With Rhaenys, it starts to feel like the showrunners just are pretending episode 9 didn't happen and want us to forget about it too.

When Viserys was indecisive and refused to act, he was called a bad king who wasn't willing to do what must be done and let problems fester. When Rhaenyra is indecisive and refuses to act, she is called a wise queen who knows much better than all those rash hotheaded men around her.

I dont get how Rhaneyra was able to disappear from her castle for like 2-3 days while her council is begging her to give them an order and to do something. Imagine you cant find the queen for days, and there are enemy troops on the march

I mean yes rhaenyra does have the power to end the war. But she'd be killing herself. Daemon. Jace. And maybe her other two boys. Especially with Aegon in power. If Alicent was the most powerful person in westeros and didn't have to deal with the scheming of Larys or Otto then yes she'd be able to make sure nobody else died. But that's not the world we are looking at. Personally I'd kill thousands before I let my family die. Maybe even millions.

The show was over an hour and time just flew. It's great viewing. 👍

Daemon has a great line talking to Simon Strong about Grover Tully. "Men should always respect their rulers, regardless of their condition". Emphasizing his respect for his brother.

Was it slower? Yes, but you can't kill a Prince every episode. Mabye next episode

bad writing. There is no way Rhaenyra is going to go to King's Landing with one dude protecting her. There is no way Alicent is going to let her escape from King's Landing without incident. They just wanted a scene between them regardless of how much sense it made. Sad!

I will say, I think the nudity for Aemond might have been helpful for character building in a way. I believe the idea's meant to be him rising above people's mockery and having no shame to his game. That being said, the rest of the scene is comically gratuitous.

You want action, next episode is action.

I honestly love the pacing. I am glad they're taking the time to establish everything well, and allow room for a little extra flavour. This episode was amazing.

the Rhaenys event in the dragonpit was "show only" in the book she escaped without killing that many people if even harming anyone. and now it paints her in a very different light which is what I hate about the show.

I have to disagree with you, Shad- on the perspective of why Rhaenyra can't/ won't give up her claim: it's not purely personal desire for 'comfort', or royalty- it's her being bound to duty; what her mother, brother, & father suffered & died for - she's thinking about the responsibility & burden her father laid on her- with Aegon the Conqueror's dream; in s1, when she realised how seriously her father took regarding her as his heir, by the fact that Daemon was *never* told of it {also, imo- Cole was in the wrong to expect her to give up her position, to assuage _his_ sense of guilt over his 'lost honour'; he knew who & what she was when he got involved with her - he was travelling with her on her 'betrothal tour', for goodness sake- he knew she was eventually going to have to marry}- in episode 1 of this season, when Jace is at the Wall with Cregan, we were given yet another hint to things (& we can argue about the eventual pointlessness, thanks to Dumbarse & Dipsh^t- but atm, it's neither here nor there), & in this episode- during the (admittedly odd) confrontation between Rhaenyra & Alicent- it makes for the latter being the second outsider to learn about it, & if one of the voiceovers in the ep 4 trailer is anything to go by, next episode may see her reveal the prophecy to Jace. I'm not bothered by the slowness, it feels realistic to the growing scale of a militant build-up, in this environment - it's a pseudo-medieval fantasy world; people's movements, news & information will only pass as fast as the technology available: ravens - travelers by foot, horse, cart, & carriage - & water-borne vessels -- I'm just surprised that Rhaenyra's side aren't remarking on Luke's death at Aemond's hand while serving as an unarmed messenger- the harming of a messenger was always regarded pretty seriously (it's not a whatabout-ism, it speaks to the growing scale of the conflict), & minus his private confession- the guy's publicly proud of himself, & was feted by Aegon for it, after all... Edit: word

Viserys is a contemptable and weak king (and father) because he: 1. Broke with Westerosi tradition to declare Rhaenyra his heir. Ironically, the very same tradition that facilitated his rise to power. This alienated wide swaths of the very Lords who brought him to power. 2. Completely failed to teach Rhaenyra the complexities of how to rule well. Including instilling in her a sense of duty, in part because he himself didn't understand these things and he lazily relied on Otto's impressive expertise of Westerosi politics. 3. Picked favorites among his children and then wore his favoritism on his sleeve. Thus sowing the seeds of animosity among his children. This can be evidenced in his reaction to his son Aemond losing his eye. Once Viserys learned someone questioned the legitimacy of Rhaenyra, he completely ceased to care at all about Aemond's eye. That his father really didn't love him was a lesson that was not lost on Aemond. 4. Despite having knowing full well that the Targanyens had already had a brief civil war that included dragon-on-dragon violence (the conflict that ended Meagor the Cruel reign) and two tense familial standoffs regarding women and succession (Jaehaerys vs. Rhaena and Viserys himself vs, Rhaenys), he continued the disastrous policy of giving a dragon, the medieval equivalent of nuclear bombs, to every member of his family. Thus ensuring that when familial disputes arise, they can and will go catastrophic. It would be like the U.S. "solving" the Cuban Missile Crisis by giving Cuba their own nukes. Viserys was a feckless and weak man. Even if he weren't king, he would have been considered a weak and bad father. His actions seeded great amounts of animosity in his own family and kingdom while he simultaneously ensured that every party in a future familial conflict would be armed with flying machines of mass death. By the time of his death, the fall of House Targaryen from the heights of King Jaehaerys was a forgone conclusion.

I didn't even think the writing was that impressive. It's like everything seems to go into slowmotion cause they don't want to spend too much on the dragon fights. Not showing the battle between the two families was such a misstep as well.

regarding the Rhaenira - Alicent scene ... yeah, that was made poorly ... liked most of the episode though. but COME ON: 1/ Rhaenira Has a chosen one prophecy on your hands 2. They killed her son (she doesn't know like us that it was an accident) 3. They are likely to kill more of her people 4. Aegon is a little SHIT. (love the actor) 5. the killer of her son has a nuclear weapon strapped to his ass 6. The only reason not everybody is trying to kill her is because she has a claim (and supporters) 7. because of faith of the 7 Would you just lay down your life, the lives of your families and so on just to save peasants you don't know (or care about) ?

you said if she is a better king or queen she should give up her position, and give the ruler place to aegon, but my thoughts are bit different. first of all aegon isn’t a good king or person. he had children fighting pits, and i think it is a huge indication of his character. also besides him being bad person, the song of ice and fire is very important. she understands it because it is from his father and he taught her from young age that it is important. but besides aegon’s personality if she just gives up her position and no matter how she empathize aegon to up hold it, he will not understand it. so i understand even if she is better ruler she can’t give up her position.

Lots of things Happened in this episode, For starters: The Blackwood/Bracken feud Finally Kicked off the war, Officially. Daemon Takes Harrenhal which is a strategic location. Rhaenyra sends her Children away, Corlys is close to rebuilding his fleet, Tyland has assembled The Westerland forces and Ormund Hightower is Marching his men from the Reach. It's not visual. But the wheels are turning. War is coming next episode.

house of the dragon is a soap opera compared to game of thrones. i can only watch these episodes 20-30 minutes at a time

People are welcome to enjoy what they enjoy, but if they think this is a good episode, they know very little about writing. Daemon's "conquest" of Harrenhal made no sense at all. He dismounted his dragon and started wandering through random hallways alone, in an enormous castle officially occupied by the enemy, rather than landing outside, remaining with Caraxes, requesting an audience, and declaring that they will forfeit the castle or burn. It was very difficult to watch. Daemon wandering through hallways reminded me of Tyrion organizing chairs. The "My Prince / Your Grace" discussion also made no sense. In ASoIaF, the consort of the reigning monarch has always been referred to as Your Grace. Furthermore, Westeros has no precedent of a ruling queen, so the logical assumption most lords would make is "Husband of the queen? Oh, that's the king." And in Episode 5, it was established that the queen's husband would be named King Consort. For some reason, the show keeps trying to pretend that Daemon isn't king, when he very much is. Rhaenys and Rhaenyra continue to be whitewashed for the show's political agenda, while the character assassination of the Greens continues. War has been clearly inevitable since Episode 10, arguably since Episode 9, and we've had multiple inciting events that should have sent Rhaenyra into all out war (the death of Lucerys, the failed assassination), plus Blood & Cheese for the Greens, yet the show is still pretending that war can be avoided. It's no longer merciful or judicious; it's just delusional and a waste of time. We are three episodes into an eight-episode season. Fucking do something already. The opportunity for peace has already been lost, and anyone with a brain knows it. And of course, Rhaenyra sneaking into KL dressed as a Septa is Beyond the Wall levels of stupid. I was at a loss for words. Everyone gave Criston shit for his twin plan, but this was a hundred times worse. You are risking the reigning monarch of your faction, on whose claim your entire cause depends, walking into a city occupied by the enemy, to speak with one of the main figures in the enemy power structure, while she is surrounded by guards and you have no possible means of escape. The writers clearly have no concept of logistics. Furthermore, if Alicent is sticking with the Green cause and she wants to avoid an all-out war, any person with a lick of sense would have arrested Rhaenyra right there as she was walking out. Keep her as a hostage, and you've basically won the war. Daemon will throw a fit, but he has no direct authority, nor do any of Rhaenyra's children, since Rhaenyra herself is still alive. Even if Aegon chose to execute her, which is likely, it's still a huge win for your side compared to letting her walk out the fucking door. Plenty of fans are rightfully calling out this episode for the pile of dog shit that it was. And if you still enjoy it, good for you. I'm not the arbiter of what you can enjoy. But no one should be claiming it was a good episode. You lose whatever small credibility that you have making nonsense claims like that. People have drowned in garbage television shows for so long that something even mildly enjoyable is praised as a masterpiece.

I mean, Daemon caused the dead of his brother's innocent grandson.

They're working over time trying to make a hero out of Rhaenyra and I'm sorry but i paid attention to the first season

Besides budget, the reason why the intro battle wasn't shown is also because it's pointless. It's revealed later this was a costly stalemate for both sides, the only effect being actually being a battle that happened more due to the grudge between the houses than the succession crisis itself. But as for the rest, it escalates the situation. Both sides simply learn that the battle happened without having taken part in it.

Rheanyra can't back down dude. That would have been possible if her father removed her as heir, but she's still bound by duty. That is why she was told about the dream, she believes in the song of ice and fire. That's why she won't give up her place as heir, and the fact that this dream is a secret and not even Daemon was told about affirms Rhaenyra's claim to the throne. Come on dude.

Something that MUST pop up into the minds of all men in Westeros at some point: "Is it too late to take the black? You know, just bail out of this mess and fuck off to the Wall?"

My dad and I still enjoyed it overall. We watched it at about 1 or 2 AM after attending a concert and neither of us dozed off at all.

Alicent calling the guards to arrest Rhaenyra after their conversation would have gone a long way to pacify the war before it gets started

They brought in teleportation and time stopping for contrived moments so I think it's going to go downhill from here as the story is now being bent by the writer's will. Game of Thrones was good because it feels like historical events, the Queen teleporting for a face-to-face that wouldn't logistically ever happen. I gave them a pass before using dragons to fast travel but her sneaking in on a small boat when there's a literal army marching to her doorstep. This completely ignores how extremely reckless and impractical the plan actually was. No, she would have never got face to face with Alicent. No, she wouldn't have snuck into a temple without any of the other sisters noticing she was an imposter. No, the Kings Guard would not have let some strange woman approach the Alicent to have a full conversation with her.

When the dragon rider spots Sir Cole I think it was the dragon spotting them, they show it jerking it's head in gesture and she follows it gaze.

I think it was clearly a "calm before the storm" kind of episode, which means the next will be a lot more action-packed. The scene where Rhaenyra travels to King's Landing felt VERY contrived though, and for that reason I think this is the weakest episode, or on par with Rhaenys's pointless mass murder at Aegon's coronation.

Is no one going to mention Cole’s hair? The most shocking change this episode.

When rhaenyra didn't want to run off with Cole, it was because she couldn't abandon her duty to unite the realm and deliver the prince that was promised, song of ice and fire etc. Not anything to do with the comforts of being royalty. That's how I took it at least. Plus no matter what small fishing village in essos they went to, the Greens would never stop hunting her and her children. She'd always be a threat to Aegon by existing and vice versa. So I'm struggling to see any selfishness in not wanting to give up her claim. Same for the greens. Neither side can realistically surrender and live out their days in peace. Either side simply existing would always be a threat to the other.

Rynera is also the only one entrusted with the song of Ice and Fire so her continuing the royal line is to her essential to protect the kingdom.

They seem to have a rule with the Velaryons from the book. Make sure they are not attractive or white and light hair like in the book

They are desperately trying to make Rhaenyra so blameless which is making her character dumber than Daenerys in season 7&8. Members of her council are trying to make her take this war seriously and she like "I think on it" like these lords are at risk of losing their castle and life and you sitting on your behind. I have would deserted. Then She risk her life to get into the city to talk to the “dowager Queen Alicent” to see if she can stop the war . 1: how is she as the queen mother going to stop war as the queen mother, even if she agrees. 2: At this point, why would Aegon or Rhaenyra just give up . Rhaenyra views Aegon a usurper why would she let them live for that or Aemond who killed her son. And why would aegon just give up the revenge against them killing his son. 3: if she cares for the realm so much and not power why doesn't she give up, it's aegon that was crowned by the high septon and possess the capital and sits the iron throne. That whole septa Rhaenyra is ridiculous , why would Alicent not captured Rhaenyra right then and there that would have stopped the war. Make no sense and Alicent just once again betrayed her children. Wasn’t that the whole reason she wanted to protect her children . If you didn’t think the writers had a bias it’s pretty obvious now .

I like how this show puts you inside the castle and lets you soak it all in. I love the show as they lay it out, who doesn't want to spend more time inside Dragonstone or the Red Keep? Who doesn't want to be haunted by Harrenhall or freeze inside Winterfell and Castle Black? Enjoy the sets and interactions as they come, we will get to war soon enough.

This episode is a PERFECT example of how the road to hell is paved with good intentions

i hated that final scene so much, it makes zero sense rhanera is not that stupid that she'd put herself at risk to have a chat with alicent when she knows very well alicent has no power to stop anything anyway and alicent has not reason not to take rhanera hostage to force the blacks into surrendering the moment she turns up in KL its just so dumb, it reminds me of got S7-8, the first really bad moment of this season for me, the first two episodes were flawless

I don't think he was talking about Aegon the conqueror. Because Aegon is definitely going to be king just not the way you expect

I think it's funny that now anytime I watch House of the dragon. I have an inner monologue going on in my head and it's shad's voice lol

I don't know that Baela (the one on the dragon after Criston and Gwayne) meant to actually kill them because she was given specific orders to just keep an eye out for troop movements in and around King's Landing, maybe she truly meant to grab them off the horse? But I think she simply meant to intimidate them. Maybe that is a stupid assumption, but considering we never saw Rhaenyra tell her to actually engage the enemy I believe she just wanted to show the Greens a dragon and what it can do, or something.

The way they did the Bracken/Blackwood was - I thought - a master stroke. In many ways. The fact they don't show who swung first is great.

I don't get it? The first two episodes were slower than this. A lot more happened this episode than the first two.

DEFINITELY not too slow. This was my fave one so far. It established that the curse of Harrenhal was real, and that it was because the weirwood tree had grown through the walls. It provided the final motivation that Rhaenyra needed to unleash her power. It established further mental torment for Alicent, since she now knows the mistake she made. And then the entire theme of the episode echoed throughout, beginning with the Blackwood/Bracken conflict, Rhaenys saying we would soon forget what even began the fight, and Simon Strong saying the same of the Blackwood/Bracken fight. Plus we got a really good, really tense chase scene with Baela and Moondancer vs. Cole, which also revealed that the Dragons are intelligent enough to know what mission they're on. Moondancer knew she was on recon, and she was the first to see Cole's party and indicated that to her rider. And Larys keeps dividing everyone! He grew up at Harrenhal....Alys Rivers (the woman who says Daemon will die here) is obviously magical. Did Larys get it from her? He's almost certainly a greenseer/skinchanger. Alys is rumored to be older than she appears, like Melissandre, and she was the castle wet-nurse. Did she pass her gifts to Larys via her milk in the past? (Larys grew up in Harrenhal) So much great set-up, and next episode is the battle at Rook's Rest. So good.

Rhaenyra sneaking into kings landing is like the president of the United States sneaking into Russia to meet Putin to negotiate peace in Ukraine. If you don’t see why that’s dumb writing I have a bridge to sell you.

I think people forget, between S1 ep10, and S2 ep3, its 7 days, Maybe 8? I think it only feels long for us, because its been 2 years and we watch 1 hour every week. The pacing is fine.

I never got that impression from Rhaenyra that she isn't willing to give up the comforts of the throne. Like you said; she already has enough means to live plenty comfortably. It's about her duty. To the kingdom, to her father and his wishes, and to the Song of Ice and Fire. And I'm not sure how she's supposed to fully know the depths of the politics going on in King's Landing. She has her own politics to worry about at Dragonstone. She's clinging to the final hope that she can get through to her childhood friend and that maybe, just maybe, Alicent could exersice whatever little power she has left. And I don't agree that Alicent is completely powerless here. Sure, it's unlikely to have the desired effect, but if she has any respect for herself, the kingdom, and her late husband, she should own up to her mistake and be honest about it and at least *try* to correct her *very* grievous mistake.

A good chunk of this episode was filler. What was gained with the Rhaenys/Corlys scene? You can trim the White Worm scenes. As much as I like Daemon, why did they show him sulking about Harrenhal for five minutes? That could get trimmed down. The whole episode felt padded, and about half of the character interactions were either of no consequence or dull. I'm all for dialogue but this wasn't their best.

The pacing of the show is acceptable, as long as the eventual payoff is satisfying and justifies the build-up.

Shad, How are you watching this as LDS?

I liked it, I like the clarity Rahneya gets at the end of the episode, hopefully no more stalling!! Fire and blood it must be!

4:10 Yeah I really don't understand Rhaenys's thinking in this show. Her not even saying one word of guilt over the small folk she killed shows she doesn't care about their lives, maybe only their own as Targs. The looks she keeps giving Rhaenyra are puzzling to me, like what is she trying to say to her? It just seems she's reluctant to use her own dragon for war. I'm not really liking how this show is portraying many of these characters.

I love the slow burn. I’m glad they didn’t go straight to the war at the first opportunity.

With alicent at the end. She either: A, knows she fucked up but the blood lust in her son is so great, she knows she can't stop it so she won't try. Or B, She purposely won't back down because of what her father told her about Rhaenerya will kill her children to keep her power, so she is in defensive mode I tend to believe the former more, but either work here.

I'm just here to wait for Shad's reaction to the brothel scene 😂

Just a suggestion, it might be worth it to actually learn the names of the characters in the show you're talking about.

Have you lost your Temple Recommend yet? If not then you should for continuing to watch this. Just sayin.

I don’t think it’s the money that is keeping her from stepping down, but the prophesy her dad told her. She is trying to o her dads wishes.

I can't wait to come from work to watch your videos

10:00 Yeah I agree, it seems like they show shocking sexual scenes for no real reason. I didn't expect to see Aemond fully nude from the front! At least I think the fellacio part was to a fake piece, but yeah it doesn't do anything for the show and is not used in a good way. The scenes w/young Rhaenyra and Daemon and then Criston Cole in season 1 were done well and served a purpose.

On the "why would Rhaenyra think Alicent has the power to make peace" part, you have to consider what information Rhaenyra has to work with. As far as she know, Aegon is a useless drunk pervert(which he is), weak-willed, does nothing and is basically a puppet. Now she probably thought that he was Ser Otto Hightower's puppet, but if she knows he just got fired, then the logical conclusion would be that Alicent has won some sort of power struggle over control of the king. The fact that this sort of power struggle exists could be told to her previously by Ser Arryk(or Erryk, whichever was on her side) since it was the major plot point of episode 9. She could also logically assume that Ser Criston's appointment to Hand of the King was Alicent's decision, since he's been her lackey for decades at this point. And so yeah, negotiating with Alicent IS probably the best bet Rhaenyra has of getting a peace at this point, with the limited information she has.

This episode gave us a lot of closure while setting the stage for the rest of the season. Loved it, writing and acting were both incredible and the visuals were stunning.

I’ve loved pretty much every single minute of this show since it started. It’s incredibly well done. These people all care about the product.

when will you finish reviewing andor you stopped at like episode 5

I completely agree with you Shad on the overt pornographic scene in this episode. It completely took me out of the story and broke my immersion, leaving a bad taste in my mouth. I don't consider myself particularly prude or anything, but this, I feel, stepped over the line. I feel really bad for the actors who had to take part in it. Of course, they might have specifically hired someone for that scene, but considering this is still Hollywood we are dealing with here, I wouldn't be surprised if some coercion took place to get the actors to do it. I can't imagine there are many people wanting to do those sorts of things in a show that will be shown to millions of people.

Harrenhal's glory days were BRIEF all things considered......XD

Rhaenyra wants peace but she can't give up her claim. Right now she's the only one who knows about the "Song of Ice and Fire". If she give up her claim now, she might save some thousands of people but later the entire race of men would be in danger. Season 1 Episode 1: “Ambition alone is not what drove him (Aegon) to conquest. It was a dream. Just as Daenys foresaw the end of Valyria, Aegon foresaw the end of the world of men. It is to begin with a terrible winter gusting out of the distant North. Aegon saw absolute darkness riding on those winds, and whatever dwells within will destroy the world of the living. When this great winter comes, Rhaenyra, all of Westeros must stand against it. And if the world of men is to survive, a Targaryen must be seated on the Iron Throne, a king or queen strong enough to unite the realm against the cold and the dark. Aegon called his dream the song of ice and fire. This secret has been passed from king to heir since Aegon’s time. And now you must promise to carry it and protect it.” - Viserys to Rhaenyra

I actually think the opening scene was very effective. As fun as it is to see on-screen action, it's not always necessary. These aren't important characters, really. I'd rather see the main characters (and their dragons) fight. Not showing the fight itself, but showing the very bloody aftermath was very chilling and effective, imo.

25:30 logic is not prevalent when emotion rules a person. From that prism, it would make sense. Alicent is Rhaenyra's last hope, even though she probably knows what she is doing will not work. 27:50 Also, she is selfish, yes, but she also wants the throne due to the prophecy told to her by Viserys. He told her that she needs to keep the throne, to keep the realm united under Targaryen rule to be ready for the battle between the living and the dead. The show has consistently shown that she has taken the prophecy seriously

Glad they’re finally going to deal with Old Griff. Eleven seasons all building to this

17:50 That scene was gnarly, but maybe my favorite scene of this episode, and I like that this is on Daemon's mind, or possibly the Weirwood network was feeding this to him to get him to really reflect on his own actions. (Others do great theory crafting videos on the Weirwood network and how it works). I don't think Daemon is all bad like many people think. I think he tries to do what's best for his family at least, but has just been wrong, and he shouldn't have sent those assassins in. Also, I want to know what Rhaenyra's side did politically to get the word out when the greens were the first to kinslay if they did at all. The show hasn't shown that at all, while Otto was using everything to his political advantage last episode.

This is the buildup, also it sets the characters for who they are. Rhaenyra is trying to be the mature leader, Alicent is a shrill hateful person who will have war even now that she knows she made a huge mistake, Daemon is still wildly unpredictable, both Aemon and Aegon are ..spoiled screwups and Cole only cares about killing Rhaenyra (He should grow up). Soon, the fighting will start and there will be too much action and names leaving permanently. I believe all content is good, think Nuance, Atmosphere, Depth, Immersion and more. Like "Cut Content" in games, they may not add to the main story, but they add alot to the overall sense.

I really like the slow pace. it feels real.

They could have given us some of the battle if the burning Mill

Last nights episode was amazing. The secret talk between the 2 queens holy shit that just happened! Damien the ultimate hard ass was so scared that he dropped his heckin valerian sword! 🤩 I’m not gonna mention the hawk tuah moment 😂 😂 🤣

It did feel long for me for sure but my attention was held for its length, their clearly building up a battle for the following episode!

Social media especially tick tock has destroyed peoples attention spans

Slow pace episodes always hint a buildup. Just like in the film Zulu, or The Two Towers you need that build up to get the audience ready for action. These are the best character building moments you can get before the pay off.

So far Rhaenyra seems to be a weak and indecisive leader. Enjoying the season so far though.

As soon as I saw the nude scenes, I was like "Shad's gonna whine about this." :D

My main issue with this current season has been the pacing overall. Season 1 had great pacing throughout but season 2 has been slow. Enjoying the story and dialog but yeah bits been a slow burner and that's been my main issue with season 2. Overall good season so far..see where the rest leads.

Great story building. Big moves were made. Next episode should have tons of action

24:59 I disagree with you on that. The point of that scene, and the whole episode in fact, is that there's no avoiding war at this point. Even if Alicent or Rhaenyra relented at this point, there's still the matter of the dead children. Aegon isn't backing down and neither is Jace or Daemon for that matter. THIS NEXT SECTION IS DARK AND FULL OF SPOILERS In the books, this ends with both Rhaenyra and Aegon dead, one of Rhaenyra's children on the throne while Cregan Stark goes on a rampage to avenge Rhaenyra. Because if a Stark swears "I'm gonna do this" they're going through with it if it kills them. There's nothing Rhaenyra or Alicent can do at this point to avoid war.

Daemon is supposed to be called Prince consort not your grace . That's why he has to correct him. Him wanting to be called his grace is technically treason.

I feel like they have undone good character development from the first season with the greens. While going over the top to make Rahynera into an angle.

I think it went fast, and I liked the episode overall, but the Rhaenyra Alicent scene was executed poorly.

I enjoyed it. I also have enjoyed the fact this season isn't sooo dark in terms of the actual lighting. I could hardly see anything in the first season!

19:00 But funny that when receive the notice of the death of the kid he dind´t even blink

It was slow but I loved the slow build and set but also the scenes with harrenhal were incredible. Incredible set design and imagery. It makes me realize how much we’ve been robbed off for a good dark fantasy and man this just scratches that itch.

Relevant and Supportive Comment to feed the Algorangim

Cole’s supposed to be an unlikable character?

I didn't think it was too slow, Thrones was at it's best when it was mostly politics, great character work & dialogue. What I do have a problem with is the random changes in lore that don't add anything or really change anything to the overall story. In the books it's stated very plainly "not even Aegon the Conqueror had Valyrian Steel armour" it was thought to all be lost when Valyria sank into the ocean, that's why it's such a holy crap moment when a certain character shows up with some in one of sample chapters for The Book That Was Promised. I don't mind changes if they actually improve something but Aegon having Valyrian Steel armour in show canon changes nothing about him as a character or the conquest as historical event, all it does is make him look more op (dude already had 3 dragons including the biggest, meanest dragon ever documented by Maesters, 2 sister-wives, a Valyrian Steel sword & a patridge in a pear tree. Does a set of magic armour make him any more impressive or change what happened?) & contradict source material that was established years ago & it's not the only time they've made random lore changes, the Heartree in the King's Landing godswood is an oak, not a weirwood. There are very few weirwoods outside the North because when the Andals showed up about 2000 years after the Long Night/6000 years before the show they cut most of them down even tho the First Men made a pact with the Children of The Forest not to. This even contradicts previous show canon because in season 2 of Thrones when Sansa gets the necklace from Ser Dontos (hairnet in the books) it's an oak with a face carved in it she's praying to 🙄

Baela is a Targaryen girl, not a Valerian girl. And she was ordered not to engage.

I think the brothel is scene works on so many levels. I think perhaps yiur distaste for these kinds of scenes has prevented you from noticing the really clever writting here. So having the sexual acts be so explicit and on display and having people be discovered by the king and not caring because they know where they are and they dont care if someone sees them there. Then you have aemond one eye discovered and he is doing the least explicit thing. He is just being held by a woman and allowing himself to feel vulnerable. Then you feel the shane he feels when his brother discovers him. His brither wrongly thinks that he should be ashamed because he is laying with the sane woman and his brother thinks this makes him sentimental and he is mocking him for that. When really his shame comes from the fact that he was caught in his most vulnerable state by his brother who has only really respected him in recent yearsm you could see aemond spiralling and remembering the pig in the dragon pit. Then you see the point where he stands and walks away in his birthday suit with no shame that is because he realises his brother isnt mocking him for being weak but for sonething that ultimately doesnt affect him. This also will help feed into the audience the idea that larys clubfoot may be right aemond may not want to take orders from this guy. Finally it shows how bad Aegon is at identifying what makes people weak even his own brother he couldnt see the source of embarassment. This scene does a great job at reaffirming the positions of each of tgese characters and I think if you cut it you would loose so much. Oh and targaryns freely and often using brothels helps establish why there are so many damn dragon seeds. And it was a tied in continuation of a sub plot where they just left that bar that introduced Ulf who is a dragon seed. Honestly super clever

As a long time book fan, I loved the episode 👍

Maybe Rhaenyra believes that men are eager for blood & glory, but the real question is whether RhaeNYS believes it. Am I really the only one who sees the scheming “plot(s)” that have been brewing since Season 1, EP 1, in more ways than 1? It’s unbearable now. Ugh!

I liked it. Good set up.

I've loved all 3 episodes so far. This season is awesome.

Slow but Steady is Game Of Thrones. Such good Dialogue in this series like when the king gets rid of the Hand so good

I'm so tempted to look up what happens to Vhagar in the books. It seems like the Greens are totally sunk if Vhagar gets taken down.