Crixus

Great analysis of Lucerys' actions, completely agree. He showed courage and presence of mind in a perilous situation where he was out of his depth, and conducted himself admirably. His death in the books hit me hard, harder still in the show even though I knew it was coming, and that's a testament to the actor who did a fantastic job with the handful of scenes he was given.

Except that wasn't his intent at all, nor did he have the faintest idea of what Bran would become. He wanted him dead. I don't think this works as proof of Jaime's goodness. Caveat: Jaime is one of my favourite characters in the books, because he is nuanced and complex and also evolves through the series. My original post where I clubbed him in with Walt White et al was more to make the point of audiences liking 'cool badass' guys even if they do shitty stuff, where I think Bran's defenestration definitely fits in.

Yeah, I agree. Also in the show, which I was referring to, they seemed to throw seasons worth of character development out the window when he basically told Tyrion he didn't give a single shit about small folk.

@butterweedstrover You keep conflating Daemon's popularity on social media with the show somehow whitewashing him - just check out the longstanding popularity of straight up asshole characters like Walter White from Breaking Bad, the Roy family - especially the men - from succession, Don Draper from Mad Men, Jaime Lannister and on and on. There are plenty of people who watch shows casually and appreciate characters because of the actor's charisma. There are also plenty of people who interpret a character's shitty actions as being badass and cool. This is evident with the sheer hatred many fans had for Skyler White and their corresponding sympathy for Walt while he was gaslighting her, bullying her, killing people and putting the entire family at risk. The creator of the show himself admitted to being taken aback because his intention was to portray Walt as a monster by the end. Yet, online reactions were largely the opposite. So no, you can't just claim the writers are trying to absolve Daemon of all his crimes - they cannot control how viewers will react, is the point. Also, Aemond seemed to gain a massive following on social media after the last episode; how does this fit into your theory of the writers portraying him as an evil, murderous bully? You say writers' intent and portrayal = fandom popularity. In this case, shouldn't Aemond be hated by most fans rather than the opposite? Instead, every other post on Reddit since last week is about how cool he is. It's also interesting comparing your views about Daemon with another poster who claims white straight men never get any cool scenes or dialogue anymore because TPTB are apparently weighed down by an oppressive woke agenda. And yet the list of characters I mentioned above are ALL straight white men, lol. It's like people are watching entirely different shows.

I think they've only included characters who've been shown or alluded to, which explains Maelor. Would be odd if Daeron were to suddenly show up though, unless they mention him in the next 2.

Exactly. He doesn't lift a finger to comfort R&B in the hall during the entire altercation, but seems more concerned about making sure Criston doesn't intervene when Alicent pulls out the knife. This coupled with Rhaena's comment to Laena in the last episode where she says he ignores her (I assume because Morning hasn't hatched?) makes him a shitty father.

Agree with your last: no one is whitewashed and this constant fixation is tedious. I was actually thinking exactly this re Corlys and Rhaenys - that whole thing about a secret not remaining secret the more people it's shared with, and Rhaenys' grief so raw and genuine, made me think they didn't know. I also thought about the VO from Rhaenyra about how many would suspect her having a hand in Laenor's 'death', and wondered whether Corlys/Rhaenys would suspect her too given her subsequent marriage to Daemon. If so, why would they join the Blacks? OTOH if they were in on it, it still seems a lot to swallow re having their heir abandon his birth-right. So I don't know. Let's see. Thoroughly enjoyed the episode either way.

Totally agree, he's phenomenal and

For me it was: 1. The amount of time that had passed between Corlys and Daemon forming an alliance and what we watched in episode 3: years of a stalemate when one side has 2 dragons seems utterly contrived. Yes, the Crabfeeder and co. retreated into the caves but there must have been other ways to defeat them? Block all entrances and starve them out, for instance, as I doubt they had indefinite supplies? And a myriad of other options, I'd reckon 2. I did like using the 'surrender/truce' gambit to illustrate Daemon's recklessness and idiot courage, though. As others have said, it's very much of a piece with his last stand; it's who he is. In the same vein I think the entire scene was more about that and the fact that he'd rather die than accept help from Viserys, than to make sure we saw him kill the Crabfeeder (who looked really ill and weak anyway). And they probably wanted to have the dramatic re-emergence of Daemon from the cave with the lovely sight of a man's torso and entrails on display 3. I really liked what we saw of Laenor and especially his excitement whilst on Seasmoke, but I think it wasn't clear at all for non-readers. I've seen so many reviews that seem confused, as well as viewers asking how/why Laenor could ride a dragon, and whether he was riding Caraxes. This should've been much clearer.

Wasn't it Laenor who suggested the idea of sending someone as bait, with Vaemond asking who would possibly be willing to take such a risk? Laenor then said Daemon would, which was countered with a sneer by Vaemond, and Laenor calling his uncle 'Master of Complaints' (which I loved).

Hey karaddin! Been a while, hope you're all good Interesting re Rhaenyra having a crush on Alicent, I didn't get that vibe but you could be right. Totally agree about the betrayal by Viserys, especially since the previous dinner scene gave him plenty of opportunity to tell her. Absolutely relatable, and in keeping with his tendency not to rock the boat and keep everything chilled out. Alicent also looked very guilty in the scene, she obviously knew how Rhaenyra, who has no idea her friend's been hanging with her dad, would take this. It's clear how genuinely close they are and how much they care for one another, especially in the scene where they talk about their dead mums. So far, I'm really enjoying this!

Agreed. And we know she won't have a heart of gold as least as per Maester Gyldayn, so expect a lot more backlash regarding the White Worm. 'Burying your gays' - are you referring to Laenor V? I expect we will see some of this.

I enjoyed both episodes a lot. Could also be because I'm currently re-reading F&B. I actually didn't mind the lack of humour at all; this is likely because while I loved the humour in the early seasons of GoT, I absolutely loathed the 'cock-balls-cock/i drink and know things' bullshit in the later ones. Ugh. So I'm perfectly happy with the absence of a clearly obvious 'witty' character atm. I'm Asian, but I have to say, some of the criticism in the media - I believe @The Bard of Banefort shared a couple of links - stretches credulity and is exasperating. Are we saying Asian actors can only play powerful paragons of virtue? Why not wait and see how Mysaria develops a bit? Also, I personally did not get any romantic vibes between Alicent and Rhaenyra - they seemed like close friends and confidantes. It's almost as if 2 friends can't have a moment of affection without people labelling it as romance or queer-baiting. I wouldn't be surprised if some viewers think Rhaenyra is jealous of Viserys/Alicent because she's in love with Alicent.... sigh. Question: do we have any indication where S1 will end? It's cool if not. Just wondering. Another question: re-reading F&B, it struck me just how bleak that shit is. So many kids end up dying horribly. Are they going to show all that? I believe they've cast Jace, Luce and Joff along with Aemond and Aegon II, which makes me think yes. But imagining them showing the fate of Jaehaerys and Maelor... jeez. Wonder how the audience, especially non-readers, will react? I don't think I have the stomach for it myself.

Same. He exudes dignity and authority, and he's pretty damned hot lol.

True Blood reboot? WTF for? First, the actual show isn't even that old. Second, it became a parody of itself after the first couple of seasons and third, there's been a glut of vampire shit in the last few years, with most such shows being cancelled after 1 season. As for an HP series? God, no. Agree with the analysis on D&E - it's a fun sidebar for ASOIAF readers but I can't see it being a hit with the mainstream. HoD, yes perhaps. But not this.

Didn't anyone watch the hilariously cheesy Gods of Egypt? NCW is the lead (Horus). It has great effects, a shit plot, mediocre acting and loads of mangled Egyptian mythology (I absolutely love all kinds of mythology, no matter how OTT). Great pastime if you're hungover.

I know, right? I ranted about this earlier. It's like, I am watching because I want to, and I don't owe anyone any explanation. At all. LOL. I love the faux curiosity/concern trolling/labelling some people display around here.

Hi Same issue as Mance: can't quote or post through Mozilla or Chrome. Managed to do it now via Explorer. Help!

Well... a lot I really liked, some meh stuff, and some outright wtfery. IOW, hello GOT! Really liked: Kid Cers and the prophesy. Wish we'd got the 'your death is in this room' for Melara, but oh, well. As some have said, we may see that scene again. Cersei: LH is killing it IMO, and her scene with Jaime was good; it had history and emotional weight, something I felt was missing between them last season. Dany: much better, overall. Her scene with Daario reminded me of the Dany I liked back in S1. See? Emilia can pull off more than 'queen', if directed so. Felt bad about the Stalwart Shield business and unlike some of you lot, I found Missandei's curiosity plausible and relevant: she is aware Torqo Noro has some feels for her and she is fond of him; it felt natural for her to wonder. Stannis: finally. Finally, we see the reason why Davos is so loyal to him... I squealed during the 'Bolton/spike=OTP' moment, I admit. Also, I liked that Stannis thinks of the wildlings; he's a seasoned general, it makes sense he'd suss that out. I also think DIllane is playing Stannis differently this season: less bitter/teeth-grinding, more calm purpose and that wry sort of glint in the eye that Stannis should have. So, yay. Naming Rhaegal/Viserion + entire scene was great. Meh: Brienne passing Sansa felt too soapy, like those sledgehammer IRONY ALERT scenes soaps do (you know, X rhapsodies about Y's faithfulness at the exact moment Y is rutting with Z in a corner somewhere). Anyway, let's see what happens there. Varys/Tyrion: great chemistry, but the scene felt off (as you lot have stated, due to Varys' motives). LF/Sansa: SR fighting was cool, the rest not so much. I just can't shake the very strong Farya feeling now. And that is terrifying. Loras Dorne: yawn. Still, I get the reasons (indiscretion=arrest). WTF: Mance. Like, I get Hinds may have wanted out, but come on! Make sense, D&D. And Hinds was brilliant in his scenes too. Also, Mel Jon sexytimes=NO. Please. Please stop Mel being so SEXAY! She doesn't need to do all that shit, she's a beautiful, scary otherworldly woman, not a cougar. Uff! Overall, I find myself optimistic and excited after the doubts I'd been having pre season. The story seems tighter, simpler and with more interaction, which is appropriate at this stage. The downside is an absence of that layered complexity we experience in-book but considering the medium, I'll take it.