than it already is, lords would switch sides or be extremely weary about supporting the blacks. Even if Rhaenys killed them, war might have only been postponed for around a decade or so, war at this point is inevitable, there is no stopping it.

Guys, she's a Targaryen! They're all hot headed and outlandish! This may have been a bit overboard with busting through the floor, but it sent a message to the greens as to her allegiance as well as her restraint in that she didn't burn them to ash, and it was a message to the audience that Raenys is down to scrap if it comes to it. I loved the scene. I thought it was perfectly in line with her character and her devotion to her dragon. Great episode

I think Ser Criston Cole wants to be kept like a pet, or a loyal attack dog, to be able to see himself as being honorable. After Rhaenyra Targaryen almost drove himself to end his life.

This was the episode that Ramin Djawadi's music really stood out! Simply AWESOME OST

Okay so this is a but of a spoiler, so look away Shad if you don't want it: But. I think Rhaenys bursting up there is gonna have big consequences later. In the books, the peasants eventually storm the Dragonpit, and kill all the dragons there. I think this is one of the first motivators for such an action. The peasants will remember when Rhaenys slaughtered a thousand peasants with her dragon, and they'll want to get rid of the dragons for that reason.

Imagine Rhaenys screaming dracarys & the dragon setting the royals on fire and then flying off with the flames still ablaze, and we see a final shot of the Targaryens walking out of the fire, clothes burnt off, Valyrian steel intake but everyone else without targareyean blood burned alive... maybe too badass for Aegon to pull off but they did establish in Game of Throne that Danereys was fireproof which she could have inherited from her Targaryen ancestors here

I find it funny how some people criticized the dragon pit scene yet they fully embraced the thought of Targaryens flying on their dragon’s back without any protective sheathings😂

The candles in the King's bedroom window were put there & lit by the Queen's maid, to let the White Worm know the king was dead.

I actually enjoyed the dragon scene for what it was. I felt like it was more of a warning to the greens that they don’t have the power they think they do. Don’t believe she ever intended on killing them. It also shows just how meaningless the lives of the common folk are to the big players in this world. I also think you’re wrong about the whole “woke” agenda in that scene between Alicent and Rhaenys. Alicent has most definitely being used by men for the most part. Sure, she’s used men for her own gain too, but she’s only in this position she’s in now because of the decisions of men. (Her father and Vicerys). Considering this world and its lore I think it makes perfect sense that they would see it the way they do. She’s even being used by Larys. Yes, they’re using each other, but in that “feet” scene it definitely felt more like Larys was the one in power there not Alicent. I think that’s the reason he’s getting off to it, it isn’t so much about the foot fetish, which he could easily satisfy elsewhere, instead he’s getting off to the fact he has power over the current Queen and can make her do what he wants basically. It’s more of a power kink than a foot one.

Peace during a reign of Westeros is an amazing accomplishment

How deep is the basement of the dragon pit? Is it even possible for a dragon to achieve flight, let alone make enough of a run to get airborne and smash through a cement ceiling? It's a dragon, not a helicopter, it cant just lift off

their might not be gaurds at the cave because if your a normal person why would you be stupid enough to go into a room with dragons

How did she break through the damned floor? fire or a headbutt?

What happens to lord Beesbury in the book is different. As the book is a historical account, there are three versions from three different sources, with two having him die by crispy cole. In one he does shove him back into his seat, but unlike the show, he actually forces him to sit, then cuts his throat

Does anyoneknow what happened to oz haven't seen him in a bit

Im just wondering what reneera (or however you spell it) is during throughout these events, did i miss something?

Ah that ending definitely is playing as a foreshadowing event for the moon of madness that happens later, same with rhaenys speaking to Alicent, foreshadowing her eventual growth into power truly by beating her dad

The last scene can be seen as the event begining of the discontent the small folk have with dragons which leads to the storming of the dragon pit later on

Never forget Lord Beesbury's careful financial bookkeeping and other accounting services, such an unsung servant of the Crown!

I love your analyses, you’re very good at checking possibilities and intentions from the creators. I just wish I had the time to watch the whole thing!

I am thoroughly enjoying the work you've been doing with Nerdrotic. Great long listens to help the day pass while I'm at work. Thank you very much for your commentary both there, and here!

~20 years have past, not 30. They even say in the episode that "some 20 years" have passed since the lords swore allegiance to Rhaenyra in ep 1

One thing that they did do really well in this episode was capture the underhanded actions and chaotic squabbling that I imagine precedes a coup. Otto needs the support of the nobility to succeed in installing Aegon, therefore he executes those who won’t kneel. Alicent is conflicted about their actions now that the moment has arrived, therefore she tries to get to her son first so she can control what happens next. Rhaenys trying to find a way to get tf out of there in one piece. It was really intense and engaging… but then a dragon burst through the floor

so, does the end justify the means or does it not? around 1:00:00 you say it doesnt, but way before, the nuke was fine?

23:45 Notice the guards are wearing Black and Red not Green. he choose an area of the castle that still had guards mostly loyal to rhaenyra. Obviously not enough though.

If Alicent loses a kid at some point, that will be her inciting incident to go full evil. I like how the show has portrayed her thus far but we got a glimpse of her character when Aemond lost an eye to his nephew/cousin or whatever.

What keeps the dragons in the dragon pit if they can creak out at will ?

Here lies King Viserys Targaryen, the first of his name, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, of the Andals, and the First Men, Protector of the Realm. King Viserys Targaryen, the Peace Maker.

I think her not killing her family makes sense because I don’t think she would want to end an entire bloodline but her blowing the floor and then flying up was weird

I think the Rheneys scene is setting up what's to become of the Dragon Keep towards the end of the Dance of Dragons.

That dragon scene kind of reminded me about that "zombie bear" scene.

Did they ever explain why the king took the old hand of the king back when his replacement died? When he said he knew he was scheming for his own benefit and that proved to be exactly correct. It’s not like he was dying and bedridden for the whole 6 year time skip

He has a meltdown because he doesn't understand the end scene. It's like someone screaming about the traffic not moving on a red light because they don't understand traffic signals.

Well, it seems you're missing the point here, because you judge medieval nobles and royalty with modern petit bourgeois moral standards. There was an established and well-known line of succession : Rhaenyra becomes queen when Viserys dies, and all noble families had sworn an oath to that. The Hightowers break that balance and justify it by the self-serving report of "last words" attributed to the king and that noone heard except for the queen consort. By medieval standards, that is very flimsy and they don't really have a leg to stand on. Two choices for the great houses here : - either you profess to believe Alicent, the last words attributed to V relieve you de facto of your oath, and you accept Aegon as king ; - or you imply the queen lied, side with Rhaenyra and consider the other side as oathbreakers. By going for a palace coup, Otto Hightower cuts the discussion short but validates the opinion that the other side is in the right. He commits to a civil war and just hopes to shunt the armed conflict phase of it by killing Rhaenyra and her family swiftly, before they are aware of anything. And when it is done, well, might makes right. By doing what she does, Rhaenys acknowledges that there is a civil war, symbolically declares she considers Aegon to be a usurper and retreats from a weak position with her weapons (the dragon). The commoners in the buildings are now just plebs of the ennemy territory. In a medieval nobility mindset, there is no reason whatsoever that their death be of any moral relevance to her. Moreover, by exiting the pit through the room where the coronation ceremony takes place, she thrashes the ritual completely, thereby removing the legitimity that would derive from it ; she shows that the usurper is weak and cannot protect the people he pretends to rule. Hence, the death of the public serves a political and symbolic purpose : the ascension of a usurper brings woe to the land. As for not incinerating the green faction on the spot, she certainly could have, but what would have been the next move : there is apparently no structured black faction in King's Landing (that actually is my problem with this show : if R & D are contenders for the throne, why do they not have people firmly rooted in the palace ?). Going for the humiliation, symbolic deligitimization and preparing for a full-fledged war is a viable option as well, and certainly more honorable in her view. Oathbreakers can always be stripped of their titles and beheaded after the victory... Regarding foreseeable civilian deaths in the conflict, well, once again, don't expect medieval royalty to have the same views as modern middle class westerners. If the show did that, it would be bad. In short, no real problems in Rhaenys' actions as far as I am concerned. They are in character. She still should have worn a helmet, though... However, a problematic point : the greens having lord what's-his-face hanged in the court yard, when the standard for the execution of high ranking nobles in medieval Europe (the model for westeros, see the end of Eddard Stark in the GoT series) is beheading, is either a real problem in writing or an awfully brutal humiliation of all of the what's-his-face house by the greens, which would be both a breach of taste and political faux pas, for it durably alienates a house that may be could have been negociated with. But I don't know, perhaps he is a technical member of the council, ie a kind of civil servant rather than a high ranking noble, in which case hanging him is no biggie. Other problem : having a band of commoners daring to kidnap prince Aegon is baffling (what makes them think they can get out of that without being executed in the most brutal way). For the same reason, expecting (in another video) consequences for Aegon raping a low-born servant is completely off. Whatever we might think of these things with our modern references that's just not how medieval social hierarchies worked.

In the promo for the next episode we can see otto at dragonstone, I hope he will have a line like "Princess Rhaenys must answer for her crimes" or something.

Funny how it's implied that there would be guards expecting Rhaenys to get her dragon and yet, the path was totally empty, anyone could enter there to get the dragon i guess. Also her armor magically appearing all suddently... Or her armor was with the dragon (for some random reason) or the twin guy waited her to put her armor before leaving the castle with her.

As awkward as the foot part was to watch, it shows how little the queen actually is. Man with a club for a foot is asserting dominance over queen of the world. Based as hell.

I'm pretty sure that the Rhaenys scene will have consequences further down the line. Having read the book I know this scene is not in it but a certain Shepard might use this to rally some people behind him... Also, the writing has been so good until now so I don't think the writers aren't fully aware of how horrible this incident is. On the other hand I might be dead wrong. We'll see.

About your rant at 1:20:00 and onward, first of all, GRRM said many times in his interviews that he's about writing characters that go beyond moral complexities such as tropes and good vs evil perspectives. You sound religious which means a lot can cloud judgments if you're looking at it from those viewpoints. His characters are about doing cowardice and courageous things at the cost of morals. Like all humans have done. Acted out of emotions rather than rational thought. Moral ambiguity, etc.

See I was thinking it was just spectacle as well but after seeing so many comments about all the people Rhaenys might have killed with that stunt I started wondering if this was a set up for future event that will happen during the Dance….. SPOILERS: The Storming of the Dragon Pit

Didn't knights in full sets of armor where a cloak to control their temps on hot & cold days? I know they have padding under the armor where the weight of it press or hit against the body, I would expect to see those in armor to be cloaked unless in battle.

I'm glad you agree with how I was thinking. When the dragon just roared at the greens my immediate thought was why the hell didn't she just kill them all and end the war before it begins? It would've at least give some sort of justification as to why she just killed all those civilians

The first time I saw that Rhaenys scene, my lizard brain was all "YAY BIG DRAGON ROAR", while my normal brain is like "But why though?". Idk if I would've eaten up that scene wholesale if I hadn't read the book and been watching the series with my brain turned on, but I can understand those that did. Dragons, man.

Man people really want to hate good things... This episode was really well made, that one moment at the end was an eye roll for me but I can look passed it very easily because it changes nothing... its to hype up this specific dragon and I can see why

Kin slaying is extremely bad in Westeros law. Rhaenys burning Aegon (especially being the King) and other family members would have resulted in complete dissent and getting no support from all Houses in Westeros. Rhaenyra would have to rule through pure tyranny with dragons and the people of Westeros would be constantly plotting to remove her. People went through tyrannical rule with Maegor. Rhaenys knows dark days are to come, but probably hopes something can be resolved with little bloodshed. I mean, don't mind all the civilians that were slain in a ridiculous fashion. Anyway, we all know things will be bloody and dark in any case.

Think the last scene was setting something up for later, but it just feels so clunky. Bursting through stone on dragonback, opening up the pit for the other dragons? And deciding to be merciful towards the greens, even though you should know that there will be a civil war now. One slip up can happen, sometimes they pick cool over logical and for a large part of the audience that works (look at the people that enjoy RoP because of memberberries or pretty CGI) I do feel a lot of people are going off the book a little bit to much, whilst the idea of the book is that it isn't a reliable narrative. For Alicent and Rheanyra becoming more brutal, I'd think that the show will do that but over the coming seasons. Wouldn't really make sense to have Alicent already very brutal with the different backstory we got in this series. Also we saw Alicent order her first murder this episode on the White Worm, so she is getting there but with good storytelling.