HOUSE OF THE DRAGON

[Mr. Who 919]

19 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

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!

Yeah the toast was such a douche move from Aemond but the way he delivered it and used the word strong was so funny! Those big scenes with many characters have so many little interactions and the acting is so good.

 

I also forgot to mention the casting of the aged up characters and just like they have been throughout the season, the ages up casting choices are again  seamless. I completely felt like I was watching the same characters from the first scene. In Haelena’s case I didn’t actually realise that it was a new actress until after when I read about the episode. 
 

Speaking of the religious turn that Alicent takes, I hope that if they ever do Aegon’s conquest on HOTD (if it becomes an anthology) that we really get to see how important the faith of the seven was to the Targaryen conquest. There’s such a wealth of material about the Targaryen rule that any period would be interesting but the Conquest  and the Blackfyre Rebellions are at the top of my wish list after the Dance of Dragons!

[Jay 37,281]

I imagine that the Blackfyre rebellion could be done in later seasons of House of the Dragon after the Dance is covered.

 

Aegon's Conquest could be it's own show, but will probably be pretty expensive to pull off.  The Doom of Valyria even more so.

 

The Nymeria show they are working on sounds interesting to me because at least it won't be able fighting over a throne

 

A show about the first men, the children, and the creation of the wall could be cool

 

A lot of stuff could depend on GRRM publishing WOW so shows don't contradict what he needs to be in place for his saga ending.

[Mr. Who 919]

Yeah, Blackfyre Rebellions makes sense to do after Dance and even Robert’s Rebellion could be cool (even through I don’t think they will do it as the big plot points were part of GOT).

 

The conquest as it’s own show could work but I want Ryan and the same team who does HOTD to do it so doing it on the Targaryen show would make more sense IMO even though the time jump back to year 0 AC would be a bit jarring whenever they do it.

 

Outside of the Targaryen empire, Dunk and Egg is the one in the most looking forward to and those novellas are so good and like the other 3 proposed successor shows, it has nothing to do with the throne and the rule. We really get to see different parts of Westeros in the time following the Blackfyre rebellions so they shouldn’t do this show before that has been covered on HOTD. We also meet a young Maester Aemon (Aegon’s brother) in this book in oldtown!

 

I hope that they make Nymeria first and release it in the years when HOTD is off the air. It would be completely different from GOT and HOTD and we’d get to see Dorne and other parts of Westeros.

 

The Sea Snake showing Corlys’ 9 voyages would also be cool as it would properly explore different parts of Westeros and Essos and Corlys is a cool character and seeing him build his fortune and fleet would be nice.

 

The show about the children of the forests and the first long night was cancelled (after the pilot was shot for 30 million) so I doubt that they will do this again. The doom of Valyria is also shrouded in mystery so I doubt that they’ll do a show about that either.

 

The Sea Snake, Nymeria and Dunk and Egg are all in development though so hopefully we get to see those!

[Jay 37,281]

That's right I forgot they were developing a sea snake show too!  THAT could be REALLY different from what we've seen so far

 

If HBO is smart they'll plan all these out each yea, we get a season from one of these shows, basically filling in for each other's hiatuses

[Mr. Who 919]

Yeah I trust that HBO is smart enough to do this and also to continue focusing on quality rather than quantity like Disney have been doing lately because IMO having GOT shows airing all year long would be a very bad idea! I trust HBO completely though after HOTD so I’m actually not worried.

 

GRRM was very interested in doing different types of successor shows that show the different kinds of stories and parts of Westeros and I completely agree. If these 3 are green lit, we could have some awesome years ahead with different Westeros stories each year!

[Nick1Ø66 4,687]

House of the Dragon feels less algorithmically driven to me than genre shows on Netflix, Amazon, Disney, etc. I swear some of the shows on those streamers feel like they're designed based entirely on focus groups & audience data, and conjured up in writer's rooms where groupthink is the dominant virtue.

 

House of the Dragon, the best show on TV, feels purposeful and confident in its characters and story. Whoever is making the decisions on that show clearly has a vision of where they want it to go, and it shows. This is what good television is supposed to look like.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

3 hours ago, Jay said:

 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.

 

This part is also significant because of how it sets up Allicent's reaction to Viserys' final words to her. Just hours earlier the king declares that a wife knows a husband's wishes better than anyone else, witnessed by the entire court. Coloured by her own bias to her family, and bolstered by a misguided belief that she is doing the king's bidding, all of this is enough for her to go back on her reconciliation with Rhaenyra. Wonderful writing and cleverly foreshadowed IMO - not at all the "sitcom misunderstanding" that many people are framing it as.

 

Still in awe of the last ep and Paddy's incredible work, what an absolute tour de force. I'm looking forward to rewatching it tonight.

[Mr. Who 919]

1 hour ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

House of the Dragon feels less algorithmically driven to me than genre shows on Netflix, Amazon, Disney, etc. I swear some of the shows on those streamers feel like they're designed based entirely on focus groups & audience data, and conjured up in writer's rooms where groupthink is the dominant virtue.

 

House of the Dragon, the best show on TV, feels purposeful and confident in its characters and story. Whoever is making the decisions on that show clearly has a vision of where they want it to go, and it shows. This is what good television is supposed to look like.

You hit the nail on the head! I get the same feeling with some shows these days which makes HOTD so refreshing!
 

They struck gold with Ryan Condal who really knows GRRMs books. I mean he even made all the Westeros books by GRRM  mandatory reading for the writing staff and even the dialogue is close to the source material. They are confident in telling the story as it should be told and it feels natural. I get the feeling of box crossing with many productions these days where certain things don’t feel natural and that really isn’t the case here which is very refreshing.

 

Also the fact that HBO decided not to make a full season of the Long Night show despite having spent 30 million on the pilot speaks volumes about their commitment to quality. I’m very very optimistic about the other successor shows at HBO!

[Edmilson 7,384]

The cue for Viserys' entrance on the Throne Room might be one of Djawadi's finest moments in his career, and I look forward to listening to it on the OST (though part of me is disappointed that he didn't pull a McCreary/Gorannsson and released one album per episode).

 

The ending of the episode... Let me see if I got it right: in his final moments, Viserys was mentioning Aegon the Conqueror, but Alicent, who was near, actually thought he was talking about Aegon her son with him. Now she thinks that Viserys thinks Aegon (her son) is the Prince that Was Promised and therefore should sit on the Iron Throne. Right?

[Hurmm 91]

Damn Targaryens and their very limited pool of names to choose from!

 

Fantastic episode. It is a testament to the writing that even though the series has not settled down on the timeline with the time jumps, the pacing and storytelling are still extremely measured and precise. It's not as flashy as GoT, but it's decidedly more mature and refined. 

[Jay 37,281]

8 hours ago, Edmilson said:

The ending of the episode... Let me see if I got it right: in his final moments, Viserys was mentioning Aegon the Conqueror, but Alicent, who was near, actually thought he was talking about Aegon her son with him. Now she thinks that Viserys thinks Aegon (her son) is the Prince that Was Promised and therefore should sit on the Iron Throne. Right?

 

Right in essence, yes.  Alicent thinks that in his final moments, Viserys told her that he wants their son Aegon to be the next king.

 

Whether she understands that it is because of a prophecy/dream or not is debatable, I'd say.  She's strictly into the faith of the seven, so probably thinks the Targaryen's religion, including their dream practice, is heresy for one thing.  For another, it's not like he spelled out that Aegon The Conqueror had a dream, and that's why he came to Westeros, and the dream has been passed down to every heir since, and that "The Prince That Was Promised" is who is prophesied to be able to defeat the ultimate evil, etc etc.

 

She just heard various things like "aegon", "the prince", "it is you", "you must do this" and she took an interpretation from there.

 

When in reality he thought he was talking to Rhaenyra, and was trying to tell her that he does believe in Aegon's dream, and that it is up to her to take over the throne and then pass this dream down to her offspring until once day the one that is The Prince That Was Promised does what he's supposed to.  (and maybe in the books Jon Snow is TPTWP [he does come from this bloodline] and will defeat the evil north of the wall, but of course in the show it was Arya instead)

[Mr. Who 919]

31 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

Right in essence, yes.  Alicent thinks that in his final moments, Viserys told her that he wants their son Aegon to be the next king.

 

Whether she understands that it is because of a prophecy/dream or not is debatable, I'd say.  She's strictly into the faith of the seven, so probably thinks the Targaryen's religion, including their dream practice, is heresy for one thing.  For another, it's not like he spelled out that Aegon The Conqueror had a dream, and that's why he came to Westeros, and the dream has been passed down to every heir since, and that "The Prince That Was Promised" is who is prophesied to be able to defeat the ultimate evil, etc etc.

 

She just heard various things like "aegon", "the prince", "it is you", "you must do this" and she took an interpretation from there.

 

When in reality he thought he was talking to Rhaenyra, and was trying to tell her that he does believe in Aegon's dream, and that it is up to her to take over the throne and then pass this dream down to her offspring until once day the one that is The Prince That Was Promised does what he's supposed to.  (and maybe in the books Jon Snow is TPTWP [he does come from this bloodline] and will defeat the evil north of the wall, but of course in the show it was Arya instead)

That’s my interpretation as well. And in the books Maester Aemon talks about how Rhaegar believed that the prophecy referred to his son Aegon (whose head was smashed against the wall in the sack of kings landing) and later in book 4, Aemon believes that they got it wrong and that the prophecy is about Daenerys.
 

There are so many different interpretations about what the prophecy means and whom it is referring to. The prophecy also shouldn’t be confused with Azor Ahai which is a prophecy from the Rhaellor religion but often is believed to be about the same thing.
 

It’s really all possible in the books at this point. I really hope that we get the 6th book soon lol

[Jay 37,281]

yea!

 

But as far as this show goes, what matters is that Aegon -> Jaehaerys -> Viserys all believed it, Viserys told Rhaenyra and now she believes it and will tell Jacaerys about it one day..... and whether or not Alicent understands if there is a prophecy or not, she thinks Viserys wants her son Aegon to be the heir.

[Jay 37,281]

Thinking about the battle lines being drawn.... am I crazy or is team black heavily favored?

 

The greens have:

1. All of House Hightower.. not really sure what size army or strategic position they hold?
2. King's Landing and its Kingsguards and City Watch/Gold Cloaks
3. Larys Strong's wildcard-ness and all of Harrenhal (again not sure about their army size, etc)
4. Criston Cole as a really good swordsman I guesss
5. 3 dragons (Aegon/Sunfyre, Helaena/Dreamfyre, Aemond/Vhagar)
6. the assumption that the majority of the realm will prefer succession goes to Aegon II instead of Rhaenyra due to them choosing similarly 30 years ago (?)

The blacks have

1. Rhaenyra is Viserys' chosen successor (might matter to some houses more than others?)
2. Dragonstone and whatever army they have
3. Driftmark / High Tide and all of House Velaryon and its fleet (the entire fleet of the kingdom? Not sure how that works)
4. Daemon being a great swordsman, a wildcard of his own, and having actual tested battle experience
5. Part of the Vale due to Daemon "inheriting" it after his first wife died?
6. Maybe support from Pentos due to Daemon's connection there?
7. 6 dragons (Rhaenys/Melys, Daemon/Caraxes, Rhaenyra/Syrax, Baela/Moondancer, Jacaerys/Vermax, Lucerys/Arrax)

 

The dragon inbalance alone seems pretty huge to me - regardless of Vhagar's size and might!

 

 

There are so many other lands and important Houses mentioned throughout both shows but I have no idea which side they will fall on.  Stark, Lannister, Baratheon, Tyrell, Martell, Tully, Royce, Bolton, etc etc.

 

I also have no idea what other dragons exist and who might be riding them, and can't wait to find out!

 

 

Other wildcards

 

Sea Smoke - who gets it now with Laenor "dead"?

 

Corlys - I was thinking about this.  When he comes home and finds out that while he got what he wanted into terms of Lucerys' being his heir, his brother is dead and Rhaenys has agreed to marry Baela and Rhaena to Jacaerys and Lucerys.... will he stay team black or move to team green for some reason?  (Assuming he actually shows up alive and not as a corpse)

 

Mysaria - how big and important is this information she got from the handmaid, and who will she give it to?

[Edmilson 7,384]

My biggest question is: will we ever find out why Daemon didn't grow older like the other characters? Everyone changed in appearance over the course of the season, Viserys grew more sick every episode, but Daemon looks largely the same person than he was on episode 1. Kinda like a X-Men character from the movie franchise.

 

Do the producers think Matt Smith is too handsome to be hidden underneath old people makeup? 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

10 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

My biggest question is: will we ever find out why Daemon didn't grow older like the other characters?

He made the time jumps in the TARDIS

[Jay 37,281]

16 hours ago, Edmilson said:

My biggest question is: will we ever find out why Daemon didn't grow older like the other characters? Everyone changed in appearance over the course of the season, Viserys grew more sick every episode, but Daemon looks largely the same person than he was on episode 1. Kinda like a X-Men character from the movie franchise.

 

Do the producers think Matt Smith is too handsome to be hidden underneath old people makeup? 

 

It's the other way around; Daemon in the most recent episode is fairly close to Matt Smith's real life age; it's the early episodes in which they didn't do any young makeup or digital de-aging. 

 

Viserys, Daemon, and Rhaenys were all in their 20s in that opening Great Council prologue scene of episode 1!

 

Viserys didn't die of old age, his disease ravaged him. 

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

All in all there's only been around 20 years between jumps. Daemon was likely only in his early to mid 20's in the first episode, now he's closer to 40. No real reason to age him up or down when Matt Smith has already got an impossibly youthful face. According to Fire & Blood Viserys was only 52 when he died - his necrotic illness made him look much older though.

 

I do find it quite funny that the actor they cast for Aemond looks like he's 30. He's incredibly compelling to watch so I'm not complaining, but he's the classic mirror trope of Daemon in just about every way, right down to the sinister eye patch (which is obviously standing in for a black goatee)

[Mr. Who 919]

Here is a family tree for those interested (doesnt go further than episode 8 so no spoilers):

[Jay 37,281]

There's a great family tree on HBO's own website that stays current through the most recent aired episode only

 

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

[Mr. Who 919]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

There's a great family tree oN HBO's own website that stays current through the most recent aired episode only

 

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

Very cool website. Also the Dragon Index and the interactive map are nice features. 

[Jay 37,281]

Yea!

[Jay 37,281]

OK here's some other random thoughts

 

Did Alicent POISON the handmaiden that Aegon raped?  It's implied she's giving her Plan Tea, but what if it's actually a poison that will kill her!?!?  On the one hand, she's so deep into her religion she should view murder as an absolute impossibility, but on the other hand, she's already shown to be completely hypocritical with her beliefs already.  She views herself as superior to Rhaenyra because she is so pious and just now, so I think that Aegon's behavior hurts her so deeply, she can't let ANYONE find out, so she might be able to justify murder in her own head as a result!  What do you think!?

 

Similarly, do you guys think there is any chance that Alicent / Otto set things up to have Viserys under milk of the poppy so much so that they could start ruling in his stead?  Or do you think they truly tried to only have him take what he had to?

 

BTW... what is milk of the poppy anyway?  Is it just a painkiller, or does it do more?  Is it like asperin/tylenol, or like OxyContin or something?

 

I loved the scene in this episode showing Jacaerys studying to be king and taking it very seriously!  It reminded me of Rhaenyra doing so when she was younger.  The difference between him and Aegon could not be more apparent!

 

And a question... earlier in the season, like in the first 2 episodes, Viserys talked about a dream he had of this male heir.  Did he tell Alicent that dream on screen?  If so, could that be play in to how she interprets what Viserys is saying at the end of this episode?  Like she thinks he's reminding her of the dream he had about that son, so wants Aegon to be on the throne now?

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

46 minutes ago, Jay said:

OK here's some other random thoughts

 

Did Alicent POISON the handmaiden that Aegon raped?  It's implied she's giving her Plan Tea, but what if it's actually a poison that will kill her!?!?  On the one hand, she's so deep into her religion she should view murder as an absolute impossibility, but on the other hand, she's already shown to be completely hypocritical with her beliefs already.  She views herself as superior to Rhaenyra because she is so pious and just now, so I think that Aegon's behavior hurts her so deeply, she can't let ANYONE find out, so she might be able to justify murder in her own head as a result!  What do you think!?

 

No way. Allicent is many things, but she is not a cold-blooded murderer (that's what Larys is for, and even then she's never explicitly asked him to dispose of anyone). It was just moon tea. The pity and affection she shows for the girl is legitimate IMO, despite having to pay her off, swear her to secrecy and making her drink the tea.

 

The point of this scene was to show Allicent's internal struggle with her beliefs, and directly parallels the situation with Rhaenyra and her own moon tea a few episodes ago. Allicent is hypocritical, yes, but we're also being shown that this she knows this and it's source of great anxiety for her. As a child her ideas of right and wrong were much easier to cling to, but after what she's been forced to endure in this patriarchal society (an unwanted, loveless marriage with the king, childbirth, having to deal with Aegon's monstrous actions) that worldview is becoming more and more clouded. The warmth she shows her daughter Helaena and the serving girl throughout this episode show us the empathy she feels for the women in this system and stands in stark contrast to how she treats Aegon - who in many ways is the explicit embodiment of the patriarchy - reminding her of the sacrifices she has made through no will of her own. This all fuels her resentment towards Rhaenyra, who has freedoms she will never dream of (but also burdens she doesn't know about).

 

The writers implied that her deepening belief of the Faith of the Seven as seen in this episode was directly the result of her actions in Dragonstone when she attacked Luke and Rhaenyra - she was so horrified at herself that she turned to her faith to guide her forward and regain some of that childlike clarity. But as Jay notes, in many ways she uses it as a shield against the horrors lurking in her own house, which inevitably comes across as a superiority complex. This episode went a long way at showing us her struggles and painting everything in much more detail.

 

46 minutes ago, Jay said:

Similarly, do you guys think there is any chance that Alicent / Otto set things up to have Viserys under milk of the poppy so much so that they could start ruling in his stead?  Or do you think they truly tried to only have him take what he had to?

 

This is an instance where both things can be true. I believe Allicent when she says to Rhaenyra that he needs it because he's in terrible agony, but it is also convenient for Otto to incapacitate the king and rule in his stead. If they gave him any more than he "needed" he would likely be dead from overdose.

 

46 minutes ago, Jay said:

BTW... what is milk of the poppy anyway?  Is it just a painkiller, or does it do more?  Is it like asperin/tylenol, or like OxyContin or something?

 

It's an opiate. Like its real-world counterpart morphine (or heroin), it's derived from poppies. In this world it's used as a medicinal painkiller, but usually as a last resort and with great care because of the risk of addiction or overdose. In the books it was implied that Gregor Clegane (AKA the Mountain) was addicted to it, which was partly why he was so angry and violent all the time as he was constantly in withdrawal.

 

46 minutes ago, Jay said:

And a question... earlier in the season, like in the first 2 episodes, Viserys talked about a dream he had of this male heir.  Did he tell Alicent that dream on screen?  If so, could that be play in to how she interprets what Viserys is saying at the end of this episode?  Like she thinks he's reminding her of the dream he had about that son, so wants Aegon to be on the throne now?

 

That's a great thought, but Allicent didn't know about his dream as far as we know. I think it's more likely that she just took it at face value, and interpreted his words as his final will. 

[Edmilson 7,384]

Anyone wonders which cues will end up in the official OST and which will not? I think a 100-minutes album, like the one for GOT S8, will be enough to cover all the highlights.

 

I only hope the cue for Viserys' entrance on the throne room on ep 8 is officially released.

[MedigoScan 324]

I mean isn't that the one Ramin already released as a preview?

[Bilbo 3,709]

I love that cue and it definitely should get rid of any claims of that theme being a House Baratheon theme. Protector of the Realm theme makes sense.

[Mr. Who 919]

59 minutes ago, Bilbo said:

I love that cue and it definitely should get rid of any claims of that theme being a House Baratheon theme. Protector of the Realm theme makes sense.

Yes, even in GOT it was obvious after after a few seasons that it was not exclusively the Baratheon theme, especially in the first cue of S8E1, where Daenerys and Jon arrive at Winterfell.

 

The Iron Throne or Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms or Protector of the Realm would all be valid cue names.

 

However the high trumpet part in The King’s Arrival (maybe the most famous cue featuring this theme) is specific to House Baratheon, specifically Jeoffry as the show goes on and it appears on strings in both higher and the lower register as well though in a slower variation. It can be heard in the slow brass in the creepy Jeoffry variation in You Win or You Die, before the King/Iron Throne/Protector theme comes in on strings.

1 hour ago, MedigoScan said:

I mean isn't that the one Ramin already released as a preview?

Yeah it is out as a single. So far we have 2 cues that have been released, The Prince That Was Promised and Protector of the Realm.

 

I really hope they go all out with the OST and release around 2,5-3 hours of music. S8 got just about a 2 hour release so that’s probably the best case scenario but I’m hopeful that they are inspired by the weekly releases for ROP. There are so many cues I would love to have on the OST.

[Knight of Ren 785]

1 hour ago, Mr. Who said:

However the high trumpet part in The King’s Arrival (maybe the most famous cue featuring this theme) is specific to House Baratheon, specifically Jeoffry as the show goes on and it appears on strings in both higher and the lower register as well though in a slower variation. It can be heard in the slow brass in the creepy Jeoffry variation in You Win or You Die, before the King/Iron Throne/Protector theme comes in on strings.

Yeah it is out as a single. So far we have 2 cues that have been released, The Prince That Was Promised and Protector of the Realm.

 

I really hope they go all out with the OST and release around 2,5-3 hours of music. S8 got just about a 2 hour release so that’s probably the best case scenario but I’m hopeful that they are inspired by the weekly releases for ROP. There are so many cues I would love to have on the OST.

This show has made it crystal clear that is a theme intended to represent the King (or Queen) of the Seven Kingdoms, and it's not only for House Baratheon, but I hadn't realized until now that what plays in The King's Arrival was related to Joffrey. Great catch!

 

Also, I hope the score release it's similar in length to the Season 8 one, since there are a lot of cues and theme variations that I hope are released!

[MedigoScan 324]

To be fair they did use the high trumpets for Tommen as well.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPUKrkgA1Vo&t=126s

 

[Mr. Who 919]

4 minutes ago, MedigoScan said:

To be fair they did use the high trumpets for Tommen as well.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPUKrkgA1Vo&t=126s

 

Yes but the trumpets are playing the Protector of the Realm theme right? Can’t check the cue right now but from my recollection it’s both sections plus the High sparrow theme as well. One could call the Jeoffry theme House Baratheon’s theme thought to avoid any possible confusion.

[Jay 37,281]

12 hours ago, Edmilson said:

I only hope the cue for Viserys' entrance on the throne room on ep 8 is officially released.

 

On 10/10/2022 at 4:39 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

[Edmilson 7,384]

I wasn't the only one that noted the weird aging in the show:

 

‘House of the Dragon’ Has an Aging Problem That Makes Me Question the Fabric of Time

The actor playing Aegon is now one year younger than the actress portraying his mother.

[JNHFan2000 2,943]

Another terrific episode. Can't believe there's only episode left. So sad!!

 

But thid was again, terrific writing, directing and acting. The final 10 minutes were edge of your seat thrilling. And I've always liked Rhaenys but she truly is one of the best characters on the show. Her scenes are so well written. Everytime someone thinks they have her beat or are more clever than her she either shows with words or actions that she is aware of everything that's going on and is a formidable woman who should not be trifled with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Knight of Ren 785]

Another great episode! It starts right away with the aftermath of King Viserys' death and the consequences of that, and I loved how the scheming, the intrigue and the conflict slowly escalates during the whole episode, until it culminates in that fantastic coronation sequence! Even if I'm not a big fan of Alicent, she was very interesting here, and I love her development as a character, from the very first episodes, where she was not being taken seriously, to the strong and imposing queen she has become, even if she still is being controled by the men around her. Her conversation with Rhaenys was great, and I think the two of them are some of my favorite characters in the show. Rhaenys' entrance at the end, right after Aegon's coronation was so bad-ass, and really cemented her love and allegiance for Rhaenyra and House Targaryen, and she made it clear to the Greens that they're messing with the wrong family!

 

The music was on point, and those two released tracks are proof of it. I love how Djawadi uses the piano first with Viserys' Theme and then with Alicent's Theme, to represent the tragic loss that is the death of Viserys the Peaceful, and I love the little motif that pops up in both cues, which gets developed a lot during the episode. Also, the music during the coronation sequence was so great and I love that the Iron Throne Theme has been so prominent lately!

 

As always, I analyzed the score more in-depth in my blog, so feel free to check it out and leave your thoughts on it! Hope you enjoy!

Analysis of the Score of House of the Dragon - 1x09: The Green Council

[MedigoScan 324]

Man that was the worst coronation to be at in forever. Even the King did not want it.

[JNHFan2000 2,943]

4 hours ago, Knight of Ren said:

Also, the music during the coronation sequence was so great and I love that the Iron Throne Theme has been so prominent lately!

It was so cool that the trumpet players played the theme. Cool to know that it is also a sort of regal theme in that world

[Bilbo 3,709]

Amazing they were able to get Tarentino to direct this week’s episode! 

[Knight of Ren 785]

6 hours ago, JNHFan2000 said:

It was so cool that the trumpet players played the theme. Cool to know that it is also a sort of regal theme in that world

Yeah, that was a nice little detail to have the theme played as a royal fanfare inside the episode, similar to what they did in the previous episode with the dinner music (which included Viserys' Theme)

[Mr. Who 919]

49 minutes ago, Knight of Ren said:

Yeah, that was a nice little detail to have the theme played as a royal fanfare inside the episode, similar to what they did in the previous episode with the dinner music (which included Viserys' Theme)

Yes I loved this! I also noticed that Laenor was singing the Bear and the Maiden Fair in Episode 6.

[Jay 37,281]

Here's my initial thoughts on the episode:

 

    

[Jay 37,281]

[Edmilson 7,384]

The episode was good, but the ending left me scratching my head. Why Rhaenys didn't burn Alicent, Aegon and the rest of the Royal Family there, and instead opted to flee? She could've prevented the war by eliminating all of Rhanyra's enemies at once.

[JNHFan2000 2,943]

4 hours ago, Edmilson said:

The episode was good, but the ending left me scratching my head. Why Rhaenys didn't burn Alicent, Aegon and the rest of the Royal Family there, and instead opted to flee? She could've prevented the war by eliminating all of Rhanyra's enemies at once.

1. Because she felt for Allicent. She couldn't kill her. As a mother, killing Allicent felt wrong to her.

2. There would be no story left to tell.

 

I haven't read the book but a friend of mine recently told me that the first 8 episode of this season were based on 1 chapter (around 60-70 pages). So this whole season was basicely a prologue to what is going to happen next

[MedigoScan 324]

It is a bit silly yes, but even if she did burn everyone there it probably wouldn't exactly endear the country to Rhaenyra

(Also typical that she would care more about royalty then the peasants she trampled)

 

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

Rhaenys stays her hand at the end for a couple of reasons; one, she lost both her son and daughter recently and her husband is close to death's door, while her brother-in-law was decapitated in front of her just a few days prior. The scene in ep 8 where she watches the Silent Sisters tend to Vaemond's corpse shows a woman tired of the death that seemingly follows her everywhere, which suggests that killing the Greens in that moment is not something she has an appetite for. Of course, she cares little for the hundreds or more smallfolk that are killed when she bursts out of the dragonpit, but without saying too much I think that is very on brand for what this story is telling us about the noblemen in this world and how they value human life. While I've seen many people on Reddit and beyond complaining about this contradiction, I very much believe that it's intentional on the show's part and wasn't just some pointless spectacle that wasn't given any thought.

 

Secondly, the look she gives Allicent brings to mind the conversation they had earlier in the episode, when Rhaenys pointed out how the patriarchal system they live in offers only the illusion of power to women like themselves. She looks on with a mix of pity, empathy and disgust as Allicent shields her son, the king, who also happens to be one of the worst examples of male behaviour in the show.

[Edmilson 7,384]

IndieWire lists the 10 most disturbing/creepy/gross moments of the season so far:

 

https://www.indiewire.com/2022/10/house-of-the-dragon-season-1-grossest-moments-1234757508/

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

Reading that now it's just occurred to me how much Viserys' physical state in episode 8 mirrors the Crabfeeder's, right down to the golden mask covering the face. An interesting parallel if it was intentional, though I'm trying to think what it might mean. 

[Mr. Who 919]

1 hour ago, Docteur Qui said:

Rhaenys stays her hand at the end for a couple of reasons; one, she lost both her son and daughter recently and her husband is close to death's door, while her brother-in-law was decapitated in front of her just a few days prior. The scene in ep 8 where she watches the Silent Sisters tend to Vaemond's corpse shows a woman tired of the death that seemingly follows her everywhere, which suggests that killing the Greens in that moment is not something she has an appetite for. Of course, she cares little for the hundreds or more smallfolk that are killed when she bursts out of the dragonpit, but without saying too much I think that is very on brand for what this story is telling us about the noblemen in this world and how they value human life. While I've seen many people on Reddit and beyond complaining about this contradiction, I very much believe that it's intentional on the show's part and wasn't just some pointless spectacle that wasn't given any thought.

 

Secondly, the look she gives Allicent brings to mind the conversation they had earlier in the episode, when Rhaenys pointed out how the patriarchal system they live in offers only the illusion of power to women like themselves. She looks on with a mix of pity, empathy and disgust as Allicent shields her son, the king, who also happens to be one of the worst examples of male behaviour in the show.

I haven’t written down my thoughts for the episode yet (I loved it) but this is exactly my interpretation of the ending and the idea of the small folk being of no interest to Rhaenys is very true and it was great how this was shown in the end of the episode. The look between Alicent and Rhaenys said so much. That whole scene before the dragon arrives was just incredible as well and the Aegon actor made such a great job during the scene where he talks towards the “podium”. Also the Dragonpit looked amazing and it’s cool that we

get to see it properly in HOTD after having seen the ruin in GOT!

[Jay 37,281]