butterweedstrover

The fact that Martin’s world is still pulling such numbers is befuddling to me. This has to be a bubble. The books are good but his world isn’t very original or unique. And the concept of grimdak is nothing new. Actually if we’re using the definition of Martin I guess Euphoria is grimdark as well as every other television drama. This pseudo-medieval society has nothing that can make it survive as a cinematic universe and the I iconic characters are already dead.

Lol, I remember when GOT was called “culturally British but financially American.”

I don't know, but looking at these pics it's kinda of like whiplash. Laena in episode 2 was a little girl and Daemon was a man. Now Daemon in episode 6 has a child with Leana who is that same age while he hasn't aged a day.

I'm moving to New York in a few months and this is making me second guess that decision.

For the realm.

Does it do that every time or was the bow just for decoration?

Magic.

Logistical clarity is fine as long as it does not overshadow the narrative. My problem with the Dance chapters in F&B (after the war starts) is how the military domino affect becomes the central focus. Most of it is like a game of risk where the bigger armies won and people kept dying. It felt nihilistic and empty. The most interesting part was the king’s landing stuff during the war seeing how the population was coping.

A lot of uninteresting things happen in real life. The point of a story is to find out how to shed light on a perspective or aspect that makes us rethink the event on a deeper or more emotional level. In the book at least the war came off as overly fascinated in the gory details of who lives and who dies through an endless succession of victories and defeats without much thought into the why or how. They win and lose battles based on the intelligence of the players or logistical advantage (kind of like a video game) but we don't explore what makes these details worth telling. I would have rather Fire and Blood skip the war altogether and show us the build up, maybe a chapter about the shepherd, the hour of the wolf, and sum up the fighting as "many lives were lost." Instead we go on for chapters about their maneuvers and battle plans which was all just shock and awe that left me (personally) desensitized to the loss of characters I didn't even care about anymore.

Really? That would be interesting but I don’t see it right now. Maybe in the future it will be expanded upon. RN I see Alicent as someone who doesn’t like her ice cream or Rhaenyra’s ice cream.

That is more your inference than what show is actually depicting. And regardless, Rhaenyra’s life isn’t an alternative to her problems. Just because her duties have her trapped in a loveless marriage doesn’t mean she wishes to be Rhaenyra.

I can’t think of anything. The show did splice their sexual encounters to represent how Rhaenyra was actually enjoying herself but it made no comment on Alicent preceding that lifestyle. Besides that I can’t think of anything. Alicent doesn’t want her throne, she doesn’t want Cole, and she doesn’t particularly like riding dragons. So what does Rhaenyra have that Alicent wants?

Whatever is emblematic in your mind isn't my problem, unless I was making direct allusions to contemporary US politics you'd have a point, but I wasn't. I was not referencing them when I identified a character as more conservative. You weren't disagreeing with my viewpoint of the show, you were disagreeing with a perceived political slant in the tone of my language. So yeah, deciding to make it about me is already too much. But then deciding to make a comment about my post rather than keeping your opinions about me to yourself makes it even more irrelevant to this thread. So next time just leave me alone.

Which is what you were doing, not me. As a judgment call on my character. Be obtuse as much as you want, but you know what your own intention was.

No, you need to leave me alone. Conservative is not only a word for US politics, it's a word to determine characteristics in people. It is based on the context of the society a person comes from. Dignified means: having or showing a composed or serious manner which yes, is my assessment of her character. But I don't need to waste my energy with this. I am giving my opinion of a fictional show, not debating politics. You felt the need to make this personal either due to a serious misunderstanding of terminology or just a combative disposition which I don't want to deal with. If you are going to act like this, please leave me alone.

@DMC just stop. If you don't agree with me fine but don't throw politics into this.

I'm sorry, what?

Some people are saying Alicent is 'jealous' of Rhaenyra because of the latter's independence and liberated status. But there are women who are just more conservative and don't desire to sleep around and rule over their relationships. There are women who are more passive and raised with certain values and that doesn't make them oppressed. Alicent chooses to be like this because she values her dignity, she values tradition, and she is not rebellious in nature. Rhaenyra meanwhile wants power and independence. And she just messes with people. She raises a poor dornish man to be her kingsguard, seduces him, then treats him like her side piece. People mock Cole for not being as open and modern as Rhaenyra, but he is an uneducated man from a medieval society who has everything he holds dear (his honor) torn from him. If Rhaenyra wanted true freedom she's have abandoned her claim and gone with him, instead she clings to her inheritance while also rejecting the importance of modesty and tradition. If Rhaenyra was smart she wouldn't have screwed with someone's life for a momentary release. Just like she wouldn't have mocked the nobles to their face, flirted with her uncle in the middle of her wedding, or ignored the peasants and their opinions. There is no such thing as a rightful heir. For people to defend Rhaenyra they have to look at her through a contemporary lens. And yet they look at her claim through a medieval one. According to her advocates Rhaenyra is right to skirt tradition in favor of indulging her desires because refraining from that is the influence of the corrupt patriarchy. But also Rhaenyra is the rightful queen because of some draconian conception of the king having divine right to rule over everyone. You don't get both. Rhaenyra is the one throwing the realm into chaos, and if she really truly hated the oppressive standards of her society she would have rejected the throne and run off with Criston Cole. Instead she wants to scorn duty while also taking the throne. She is not a feminist icon, and she deserves to lose. I support Alicent in all her endeavors.

Another dark and joyless episode. Oh yeah, and a fake out death at the end. All the audience are going to be anticipating the fallout of the king's death for episode 6. Larys has not gotten subtlety down, I mean he could have been a bit less obvious that he is taunting Alicent. His personality is supposedly soft-spoken and under key. More bad writing covered up by long stretches of quietness as the actors let their facial expressions do the speaking.

At least this episode won't have a huge time skip where important character and plot development happens off screen. People are excited now because the show promises new things every week. But once the whole thing is out and people have time to sit on it I don't think it will be remembered fondly. It's just not well planned out and haphazard with hit and miss scenes alongside redundant conversations.

I haven't watched the new RoP episode, and hearing about the pacing reinforces it's role as an insomnia killer for me. But as you say, after watching the endless brutality of HotD hearing the Harefoots talk about carrying the left behind members in their hearts and memories makes me laugh with joy. Something about the PG humor is relaxing. All we get from HotD is Rhaenyra mocking people, and not in the fun way like Gossip Girl.

Daemon has in four episodes been banished twice and Rhaenyra has been declared heir by Viserys at the ends of episodes 1, 3, and 4. So there is certainly a method the are using to formulate the events per episode.

Once the swords are drawn she automatically turns and says: "We're leaving." For someone who despises tradition and proper manners and diplomacy she might have breeched them to save a child from potential harm, or she might have permitted her men to stay and contain the situation. Instead with a smile on her face she just glides off. So she obviously does not actually like that one, it's all a game to her.

She was condescending. Which is fine, but when we only see her on one tone of voice it becomes grating. Many characters who are made to feel awkward would at least try to hide their feelings, or we could have seen the visible strain on her face as she struggled (and failed) to keep herself composed. Instead she promotes the jeering. When swords are drawn she bounces instead of using whatever authority she had to keep the peace, especially in a situation where a kid might well have died.

That’s a pretty surface level assessment that reinforces the idea that his brutality is gratuitous. If people don’t crave the violence in real life then it’s just a tool in fiction to keep people engaged. And it stops working once readers become desensitized. The suffering of the Riverlands has nothing to do with the story besides maybe some connection to ‘Lannisters bad’ since they are the ones primarily to blame. The themes of pointless suffering are irrelevant because the wars fought all have distinct purpose and meaning. The whole of these chapters were used to delay the plot and drag on the page count plus some world building.