EggBlue

makes sense to me! I don't think HOTD has much to offer as a fantasy ... at least not anything that hasn't been in GoT . these writers should really work hard on the characters, especially during the actual war that even the book gets kinda boring, to keep the audience interested .

I just watched the trailer . why is the wedding so fucking bloody ? can someone tell them that not every episode has to be dark and grim? I mean , yeah , there's a death there but in a TOURNEMENT! not in the party! what the hell? and what on earth can trigger that? AND where is VHAEGAR?

well, considering they put eggs in cradles and talk to their new born dragons in high Valyrian , it's not far fetched to think they learn Valyrian either before or simultaneously with common tongue .

Daemon is absolutely crazy , but to my own surprise , my least favorite character in E4 was Viserys I ! my most favorite?! .... believe it or not ser Christon Cole ! Daemon: I liked how they started with Daemon , I liked his conversation with Rhaenyra , taking her to the city .... when she was running and he was going after her , they were like a normal uncle and niece ! I didn't even mind the brothel scene until he started kissing her and WORSE , left her alone , confused and half-naked right there . if there is one guy who is nuts at this point , it's Daemon . poor Laena and Rhaenyra for ever having to endure him. Rhaenyra : admittedly, I was disappointed . I figure the opening courting scene was supposed to be reminisced of Realm's Delight progress . there was a duel, just as there was a duel in F&B . but difference is that lowborn knights and common folk would later pick up sword for her , which gave me the impression that she was actually a likeable princess in the book. ser Christon Cole : man , changing ages does wonders ! lol ! this guy is a completey different man from the pervert who watched a 7 year old grow up into 16, sleep with her and take revenge for the break up! his sex scene with Rhaenyra was actually sweet . yes , there was power imbalance which will be there in almost any relationship princess of Dragonstone would have . but though it started not so great , they made it clear (especially with cloak scene) that it was consensual . furthermore , although the whole thing was sullied with Daemon creep Targaryen's previous scene , the morning scene with Rhaenyra seeing Cole again was smart . she may not love Cole but she certainly comes off as a high schooler who has sex for the first time with a crush . I also liked that they added their little conversations and exchanged looks in these two episodes to show they are actually close. Alicent : her scenes broke my heart . I loved everyone of her scenes with Rhaenyra . I also liked the contrast drawn between her life as the Queen and Rhaenyra's life. Otto : I was surprised to see him so conflicted in reporting to Viserys . was he conflicted because he is still reluctant to move against Rhaenyra? did he fear King's reaction? ... another point regarding Otto is that we needed to see him push Viserys to name Aegon as his heir. right now, he hasn't done that much to deserve to be sacked . I think , the fact that both Rhaenyra and Viserys see through Otto's ambition is a writing mistake . Otto has done nothing but suggesting a marriage proposal and discussing inheritance in PRIVATE with his daughter . Rhaenyra , in particular , doesn't have much reason to doubt Otto . I mean , she does but we are hardly shown that. Viserys: this guy was my least favorite guy in the episode . he is not exactly polite to his wife at the party , he ignores his daughter . well maybe the list doesn't exactly go on and on but I just didn't like Viserys this episode , all right? maybe it's due to his marriage . In my watching experience , most period dramas get to one side of spectrum in arranged marriage : they are either in love and power imbalance is ignored because *love conquers all* or the wife hates the husband . here they have gotten it just right . Viserys may not be a bad guy , but he takes what he sees as his right as husband and king and Alicent , although seems more or less content in their companionship , lies like a dead woman during sex with an older sickly guy (king or not) and feels imprisoned in her marriage where her role is reduced to heir producer. she may come to fully hate Viserys and Otto later on , but right now it's much more complicated than that . it blames the customs rather than just Viserys and Otto , which I appreciate . ed. actually Medici was good in depicting arranged marriages . but again , Medici men were all handsome and experienced and their wives at least enjoyed the sex . P.S. for all those who were after comedic relief : "he called me a boy"! .... boy they ruined the sweet uncle /niece scene by the Daemon creep scene ! I was hoping we don't see Daemon and Rhaenyra together until she becomes .. Emma D'Arcy!

I haven't watched it yet . but as I watched little Bloody Ben Blackwood (I think) be bloody all too soon, I wanted to express my surprise ! what the hell?! and Rhaenyra needs to learn to be more likeable among her lords, I know it was boring but man.. Aegon III handled that pageant moment better !

ha! I always assumed Maekar wasn't king for a long time. why didn't he name Egg his successor in his lifetime?:/

I was talking to my friend today , she wasn't a GoT fan and never ended up watching the whole thing ,especially that when she finally got to season 4 lately , both me and her boyfriend urged her to stop! but she now really likes HOTD ! funny thing is , we've been discussing on how it was confusing for the audience to see a Velaryon on dragon , turns out for people who know almost nothing of the material , Velaryons are just the other silver head family who have dragons!

it seems the Westerosi are expected to be after modern democracy , otherwise they are counted as selfish bastards ! now in all seriousness , I've never understood the argument of people who see book Rhaenyra as bad as Aegon II for fighting in the war and see her right to the throne as vicious entitlement . I mean , this is Westeros for god's sake , like it or not lineage rights exist ( correct the wording please, if it's incorrect ) . the same way in the main series we feel like Starks have a right to Winterfell and we see Theon and Ramsay as villains, Rhaenyra has a right to her father's seat which is the Iron Throne . how defending her right and honoring her father's wishes is entitlement of a pampered princess , I do not know..

yes apparently

it's Seasmoke . under its wings are pink-reddish in movement . Seasmoke has turned out to be a very pretty dragon:) regarding Mad Queens , honestly Rhaenyra never becomes Mad Queen in the book and I doubt they go in that direction in the show . when it comes to Mad Queens , we should be worried about Alicent and Haelena .

yes , but I don't think it'll have the same impact as Daenerys for the audience , regardless of gender . because : 1. the story is set to be a tragedy from the start , so I doubt anyone would assume the chosen heir in episode 1 will sit on the IT at the end . 2. Rhaenyra , while is probably set to be a decent person, will never be as much loved as Daenerys was because she lacks all the accomplishments Daenerys had. 3. Daenerys's disaster was never about not sitting on the Iron Throne , it was due to lack of a proper arc to take her from the role of the Liberator to the Mad Queen . among my personal acquaintances ,for example, many thought they could accept Dany's ending ,even like it, if it hadn't been so rushed . 4. unlike Daenerys who's downfall was supposed to be justified , Rhaenyra will be avenged though her faction's victory will be ironic .

according to one of Milly Alcok interviews , Rhaenyra starts off as someone who didn't expect to be heir , then rebels when she doesn't know how to play the role in the society until she learns how she should act . well , we have seen phase 1 and 2 in these 3 episodes and I expect episode 4 will be somewhat of a transition point . and in the light of one of the articles that claimed adult Rhaenyra is more solemn , I guess despite all the scandals , Rhaenyra and Viserys will regain their good relationship and she will prove herself to him . besides , as you mentioned , after Rhaenyra married Laenor , for Viserys to choose a new heir would have been to spur Velaryons for the 3rd time . Strong scandal or not , Rhaenyra had become a part of house Velaryon and had their support . and add to that Daemon(who was one of the Velaryons anyway ) , Aegon's incompetence and Alicent's hostility towards Rhaenyra's sons? ... I'd say they could give Viserys plenty of reasons to stay put on his decision

I'm still fairly certain that Rhaegar's plan was the worst....whatever it was. just look at the result!

I'm guessing they'll make Alicent's part huge in what happens with Daemon's second exile and Rhaenyra's marriage . that's what I read from the trailer any way . by the way Ran , do you have any info on portrayal of smallfolk and their general feeling about the weak peace king and his three heirs that you can share ? my own assumption is that next week we'll finally see smallfolk , most likely watching a comedic play (the brother.. the daughter .. or the babe..) . maybe we can finally see people referring to the Realm's Delight. I mean .. if we don't see that , they won't be showing the hedge knights and smallfolk of Riverrun rising for Rhaenyra at the beginning of the war.

dude , you don't have to explain Aegon III's sympathies . the guy literally wore all black all the time ! I think , the whole line of succession problem stems from 2 things: 1. Citadel preferred Aegon II , 2. George did not initially plan for "Rhaenyra triumphant" and later just didn't want to mess with the published succession line.... mostly the latter by the way, hair dialogue was great ! I grinned the whole time ! I expect they make the hair thing a big deal for Aemond and Haelena , too . so when Jace is born , even the audience notices the hair

but was she was not remembered as a usurper by Targaryen dynasty ... not that we know of anyway . Stannis considered her a usurper but I personally took that as Stannis's traditional and sexist beliefs . as far as how kings' ancestors are remembered though , I always found it outrageous and quite funny that septons could so openly express their disgust at the name "Daemon" (king's grandfather) for Daena's bastard . then again , I suppose Baelor was different and it is implied that Daena was the closest to their father.

I mean , when she stopped when he told her to wear her mother's dress was telling ! although she did seem confused . even in the books that's possible too. 18 is not very old. well , he is the strongest . not the biggest .

since I've already talked about what I saw as the episode's flaws , I'd like to say that even this episode was still pretty good. the theme all in all was really well done , albeit poor editing took away from it. Rhaenyra's concern for Alicent . Rhaenyra's concern for Alicent's health traveling in such condition comes off as genuine.too bad it's followed by Alicent's explanation about how easy childbirth had been for her . unintentional on Alicent's part but subtle glances between Viserys and Alicent and the nurses show taht everybody knows what exactly this has reminded Rhaenyra of : Aemma's difficult births that eventually killed her. Alicent defends Rhaenyra in ladies' company which finally bring a half smile on Rhaenyra's face ... hadn't trailers gave so much away , new audiences could easily hope for these girls to mend their friendship! Strong Brothers. Larys's introduction was done very well . a quiet young man unable to hunt with other guys but fairly observant . Harwin was not formally introduced but I rather enjoyed the change they made in him vying for Rhaenyra's hand . he is not interested in her politically , rather his grin to Rhaenyra's hunt shows he admires what she's done and ultimately who she is . Criston Cole . Criston is suppose to be someone who could be so passionate he can go to extremes and the line "you want me to kill him?" , although a joke , felt as if Cole is ready to actually do something like that for Rhaenyra in a heartbeat ! a hint for how far he will go? Alicent . during the feast , we see Alicent is aware of everything happening around the king . say what you will , but this Alicent is a good wife and companion till now . Lyonel Strong . this character is a major highlight for me . slowly showing why later on Viserys names him as his Hand. Laenor Velaryon . this Laenor has a Jaimie like quality that I quite enjoyed . in the light of feminizing Loras and Renly in the original show , I think making Laenor a warrior was the right call by the showrunners . joking about "master of complaints" was so much like Rhaenyra's line in this episode regarding eating cake ! too bad the editing doesn't make people interested in these details but they could easily show Laenor and Rhaenyra as a couple who have the potential to get along pretty well , only for later to reveal they can't. Matt Smith. this guy didn't have more lines than Kit's season 8 but he acted the hell out of it . super abilities aside , I quite enjoyed this .

regarding ViserysII issue , I pretty much expect this to feel like a slap in the face and a betrayal on Viserys's part in F&BII , since basically Viserys/Daena was the deciding point for whether Rhaenyra's legacy lives on or not . of course Rhaenyra was not a feminist activist by any means . but I think we could be fairly certain that if Jacerys was a girl , she might have as well pulled a Nymeria and that would have been the indicator of succession in her line . it's also fair to assume as close as Aegon III was to his mother , he probably would have named his daughter heir , had she been the eldest and considering the after-dance era they were in , no one would have challenged him ,especially with support of his brother , and his sisters' houses( prominent Blacks and Greens supporters) . unfortunately , it all came down to Viserys who was 7 the last time he saw his mother and in aftermath of Baelor disaster of all times.

come to think of it , Vhaegar kills 2 of the dragons she may have had as mates during the dance : Caraxes and Maelys . you know , Maelys was Alyssa's dragon and Vhaegar was Baelon's ....

that could be expected . if they are featuring one secondary character pretty damn well , it's Lyonel . do you have insight into popular opinions on other secondary characters? I'm not so sure about what they're doing with Velaryons . they(+Harwin) seem to be turning into mere baby making factories . worse than I imagined a few days ago when I said they could do a decent job about them but focus more on their legacies . I mean they lost the opportunity to give us good Laenor moments . and I imagine next time we see Laena she'll flirt with Daemon a bit only to see her die at the opening scene of next episode! same with poor Harwin! by the way , totally agree about Strong brothers . my new head canon is that Larys sought the opportunity to bring down both Blacks and Greens , in whose rivalry , his family were caught and murdered . again , I wonder what they can do with the fact that Aemond atop Vhaegar ( Laena's dragon) will try to kill Daemon ( Laena's husband) and Caraxes( Vhaegar's ..err.. flying body?).

I've got some complains about the show's editing which I think are mostly contributing to non-book readers' confusion . so I'm wondering what you guys think about these ? it felt like two episodes . they should have put some Stepstone +Crabfeeder scenes in the middle of the hunting/feast scenes . I liked the shift between war in stepstones and feast's extravagant table very much . it showed perfectly well why it's a good idea for Viserys to support the war.... too bad the show went on to finish hunting episode before visiting stepstones . they both failed Laenor and did him justice if that makes any sense ! I get that they wanted to show Laenor as Rhaenyra's suitable match by showing him speaking in their council and later attacking atop Seasmoke . they should have introduced Laenor by name in episode one when Corlys talked about Rhaenys already having a son . now that they didn't, they should have had Strong mention his most important advantage : he already rides a dragon ! dragon riding ability must be a HUGE deal when it comes to marriages . the reason Velaryons are as big of a threat as they are is that they also have dragons . Lannisters and any other who want to marry Rhaenyra will become a third dragon riding family! then they go on to the war council where Laenor is supposed to be established as a warrior (which could be edited right after talk of him by Strong ,by the way!) . but we do not really see him well enough , the focus of the war is on Daemon although considering it was Laenor's plan , Laenor detecting Daemon's willingness to be a bait and Laenor's dragon , it kinda turned out to be more of Laenor's victory! it just focused on Daemon! the whole stepstone sequence is a huge failure . I'm not going to say anything about Daemon's plot armor and the Crab disappointment anymore! the thing with the Stepstones is that it's been build up, build up, build up for 3 episodes and then a jump right into the conclusion ! there's no middle ! we don't see why Daemon and Velaryons are so frustrated and overwhelmed , we don't see how Daemon is the reason they're losing . we don't see why Vaemond goes behind Corlys's back to send a letter to Viserys himself . we only hear about them ! but that is good enough because we don't EVEN HEAR why the hell Corlys allied himself with Daemon ! we don't see any gold cloaks or men specifically loyal to Daemon . there are all Velaryon men and Velaryon dragon and then there's Daemon , Corlys's "teenager" adopted son with his odd pet ,who is causing them losses through his tantrums ! if you don't know Vhaegar's riders , don't read below.

that doesn't necessarily indicate that she didn't love Viserys or didn't care for him. only that he reminded of so much trouble . just the same as color green . then again , she let him rot for 3 days . I don't think one would do that to whom she loved . but it could have been pretty complicated anyway .

yes , I imagine the show will depict Daemon/Rhaenyra match as a very emotional and trusting match which makes sense* . that's not the point though , what matters is that the last scene we saw of Mysaria was her break up with Daemon and it did not deliver at the slightest . * when it comes to love , I'm pretty much convinced that Laena/Daemon and Harwin/Rhaenyra had deep lasting loves ; which doesn't contradict with Rhaenyra/Daemon love but I hope the show doesn't drop that.

wow , you really made your point with 2 pre-dance season . and .. I agree . as always . however , despite my disappointment with how they will portray many characters , I still think it made sense to make pre dance part one season , marketing wise . they need to get to action before long . that said , I don't know what was stopping them to make more and by a few minutes longer episodes for this season . they were working on this for what? 3 years ? they could make it 4 years for all I care and honestly , nothing seems impossible in entertainment industry nowadays . they could make it work easily enough with 13-14 episodes . and speaking of Love Interests: not only Harwin/Laenor and Laena are just there to to be baby making machines (officially or literally ) , but also the failed Mysaria speech of last episode was actually where they departed! I still , cannot fathom that! are we not seeing Mysaria until season 2?! ed. one more thing: I still don't know what is show reasoning for why Corlys wanted Daemon's help! he at least gathered men in the books and was the reason they matched Crab people , not somehow the reason they were losing!