Television House of the Dragon (HBO, August 21) - update: first reviews posted

[BloodyHell]

40 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

 

Did you actually watch that episode?!?!?

I don't remember the exact wording, but I thought she just said nothing happened between the two of them. Which is why I asked about the wording above. Very clearly, nothing happened. She tried to get some uncle love, and he pulled away. 

 

If im misremembering and she said she was a virgin, then she lied, which is still utterly meaningless to all of all of this, because she still did nothing wrong.

[Guest]

 

 

I don't think this qualifies as "they did nothing"  It certainly is not what she was attempting to communicate to Alicent, which is the issue at hand. There is a reason she was so insistent they did nothing, and it wasn't just that they didn't have sex.

[Greatoneshere]

12 hours ago, sblfilms said:

I don't think this qualifies as "they did nothing"  It certainly is not what she was attempting to communicate to Alicent, which is the issue at hand. There is a reason she was so insistent they did nothing, and it wasn't just that they didn't have sex.

 

Exactly. 

[TheLeon]

What is it about banging Rhaenyra in secret that makes you beat the shit out of people at the slightest provocation? That’s two episodes in a row.

[69los]

Damn, and I thought Larys was just a weasel.

[Massdriver]

I was a bit concerned with the new casting. That went away in 5 minutes. 

[69los]

I guess I should make the obvious joke.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The seed is Strong.

[Fizzzzle]

Another crucial character moment with Daemon that was left conspicuously ambiguous this week. I'm looking forward to seeing where his character goes.

[BloodyHell]

Im really, really not loving the Rhaenyra replacement. She's by no means bad in the role, but I think I would have greatly preferred that they kept the original actress and just aged her with make-up. Otherwise, overall a pretty good episode.

[BloodyHell]

On 9/24/2022 at 11:00 PM, sblfilms said:

 

 

I don't think this qualifies as "they did nothing"  It certainly is not what she was attempting to communicate to Alicent, which is the issue at hand. There is a reason she was so insistent they did nothing, and it wasn't just that they didn't have sex.

I mean, kissing is "something" in the strictest sense of the word, but it certainly wasn't what anyone was concerned about. The king, the hand, Alicent, they all wanted to know if she slept with him, not if she kissed him.

[TheLeon]

I don’t know if any amount of makeup would make me believe Milly Alcock is a mother of three.  

[TwinIon]

I'm not a fan of this big time jump. I understand that in order to bring all these issues of generational succession to the forefront, you need that generation to exist. The time jump gives us some adolescent princes to play as pawns, which seems for the best. At the same time, it's a lot to miss. Daemon in particular seems to have undergone a significant transition. He really chilled out with his new wife, and we see so little of his new life, which is then immolated in the same episode. We hardly meet Rhaenys' baby daddy before he's offed. It really just feels like a table setting episode that also skipped whole meals.

 

I'm still enjoying the show, and there's clearly plenty of drama left in these dragons, but between the missing decade and a bunch of new actors to get accustomed to, I think this episode was a bit of a miss.

[Greatoneshere]

I enjoyed the episode well enough, but it felt like a good bit of character work was missing. Also the editing of Laena's labor and death was confusing. How did she escape the bedroom and walk herself out to her dragon with no one noticing as she's bleeding out? Was it because Daemon hadn't decided whether they'd cut her open to try and save the baby or not so she was like: "fuck that I don't trust Daemon so I'll just kill myself"? Very bizarre.

[Greatoneshere]

11 hours ago, BloodyHell said:

I mean, kissing is "something" in the strictest sense of the word, but it certainly wasn't what anyone was concerned about. The king, the hand, Alicent, they all wanted to know if she slept with him, not if she kissed him.

 

That was their concern, but she said nothing happened, which simply isn't true. And it was more than just kissing.

[Fizzzzle]

2 minutes ago, Greatoneshere said:

I enjoyed the episode well enough, but it felt like a good bit of character work was missing. Also the editing of Laena's labor and death was confusing. How did she escape the bedroom and walk herself out to her dragon with no one noticing as she's bleeding out? Was it because Daemon hadn't decided whether they'd cut her open to try and save the baby or not so she was like: "fuck that I don't trust Daemon so I'll just kill myself"? Very bizarre.

I took it as she wanted to take ownership of her death. She said she wanted to die a dragon riders death or whatever it was.

 

That doesn't answer how she escaped the room, though

[Greatoneshere]

Just now, Fizzzzle said:

I took it as she wanted to take ownership of her death. She said she wanted to die a dragon riders death or whatever it was.

 

That doesn't answer how she escaped the room, though

 

Yeah she said that but is being burned alive by your own dragon really a dragon rider's death as it is traditionally understood? And does that mean they tried to get the baby out already and it didn't work? Because it would be selfish of her if she's gonna choose to die anyway to take the baby with her.

[BloodyHell]

11 hours ago, Greatoneshere said:

I enjoyed the episode well enough, but it felt like a good bit of character work was missing. Also the editing of Laena's labor and death was confusing. How did she escape the bedroom and walk herself out to her dragon with no one noticing as she's bleeding out? Was it because Daemon hadn't decided whether they'd cut her open to try and save the baby or not so she was like: "fuck that I don't trust Daemon so I'll just kill myself"? Very bizarre.

They changed her death from the source material, slightly. In the source material, she knew she was dying, and tried to get to Vhagar for one last dragon ride, not to be burned.  It wasn't about trusting Daemon, in fact Daemon loved and mourned her. In the book, it says the baby was born deformed, and she was bleeding from a hard birth. She knew it was the end, and wanted to fly. 

 

Didn't Daemon decide what to do? He shook his head no, slightly, when the Maester asked, i believe. She just couldn't be saved either way.

[Greatoneshere]

2 hours ago, BloodyHell said:

They changed her death from the source material, slightly. In the source material, she knew she was dying, and tried to get to Vhagar for one last dragon ride, not to be burned.  It wasn't about trusting Daemon, in fact Daemon loved and mourned her. In the book, it says the baby was born deformed, and she was bleeding from a hard birth. She knew it was the end, and wanted to fly. 

 

Didn't Daemon decide what to do? He shook his head no, slightly, when the Maester asked, i believe. She just couldn't be saved either way.

 

Yeah, some stuff has definitely changed from the book though (like Rhea Royce's death). And if you're right, the editing was still weird - how'd she get from the bedroom with all those servants around and Daemon and the Maester watching her to being alone, bleeding out, walking to her dragon?

[BloodyHell]

5 hours ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

Yeah, some stuff has definitely changed from the book though (like Rhea Royce's death). And if you're right, the editing was still weird - how'd she get from the bedroom with all those servants around and Daemon and the Maester watching her to being alone, bleeding out, walking to her dragon?

Oh, I agree, theres a ton missing. I guess they just wanted to show her strength, forcing herself out there to die the way she wanted. There's definitely stuff missing.

[skillzdadirecta]

On 9/25/2022 at 9:10 PM, 69los said:

The seed is Strong.

[Anathema-]

multiverse game of thrones

[69los]

Man, those kids are going to be fucked up growing up.

[johnny]

man this show is fucking awesome 

 

 

[TheLeon]

6 hours ago, 69los said:

Man, those kids are going to be fucked up growing up.

At this rate, I don’t expect that most of them will survive the season.

[GeneticBlueprint]

I'm so happy with the time jump. Wasn't against it to begin with but we're getting right to the meat and I love it.

 

Did Rhaenyra plan that Laenor would actually survive or was that something that Qarl improvised?

[_BJ_]

I imagine they must have planned it, assuming they used the guards body that Daemon killed just prior. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, GeneticBlueprint said:

I'm so happy with the time jump. Wasn't against it to begin with but we're getting right to the meat and I love it.

 

Did Rhaenyra plan that Laenor would actually survive or was that something that Qarl improvised?

I read it as intentional on her part. She has always wanted Laenor to be himself, she was the one who proposed the arrangement where they marry for duty but are allowed to find love and romantic satisfaction elsewhere. I think she was truly saddened by his willingness to be a more traditional husband to her and forsake his true feelings. She was compelled to find a solution that benefitted and advanced both of their interests.

 

If it wasn’t planned, she is maybe the most cruel character in GOT this side of Ramsey.

[GeneticBlueprint]

5 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

If it wasn’t planned, she is maybe the most cruel character in GOT this side of Ramsey.

 

Well... Either way they killed somebody for the plan to work. Haha.

[69los]

Not to mention the utter distress Rhaenys is going through right now.

[johnny]

pretty sure that was planned 

[TwinIon]

While I didn't love that they changed actors and I thought the time jump episode skipped over a few things, I like where the show is at.

 

The big thing that bothered me this episode is that it seemed like they're just going to let the Aemond keep Vhagar? They only way we've seen anyone claim a dragon so far is when it's been given to them, usually from a very young age. Are we to understand that it's just finder's keepers with dragons, or that since the dragon allowed the kid to ride, they're now bonded somehow, so who should get it is a moot point?

 

Speaking of which, the scene where Aemond approaches and rides Vhagar is great. The wordless understanding they have is well communicated and that first flight was a fun test for him.

 

Still, I was waiting for someone to clarify that some ancient law says that the first to ride an "orphaned" dragon becomes their keeper or that the dragon has chosen, so that's the end of it. Either way, Daemon and the whole of house Velaryon should be pretty pissed that some punk kid just stole the most valuable asset Laena left behind. Sure, the families are allies and related and whatever, but we know how important dragons are both symbolically and practically. It almost seems like dragon succession (especially for full grown ones and especially for one as big as Vhagar) would be as important and contentious as the succession of crowns, lands, and titles.

[GeneticBlueprint]

13 minutes ago, TwinIon said:

While I didn't love that they changed actors and I thought the time jump episode skipped over a few things, I like where the show is at.

 

The big thing that bothered me this episode is that it seemed like they're just going to let the Aemond keep Vhagar? They only way we've seen anyone claim a dragon so far is when it's been given to them, usually from a very young age. Are we to understand that it's just finder's keepers with dragons, or that since the dragon allowed the kid to ride, they're now bonded somehow, so who should get it is a moot point?

 

Speaking of which, the scene where Aemond approaches and rides Vhagar is great. The wordless understanding they have is well communicated and that first flight was a fun test for him.

 

Still, I was waiting for someone to clarify that some ancient law says that the first to ride an "orphaned" dragon becomes their keeper or that the dragon has chosen, so that's the end of it. Either way, Daemon and the whole of house Velaryon should be pretty pissed that some punk kid just stole the most valuable asset Laena left behind. Sure, the families are allies and related and whatever, but we know how important dragons are both symbolically and practically. It almost seems like dragon succession (especially for full grown ones and especially for one as big as Vhagar) would be as important and contentious as the succession of crowns, lands, and titles.

 

I know the show established it last episode at a minimum--and that the books establish it very well--that you need to bond to a dragon. The Targaryens do try to forge that bond early by putting eggs in their cradles and training from a young age. But, as Laena explained last episode, sometimes that bond doesn't happen naturally and you have to work to claim a riderless dragon as Aemond did in this episode, or as they mentioned Viserys did with Balerion in that dragon's old age in the second episode or so. And we also saw last episode that Aemond was ridiculed because of his lack of dragon still, implying that it was possible for him to get one. And boy did he.

[TwinIon]

13 minutes ago, GeneticBlueprint said:

I know the show established it last episode at a minimum--and that the books establish it very well--that you need to bond to a dragon. The Targaryens do try to forge that bond early by putting eggs in their cradles and training from a young age. But, as Laena explained last episode, sometimes that bond doesn't happen naturally and you have to work to claim a riderless dragon as Aemond did in this episode, or as they mentioned Viserys did with Balerion in that dragon's old age in the second episode or so. And we also saw last episode that Aemond was ridiculed because of his lack of dragon still, implying that it was possible for him to get one. And boy did he.

I recall the whole thing about Aemond wanting a dragon and the attempt and bonding, I guess I wasn't paying sufficient attention when they were talking about claiming riderless dragons.

[johnny]

if i was house velaryon i would be considering killing that little shit somehow. fuck no you’re not taking the dragon. 

[Jwheel86]

The other interesting lore question is can someone claim Laenor's dragon Sea Smoke, even though Laenor isn't really dead?