chrisdaw

The discourse around the Rhaenys scene is disappointing. You wouldn't think this was a world in which Bloodraven became the most reviled villain alive for ordering arrow fire in a battle that killed 3 of his kin. Makes one wonder why bother with world and character building.

The Small Council scene was much better in the books and for the first time I'm actually disappointed that a scene wasn't done as it should have been. Cole does it so everyone knows that's how it's going to be, with everyone onside already and then how it was executed, it was just dumb. The foot scene serves a purpose. Alicent didn't order anyone killed, someone just did it and told her afterwards and she was afraid she'd be blamed so went along with it. She didn't steal Rhaenyra's crown, Viserys told him in his delirium that he wanted Aegon to be king. And she's not whoring herself to Larys for his invaluable service, she's just taking her shoes and socks off and looking the other way. It keeps it all in the grey. Bloodraven, Tywin, Jaime, Aemond and Daemon may have massacred the Greens in Rhaenys's place, and it'd have been the most infamous act in all the history of Westeros and they'd be remembered as the greatest ever villain. It is completely implausible for it to be within Rhaenys range to have done it, but the scene was still pretty crap.

Because he's not a coward, traitor or deserter, because the other team isn't right or good and Aemond needs stopping. Because he's lost faith in the cause and as such his justification for what he's done and so doesn't really deserve to live either, he's as much responsible for this whole terrible thing as any and he's going to do what? Run away to live happily ever after and leave this shit for everyone else? He's amongst the loosest most hated actors in all this, he can't turn politician and start healing the realm's wounds and bringing the sides together after what he's done, and he's no ability for it anyway. His last act is a repentant one, it is him taking responsibility for that part of the mess directly in front of him that perhaps only he could, thus the heavy solemn mood those passages take on. The Daemon arc is young Daemon thinking we dragon lords should do whatever we want, Westeros is our playground -> Old Daemon surveying the destruction the dragon lords have wreaked on the realm and deciding we aren't worth shit. Then old Daemon goes and sacrifices himself to kill Aemond, who is a reflection of his younger self, a whole one letter different.

Daemon's heroic suicide is about Rhaenyra's last order. He lost faith in what he believed was the order of the world, that Targaryens are superior and that Rhaenyra's is worth serving, loving and obeying as queen. His death is an abandonment of Rhaenyra and his faith in Targaryen supremacy. But he would not turn traitor or coward.

Text denial, in show form.

lol what is this? There are no two meanings of question sharply.

Regarding Daemon and the eulogy, he's a Targaryen supremacist who laughed at the idea of coveting this salt water blood and it not thinning and what not, it's funny to him because the salt water blood is weak and nothing to be proud of compared to the fire blood of the dragon, and to him it's very clear Laena was dragon blooded anyway.

Yes he was motivated having done the wrong thing by Rhaenyra and trying to turn that around for her and the children, only for Rhaenyra to obviously decide "well actually the best thing you could do for me and everyone is to die." So he does, the character motivation is constant.

That was sensational again.

Stannis is doing it, that's the whole story, how a somewhat decent man can be turned down this path. Ramsay wrote the pink letter, the whole purpose of it is to begin to hype the showdown between him and Jon.

It was not an uncommon theory before the TV show, though it gathered more around Mel doing the deed (and annoyingly still does). Ser Wun Wun was(is?) a good perceptive poster and a few others also picked up on the grounding for it. This is just one topic of discussion. Stannis will fail, burn Shireen and Jon will pick it all up and defeat Ramsay for the north, just as happened in the show. But the show had no interest in any of the magic side of things, or Stannis much at all, so they simply stopped Stannis's and Shireen's story after their human deaths, but in the books it will continue.

He will lose in the north. Everything that is converging there, including all the forces Stannis has brought and has set in motion are in the grand narrative scheme of things for Jon. Stannis will fail, burn Shireen, and magically become the main villain of this whole thing. Jon will inherit/pick up the pieces of Stannis's forces and defeat Ramsay control/responsibility of saving the north. Dany will defeat Stannis but it will be at the very very end and in very magical terms.

Stannis has no fear of Ramsay, he fears nothing really and that's partly why he's the ultimate villain in this series. He'll probably win the battle, but he will lose the campaign, possibly through sheer bad luck, straight betrayal or trying to push men beyond reasonable endurance, then he'll trudge back and stew on how unjust it all is and eventually do the unthinkable.

lol that's stupid long and rambling. Yes the red door is home, where she belongs. She thinks it is KL, it isn't and she'll find that out. The red door represents her passage of death through to her second life as a dragon, joining Rhaego and Drogo. A dragon as she was always meant to be, ruled by instinct, needing no justification for her actions, burning then flying away. It can be likened to a Shakespearean tragedy in how her death unfolds but that's the lesser side of things, ultimately her emergence as a dragon will be a triumph, the biggest, baddest, hottest fire breathing dragon that will end the long night is who she has always been, it's her becoming herself, her homecoming, like the human life was just a dream.

Like many you greatly underestimate how much content is left and the speed things will move when POVs start converging. Stannis will fail, Jon will rally his forces and defeat Ramsay for the north, and that will be the trimmer story line as the whole second dance will occur in the south at the same time.

I have no issue with it. No-one wants any question asked to which the answer is because Laenor and Joffrey were in a homosexual relationship. It makes every sense it would go away. That was a fantastic episode, they're knocking this out of the park.

lol that's the point, Alicent's arc is Sansa's.

She thought she and Viserys were of one mind, Daemon can't be trusted but Rhaenyra can, this shit is not in her nature. Like she thought Viserys and herself were the level headed team with the solutions here. Finding out he sent the moon tea means that no, not only is fucking about within Rhaenyra's nature but Viserys full well knows it is in her nature, and simply accepts she is what she is. It's just stupid little Alicent that's behind the times here and needs to get up to speed.

The character work is great. This show reminds me somewhat of Wolf Hall in how it isn't handholding, it gives you a character's nature, mindset and then an action. That Cole was falling apart under the shame of his situation was portrayed well, him lashing out violently against someone who is the mirror embodiment of his own shame and provoking him (to Cole's mind) isn't only believable but a fitting climax. He's a violent man, he doesn't know court and intrigue, secrets and leverage, he's long been prepared to die and knows only one may to meet a threat. He broke and did what he does. Criticisms like why didn't someone stop him are stupid, it's turmoil and chaos, no-one saw what preceded the pummelling and the assumption of bystanders would be that the KG has good reason to be doing what he's doing. He is authority, and the other people with the authority in the room can't see shit and have their own problems going on, like where is the princess and the king fainting. The KG standing around scratching their asses and not going and getting Rhaenyra wasn't right though. Alicent work is strong. Not only can she not trust Rhaenyra, she can't trust Viserys. From her point of view there's a clique and she's not in it, she's an island of one. She gave up her whole life for those children, and what Otto said holds completely true, and the more she'd think about it the worse it'd be. In a world without Viserys what is Rhaenyra truly capable of? What is Daemon capable of? Even if wanton Rhaenyra who she doesn't really know isn't disposed to kill her children, when men rally to Aegon what will all those in Rhaenyra's ear tell her to do? The "ambiguous" Daemon/Rhea scene just doesn't work. But it does work that Daemon went there, tenuously, to kill her. He's loose, he's lost Viserys to the duty, to the realm, to "them", and now Rhaenyra is following Viserys. He's half out of his mind here as to what to do and has half a mad plan, kill his wife then steal Rhaenyra away. It was well done how they write what he's thinking, what he desires, through Rhaenyra's mocking, but as they've shown is his way he can only ever go half cocked.

That was another great episode. This is really well written.

Jaime will negotiate their surrender and return into the King's peace, despite them torturing him. This won't happen soon, this will happen when Tyrion is king.

That was a good episode, took care of most my issues, just a bit late coming. If it didn't carry the name it might have lost a lot of people before now. Want to see your death little girl? BOOM DRAGON TEETH FIRE

The show also hasn't shown anything near enough of the smallfolk. When Rhaenyra's privilege is pointed out it rings hollow without some reference and it's important to show the smallfolk somewhat content at present with the Dance to come ruin everything. Rhaenyra being the "realm's delight" should have in the least been a show don't tell item. Now I think on it the original GOT was pretty good at this, besides some main characters slumming around with the smallfolk at times they had little smallfolk intros and outros here and there that portrayed mood.

Show remains joyless and humourless.

That intro followed by that bloodmage info which is not in the text (and obviously had to come from GRRM). He's playing games I think. In text how the Valyrian's worked stone is a mystery, and Dany's blood melts stone in her wake the dragon (not so) dream. I wonder if it's just teasing or with With Viserys likening Valyria to Dragonstone and Mysaria taking up residence if there won't be something in it. Not that it'll be confirmed in this show but Rhaenyra's concern for the egg knowing it was Baelon's may be because she understands the egg contains his (and possibly her mother's) soul. It's something that in retrospect will have greater meaning when all the info is out there.