If you're just now discovering Otto Hightower then you haven't been paying attention to the previous episodes his been involved in. You just not watching the show right kid

Otto saw Jaehaerys' death as a ladder. He was utterly repulsive. Alicent was far more concerned about how it made her feel than her children.

I noticed how the greens just kept calling Jahaerys "The Boy" anybody else?

I spent the whole episode noticing them unable to touch and comfort..... each other

I feel like Alicent’s case is more complex than her just using them as pawns. Her whole life she has followed these rules of politics pushed on her by her father and it has clearly damaged her, being unable to even be affectionate with her own children and feeling the need to prioritise the political performance than to cater to their needs as human beings. Her involvement with Cole being the only bit of self satisfaction she has been able to truly find in all these years at the Red keep. This is why in season one she is so angry at Rhaenyra because she sees it as “I am unable to rise up and it’s not fair that you aren’t trapped by these customs like me”. Alicent is honestly probably my favourite character and I love the complexities of her character, something I wish Rhaenyra had more of since it seems like the show really wants us to root for her and only ever really shows her in a positive light. The blockade she stands by which is starving the small folk of kings landing being but a mere mention as of now.

@@jo0rd73 oh I very much agree. Alicent is wonderfully complex. The fact that she was basically sold off to the king by her father, then forced by both men and the political weight of the kingdom to immediately start pumping out heirs even though she never had a say in the matter heavily colors her character and the way she interacts with her children. That and the fact that none of her children live up to the standards that were thrust upon her. Well besides Helaena, but because she’s a dragon dreamer and neurodivergent, no one really tries to understand her, Alicent certainly doesn’t want to. As long as she’s compliant that’s good enough. Even when she reached out to her to talk about her dalliances with Cole I feel like it was less about absolution and more about keeping her quiet.

He does, he might be a fool, angry, egotistical , emotional, ignorant, but he does care for people, for commonfolk, he does have a heart but hes in a completely disfuctional family , in war and he has the emotional and intelectual maturity of a 14 years old which makes everything worst

@@emanuel81111 care for common folk?? LMAO. the one who abandoned his bastards in child fighting pits and bet in them alike? You misunderstand Aegon. He has the capacity to care for other people, however he is not actually a caring person. He wants the small folk to like him because his literal only stake in being king is being loved, because no one in his immediate family has ever shown him any consistent or healthy expressions of love, so after he sees what he perceives as genuine love from the small folk during his coronation, with, this again, being probably one of the only "genuine" times he's ever felt love, he resolves to do whatever he can to preserve the small folks sentiments and the euphoria that comes with them for Aegon. I mean, this is the guy who hangs 99 innocent men just to punish one guilty one.

He didn't want the heir to the throne's body paraded because it would look bad on him and make him look weak. He would have not said anything about the kid dying if he had the choice.

​@@emanuel81111he doesn't care about the people. He doesn't care about the small folk. He makes promises in the moment to their faces so he can get praise from them and then turns around and forgets. He is a narcissist which is understandable considering how he was raised but that doesn't excuse his behaviour. He promised to pay the blacksmiths but when? I guarantee he won't pay as promised and this will cause problems. He also killed 10 rat catchers and hung their bodies in the street. He didn't want his son's body paraded but he made a show by humiliating the dead in the streets, 9 of those men were innocent and they had fathers and mothers too that had to see them like that. He could have done a line up of the rat catchers before Blood and had him pick out his accomplice but no, he wants to spill blood and he doesn't care if innocent blood is spilled. He was so nonchalant about it to when confronted about killing innocent men. He cares about the people? He also never cared about his son. He was ready to run away and abandon his family last season. Only after he got power he liked the attention and realised an heir makes his position that much stronger so he better take care of the kid.

@@Freya1412 He walks straight past Helaena in the halls and doesn't say a word to her after they've both just lost their son. He's horrible. We can see why, his grandfather is relatively more logical than any of the rest of them but he's self serving, manipulative, and somewhat narcissistic. His mother is emotionally repressed and can hardly sort through her own issues, and has no support from her father his grandfather. Then Aemond is, also emotionally repressed and stunted, Helaena feels just as irrelevant as she's treated, so yeah it makes sense they all have problems but that doesn't absolve them of the things they do. They all at least know right from wrong.

Lego city still exists. They destroyed a replica made for breaking. The original seems to be still stored away, somewhere.

⁠@@Winter-Alpha-Omegaand where is the proof of this? why would they make a replica made for the purpose of breaking lmao? the model is literally still in the same room, aegon destroyed something his dad spent years to build and maintain as symbolism for what he is about to do to westeros in the war with rhaenyra

His father built jack shit

@@bronmill33 I think he's talking about the behind-the-scenes.

That's really the fun tragedy of it for me. Of course Aegon does someone stupid, he just lost his son and isn't in the best place. If you wanted him to act more rationally, he needed emotional support

Tragedy is even more potent when there were just so many ways things could have not gone to pot, moments where a genuine hug still could have dissolved the tension into catharsis but they missed it every. single. time.

Rhaenyra being a protective big sister to Aegon sounds so sweet. He never wanted to usurp her, even on the way to his coronation. It's sad that she and Alicent couldn't get over their beef and passed it on

I keep hoping that Rhaenyra somehow becomes the bigger person in all of that. Like, writing him a single letter : "What happened to your son (What Daemon did) was despicable and unjustifiable. I mourn your son with you and never wanted his death. I also lost my Lucerys, and it pains me greatly. I understand your assassination attempt on me on the misguided impression that I was responsible. Please, let's come to terms and save the realm together". Of course, such a letter would be burnt, but at least she would have tried. But no, the likely effect of the assassination attempt will be to push Rhaenyra to war too. Though during this episode, there was the sense that she was genuinely horrified at what happened to Haelena and her children. I really like the "big sister act", @sawyeraik . It's what she should have done. But the tragedy is that Nobody showed any love to poor Aegon. Rhaenyra did whatever she wanted for years, not acknowledging the obvious succession crisis, even going exile on Dragonstone in the last few years of her father's reign, while she should have fought to stay and strenghten her claim.

“So should we teach him anything?” “Nah, I’m sure this person who is known for extreme impulsiveness will be easy to control!”

Rhaenyra's actions in the entire case were also quite stupid. It was obvious that people would try to use her oldest sibling to take the throne from her. Had she actually took some time to build any relationship with Aegon and gave him something to do, a purpose that he lacked, she would have secured his loyalty and subsequently cut the ground from under her opponents feet. But no, she instead was creating a rift in the family by antagonizing the greens and acting as if her son taking Aemond's eye wasn't important. All the green kids were constantly overlooked, ignored and mistreated by their own father who favoured Rhaenyra and her children instead. It's no wonder they never had any loyalty to her.

⁠@@s1b3r11arnt you forgetting Otto? What makes you think he will allow that to happen? Like thats the whole point Otto knows Rhaenyra has a better claim to the throne simply because she is the eldest and is already backed by multiple houses and the King. Otto been manipulating his daughter to burn bridges and view Rhaenyra as a potential enemy. Once they gained power they where never going to give it back to Rhaenyra bc who in their right mind would hand over such control from once family to another. Especially after getting to the crown. Otto was going to do the same thing that was done to Daemon and it was to send her far away from King’s landing since her presence conflicts with his interest.

Considering his promotions have been either after he succeeded or while plans were under way, that's a pretty thoughtless claim.

Criston was a father figure for Aegon. Of course he's gonna forgive him. Of course he's gonna make him his Hand.

@Winter-Alpha-Omega And the hand he fired was his grandfather, who had no responsibility to protect his son. It's a dumb decision...but I guess that's the point. He doesn't know what he's doing.

@@caseyw.6550 Well, in the book, Aegon fires Otto because Otto wants to overpower him and because he wants quick results. Criston parrots back to him the violence he wants to hear, so that's the reason he... you know, chooses him as his Hand.

He doesn't know that Crispy sleeps with his mom or was with her. Crispy told him he had ordered the nights watch, so blamed whoever was on guard duty. BUT we see that Helaena has no guards, not even after B&C. I think Aegon isn't thinking straight right now. Cole is a parental figure to him and he trusts him. I don't think he looked over the details of who guarded who.

@@Winter-Alpha-Omega Right. Cole enables his bs. Otto doesn't.

I never made the Glokta connection but holy crap I’m slightly mindblown 😮😂

The look on his face when he was told Cristons plan was incredible acting. Only one gesture but it tells us a everything. Absolutely incredible actor

Totally. As he's walking away from Aegon, the mans face looks like it ages 20 years.

I don't know what the glokta scene is, I appreciate you not spoiling it! But I just wanted to agree Rhys Ifans was phenomenal this episode. It takes great skill to have a character so often calm, completely lose their temper and yet it still feel like the same character. Everything about his performance was brilliant

@@mylittlethoughttree A Glokta scene isn't from ASOIAF at all. He's referencing a prominent character in the First Law series, Inquisitor Glokta, who is a torturer and one of the POV's of the series. He quite a bit of the stuff Larys does in that scene, hence it felt like A Glokta scene. Liking House of the Dragon probably means you'll like those books as well.

That's a good point! A final scene to drill that home would've been nice. Emphasise the fact he is now the hand of the king in her presence

Also, the girl's never gotten laid except for with a can o' worms!

​@@mylittlethoughttreeI think the last scene was about that. In the first episode, their sexual scenes depict Alicent as the dominant one; him eating her out or her riding him. Now, Alicent tries to assert her power and externalize her guilt by hitting Crispy Creme (not a typo), but in the end, he's the one pressing her to the wall, with his *hand* up her... nether regions. Now, he's the one asserting his power; she's no longer his superior, but at best, his equal.

@@tatianamelendez490 actually yeah, you're completely correct. Great point and again shows hotD actually using sex to explore something

I very much agree, actually. I think I rushed this video out, and I half said what you're saying there, but didn't quite get it right. Aegon has a clear arc. I think he is thinking more of himself to begin with. "My son is my legacy" but I think that's more how his grief is initially expressed.

There's nothing sympathetic about him. Blud was a terrible parent to Alicent. He saw her as a political chip. Aegon is such a failure because of his own mistakes. He's reaping what his own parenting caused. And he never educated Aegon for rulership, because Alicent and him wanted Aegon II to be simply a puppet ruler, a Hightower puppet at that. No sympathy from me.

@Winter-Alpha-Omega I'm by no means saying he is a good person. His pride caused this mess in the first place, and by the time he realized what he did, it was too late to stop it. I like it when usually one bote archetypes are treated as actual people, even if they are objectively horrible human beings, it makes their villiany feel more real.

​@Winter-Alpha-Omega womp womp. Also great points ngl.

Yeah, I was surprised at how bad I felt for him. Cuz I hate him. The actor’s killing it.

@LocksAndChains I mean, out of the 3 men in the room when he was fired, he was probably the best of them. Not saying a lot, considering it was Aegon and Cole, but it's clear Otto isn't a monster, just way too much hubris.

I won't spoil anything, but if you ever read Fire and Blood, there is a lot worse things written about Otto's legacy than just Aegon.

Well. Aegon was never trained to be King like Rhae

Otto never cared to groom Aegon to rule. It is his own fault.

He's like Tywin. Both try to construct something. But in the end, their pettiness causes them to lose everything.

Aegon is anything but an idiot.

Tom glynn Carney said in that moment they fell eachother's pain but didn't know how to express it.

@@rahimg6842 🥺🥺🥺 that makes it even sadder

Lol. Viserys was a good man but a pretty bad king. Granted no sick man can be a good king in the first place. He should have abdicated long ago with a clear inheritance in line. Aegon destroying his castle is pretty understandable considering his child was murdered.

Otto does say his name at the first council session but I think that's it

@@mylittlethoughttree Hell, Helaena barely gets any attention and she witnessed the whole thing!

Isn’t that moon tea?? I just assumed it was because well he’s in a brothel and you know……can’t be having bastards running around.

i hope dog find a good home

I wanted Helaena to adopt Cheese dog. Someone else suggested Hugh Hammer. Or someone could write a time-travel fanfic where Ser Pounch goes back to the time of Dance of Dragons and hooks up with a young Cheese dog to fix Westeros.

​@@movieloverfan18 I'm 1000% game for this

​@@movieloverfan18I just had AI write me one and I love it lol!

@@movieloverfan18 just for you I am posting it. In the shadows of the Red Keep, Sir Pounce, the clever and agile feline companion of young Tommen Baratheon, basked in a rare moment of peace. The world around him was in turmoil, but Sir Pounce had a secret. With a flick of his tail and a soft purr, he activated the ancient time-travel amulet hidden beneath his collar, a relic passed down through the generations of castle cats. As the world blurred around him, Sir Pounce found himself in a different era, one fraught with its own perils and intrigues-the time of the Dance of the Dragons. His mission was clear: prevent the tragedies that would scar Westeros for generations. He needed an ally, and he knew exactly where to find one. In the bustling streets of King's Landing, amidst the clamor of merchants and the whispers of treachery, roamed a spirited dog named Cheese. Loyal and brave, Cheese was known throughout the city for his cunning and his uncanny ability to navigate the treacherous political landscape. Sir Pounce tracked him down to a quiet alley, where the two animals exchanged a knowing glance. "Cheese," Sir Pounce meowed softly, "I am Sir Pounce from the future. We have much to discuss." Cheese tilted his head, ears perking up. "Future? What nonsense is this?" Sir Pounce stepped closer, his eyes gleaming with determination. "Westeros is on the brink of disaster. The Dance of the Dragons will lead to untold tragedies, not just for the realm but for the noble families who inhabit it. We must prevent these events from unfolding." Intrigued and sensing the truth in the cat's words, Cheese agreed. "Alright, Sir Pounce. What do we need to do?" Their first task was to avert the civil war that would pit dragon against dragon. Sneaking into the Red Keep, they found secret passages that led them to the chambers of key figures in the conflict. They worked tirelessly, sowing seeds of doubt and encouraging diplomacy instead of war. Sir Pounce whispered in the ears of kings and queens while Cheese distracted guards and messengers, ensuring their presence remained undetected. Through their efforts, alliances began to form, and the tension between the Targaryens eased. But their work was far from over. They journeyed north to Winterfell, where the Stark family faced their own grim fate. The ghosts of the future haunted Sir Pounce, and he was determined to change their destiny. In the stark halls of Winterfell, Sir Pounce and Cheese befriended the Stark children. With gentle nudges and playful antics, they guided the young Starks toward choices that would strengthen their family bonds and prepare them for the trials ahead. They ensured Robb never broke his marriage oath, that Bran stayed clear of the fateful tower, and that Arya learned the art of survival without losing her humanity. Their final mission took them beyond the Wall, where the true enemy lurked. Sir Pounce and Cheese braved the cold and the darkness, guiding Jon Snow to the discovery that would unite all of Westeros against the coming storm. They whispered secrets of the past and visions of the future, helping Jon forge alliances that would save the realm from the Night King's icy grasp. As the years passed, Westeros transformed. The Dance of the Dragons never erupted into full-scale war, the Stark family remained united and strong, and the realm stood ready to face the terrors beyond the Wall. Sir Pounce and Cheese, their mission complete, returned to their own times, leaving behind a legacy of hope and unity. In the quiet of the Red Keep, Sir Pounce curled up in Tommen's lap, a contented purr resonating from deep within. Westeros was safe, and for once, the future looked bright. And somewhere in the bustling streets of King's Landing, a clever dog named Cheese trotted proudly, knowing he had played a part in saving the realm. Together, they had rewritten history, proving that even the smallest of creatures could make the greatest of differences.

Everyone was amazing, but those two did shine!

You're right, but also since rhaenyra is so much older and presumably had her first son while aegon was still young, her son then became second in line to the throne in viserys eyes which probably led to more neglect of aegons development.

Honestly true. You can see the immediate wrongs within season 1. Look how Rhaenyras kids behave and Alicent kids behave.

No way could Aegon have sat in on council meetings! As far as Viserys (and half the realm) was concerned, his heir was Rhaenyra. Had Otto tried to include him in such a high-profile way, it would have caused all kinds of problems...such as guys like Beesbury sitting there and asking, "WTF is this kid doing here?" It would probably have been too awkward to have Ser Criston bash his head in in front of Viserys... It is amazing that they thought they could just stand the kid up and put the crown on his head and give him Blackfyre and everything would be fine...I suppose old Otto thought he could control the whole thing. Well, as he found out, he was wrong...

Even with an heir, it's good to have a backup plan. And it wouldn't have been any different than when Rhaenyra was there as a young girl. I agree about Otto.

I feel like aegon has hints of self awareness. Both of the brothers weren’t “born evil” like Joffrey, if raised properly they would’ve been salvageable.

@@johansmallberries9874 We're gonna see what potential they had through Daeron. I wanted Otto to slam Alicent while mentioning him that Daeron is a decent person because Alicent hasn't raised him

​@@jessjess23brooks89So basically, Alicent is Cersei, Aegon and Aemond are Joffrey, Helaena is Myrcella and Daeron is Tommen. And Viserys is Robert.

Yeah I think it's mostly a positive thing. I don't think it was particularly sexual or fetishized either. I think he wants somewhere to quickly and intensely pour all of the vulnerability he keeps bottled up, and a madam of a brothel is the safest, discrete person he can think of. It would feel like a world away from the red keep. There probably is some sexual component somewhere but it's mainly intimacy and acceptance

@@Winter-Alpha-Omega Pretty much. Though I would say Myrcella is more well adjusted than Haelena. Cersei managed to raise two decent kids that she was around quite often. And yes, I'm gonna say it: I think Cersei was a better mother 😬. What a world we live in. She guided her kids in all the wrong things, but she thought they were correct and she actually tried. Her children certainly didn't lack for self-esteem. Alicent is however a much better person than Cersei. Diametrically opposite sides of a coin.

I'd probably give it a 9/10

Interesting. Do you remember where you read or heard about Cooke’s thoughts on that final scene? I also thought the episode ended on an abrupt note.

@@cybele_mullejz Looper just posted a video with some quotes from the interview in it, sorry I can’t remember which publication it was with-I’ve been viewing most of the press junket interviews and they might do six or seven wearing that days outfit, it’s all very hard to tell apart because it’s just different sets and interviewers. But I know looper just posted a video covering why it was cut supposedly with some quotes about the situation

@@cybele_mullejz I think they were specifically asked if there were any scenes she was in that got cut that she wished hadn’t been cut, so it wasn’t like she was spouting off about being slighted. She just made the point that the animalism and violence of the scene was not gratuitous, which HBO was being rightfully much more mindful with this show’s production than they were for the first several seasons of GoT in terms of making the filming environment for intimacy scenes really safe; Olivia just felt strongly about the fact that it absolutely said a lot about where both her character and Criston Cole were at in terms of what they’ve done. I think they are overcorrecting a little bit in terms of depicting what happens between two consenting adults behind closed doors to deal with grief and guilt. Also this is the first sexually independent and sexually fulfilling time in Alicent’s life-after her husband is dead, she’s bore four healthy adult children, three of them male, her eldest son and daughter have already produced heirs of their own (barf), one of them is sat on the throne, again, with his own heir in line, by the time she allows herself to get nasty with Criston. At least that’s the actor’s understanding is that this didn’t even start until Viserys was dead. And Alicent is very religious in the beginning too so she felt like the fact that Alicent stopped wearing her necklace representing the seven in this episode and decided, even after questioning whether her own actions led to the loss her family is now experiencing, to continue with said actions because she doesn’t believe in the system that she’s fought her entire life to uphold and follow the rules laid down for her, from society, from religion. Plus like she’s the dowager queen so even though she really shouldn’t be sleeping with a kingsguard, she is entitled to her own pleasures now and could entertain the company of men if she really wanted to. She holds no real power. She’s performed her duties to the realm, used up by a system which failed to reward her in all the ways it traditionally is supposed to-by male primogeniture. Viserys really is the one responsible for the dance of the dragons, as much as I LOVE Paddy Considine. Like Alicent did everything that was required of her and received none of the security she would have been entitled to, by law, all because Viserys had issues with his brother and thought he had a dragon dream one time that he’d bear the next of the line to lead to the prince that was promised, and that it had to be a boy instead of just making Rhaeneyra heir and marrying someone who either couldn’t have children due to age or medical history, AT LEAST marrying strategically to the Velaryons or Boratheons, literally doing anything to prevent an immediate succession crisis the second he left this world.

I agree it's an important development, but I don't know if it feels enough of a bang to end the episode with. It generally just informs the criticisms being made that the episode is slow. I think there is a fair argument to be made there but, on the whole, I don't really mind. I think it's a great episode and I'm happy to see it laying seeds for the next few episodes

And there was me hoping I would the only one to notice that typo 😂

Viserys pretty much checked out emotionally after Aemma's death. Most of him died with her. He married Alicent because she was young and pretty and nice to him, and made him feel better, and he knew he had to marry somebody or he'd never hear the end of it. He was an absentee father, for sure.

That was dicked up, I was expecting more compassion from her seeing as they have portrayed her as conflicted over this whole thing. Boo.

@@lacym9278 The whole relationship is too conflicted; Alicent feels too guilty, she thinks the little one's death is a punishment from the gods for her sins. And she's got reason to be upset with Aegon, he canned his grandpa! But it was so sad to watch a woman so messed up she couldn't comfort her weeping son.

Viserys was a shitty fucking ruler. And Otto will never want his grandson's killer to be queen.

@@misssoso5859 Viserys was a peace-time king, and ultimately an ineffective ruler. I agree; he should have made Rhaenyra Queen while he was still living, then abdicated and taken Alicent and the children to Dragonstone to build Lego castles and maximize Alicent’s sons’ chances of hatching an egg or bonding with a dragon However, you ALSO seem to be forgetting that Otto tried to get Rhaenyra as an ally looooong before his grandson was an itch in Viserys’s left nut, never mind poor Helaena and her kids. Remember, he encourages her to review the kingsguard candidates and he suggests the most politically advantageous. “He has a large keep many bannermen etc etc”, and Rhaenyra says “but Cole has battle experience, and I want a battle tested guard at my father’s side.” At the time, Otto thought she was dismissing his council, got pissed, and decided he was going to back her rival (whomever that might be, and ideally his grandson). In retrospect, a battle-tested guard in the room or antechamber would have prevented B&C So he might be seeing the Rhaenyra who was prepared to negotiate and requested time to consider abdication, and wonder how many rat catchers she’d send swinging in the streets

@@cloverazar5315 I'm not denying Otto's role in this mess. But Viserys was the king, and so he takes the ultimate responsibility.

@@misssoso5859you can blame Viserys all you want but whats done is done. He didn’t start the war, he never wanted to. His kids on the other hand did. It’s their responsibility, their actions, their consequences. Doesn’t help that Otto provocative many actions despite Viserys wishes.

@Bft149 No, it's still ultimately his fault. He was a king, not a CEO of a company or whatever. Any power vacuum he leaves behind means causing an existential threat for his family on both sides. That's horrifically irresponsible and selfish.

I'm not gonna argue he's a good parent, nor that's he's a good king, but it was a competent king. He didn't destroy the kingdom. He wasn't cruel or temperamental. He was just a terrible family man who also let those faults infect his rule

Yeah that's kind of how I see it. I'm not going to argue he was a good king but people criticise him to a wild extent. He was fairly competent and not particularly harmful...which is actually a pretty good record by king standards, but still doesn't exactly make him good

I really liked his performance kind of for that reason. It felt a bit like a petty sibling spat or something. It reflected their relationship much more, and it reflected Daemon's continuing bitter resentments. He has always been that kind of person. Rhaeneyra calls him pathetic, which is harsh, but there certainly is a petulant side to him that ruminates on old feelings

Generally, I think HotD has been better written than GoT from the start. GoT had an edge because the books it's based on are more expansive and engrossing, and I think characters it's easier to invest in from the start. But judging purely the quality of the screenplays, I think HotD has always been better and now that there's less time jumps, it's really starting to show