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HOUSE OF THE DRAGON


Jay

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With the official time jump in today's episode, just wanted to chime in here and say that this show has really been firing on all cylinders (except for the music lol). Just great writing. Feels like early GOT, but with more maturity even.

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Episode 1x6 The Princess And The Queen

 

Another very strong episode. This really is the best show on tv right now. The writing is truly brilliant. There were so many discussion and lines that were just so well written. Incredible!

 

Allicent and Viserys

First off, Olivia Cooke is very good. I was actually surprised how not weird it felt seeing another actress in the role. I really believed she was the same person that Emily Carey portrayed. And I got a few Cersei vibes from her. Great to see.

Allicent is playing the game with full force. But 2 of her pieces are having their own fun.

Ser Cole is now her personal guard and trains all the children. But he is actually only training Viserys & Allicen't boys. And that's the moment Harwin Strong intervenes and shit goes bonkers. Cole is straight up 'Fatal Attraction'. He is a bit of an prick now and the way he treated the boys from Rhaenyra I thought was despicable. 

Than Larys Strong. Wow, this is a character the series was sort of missing, a very good conspirator. He reminds me very much of Littlefinger, but I feel he's even more dangerous. He is quite scary and is very dangerous. The final scene between him and Allicent, showed that Allicent should not try to stab him in the back, because he will do it to her before she'll get the chance. The way he implied that she'll reward him when the time is right is threat that I wouldn't take lightly.

I was surprised to see Viserys is alive. And credit goes to Considine for letting the show make him look like that. He looked truly awful. It's sad how happy he got when Rhaenyra proposed the marriage to their children. I also got some Tywin Lannister vibes from him, in the way he is completely oblivious to the factwhat their children are doing.

 

Rhaenyra & Laenor

Emma D'arcy took a bit longer to get used to, but that opening scene of her giving birth was incredible. The 2 long takes were amazingly done and her acting was very good.

But Rhaenyra and Laenor have been very careless. I know Laenor is gay, but to have 3 children with Harwin Strong is really stupid. All 3 have dark hair so everyone (well except Viserys) knows that it's not from Laenor. If I were them I would at least have produced one child together, so people wouldn't suspect so much.

I also thought it was great to she Aemma's line from the first episode brought back. Aemma told Rhaenerya that a woman's battlefield is the birthing bed. Rhaenyra is doing now what she has feared she would become for a long time. It's interesting to see that Rhaenyra seems to really love her children, while to me it looks like Allicent is only seeing them as pieces on the board.

 

Lord Strong & Harwin Strong

Lord Strong was a truly good Hand Of The King. He sacrificed his own place in court for the safety and name of the King. That's what a good hand is supposed to do. But because he couldn't, out loud, speak of why he wanted to resign (which Allicent really wanted him to say) Viserys dismissed his notice and kept him as Hand. Lord Strong that demands to see Hawin off the Harrenhall so he get take up his duties as heir to House Strong.

I felt it was truly sad to see them both die. Lord Strong was a great character and it was sad to see Harwin struggle to get his father out. He really did get nothing out of his relationship with Rhaenyra. It did feel really like Game Of Thrones, that every character can just die.

 

Daemon & Laena

These scenes were incredible. Their flight together was cool and Vhagar is an absolute beast. She's so big and it was really cool to see her.

Then the mirroring of the first episode. I felt it was difficult to watch when Daemon had to make the same choice as Viserys had. But the shocking thing was that Laena already made the choice herself. Earlier the said to Daemon that she didn't want to die as some fat lord/lady but die a dragonriders death. And that she did. This was so so well done and I shed a tear for her. This scene worked so well because of Nanna Blondell's acting, the VFX team on Vhagar and the writing and directing.

I thought it was incredible that Vhagar was hesitant about burning Laena even thought Laena kept calling Dracarys. Then to see Daemon actually care about her death was a wonderful character moment. I felt it was one of the best scenes of the series so far and I'm sad to see Laena go. Especially played by Blondell, she was terrific.

 

Small things

- The whole thing with the dragon eggs is interesting. The way it works and the way dragons only listen to one person.

- Djawadi had some great moments this episode. The opening scene, flight scene and death of Laena were the standouts.

- I hope Otto comes back, I actually missed him and Ifans. Now that Larys has killed his father 'for Allicent' is would be a clever decision on Allicent's part to persuade Viserys to name Otto hand again.

- The little dragon at the start was very well realised. It felt like a mix between an dinosaur and a bat. It was quite disturbing actually.

- I feel both Aegon & Aemond are little shits. And I don't know how fast the rest of the series will go (time jump wise). But I'm dreading the moment these two grow up.

- John Macmillan is wonderful as Laenor. Very good.

- The moment Rhaenyra walked away from Allicent's chambers and the bloodtrail behind her on the floor was horrific.

- The small moment between Rhaenyra & Viserys was nice. Lovely to see their relationship is good

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Episode 6 is really good! The time jump took a couple of minutes to get used to, with new characters (names and lineages) to get to know but the new cast members are so good. Rhaenyra and Alicent both feel completely like the same characters as in the first 5 episodes, just at different stages of their lives. The last episode with young Rhaenyra showed her accepting the marriage and the burden/responsibility that comes with being the heir to the throne and specifically a princess. That kind of acceptance that was shown by Rhaenyra in episode 5 can be seen in episode 6 by D'Arcy's older Rhaenyra as well and the introduction scene was really well filmed and I especially liked the scene of her and Leonor (who is also very well acted by the older actor) going to see the Queen and the King. 

 

Cooke as Alicent was also excellent and her scenes with Viserys, both at the council and in their residence were great and you really see the built up anger and resentment she feels which we already started seeing in episode 4 and especially episode 5. The Viserys line about barely being able to use the privy in peace made me laugh! Paddy Considine shines again as a much older Viserys and the acting in the council scene was particularly good. 

 

The dragons were all cool as well and seeing the dragon pit in full was great as we only saw the ruin in GOT.

 

The developments involving the Strong family towards the end of the episode was also fascinating and I really didn't see it coming. I loved seeing the Harrenhall castle again but it seems Harren's curse still reigns. Seeing a bit of Pentos was nice as well and Daemon's development with Laena was interesting and again, the end was a shame as I liked her as a character. Her final scene was really good though, with the music and the connection to the Aemma scene from episode 1. Oh and Vhagar looked awesome! I also really liked Rhaenyra's A theme (I think) being used a few times in this episode and I think that this theme represents her princess duties, whereas the choir theme represents her more rebellious and free side.

 

I'm really impressed with how they are telling this story and Miguel Sapochnik does a great job with the direction and as usual the set design, costumes, cinematography are all very well done.

On 25/9/2022 at 8:20 PM, Jay said:

Just found this nifty family tree on HBO's official site

 

https://www.hbo.com/house-of-the-dragon/character-guide

 

Apparently it gets updated after each episode, but sadly you can't rewind to see how it looked after prior episodes now

This is very cool. I especially like the interactive map.

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28 minutes ago, Mr. Who said:

EPaddy Considine shines again as a much older Viserys and the acting in the council scene was particularly good. 

I would actually say that, as of now, he is a front runner for awards nominations. His character is not an easy one to portray and Considine hits every note and plays every layer of the character perfectly. I have a lot of respect for Considine as an actor and person for him to allow the show to do to him (both physically and mentally) with him. He is not the brightest one in the room and he looks terible in the latest episode, but he really makes it work

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26 minutes ago, JNHFan2000 said:

I would actually say that, as of now, he is a front runner for awards nominations. His character is not an easy one to portray and Considine hits every note and plays every layer of the character perfectly. I have a lot of respect for Considine as an actor and person for him to allow the show to do to him (both physically and mentally) with him. He is not the brightest one in the room and he looks terible in the latest episode, but he really makes it work

Agreed, Considine is mostly known for "smaller" UK based movies as far as I know. His work on HOTD is truly great!

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How old are Alicent, Rhaenyra, Laenor, Laena, Criston Cole, and the Strong boys supposed to be? 

 

I don't get why the royal family needed new actors after a ten year jump, but Cole and the Strong boys did not?

 

And why did Daemon look exactly the same 10 years later, but Viserys looks like Gollum now?  How old are they?

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Well, the girls were barely teenagers in the first half. And people mature the most physically in those 10 years. Ser Criston and the Strongs were already adults from the beginning, more or less.

 

Anyway, I'm not complaining. I think the two new leads are fantastic and bring a great new energy to the show.

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21 minutes ago, KK said:

Well, the girls were barely teenagers in the first half. And people mature the most physically in those 10 years. Ser Criston and the Strongs were already adults from the beginning, more or less.

 

Anyway, I'm not complaining. I think the two new leads are fantastic and bring a fantastic new energy to the show.

Yeah the alternative would have been having Cooke and D’Arcy play younger versions of the characters which wouldn’t have worked as well. I think the way they did it is great as both the young and the older actors are doing a great job and you really get a feeling of the characters growing up in this generational shift which is central to the story.

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House of the Dragon 1x06 The Princess and the Queen

 

Hmm.  I wonder how the writers decide which parts of this epic story to show on screen, and which to skip past.  Does it seem strange to anyone else we got lengthy development between Criston and Rhaenyra only for him to completely flip sides, and almost no development between Rhaenyra and Harwin - who she has 3 kids with! - before he died?  I dunno.

 

I find it so fascinating that I was sort of right that Otto created the very war he was trying to avoid... although, I guess it's actually more like he planted the seed in Alicent's head, and now she has gone and turned it into a self-fulfilling prophecy!  Like, is there any evidence anywhere that Rhaenyra actually would contemplate murdering her children after ascending the throne?  In this episode she even pleads for peace and offers a marriage pact, but Alicent is all like:

 

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As far as I can tell, Alicent is basing her entire hatred of Rhaenyra on the fact that she lied to her once when they were teenagers, which makes it quite hard to get on her side of this war, especially when she had wildcards like Larys committing patricide and fraticide, sheesh.  I guess we'll see what happens!
 

 

Rhaenyra - the new actor is good - she absolutely is an older version of Milly Alcock's teenage version, I bought into it within probably 10-15 minutes and that was that!  I find it so interesting that she has chosen not to use whatever medieval contraception is available when she bangs Harwin, and also not made sure to have offspring with Laenor as they both agreed they would do.  I don't think he's deluded into thinking the children are his, so I'm kinda of surprised he's cool with all this too.  I thought it was really interesting when he came in wanting to go fight a war, and she had to explain why that wouldn't work, and then had to specifically command him as the kingdom's heir not to!  To his credit, he seemed cool with it once it got that far.  I was wondering after a while why they were even still in King's Landing instead of her ruling over Dragonstone, and I was glad by the end of the episode that was explained, and they set out for there.  Can't wait to see what she does with her life now that she's done having children and she knows Alicent won't listen to reason.

 

Viserys - What is wrong with this dude?  Is it just supposed to be infections from wounds from the swords on the throne, or something else?  Am I not supposed to know, or is it not really explained even in the books?  Anyways, I really want to like this guy, and definitely did for a while, but it's become unfortunate that he is completely blind to what both Rhaenyra and Alicent are up to.  So much happens right in front of this guy he doesn't act upon.  Oh well... he's clearly not going to be around much longer!

 

The Strongs - Damn, Lyonel was awesome to the end, the best Hand any ruler has had in either show.  I couldn't believe his own son murdered him, that was nuts. I don't really follow the logic that by Lyonel being dead, Otto would have to come back to be hand again; there's gotta be someone else Viserys trusts somewhere, doesn't there?  Larys is totally nutso. I loved that Alicent did not perceive the depths of his drive, and now has no choice but to make it part of her life.  Oh yea, and I loved Harwin falling right into Criston's trap and essentially outing himself in front of everyone.  Nicely played, Criston (even though you're a shithead otherwise)

 

Daemon - I thought it was interesting to find out Daemon had married Laena, and already had 2 kids with her!  I now am confused about why they played up that he was impotent or something along those lines for the first 5 episodes; I guess the simple explanation was just that he hadn't found the right women yet?  But even still, he doesn't seem that warm to her in this episode, unless we are only checking in on them at a bad time.  I loved the fact that he had to go through the same decisions his brother did in the first episode about attempting to save his wife or not, and thought it was interesting we don't get to see what he chose, with Laena deciding to end things on her own terms instead.  Damn, was medeival medicine so bad they had no way of sacrificing the child to save her?  I thought it was interesting that Daemon finally did what he was told and had left Westeros entirely and settled in Essos, and I doubt he is going to take the Prince's offer to become lord of Pentos; Seems like he's going to insert himself back into the family drama now!

 

Alicent - Man, like I said about, she's really taking her father's words and Rhaenyra's one lie and reforming her entire life around it.  It really seems like the family was actually getting along fine - her kids and Rhaenyra's kids certainly were - and there has to be multiple paths for peace.  But Alicent really doesn't want that, eh?  She seems personally offended that Rhaenyra is having Harwin's kids instead of Laenor's.  I loved her line that she doesn't care if the hand is impartial, she just wants him to be partial to her - that tells you everything.  The worst part is that she's even indoctrinating her kids to believe they are in danger, it's all just perpetuating.  Crazy stuff, and now that she knows what Larys is capable of, I can sense some exciting drama happening in the future!

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39 minutes ago, Jay said:

Hmm.  I wonder how the writers decide which parts of this epic story to show on screen, and which to skip past.

I think that they choose what to show in a way where the parts they don’t show are made clear later. Like not showing Viserys and Alicent’s wedding. I’m sure this will happen with Christon as well.
 

Also worth noting is that a show about this story was being pitched before Ryan Condal came on board and made his show and HOTD hasn’t even gotten to the starting point of that pitched show (I think it was by Bryan Cogman). It’s really great that they decided to (and were allowed to) tell the story in this way. The drama and story we’re getting in S1 are brilliant and I think that it can be seen in some ways as a sort of prologue. In S2 the pacing will be more like in GOT without any major time jumps because that’s when the Dance of Dragons really begins!

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How long is the book? I read a comment somewhere that whatever that's transpired so far in the series is barely a couple of pages from the book...

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I'm back with my analysis of House of the Dragon, and I managed to watch episode 5, which delivered on the expectations of a wedding in Westeros. Another really strong episode, which gave farewell to the young cast which has been excellent so far. The whole wedding sequence was breathtaking, and Djawadi delivered with some great developments of his themes, being the standout, Alicent's theme.

 

Here's my analysis of the score for the episode, and I hope I can catch up with the sixth one, before the new episode drops this Sunday. Enjoy and feel free to share your thoughts!

 

My Analysis of House of the Dragon - 1x05: We Light the Way

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21 minutes ago, Knight of Ren said:

I'm back with my analysis of House of the Dragon, and I managed to watch episode 5, which delivered on the expectations of a wedding in Westeros. Another really strong episode, which gave farewell to the young cast which has been excellent so far. The whole wedding sequence was breathtaking, and Djawadi delivered with some great developments of his themes, being the standout, Alicent's theme.

 

Here's my analysis of the score for the episode, and I hope I can catch up with the sixth one, before the new episode drops this Sunday. Enjoy and feel free to share your thoughts!

 

My Analysis of House of the Dragon - 1x05: We Light the Way

Nice analysis and Alicent's theme and the Velaryon theme were definitively the standouts of the episode, though any appearance of the choir theme for Rhaenyra makes me happy lol

 

I think that I actually heard a small reference to the King of the Seven Kingdoms theme (sometimes called House Baratheon) in one of the source cues but I only saw the episode once so am not 100% sure. I read in an interview with Djawadi that the wedding source music was written over a year before because they needed it even before filming for the dance choreography, kind of like how Jenny of Oldstones was written for the filming in GOT S8.

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1 hour ago, Mr. Who said:

I think that I actually heard a small reference to the King of the Seven Kingdoms theme (sometimes called House Baratheon) in one of the source cues but I only saw the episode once so am not 100% sure. I read in an interview with Djawadi that the wedding source music was written over a year before because they needed it even before filming for the dance choreography, kind of like how Jenny of Oldstones was written for the filming in GOT S8.

Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying these. I only watched the episode once, so I didn't pay that much attention to the source music, but I will check it out again to see if I hear that thematic conmection you pointed out. Thanks for the tip!

 

BTW, I cannot wait for the score release so I can hear all this great pieces outside of the episodes, although this YouTube channel has been doing some pretty great impressions of some of the cues from each episode.

 

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56 minutes ago, Knight of Ren said:

Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying these. I only watched the episode once, so I didn't pay that much attention to the source music, but I will check it out again to see if I hear that thematic conmection you pointed out. Thanks for the tip!

 

BTW, I cannot wait for the score release so I can hear all this great pieces outside of the episodes, although this YouTube channel has been doing some pretty great impressions of some of the cues from each episode.

 

I know this YouTube channel lol

 

I assume that the OST will be released the same day that the finale airs but it would have been nice to at least get 2 volumes, one after episode 5 and two after the finale. I saw that Djawadi tweeted that he was working on the OST so I hope it will be generous and at least have a 2 hour runtime.

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40 minutes ago, Mr. Who said:

I know this YouTube channel lol

 

I assume that the OST will be released the same day that the finale airs but it would have been nice to at least get 2 volumes, one after episode 5 and two after the finale. I saw that Djawadi tweeted that he was working on the OST so I hope it will be generous and at least have a 2 hour runtime.

It would be great to have two volumes, but I hope that at least we can get a release as big as the ones from the last seasons of GoT.

 

I have already done a list of the music per episode, with my favorite cues that I hope will be included, which also helped me with my analysis of the different themes.

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16 minutes ago, Knight of Ren said:

It would be great to have two volumes, but I hope that at least we can get a release as big as the ones from the last seasons of GoT.

I really want the final wedding cue from episode 5 (with the piano) so I hope that it's not left off the OST because "The Prince That Was Promised" also plays the Heir theme on piano.

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I think early 2024 is likely. S1 took an extra long time t make partly because of covid and because it was the first season where the whole infrastructure had to be created and put in place. For instance they built a huge red keep set where you can walk amongst the different parts of the castle and they have their locations already (except for new ones of course). But I don't think that HOTD will have a season per year like GOTS1-7 had. Hopefully 10,000 Ships (the show about Nymeria and Dourne) could start airing in the off years, if it gets green lit. S1 of 10,000 Ships airing in 2025 between HOTDS2 and 3 would be great!

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Still really enjoying this.  I could have watched an entire series with the character as they were, but understand they need the time jump to move the story they're telling along. This felt like a transition episode, catching up with what everyone's been doing the past several years, and setting up things going forward. Interesting how they're setting up Alicent & her cadre as the villains right now, I quite liked her and hope there's more nuance with her in future episodes (which I imagine there will be).

 

Anyway, now that the board is set, the pieces are moving, the dance has begun and the game of thrones is afoot, I do hope things slow down a bit, or at least paced more evenly. Up until now, while I've enjoyed it immensely, I've felt a sense of detachment from the story as if I'm looking at a summation of history rather than seeing a story unfold naturally. Which of course is to be expected given the source material and how they're structuring the show, so I'm fine with that. But now that we're in the story proper, I'd like there to be more, hmmm...immediacy to what's going on. 

 

That said, while I still wouldn't say it matches GOT at its prime, it's still fantastic and among the best things (if not the best thing) streaming right now.

 

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You could actually say that the "real" story hasn't begun yet and Condal has said that the pacing will be slower and more in line with GOT's pacing, without big time jumps, once the Dance begins properly. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, there was a pitch for this story by Bryan Cogman in 2016 where that pitched series begun was at a point which HOTD hasn't even reached yet so I think it's great that HBO allowed Condal and GRRM to take their time to tell the story properly with all the background and character development as "the seeds of conflict and war are often sown in times of peace", like GRRM has said regarding this.

 

Personally I could watch multiple seasons just covering the reign of Viserys but I think the way that they're doing it is the correct way to tell this story and I read an interview with Condal where you really noticed how much he knows and cares about the books and GRRM's writing. The care that goes into the decisions and following the lore and story of the books while being able to make some changes to make it work for TV is impressive. HBO got very luck with Condal (well it as GRRM who suggested him but still). A funny anecdote he told was how he made everyone on the writing team read all of the books set in Westeros (not just Fire and Blood) who hadn't read them already.

 

I would say that episode 6 was in one way a mid season premiere for the second part of the season, and given the time jump we get 2 very connected arcs in S1 where the second arc will then lead directly into S2 and the Dance of Dragons.

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I'm a bit late to the party, but I finally managed to watch episode 6, just in time for the premiere of episode 7. I'm not entirely sold on the new cast just yet, mainly because I enjoyed their performances so much, but the older cast has already managed to impress me, especially Olivia Cooke and Emma D'Arcy. The episode was a bit more laid back, being more of a transitional episode, allowing us to now the whereabout of all the main characters, before we can start dwelling into the more important stuff in upcoming episodes.

 

Djawadi's music is mostly subdued, but he is allowed to shine in a couple of moments, with the development of a couple of themes associated with Rhaenyra, new variations on Daemon's theme, and an emotional piece for Laena's death, plus some unnerving ideas for Larys Strong's twisted plans

 

I have done a more in-depth analysis of the soundtrack for the episode in my blog, so definitely feel free to check it out and share your thoughts on it. I hope you enjoy it!

 

Analysis of the House of the Dragon Soundtrack - 1x06

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What are everyone's thoughts on last episode? I thought it was great, and one of my favorites so far! The funeral sequence was quite emotional, and the gathering afterwards, quite intense. I love how the tension slowly grows through the episode, just with glances and small gestures, until it all goes to hell in that throne room sequence, where Alicent briefly reveals her true self. I really enjoyed the sequence with Vhagar and Aemond, and while I'm not a big fan of the character, I thought it was executed beautifully, and it seems it's going to be of big importance in upcoming events. And finally, Daemon and Rhaenyra's union was very well done, especially in how their "master plan" is unraveled at the end, where you go from liking them, to hating them, to then liking them again, when Laenor is finally revealed to be alive!

 

Djawadi's music had a couple of moments to shine, with a lot of development of a couple of Rhaenyra's themes, a stirring, emotional piece for Laena's funeral, and a great cue for Aemond's dragon training. I analyzed all this and more in my blog, so definitely feel free to check it out, and share your thoughts on it. I hope you enjoy!

 

Analysis of the Soundtrack of House of the Dragon - 1x07: Driftmark

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Episode 7… Holy shit that was good! Best episode so far and left me speechless. First of all the directing is brilliant and keeps the whole episode very grounded and well paced. The cinematography (Fabian Wagner) is beautiful and the way they shot the night scenes was really well done and looked almost a bit like a painting, in a good way. It’s too bad that Miguel Sapochnik won’t direct in season 2 but Alan Taylor coming on board is great news.

 

The funeral scene was emotional, especially with the musical accompaniment! Laena was a really great character who I would have liked to see more of but she was so well played by all the actresses, especially Nanna Blondell in episode 6 and her final scene was very sad so it was nice to see the funeral.

 

The aftermath of the wedding with all the hushed conversations and general uneasiness was great and again reminded me of the tension filled dance scenes at the wedding in episode 5 and here the quality of the writing is on full display. Also Rhaenyra’s B theme (the choir) getting some interesting slower and subtler variations on harp was great in that sequence. I also loved King Viserys in the scene with daemon, he’s a man at the end of his life clearly wanting to bury the hatchet with his brother and for his family to get along. I also noticed some stolen glances between Rhaenyra and Daemon.


The dragon scenes were awesome and I loved seeing how dragon and dragon rider bonded. I was surprised by Aemond acting the prick in this episode though as he seemed kind of cool and misunderstood in the last episode but in the scene with Rhaenyra’s sons and Laena and Daemon’s daughters he was a a real prick and the fight scene was really tense. I had actually overheard people talking about a fight scene in an episode during the day so clearly the age of avoiding spoilers is back (like with GOT) lol. That fight really could have ended with a death.

 

The whole fallout scene of the fight was GOT/HOTD at its finest and the acting was great from everyone, in particular the actors who play Viserys, Alicent and Rhaenyra. I liked how this “woke the dragon” in Viserys who finally raised his voice properly after being rather meek in relation to past familial infighting. His blindness or rather avoidance of the truth he must know himself about the Rhaenyra’s children and the effect it has on Alicent who grows more enraged by the minute was really well done. I really liked Rhaenyra’s line about people seeing Alicent for who she is and the following conversation with Otto was great. Alicent really is a product of his upbringing as much as Rhaenyra is a product of hers where she was groomed to Best Regards a princess and not a queen for a large part of her life.


Rhaenyra and Daemon continue to be really interesting together and the scene on the beach when sha blames him for leaving was great. I had the feeling from the first episode when he gives her the necklace that there was a vibe there and it’s finally happened. The whole sequence looks great with the muted colors in the night and the variation of Rhaenyra’s A theme used in the love scene was beautiful. The final development with Rhaenyra’s wedding proposal and the voice over while Laenor was being assassinated was really chilling and great and reminded me a bit of Tyrion’s voice over when the Unsullied attack Casterly Rock in season 7 and also Baelor because it completely changes the chessboard. I loved the surprise of seeing that Laenor was alive at the end and I wonder for how many seasons he will be rowing😃 The whole sequence with the intercutting of the marriage and the assassination fallout was brilliant.

 

The scene with Rhaenys, who is a really interesting character, and Corlys was also great and really showed us who Corys is and what legacy means. The power of the dialogue is so clear in these kinds of scenes and you really feel for Corlys and Rhaenys who have now lost both their children and heirs (well at least they think so) in the span of a really short time. Corlys’ big plans are all falling apart and I’m curious about how he will react to these events.

 

Finally, the score was incredible and I think this episode had the most music of any episode and most of it was very thematic. The dragon flight music was awesome and quite scary in the first part with a new? theme and I loved when the Dragons theme from GOT finally came in at the end of the scene. The whole funeral and the following scenes was also brilliantly scored with so many themes getting new variations and developments. The theme that plays at the funeral and also plays later is also a highlight, as is the wedding music at the end. I’m now getting very worried about the OST because with 3 episodes to go, a lot of music will be missing from the OST even if they release 2 hours like GOTs8.

 

That was a long post but this was really one of the best hours of television that I’ve seen and I was on the edge of my seat. Miguel Sapochnik will be missed but he can be extremely proud of the work he’s done on both GOT and HOTD!

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Fantastic episode. Aemond's flight needs rescored with John Powell. 

 

I'm glad to see that at least Rhaenyra and Laenor tried to have kids the natural way. I don't know if there are turkey basters in Westeros, but their joyless couplings were likely not often enough while she was fertile for scheduling to work out. Hell, there's no way to even know if Laenor makes viable swimmers. 

 

When the Dance begins, it will be glorious. 

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On 27/09/2022 at 11:05 PM, Jay said:

Does it seem strange to anyone else we got lengthy development between Criston and Rhaenyra only for him to completely flip sides, and almost no development between Rhaenyra and Harwin - who she has 3 kids with! - before he died?

 

I suppose the thing is that Harwin's only real function in the story is to be the father of Rhaenyra's children, whereas Criston Cole's relationship with her (and its aftermath) seems to have been a formative experience for his character.

 

On 27/09/2022 at 11:05 PM, Jay said:

Like, is there any evidence anywhere that Rhaenyra actually would contemplate murdering her children after ascending the throne?

 

That she would contemplate murdering Alicent's children should, I think, be the default assumption, even for those of us who are not as prejudiced against Rhaenyra as Alicent is. It was a good move by the writers to have Otto say "She'll have no choice" to Alicent, highlighting (both to Alicent and to us) the possibility that Rhaenyra could find that such a course of action is imposed upon her by external circumstances, even though she would likely deplore it.

 

On 27/09/2022 at 11:05 PM, Jay said:

As far as I can tell, Alicent is basing her entire hatred of Rhaenyra on the fact that she lied to her once when they were teenagers

 

I think that's understating the case somewhat; it's not as though she lied about who ate the last lemon cake. From Alicent's point of view, she went out of her way to alert Rhaenyra to the allegations being made against her (in what was a matter of national security) and trusted Rhaenyra's sincere denial, only to discover later that she was being played. Throw into the mix the fact that Alicent has, to all appearances, behaved with what she sees as propriety (marrying, out of duty, an old guy who's falling to bits and not seeking her own gratification elsewhere), that Alicent and Rhaenyra as youngsters had an attachment which probably went beyond friendship, and that Rhaenyra is now being spoken of as an existential threat to Alicent's children, and you have a fairly potent environment in which disapproval and distrust can plausibly evolve into the sort of paranoia which Alicent is starting to exhibit against Rhaenyra.

 

On 27/09/2022 at 11:05 PM, Jay said:

Viserys - What is wrong with this dude?  Is it just supposed to be infections from wounds from the swords on the throne, or something else?  Am I not supposed to know...?

 

I don't imagine that it's supposed to be important exactly what illness(es) he has. The essential fact seems to be that his condition is a chronic one, meaning that people are anticipating his imminent demise for a long time, and, consequently, that the tensions, uncertainy and paranoia around the succession are having a really long time to brew and intensify.

 

On 27/09/2022 at 11:05 PM, Jay said:

I don't really follow the logic that by Lyonel being dead, Otto would have to come back to be hand again; there's gotta be someone else Viserys trusts somewhere, doesn't there?

 

I guess the main factor here is that Alicent's influence over Viserys has grown significantly since the days when Otto was fired. Also, Viserys seems to be pretty laid back and complacent, not one for holding grudges, and probably no longer has the strength of feeling over the issue that led him to dismiss Otto back then.

 

On 27/09/2022 at 11:05 PM, Jay said:

I loved that Alicent did not perceive the depths of his drive, and now has no choice but to make it part of her life.

 

This is probably a minority opinion, but when she said "I did not wish for this!" my thoughts were "Sure, you keep telling yourself that Alicent".

 

On 01/10/2022 at 12:16 PM, Nick1Ø66 said:

...the board is set, the pieces are moving, the dance has begun and the game of thrones is afoot...

 

 

The kings and queens are clashing, the swords are storming, the crows are feasting and the winds are w...no forget that one...

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Judging by how the season is going, I think it's fair to assume that S1 is focused on the set-up and the preparations for the Dance of Dragons, while S2 will be the war itself, right? Even if they started fighting on the very next episode, I don't think 3 episodes will be enough to cover the conflict (also, I of course want more of these characters ;))

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2 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

I think it's fair to assume that...

 

No serious spoilers herein:

 

Spoiler

I think it's safe to say that the next three episodes aren't going to cover the biggest conflict in Westerosi history between Aegon's Conquest and the War of the Five Kings! (Maybe even between the Long Night and the other Long Night.)

 

I wouldn't even expect them to get through it in Season 2. This surely has to be a three or four season job. (?)

 

 

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29 minutes ago, Glóin the Dark said:

I suppose the thing is that Harwin's only real function in the story is to be the father of Rhaenyra's children, whereas Criston Cole's relationship with her (and its aftermath) seems to have been a formative experience for his character.

 

Yea, in retrospect now, knowing more of the full story they are telling with the season in general, it all makes more sense!
 

29 minutes ago, Glóin the Dark said:

That she would contemplate murdering Alicent's children should, I think, be the default assumption, even for those of us who are not as prejudiced against Rhaenyra as Alicent is. It was a good move by the writers to have Otto say "She'll have no choice" to Alicent, highlighting (both to Alicent and to us) the possibility that Rhaenyra could find that such a course of action is imposed upon her by external circumstances, even though she would likely deplore it.

 

Hmm, I guess I can follow that logic, thanks.

 

29 minutes ago, Glóin the Dark said:

I think that's understating the case somewhat; it's not as though she lied about who ate the last lemon cake. From Alicent's point of view, she went out of her way to alert Rhaenyra to the allegations being made against her (in what was a matter of national security) and trusted Rhaenyra's sincere denial, only to discover later that she was being played. Throw into the mix the fact that Alicent has, to all appearances, behaved with what she sees as propriety (marrying, out of duty, an old guy who's falling to bits and not seeking her own gratification elsewhere), that Alicent and Rhaenyra as youngsters had an attachment which probably went beyond friendship, and that Rhaenyra is now being spoken of as an existential threat to Alicent's children, and you have a fairly potent environment in which disapproval and distrust can plausibly evolve into the sort of paranoia which Alicent is starting to exhibit against Rhaenyra.

 

Yes, I think Alicent's thoughts on everything are definitely more fleshed out now that we have episode 7

 

29 minutes ago, Glóin the Dark said:

I don't imagine that it's supposed to be important exactly what illness(es) he has. The essential fact seems to be that his condition is a chronic one, meaning that people are anticipating his imminent demise for a long time, and, consequently, that the tensions, uncertainy and paranoia around the succession are having a really long time to brew and intensify.

 

OK, that makes sense, I follow that.  I do think it's a little strange that they didn't just identify what's wrong with Visery as something specific, just so people like me wouldn't wonder if it's supposed to me a mystery, or if I just missed it in the show.

 

29 minutes ago, Glóin the Dark said:

I guess the main factor here is that Alicent's influence over Viserys has grown significantly since the days when Otto was fired. Also, Viserys seems to be pretty laid back and complacent, not one for holding grudges, and probably no longer has the strength of feeling over the issue that led him to dismiss Otto back then.

 

Yes, this is also further exemplified in episode 7 when he tries to bury the hatchet with Daemon, as well

 

 

All of this reminds me I never found time to write about episode 7 this whole week, and now episode 8 is upon us.  How time flies!

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10 minutes ago, Glóin the Dark said:

 

No serious spoilers herein:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Interesting! I'm glad that the producers are taking their time to establish the characters and didn't rush to the conflict. 

 

The hard part, though, will be the dilemma between buying or not GRRM's book while the new season doesn't come out. I started reading ASOIAF between seasons 1 and 2 of GOT, so S1 was the only one "spoiler-free" so to speak (that is, until the show surpassed the books).

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6 minutes ago, Jay said:

I do think it's a little strange that they didn't just identify what's wrong with Viserys as something specific, just so people like me wouldn't wonder if it's supposed to be a mystery, or if I just missed it in the show.

 

You could be right about the possibility of there being something more to it - the idea that it's not important is just my default assumption in the absence of anything specific to the contrary. Or maybe the writers preferred not to have a precise diagnosis to highlight the sort of state of limbo that Viserys is seen to be in by those with a vested interest in the succession,,,?

 

30 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

The hard part, though, will be the dilemma between buying or not GRRM's book while the new season doesn't come out.

 

I haven't read as far as this in Fire and Blood, though I know some key outcomes from Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire and The World of Ice and Fire, but since the book is written in a detached historical style (which conveys the real character drama only in very crude, usually ambiguous and sometimes erroneous terms), I'll be happy enough to read on before the future seasons appear. House of the Dragon has already shown that knowing the historical record can sometimes make the show more surprising rather than less!

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38 minutes ago, Glóin the Dark said:

haven't read as far as this in Fire and Blood, though I know some key outcomes from Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire and The World of Ice and Fire, but since the book is written in a detached historical style (which conveys the real character drama only in very crude, usually ambiguous and sometimes erroneous terms), I'll be happy enough to read on before the future seasons appear. House of the Dragon has already shown that knowing the historical record can sometimes make the show more surprising rather than less

I read somewhere that the Fire and Blood book that the show was based on is a lot less exciting than the ASOIAF ones, more like a history lesson than an engaging narrative. So I think that reading it will give me the outcome of the conflict but not the emotional weight, so to speak.

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House of the Dragon 1x07 Driftmark

 

Damn, this is probably the best season of television that will air this year, and this is one of its best episodes yet!

 

There is one elephant in the room to get out of the way, and that's the awful "day for night" shooting decision someone made - it was a bad decision, there's just no way around it.  Filming these actors in broad daylight, casting shadows on the ground, having shadows on their faces, squinting in the sun, and then using computers to darken it all and pretend it was nighttime.... just didn't work!  So much of the episode looked fake and off-putting, but even beyond that, blurry and nondescript.  And this was highlighted perfectly when it cut to Corlys and Rhaenys INSIDE during the night by their fireplace, and it looked fantastic, then it cut back to dim fake outdoor scenes.  Bummer!  Hopefully they learned their lesson, and won't do this again :)

 

Now, onto the good stuff!

 

The funeral - I loved seeing another culture's traditions here, though was surprised to see how shallow the part of the bay they were putting the caskets into was :lol: It was so amusing seeing Otto admiring his Hand pin, but I loved the way he went to get Aegon II in line when he was drunk.  I loved that Rhaenyra's kids recognized that they had just as much right to grief over Harwin's death as their cousins had to grieve over Laena, but Rhaenyra had to shut that down.  It was amusing seeing Daemon quietly observing everything

 

After the funeral - I guess Rhaenyra truly had the hots for her uncle all along.  I wonder what would have happened if Daemon actually did as she asked and whisked her away to Dragonstone on her wedding night?  The scene where Aemond finds Vhagar, and claims him, was SUPER SUPER awesome, I loved it!  I loved how FREAKING BIG Vhagar is, and when they took flight, I wanted someone to make a rescore video with Powell's Test Drive cue :lol: 

 

After the flight - Oh man, once the kids all meet up and Baela and Rhaena confront Aemond for claiming Vhagar since Rhaena viewed it as her right, the episode really kicked into a higher gear.  The way the fight kept escalating really surprised me, it seemed like Aemond was going to kill at least one of them with a rock before the knife came out.  And then he loses a freaking eye!

 

After the fight - And then all the kids get brought to the king and council, and damn, the episode kicks into an even higher gear!  I loved how angry Alicent was at Rhaenyra on behalf of her children, and wants an eye removed back as retribution!  And then she doesn't just state this, she goes so far as to order Criston to do it!  I loved his reply that he's only bound to her "as her protector".  The tension in this whole scene was so palpable, it seemed like it could turn into a bloody massacre at any second, with both Criston and Ser Harrold seemingly ready to throw down.  And then Alicent grabs the freaking Valyrian steel dagger and attacks Rhaenyra with it!  I loved how Rhaenyra recognized Alicent was exposing her true nature to everyone in this moment!  Aemond's line to end the scene, that he doesn't care about an eye from them, because him losing an eye was worth it for a dragon, was so badass!

 

Otto & Alicent - Oh man, I loved when Alicent was all distraught, and Otto comes into her room, she's expecting the worse - and he's fucking immensely and completely proud of her.  Because of course he is!  This fucking guy.  As much as I do think part of him does believe that a woman on the throne will result in a civil war and a man on the throne will solve it, I also REALLY think he WANTS the power that will come with a HIGHTOWER being on the throne.  I think the moment his plan have Viserys fall for Alicent worked he has been doing nothing but grooming Alicent to ensure this is the path she will follow no matter the cost.  And he's proud of her for having a vicious side after all!

 

Rhaenyra & Daemon - I find myself only able to root for Rhaenyra out of the major players so far; She seems more logical and level-headed than Alicent, but also I loved that her and Laenor actually did really try to have their own maybes (I guess it was his pipes that don't work after all, and not Daemon's!), and that in the end, she truly admired him and thought he was a good, honest man.  And I love that while she realized for political gain, the realm had to think Laenor was dead, but that she doesn't actually kill him, and comes up with a great plan for him to escape.  Chef's kiss!  ....... but damn, her lust for her uncle and marriage to him is icky and makes it harder to root for her :lol: But even then, I loved getting to see another culture's rituals, this time for wedding instead of funeral.  And I love that while no one died AT this wedding, someone still had to die just before it in order for it to happen :lol: 

 

Viserys - I just feel so bad for this guy, he just loves his children and grandchildren and is doing nothing, just nothing to stop the obvious in-fighting happening between his wife and daughter right in front of him.  I hope he gets to do something substantial in this story before he moves on!

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Episode 8 was one of the best of the season so far, and definitely the most emotional one yet. Paddy Considine has done a wonderful job as Viserys and he deserves all the awards and recognition that he will get. The episode allowed for some more character centered moments while still having some crazy twists here and there (Vaemond's beheading!). And I particularly loved both the throne room and the dinner sequence, as they allowed Viserys to show his strength one final time, and then granted him a bit of peace and hapinnes respectively, before his demise.

 

And Djawadi's music was quite emotional, especially in all the different variations on Viserys' theme, as well as the Iron Throne theme on the track they released at the same time as the episode (Protector of the Realm). I analyzed all the music in depth in my blog, so definitely feel free to check it out and share your thoughts. I hope you enjoy it!

 

Analysis of the Soundtrack of House of the Dragon - 1x08: The Lord of the Tides

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House of the Dragon 1x08 The Lord of the Tides

 

This was a great "calm before the storm" style episode - a REALLY good one actually.  The way this series has slowly but assuredly ratcheting up the tension notch by notch across the past 8 weeks has been quite impressive.  Even with the amount of murders and other deaths that have already happened, you just feel like SO many more are going to happen.... I can't even ponder what the big episode 9 climax will be, since I figured after last week it would be Viserys's death!  Now I am worried another main character is headed for the chopping block...

 

This episode gave Viserys a really, really good send-off.  Paddy Considine gave this guy so much warmth, compassion, and bravery in his run, you actually feel bad that he didn't realize sooner he needed to stand by Rhaenyra in a more overt way.  With a different actor/performance, Viserys really could have come across as much more of a pushover and later doddering old fool... but what Considine brought is really special - hard to think of a better performance across both shows (it helps that it was limited to 8 episodes since GOT had a tendency to turn some once-great characters into parodies of themselves in later seasons)

 

I loved following all the different aspects of the politics of Corlys's succession.  It's the kind of thing were once you understand the reasoning behind each of Vaemond, Lucerys, and Rhaenys, you kind of realize they are all right in different ways.  But what is funny is how important this becomes, when Corlys isn't even dead yet!  The best part was definitely in the throne room, when Viserys came in to take the throne, and his first question was to ask why we are even hearing petitions for something already decided... and second to remind everyone that no one would know better than Rhaenys what Corlys wanted.  On this Viserys side, this was an awesome way to back up Rhaenyra like she wanted, on the Rhaenys side, it seemed like she definitely wasn't planning on accepting Rhaenyra's marriage proposals until here, when she really had no choice.  And it is the smartest politic move, especially if you think the blacks are currently posed to defeat the greens.

 

Rhaenys - I thought it was interesting that her and Corlys assume Rhaenyra & Daemon had Laenor killed.  I don't think they'll ever be able to tell her the truth, even if we get to a future where everything in King's Landing and Driftmark is completely safe and secure, and she doesn't need to stick around any more, and could conceivably retire to Essos and try to find him.  I think she'll never find out he's still alive.  It was really nice for her to see Viserys again and for him to come to her aid at the succession hearing.

 

Daemon - Man, that bit in the opening with him finding the dragon eggs was pretty dope!  I had no idea that's what a clutch of dragon eggs looked like, nor that it made sense to take them after they are laid like that.  I loved how happy he was!  Do we know of those eggs are from his dragon and Rhaenyra's dragons mating, and that one each will be for the 3 children they have (well, they had 2 in this episode and it looked like she was pregnant with a third).  Or, could those be the 3 eggs that hatch 180whatever years later to be Daenrys's dragons?

 

Daemon was also great as Rhaenyra's love and support throughout, always there with her and for her, and I loved the way he stepped in to defend the children when Jacaerys and Aemond struck blows. I feel like a sword fight between him and Criston Cole is brewing.  The way he slice most of Vaemond's head off but left the tongue waggling was awesome!  But the best part of the entire episode was probably when Viserys' crown fell off as he was making his way to the thrown, and it was Daemon who picked it up, helped him to the throne, and put it back on his head.  That was amazing.

 

Alicent - I loved the details that she has buried herself in religion, presumably as a way to deal with how she attacked Rhaenyra, and before that was complicit in Larys killing the other Strongs.  I noticed the GIANT cross star of the seven necklace right away, and thought it was funny that she had all the erotic Targaryen tapestries taken down and replaced with religious stuff like that giant star of the seven.

 

Aemond - this dude is turning out to be a GREAT villain!  As much as I loved his younger version getting the dragon and delivering the badass line about trading an eye for a dragon last week, his adult self toasting to the "Strong boys" was hilarious!  The way he and Daemon stared each other down was really interesting; They have a lot in common - not just in looks, but in largely staying silent, saying or doing the right thing at the right time, being really good swordsman, and seemingly really enjoying chaos much more than order.  Can't to see what "second son syndrome" does to this guy!

 

Aegon - this guy is a huge piece of shit!  I don't know how Alicent squares her hatred of what he does with the fact that she covers it up with her newfound religion.  I guess its pretty typical to be hipcritical like that... anyway, can anyone tell me why he had to marry his sister?  WOuldn't it make their side stronger if they each married into an important house in Westeros to get them on their side instead?  I love that Haelena continues to say things that are probably prophetic (like the "he'll have to close his eye" line was) and loved the way she was so happy to be with Jacaerys (I wonder if enough people die, they'll be able to be together).  I feel so bad she has to not only be married to Aegon but have kids with him...

 

The Prince That Was Promised - I loved that the prophecy came back this week, and that Rhaenyra has clearly never stopped thinking about it.  I think that if Viserys really believed in it too, that he really fucked up by naming her heir and then not defending her properly over the next 20 years.  Some swift justice against anyone who said her kids were bastards might have saved more lives than lost to that!  I LOVED that she asked him to defend her now, and that he basically summoned the last of the strength left in his failing body to do just that.  Just fantastic.  But damn, the end of the episode when he thinks he is talking to Rhaenyra and mentions it again, and Alicent thinks he is telling her that Aegon must sit on the throne....briliant.  One of the many things where you think maybe if this didn't happen this way, there wouldn't have been a war.... I love it.


The dinner - Man, I loved that Viserys wanted to have this family dinner.  I loved that Alicent and Otto sat on the side where he face is rotten away, and Rhaenyra & Daemon sat on the side that's healthy.  I loved that he took the opportunity to show everyone his face, and plead to them all to settle their issues, because they are all the same family... and honestly, it seemed like it truly just might have worked for a moment.  Rhaenyra and Alicent's toasts were great, and eventually even Otto was clapping and having a good time.  What the show does a great job of is showing how this beef that this generation has has been spead to the entire next generation, and of course as soon as Viserys leaves, they children can't play nice, and it all falls to shit.  That was so well done.  You can real close Viserys, but in the end, it was too little, too late.

 

Mysaria - Oh damn, it was so interesting to see her again!  WHERE was she - is this supposed to bein King's Landing?  It must be, since Alicent's hand-maiden walked there to see her, but it looked different at first.  Damn, so Mysaria knows that Aegon is a rapist and that Alicent paid off the girl to cover it up.  The huge question is what will she do with this information?  Last time we saw her, it seemed like she was working with Otto, but he's on Alicent's side, so will she try to sell this info to the blacks?

 

Does anybody know what will happen to Sea Smoke, Laenor's dragon?  The realm thinks he's dead, but the Sea Smoke should know he's not, right?  Did Laenor physically tell it to find a new rider?  Did it fly to Essos?  Did it stay behind riderless?  Could anyone new claim him, or he still locked to Laenor?  Will the dragon just "know" when Laenor actually dies?

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15 minutes ago, Jay said:

But the best part of the entire episode was probably when Viserys' crown fell off as he was making his way to the thrown, and it was Daemon who picked it up, helped him to the throne, and put it back on his head.  That was amazing.

Indeed. And I saw today online that the momemt the crown fell of wasn't scripted. And that Matt Smith was the one who picked it up. That's how that scene came together

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Very fortuitous, but at the same time shocking the writer's didn't think of writing it that way ahead of time

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20 minutes ago, Jay said:

Very fortuitous, but at the same time shocking the writer's didn't think of writing it that way ahead of time

There was originally a speech/toast scene from Daemon at the dinner which kind of showed the same emotion from Daemon towards Viserys as the crown scene. Because of the unscripted crown moment they decided to cut the speech as the point that the speech made had already been made without dialogue in the throne room.

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Ah, that's really interesting! 

 

I prefer the largely silent Daemon we've gotten so far.  There was one entire episode he didn't even have any lines!

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The episode was great and really felt like the calm before the storm in an “understated” way. The rising tension throughout the season is so impressive and it really feels like not much is needed for it to boil over. 
 

My favorite outdoor shot of the episode is probably Rhaenyra’s Ship arriving in KL with the Rhaenyra B choir theme playing and I love how Djawadi has made HOTD a separate work from GOT with so many new themes and instrumentation choices while using themes from GOT when it’s appropriate, like in the throne room (King theme alongside Viserys’ theme) or the Dragons/Targ theme when Daemon finds the eggs). I was worried that HBO would push using a lot of GOT material (which I love) as fan service but that’s definitively not the case, both for the music and for the show in general!!

 

It was cool to see the storyline of the Driftmark succession which builds on the arc of Rhaenyra’s “strong boys lol” getting a big payoff in the throne room hearing with Corpus’ brother and you can really see all points of view and  Corlys’ conversation with Rhaenys from ep 7 was in the back of my head during that whole scene. Daemon’s tounge line after the beheading was great.
 

Viserys is the man of the hour in this episode and Paddy is brilliant. What a transformation and you really feel for him. He’s a good man who was ultimately I’ll suited for rule which is something that GRRM explores a lot in his books (does a good person automatically make a good ruler or a bad person automatically make a bad ruler). His throne room scene was amazing, both how it was written acted and scored. The way he limped in and then got help from Daenon with the crown was a wonderful moment. It’s so cool how he does this last thing before he dies.
 

The dinner scene is also great Viserys was really close to creating some form of harmony but then Aemond delivers his “Strong boys” line which was hilarious and the spell is broken for the most part. I wonder if Aemond reacts to the pig that is brought in. He’s kind of a jerk but for some reason I find him kind of badass and I’m really interested to see what role he will play. Rhaenyra and Alicent’s toasts and then their final scene was great and it did feel like they were happy to be on talkative terms.

 

Aegon is a shit and the he reminded me a bit of Jeoffry at Sansa’s wedding and Haelena’s happiness when dancing with Jacaerys who seems like a great character. She deserves someone better but the Targaryen custom of not diluting the bloodline has been followed.

 

I liked seeing Daemon supporting Rhaenyra in the episode and gis interaction with the king was a highlight as well.


The fact that Viserys thinks he’s talking to Rhaenyra at the end but ends up convincing Alicent that she’s the one and her son Aegon who must act is such an ironic moment. He’s been advocating for Rhaenyra but ends up undoing it all before hos death. Brilliantly played scene and this is my interpretation after one viewing.

 

Musically another strong episode with the Throne a room cue being a particular highlight where the King theme from GOT is used in a bold and emotional variation together with Viserys’ theme! Also the dinner scene was so well scored with the heir theme cue on solo viola and then the source cue which in my view went from being source music to a cue from Viserys’ POV before going back to being source music with the perc accompaniment. Great to hear the Velaryon theme again as well and Rhaenyra’s theme continues to blow me away! The musical tapestry is becoming so rich and I can’t wait to hear the OST! I hope it gets a 3CD release at least!

 

I can’t wait to see ep9 though it’s too bad that there’s only 2 more episodes before the long wait to s2 begins.

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4 minutes ago, Mr. Who said:

I wonder if Aemond reacts to the pig that is brought in. 

 

Oh thank you for mentioning that, I forgot all about it!  Yes, it seemed like Aemond was biting his tongue the whole dinner; He even stood up at one point, and sat back down.  I think you're right, than when the pink pig is brought out and put in from of him, and Jaec and Luce are giggling, he knows they are poking fun at him, and he can't stop himself from making the Strong boys toast.  I love it!

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