[Spoilers] Episode 110 Discussion

[Rockroi]

1 minute ago, zajaz said:

It's... it's okay, I guess, mate. We all have our blind spots. I confess I never even thought Rhaenys was mass murderer, but... time proved me wrong.

I didn't see that either.  And then it happened.  

[The Bard of Banefort]

3 minutes ago, zajaz said:

It's... it's okay, I guess, mate. We all have our blind spots. I confess I never even thought Rhaenys was mass murderer, but... time proved me wrong.

It's okay, the writers don't think she is either.

[Corvinus85]

I re-watched the dragon dance scene again, and realized that Luke had lost control of Arrax as well. Arrax flaming Vhagar was his own doing, with Luke screaming in High Valyrian no, serve me. So I suppose this really was a true, first dance of the dragons. Maybe setting up what will happen in future battles between the dragons.

[Rockroi]

1 minute ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

It's okay, the writers don't think she is either.

That's adorable.  Its almost like objective reality doesn't exist.  

[Rockroi]

Also, mild mild MILD continuity error.  When the table is lit up, it stops over the Riverlands and shows an area marked "The Twins."  

But I thought the Twins were not created until After the Blackfire Rebellion?  Was that area called the Twins before then and just lacked those massive towers?  Just asking.  

[Colonel Green]

1 minute ago, Rockroi said:

Also, mild mild MILD continuity error.  When the table is lit up, it stops over the Riverlands and shows an area marked "The Twins."  

But I thought the Twins were not created until After the Blackfire Rebellion?  Was that area called the Twins before then and just lacked those massive towers?  Just asking.  

The Twins are 600 years old, they absolutely existed during the Dance.

[Colonel Green]

13 minutes ago, butterweedstrover said:

It's not a complex nuanced tale like Martin advertised.

This is considerably more complex and nuanced than the source material, where every Green character is a cackling villain.

[BlackLightning]

3 minutes ago, zajaz said:

Alicent is also being softened, I feel. And is it really usurpation if she honestly belives that she is doing what (she thought) Viserys wanted? From her point of view, Alicent is fighting for both her son, and her husband last wishes.

It was well-established in the previous episode that Alicent is both self-delusional and self-defeating.

Nobody believes her...and for good reason.

It doesn't make any sense. He affirmed Rhaenyra's position as the heir to the Iron Throne at dinner not even two hours before he died.

Not only that but the audience knows that Alicent purposefully misunderstood Viserys' last words; Viserys said absolutely nothing about how he now wished for Aegon to king. He didn't even mention the word king and he was going on and on about how "it must be you; you must be the one to unite the realm against the cold, dark horrors beyond the Wall." Alicent knows full well that Viserys had mistaken her for someone else (she had been living with him for the past 6 years...he had a habit of doing that). And given the context clues of his words, he was finishing up a conversation that he was having with someone else.

 

4 minutes ago, Caligula_K3 said:

Another birthing scene was unnecessary, and the miscarriage was extremely unnecessary in an episode in which Rhaenyra loses a son.

I sorta disagree.

The birthing scene was absolutely necessary. In fact, I think it should've been a lot longer. It stands as a great contrast to the births in episode 1 and 6. Queen Aemma talked about her struggles in childbirth, how uncomfortable, scared and exhausted she was and how Rhaenyra would have to weather the same with a stiff upper lip. Twenty years later, in the last episode of the show, Queen Rhaenyra is living her mother's words. The whole season almost been building up to that moment.

I think that the birthing scene should've been a lot longer.

I think the birthing scenes in the show are good. It speaks to the power and position of women (especially highborn ones) in the medieval era in a way that educates and unites people in a kinder, more grounded and more ubiquitous than acts of sexual violence...which GoT loved to depict.

As much as people love and celebrate life, I think it's strange that our culture is so uncomfortable with birth. Honestly, it would do us all a lot of good to have more pregnancy, more childbirth, more breastfeeding scenes in media.

 

But I agree with you in this. I think that it should've occurred over the course of two episodes. Rhaenyra loses a daughter in one and loses a son in the next.

And it wasn't a miscarriage by the way. It was a stillbirth.

[Leticia Stark]

So the Dance will start because of an accident lol this must be a joke 

[The Bard of Banefort]

Regarding Daemon choking Rhaenyra, I thought it fit with this version of the character. As I've said before, there's no coming back from murdering your wife. I'm glad the showrunners were willing to show how inevitably toxic this marriage would become.

That said, I thought the placement was really weird. Choking someone is something you'd expect to happen in the heat of a raging argument, not between two people disagreeing in low voices. It also completely alters the very first line of dialogue we received from HOTD: "Dreams didn't make us kings, dragons did."

A lot of people are upset that they cut a scene of Daemon having a meltdown on the beach (there were photos of it leaked during filming). But I think that was the right choice considering the decision to use the choking scene. Showing Daemon's grief could be humanizing, but it also runs of the risk of making what just happened about Daemon's manpain. "He only choked her because he was so upset!"

[Fool Stands On Giant’s Toe]

Meh.

The brass held no luster.

So much hype about episode 10. I was hoping for a bigger reveal.

No dramatic monologue or anything emotional. No conflicts nor grand cooperations. Just fell flat. I was hoping for a better falling action from the last episode. All attempts to build suspense or climax was immediately halted. Not even edging. Flaccid ending.

Meh. What do I know, I like the foot scene.

I wish Aemond said unemotionally and monotone, “ I made a whoopsie.” As he flew away. With the camara on him for a solid minute afterwards. Just starring ahead as he flew home. Would of at least been funny.

 

[butterweedstrover]

9 minutes ago, Colonel Green said:

This is considerably more complex and nuanced than the source material, where every Green character is a cackling villain.

Oh Alicent is worse than a cackling villain, she is a stupid villain who can't decide what she wants yet incessantly leaps for power. The rest are more evil than the book because at least the book had some ambiguity as to the motivations of Criston Cole, Larys, etc. Now we know they are just generic shit. 

The Blacks are 100% less complex. Rhaenyra doesn't even get angry or approve any morally ambiguous stuff, she is Jesus reborn. 

Edited October 24, 2022 by butterweedstrover

[The Bard of Banefort]

2 minutes ago, Leticia Stark said:

So the Dance will start because of an accident lol this must be a joke 

One accident and one misunderstanding. 

[DMC]

26 minutes ago, Colonel Green said:

The scene where Daemon immediately kneels to Rhaenyra at her impromptu coronation amused me since Matt Smith's Prince Philip in The Crown has an episode-length snit about being asked to do this.

Ha!  Didn't think of that, good call!  Smith's Philip was why I was not a fan when the casting was announced.  I still think they could've found someone better, but I must admit he's done a pretty damn good job.

[butterweedstrover]

8 minutes ago, Leticia Stark said:

So the Dance will start because of an accident lol this must be a joke 

It already did, with Viserys' death bed. Without proper motivation, they needed an accidental scene, which didn't even make sense since if Alicent is to betray her best friend out of obligation to her husband why had she been ignoring her husband's will for the prior 20 years. 

Honestly, Aemond has just been generic trash so at least giving him this did something to make it look like he isn't the devil incarnate. Sadly that doesn't matter because the Greens are psychos with no real motivations and the Blacks are saints who would have moved against the Greens anyways. 

Edited October 24, 2022 by butterweedstrover

[The Bard of Banefort]

In the Inside the Episode, Ryan Condal confirmed that Aemond didn't plan on killing Luke, but also implied that Aemond may claim he did when he returns to King's Landing.

Did anyone else think that Aemond's actor's voice sounded deeper during the segment? Aemond has a very distinct, high-pitched and nasally voice on the show, which I never considered might be something the actor was putting on for the character. Perhaps it's to better emphasize how he mirrors Daemon?

[Minsc]

34 minutes ago, BlackLightning said:

Aegon has been softened up quite a bit

How has making Aegon a rapist that watches blood sports involving children softening him up?

[Corvinus85]

26 minutes ago, butterweedstrover said:

It's garbage, and the people who keep say "NO! But Alicent is nuanced! And Aemond is cool! And Rhaenyra has flaws or Daemon proves the Blacks aren't generic heroes" need to get over themselves. This is a show that wants to frame itself as morally ambiguous but doesn't have the guts to do it leaving a paltry cast of characters with zero motivating factors disguised by great production and acting. 

It's awful, it's pathetic, and people need to stop coming up with excuses for it. 

I'm glad that at least you acknowledge others view the show differently from you. 

[zajaz]

27 minutes ago, Rockroi said:

That's adorable.  Its almost like objective reality doesn't exist.  

Almost being the key word, of course.

18 minutes ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

Regarding Daemon choking Rhaenyra, I thought it fit with this version of the character. As I've said before, there's no coming back from murdering your wife. I'm glad the showrunners were willing to show how inevitably toxic this marriage would become.

That said, I thought the placement was really weird. Choking someone is something you'd expect to happen in the heat of a raging argument, not between two people disagreeing in low voices. It also completely alters the very first line of dialogue we received from HOTD: "Dreams didn't make us kings, dragons did."

I took it as Daemon is just a dangerous asshole that does not like being told something that goes against what he (thinks) knows is true. From his point of view, all the talk about dreams and signs is just bogus. Real power comes from taking action. Suggesting the opposite triggers him... so he had to gently caress his silly wife to remind her of that fact.

Edited October 24, 2022 by zajaz

[C.T. Phipps]

4 minutes ago, Minsc said:

How has making Aegon a rapist that watches blood sports involving children softening him up?

You mean being book accurate?

No, sorry, you're right. They softened Aegon by not making him a pedophile.

Edited October 24, 2022 by C.T. Phipps