Every time Christon fails he gets a promotion it seems.

Otto trauma dumping then not reciprocating the favor for his daughter is hilarious 😂

the sheer magnitude and audacity of Criston's projection in his bullying of Arryk was actually jaw dropping

The lone wolf dies, but Cheese's dog survives.

DAERON MENTIONED !!!!!!

Otto roasting Aegon was very satisfying

Duty was the death of love for Erryk and Arryk.

Otto remembering viserys and finally kind of acknowledging viserys was needed .

the twins killing each other almost had me crying. i felt so bad for them both.

Otto went from my most hated to favorite in the span of a roast session.

Tom Glynn-Carney really stands out in every scene, he gets to show so much personality and takes full advantage

Its a small thing but i love how jace and beala were able to openly talk about harwin strong, like he knows shes not using it to try and make fun of him, but shes just actually interested in what hes thinking and feeling. It also somewhat shows the hints of hoe corlys and rheanys are able to actually talk to each other truthfully

I guess you could say they Hughmanized the Hammer

Criston projected and displaced every feeling he had for himself onto Arryk. The deflecting of self blame onto other people enables him to survive without dying of disgust from his shame.

Having Criston as the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and the Hand seems like it may be a little bit of an issue lmao

9:53 re the model city, it's also a (fairly heavy handed) metaphor for recklessly smashing in a fit of rage what his father had so painstakingly crafted over many years

The face of otto realizing what a good king (pliable) he had and being utterly defeated in the face of aegons buffoonerys

The acting in this episode was top notch.

“Alicent is a good mother” she’d rather comfort Criston in bed than her own children 💀

The theme of "being loyal to their abuser" (ie dog and Cheese, Rhaenyra and Daemon) also applies to the idea of the commoners being loyal to the nobility.

Otto: schemes to put aegon on the throne Otto: knows aegon isnt loved and gets abused (does nothing, adds to it) Otto: knows aegon takes his hurt out on others (does nothing) Otto: knows aegon doesnt want to rule (doesnt care) Otto: knows aegon knows nothing about ruling (doesnt teach him anything) Otto: forces a grieving and angry aegon to parade his freshly dead son when he doesnt want to Otto: insults aegon Aegon: fires him Otto: surprised pikachu face

I caught an alt schwift x stream once and he had only nasty things to say about you shift. really cool to see you being the bigger man and shouting out his content too. it's nice to see folks rise above the drama.

Tom Glynn-Carney and Rhys Ifans killed it this episode, great acting🔥

Really cool how larys doesnt step in until aegon turns his attention to alicent, then he plays his card to spare her. Subtle writing

Otto saying he doesn’t want to hear about Alicent’s sins, just like Viserys did with Rhaenyra. And after he had reminisced about Viserys earlier. Ryan Condal I will never hate you

The thing I find most interesting is that Larys DEFINITELY was suggesting to Aegon that he be had his hand. He just happened to do it to the most politically inept person in the family, so he Aegon just picked whoever was nearest to him that he happened to like at the time. This is going to stir up some shit between Criston and Larys. Larys is going to try and blackmail Criston with his and Allicent's relationship, but do you remember what Criston did to the last guy that tried to blackmail him over a sinful relationship? He got his head smashed inside out at a wedding.

Daeron, the grandson that was promised

I love how when Aegon names Criston as Hand Criston makes the same face Aegon made on drift mark after Aemond's eye is cut out. "Who... me?"

I think the reason Heleana talks about her son as The Boy and not name him is because she tries to disassociate herself from the horrible situation that her son got murdered

The realism of watching in between him killing his brother and When falls on his sword is such that it’s disturbing. It removed the idea of romanticism that act that’s often implied when it’s in a book and destroys it. Like you can see in his face the mental space of someone who decided that’s the best option they have and can’t live with what they did. Pretty incredible.

I like how the Hull brothers see dragons, nobles and beasts,from different perspectives: Alyn saw the destruction of the war and how dragonriders have so much power. Nobles can destroy the common people lives with their wars. Adam sees a flying dragon as a symbol of both power and freedom. Having the Velarion patronage, and by consequence helping the "dragon" queen, could help him stop being a common lowborn with his hands in the mud.

the main difference between hotd and got for me has been the use of violence and sex as narrative tools. nothing feels gratuitous and always feels like it’s being used to meaningfully develop characterization/plot. really appreciate the change

Is Helaena making the opening credits tapestry? She was too sad/busy to update it this week

Innocent Rat Catchers: "man I’m in the wrong business 😂"

interesting how in season 1 Jaeherys lives and dies in the first episode and the same happens in season 2

It’s been bothering me how much the line “the mother grieves, while the queen shirks her duty” is still following through this season. Alicent shirking her duty with Criston as Haeleana ran with her daughter for dear life. Haeleana serving her only real purpose and duty - being paraded through the city as the brood mare she’s been treated as, to show off her grief as her duty. It keeps happening, and I love it. The great writing is going to be stuck in my brain for a long time to come.

Otto's "I don't wanna hear it" sounded like it actually meant "I really don't want to know anything in case I'm under trial or in dungeons with Larys".

the acting was always on point but in this episode, it was on another level. was incredibly emotional for the whole hour. Otto and Aegon stood out for me, the twins fighting was also absolutely heartbreaking

i don't really...understand the comments that are calling these past two episodes "boring". it's beautiful, slow, bloody, tender, horrific, all while being tightly wrote and impeccably performed.

Otto: "CAN YOU PLEASE JUST BE NORMAL?! Aegon: "I'm gonna make Criston the hand of the king!"

Couple of thoughts... The fascinated choice to show Alicent's physical grief/guilt mimicking Rhaynera's, whilst in labour, post Luc death. Her body language at the start of the episode was leaning over a table deep breathing and rocking, then pacing about with her hands on her lower back and focusing, mentally, internally. Some really fascinating mirroring and linking of the two characters by showing their physical grief as the same, even though one was in actual premature labour. The depiction of Heleana suffering as an autistic woman; completely overwhelmed, over stimulated, and suffering panic attacks trying to withdraw and crawl out of the wagon was one of the best depictions of autism in a long time. I was crawling over the back of the couch triggered and mimicking her. ❤

It was heart wrenching watching Halaena. Literally had to pause a few times. Very painful.

For the record this was spoiled in 1996 - Game of Thrones-Chapter 8 Bran ii. Bran literally spoiled this fight for all the readers 28 years ago.😮

To think it could have all been avoided if Erryk or Arryk had just shaved

I like that Alyn is the grizzled more reserved one of the two, Addam seeking glory is somewhat fitting, but i think they swapped the ages because in the show Alyn looks older than addam.

Damn I can't believe they got Cheese. That poor dog.

The symbolism with Aegon smashing the Valyria model is so great. My interpretation was that not only is Aegon neglecting his legitimacy, he is also destroying the realm that his father spent a lifetime building and trying to stabilize.

I swear seeing the funeral carriage get stuck had me thinking the kids body was going to fall and his head would roll off. The show runners threatened to make it worse.

12:38 there’s a really great line in succession that i feel applies to a lot of the relationships on hotd (relating to the assessment you made about cheese and his dog) “He never saw anything he loved that he didn't want to kick it just to see if it would still come back.”

This episode absolutely slapped. Rhys Ifans is my new religion.

"I have dared .. and I find it stimulating, hıhıhı" I love Tom so much, he might surpass Jack Gleeson as THE asshole king actor by the end of the show

I like the idea that Arryk was the one who fell on his sword after killing his brother. During their fight, he realised how much the conflict had taken from him. So he apologised to Rhanerya and took his life for going against his vow to protect the Queen.

Rhys Ifans BROUGHT IT this episode.

What I liked about Aerrykbowl is that I lost track on who is who. I was even wondering if the extra Kingsguard was gonna murder the survivor no matter who the survivor says he is, just to be sure.

I loved this episode so much, the scenes were amazing, cinematography was beautiful and the dialogue oh so crisp. I want more episodes like this honestly

Criston was A Bed, but Aemond was A Bed the whole episode. Meanwhile Rhaenyra was attacked while she was A Bed in Dragonstone, coincidence, I think not!

I took the Mysaria and Rhaenyra “how did you got that scar” scene as Rhaenyra realizing Daemon was also violent to Mysaria. It seems like they both recognize and went through the same struggle

#TeamSmallfolk

That final scene of Alicent and Criston had me crying of laughter

I think Otto not wanting to hear her sins, as he smiles at her, is a way to express an expression of understanding when it comes to the dichotomies of the hearts and the fact he still loves Allicent no matter her mistakes ; especially since he may be realizing his own mistakes.

Here's why Criston Cole's plan to send Arryk to infiltrate Dragonstone was a dumb plan from the word go. How many Queen's Guard does Rhaenyra have? Three. So when Arryk shows up at Dragonstone and worms his way into the castle to get to Rhaenyra, there's a one in three chance that the Queen's Guard by her side at any given moment is Erryk. You're also sending one of your own King's guard (of which Team Green only has four) to certain death. Good luck getting more warriors to enter into service when you're on record throwing their lives away. Also Arryk does not know anything about Dragonstone so him managing to spot Rhaenyra while initially avoiding his brother is nothing more than dumb luck. The plan relies entirely on dumb luck.

“My new hand will be an iron fist” goes ridiculously hard

My head canon is that Harrold Westerling is in Lys serving as a Kingsguard to some descendant of Runaway Serra

I visibly gasped when i saw aegon smashing the model city...

I love that you really cannot fully determine which twin died in the fight. There are clues that make you sway one way or the other but I think you can apply the reasons to both each time. The "you parted us" moment obviously suggests it's Arryk talking to Erryk since Erryk is the one that left, but you could argue that Arryk parted them too by NOT leaving, and by siding with the greens. The winner calling Rhaenyra "your grace" suggests its Erryk that won, but even if Arryk thinks Rhaenyra is not the Queen, he would refer to a princess as "your grace" too, and he IS somewhat honourable. The "forgive me" moment reads initially I feel as Erryk apologising for killing himself right there, and perhaps for letting Rhaenyra be so close to danger in the first place. But you could also argue that the "forgive me" is Arryk apologising for not siding with Rhaenyra in the first place, and siding with the greens, and also killing Erryk. So I find it interesting to consider that it was actually Arryk that survived. But again, who knows. (I do like the idea that IF Erryk won, it was because he was fighting for something he believes in, whereas Arryk would've been fighting reluctantly, forced into it)

You gotta give it to Blacks over Greens, they know how to hold each other. Sometimes in hug, sometimes by throat, but at least they try!

Funniest moment in this stream: "Aemond reminded me of baby Voldemort" "...Yes."

I love the through lines of the scenes for Baela/Jace, Aemond/Sylvie, and Hugh. The Baela/Jace scene concludes with Jace saying he misses Luke and in the next scene Aemond admits his remorse for killing Luke to Sylvie. She concludes that scene by telling Aemond the actions of angry princes affect the smallfolk like her, and then we transition to Hugh's situation as one of the struggling smallfolk. Great use of runtime and pacing in service of character building and plot *Chef's kiss*

Otto leaving has the same feeling as when Tywin was killed in Got. The only real adult is gone and now everything is gonna go to shit.

40:10 Rhaenyra IS protective of her. That's why she told her to stay high and keep her distance! The greens wouldn't go after her! The same way Blood & Cheese didn't go after Helaena's daughter. Jace is heir, so unfortunately he's worth more and more vulnerable to the greens.

I loved that during their fight you couldn't tell which twin was which. Because it didn't matter. It doesn't matter which side you're on, it results in the same pain and death. I'd like to think it was Arryck who apologized to Rhaenyra, understanding how meaningless all this violence is.

I thought Aegon was crying because Otto told him Viserys didn’t actually want him to be king

Jace and Baela seem to be into each other. Which is good, I guess? It's not that they are too close relatives, by Targ standards they are basically unrelated...

Everyone knew a Criston in college!

Daeron confirmed let’s gooooo

These livestreams after a great GOT/HOTD episode is one of the joys in my life. I love listening to everyone's thoughts and then at some point falling asleep to it, lol.

Finally we get something else then insane ramblings about winds of winter to talk about

Laenor might as well be dead. He went to be a sellsword. And a normal state of a sellsword after 6 years of service is a dead sellsword.

it’s something i realized recently, daemon and aemond are very similar personality wise, they do first and then think later. but also, they’re names are very close, if you move the d from daemon to the end, it’s aemond.

41:15 HOUSE CELTIGAR MENTIONED 🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀

“Death begets death begets death” Love this quote from the Red Rising series (GoT in space). It sums up the whole sequence perfectly. Death and violence will keep repeating until all the warring parties have killed each other off. Those who have read Fire and Blood will understand

"Dad loves his 40k miniatures more than his son" 😂 You are the best Alt Shift X!

I finded the funeral scene quite interesting when the greens were dressed in black. Black used as a mourning color is nothing new, but the presence of green was close to nothing, as if the greens are losing the conflinct. And we see later in the episode how the greens are destroying themselves from the inside. Might be farfeched, but here's another color theory used as foreshadowing.

Love the contrast between how Rhaenyra embraces Jacaerys after Luke dies compared to how Alicent treats Aegon and Halaena. Rhaenyra also shows genuine sympathy for Halaena, and after Luke is killed she is very specific that she wants Aemond, only the person responsible for Luke’s death. Compare that to how the greens especially Otto want to use the death of Jaehaerys for political benefit pinning it on Rhaenyra regardless of who’s fault it was.

Aegon destroying the model could also mean that he is destroying the peace that Viserys had built.

I love the classic which one is which trope when two clones (or in this case twins) fight each other and another person comes to help

I've lost all respect for Alicent for going back to Cole. What was all those, "I've sinned" confessions? Her grandson died in part because of her riding the Kingsguard. All those lighting the candles in the Sept, and wearing the Seven pointed Star were meaningless. But then again, we all can be guilty of religious hypocrisy.

No! Please don’t cut down the time on the explained videos!! I love the detail of it we need that time to properly break everything down ❤

Sylvie looks A LOT like Alicent, and the dancer that looks like Helaena has me thinking that the 'Brothel Queens' will turn out to be them mistaken for Alicent and Helaena.

I started another reread of ASOIAF (what else am I gonna do until Winds?) and Criston keeps making me think of Ned Stark’s quote re: oathbreakers. “No man is more dangerous. The deserter knows his life is forfeit if he is taken, so he will not flinch from any crime, no matter how vile.”

DAERON MENTION HYPE

You said, it was the Seasmoke flying within the blockade area. Wouldn't it be Baela on Moondancer patrolling the blockade as ordered by Rhaenyra.

brothers fighting always ends sad even clegane bowl was sad. I wish they could have fought forever but the hound got what he wanted.

Everyone saying Blood could have identified Cheese but like, so could Helaena.

The dog isnt sad because Cheese is dead, but he's now unemployed and all the other rat catchers are dead so no one will hire him again

God damn it all I can think now is “I wish they all had fidget spinners” 😂😂😂

39:24 Blood says " 'Son for a Son' He said." What I got from Daemon when he was being asked about it by Rhaenyra is that he did say "Son for a son" but what he probably really meant was "you can take Aegon if you can't find Aemond"

He kicked the dog so it didn't follow them on what was likely to be a suicide mission, no? How else do you convince a loyal pet whom one takes everywhere that this is dangerous? I took the kick to be a lesser of two evils, assuming he couldn't command those instructions verbally.

I don't think it was Erryk that won, I thought it was Arryk. I was pretty sure Erryk was the one that gets sliced on the leg, Arryk uses the leg wound to get out of the choke hold, and then runs his brother Erryk through. And then in his sadness, Arryk gave up on his assassination quest and killed himself. Which I think makes it even more tragic. Maybe I missed something in the blocking of that sequence but I have watched it twice now, really seems to me that it was the assassin Arryk wins the fight but kills himself anyway.

⁠cool to see the twins finally battle. If you read the books, they are legendary to GoT characters and mentioned a bunch of times. great to see their story play out