House of the Dragon

[SearchingforPeace]

That would have greatly simplified matters.

Which is why those earlier scenes with Alicent occurred -- to justify such an act of mercy.

They worked very hard to not have Alicent as the villian and instead be a victim of her father's ambitions and schemes. That seems like the goal of the producers.

However, the price she willingly paid to obtain Larys' continued "assistance" was pretty pathetic. It also seems that she has been leading Sir Criston on a bit, if not already indulged him as well.

I don't like making her a victim of her father. It weakens her as a character and takes away her power and agency. I would have liked the producers to just let her be the wicked stepmother and Machiavellian fiend.

Otto is allowed to be a schemer. Larys is allowed to be who he is. Aegon is allowed to be who he is. Why did they need to weaken Alicent by taking away her power?

 

[Totenkindly]

They worked very hard to not have Alicent as the villian and instead be a victim of her father's ambitions and schemes. That seems like the goal of the producers.

However, the price she willingly paid to obtain Larys' continued "assistance" was pretty pathetic. It also seems that she has been leading Sir Criston on a bit, if not already indulged him as well.

I literally texted my kid (who had just watched the episode, I am holed up in a hotel and caught the 10pm showing on HBO) -- "LARYS!! WTF???"

I was having such a hard time figuring out why she had taken her shoes off, and they did that big zoom on his feet as he entered the room as well.

I don't like making her a victim of her father. It weakens her as a character and takes away her power and agency. I would have liked the producers to just let her be the wicked stepmother and Machiavellian fiend.

Otto is allowed to be a schemer. Larys is allowed to be who he is. Aegon is allowed to be who he is. Why did they need to weaken Alicent by taking away her power?

I am not really seeing her as a total victim; there is a middle ground in there, which is somewhat realistic for the time period. Even a total witch still wouldn't have the power that men have in that society. (I mean, just take the Larys sequence there. She obviously does not like him. She is only using him because he won't go away, and he's useful -- one of the few people loyal to her she has -- and she feels like she is at a huge disadvantage; I mean, the entire Small Council was conspiring behind her back to put Aegon on the throne, and she did not even know until that morning. She can't even look at him while he... does what he does. It's clear she is disgusted by it but is doing what she can to survive, like everyone else is. Despite being Queen -- or having been Queen -- she didn't hold a lot of cards.)

They are tempering Rhaenerys as well, in ways I have mentioned previously. Even just actually expressing admiration for Rhaenor and how that subplot ends is a big show of mercy/kindness that I'm not sure the books allowed.

In fact, they are tempering many of the men. Viserys is still fatally flawed but more heroic I think in the show, not in the books. From what description I've seen Aegon is worse in the books; here he just seems more like an infantilized young man who doesn't even want to be king but is also pushed into it as a pawn by everyone else who does want power -- it's only when he hears the crowd cheering for him and providing the affection he feels he's never gotten (which is one reason he is chasing it through affairs or avoiding the feelings by abusing substances) that he thinks, "Oh, hey, maybe I could get into this." Would I rather have the vulgar terrible Aegon, or an Aegon who seems human?

I don't like Otto much, but his strategies are sound albeit ruthless, and he still defers to his daughter in some situations -- out of love, or out of the fact that maybe she'll surprise him if he pushes too hard and he'll lose control of the situation? I don't know.

There's a moment when Criston and Aemond bond, both commiserating how they both have to work hard to get anything that they receive, while others who don't deserve it just are handed the keys to the city basically. I could feel bad for both of them in that moment, even with the awful things they've both done or will do. The show did a great job of establishing how brave and driven Aemond is, despite this probably likely to kill a lot of people in the upcoming war; as a kid, he was bullied and humiliated by his relatives, so what does he do? He walks up to the largest dragon in the world before anyone can claim her, and manages to win that dragon over despite failure meaning his death. His arrogance costs him dearly when he picks a fight with his cousins, but he still is wise in realizing the value of what he has gained and not pushing things further at the time. Like, you have to admire the guy even if you don't like him.

I feel like they are trying to humanize a large portion of the cast and evoke some empathy in the audience so we view it all as rather tragic as this family destroys itself and the country over what should have been a simple decision on Viserys' part.

 

[ceecee]

Alicent could CERTAINLY have Larys and his foot fetish taken care of. Every time I see this mewing behavior from her I think - What would Cersei Lannister do?

Exactly. She is making a little fuss with her father but in the end, she's going to hand over her power to the men although I agree Otto does defer to her in some ways at some times. But I don't know that he trusts her to do the things that need doing. And really she's shocked that the council was planning to install Aegon all along? But Olivia Cooke, every episode I think casting her was perfect.

Aegon - That little megalomaniac said what I have been thinking for several episodes. Viserys could have legitimized his grandsons. He could have made Rhaenyra the hand of the king. He could have named Aegon his heir at anytime. But he didn't. And he knows it. But he got into the idea quickly.

Healena - They all need to listen to her. But they won't. I loved the spider embroidery she was working on - like that web of spies mentioned earlier. And I don't think she is slow, but she doesn't like to be touched, even by her mother.

I said this before but - Eve Best - more of her please. Rhaenys! fuck yes! But she should have turned them all into flaming marshmallows when she had the chance. And the conversation she had with Alicent was

Christin Cole - Please tell me this butthurt pissant encounters a terrible end.

Aemond -He's definitely earning respect although he's still pretty unlikable. And when Aegon begs him to let him go away, never to be found, you know he's considering it.

And Daemon Targaryen killed not a single person in this episode lol.

 

[Totenkindly]

amusing rundown of Episode 7:

 

[Totenkindly]

So here's a question: If Rhaenys had her dragon Meleys breathe on the party, would it have killed three kids or would some have survived? It definitely would have killed Alicent and Otto and Criston (burn, you f**ker!), which of course is an outright declaration of war -- although obviously usurping the crown and murdering nobles who refused to bend the knee was also a declaration of war so to speak.

Just rather curious. Not all Targaryens survive fire, obviously Laena was not fireproof obviously (nor was Laenor known to be, as the ruse worked on the show). I guess not, as Dany might have been a special case. I suppose that is just a bit of urban myth, then, at this point.

--

I rewatched the episode tonight now that I had a large TV, could throw on the captioning, and pause when needed. Yeah, I think Alicent's intentions are okay and obviously for herself she is drawing a line at murdering people she knows and feels a bond with, but on the other hand what did she think was going to happen if she was going to push Aegon's claim to the throne? Why should she have been shocked that her father and the bulk of the small council had been conspiring a long time behind her back, especially after things her father said previously?

Rhaenys totally has her number when she says she will just serve and/or hand back power to the men -- she's just enabling all of this behavior.

I think it's most obvious when she acts like if she can get to Aegon first, he will somehow listen to her instructions for how to be a good king. He has never listened to her before, and he just seems to have gotten worse when she whacks him for knocking up the attendent. Like, he really isn't swayed by her either way. And during the trip, after making it clear he knows his father never wanted him to be king, all he does is beg for her love. He's still a child wanting her attention but otherwise wanting to just indulge himself. Now he can get that validation from the crowd by acting out, and she will have no sway over him. All she did was install a monster, just as Rhaenys claimed she was enabling these men.

Well, there is a difference between Cersei and Alicent: Alicent still badly wants to be loved. At some point Cersie decided "fuck the world" and it would cost her too much to do that, the only love she maintained was her love for her kids and for her brother. Everyone else could just go rot, and who cares whether they liked or loved her?

I like Helaena more and more. I like how she kind of shuts Otto out when he tries to engage her -- it's clear she doesn't like him -- and only talks when her mother sends everyone out of the room. But as noted, yes, she even has boundaries physical and otherwise with her mother as well. But she's the only one who really sees what is going on or what will happen.

I like how Aemond might not even give his brother a slight nod, when the others all nod in deference to him after being crowned -- and Aemond is framed in the center of the shot watching.

Also, am I correct in noticing that Arryk and Erryk are not on the same page? I think they have different loyalties.

 

[ceecee]

So here's a question: If Rhaenys had her dragon Meleys breathe on the party, would it have killed three kids or would some have survived? It definitely would have killed Alicent and Otto and Criston (burn, you f**ker!), which of course is an outright declaration of war -- although obviously usurping the crown and murdering nobles who refused to bend the knee was also a declaration of war so to speak.

Just rather curious. Not all Targaryens survive fire, obviously Laena was not fireproof obviously (nor was Laenor known to be, as the ruse worked on the show). I guess not, as Dany might have been a special case. I suppose that is just a bit of urban myth, then, at this point.

--

I rewatched the episode tonight now that I had a large TV, could throw on the captioning, and pause when needed. Yeah, I think Alicent's intentions are okay and obviously for herself she is drawing a line at murdering people she knows and feels a bond with, but on the other hand what did she think was going to happen if she was going to push Aegon's claim to the throne? Why should she have been shocked that her father and the bulk of the small council had been conspiring a long time behind her back, especially after things her father said previously?

Rhaenys totally has her number when she says she will just serve and/or hand back power to the men -- she's just enabling all of this behavior.

I think it's most obvious when she acts like if she can get to Aegon first, he will somehow listen to her instructions for how to be a good king. He has never listened to her before, and he just seems to have gotten worse when she whacks him for knocking up the attendent. Like, he really isn't swayed by her either way. And during the trip, after making it clear he knows his father never wanted him to be king, all he does is beg for her love. He's still a child wanting her attention but otherwise wanting to just indulge himself. Now he can get that validation from the crowd by acting out, and she will have no sway over him. All she did was install a monster, just as Rhaenys claimed she was enabling these men.

Well, there is a difference between Cersei and Alicent: Alicent still badly wants to be loved. At some point Cersie decided "fuck the world" and it would cost her too much to do that, the only love she maintained was her love for her kids and for her brother. Everyone else could just go rot, and who cares whether they liked or loved her?

I like Helaena more and more. I like how she kind of shuts Otto out when he tries to engage her -- it's clear she doesn't like him -- and only talks when her mother sends everyone out of the room. But as noted, yes, she even has boundaries physical and otherwise with her mother as well. But she's the only one who really sees what is going on or what will happen.

I like how Aemond might not even give his brother a slight nod, when the others all nod in deference to him after being crowned -- and Aemond is framed in the center of the shot watching.

Also, am I correct in noticing that Arryk and Erryk are not on the same page? I think they have different loyalties.

Yeah I had to watch again but from what I gathered, one sides with the blacks, one with the greens. I assume when one of them slips away while Aegon and Aemond are duking it out, he was headed for Dragonstone (I have not gotten their names straight yet).

 

[Totenkindly]

The Hand and The Feet

 

[SearchingforPeace]

And it is on..... epic season finale.

 

[Totenkindly]

And it is on..... epic season finale.

Yeah, I guess the prologue is over now, right? Things gettin' real.

I am not a book reader, but I had a pretty bad feeling about that going into it.

So I read about it after and it seems pretty close to book, aside from filling in details we didn't get. i am taking it that GRRM likes to leave ambiguity in the text, kind of like a historical record would have had vague patches or conflicting details -- but here the show is taking a bit more definitive stand on what happens.

Watching the episode, it felt like Luke was going to die going towards it. He got the easier and supposedly safer task; the first real assignment of the boys away from their mum; and they linger a much longer time on Luke saying goodbye, than with Jace. There's also a big focus on him leaving, compared to the other dragons.

Then of course he lands in a storm (another ominous sign) and then the sky lights up and he sees that horrifically large profile of Vhagar, after seeing how little Arrax looks in comparison. It's like shit, Aemond is already here. Please just turn and go, Luke. You got there too late. I would say Luke handled himself really well for all of this, and bravely -- but this was the problem with him being a boy, as he had no experience how to size up this situation. A more experienced adult with less to prove would have just gone home and not gone inside, but Luke is a boy and still too trusting and too simplistically doing the "right thing." He's still following his mother's wishes, but his mother didn't know that Aemond beat them to the Baratheon's. A man could have reassessed. A boy just tries to please his mother.

Inside, he's already in trouble, and it's telling that Aemond is just being a dick because he can. He was bullied by the others as a boy, and now he is just bullying them in turn. And it is Luke, who took his eye, so that is a far worse setup. Would this had happened if it had been Jace? (I heard that in the book Aemond isn't necessarily going to follow him out, but one of the daughters wounds his pride by asking him if Luke took one of his eyes or one of his balls?)

That sky sequence was really decent, it builds tension and you know something bad will happen. I also was wanting to tell Luke to not head up, but to drop to the ground and use the landscape to his advantage because Arrax had no hope against Vhagar in the open sky -- and he DOES! Characters acting smart! He really did all he could... but the interesting thing: Arrax and Vhagar are dragons and not actually under the control of anyone. It's really interesting that both riders are unsuccessful in controlling their mounts, or otherwise the tragedy could have been avoided; Arrax just is terrified and eventually fires on Vhagar, and then Vhagar takes Arrax out and thus Luke as well. I really like that Aemond looked shaken afterwards -- he was actually just a bully after all, but didn't plan to start the war or actually kill anyone. Now I guess he might have to either admit he screwed up -- or take ownership of it so it seems purposeful next season? Anyway: Dragons are not tools or toys. They are living creatures and you ride them and/or ally with them at your peril. They are not controllable -- it's just like when circus animals occasionally turn on their celebrity trainers. You're still dealing with a living creature.

Other things:

• Rhaenyra looked like Dani there at the end. Ugly Face. Prepare yourselves.
• Daemon is not a nice guy. He and Rhae disagree on how to approach the stealing of the throne, but Daemon resorts to domestic abuse.
• Rhaenyra remains totally bad ass. It's heart-wrenching to watch her miscarry, hold her dead child, then prepare it for burial herself -- all on her own. She's not just trying to be badass, it's that this baby and pregnancy was hers, and this fierceness is how she shows her dedication to things that belong to her. Now, look at the death of Luke in light of that; yeah, she's going to be as fiercely loyal to Luke and especially his death, considering he was on a mission as an extension of her. We are definitely going to war.
• I love Rhaenys as always. The Queen That Never Was. Her time is past, but as she watches Rhaenyra prepare to become Queen, and also not leap right into bloodshed despite strong feelings, she finds her worthy of support and starts watching/supporting her from the side, like a teacher proud of a pupil, or a distant aunt proud of a niece. She uses her power and strength to support a younger woman dealing with a role she never got to possess even if she deserved it.
• I love it when Twin shows up with Viserys' crown and gives it to Rhaenyra, it was moving to see her wear it and how regal she looked in her dad's crown. It is also a reminder that this is not a King Aegon and Princess Rhaenyra, this is a "King" pitted against a designated Queen and they are fighting to see who gets to keep their title. I hate how Otto keep calling her princess (he's totally playing the game right, but he's a miserable POS), and I love that she throws the pin of the Hand off the bridge and swears at him (maybe one of the few times she has sworn in open diplomatic channels?). I can't wait until he's dead.

Dunno. Need to go to bed. Really nice finale, and it does put the cap on Season 1. This has all been setting the stage for The Dance of the Dragons, ending with a horrific dance of two dragons -- mostly an elephant stomping a fly. We now understand why the war was happening, even as all these rich character arcs have been established. Thank goodness for thorough, rich storytelling again.

That moment of Arrax getting torn asunder in the air is just a horrific image.

 

[SearchingforPeace]

Yeah, I guess the prologue is over now, right? Things gettin' real.

I am not a book reader, but I had a pretty bad feeling about that going into it.

So I read about it after and it seems pretty close to book, aside from filling in details we didn't get. i am taking it that GRRM likes to leave ambiguity in the text, kind of like a historical record would have had vague patches or conflicting details -- but here the show is taking a bit more definitive stand on what happens.

Watching the episode, it felt like Luke was going to die going towards it. He got the easier and supposedly safer task; the first real assignment of the boys away from their mum; and they linger a much longer time on Luke saying goodbye, than with Jace. There's also a big focus on him leaving, compared to the other dragons.

Then of course he lands in a storm (another ominous sign) and then the sky lights up and he sees that horrifically large profile of Vhagar, after seeing how little Arrax looks in comparison. It's like shit, Aemond is already here. Please just turn and go, Luke. You got there too late. I would say Luke handled himself really well for all of this, and bravely -- but this was the problem with him being a boy, as he had no experience how to size up this situation. A more experienced adult with less to prove would have just gone home and not gone inside, but Luke is a boy and still too trusting and too simplistically doing the "right thing." He's still following his mother's wishes, but his mother didn't know that Aemond beat them to the Baratheon's. A man could have reassessed. A boy just tries to please his mother.

Inside, he's already in trouble, and it's telling that Aemond is just being a dick because he can. He was bullied by the others as a boy, and now he is just bullying them in turn. And it is Luke, who took his eye, so that is a far worse setup. Would this had happened if it had been Jace? (I heard that in the book Aemond isn't necessarily going to follow him out, but one of the daughters wounds his pride by asking him if Luke took one of his eyes or one of his balls?)

That sky sequence was really decent, it builds tension and you know something bad will happen. I also was wanting to tell Luke to not head up, but to drop to the ground and use the landscape to his advantage because Arrax had no hope against Vhagar in the open sky -- and he DOES! Characters acting smart! He really did all he could... but the interesting thing: Arrax and Vhagar are dragons and not actually under the control of anyone. It's really interesting that both riders are unsuccessful in controlling their mounts, or otherwise the tragedy could have been avoided; Arrax just is terrified and eventually fires on Vhagar, and then Vhagar takes Arrax out and thus Luke as well. I really like that Aemond looked shaken afterwards -- he was actually just a bully after all, but didn't plan to start the war or actually kill anyone. Now I guess he might have to either admit he screwed up -- or take ownership of it so it seems purposeful next season? Anyway: Dragons are not tools or toys. They are living creatures and you ride them and/or ally with them at your peril. They are not controllable -- it's just like when circus animals occasionally turn on their celebrity trainers. You're still dealing with a living creature.

Other things:

• Rhaenyra looked like Dani there at the end. Ugly Face. Prepare yourselves.
• Daemon is not a nice guy. He and Rhae disagree on how to approach the stealing of the throne, but Daemon resorts to domestic abuse.
• Rhaenyra remains totally bad ass. It's heart-wrenching to watch her miscarry, hold her dead child, then prepare it for burial herself -- all on her own. She's not just trying to be badass, it's that this baby and pregnancy was hers, and this fierceness is how she shows her dedication to things that belong to her. Now, look at the death of Luke in light of that; yeah, she's going to be as fiercely loyal to Luke and especially his death, considering he was on a mission as an extension of her. We are definitely going to war.
• I love Rhaenys as always. The Queen That Never Was. Her time is past, but as she watches Rhaenyra prepare to become Queen, and also not leap right into bloodshed despite strong feelings, she finds her worthy of support and starts watching/supporting her from the side, like a teacher proud of a pupil, or a distant aunt proud of a niece. She uses her power and strength to support a younger woman dealing with a role she never got to possess even if she deserved it.
• I love it when Twin shows up with Viserys' crown and gives it to Rhaenyra, it was moving to see her wear it and how regal she looked in her dad's crown. It is also a reminder that this is not a King Aegon and Princess Rhaenyra, this is a "King" pitted against a designated Queen and they are fighting to see who gets to keep their title. I hate how Otto keep calling her princess (he's totally playing the game right, but he's a miserable POS), and I love that she throws the pin of the Hand off the bridge and swears at him (maybe one of the few times she has sworn in open diplomatic channels?). I can't wait until he's dead.

Dunno. Need to go to bed. Really nice finale, and it does put the cap on Season 1. This has all been setting the stage for The Dance of the Dragons, ending with a horrific dance of two dragons -- mostly an elephant stomping a fly. We now understand why the war was happening, even as all these rich character arcs have been established. Thank goodness for thorough, rich storytelling again.

That moment of Arrax getting torn asunder in the air is just a horrific image.

I appreciated that Rhaenyra was once again in child birth.
The Sea Snake was willing to sit it out, and his wife showed him otherwise. Rhaenys is just amazing and the actress is the best on the show which is saying something.
Did Daemon just get a dragon upgrade?
Daemon found a wife he couldn't kill when he was mad at her.
Happy not to see Alicent.
The book was full of intentional conflict regarding events and unreliable narration.
Aemond is a jerk, but even he didn't mean for that to happen. The dragons may just take on the aspects of the personality of their master.
Rhaenyra tried hard to avert war, but war was declared when Aegon was crowned. There was no averting war without surrendering and the Hightowers were going to kill her kids even if she had done that.

 

[Totenkindly]

Yeah, basically regardless of what just happened, and whatever Alicent thought Viserys told her, Otto and company had already been planning treason for months/years and were planning to usurp the throne and then did. How can war not happen? It's either that or surrender. I think that's where Daemon is coming from.

Rhaenyra wasn't there before, but I think she is now.

 

[SearchingforPeace]

Yeah, basically regardless of what just happened, and whatever Alicent thought Viserys told her, Otto and company had already been planning treason for months/years and were planning to usurp the throne and then did. How can war not happen? It's either that or surrender. I think that's where Daemon is coming from.

Rhaenyra wasn't there before, but I think she is now.

She is definitely there now. I don't think she was too naive, but just couldn't wrap her mind around going to war. Sometimes a radical event is necessary to break through a strong mental framework.

 

[Totenkindly]

'House of the Dragon' Actually Pulled It Off

The 'Game of Thrones' spinoff crammed a 19-year family saga into 10 episodes of television—and somehow, it worked brilliantly.

www.theatlantic.com

While I do wish there had been some deeper character dives, they made the decision that Season 1 was just setting up the story. Maybe they could have squeezed out another episode or two to better develop back arcs -- but you know what would have happened... If they had gone more slowly, people would just complain it was too slow.

You can't really win in terms of social media criticism. We should just be glad that, aside from time jumps to reckon with, the show has been pretty stellar. It is also likely to slow down next season, as they hit the meat of the story.

 

[ceecee]

'House of the Dragon' Actually Pulled It Off

The 'Game of Thrones' spinoff crammed a 19-year family saga into 10 episodes of television—and somehow, it worked brilliantly.

www.theatlantic.com

While I do wish there had been some deeper character dives, they made the decision that Season 1 was just setting up the story. Maybe they could have squeezed out another episode or two to better develop back arcs -- but you know what would have happened... If they had gone more slowly, people would just complain it was too slow.

You can't really win in terms of social media criticism. We should just be glad that, aside from time jumps to reckon with, the show has been pretty stellar. It is also likely to slow down next season, as they hit the meat of the story.

Yeah they can't win.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-10-23/house-of-the-dragon-hbo-season-1-finale

I thought the finale was great although..

The stillbirth scene - these birthing scenes are so vivid that I somewhat relive something I don't really want to remember so vividly. Though I give the show credit for not turning away from something that was frequently violent and deadly for women. This is in no way hyperbolic - Rhaenyra experience shows what happened often before modern medial intervention and I think the show wants to remind us of something we are barely removed from as women and their health is too often governed by men and politics.

I absolutely loved the scene where Erryk presents Viserys' crown. Not the crown of the Conqueror, the crown of the last true king. And I think I got the Erryk/Arryk thing straightened out. Daemon actually crowing his wife was great and maybe softens the strangling scene - which shows Daemon was never really the heir after all.

You just knew something terrible was coming for that sweet boy Lucerys. But seeing Vhagar the size of a cruise ship above Arrax was an incredible shot. They do so well with this element of the show - even better than GoT did.

Daemon was singing to Vermithor - previously ridden by King Jaehaerys Targaryen and apparently the second biggest dragon alive at this time in Westeros (after Vhagar). Also a totally bad ass scene but when aren't Matt Smith's scenes bad ass?

When Daemon told Rhaenyra about Luc.....

Sucks having to wait for the next season but I loved this, even with the time jumps it wasn't difficult to follow. I too wish there had been a little more deep dives into the characters but maybe a 12 ep season would be something to consider for the show.

 

[Totenkindly]

I've determine a mnemonic of sorts for our Twinsie bros:

• (A)rryk = (A)licent

So then Erryk is, by default, Black Team.

I am really happy to watch a GRRM-world episode AND season that I will happily view again a few times or more while waiting for Season 2, after being so thoroughly disgusted with Seasons 7 & 8 of GoT. I didn't even dare to hope this was possible.

I rewatched the end of the finale a few times already. It is just so well done, in terms of building a brooding sense of suspense and doom, visually and audibly. Talk about scaling as well. There was just real technical and emotional craftsmanship at play here, it couldn't have really been done much better. (My son and I have been joking incessantly about it, by comparing it to one of Dani's dragons getting shot out of the sky in GoT abruptly by a boat-mounted Scorpion a mile away. I mean, the level of storytelling is pretty much polar opposite here.)

I saw an article today crediting Matt Smith with the final bit of staging as Daemon talks to Rhaenyra. Finally a show that trusts the audience -- we just saw what happened, we don't need to hear it or see the delivery, all we need to know is what effect it has had... and it's all captured in that last image. They honestly have been making the dramatic moments look so easy that people don't realize how many ways that it could have been screwed up -- and most of the dickering seems to be over small individual viewer preferences, honestly.

I am not even sure how to put into words about the whole issue with her pregnancy. it left me with strong feelings that are still taking up a lot of headspace, and gave a sense of her character, strength, and autonomy because she was virtually alone through all of that. I remember audibly gasping; i have never seen anything depicted with that magnitude in a show before. I hope it gives people a different awareness. I am still feeling a lot of fierce love for Rhaenyra from this episode. She made a fateful mistake in not recognizing the danger in sending out her boys, but for a woman with leadership thrust upon her (as she loses so much, and also has someone take her throne from her so basely), and still managing to consider the least violent options rather than just lashing out.... all the things she was juggling at once in this episode... she was doing so remarkably well. It feels like there was never really a chance to avoid what was coming but she was still willing to consider it and not fly off the handle.

I am still keenly feeling the same about Luc. Any mistakes he made were just from lack of experience and being so young, otherwise he composed himself so well and was as honorable as could be.

 

[Totenkindly]

Emma D'Arcy is rockin' it.

 

[Oopsie Whoopsie]

Goodbye, It was a nice try though.
https://www.tiktok.com/video/6801973958360009990 ​

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Goodbye, It was a nice try though.
https://www.tiktok.com/video/6801973958360009990 ​

Who tf is this? Tik-tok spammer?

 

[The Cat]

Who tf is this? Tik-tok spammer?

No one you need worry your pretty head over. It's taken care of.

 

[Totenkindly]

No one you need worry your pretty head over. It's taken care of.

If she was banned as a spammer, why did the spam stay up? She is sullying the 100% Targaryan purity of this thread!