Such a relatable dude. He tries to start a new life in Numenor, gives some advice and assistance to (completely undeserving) Galadriel... And what does he do after she discovers his true nature? He just walks away, sparing her life, and gives no sh*t about it. A true Hero we needed, yet his interactions with Galadriel dragged him back to the evil side.
Lol what??😂 sorry I haven’t seen it but are they building him that way now, so that his eventual change hits so much harder? Or am I giving the writers too much credit?
@@Whogaftbh you're giving the writers waaaaay too much credit. These are the same writers that made it so that the Harfoots aka not-hobbits have a song they sing about how nobody walks alone, and yet if someone gets injured they will literally leave them behind to die like it's nothing. A sprained ankle is effectively a death sentence for one Harfoot character. But the writers intended them to be cute and friendly like the actual hobbits
Honestly I keep forgetting this Sauron is a villain at all. He's pretty laid back, diplomatic, non threatening, etc. With no real evil traits he exhibits. If I had no knowledge of LOTR and I was watching this show, I would've thought they'd pull a twist and he'd become the hero and galadriel would become the villain at the end, to have like a "rogue hero vs overzealous paladin" thing going on. The costume doesn't help either. I get they can't dress him in all black and be menacing because he's undercover, but the outfit they did give him makes him look like a premade custom character in a game.
Honestly, if they'd had the balls to make their own original fantasy show and took that concept, they could have actually made a pretty good show, with the paladin undergoing a hero to villain arc where her zeal to destroy evil makes her the villain whereas the previous bad guy has actually reformed and now want to do good and help people. Of course, that would involve them having the balls to make a female villain who falls into such corrupted righteousness and is rightfully portrayed in the story as in the wrong, while having the male hero justly earn his redemption and show humility, courage, honor, and the ability to lead a morally declining people to a better state.
@@shadowwarrior3444 Yeah. They don't have both balls and creativity tho. They need to rely on the success and popularity of the trilogy, borrow (or buy) names of familiar character names and places. They know that their original series will drown in the sea of fantasy shows and movies so they need a (Hal)brand. 😂 Naturally, they got the attention of Lotr fans of all sorts. But the reaction tho, overwhelmed them.
So you think evil is stupid? No evil is smart it makes the rabble stupid and preys in their stupidity. The fact we have people in today's world who think evil is this ack or white thing that can't lie or hide it's nature is scary... I guess that's why people like Hershel walker can almost win and why Ted Cruz keeps getting relected
I feel like Aemond is a complex anti-villain, and it feels right to call him one imo. Like he is set up to be an underdog character in his introduction with good traits and virtues for the circumstance he's in. TV Tropes says anti-villains have "heroic traits"; I don't necessarily think he has heroic traits, but simply admirable traits the show puts on the forefront when his younger-self is introduced. If Aemond were to be a straight up villain, I don't think the show wouldn't have framed his childhood the way they did. And I would say what parts of him put the "villain" in anti-villain are that his goals are more selfish and do not include "moral betterment", as said in the video. This comment could age like milk, depending on the show progresses.
Aemond is incredibly complex, and I love his character to bits, but I feel that a lot of his issues stem from the toxic upbringing he's had and his resentment towards his sister and her spawn for his loss of an eye and the fact that Viserys did nothing to remedy the situation other than scream about his grandsons, their paternity, and rug sweep.
Aemond has become one of my favorite characters EVER.... and the best is yet to come......... I also think the actor who plays Aemond is doing an amazing work.... the other one, well, he's ok I guess.
I agree with your examination of Aemond with one exception... you say that he's "far from being a slave to his emotions and impulses", but not only do I disagree with you - I'd even say, following his his emotions and impulses is his biggest weakness: He did allow his emotions to overpower him in the episode 10 scene in Storm's End two times (first with the "give me your eye!" scene, second with actually following Lucerys), but he also got triggered by Lucerys mocking him with the pig during the "last supper" scene in episode 8, going for immediate retaliation with the "Strong boys" line, although he should know the consequences of it. After he claimed Rhaegar in episode 7, when the girls accused him of stealing the dragon, he followed his impulse and went for confrontation (like the other 4 kids) instead of trying to de-escalate the situation (to be fair, he was just a kid then).
i agree with you too. i feel like aemond's got restraint as long as his childhood PTSD doesn't surface. the pig/eye are his triggers. restraint would be like tyrion coming at you with snark for calling him a dwarf, etc. his advice to jon getting used to being called a bastard, "wearing it like armour so it can't be used to hurt you" is a far better display of restraint.
Based Aemond takes. I love him as a character. One thing I didn't exactly like was the fact he demanded Luke's eye when, in his younger years, he said losing the eye was a fair exchange.
While in the moment I'm sure he felt it was a fair exchange but I think as years passed he realized how messed it was that he was jumped 4 on 1 just for claiming a dragon, especially when they were making fun of him for not having one.
It was to calm his mother down, ofc nobody would get over someone taking your eye, gaining a dragon was all on Aemond he didn't owe them nothing.. I'm surprised we the fans of got and asoiaf are even asking these silly questions
He only said that to calm the situation down, I thought that was very clear tbh. Even the way it was shot, you can see him realizing what situation his mother is in and what he has to do to prevent it from escalating further. He was a very attentive, smart and mature kid, as shown in that scene. I don't think anyone would loose an eye and just shrug it off like it's nothing, with or without dragon. Aemond's actor himself said Aemond was wronged, it's natural to still feel that hatred years later.
@@AnkitSingh-cd7tw I understood he said it to calm Allicent down/ show appreciation that She cared so much. But it is more than that: I lost an eye and have found with time it is no joke.At the time as a kid he surely did not know what a lost eye entailed.
this was a random youtube suggestion, nice video, I would put some background noise on it since just your voice can feel a bit dull to listen to (it's nothing to do with your voice just the lack of ambiental sounds on headphones)
Aemond isn't a villian, that's why he works. After taming his dragon, sure he threw some insults.. But he was attacked by 4 others, he defended himself and won the fight until he was stabbed in the face.. Even in the last scene, you see the look in his face.. His intention wasn't to kill his nephew, he was just being a dickhead.. plus he's still sour that he lost his damn eye 6 years ago. A good "Villian" is someone who you can empathize with and see their points of view.. In GoT, Ramsey and Joffery work so well because the rest of the villians have empathy, so you're kind of forced to have some classic unredeamable villains.. Just to make them different.. But a universe without that, the villians are boring.
The POV change to the dragon riders chase, without changing anything we already knew about the event. A change of context during the event, which deepens the lore on dragons an adds a weird element of the one eyed dude not wanting to kill his cousin, or start a war in which the realm will burn an dragons will die, on both sides.
About Rings....why waste your time analyzing something which dissolves in nonsense the moment you think about it? Never watched anything so insulting to the viewer's intelligence. Such shows often rely on the fact that consumers of visual media will put up with a lot more nonsense than readers of a book, but for the love of Tolkien there has to be a limit! (Neither space nor time nor the lethal power of pyroclastic flows exist!) Still, good job pointing out some of the billion plus problems
Hallabrand's character is just so confusing, and Galdriel was just kind of disappointing. On the other hand Aemond is just a good written character and one of my favourite characters on HotD
But Rheanyra is absolutely the protagonist in is House of the Dragon. A protagonist/antagonist doesn’t mean a hero or villain but they mean the main character and the foil to the main character.
All i'd be comfortable saying based on the tv show's depiction of aemond is that he'd be more driven and probably more dutiful than aegon 😂 i think he would probably be interested in leading the country well, but i also think the nickname "cruel" would likely easily be associated with him.
@@LanaMarie I could see him being called "Aemond the Cruel" by those who relieved his punishment, because if he did become King, I think Aemond would be hell bent on justice and punishment. Some may call him Cruel, others would call him Just. Either way, he'd be a better king than Aegon 🤣
Exactly, I am happy they bought sauron good looking😂 but if same effort was put in his plot then it was better. Fr it shouldn't be me only who was very suspicious that he is sauron since start as every fucking clue was there. Actor was fine. Now see Aemond is better example for antagonist. His villian origin story is very accurate and understanding. Even actor did amazing job
Sauron in the show acts like morgoth, hotheaded and petty. Saurons motivation for ruling middle earth is order, not for the sake of being evil or some bs rejection, but because he believes he is the only one who can keep middle earth in check with absolute authority and will do anything to reach his goal, becoming a darker and darker being along the way. This is why he created the ring.
seeing "good writing" in a context of HOTD is kinda fun to me... Show has big problems in writing part and in the end of the season they became WAY worse. It is lazy writing all over again.
Halbrand was more benevolent than galadriel. Galadriel had murderous intent, going on a killing spree, bringing fire and destruction wherever she goes. Halbrand just wanted to retire, live his life in a relaxed matter and do his profession (blacksmithing). He was the most trustworthy character (unironically) out of all characters (non-villains included) in rop. I dont want to call him Sauron.
I've seen a video which actually made a strong case that Adar was a hero. It was tongue in cheek, but if you look at the way RoP presents him, without even knowing it, they are giving his nemesis many negative traits associated with the main villain, and they give him the heroic traits. We know orcs are bad, but we know that from meta knowledge, not from what we see on the screen. If anything, the "harfoots" seem more blatantly evil.
You know what's funny? Aemond character plot is also parallel to ROP's Galadriel. Both their story beats are pretty similar but just as this video tells us. HOD executed it better. Mostly because the writers TRIED to make her a sad but still mostly PURE soul hero. As if denying that she is a cruel character at times. While Aemond's darkness was embraced.
I really dont think that either the Greens or Blacks are fully heroes and fully villains. Both have shades of grey. Anyone who says otherwise has such a grand and intoxicating innocence.
One would think that ANY version or variant of Sauron The Black would at the least embody deceptiveness and cunning, as well as utter ruthlessness. Sadly, even that miserably low standard falls short with Halbrand. (I do not in any way equate Halbrand with the GREATEST servant/successor of Morgoth, as a result!) Aemond Targaryen..? He most certainly is a Great Villain - mainly due to how Fucked up ('scue my language!) his formative years were. Worse still, Aemond ~could~ have been a Hero of Legend. Fate had other ideas; Moreover, in Westeros, regardless of era, there ARE no Heroes - anymore than there are innocents. Such does not exist in the GoT verse. Even the toothless wolf Ned Stark could be a brutal bastard. Aemond is a true potential hero gone very, *VERY* bad. But then, w/an uncle like Daemon Targaryen, or a pus-bag of an elder brother like Aegon the Ridiculous, he never had a chance of being anything else. GRRM (and HOTD's writers) outdid themselves on Aemond. Awesome vid (and even better character analysis!) 👍
Giving your character the name of a villains doesn't make him one. There was soooo much potential to establisch Halbrand as an cunning, clever villain who's manipulating the characters around him. Yet we got Aragorn 2.0 who just walks around, acts like a nice guy and reveals his name in the end.
Sauron appears as the protagonist, because this whole thing was written and filmed by people who themselves are cheering the fall of the west. Seemingly ironic, in all truth.
I don't get why you're hesitant to call Aemond an "antagonist" when he literally does nothing morally good or heroic, and almost all of his actions show he's 100% closer to being a villain. He's arguably THE primary antagonist of the Dance, or at least the most ACTIVE one, as Otto pulls the strings, the Crab Feeder is dead, and his brother remains in King's Landing most of the time. Hell, THE Dance above the God's Eye, the most memorable battle, is between him and Daemon.
And to say he can’t be an antagonist because there’s no protagonist just doesn’t make any sense. There can be numerous protagonists and antagonists. Apply it to GoT: Joffrey, Ramsay, Roose, Tywin, etc are all antagonists and villains. Jon, Tyrion, Dany, Stannis, Arya, etc are the protagonists opposite them.
Aemond's actor looked so familiar. He was Osferth in The Last Kingdom. There he played a completly different character, almost polar opposite to Aemond, which shows how important casting good actors is. That's like 70% of what makes a good character on the screen.
"Who's gonna fall for that?" really says it all. The Rings of Power writers' room saw their show as a trick to play on the audience. HotD is mostly staying true to the plot outlined in Fire & Blood, so everyone who has read it knows what is going to happen, but that doesn't matter because it's a great story and seeing it performed well by a great cast is entertaining even without being shocking.
It also makes it sound like they thought Tolkien's plot was stupid. Which... also says a lot. "Who's gonna fall for that" would've been a good question if Annatar's deception of the elves happened in a few days or even weeks or months. But of course, that's not how Tolkien wrote it, since he worked to gain the trust of the elves for a really long time. So it's either the showrunners really do not know much about the work they're trying to adapt, or they quite simply thought that Tolkien's writing wasn't good enough. Which, honestly, both could be entirely possible.
@@jhmi7877 I think it was more that the Silmarillion is already written, so some people know what happens, so if they keep it as written, some people will know in advance that Annatar is a bad guy, and they're judging their work entirely by whether it's surprising rather than whether it's good. It's a lot like a classic criticism of WWE writer Vince Russo: "Think of it like this: if Vince Russo ran a pizzeria, you'd order a pizza and he'd deliver a newspaper. Sure, it's not what you wanted, nor did it make you want to order from there again, but it sure fooled you, didn't it?"
@@billvolk4236 Yeah. They wanna subvert expections or whatever. The thing is, this isn't even an original Amazon show, it claims to be inspired by an existing fictional world but doesn't give any respect to it. Halbrand could have been the Witch King and is also disguising as this random dude, carrying out Sauron's plans but no, he is Sauron because the writers thought that will surprise the audience more even if it makes less sense. Halbrand doesn't gives off dangerous and intelligent Dark Lord vibes, he acts and thinks like a lowly being, in a sense that he doesn't act like a real proud and intelligent Maia (that he is) who only pretends to be a man. Sauron simping for Guyladriel...🤣🤣🤣 I don't even know if they intentionally did this to mirror Varda's rejection of Melkor and Varda choosing his brother, Manwe, over him but they could atleast add Celeborn there so that Guyladriel can choose him over Halbrand. 🤣🤣🤣
I haven't read it and I love it; my nephew has read it and he loves it. We both love that the actions make sense and he loves relating them back to the rumours in the book.
Aemonds actor is impressive. His character is very silent throughout many scenes, and yet by just standing there he's able to make you feel uneasy, as if something terrible is about to happen, but also you somehow admire him for his composure. It's a perfect example of how the show consistently builds up the context and let the audience fill in the gaps and understand the characters motivations through their actions, all without having to spit on our faces how we're supposed to be feeling.
The first time he stands up when they are all together dining....... He doesn't say a thing, but everyone looks at him, Otto, his mother and Aegon wary of what he might say.
I'm still amazed how Ewan Mitchell nailed his performance. Every time he was on screen, I couldn't look at anyone else but him, his presence demanded attention. He showed great emotion with just one eye, his face expressions, the way he walked in that slow smug way, and even small details like these "hmm" little grunts. In just 11 minutes of screen time he got me totally smitten. Needless to say, Aemond is my favourite character now.
One thing I like about Aemond's character is that he was born during a long era of peace, but him and a few others in the show seem to recognize that war is coming and he's getting ready for it.
Extremely based takes on Aemond. I would add that the eye situation made him see (no pun intended), by the reaction of everyone around them (including and specially his father) that his side of the family is alone and vulnerable, and thats another reason why he focuses on improving himself. To be a defender of his family, so (for example) his mother (with whom he has a deeper bond as we saw by their physical contact and little gestures) doesn't have to feel that way again.
@@jodie3950 Thanks! I mean, you just need to see how even when he's trying to take revenge on Lucerys, Aemond is all about his mother. "I plan to make a gift of it to my mother", pretty sure because he remembers how she felt. Even his iconic quote "Do not mourn me, mother. It was a fair deal, I may have lost an eye, but I gained a dragon", when you think about it, seems to only have the intention of calm her to avoid her doing something crazy (which is what Rhaenyra ''now they see you as you are'' and Daemon (stops Criston from trying to stop Alicent) wanted, so the Hightowers look like madmen in Viserys' eyes and lose his favor). Aemond obviously still keeps a grudge, so it WASN'T a fair deal for him, not really. Its the same reason he accuses Aegon of the bastard rumor, because he undersands that Alicent can be punished by Viserys, but not a royal prince like his brother. I really really love his love for Alicent (even tho they are still a dysfunctional family because of Viserys neglect).
@@perseusveil9376 You don't know how glad I am to see that there are other people who have the same thoughts about these characters as I do. Sometimes I'm arguing with people because they're completely misunderstanding and mischaracterizing these characters and can't understand why they (Aemond especially) appeal to me so much. Aemond is my favorite and it hurts to see people mischaracterizing him due to their ignorance.
It is the perfect deception really. I disagree with the premise of this video that Sauron is poorly written for a villain. You can never really trust anyone even if they appear to be good.
Aemond is an "Anti-hero". He is not a villain, not a hero. He is a character who is the hero of the other side, i.e., if you watched the series from the Greens' perspective, he would have been your hero who stood up against bullies and assholes, and clearly corrupt individuals.
Another great analysis. Aemond's sibling rivalry also needs to emphasised. His line that his study of history and philosophy would make him a better King than his brother is very significant ...and probably accurate.
11 minutes! And this actor have given us a very unhiged and complicated character. All of those acting out intense emotions with one eye! Looking forward to S2 with how much darker he will become.
It's truly impressive how memorable his character already is given his limited screen time. And the eye. I genuinely didn't know if he'd have the sapphire eye or not but it's fantastic.
well in the books he is pretty much the badass dude u saw already in S1, i dont think he can become worse from that point onwards since he is not the main enemy of Rhaenyra, but i also love how they used the sapphire eye as he appearears in the books. Aemonds main fight will be against Daemon and caraxes, he is the only one who is on the level of maturity and strength as Daemon (dragonwise he is the strongest) but caraxes is also a Frenzy wild beast
Not sure if Halbrand is a bad actor (haven't seen him in anything else) or just had a bad script and direction. Aemond on the other hand had excellent material and direction but also had the talent to run with it and make an outstanding character.
Charlie Vickers (Halbrand) actually played a rather fun, lovable rogue in RoP. It's just a shame it was supposed to be a powerful, manipulative, cruel, evil demigod . (And yes, I know there's a theme about Sauron seeking redemption for a time in the source material, but there was no chance that the inept RoP writers could ever actually handle the depth of such a thing.)
House of the Dragon's Protagonists are also its antagonists since it's a civil war with protagonists on both sides. Got to remember the terms Protagonist and Antagonist don't mean hero and villain, a hero can be an antagonist of a story like L from Death Note, and a villain can be a protagonist like Darth Bane and Darth Zannah. Now in House of the Dragon, a majority of the characters are morally grey like Aemond but it does have characters that are more clearly evil like Larys Strong or even Daemon whose actions lean to more evil though he does have a heart.
1:43 This is the show's downfall. They never trusted the source material at all. Thinking you can write better than Tolkien is very arrogant and stupid. HoTD did change some stuff, but at best it was still a faithful adaptation of fire and blood.
There are cases where movie makers actually did change the source material and it worked out as good or even better. It might be harder, but it is not impossible. And Tolkien isnt that great of a writer honestly. Fantastic in world building of course, but in writing...
Sauron is *such* an amazing, badass villain in the lore, he isn’t just this suit of armour and the eye atop Barad Dur, he’s is Machiavellianism made manifest. He’s manipulative, cunning and deceitful but also incredibly wise, charismatic and intelligent. He brought down one of, if not the greatest civilisation Arda has ever seen by guile, manipulation and sheer spite. His want to dominate all life, stems from his want to bring order from chaos and create a world without chaos, disruption, confusion or conflict. If you want a great depiction of Sauron, look at Shadow Of War and Shadow Of Mordor. Those games may play rough-shod with the lore, but their depiction of Sauron is second to none so far, because despite being beautiful and fair looking in the form of Annatar, he just oozes menace and evil. You see his eyes and face and you just see malice. In ROP, as someone else pointed out, he might as well be Moses and Galadriel is the Pharoah riding in to kill all the Orcs/Slaves.
@@joelhenry5489 I don’t think you can simply be ‘a presence’, when you’ve just turned into a giant Werewolf to fight a God’s hunting dog, or are actively fighting, administering, orchestrating and forging his rings like he does in the First and Second Age, it’s only in the Third Age that he’s ‘a presence’ because he literally doesn’t have a body and can only act by his minions.
@@pyrrhusofepirus8491 He's an entity, a god-like being. He says very little and we get very little of his motivations other than a desire for conquest. Tolkien describes his underlying motivations in about two lines. He's a plot device representing great evil, not a character. Totally one dimensional.
@@joelhenry5489 From The History Of Middle Earth “Sauron had never reached this stage of nihilistic madness. He did not object to the existence of the world, so long as he could do what he liked with it. He still had the relics of positive purposes, that descended from the good of the nature in which he began: it had been his virtue (and therefore also the cause of his fall, and of his relapse) that he loved order and co-ordination, and disliked all confusion and wasteful friction. (It was the apparent will and power of Melkor to effect his designs quickly and masterfully that had first attracted Sauron to him.) Sauron had, in fact, been very like Saruman, and so still understood him quickly and could guess what he would be likely to think and do, even without the aid of palantíri or of spies; whereas Gandalf eluded and puzzled him. But like all minds of this cast, Sauron's love (originally) or (later) mere understanding of other individual intelligences was correspondingly weaker; and though the only good in, or rational motive for, all this ordering and planning and organization was the good of all inhabitants of Arda (even admitting Sauron's right to be their supreme lord), his 'plans', the idea coming from his own isolated mind, became the sole object of his will, and an end, the End, in itself.”
@@pyrrhusofepirus8491 I think the one of the best thing that support Sauron being a great villain is the One Ring. The One Ring's influence is almost impossible to defeat. It can corrupt anyone really, especially the wearer, no matter how noble and selfless he/she is.
I would prefer say Aemond as an anti-hero. He was cruel to his enemies yet he defended his family & allies. He was daring, cunning & charming. The youngest prince to ever claim the largest dragon alive. His story arc was incredibly well-written. He was the “sword” from his party, the key player in the dance of the dragons. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny he was a perfect embodiment of a dragon warrior, a legit Targaryen prince🔥
And that's the problem, she's clearly framed to be the heroic righteous character but all of her traits this far comes across as villainous. If this were another female elf character and framed more as an antihero I think this could have been interesting
I think the last scene is the true Aemond, and I think it confirms that Aemond is, in fact, impulsive and allows his deep-seated resentment to guide him. It shows that he feels aggrieved and is mainly concerned with getting revenge for his eye, and that his ''fair exchange'' spiel as a kid was just a bit of wordplay to assuage the tense situation. He is still bitter and wants to get back at his nephews, which is evident in episode 8. Literally every scene he has in that episode is him intimidating them, creepily staring at them or insulting them in a roundabout way. Of course, my view of him is slightly influenced by the books, but I think it's consistent with what the show has depicted so far.
Right , people who say Aemond stole Vhagar don't know what they are talking about , if Dragons were heirlooms , then Caraxes would be passed to Rhaenys not Daemon since it belonged to her father ! And Maelys would be passed to Viserys or Daemon since it belonged to their mother !
Excellent getup for Aemond actor he look like a person(targaryen) whose is related to fantasy magical race. He was more menacing then daemon with so little dialogues and the actor did a great job too.
Aemond isn't even a villain. Cunning, intelligent, driven, calculated, and ruthless; but also prone to rashness at times and, like most of the young Targaryens, incorrectly thinks of his dragon as a pet under his control. He's one of the characters that would be better suited for the Iron Throne than his siblings ahead of him in the line of succession. That's just kind of how George writes his characters: the ones you need either get killed or aren't positioned to be able to be where they need to be.
Aemond to me isn’t even a villain. He’s an antagonist to Rhaenyra and her family, but if you are for the Greens then he’s one of their arsenal. He is ambitious, but he has a right and reason to be. A bit unstable, but I chalk it up to him being a Targaryen 🔥
I honestly don't see Aemond as the vill. Rhaenyra is a privileged snob who has had dozens of people maimed and killed to protect her lies in the first season alone and she wanted to do the same with Aemond
What I really look forward to in hotd is Aemond one eye vs Prince Daemon. They're both their sides best Targaryen warrior and that scene in episode 8 where Aemond starts a fight only to have it end when Daemon steps in front of him is good foreshadowing for what is to come and I cannot wait!
Protagonist and Antagonist are not moral labels, they are narrative labels. Saying that "We dont have a protagonist in House of the Dragon since people are morally complex" is wrong. We do have a protagonist in the show: Rhaenyra. Because Rhaenyra is the person we follow throughout the story. All characters and their relationships leads down to Rhaenyra. The story in short is about Rhaenyra. Yes there are side stories but the show frames Rhaenyra as the protagonist. Your summary of Aemond as it pertains to whether he is "A villain or an antagonist" is wrong. The Protagonist of the story is not equatable with a "Hero" type of character or necessarily a "Good" or moral character. Being the protagonist simply means that character is the one we the audience follow. It is the Protagonist story. The Antagonist is not necessarily equatable with a Villain, or an evil character, because being the Antagonist just means that character is the main opposing character whose goals runs contrary to the Protagonist. Either character can be tragic or morally complex or outright evil. If we follow a bunch of criminals then they are going to be the Protagonists, and the cops will be the Antagonists. If we follow a dark story about a serial killer then he is our protagonist, and the detective interviewing victims families and trying to find out the truth is the antagonist. It's about the framing of the story, you could easily flip that scenario and have the film be about the detective trying to find a serial killer.
**That's** the nuance so many people are missing in stories- & why so many things come across (or _are_ ) so shallow - people _talk_ about it (the importance of nuance), but so many fail to apply it- & wonder why recent media doesn't resonate with audiences; so little has depth, or builds on a sturdy foundation....
Interesting observation, thanks for sharing... in all my 5 years of english lit studies we never made that distinction, there was always an emphasis also on the moral component... thanks for the clarificarion!
@@LanaMarie I'm sure two things can be true when applied from different points of view. I come from a Film and Scriptwriting pov thanks to my Bachelors in Fine Arts. Just to clarify my stand on the matter.
You are right in your analysis, except the part where Rhaenyra is the protagonist, because we don't follow her that closely. In the main series each pov character is the protagonist of its own POV for example, but many people think that Eddard is the protagonist. In HOTD I think that we could say that Rhaenyra and Alicent are both Protagonists of their respective storylines.
Your Aemond analysis resembles a reddit rant of mine, haha. I love that other people think the same way about his trauma and need for control. He is the best Antihero.
Halbrand just seems like an....okay...dude. He really doesn't have much personality. He's not charming enough to seduce people into following his plans like Annatar; but he's not intimidating enough to frighten them into becoming his minions as Sauron. He's just okay. Guyladriel comes across as way more evil. XD
Is Aemond even a villain? As far as I know none of the main players in house of the dragon are villains and no one is hero. I feel like the perspective of Aemond being villain is dependent on which “side” of house of the dragon you support, not that he’s canonically a villain
Incredible character analysis. Even aside from the comparison, your analysis of each individual character is so spot-on and you completely encapsulate why Aemond has become on my favorite characters of all-time with just a few minutes of screentime.
Spot on. rOp was a poorly done script. Pity it had potential. I like Aemond’s portrayal in the show. More fleshed out. And now we know his motivations and also his vulnerability. Good analysis 🎉 !
"Who's gonna fall for that ?!" Meanwhile, Halbrand : survives an extremely intense 6 days horseride to Lindon with his guts nearly spilling out, recovers seemingly overnight, goes uninvited into the brand new ultra important forge of Celebrimbor and injects himself in the project of forging the rings. Because that surely will not raise any suspicions.
I liked Halbrand's actor. Really don't think the actor is at fault, he just had shit to work with. Aemond is simply perfectly captured. Full disclaimer: I endured RoP to be able to make and appreciate memes roasting it, little did I know, not even hardened memers could find gold in that turd pile.
Yes, but I also think the actor that plays Aemond is very talented and was perfectly cast, I don't think many actors could've done what he did with 11 minutes of screen time.
@@anyak1446 both Young and older Aemond were so amazing right out of the blue, I was not expecting both actors to portray the character so captivatingly. House of the Dragon has a roster of top notch actors bringing in their absolute A game !
"Who's gonna fall for that?" hearing it made me say " f*** you, moron " out loud. If Sauron was able to fool the elves in the books it was because he seemed selfless and trustworthy. When we see Elrond or Durin or Disa or Nori in the show we categorize them as "good" characters (in the sense of moral alignment) because they were crafted to appear to be a good person. As we take for granted that they are good people, a real (but bad) twist would be to reveal that those characters are in fact evil. So if you want to create "a tall, mysterious, beautiful demi-god Anatar" that doesn't raise suspicion and looks like a good character then CREATE ONE. Just use the SAME pattern that you use to create real selfless and trustworthy like Elrond, Durin etc... and THEN subvert the expectations by revealing in the end that it was a selfish traitor. Of course it wouldn't fool people who have read the books but WHY WOULD YOU TRY TO FOOL THEM THEY ALREADY KNOW THE STORY.
ROP writers : *create many good, innocents, selfless and trustworthy characters* Also, ROP writers : "We couldn't introduce the character of Annatar because people would be suspicious of someone that looks good, innocent, selfless and trustworthy"
I didn't think that halbrand's actor was bad. Halbrand was the only character i kinda liked and they turned out to be villain. Even though this galadriel is the villain herself.
I love Aemonds depiction and how everyone is shown in the show. The writers said everyone will have flaws and good parts of themselves so it makes it hard to ally yourself with either side or a lesser evil. Rhaenyra clearly lied about her sons but defends it for her claim. Alicent was forced into duty to do terrible things but she is doing what is expected of her and what had been expected. That’s what makes a great story and makes people invested about character relationships.
I have seen many Rings of Power videos, but as others have pointed out, they all sound so whiny. I really like your video essay. As for Aemond, he's definitely my favorite in the show. Can't wait for season 2 (and we'll have to wait :(((( )
Aemond isnt the villain in HotD, Daemon is. We all love Matt Smith but Daemon is not a great character and a absolute monster (minus those 10 years he was married to Laena and a good guy for some reason).
I'm reading through the Dance of Dragons/Fire and Blood at the moment after finishing HotD, and I noticed a really fascinating change in general characterization between the book and the show that I think really plays into what you've said about it being hard to define the protagonist/villain of this show. Both mediums take pains to show that these are very morally ambiguous characters - there isn't truely a protagonist or a villain as this video and the Galadriel/Rhaenyra videos have put it, and everyone is a war criminal. But the characters in Fire and Blood come across as a lot less likeable* than in HotD, so when they commit atrocities I don't find myself all that affected by it because it feels part of the package of 'ambiguous morals and unlikeable actions'. But the show - oh the show - has really brought these people to life and made them REAL for me. It has expanded on the foundations set by the book and pulled me in, made me feel so invested in these characters - greens AND blacks - because they're so tragically human now, and watching them struggle with the consequences of their own actions, knowing the motivations that give their actions more perspective, has been incredible. All this to say, the show has made the cast as a whole more likeable (or maybe human is a better term - I HATE Otto Hightower with all my being and absolutely love watching everything he does). These characters are hard to define as protagonist and villain because they're all kind of are both, in their own way. And I think this added layer of depth is going to really make the future seasons very, VERY spicy - no spoilers for what is to come (because I don't want to take that away from people), but I am very, very interested to see how they try and handle certain plot points without devolving into stereotypical protagonist/antagonist roles. How are they going to continue making these characters loveable when they do unforgivable things? And going off this first season, I think they're going to try very hard to not end up with a good vs bad side, which is going to make it hurt all that more when your favourite war criminal does something horrifying. *Just noting I don't mean this as a bad thing - the characterization in the novel is still excellent and these are brilliant characters that I think were very intentionally written this way by GRRM.
I like the calm, serious approach you went with when criticizing RoP, in contrast to the huffy, whiny and very angry sounding approach of many other TH-camrs. Well done.
One set of writers said "hey, let's fundamentally change and dumb down a character and give him no character qualities because the twist is gonna be so good." The other set of writers gave us setup and consistent payoff. Almost like writing is a skill.
Sauron actor displays zero menace, Aemond actor radiates it.
Psychopathy actually 🤣 he nailed it
no no no no no Vhagar! these words still haunt me
Menacing chin
yes but discount aragorn morphed into discount sauron. who needs a story when you can have cheap gimmicks cribbed from a previous masterpiece?
Thats kind of the point of Sauron at this time tho
Sauron is supposed to be a villain but thanks to the bad writing, they accidentally made him the protagonist of the story.
Yep.. galadriel comes across as more of a villain than him 😅
Such a relatable dude. He tries to start a new life in Numenor, gives some advice and assistance to (completely undeserving) Galadriel... And what does he do after she discovers his true nature? He just walks away, sparing her life, and gives no sh*t about it. A true Hero we needed, yet his interactions with Galadriel dragged him back to the evil side.
Lol what??😂 sorry I haven’t seen it but are they building him that way now, so that his eventual change hits so much harder? Or am I giving the writers too much credit?
he looks like aragorn and his story is like aragorn. He has nothing in common with sauron.
@@Whogaftbh you're giving the writers waaaaay too much credit. These are the same writers that made it so that the Harfoots aka not-hobbits have a song they sing about how nobody walks alone, and yet if someone gets injured they will literally leave them behind to die like it's nothing. A sprained ankle is effectively a death sentence for one Harfoot character. But the writers intended them to be cute and friendly like the actual hobbits
Aemond has one of the least screen time, yet whenever he is on screen he demands your attention...
YES
I feel gigachad just by watching a scene with him in it.
Honestly I keep forgetting this Sauron is a villain at all. He's pretty laid back, diplomatic, non threatening, etc. With no real evil traits he exhibits. If I had no knowledge of LOTR and I was watching this show, I would've thought they'd pull a twist and he'd become the hero and galadriel would become the villain at the end, to have like a "rogue hero vs overzealous paladin" thing going on.
The costume doesn't help either. I get they can't dress him in all black and be menacing because he's undercover, but the outfit they did give him makes him look like a premade custom character in a game.
Honestly, if they'd had the balls to make their own original fantasy show and took that concept, they could have actually made a pretty good show, with the paladin undergoing a hero to villain arc where her zeal to destroy evil makes her the villain whereas the previous bad guy has actually reformed and now want to do good and help people.
Of course, that would involve them having the balls to make a female villain who falls into such corrupted righteousness and is rightfully portrayed in the story as in the wrong, while having the male hero justly earn his redemption and show humility, courage, honor, and the ability to lead a morally declining people to a better state.
@@shadowwarrior3444
Yeah. They don't have both balls and creativity tho. They need to rely on the success and popularity of the trilogy, borrow (or buy) names of familiar character names and places. They know that their original series will drown in the sea of fantasy shows and movies so they need a (Hal)brand. 😂 Naturally, they got the attention of Lotr fans of all sorts. But the reaction tho, overwhelmed them.
So you think evil is stupid? No evil is smart it makes the rabble stupid and preys in their stupidity. The fact we have people in today's world who think evil is this ack or white thing that can't lie or hide it's nature is scary... I guess that's why people like Hershel walker can almost win and why Ted Cruz keeps getting relected
Aemond looked how I expected Sauron to look.
Ikr
I feel like Aemond is a complex anti-villain, and it feels right to call him one imo. Like he is set up to be an underdog character in his introduction with good traits and virtues for the circumstance he's in. TV Tropes says anti-villains have "heroic traits"; I don't necessarily think he has heroic traits, but simply admirable traits the show puts on the forefront when his younger-self is introduced. If Aemond were to be a straight up villain, I don't think the show wouldn't have framed his childhood the way they did. And I would say what parts of him put the "villain" in anti-villain are that his goals are more selfish and do not include "moral betterment", as said in the video.
This comment could age like milk, depending on the show progresses.
Aemond is incredibly complex, and I love his character to bits, but I feel that a lot of his issues stem from the toxic upbringing he's had and his resentment towards his sister and her spawn for his loss of an eye and the fact that Viserys did nothing to remedy the situation other than scream about his grandsons, their paternity, and rug sweep.
Aemond has become one of my favorite characters EVER.... and the best is yet to come......... I also think the actor who plays Aemond is doing an amazing work.... the other one, well, he's ok I guess.
You put more thought into The Rings of Power than the writers did.
Very well captured, though it's not sauron actor's fault but somehow plot lacked that and Aemond was presented like cake
I agree with your examination of Aemond with one exception...
you say that he's "far from being a slave to his emotions and impulses", but not only do I disagree with you - I'd even say, following his his emotions and impulses is his biggest weakness:
He did allow his emotions to overpower him in the episode 10 scene in Storm's End two times (first with the "give me your eye!" scene, second with actually following Lucerys), but he also got triggered by Lucerys mocking him with the pig during the "last supper" scene in episode 8, going for immediate retaliation with the "Strong boys" line, although he should know the consequences of it.
After he claimed Rhaegar in episode 7, when the girls accused him of stealing the dragon, he followed his impulse and went for confrontation (like the other 4 kids) instead of trying to de-escalate the situation (to be fair, he was just a kid then).
great point!
i agree with you too. i feel like aemond's got restraint as long as his childhood PTSD doesn't surface. the pig/eye are his triggers. restraint would be like tyrion coming at you with snark for calling him a dwarf, etc. his advice to jon getting used to being called a bastard, "wearing it like armour so it can't be used to hurt you" is a far better display of restraint.
Wow this was a really enjoyable analysis on Aemond. By the end I had forgot that Sauron was the other half of the video.
Based Aemond takes. I love him as a character. One thing I didn't exactly like was the fact he demanded Luke's eye when, in his younger years, he said losing the eye was a fair exchange.
While in the moment I'm sure he felt it was a fair exchange but I think as years passed he realized how messed it was that he was jumped 4 on 1 just for claiming a dragon, especially when they were making fun of him for not having one.
It was to calm his mother down, ofc nobody would get over someone taking your eye, gaining a dragon was all on Aemond he didn't owe them nothing.. I'm surprised we the fans of got and asoiaf are even asking these silly questions
He only said that to calm the situation down, I thought that was very clear tbh. Even the way it was shot, you can see him realizing what situation his mother is in and what he has to do to prevent it from escalating further. He was a very attentive, smart and mature kid, as shown in that scene. I don't think anyone would loose an eye and just shrug it off like it's nothing, with or without dragon. Aemond's actor himself said Aemond was wronged, it's natural to still feel that hatred years later.
@@moviecast13exactly and Aemond is now bigger, and much stronger. I’m sure that influenced his feelings also.
@@AnkitSingh-cd7tw I understood he said it to calm Allicent down/ show appreciation that She cared so much. But it is more than that: I lost an eye and have found with time it is no joke.At the time as a kid he surely did not know what a lost eye entailed.
The actor playing Sauron isn't very good either. Matt Smith is amazing!
Matt Smith does not play Aemond tho
Tell me you want to jump on the rop hate train without telling me.
Matt Smith is great yes, but Ewan Mitchell (the actor who plays Aemond) has done a lot for just 11 minutes of screen time.
this was a random youtube suggestion, nice video, I would put some background noise on it since just your voice can feel a bit dull to listen to (it's nothing to do with your voice just the lack of ambiental sounds on headphones)
Aemond isn't a villian, that's why he works. After taming his dragon, sure he threw some insults.. But he was attacked by 4 others, he defended himself and won the fight until he was stabbed in the face.. Even in the last scene, you see the look in his face.. His intention wasn't to kill his nephew, he was just being a dickhead.. plus he's still sour that he lost his damn eye 6 years ago. A good "Villian" is someone who you can empathize with and see their points of view.. In GoT, Ramsey and Joffery work so well because the rest of the villians have empathy, so you're kind of forced to have some classic unredeamable villains.. Just to make them different.. But a universe without that, the villians are boring.
And hate how they make Sauron an incel. That was so cringey.
Exactly. It was so stupid.
he wasn't an incel. He made a proposal. G rejected it. He walked off. That's not an incel.
The POV change to the dragon riders chase, without changing anything we already knew about the event.
A change of context during the event, which deepens the lore on dragons an adds a weird element of the one eyed dude not wanting to kill his cousin, or start a war in which the realm will burn an dragons will die, on both sides.
Classic show vs tell issues. Sauron is someone I am told is scary. Aemond scares me.
“…this speaks more of Galadriel’s stupidity…” 😂😂😂 The TV show in a nutshell.
Some people complain about her being too perfect, some about her being too stupid... Make up your minds.
About Rings....why waste your time analyzing something which dissolves in nonsense the moment you think about it? Never watched anything so insulting to the viewer's intelligence. Such shows often rely on the fact that consumers of visual media will put up with a lot more nonsense than readers of a book, but for the love of Tolkien there has to be a limit! (Neither space nor time nor the lethal power of pyroclastic flows exist!) Still, good job pointing out some of the billion plus problems
Hallabrand's character is just so confusing, and Galdriel was just kind of disappointing. On the other hand Aemond is just a good written character and one of my favourite characters on HotD
if only more shows took the effort of creating characters like Aemond instead of NPC plot moving devices
The villain of ROP wasn't Halbrand, it was Bezos
But Rheanyra is absolutely the protagonist in is House of the Dragon. A protagonist/antagonist doesn’t mean a hero or villain but they mean the main character and the foil to the main character.
thanks for pointing that out!
Would aemond make a good king?
All i'd be comfortable saying based on the tv show's depiction of aemond is that he'd be more driven and probably more dutiful than aegon 😂 i think he would probably be interested in leading the country well, but i also think the nickname "cruel" would likely easily be associated with him.
@@LanaMarie I could see him being called "Aemond the Cruel" by those who relieved his punishment, because if he did become King, I think Aemond would be hell bent on justice and punishment. Some may call him Cruel, others would call him Just.
Either way, he'd be a better king than Aegon 🤣
He does become prince reagent for 1 year. The Iron Trone accepted him did not cut him once.
Exactly, I am happy they bought sauron good looking😂 but if same effort was put in his plot then it was better. Fr it shouldn't be me only who was very suspicious that he is sauron since start as every fucking clue was there. Actor was fine. Now see Aemond is better example for antagonist. His villian origin story is very accurate and understanding. Even actor did amazing job
There needs to be an award or an Oscar category for casting director. HoTD deserves that. RoP does not.
side note: if the guy playing Aemond never plays The Joker it will be a travesty
A character can only be as smart and interesting as the person writing them
Sauron in the show acts like morgoth, hotheaded and petty. Saurons motivation for ruling middle earth is order, not for the sake of being evil or some bs rejection, but because he believes he is the only one who can keep middle earth in check with absolute authority and will do anything to reach his goal, becoming a darker and darker being along the way. This is why he created the ring.
seeing "good writing" in a context of HOTD is kinda fun to me... Show has big problems in writing part and in the end of the season they became WAY worse. It is lazy writing all over again.
Halbrand was more benevolent than galadriel. Galadriel had murderous intent, going on a killing spree, bringing fire and destruction wherever she goes. Halbrand just wanted to retire, live his life in a relaxed matter and do his profession (blacksmithing). He was the most trustworthy character (unironically) out of all characters (non-villains included) in rop. I dont want to call him Sauron.
I have not seen Rings of Power, but I absolutely love Aemond and your analysis is spot-on!
I've seen a video which actually made a strong case that Adar was a hero. It was tongue in cheek, but if you look at the way RoP presents him, without even knowing it, they are giving his nemesis many negative traits associated with the main villain, and they give him the heroic traits.
We know orcs are bad, but we know that from meta knowledge, not from what we see on the screen. If anything, the "harfoots" seem more blatantly evil.
halbrand isn't the villan Galadriel is.
the writers are the villain
You know what's funny? Aemond character plot is also parallel to ROP's Galadriel.
Both their story beats are pretty similar but just as this video tells us. HOD executed it better. Mostly because the writers TRIED to make her a sad but still mostly PURE soul hero. As if denying that she is a cruel character at times.
While Aemond's darkness was embraced.
Wow that elbow from the fight scene misses so badly, why would they have shot that from the side!?
Is aemond villain? 😮 I didnt know that
As far as I remember, Amon killed on purpose in the original book. 🤔
The Halbrand into Sauron "twist" failed so completely because it was just the kind of obviously stupid thing that hack writers would do.
I really dont think that either the Greens or Blacks are fully heroes and fully villains. Both have shades of grey. Anyone who says otherwise has such a grand and intoxicating innocence.
One would think that ANY version or variant of Sauron The Black would at the least embody deceptiveness and cunning, as well as utter ruthlessness. Sadly, even that miserably low standard falls short with Halbrand. (I do not in any way equate Halbrand with the GREATEST servant/successor of Morgoth, as a result!)
Aemond Targaryen..? He most certainly is a Great Villain - mainly due to how Fucked up ('scue my language!) his formative years were. Worse still, Aemond ~could~ have been a Hero of Legend. Fate had other ideas; Moreover, in Westeros, regardless of era, there ARE no Heroes - anymore than there are innocents. Such does not exist in the GoT verse. Even the toothless wolf Ned Stark could be a brutal bastard.
Aemond is a true potential hero gone very, *VERY* bad. But then, w/an uncle like Daemon Targaryen, or a pus-bag of an elder brother like Aegon the Ridiculous, he never had a chance of being anything else. GRRM (and HOTD's writers) outdid themselves on Aemond.
Awesome vid (and even better character analysis!)
👍
Giving your character the name of a villains doesn't make him one. There was soooo much potential to establisch Halbrand as an cunning, clever villain who's manipulating the characters around him. Yet we got Aragorn 2.0 who just walks around, acts like a nice guy and reveals his name in the end.
Sauron appears as the protagonist, because this whole thing was written and filmed by people who themselves are cheering the fall of the west.
Seemingly ironic, in all truth.
It’s Sauron time😂
This is spot on! to bad she will be called a racist and a chovinist and what not for saying anything bad about Rings of Power..
I don't get why you're hesitant to call Aemond an "antagonist" when he literally does nothing morally good or heroic, and almost all of his actions show he's 100% closer to being a villain. He's arguably THE primary antagonist of the Dance, or at least the most ACTIVE one, as Otto pulls the strings, the Crab Feeder is dead, and his brother remains in King's Landing most of the time. Hell, THE Dance above the God's Eye, the most memorable battle, is between him and Daemon.
And to say he can’t be an antagonist because there’s no protagonist just doesn’t make any sense. There can be numerous protagonists and antagonists. Apply it to GoT: Joffrey, Ramsay, Roose, Tywin, etc are all antagonists and villains. Jon, Tyrion, Dany, Stannis, Arya, etc are the protagonists opposite them.
In the books probably yes, but not in the show (not yet at least).
Aemond's actor looked so familiar. He was Osferth in The Last Kingdom. There he played a completly different character, almost polar opposite to Aemond, which shows how important casting good actors is. That's like 70% of what makes a good character on the screen.
The actors name is Ewan Mitchell!
Ewan is such a good actor. Hope we see a lot more of him!
THANK YOU!! I couldn’t place it.
I lost my shit when I realized it was baby monk! That shit-eating grin, I knew it from somewhere! Now he's my favorite character in HOTD
Martin really liked that show. So I wouldn’t be surprised if he recommended the character for HOTD
"Who's gonna fall for that?" really says it all. The Rings of Power writers' room saw their show as a trick to play on the audience. HotD is mostly staying true to the plot outlined in Fire & Blood, so everyone who has read it knows what is going to happen, but that doesn't matter because it's a great story and seeing it performed well by a great cast is entertaining even without being shocking.
Gandalf also fits into that mold. He's the key to victory against Sauron.
It also makes it sound like they thought Tolkien's plot was stupid. Which... also says a lot. "Who's gonna fall for that" would've been a good question if Annatar's deception of the elves happened in a few days or even weeks or months. But of course, that's not how Tolkien wrote it, since he worked to gain the trust of the elves for a really long time.
So it's either the showrunners really do not know much about the work they're trying to adapt, or they quite simply thought that Tolkien's writing wasn't good enough. Which, honestly, both could be entirely possible.
@@jhmi7877 I think it was more that the Silmarillion is already written, so some people know what happens, so if they keep it as written, some people will know in advance that Annatar is a bad guy, and they're judging their work entirely by whether it's surprising rather than whether it's good.
It's a lot like a classic criticism of WWE writer Vince Russo: "Think of it like this: if Vince Russo ran a pizzeria, you'd order a pizza and he'd deliver a newspaper. Sure, it's not what you wanted, nor did it make you want to order from there again, but it sure fooled you, didn't it?"
@@billvolk4236
Yeah. They wanna subvert expections or whatever. The thing is, this isn't even an original Amazon show, it claims to be inspired by an existing fictional world but doesn't give any respect to it. Halbrand could have been the Witch King and is also disguising as this random dude, carrying out Sauron's plans but no, he is Sauron because the writers thought that will surprise the audience more even if it makes less sense. Halbrand doesn't gives off dangerous and intelligent Dark Lord vibes, he acts and thinks like a lowly being, in a sense that he doesn't act like a real proud and intelligent Maia (that he is) who only pretends to be a man. Sauron simping for Guyladriel...🤣🤣🤣
I don't even know if they intentionally did this to mirror Varda's rejection of Melkor and Varda choosing his brother, Manwe, over him but they could atleast add Celeborn there so that Guyladriel can choose him over Halbrand. 🤣🤣🤣
I haven't read it and I love it; my nephew has read it and he loves it. We both love that the actions make sense and he loves relating them back to the rumours in the book.
Aemonds actor is impressive. His character is very silent throughout many scenes, and yet by just standing there he's able to make you feel uneasy, as if something terrible is about to happen, but also you somehow admire him for his composure. It's a perfect example of how the show consistently builds up the context and let the audience fill in the gaps and understand the characters motivations through their actions, all without having to spit on our faces how we're supposed to be feeling.
The first time he stands up when they are all together dining....... He doesn't say a thing, but everyone looks at him, Otto, his mother and Aegon wary of what he might say.
I'm still amazed how Ewan Mitchell nailed his performance. Every time he was on screen, I couldn't look at anyone else but him, his presence demanded attention. He showed great emotion with just one eye, his face expressions, the way he walked in that slow smug way, and even small details like these "hmm" little grunts. In just 11 minutes of screen time he got me totally smitten. Needless to say, Aemond is my favourite character now.
One thing I like about Aemond's character is that he was born during a long era of peace, but him and a few others in the show seem to recognize that war is coming and he's getting ready for it.
"I don't give a shit about tourneys"
Extremely based takes on Aemond. I would add that the eye situation made him see (no pun intended), by the reaction of everyone around them (including and specially his father) that his side of the family is alone and vulnerable, and thats another reason why he focuses on improving himself. To be a defender of his family, so (for example) his mother (with whom he has a deeper bond as we saw by their physical contact and little gestures) doesn't have to feel that way again.
Thats a good take and makes a lot of sense actually. Thanks 👍
@@jodie3950 Thanks! I mean, you just need to see how even when he's trying to take revenge on Lucerys, Aemond is all about his mother. "I plan to make a gift of it to my mother", pretty sure because he remembers how she felt. Even his iconic quote "Do not mourn me, mother. It was a fair deal, I may have lost an eye, but I gained a dragon", when you think about it, seems to only have the intention of calm her to avoid her doing something crazy (which is what Rhaenyra ''now they see you as you are'' and Daemon (stops Criston from trying to stop Alicent) wanted, so the Hightowers look like madmen in Viserys' eyes and lose his favor). Aemond obviously still keeps a grudge, so it WASN'T a fair deal for him, not really. Its the same reason he accuses Aegon of the bastard rumor, because he undersands that Alicent can be punished by Viserys, but not a royal prince like his brother. I really really love his love for Alicent (even tho they are still a dysfunctional family because of Viserys neglect).
@@perseusveil9376 you're making me see a whole new side of him and I love it too
@@jodie3950
@@perseusveil9376 You don't know how glad I am to see that there are other people who have the same thoughts about these characters as I do. Sometimes I'm arguing with people because they're completely misunderstanding and mischaracterizing these characters and can't understand why they (Aemond especially) appeal to me so much. Aemond is my favorite and it hurts to see people mischaracterizing him due to their ignorance.
Sauron was a villain in ROP? He was selfless, respectful, courteous, a loyal ally -- seemed like a good dude imo
It is the perfect deception really. I disagree with the premise of this video that Sauron is poorly written for a villain. You can never really trust anyone even if they appear to be good.
@@Novusod how can he be a villain if he doesn't do anything villainous?
he saved the elves. He's the fg hero.
@@Novusod Sauron does nothing evil throughout the show. As an evil character he does not make sense
@@hans471 nothing makes sense in RoP
Aemond is an "Anti-hero". He is not a villain, not a hero. He is a character who is the hero of the other side, i.e., if you watched the series from the Greens' perspective, he would have been your hero who stood up against bullies and assholes, and clearly corrupt individuals.
Another great analysis. Aemond's sibling rivalry also needs to emphasised. His line that his study of history and philosophy would make him a better King than his brother is very significant ...and probably accurate.
11 minutes! And this actor have given us a very unhiged and complicated character. All of those acting out intense emotions with one eye! Looking forward to S2 with how much darker he will become.
It's truly impressive how memorable his character already is given his limited screen time. And the eye. I genuinely didn't know if he'd have the sapphire eye or not but it's fantastic.
well in the books he is pretty much the badass dude u saw already in S1, i dont think he can become worse from that point onwards since he is not the main enemy of Rhaenyra, but i also love how they used the sapphire eye as he appearears in the books. Aemonds main fight will be against Daemon and caraxes, he is the only one who is on the level of maturity and strength as Daemon (dragonwise he is the strongest) but caraxes is also a Frenzy wild beast
Well it's 11 minutes for Ewan Mitchell. It's 20+ minutes for the character of Aemond.
Not sure if Halbrand is a bad actor (haven't seen him in anything else) or just had a bad script and direction.
Aemond on the other hand had excellent material and direction but also had the talent to run with it and make an outstanding character.
Charlie Vickers (Halbrand) actually played a rather fun, lovable rogue in RoP. It's just a shame it was supposed to be a powerful, manipulative, cruel, evil demigod . (And yes, I know there's a theme about Sauron seeking redemption for a time in the source material, but there was no chance that the inept RoP writers could ever actually handle the depth of such a thing.)
The aemond actor is actually pretty unknown, but of course this is a very good and fitting choice
At least 90% of the issue is the writing and directing.
Aemond actor definitely is a star , man managed to show skillset and swoon fans making appearances in less than 3 episodes having small screen time.
The actor isn't really doing a bad job with what he was given, it's just that what he was given was dog shit.
RIP Luke. He was indeed a strong boy.
If you didn't know about lord of the rings... You would think by watching this show that Galadriel is the villain.
Even this Aemond guy can pass as an elf. ROP elves are regular guys with pointy ears.
hah that's too accurate
House of the Dragon's Protagonists are also its antagonists since it's a civil war with protagonists on both sides. Got to remember the terms Protagonist and Antagonist don't mean hero and villain, a hero can be an antagonist of a story like L from Death Note, and a villain can be a protagonist like Darth Bane and Darth Zannah. Now in House of the Dragon, a majority of the characters are morally grey like Aemond but it does have characters that are more clearly evil like Larys Strong or even Daemon whose actions lean to more evil though he does have a heart.
Exactly, thank you.
Great video! Aemond is my favorite character from the show and I really hope the writers don't ruin his character in the future
Well he dies, if that counts
@@11simonjr yes but until then I hope the writers don’t butcher his character and that he remains great until his death
@@user-vj6ws1op4u The source material is all there and GRRM is heavily involved in the writing. That’s not really a rational fear to be honest.
1:43 This is the show's downfall. They never trusted the source material at all. Thinking you can write better than Tolkien is very arrogant and stupid. HoTD did change some stuff, but at best it was still a faithful adaptation of fire and blood.
Its not like anybody wouldn't buy it, its more like you dont get it. Its so sad to see what they've done to this wonderful franchise. Breaks my heart.
The sheer hubris of thinking they could writing something not only on par with tolkien but better...
There are cases where movie makers actually did change the source material and it worked out as good or even better. It might be harder, but it is not impossible. And Tolkien isnt that great of a writer honestly. Fantastic in world building of course, but in writing...
Aemond is one of the most based characters I’ve seen on television. I’m 30 and I fanboy over him like no other
Aemond looks like the elf than the elves in ROP
Sauron is *such* an amazing, badass villain in the lore, he isn’t just this suit of armour and the eye atop Barad Dur, he’s is Machiavellianism made manifest. He’s manipulative, cunning and deceitful but also incredibly wise, charismatic and intelligent. He brought down one of, if not the greatest civilisation Arda has ever seen by guile, manipulation and sheer spite. His want to dominate all life, stems from his want to bring order from chaos and create a world without chaos, disruption, confusion or conflict.
If you want a great depiction of Sauron, look at Shadow Of War and Shadow Of Mordor. Those games may play rough-shod with the lore, but their depiction of Sauron is second to none so far, because despite being beautiful and fair looking in the form of Annatar, he just oozes menace and evil. You see his eyes and face and you just see malice. In ROP, as someone else pointed out, he might as well be Moses and Galadriel is the Pharoah riding in to kill all the Orcs/Slaves.
You're really overstating it. Sauron is never truly a character in the source material. He's a presence.
@@joelhenry5489 I don’t think you can simply be ‘a presence’, when you’ve just turned into a giant Werewolf to fight a God’s hunting dog, or are actively fighting, administering, orchestrating and forging his rings like he does in the First and Second Age, it’s only in the Third Age that he’s ‘a presence’ because he literally doesn’t have a body and can only act by his minions.
@@pyrrhusofepirus8491 He's an entity, a god-like being. He says very little and we get very little of his motivations other than a desire for conquest. Tolkien describes his underlying motivations in about two lines. He's a plot device representing great evil, not a character. Totally one dimensional.
@@joelhenry5489 From The History Of Middle Earth “Sauron had never reached this stage of nihilistic madness. He did not object to the existence of the world, so long as he could do what he liked with it. He still had the relics of positive purposes, that descended from the good of the nature in which he began: it had been his virtue (and therefore also the cause of his fall, and of his relapse) that he loved order and co-ordination, and disliked all confusion and wasteful friction. (It was the apparent will and power of Melkor to effect his designs quickly and masterfully that had first attracted Sauron to him.) Sauron had, in fact, been very like Saruman, and so still understood him quickly and could guess what he would be likely to think and do, even without the aid of palantíri or of spies; whereas Gandalf eluded and puzzled him. But like all minds of this cast, Sauron's love (originally) or (later) mere understanding of other individual intelligences was correspondingly weaker; and though the only good in, or rational motive for, all this ordering and planning and organization was the good of all inhabitants of Arda (even admitting Sauron's right to be their supreme lord), his 'plans', the idea coming from his own isolated mind, became the sole object of his will, and an end, the End, in itself.”
@@pyrrhusofepirus8491
I think the one of the best thing that support Sauron being a great villain is the One Ring. The One Ring's influence is almost impossible to defeat. It can corrupt anyone really, especially the wearer, no matter how noble and selfless he/she is.
Aemond is not bad, is badass.
I would prefer say Aemond as an anti-hero. He was cruel to his enemies yet he defended his family & allies. He was daring, cunning & charming. The youngest prince to ever claim the largest dragon alive.
His story arc was incredibly well-written. He was the “sword” from his party, the key player in the dance of the dragons. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny he was a perfect embodiment of a dragon warrior, a legit Targaryen prince🔥
Galadriel is not a too bad written villain.
she does indeed make a more convincing villain
And that's the problem, she's clearly framed to be the heroic righteous character but all of her traits this far comes across as villainous.
If this were another female elf character and framed more as an antihero I think this could have been interesting
I think the last scene is the true Aemond, and I think it confirms that Aemond is, in fact, impulsive and allows his deep-seated resentment to guide him. It shows that he feels aggrieved and is mainly concerned with getting revenge for his eye, and that his ''fair exchange'' spiel as a kid was just a bit of wordplay to assuage the tense situation. He is still bitter and wants to get back at his nephews, which is evident in episode 8. Literally every scene he has in that episode is him intimidating them, creepily staring at them or insulting them in a roundabout way. Of course, my view of him is slightly influenced by the books, but I think it's consistent with what the show has depicted so far.
Dragons choose their Dragonriders. Remember, the wand chooses the wizard. Vhagar chose Aemond.
Right , people who say Aemond stole Vhagar don't know what they are talking about , if Dragons were heirlooms , then Caraxes would be passed to Rhaenys not Daemon since it belonged to her father ! And Maelys would be passed to Viserys or Daemon since it belonged to their mother !
Excellent getup for Aemond actor he look like a person(targaryen) whose is related to fantasy magical race. He was more menacing then daemon with so little dialogues and the actor did a great job too.
Yes!!
Aemond isn't even a villain. Cunning, intelligent, driven, calculated, and ruthless; but also prone to rashness at times and, like most of the young Targaryens, incorrectly thinks of his dragon as a pet under his control.
He's one of the characters that would be better suited for the Iron Throne than his siblings ahead of him in the line of succession. That's just kind of how George writes his characters: the ones you need either get killed or aren't positioned to be able to be where they need to be.
Aemond to me isn’t even a villain. He’s an antagonist to Rhaenyra and her family, but if you are for the Greens then he’s one of their arsenal. He is ambitious, but he has a right and reason to be. A bit unstable, but I chalk it up to him being a Targaryen 🔥
I honestly don't see Aemond as the vill. Rhaenyra is a privileged snob who has had dozens of people maimed and killed to protect her lies in the first season alone and she wanted to do the same with Aemond
What I really look forward to in hotd is Aemond one eye vs Prince Daemon. They're both their sides best Targaryen warrior and that scene in episode 8 where Aemond starts a fight only to have it end when Daemon steps in front of him is good foreshadowing for what is to come and I cannot wait!
Protagonist and Antagonist are not moral labels, they are narrative labels. Saying that "We dont have a protagonist in House of the Dragon since people are morally complex" is wrong. We do have a protagonist in the show: Rhaenyra. Because Rhaenyra is the person we follow throughout the story. All characters and their relationships leads down to Rhaenyra. The story in short is about Rhaenyra. Yes there are side stories but the show frames Rhaenyra as the protagonist. Your summary of Aemond as it pertains to whether he is "A villain or an antagonist" is wrong.
The Protagonist of the story is not equatable with a "Hero" type of character or necessarily a "Good" or moral character. Being the protagonist simply means that character is the one we the audience follow. It is the Protagonist story. The Antagonist is not necessarily equatable with a Villain, or an evil character, because being the Antagonist just means that character is the main opposing character whose goals runs contrary to the Protagonist.
Either character can be tragic or morally complex or outright evil. If we follow a bunch of criminals then they are going to be the Protagonists, and the cops will be the Antagonists. If we follow a dark story about a serial killer then he is our protagonist, and the detective interviewing victims families and trying to find out the truth is the antagonist. It's about the framing of the story, you could easily flip that scenario and have the film be about the detective trying to find a serial killer.
**That's** the nuance so many people are missing in stories- & why so many things come across (or _are_ ) so shallow - people _talk_ about it (the importance of nuance), but so many fail to apply it- & wonder why recent media doesn't resonate with audiences; so little has depth, or builds on a sturdy foundation....
Interesting observation, thanks for sharing... in all my 5 years of english lit studies we never made that distinction, there was always an emphasis also on the moral component... thanks for the clarificarion!
@@LanaMarie I'm sure two things can be true when applied from different points of view. I come from a Film and Scriptwriting pov thanks to my Bachelors in Fine Arts. Just to clarify my stand on the matter.
I’ve had the same experience as LanaMarie, thank you for explaining this point.
You are right in your analysis, except the part where Rhaenyra is the protagonist, because we don't follow her that closely. In the main series each pov character is the protagonist of its own POV for example, but many people think that Eddard is the protagonist. In HOTD I think that we could say that Rhaenyra and Alicent are both Protagonists of their respective storylines.
Your Aemond analysis resembles a reddit rant of mine, haha. I love that other people think the same way about his trauma and need for control.
He is the best Antihero.
Halbrand just seems like an....okay...dude. He really doesn't have much personality. He's not charming enough to seduce people into following his plans like Annatar; but he's not intimidating enough to frighten them into becoming his minions as Sauron. He's just okay. Guyladriel comes across as way more evil. XD
I wasnt too fond of Galadriel either, but "GUYladriel"?? Seriously?
@@abraham2172 It's a Nerdrotic reference. She acts like a obnoxious dude, so "Guyladriel the Girlbarian!"
Is Aemond even a villain? As far as I know none of the main players in house of the dragon are villains and no one is hero. I feel like the perspective of Aemond being villain is dependent on which “side” of house of the dragon you support, not that he’s canonically a villain
I mean.. did you watch the video?
Read the book, there is a clear answer to that. The series just give him a bit more depth than he originally has.
@@stacystacy4289 The book is extremely biased and unreliable though.
Incredible character analysis. Even aside from the comparison, your analysis of each individual character is so spot-on and you completely encapsulate why Aemond has become on my favorite characters of all-time with just a few minutes of screentime.
Aemond got that blood elf swag. god damn.
Spot on. rOp was a poorly done script. Pity it had potential. I like Aemond’s portrayal in the show. More fleshed out. And now we know his motivations and also his vulnerability. Good analysis 🎉 !
"Who's gonna fall for that ?!"
Meanwhile, Halbrand : survives an extremely intense 6 days horseride to Lindon with his guts nearly spilling out, recovers seemingly overnight, goes uninvited into the brand new ultra important forge of Celebrimbor and injects himself in the project of forging the rings. Because that surely will not raise any suspicions.
I liked Halbrand's actor.
Really don't think the actor is at fault, he just had shit to work with.
Aemond is simply perfectly captured.
Full disclaimer:
I endured RoP to be able to make and appreciate memes roasting it, little did I know, not even hardened memers could find gold in that turd pile.
Yes, but I also think the actor that plays Aemond is very talented and was perfectly cast, I don't think many actors could've done what he did with 11 minutes of screen time.
@@anyak1446 both Young and older Aemond were so amazing right out of the blue, I was not expecting both actors to portray the character so captivatingly.
House of the Dragon has a roster of top notch actors bringing in their absolute A game !
"Who's gonna fall for that?" hearing it made me say " f*** you, moron " out loud.
If Sauron was able to fool the elves in the books it was because he seemed selfless and trustworthy.
When we see Elrond or Durin or Disa or Nori in the show we categorize them as "good" characters (in the sense of moral alignment) because they were crafted to appear to be a good person. As we take for granted that they are good people, a real (but bad) twist would be to reveal that those characters are in fact evil.
So if you want to create "a tall, mysterious, beautiful demi-god Anatar" that doesn't raise suspicion and looks like a good character then CREATE ONE. Just use the SAME pattern that you use to create real selfless and trustworthy like Elrond, Durin etc... and THEN subvert the expectations by revealing in the end that it was a selfish traitor.
Of course it wouldn't fool people who have read the books but WHY WOULD YOU TRY TO FOOL THEM THEY ALREADY KNOW THE STORY.
ROP writers : *create many good, innocents, selfless and trustworthy characters*
Also, ROP writers : "We couldn't introduce the character of Annatar because people would be suspicious of someone that looks good, innocent, selfless and trustworthy"
@@76Eliam I’m pretty sure the show runners didn’t have the rights to use the character of Annatar
imagine if peter jackson tried to subvert the expectations of Lotr bookreaders haha
Aemond is not a villain, just an antagonist.
I didn't think that halbrand's actor was bad. Halbrand was the only character i kinda liked and they turned out to be villain. Even though this galadriel is the villain herself.
I love Aemonds depiction and how everyone is shown in the show. The writers said everyone will have flaws and good parts of themselves so it makes it hard to ally yourself with either side or a lesser evil. Rhaenyra clearly lied about her sons but defends it for her claim. Alicent was forced into duty to do terrible things but she is doing what is expected of her and what had been expected. That’s what makes a great story and makes people invested about character relationships.
I have seen many Rings of Power videos, but as others have pointed out, they all sound so whiny. I really like your video essay.
As for Aemond, he's definitely my favorite in the show. Can't wait for season 2 (and we'll have to wait :(((( )
Aemond isnt the villain in HotD, Daemon is. We all love Matt Smith but Daemon is not a great character and a absolute monster (minus those 10 years he was married to Laena and a good guy for some reason).
I agree, and the fact that many of his fans are absolut hypocrites only makes this worse.
I'm reading through the Dance of Dragons/Fire and Blood at the moment after finishing HotD, and I noticed a really fascinating change in general characterization between the book and the show that I think really plays into what you've said about it being hard to define the protagonist/villain of this show.
Both mediums take pains to show that these are very morally ambiguous characters - there isn't truely a protagonist or a villain as this video and the Galadriel/Rhaenyra videos have put it, and everyone is a war criminal. But the characters in Fire and Blood come across as a lot less likeable* than in HotD, so when they commit atrocities I don't find myself all that affected by it because it feels part of the package of 'ambiguous morals and unlikeable actions'. But the show - oh the show - has really brought these people to life and made them REAL for me. It has expanded on the foundations set by the book and pulled me in, made me feel so invested in these characters - greens AND blacks - because they're so tragically human now, and watching them struggle with the consequences of their own actions, knowing the motivations that give their actions more perspective, has been incredible. All this to say, the show has made the cast as a whole more likeable (or maybe human is a better term - I HATE Otto Hightower with all my being and absolutely love watching everything he does).
These characters are hard to define as protagonist and villain because they're all kind of are both, in their own way. And I think this added layer of depth is going to really make the future seasons very, VERY spicy - no spoilers for what is to come (because I don't want to take that away from people), but I am very, very interested to see how they try and handle certain plot points without devolving into stereotypical protagonist/antagonist roles. How are they going to continue making these characters loveable when they do unforgivable things? And going off this first season, I think they're going to try very hard to not end up with a good vs bad side, which is going to make it hurt all that more when your favourite war criminal does something horrifying.
*Just noting I don't mean this as a bad thing - the characterization in the novel is still excellent and these are brilliant characters that I think were very intentionally written this way by GRRM.
Worst thing is, the writing in RoP is so bad, Sauron seems like one of the least evil characters
One year later: and then Aemond kinda forgot.
I like the calm, serious approach you went with when criticizing RoP, in contrast to the huffy, whiny and very angry sounding approach of many other TH-camrs. Well done.
One set of writers said "hey, let's fundamentally change and dumb down a character and give him no character qualities because the twist is gonna be so good."
The other set of writers gave us setup and consistent payoff. Almost like writing is a skill.
Now THIS is a worthy video about 🐲Aemond (One-Eye) Targaryen The Kinslayer. Thank you so much you did🐲 AMAZING 👍🔥😍
Let's cleanse our pallets 💀💀💀