well said!

Nah, that was too on the nose for me.

Ehhh he really has nothing to gain from hearing her confess.. by 2024 standards sure ya terrible dad status but in his position … idk .. also he prolly high key knows/ suspects

But ya alicent failing to at least OFFER her love and support to a hysterical aegon.. of course giving him the option to send her away… was so wrong / cold

The way she rolled the funeral procession proposition to Helaena after Otto steamrolled Aegon’s objections and her own paltry balking rang chillingly true. The writers clearly have grasp on the dark complexities of ‘dancing on the strings of those who’ve gone before.’

Yesss this 1000%

All I was getting was "please please please, don't embarrassment motherfucker" vibes😂

My favorite series facial expressions in the franchise possibly

Tom is just killing his role. I thought he is wonderful from the last episode but this one just won me over..

The other night, a man ran past my window sobbing his heart out. And it struck me how incredibly rare it is to hear a man full-on sobbing/crying, both irl and in media. Kudos to the show for going there, instead of only showing Aegon angry or just sniffling like most media would.

😭

Tragic😢😢

As did I as I only saw that when I got home so watched my recording 😢 I couldn't watch the stream properly to much interference from internet

If only he had gotten there before he went in. If only they could have agreed to disagree and agreed to grab a boat and mess off to the Summer Islands or Essos. They could have been sipping Arbor Red with Laenor on the high seas... Duty is the death of love...

I was CRYINGGGG

lol… tell my brother it’s sacred… Sone people are just not good or are really messed up… and those have families, they’re usually the first and biggest target.

I cryed too when Erryk took his own life! I was very surprised with how I was moved but this scene.I was not that invested in these characters!😮

It was actually brilliant, and It almost worked if Mysaria haden't been there, Otto was just annoyed It happened without his approval or that he didn't come up with the idea, i

I’m not sure it was brilliant, proven by the results we see… but it was a death sentence to order one to do it, likely death sentence to both with questionable loyalty, so from that point of view not so smart… had it worked perfectly it would have still would have made the greens look very bad, tge way the blacks look now. Not to mention the plan is working on a flawed idea, if they kill rhynera it won’t end the war, it would likely be an end to all peace until there’s no one left standing to fight…

@@bloodravenn8305 I don't know.. I think the foundation of the plan was smart, but the execution of the plan was moronic. There are far more ways the plan goes bad than ways it could work out. Literally there were so many other ways Arryk could have been caught without Mysaria. They betted on everything going in their favor and seemed to not consider any of the ways it would awry and Otto knew this. Which all adds up because Criston is just throwing mismatched pieces together hoping it will create some semblance of a way to get himself out of the deep shit he's in. Had they at least consulted Otto it could have been successful but then, killing Rhaenyra doesn't end the war. there's still Daemon and the rest of the blacks to worry about. If they had used Arryk and a few other men in a more cunning and calculated way they maybe could have picked doff a few of team black. Instead they lost two good kings guard.

It actually worked more accurately than Daemon's poor attempt at the Aemond assassination. If Mysaria did not show up, he would have killed her, as only she would have spotted him, as shown in the show.

@@spartanoreo5075 There's definitely no denying that B&C in the show specifically is an idiotic plan, though in the books its more thought out and intentional, but I think you're missing my point with the arryk/erryk plan and why its so foolish. It just *so happens* that the events unfold the way they do, and from **our perspective** it seems to make some sense but you have to actually consider the infinite amount of variables that could have caused Cristons plan to go awry. Mind you, Criston AND Arryk both acknowledge that it is a stupid plan and a suidice mission, because of what I'm saying: the ways it can go wrong completely outweigh the ways it can work, and that is because it JUST so happened that Aryk isn't in Erryk's direct line of sight when he comes into the castle, that the guards dont further question him knowing Erryk is supposed to be in the castle, that only Mysaria notices, that Rhaenyra is even in her bed chambers and not elsewhere entirely, that it wasn't ERRYK himself standing watch at Rhaenyra's door, you starting to see where I'm going with this? I can keep going.

And let him do something “important” so he feels like he is of importance and being respected. That should keep him occupied enough😂

If Aegon was like Viserys the Dance would not have happened.

I think it's a combination of things. They had a very complicated relationship. They knew each other most of their lives. I think he misses his friend, or as close to a friend as Otto can muster. And he also misses manipulating that friend.

Probably both. Viserys wanted to avoid war and conflict and wanted to keep peace. That is not part of being manipulated, But Otto definitely also misses being able to manipulate more easily. That didn't stop him from betraying that friend. he has shown clearly in this episode he knows that whatever Alicent heard, it wasn't actually Viserys wanting Aegon to be king

I know! It’s insane that I’m thinking “man I’d rather have Otto in charge. Things wouldn’t be as ugly and violent.” What a world we live in!

Really drives home the irony of attaching his life and glory to something he couldn't control. Otto is awful but from a political standpoint he did everything right, cultivated everything just so, and was still no match for... getting what he wanted? A kid with daddy issues undid all of his hard work, decades worth of it, in about a week (hyperbolic, but still). And he put him in the position do so. He deserves it, but it's still wild to watch. Pretty sure this is gonna be his last fire/rehire cycle.

Out of the entire family, Otto was the only one that even attempted to comfort. He was rejected, but he did try. Alicent definitely seems to have aversion to physical comfort. Otto is just awkward. However, that aversion is Otto's fault. She was a teen sold to an old man who crawled his rotting body on top of her for years. However, she still has a responsibility as an adult for not facing these issues and helping her children before it's too late.

I feel like she doesn’t know how to comfort her kids because she didn’t want them in the first place. I mean eventually she wanted to be a mom but not then and not with viserys, I’m not an Alicent fan but I feel a little pity for her

It's probably a bunch of little traumas added up. She lost her mother young, so the the one person assigned to love and nurture her -- without being employed by her family -- was gone early, leaving her with Otto who is at best emotionally stunted and manipulative. Her relationship with Viserys is cordial and transactional, and even parents who want their children and love their partners sometimes struggle to connect with their children. Women in this society are told to want children, and so perhaps she only ever wanted them in that abstract way that a good highborn girl does. And then, of course, she has three (four? Maybe Daeron is ok) pretty unconventional or disappointing kids who are under threat -- if only in her and Otto's mind -- from the minute they're born. She doesn't get to love them without caveats because they are meant to conform to royal inheritance standards. And when they fail she doesn't even have the luxury of liking them, she doesn't have time for that when the stakes are so high. She also on several levels cannot relate to them, but in some ways they are reinforcement of her pain in the most relatable way. She's highborn and spoiled, but she's no match for being a royal child with a chip on their shoulder because they weren't really wanted. She wasn't born royal with that responsibility. But she can relate to not belonging. Viserys never should have married her, and I think she knows that, and that by extension her children shouldn't exist. When she looks at them she sees a bunch of mistakes and losses that all started with her father telling her to put on her mother's dress and forsake everything she held dear for power. But she cannot seem to get over herself enough to see her kids are hurting because neither parent just loves and enjoys them as people. She can sense she's a bad mom, but she won't change because what does a good mom look like in her position? Add all of that up and it's difficult to see where love and nurturing of the unconditional variety could ever come in without tremendous effort. The odds were against her. I do pity her in that sense. It's what she did with all of that pain that makes her vile and I think that's why she and Criston get on so well. They both offload all their trauma onto others and ruin lives in the process.

​@@kayjayhayThis breakdown 👏

@@menaphil9178 thank you! Just happy we have some solid writing in this universe again 😊

I say "the writing" but it's obviously also Rhys Ifans. That slow turn he does, incredulous look on his face, when Aegon gleefully informs him that Criston Cole "has acted"...

It is like Tywin and Joffrey. Only the difference Tywin got rid of Joffrey early on. "The boy is gone, Cersei" Both of them wanted a king of their own blood on the iron throne and the end of the Targaryens. Neither of them took out the time to mentor the boy who was planned to be the king. They didn't even parent their own children, let alone grandchildren.

Gods*

Agreed!

glad to hear!

I think you might be right! great call

Must be the same drink from the Korova Milk bar from an Orange Clockwork

I was wondering where will that information go, I doubt it will just stay with the sex worker. Will Larrys know ?

Aemond was definitely seeking comfort from a mother figure.

@@jaclynfairhead5848 - Absolutely, and that goes back to the over-arching theme of the Hightower family being unable to express love and comfort to each other.

Top comment!

That moment alone made me like him.

I was like "oh look, Otto's worst nightmare!" I love it lolol

I know I know he keeps going. I couldn't help but notice and the look I would describe Criston Cole having this week is "gormless". He looks like gormless Jon Snow from season 1. Bro is so lost.

That scene was visceral and amazing. I don't like fighting scenes in general but i watched every second of this. In the books it is not this detailed. I did not expect the ending being just like that

Horrifying and heartbreaking. The way one twin could feel the other when they missed each other in the hall... They did an amazing job making the twins feel lived in with minimal screentime. I got chills at how committed each were to be the last one standing (ugh, that hand in the leg wound), but what really drove things home was the anguish at being reunited in the worst way. When one of them said "you parted us!", I teared up. Like, what they were made to do in choosing a side went against nature, and everything up to that point was just a bunch of royal brats (mostly the greens, but still) making terrible decisions that stole them from each other. They should have grown old together reminiscing about their service. And you could see the light go out in the twin who won. I should have seen it coming, but I was so caught up in the pain of his loss that I was still shocked when he ended it. It's like he knew he wouldn't take another step in this life without his brother while everyone was still recovering from the adrenaline. It along with the Rhaenyra/Daemon fight was the best if the night imo.

I read that as Otto thinking he was doing the right thing (ie I don't need you to go through the pain or embarassment of telling me) but actually doing wrong by Alicent since she clearly needs to get that secret off her chest and have someone help her through her guilt.

@@Adamantium93no for sure he is a dick/ bad dad for his response but it was still funny to me

He’s not wrong tho. Poor Aemond was looking emaciated. Gave me flashbacks to a certain character in the afterlife in Harry Potter

LITERALLYY SAMEEE the fkn episode was SAD / HEART WRENCHING enougg

@Phoenixonfire31 Right?! Was there not _enough_ without bringing a sad dog into it?? I feel like this show really doesn't like us sometimes

It also shows that Helaena is a “good sport” and actually can mask very well. Even Aegon didn’t go.

I was/still am pissed that Helena, who witnessed her son being brutally murdered was forced to ride through the streets behind the child’s body while Aegon “must be spared.” I get it; I just hate it.

@@girlnettles To Aegon's credit he was specifically asked not to go, to be "spared" while the gentle souls went in his stead. It was a play to a mother's grief, which Otto thought would be more sympathetic to the small folk. But you're right about Helaena. Her ability to mask made so many feel entitled to closeness with her that she didn't want, but they just read it as grief instead of discomfort. I think the irony is that the way Aegon expresses grief might be more "typical", and he would have soaked up that kind of attention. Maybe he'd have found it healing. But he was encouraged to stay put and mask his grief by being masculine and planning for war.

@@WeaselSoup-su5yu same. I find it ironic that this was code for him being too volatile and uncontrollable, while the women had to make grief palatable for consumption. He is coddled but also he was the one against the entire spectacle to begin with. His is the kind of grief you would think the small folk would relate to, but he's not allowed to show it or hide it in a way that's healthy anymore than Helaena is.

This one had a lot of tough moments. The procession. The twins. What got me the most was Alicent leaving Aegon alone like that. Would you just be his mom? That's what he needs right now. He's lashing out against the world, and he doesn't want to hear Otto or the counsel. And you find him so vulnerable and broken down, and you just leave him. Aegon is a scumbag. But he finally cared about something. He left his own bastards to rot of sepsis in flea bottom fighting pits and pleasire houses. The ONLY thing he cared about was being better to his Prince-Son than Dad was to him. It almost feels like the writers are doing too much to make me hate her. She's gotta be asking herself what this was all for?

What night shift job do you do where you can watch TV and KZfaq? Haha I want it

​@wallybonejengles5595 honestly? I don't think she knows how to comfort him; she doesn't know how to connect with her kids. She can't be the mother he needs because she didn't have that sort of parent growing up.

Because then everyone will know! It won't be a secret anymore. Two people can keep a secret. A royal family where everyone is competing about the line of succession? Impossible! A supersmall group, maybe... Aegon could have left a letter saying something like: This can only be opened if I should die without a clear heir. And only by the new Targaryen king. And hide it in a secret vault under Dragonstone or something.

Why do you think it's a secret in the first place?

And by the way, I think more people did know about the prophesy! Daenys the Dreamer to begin with! And her prophesys are written down in "Signs and portents". All three Conqurers, I think, as well. And so on! And Targaryens continue to have dragon dreams!

@@jonhauge-evaldsson783 Baelor destroyed the books, viserys said the king/queen only passes it down to the heir and by the time of Daenerys they don’t know anymore, just rhaegar and blood raven seemed to know of A prophecy. Clearly Daenys probably knew and aegon the conquerer, but the prophecy we know for sure is going to be lost to time

@@jonhauge-evaldsson783 lmao I know, but I’m saying I think it’s a mistake that they wanted it to be secret.

I bet they didn't smash the one they built

@@DavidLightbringer Hmm... it depends how much pre-planning was done before S1, how much pre-production time they had before S2, and how much warning the showrunner/director gave them. I've heard of directors having a spontaneous idea to smash up a model, doing it 10 minutes later, and the model-makers finding out the next week...

If you watch the House the Dragons Built, you find that they made a separate model just for smashing.

I watched behind the episode, they built a lighter copy for it to be smashed

​@@hypatiakovalevskayasklodow9195Yeah, props that are meant to be broken on screen are made differently so they break in safe and satisfying ways. Usually they won't work for the prop's intended purpose, but they look real enough for the small amount of time the audience will see them before being broken.

I'm gonna rewatch yeah I wasn't sure who was who thank you

If arryk is team green, I agree. That's why he apologized before falling on his sword.

@@drakethesnek6429 Agreed !!!

Yeah I think the brother who was protecting Queen Rhaenyra was killed and then Arryk went forward and killed himself because he can't live on without his brother.

Yeah I agree. I think most of the love and sympathy for Daemon comes from the fact he's played by Matt Smith

@TaliVarda100706 Oh for _sure._ He was my favorite character purley based on the acting. I've switched allegiances to Aegon for the same reason (Aemonds really great, too, but I think his issues might be too weird for me)

@@SaneMillennial he killed one wife and tried to choke out another. He beat a messenger within an inch of his life (if he didn’t outright kill him; I’m not really sure) because he was pissy about the fact that he was losing his war. Sorry, I’m just not going to apologize for Daemon.

Yes I really appreciate the different perspective she brings, and Tim as well. they both think very differently than I do so yeah it's been great to have their perspectives in addition to mine. That way more people watching have their opinions represented

Thank you my lady 🐉

Agreed! My husband is a vet. I asked him “weren’t you happy on the day you got to come back to the states and live a normal life?” And he said it was hollow and sad because he had no one to protect anymore. He went to having the biggest purpose to no purpose. I told him, he can protect me. Because I’m small and un-aware of my surroundings. I’ve made it so long because I’m blessed and highly favored. I’m clumsy, easily distracted, and have no muscle mass. 😂😂 just pitiful. Of course, my man identifies with the Hound, Jorah, and Jaime. And he acts like that around me. My shield. A shadow that looms over and stops me from final destination type of ends. Tee hee hee He likes this life better; but through knowing him it has opened my eyes to how many people go back into service (in many different dangerous fields) and go back to the danger.

I’ve also known people who came back with survivor’s guilt which makes them want to go back. 😢

@@girlnettles LOL - Bless you, though it sounds like your husband is the blessing. Another thing is that, if they joined up at 18, many vets have never known any life except the highly regimented life of the armed services. They've ALWAYS been told where to go and what to do and had their housing, clothing and food provided for them. When they get out, they find that they can't cope. They literally don't know how to do "normal life", the adjustment period can be long and the results disappointing and stressful. Modern, well-funded armies these days are better at transitioning soldiers back to normal life with education programmes and the like, rather than just "dumping them on the street", but it's still a problem in porrer ones and it was a problem with all of them in the past.

@@MrHws5mp I used to work in the governor’s office in Florida. I specifically oversaw veteran’s affairs and it’s so sad. From what I have seen, the government is a hindrance more than a help (the forms and red tape!). The good care that vets get come from charities and businesses created by vets.

@@girlnettles Here in the UK I get the impression that the Army/MoD is pretty decent at preparing service people before they leave, but afterwards it's hit and miss and charities, much as you describe.

Good point!

Lol! Me too Monday 11am. I've changed my shifts at work to make sure I'm home to watch it live!! How ridiculous is that! Lol ❤😊

Ayyyeeee 🙌🏾

Well thanks I've been making music for a long time just never as a full professional. but I definitely take pride and put attention to detail into it. I love music in a deep way

Imo wether it was mistake or note i am pretty sure he wont feel guilty about it ether.

I do believe Daemon did it on accident. Subterfuge needs a careful hand. There's nothing careful about Daemon. He also isn't the brightest bulb. Words are hard when he isn't screaming them. I do however think he doesn't at all feel bad about the outcome. He might even be bummed he didn't think of it in the first place.

I think eryk killed himself because he knew his twin was dead and he couldn't prove if it was really him to the queen so he was a liability so he took himself out.

@@rageintothelight thats a good take. It was Erryk that won.

I watched behind the episode, they purposely made it so that they both had wounds in the same place so that we wouldn't know who is who. They mention who was that fell on their back and destroyed that ceramics, I think it was Arryk but I'm not 100% sure. That would mean that Erryk died by suicide

When I saw Aegon approaching her I said "This is the moment we see who he is." Well...we did. 👎

@@psychkosys It’s pretty tragic, they’re both basically mourning alone.

It's interesting bc in the BTS episode, Tom/Aegon says that in that moment, it was both Aegon & Helaena having like a tender moment bc only the 2 of them "really know" how they're feeling. Basically suggesting, to him, Aegon didn't just carelessly/coldly walk away. They had a moment only the 2 of them understand & no words needed to be spoken.

@@leiana_yt I didn’t interpret it as him being cold. More like they were both too overwhelmed by emotion and Aegon was too weak in that moment to comfort her. So he ran.

How I understood this scene too

They’re lovers or Aemond is a frequent client ‘cause Aemond was with her the night Haelena’s boy was assassinated. They know each other intimately well

😂😂

they definitely want us to debate the ethics of war crimes and assassinations and things like that don't they

I kind of got the impression that part of the reason for telling Otto to go to Highgarden was to keep him away from Daeron. 🤔

🙌🏾

July 4th is about independence and kind of a civil war. Tea England vs surfer England. Maybe 🤔 that can be the next big holiday?

Allyn held up a crab before seeing Seasmoke. Could be a reference to Cancer?

oh yeah why so

@DavidLightbringer Golden "wings" falling. *Spoieler warning ⚠️ . . . . . . We know Sunfire is going down soon, m a wing...

The team Green is also team Gold because they have the golden dragon sigil. The golden leafs falling could also mean a lot of people dying under the golden dragon banner... Rhaenyra seeing black soot flakes falling could mean the same. A lot of people are going to die on the black dragon side...

Thank you 🙏🏾❤🐉

I think it can be a general term for any grandchildren or great grandchildren

kinda like "cousins" can actually cover a few different things

" All of his manipulation and work is coming undone " Okay but what work? What manipulation? They didn't dedicate any effort to training Aegon. Otto's main focus should have been that. Did he expect that the badly behaved kid will just wake up a serious and calm person? He at least prepared Alicent to seduce Viserys, he did some work with her. Aegon and Aemond were just let lose. In the show Cole is not under his influence. Otto has no tact. He should be manipulating the sh1t out of Aegon. Not shouting at him. "A wise man doesn't make an enemy out of a king" yet here we have Otto acting like Aegon - the king and a dragonrider - will be as compliant as young Alicent

@@hypatiakovalevskayasklodow9195 The “work” I was referring to was not specifically directed at what Otto “should” have done with Aegon. I was talking about all of his work and manipulation done while serving under both Jahaerys and Viserys after. You can’t deny that he was successful in much of what he did prior to Aegon. And yes, he DID lose his cool there at the end. I said as much and why. He’s old, he’s tired, he doesn’t believe in Aegon as King, and sees that it’s nothing but chaos surrounding him. Now, is he partly to blame for that, oh absolutely ! It was a very real argument between power players, one old and one new. It’s the same, to a point with Alicent. He doesn’t want to hear her “confession” for no other reason than that he wants to still believe that working together with her, there is still a chance to turn things around. He’s wrong, but he doesn’t know that. Again, just my opinion. Besides that, team Green can infight all that they want. And I’ll just sit back and laugh. ALL of this is their own fault and will be their own undoing.