“Then the storm broke, and the dragons danced.” -Archmaester Gyldayn

28:41 “The idea that we control the dragons… is an illusion.” -King Viserys.

The dragon Daemon was wooing was Vermithor, once ridden by old King Jaehaerys. Vermithor is the second biggest, oldest, most battle hardened, and fiercest dragon alive after Vhagar. Vermithor coils in the Dragonmont with Silverwing, once ridden by Queen Alysanne.

that dragon roaring during Rhaenyra's labor was Syrax. Rhaenyra and Syrax's bond is so strong to the point that her dragon can feel everything she does. Rhaenyra was feeling betrayed, sad, angry and in pain. Rhaenyra rode syrax for the first time when she was 8, which is really impressive for a Dragonrider.

Aemond and Luke both lost control of their dragons at the end. Aemond wasn’t trying to kill him but once Arrax got « fired up » that was it for Vhagar. She wasn’t holding anything back anymore and Aemond couldn’t stop her from killing them both. I found this episode to be really emotional. First with the baby, then the crowning, and then the death of Luke. Lots of tears out of me!

I love that it was Matt Smith's idea to have Daemon deliver the news to Rhaenyra at the end. So perfect.

Emma D'arcy is such a phenomenal actor. They're a real powerhouse in this show.

Rhaenyra's body language at the end was incredible! Really sets up how this war will go.

Being a mother makes childbirth worth it. I was scared during my first pregnancy, and it wasn't an easy birth, but epidurals are *chef's kiss*. I've had 3 healthy babies, one stillbirth, and one miscarriage. Somehow, our minds blur the memory of the births. I remember the emotion and holding my babies, and I have a knowledge of how painful the birth was, but I don't remember the feeling of the pain. There is no joy like feeling your baby kick and then holding your newborn. If you never have kids, that's your choice and you're definitely entitled to it, but don't let fear be the only thing holding you back. 🥰 Rhaenera wrapping the baby herself is very good writing. I held my son for 4 hours before the nurses were forced to take him away. Letting go of the baby makes it real and final. Hardest thing I've ever done is let them take him away. I know from your response to my other comment that you've seen Outlander, and the acting in season 2 when Claire lost Faith was ON POINT. I never screamed like her, but everything else was just like my experience. I ugly cried myself into a migraine watching that episode and will never watch it again because it hit me so hard.

Dragons can feel their rider’s emotions, those boys both lost control of their dragons at the end

Daemo placing that crown on Rhaenyra's head just days after placing it on Viserys' was pure poetry.

Man the ending scene with the dragon chase is amazing. I love that these kids are riding these 20+ ton monsters and really think that THEY'RE the ones in control. Aemond in particular, trying to toy with Luke is like a kid running around with a loaded shotgun.

That last look by Rhaenyra…

Too many don't see what happened when Daemon grabbed her throat. That was him learning that his brother whom he always loved, supported, and backed up never actually believed in him.

You were correct; that was one of the unclaimed dragons Daemon spoke of at the Table. His name is Vermithor. If you remember old King Jahaerys from the premiere episode, this is his dragon. He is only surpassed in age and size by Vhagar. Another part of the reason Aemond looked so shell-shocked after Vhagar killed Luke and Arrax, is that he will now be regarded as a kin-killer. Despite their divisions, they were still family. Those who take the lives of their own blood-kin are not looked upon favorably in this realm.

Aemond's look: "It was at this moment he knew... he fucked up."

Danny said it way back in GoT... "A dragon is not a slave"

"Zaldrīzes buzdari iksos daor." (A dragon is not a slave.) ~Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals, the Roynar, and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, Kaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, The Mother of Dragons, the Unburnt, Breaker of Chains. "The idea that we control the dragons is an illusion. They are a power men should never have trifled with." ~Viserys Targaryen, titles, titles, titles... Vhagar was simply doing what she'd been trained to do and done well all her long life. And poor Arrax was just a terrified baby under attack by a much bigger and fiercer beast. They both did what comes natural to dragon. I may be wrong, but I don't think Lady Misaria is dead. I think they just burned her out. Welcome to #TeamBlack

Daemon was singing a Valyrian song called "With Three Heads" Here's the translation of the song: "Fire breather Winged leader But two heads To a third sing From my voice: The fires have spoken And the price has been paid With blood magic With words of flame With clear eyes To bind the three To you I sing As one we gather And with three heads We shall fly as we were destined Beautifully, freely"

Really enjoyed your reactions and commentary of S1 HOTD. Now the long wait for S2 begins.... 😢

Any restraint Rhaenyra had before is now gone. That last look at the end shows it. Aemond really f**cked up, he just started a full blown war.

The dragon Daemon was singing to is Vermithor, it was the old king's dragon and currently without a rider, he was "recruiting" him for the blacks.

Well with Daenerys, her braids were associated with the dothraki and that's where her braids are affiliated with as far as winning battles go and getting closer to the iron throne

The name of the dragon that Daemon is singing to is Vermithor. It belonged to his grandfather(Jaehaerys).

That unclaimed dragon was Vermithor, who's last rider was King Jaehaerys. He's the second biggest dragon we've seen and as terrifying as he looks, he's actually supposed to be the "friendliest" of the dragons. Which falls in line with the personality of his last rider. There's also Silverwing, who was the dragon of Jaehaerys' wife, Alysanne. Those two dragons have a bond that's similar to their riders. We also see that with Daemon and Rhaenyra's dragons. Caraxes constantly makes cooing noises at Syrax, which is wildly adorable. I love that this show is allowing the bond with dragon and rider to be further explored. We saw Caraxes feel Daemon's pain when he was shot with an arrow, Vhagar not wanting to burn Laena, Syrax when Rhaenyra is in labor, Syrax getting agitated on the bridge which alerts Rhaenyra, Arrax feels Luke's terror and attacks Vhagar. And then we have Viserys' warning in the first episode. He told us that the Targaryen's thinking they control the dragons was an illusion. Aemond, while smart and calculated, would be a terrible King. Similar to Maegor the Cruel, much like Daemon. He's a greater character, but he's not someone I would want on that throne.

She is all of us watching that chase between Arrax and Vhagar.

The dragon Daemon was singing to is Vermithor - it belonged to Daemon, Viserys and Rhaenys' grandfather King Jahaerys. Also, arguably the second largest living dragon after Vhagar.

What a pleasant surprise of wonderful storytelling throughout this season giving most of us can't wait vibes for season 2 & beyond 😉

But in the end, still Daemon holding Rhaenyra's hand and care. Daemon wiping his tears while walking and about to deliver the bad message.

It's been months and I'm still not over losing Luke. They did such a good job of making us care for him despite the fact that he had such little screen time and was played by two actors (Harvey and Elliott portrayed him perfectly). That scene where Luke is trying to soothe Arrax before flying and demonstrated his excellent Valyrian was so heartbreaking. It was like getting an idea of who he could grow up to be in the future. A future he will never see.

Vhagar seen some shit in her lifetime, that lil baby arrax was reacting out of fear.

Thanks! Blitz-watched all ten of your House of the Dragon Season 1 reviews and throughly enjoyed them! (Have also watched your Andor reviews and really like those too). You bring a great energy, and have really good takes, theories, and thematic approaches. Looking forward to HotD Season 2!

The flashes of a dragon were Rhaenyra's dragon Syrax feeling Rhaenyra's pain through their shared empathic bond. I also loved the hypocrisy of Lord Borros' comments that he's not "some dog that she can whistle up at need to set against her foes" when that's precisely what sworn lords are to the monarchy. This just further proves his ignorance immediately after he had to have a maester read the letter to him.

Normally, all the little dragons are faster than Vhagar, but Storm's End had the usual thunderstorm. The bigger the flying object, the more stable it is and will better in storms.

I loved almost everything about this show's first season. Sit back and bask in the chaos.

Alicent knew that Otto was plotting for Aegon to be the king when he was 3. Corlys actor also said even tho the kids aren’t blood related they are his grandkids and he’s looking for revenge. Yes they couldn’t control the dragons but aemond shouldn’t be chasing after luke. I would say daemon and rhaenyra got the best connection with their dragons….daemon don’t have to say a word and caraxes pop up lol. Aemond was chasing a little boy around on a dragon cuz he still mad about the eye 6 years later and you think he would be a great king? Better than Aegon yea but great is a stretch 🤣 also you have to take into consideration that the dragons feel what the rider is feeling so arrax knows luke is scared in that moment while also avoiding vhagar trynna bite down on him multiple times…another great reaction btw you gained a fan in me for sure lol

Daemon seems that he is the only one who knows what a war is coming and if what he does to rhaenyra is not right but I understand his anger at the death of viserys, the death of his daughter he realizes that viserys never trusted him and Otto arrives with a piece of paper and rhaenyra thinks about whether to go to war or not, yes, daemon is the one who knows the most, what is coming is not a game teamdaemon 🔥🔥

Honestly my favorite part of the ENTIRE season that I found most interesting was Daemon's exposition about the status of the other Houses.

There are a lot of very compelling characters in this show but I think Aemond is honestly one of the most interesting: he's obviously very capable but also incredibly arrogant, which manifests as cockiness - and cockiness isn't something that mixes well with dragons, especially dragons that aren't fully trained/bonded with their rider. It's also incredibly telling that, despite his aloofness and initial assurance that losing his eye was a small price to pay for a dragon, he holds a deep-seated grudge against Luke for the act - but again, we already knew about his penchant for grudges (as we saw with the pig and how he reacts to reminders of that incident). Furthermore, it's obvious that, even though he has this grudge against Luke, he doesn't actually want to kill him - the dragon chase was only meant to scare Luke, and he seemed genuinely shocked to bring about his death after losing control of Vhagar (although I suppose you could attribute this to him realizing that accidentally killing Luke is basically a declaration of war rather than him feeling actual remorse). The fact that he told someone (at least, I'm pretty sure he told someone, unless someone else happened upon Luke and Arrax's corpses, though I'm not too sure of how likely that is depending on where they fell) of Luke's death also shows - to me, anyway - an incredible amount of maturity, as he could have very easily pretended as though nothing happened. At his core, Aemond seems to have a very strong moral code - maybe not one we completely share, but a strong one nonetheless - and a strong sense of duty/responsibility that ultimately makes for a very fascinating character.

A truly outstanding peace of work and something you should be immensely proud of 🙌 thank you for all the effort you put into your channel 🤗 take care and hope your week is full of good vibes and laughter 🌻🩷🌺🐝🙏

And then the storm broke, and the dragons danced... Team Black 4 lyfe... ALL HAIL THE QUEEN.

Viserys said it - "the idea that we control the dragons is an illusion, they're a power men should never have trifled with"

Can't wait for next season. This episode was visually fantastic. So much goes down in the span of one episode, it's crazy.

The reason they had so many shots of the stillborn baby is because it was malformed, with tiny dragon hornlet bumps on the back of its head, and leathery skin on the back. It also appears to be missing at least one limb. So, just like Dany's baby, it was born part dragon. If you have the stomach to go frame by frame in those shots, you can see it. It hasn't been confirmed, but the novels hint at it multiple times, that the Valyrians have been mixed, through magic, with dragons, making "blood of the dragon" a literal statement. It's theorized that this is why targaryen children are sometimes born deformed, with dragon-like features, why some of the targs seem to be heat resistant, why they're immune to most human illnesses, and why they have a link to their dragons. The Great Empire of the Dawn, which controlled much of Essos prior to the Long Night, were the first to breed dragons. The Dawn Empire was ended by the original Long Night, and it's likely they created dragons for combat against the original White Walkers, who are pretty heavily hinted at being related to the First Men/Starks and Children of the Forest, who had formed a pact. The books don't make the order or detail of events super clear since they happened like 8000 years ago, but the first men invaded Westeros and fought the children, burning down their sacred weirwoods. I think that this is what lead to the Children creating the Others, by capturing humans and performing a ritual to put the spirit of a Weirwood into a human form, with no weaknesses to human weapons. They kicked the First Men's butt and the proto-Starks sent an emissary (the "last hero") to the Children, and they came to an agreement (the Pact), where the humans adopted the Children's religion, holding the weirwoods sacred, so they would no longer burn them down. It's unclear exactly why, after the Pact, the Long Night started, but I suspect it was because the Dawn Empire invaded Westeros themselves, and the First Men (the proto-starks) lent their bodies to create new White Walkers to combat them....which basically started an arms race and lead to the breeding of dragons and dragonriders. The Valyrians are very likely survivors of the Dawn Empire royal family, and the books state that the Dawn Empire and the Valyrian Freehold both engaged in blood magic to create hybrids of various animals and men. The dragons are thought to by wyverns crossed with firewyrms. Cross a little dragon blood into your family line and suddenly you're dragonlords.....with the downside being madness, a proclivity for burning things, and some kind of ancestral memory of the Others. (And yeah, if you think show-fans were mad about the last couple seasons of the show, they've got nothing on the book-fans....the show basically threw the entire Stark/Others/Targ/Dawn empire plotline out the window and it's literally the title of the whole series......)

@funnylilgalreacts I just want to tell you how beautiful I think you are and not just on the outside, I love your soul! The emotions you showed while watching House of the Dragon!!! You're so sweet and loving

And that where the prologue ends! Now we get the exciting stuff!

Can’t wait for your Severance reactions! It’s so very different than everything I’ve ever watched; maybe one of the best shows of 2022.

"And the dragons danced..."

29:33 I believe in the book the head of Arrax, Luke's dragon, washed up on shore. I would imagine something similar happened off screen, the head was found and Daemon was alerted.

The dragon daemon sang to is Vermithor. The dragon of Rhaenyra's great grandfather Jaehaerys by this point he's almost 100 years old and the second biggest dragon

"The idea that we somehow control the dragons is only an illusion. They are a great power men never should have trifled with."-King Viserys I to Rhaenyra before he named her heir. He should have had this same convo with his sons. Gotta give it to Arrax...that baby dragon had some heart. 🔥🖤🔥🖤 Too bad he had zero chance against the mighty Vhagar. Remember: Vhagar was one of the dragons who helped the Targaryens conquer Westeros. She's massive, old, battle-hardened, and mean af! The main dragon, Balerion (aka Balerion the Dread and more massive than Vhagar) was ridden by Aegon I (aka Aegon the Conquerer) and it's last rider before he died was Viserys I. He was so grief-stricken by Balerion's death that he never rode another dragon.

It has already been pointed out that the idea that the riders control the dragons is an illusion. The dragons clearly have egos and wills of their own. Another thing I might be mistaken but I don't think the White Worm is dead. Otto struck against her and was trying to silence her, but I think she survived. At least i really hope so because I enjoyed the character.

What an incredible first season. Can't wait for the second one

Thing to remember (and it's kind of why the whole war is going to happen) - they CAN'T just choose who gets the throne. The rules of succession prevent that. It's a weird system...

Saw this pop up, and immediately fast forwarded to the end to see THAT reaction 😅 I'll watch the whole thing next. Sorry not sorry. But I can't wait for your next trilogy of Legend of Vox Machina reactions! 😈

Hey girl, iam new to your channel, just wanted to say hi first😎. Ok love this season, an what a great reaction, iam looking forward to watching more from you. Looking through the other post, I think everyone covered anything that I was going to say.. So I'll be looking for your next post. 😁😉

I LOVE how every black supporter pisses their pants after watching Aemond. 😂😂😂😂 He has become such a menace.

Now the war can begin. The realm shall glow in dragonfire.

I remember watching this when it first came out back in the fall of 2022, and going through all them emotions, only to find out that season two wouldn't come out until early summer of 2024. Happy you got around to this show but now you will get to wait with us for roughly 6 more months! As soon as Aemonds dragon did that, you could tell on his face that he fucked up baddd. Love these reactions and been binge-watching your content after finding you through your avatar reactions!

Because of his killing Luke, Aemond will be called Aemond "The Kin Slayer". Yes, both Luke & Aemond lost control of their dragons. Arrax feeling threatened by Vhagar spat fire @ her. U know when Daemon chokes Rhaenyra saying "Dreams did not make us kings. Dragons did." The thing is a prophetic dream is what saved the Targaryens from the Great Doom (the destruction of Old Valarya), so there is some merit in their dreams. All dragon riders r bound by blood magic which gives them that empathic bond to dragons. Rhaenyra's dragon could feel her pain when it was showing the flashes of Syrax.They believed that the purer the blood the more connected they were to the dragons & to magic. That was why they had incestuous marriages. We see that connection when Daemon goes to see that dragon in that dragon pit, & they r reflected in each others eyes. For some reason that dragon's name eludes me, I just know they call him "The Cannibal". He is the 2nd oldest & 2nd largest dragon. Daemon reiterates that bond in the song he sings in Valarian to the dragon. Anyway, this was another great reaction.👍😊

They don’t control the dragons - the dragons are simply psychically bonded to them and are positively inclined to their “master”, but have their own wills. They often feel like cooperating, it doesn’t mean they have to.

Yes it’s how they end season roll on 2 years of my life waiting

The last episode was epic since it lays the foundation for a second season full of emotion and adrenaline, since the dance of the dragons has truly begun, super excited with what will follow next :)

It proves Rhaenyra's point about Dragons going to war and everything burning. If Dragons are frightened they'll defend themselves, riders be damned.

11:50 It's pretty well established in the World of A Song of Ice and Fire (at least in the TV Series) that Targaryen Dragon Riders have a special connection to their Dragons. In episode 3, when Daemon, mounted on Caraxes, attacked the men of the Triarchy, at the moment the pirates' arrow hit Daemon, he cried out in pain and Caraxes did too, feeling the physical pain of his rider. In this case, the Dragon of Rhaenyra, Syrax, is the one who feels the agony of his rider due to the pains of his premature labor.

Did you know the twins switch roles? One had covid. The other took the part where the twin pledges his loyalty to Rhaenyra..wow

Been waiting for this one. My poor guy who shares the same name gets snuffed out by a dragon. I guess there's less epic ways to go for us Lukes. Great reaction as always. Cheers!

To put the crown on Rhaenyra head, is what Deamon have been waiting since Viserys name her Heir.

"It's like a Boeing 737 chasing a duck."

Hot dog, I completely forgot you where watching this show. What a treat.

In the book it was Daemon who wanted to negotiate and avoid fighting with their dragons ("We must fight this war with words before we go to battle") while Rhaenys was the one pushing for them to use their dragons to attack. And instead of saying she needed a day to think about their offer, Rhaenyra told Aegon's messenger that she would have Aegon's throne or she would have his head. She also blamed the Greens for the death of her baby (“She was my only daughter, and they killed her. They stole my crown and murdered my daughter, and they shall answer for it”). The show seems so focused on making sure all the female characters never bear any responsibility for any of the bad things that happen, they did the same thing with Alicent.

He did start the war by killing luke that's also why he looked so scared because he knows he started it, that last scene in the end when she finds out, her face had a look that she was done with peace and its time for battle. She said she wasn't going to make the first move, she was only waiting on the greens first. And she sees this as there first move. And no luke and aemond both lost control of there dragons. Viserys technically said if you think thank u can fully control them your wrong. And that using them for full on war can be a bad thing because in moments like this you can't control them,especially if your not trained for battle with the dragons. Which luke and aemond are not trained for neither is lukes dragon.

Unfortunately we all have to wait until 2024 for season 2. That is painful.🤬😡

Dragonstone and storms end are very close to each other. Think can be seen on clear days. Dragon parts were on shore and kid didn’t come back.

Foreshadowing from Episode 1. Viserys told Rhaenyra "the idea that we control the dragons is an illusion"

What I am curious about, especially because this was such the immediate reaction, if they open with Aemond telling Alicent because that is not going to go well. Especially because before that I thought they would almost start with the darkest event of the start of the war, credits almost fifteen minutes in and then we spend a good part of the premiere with Jace's mission. Just to have extremes.

now we gotta wait for over a year 😐; 34:09 exactly 🤣🤣🤣

I know this is a serious and sad episode, but I couldn't help but laugh when Angela started cooing over Caraxes.

30:35 - Yup, pretty much.

In the books, remnants of Arrax's body washed up on shore and the towns people reported it. That's how they found out.

Will you/did you read the book in advance of Season 2?

It makes no sense how melys was able to fly up and break through the floor, and be totally unscathed...This contradicticts a significant future event.

I read down a bit and didn't see anyone mention that ol' girl didn't bow because in this world, it is not her place to choose sides, it is the Sea Snake's, her husbands place to pick. So, she could not bow and pledge her allegiance. IMO makes sense.

I am reminded of something Daenaerys once said in GoT, something to the effect of "Dragons are not slaves". Yeah Luke and Aemond had both totally lost control of their respective dragons. The only "control" anybody has over a dragon, is how much the dragon decides it wants them to have. After Aemond started threatening Luke's dragon, the much smaller dragon probably thought it was already fighting for it's life, so it started fighting like any animal backed into a corner. That was all it took for Vhaegar to decide to fully assert her dominance. And that look on Aemond's face after. He didn't think that what he did might start a war. He KNEW that he most definitely DID just start a war, and was instantly regretting it. And if the look on Aemond's face wasn't enough to drive that point home, the look on Rhaenyra's face was definitely the visage of somebody that embodied "I am become death". At least that is how I saw it. I'm really looking forward to season two !

Soooo long til season 2 😭

"The idea that we control dragons is an illusion, they are a power that men should never have played with" - King Viserys - House of the Dragon Season 1 Ep 1.

Aemond keep bitching around about his eyes when he already said himself it's a fair trade for gaining a dragon is so funny.🤣 Viserys: "dragon is a force that is not to be play with" Aemond and Luke: "yes you are right, we had to learnt it the hard way" Daemon: "BULLSHIT!!!!" (keep collecting wild dragons like a pokemon)🤣. I'm ready to support every crime that The Black Queen & The Rogue prince will do in season 2! 🙌🏻

Now you still have to wait until 2024 for season 2

"My dear Lord Borros Baratheon, do you really forget your fathers oath for some marriage pact? Must I remind you, that your Queen Rhenyra is the designated heir by your King Viserys? And don´t forget she has 13 dragons which could easily burn yor castle like Harrennhall, if you be considered a traitor?"

"The dead girl had been named Visenya, Princess Rhaenyra announced the next day. “She was my only daughter, and they killed her. They stole my crown and murdered my daughter, and they shall answer for it. [...] As for my half-brothers and my sweet sister, Helaena, they have been led astray by the counsel of evil men. Let them come to Dragonstone, bend the knee, and ask my forgiveness, and I shall gladly spare their lives and take them back into my heart” but after Luke's death: "On Dragonstone, Queen Rhaenyra collapsed when told of Luke’s death [...] "tell my half brother that i will have my throne or ill have his head"

6:03 FYI her boy are totally immature compared to alicent's children. Atleast alicent's boys don't need their parents to protect them.

I have to say: I had extremely low expectations for this series, considering the steeper and steeper downward spiral that had been GoT after season 5 (and how badly some elements of the series in general have aged). The pilot didn't really convince me otherwise, but with every chapter, this has gotten better and better. This emotional finale was so well done, in script, direction and action. Despite me knowing of how the action broadly goes (book reader here), I can't wait for the next season.

Little Luke Strong the bastard gone but not forgotten

For the world of Song of Ice and Fire the offer from Otto (if taken as face value and not a lie) was a very good one, though.

34:53 I've fought 2 people a couple of times and let me tell you it's not merely twice as hard. 4 people even half one's size is absurdly dangerous and I would run back to my dragon, as Aemon should've.

Aemond being crazy yet again said he was fair trade he got a dragon but now wants an eye also. And what did he think would happen on giant dragon against small dragon in a storm? Play stupid games win stupid prizes even if he didn’t mean to kill. Want that psycho as king? Tiny dragon had enough and finally fought back. Can’t blame either dragon.

mysaria is very much alive, no body no confirmed death (alongside other book spoiler reasons)

29:36 The whole court in Storms End saw Aemond leaving after Luke, witnesses saw dragon fire above the clouds of Storms End. Also Deamon has people in The City Watch of King's Landing still loyal to him because he was the founder of the gold cloaks. And I think Aemond is gonna bragg about killing Luke and the news is gonna reach Deamon couple a days later to really confirm the killing of Luke. All of the last scene happend maybe a day or 2 later and I think Rheanyra was already worried because the journey takes houres not days.

16:18 "Green dragon. Great." *TLOVM Flashbacks*

Queen R lost 2 children in 24 hours. INSANE