to answer your question: the guy who fought his way into the crowd to grab rhaenyra and make sure she was safe was sir harwin strong or harwin "breakbones", lyonel's (the new hand of the king) son and older brother to larys, the dude who told alicent about the tea earlier in the episode. harwin has actually appeared before in other episodes - he was the one smiling at rhaenyra when she came back with blood all over her clothes after killing the boar, and he's also the knight she ran into while disguised as a boy last episode, he recognizes her but lets her go. absolutely love him!

I find it hilarious that Daemon showed up ready to start drama and ruin the evening, but right when he's about to really kick things into gear, his thunder gets abruptly stolen by somebody else.

Personally, I think they got married quickly because the King saw Rhaenyra with Daemon and didn't want them together, so he hitched Rhaenyra and Laenor up before the blood had even dried... just a thought!

35:08 they had to get married immediately because viserys saw, nay FELT, the sexual tension between rhaenyera and daemon across the room and was like "nawh we're not waiting a week I'm seeing this wedding through tonight". and they just had a homicide at the wedding reception. who knows how many other catastrophes are gonna pop up in a week. lord helps the king he has been trying so hard. he just wanted to enjoy his daughter's wedding, eating all the food that he paid for.

I could be wrong, but I think the reason for the shotgun wedding was bc Viserys saw the tension between Rhaenyra and Daemon during the dance. So he figured he should get this new alliance established before the prince and princess screw it all up.

I haven’t been super impressed with the Laenor actor yet, But god damn that cry of despair when he’s crawling to his body was chilling. Brutal episode.

Not Clarus dressing in Green this episode! Hahaha

The "guy" is Harwin "Breakbones" Strong, he's the strongest knight in the seven kingdoms and he's the son of Lyonel Strong aka the hand of the king 😁 Harwin will be soooo important in the future episodes.

I saw that little showdown between Daemon and Rhaenyra full of some sexual tension, maybe that’s just me but wow 😅 He was trying to get her to reconsider, because now that he’s a widow, he can take another wife so he’s still trying to get with her, but she decided to antagonize him because she’s still bitter about what he did to her reputation. But I felt that sexual tension for sure, especially him holding her face in passion as if to MAYBE kiss her… we don’t know, we lost him after that.

One of you should wear a black and the other green every episode. It would be thematically fitting.

Pretty sure Rhaenyra's new husband was really indiscreet with his relationship and it was kind of common knowledge like Renly and Loras.

in the books it showed Daemon and Rhaenyra had a longer more substantial relationship after they first meet. He was very smiting by her and spent 6 months with her where he would tell her stories, read poems, he would gift her rare items and take her places. The relationship also showed an interesting power dynamic in which they would both try to get the upper hand it seemed Rhaenyra knows his tricks and he can't be bested in his own game and that is what really peaks Daemons long lasting interest in Rhaenyra. For the most part Rhaenyra can read Daemon like a book, and he doesn't know whether to run towards her or away from her. They still have alot more to their relationship but i won't spoil it or they could decide to go in another direction but i doubt it.

It would stay King’s Landing regardless of if it’s a King or not. Like with Cersei it was still King’s Landing. It’s called King’s Landing because it’s where Aegon first landed on mainland Westeros

Maegor I (The Cruel) was the Son of Aegon and Visenya and was not the direct ancestor of any of the current characters. He usurped the throne after King Aenys (Aegon's first son by Rhaenys (his younger sister/wife)) died. He was not the heir. He died with no heirs and his branch of the family tree died. King Jaehaerys I then was able to take the throne which is Viserys I Grandfather.

Wouldn't be a GOT wedding without people getting unalived.

The simple fact that Joffrey now knows Cole's (and Rhaenrya) secret makes him an existential liability for Cole. Also, The writers and directors are consistently telling the viewers that Rhaenyra and Daemon want the shit out of each other. It's inevitable. Btw, you absolutely nailed Daemon. He loves his family and the Targaryen legacy more than anything else.

The royal family tree is much more complicated than that. Maegor is Viserys'.... great, great, great uncle. I think? Maegor and Aenys are brothers. Jaehaerys is the son of Aenys. Viserys is Jaehaerys' grandson by his second son Baelon. Also no, King's Landing does not change name if a queen takes over. It's called King's Landing because it's where Aegon the Conqueror landed his ships when he first invaded Westeros. So he's the king being referred to. Going by book knowledge, Rhaenyra knowing Laenor is gay was indeed because it's pretty much an open secret among the lords of the realm. He has never been seen in a brothel or to take any interest in women, and he surrounds himself with other young men. In fact it's brought up at a small council meeting as a reason why Rhaenyra should not marry him. Rhaenyra herself is much more opposed to marrying a gay dude in the book. Joffrey is called the Knight of Kisses because the symbol of house Lonmouth is a pair of lips. Don't know why they made him say he didn't understand why people called him that in this episode. The Hightowers are still an important house by the time A Song of Ice and Fire rolls around, and are set to have a fairly important role in the next book, though we haven't seen any modern day Hightowers yet. No one fought Robert at the Tower of Joy. Gerrold Hightower (along with Arthur Dayne and Oswell Whent) fought Ned and his men (including Howland Reed). The Gerrold Claroos was remembering being in this episode was Gerrold Royce - the one who accused Daemon of murdering Rhea. I agree that Disney+ will not be able to do the violence of Eragon justice. Like I don't see how they're going to do Nasuada's bloodletting contest, or Roran's entire war story. If this show does the Dance of the Dragons justice, you will definitely get your wish of seeing dragons do crazy things.

Besides Ser Gerold in the Tower of Joy flashback, the only Hightower we know about in Game of Thrones is Ser Jorah's wife that he sold slaves for which got him exiled from Westeros (Lynesse) but she's only referenced, not seen. Also, Margaery and Ser Loras's mom is a Hightower (Lynesse's sister in fact, so that means Ser Jorah is Margaery & Ser Loras's uncle by marriage) but she's never even referenced in the show.

as many awful things as Daemon has done, killing Rhea wasn't supposed to be one of them as in the book she died while Daemon was still at war in the stepstones. They talk about him having to fly back to Runestone to deal with the aftermath, and she malingered for days so she would have had plenty of time to tell on him if he had done it. Honestly I don't know why they changed that. It's not like we needed more reasons to think Daemon is an asshole.

Rhaenyra being carried out on one arm never ceases to amuse me 😂

The hand is Lyonel Strong. He has 2 sons and 2 daughters. Oldest son is Harwin (the one carrying Rhae) and younger is Larys(rhymes with Varys), known as the clubfoot. His daughters have not appeared (they don't appear in books either).

It’s funny seeing them two trying to paint Criston as the good guy and then…😂the bomb dropped!

People keep assuming that Cole would be automatically dismissed/executed/etc. for the murder. But that is not the case. First, this is the society where duels for honor are an accepted practice. An insult and baring of weapons by both parties is essentially reason enough for the fight to the death if both participants are willing. And often no one interferes. We saw this just an episode ago during Rhaenyra's courting. Second, Cole is Kingsguard. Any threat or even a serious enough insult to the royal family is not only reason enough for him to use deadly force but actually his duty. So without Cole testifying against himself and without direct witnesses to the beginning of the fight there are hardly practical grounds for charging him with anything.

Maegor (the Cruel) was the 2nd born son to Aegon the Conqueror from his wife Visenya. He usurped the throne after his older brother died, and then died under mysterious circumstances on the Iron Throne. Jaehaerys took the throne after Maegor.

The most hilarious overreaction to being told that you are side piece material and not husband material 😂😂

Alicent's negative reaction to the discovery of Rhaenyra is rooted in the fact that she lied to her by swearing in her mother's name that her virtue was still there. As heir to the throne, Rhaenyra's virtue has to be pure because if it is discovered that she slept with others before marriage, it puts into question the nature of her children and the succession. Moon tea (the tea the Maester gave Rhaenyra) is known to be an unreliable tea if it is not drunk at the proper time. the issue with Alicent however was that if Rhaenyra could so easily lie swearing in her mother's name about her virtue being pure, would you trust her if she promised you she would spare your kids? Alicent is also pissed because she was unwillingly complicit in her father's dismissal even though the accusation he made was in fact truthful (albeit the perpetrator was different). She has been sticking her neck for Rhaenyra and refusing to comply with her father's wishes for Aegon to be King for so long and through so much only to find out everything said about her by her father was true (in her eyes). Her wearing green is an act of war, stating that she will abide by her family's wishes because as far as she is concerned Rhaenyra is unfit for the Iron Throne. Criston reacted violently to Joffrey's proposal because out of the both of them, he is the most likely to be tortured and killed if discovered that he slept with Rhaenyra. Joffrey Lonmouth is a knight of a minor house so if he gets caught with Laenor all that would happen is that he just be sent away while Criston would be as he said to Alicent: Gelded and Tortured. When Joffrey went to Criston and stated "Let's keep them safe." all Criston heard was "I can destroy you" so Criston snapped and killed him. Criston gets away with killing Joffrey because he is a minor knight and brawls between knights ending in accidental death are common. Joffrey also pulled a knife so he could argue it was self-defense.

To be fair to Daemon, Lady Royce pulled a weapon first on Daemon. Even the show runners commented that Daemons intentions in the Vale were unclear and that her falling from her horse made Daemon make a split decision right there to kill her.

He only wanted to marry her to restore his honor, he doesn't truly love her. Moreover, they just slept once and all of a sudden he expects her to abandon her duties, family, country and reputation? LOL

I wouldn't make any guesses based on which houses are seen in Game of Thrones. You might not know any Hightowers but you don't know any Velaryons or Strongs either. As it happens, Jorah Mormont's expensive ex-wife was Lynesse Hightower, Margaery and Loras's mother was Alerie Hightower, and Ser Gerold Hightower was Lord Commander of the Mad King's Kingsguard. They're not plot relevant in the original show but that's not to say they don't exist.

The Strongs, Lyonel the Hand, his oldest son Harwin the Breakbone and his younger son Larys the Clubfoot, are very interesting to watch in terms of the way they are playing the game. if both the sons are acting under the order of their father, then Lyonel is a formidable schemer as he's playing to both Rhaenyera's and Alicent's side. man's covering all grounds.

Criston is a romantic idealist feeling exceptionally guilty and disillusioned. Ser Joffrey completely misunderstands his character assuming Criston is as cynical as he is which sets Criston off. The guy who rescued Rhaenyra is Ser Harwin "Breakbones" Strong. He was the guard Rhaenyra ran into on the street on her night out with Daemon.

Wow I get why Daemon called his wife the "bronze bitch" lol. She says hello, followed by nothing but verbal abuse until she's dead. Definitely not a healthy marriage. 🤣

That Viserys song was on point

That guy is ser Harwin Strong, brother of the guy who was talking to Alicent at the beginning of the episode (Larys Strong). Son of the hand of the King(Lyonel Strong).

"I'll lie to the grave; wasn't there, didn't happen, didn't see it" "Sir I asked if you're paying cash or credit"

The Lonmouth sigil is Skulls and Kisses, and their House words are "The Choice Is Yours" between death or love. One of Rhaegar's besties was a Lonmouth.

The city is called "King's Landing", it wouldn't change its name if there was a queen. It is named because it was the location where King Aegon the Conqueror first landed in Westeros when he began his invasion.

I swear you guys are the highlight of my week. It’s crazy to see your reactions because they almost exactly synch up with what I felt watching the show haha

Why wearing green?😭💔Come on Clarus, as fans of HotD we all hate the colour Green.

Great reaction. Disagree on daemon though. Daemon and nyra genuinely do love each other. She was egging him on but at the same time wanted him to do that. That’s why Visery always mentions that nyra and daemon are really similar. He’s not a villian, we have just seen more bad then good from him at this point of the story. Watching the actual villians would make people appreciate daemon more

cole wasn't "buckling" . he thought his relationship with rhenaya was dishonorable to begin with , so he confessed just as he proposed marriage. those are the only ways remaining for him that has some shred of honor. and when that joffrey proposed the 4 person open intrigue arrangement/threat and the feeling he would be on same level with that guy, made him lose it. btw if rhenaya wanted "arrangements", she should have ensured that lenor and his boyfriend don't propose an open arrangement to cole, after he had already indicated what has passed was dishonorable in his own eyes. if she wanted another kind of knight from a noble house, who is happy with political/personal arrangements, for whom "honor" is a meaningless word, she had a lot of choice, other than a knight with combat experience for whom honor was no mere word.

39:25 There are no Hightower characters in the GOT series timeline. They still exist but less prominent. You'll notice the Valeryons are not prominent in the show either, so that kinda says something for this series.

Just found your channel a few days ago, now I've watched all your Sandman videos, and now all of the HotD reactions. I enjoy your content so far and looking forward to seeing more. 🏘️ Of The 🐉

Without a doubt this show is the best show on 📺 by several miles !! And as a book reader I'm happy the show runner's actually showcase the strength of sir Harwin Strong aka breakbones 💪💯

When people watch a TV show they don't understand and they confuse everything, the good guys become the bad guys and the reverse goes like this

it stays King's Landing because the king isn't whoever the current king is, it's Aegon the Conqueror, when he came over from Dragonstone.

Ser Criston is a fighter, a soldier. He’s not familiar with the way of politics, duties, secrets and lies. I can see why he can succumb to his emotions, everything he’s feeling and experiencing is new to him. Also we saw how easily he can get caught up with his feelings. Yes Rhaenyra pushed him, but he likes her too which made it easy for him to break his vows and catch actual love for the princess.

A Hightower is still the Lord of Oldtown in the main GoT storyline - They're basically the #2 most powerful family in the Reach behind the Tyrell's, they just don't have any main characters as of yet - Though if you've read book 5 you know a certain Kraken is on the way there and things should get interesting if we ever get book 6.

Was the editing different on this video compared to your others?

23:58 , Maegor is Jaehaerys' Uncle. Aegon The Conqueror had 2 wives , Rhaenys & Visenya. Rhaenys had a son King AENYS , Jaehaerys is 3rd son of AENYS. Maegor is Visenya Targaryen's Son. Maegor the cruel Usurps the throne when his half brother King AENYS dies then kills Jaehaerys' 2 older brothers. Jaehaerys lays claim to the throne & ascends when Maegor gets no support cos of his cruel reign & is found dead on the iron throne mysteriously. Jaehaerys is King Viserys' Grandfather.

The guy who Lyonel Strong the Hand sends in to save Rhaenyra is his son Ser Harwin Breakbones. The strong knight in the Seven Kingdoms

Maegor isn’t viserys grandfather all of Maegors kids we stil born , some lizard babies jaehaerys was his heir but jaehaerys was king aenys I son maegor killed aenys I (who was aegon I first born son) and took the throne from him . Maegar is viserys I great grand uncle .

That man that saved in Rhaenyra, his name is harwin strong. He is the hands son if you recall, he’s the one who said that the banner flame in the tower was green at war. His brother is the foot fetish boy. And Harwin is my favorite character, and I really wish that we had much more of him in the show. The man is fine as hell. His other nickname is Harwin Breakbones specifically because he’s the strongest man in the kingdom and whoops some serious ass.

ABOUT DAEMON ; "Over the centuries, House Targaryen has produced both great men and monsters. Prince Daemon was both. In his day there was not a man so admired, so beloved, and so reviled in all Westeros. He was made of light and darkness in equal parts. To some he was a hero, to others the blackest of villains." from the BLOOD AND FİRE

I really appreciate Larys' preformance. The slight annoyance when Alicent isn't picking up on what he's inferring was just great Also Harwin is so cool Break Bones >>>>>>

I think Ser Criston killed Ser Joffrey because he realized he was in a double-bind blackmail situation on top of already being under Queen Alicent's mercy. The more people that know about his relationship with Rhaenyra, the more likely it is to get out and the higher his chances are of being brought before King Viserys himself and suffering a much worse punishment than internal shame. This is why you don't "badger the bear" when you know something dangerous. It's exactly why Ned failed in Season 1 of Game of Thrones. He thought he had a trump card on Cersei, and all she did was tear it up and imprison him instead. Once you reveal you're a threat, you better hope the person you're threatening doesn't have a means of eliminating you.

Daemon is a good family member in a harsh world. He's loyal to family and no one else, he wants to protect them from anything that would do them harm. So he is actually a very good person, but he also has to do bad things and be a bad person at times to do it all. Also people need to stop asking when the Rains of Castamere are going to play, it shouldn't as those event have yet to happen and it was a literal song written for Tywin Lannister that he chose to make his theme and an intimidation tactic to remind other people of what he has done and is willing to do.

Maegor the Cruel is Viserys's great great half-uncle. Maegor had no children (despite trying with six wives) so the Targaryen line doesn't descend from him.

King's Landing is named such because that's where Aegon arrived to Westeros when he started his conquest.

Leanor was likely at King's Landing for much of his youth given that Corlys served as Master of Ships for many years. So it's safe to assume that Rhaenyra and Leanor spent time together since they're cousins.

Nerdy and Shaggy- "It wasn't me."

Alicient is just jealous Of Rhaneyras freedom. Rhaneyra has done nothing to show that she will kill her siblings as for her lying to Alicent? Alicent lied first when she was making moves on her father and dint tell Rhaneyra both were protecting themselves. I think their both selfish tbh

Man that lady in denial that Rhaenyra and Daemon legit are in love huh?

“Criston’s a good guy” 2 seconds later you learn he’s one of the “nice guys” who can’t handle rejection and would be the guy who punches a hole in the wall after he’s told no.

I'm pretty sure there is 10 episodes this season.

That scene between Daemon and Rhea was a Pass in Deebyshire, England and was the same Pass where the rolling down the hill scene in Princess Bride was filmed! ❤

Technically Rhaenyra never said that she was a maiden. Alicent asked if she slept with Daemon and she swore on her mother that she did not. Alicent never asked if she was still a maiden, she just interpreted Rhaenyra’s answer to mean that she was. Rhaenyra exploited the loophole in Alicents question but she very carefully never lied

The thing about Criston snapping is that Ser Joffrey (Laenor’s lover) wasn’t just saying “Let’s be bros.” The music gets sinister for a moment because he is also threatening Criston with a bit of Mutually Assured Destruction.

Another good episode of House of the Dragon. I felt sorry for Ser Criston. It's possible Ser Criston and Alicent will join forces to depose Rhaenyra and stop her from sitting on the Iron Throne as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.

Rhea should've grabbed her bow quickly and shoot Daemon down as soon as she saw who he was. Damnit!

Margerys mother is a Hightower in GOT

Man, Joffreys has no luck in weddings.🤣

A Hightower was protecting Lyanna (John's mother) during Robert's rebellion at the Tower of Joy

Poor Laenor

13:34 was that Canadian “Yes” from Clairoose

How she knows: Gaydar is her superpower.

Maegor was Jaeherys's uncle not his father. Maegor usurped the throne when his brother Aenys died.

Lord Strong is the Hand, father of Larys the Clubfoot (basically the new Littlefinger) and Harwin "Breakbones" Strong, the guy that picked Ray up. I haven't gotten a single inkling that Lord Strong is a manipulative Hand, he's had the absolute best advice, the most honest advice for King Vis all season. I think Claroos is right about why Ser Bootycall bashed what's his face's actual face in. He felt like not only was his honor all fucked up and soiled, not only is he losing the girl, this dude is rubbing it in his face, possibly even threatening him. Maegor the Cruel (not the Mad, that was Aerys, Dany's father that killed Ned Stark's dad and brother) was not Viserys' grandfather, Jahaerys was, and Jahaerys was the grandson of Aegon the conqueror. Maegor was Jahaerys' uncle. It's a super confusing family tree, especially with all the incest. I wonder if Daemon actually intended to murder his wife. All he did was reach for the bridle and the horse did the rest. Of course, he probably did stink of dragon, so maybe that was intentional. BTW, I saw that in an interview with Paddy, he said that Vis doesn't have greyscale, he has leprosy. And that slowly losing control of his body and pieces of him falling off is a huge metaphor for his reign. The Hightowers are the lords of Oldtown, technically bannermen of the Tyrells. There are one or two Higtowers in GoT, but no one major enough to remember off the top of my head.

What can I say.. What a beautiful couple doing reactions to all the best shows. Thank you for your time and effort and making reactions fun. Great work guys, keep up the exceedingly watchable work. Putting on your videos certainly brightens my day

Never attend a Westerosi wedding if you're name is Joffrey.

Daemon may not be “nice” but everything he does is for a reason. The reason is to keep his family in power. There are 2 types of Targaryen’s the strong and the weak. Daemon is still my favorite.

Great vid when I did my reaction for my channel my brain was all over the place I couldn't think for a hot min. That's when you know an episode is good it leaves you speechless and confused in a good way. 🖤🐉

The ending montage was my favorite scene of the series so far. Give me the aesthetics of the red hue of the weirdwood tree glowing in twilight, give me the flickering lights, give me the gloomy ambience of a GoT wedding with an equally gloomy soundtrack & it’s A1! The slightly overlooked heartfelt exchange Otto & Alicent had at the beginning was the most significant moment of the episode imo, other than Viserys dropping. Otto is right. You either hope for Rhaenyra’s mercy in the future or you act now. It's the Tywin Jaime "we can establish a dynasty that last a thousand years" moment. The wedding sets up the first chess pieces for Dance of Dragons. *Rhaenyra and Laenor were being told their wedding vows, but it was Alicent and Criston who were getting “married”.*

in the film Reign of Fire you can see such a dragon as you described, similar to Smaug

31:03, it's been 1 year since Stepstones.

17:03

I believe Rahaeneyra actually knows that laenor is gay, the moment she says about the goose and roast duck analogy.

Here for the algorithm gods. Also because hanging out with you is fun!

There was a one year jump between the end of episode 3 and episode 4 (aegon was two in episode 3 and they said he was 3 yrs old in episode 4) so that's probably enough time for rumours to spread about Laenor

This wedding wasn't about Rhaenyra and Laenor at all. It wasn't about Daemon, Viserys, none of them. "One flesh, one heart...I am yours and you're mine. Whatever may come"...That was about the two tortured souls, united by fate, under that moonlit tree. It's them who were forever becoming one, until the bitter end.

See I don't think Daemon does want the throne- he reminds me a lot of that Loki quote from the first Thor film where he says, "I never wanted the throne. I only ever wanted to be your equal." In the first episode he tells Viserys that he wasn't upset about the Iron Throne, he was upset because he wanted to be Viserys's Hand. He feels shoved aside, and overshadowed, unimportant to his brother who he does love. And in the fourth episode too, when Viserys accused him of not wanting Rhaenyra and instead wanting his throne, Daemon looks away and sort of scoffs as if he's thinking, "You're an idiot for believing that."

"when will we hear the "rains of castamere?" - well. the very last 5 or 6 tones of music you hear are in the melody of the rains... nice detail !

'rainbow mafia and seppuku' best youtuber hahaha

They really can't play the Rains of Castamere coz the Lannister who inspired that song, Tywin, hasn't even been born. Like this wedding's a hundred years too early. 😅

And indeed the Queen was late getting dressed for battle as Jason said :D

Cole wants nothing more than to restore his honor and Rhaenyra should submit to it. That is his wish. The main thing is that his honor is restored. He doesn't care about Rhaenyra's honor that she loses when she flees with him. This knight only has a beautiful appearance, underneath it looks quite different. He then shows his other face at the wedding. An absolute animal. On top of that, he is also stupid as bread. Confesses the sexual contact with Rhaenyra to the Queen without her even mentioning his name. And knowing full well that the punishment by law is torture and castration. He only confesses in the hope that the Queen could be gracious and spare him that and kill him instead. Such a stupid bread. This knight is an extremist, bigoted, jealous, naïve and absolut dangerous and uncontrollable. His honor goes above and beyond, no matter what the cost. His life or that of others. He kills the other guy because he is simply another guy who now knows of his dishonor and had the impudence to talk to him about it. He is only concerned with himself and no one else. This is also shown by his suicide attempt. Suicide is always the greatest selfish act. He is no Ned Stark. Love went above his honor. That would never be the case with Cole.

Margaery Tyrell's mother is named as Alerie Hightower in the book.

Nice theme song! I would sing along in a wedding, before my horrible and untimely death...

9:36 thats not his skin its a poultice (a mixture of herbs, oils and other goop used to treat wounds)

Ngl, if I had a dragon and someone murdered my bf in front of me, you can guarantee that dragon would be crashing into the room and using the murderer as a chew toy.