I really appreciate the fact that they decided to give Aegon some layers as a character. They could have easily just made him another Joffrey, but they decdied to go in a different route.
Eh, it felt kinda forced. Like they're trying too hard to have "shades of grey" to make it more interesting. Didn't like when the guy kicked the dog either, it was like, "How can we really easily get the audience to hate this guy? Oh just have him kick a dog, everyone likes dogs." Just a few contrived character elements to get people to like one side more, and hate the other more so make the morality more ambiguous. Like pick a personality for someone and stick to it. All that said though... LOVE the show.
@@crazyfingers619Do you really think writers wanted to make us hate these characters even more after they killed a child? The dog didn't fit into the queen's bedroom scene, but a dog is a good feature for a rat catcher. How to get rid of a dog before the desired scene?That's right, make them flare up due to lack of professionalism and unpreparedness (which they are) and take out their anger on the dog, which is no longer needed for cover in quiet chambers.
Thanks to JJ and all the YT essay channels for saving the rest of us the unimaginable pain of having to watch the Disney Star Wars shows. And the Disney Marvel shows… and…
I think Aegon being so kind to the small folk was a reflection of how much he enjoyed being cheered. Season 1 makes him out to be a cruel asshole BUT when he becomes king he gets some love he never got from his father or mother. But now that he is getting it he is enjoying it. He’s smart enough to realize his family is using him but he actually likes the appreciation and love he gets from the people that his family never gave him.
Blood and Cheese was way more brutal in the books. When the assassins get to Helaena’s chambers they tie her and Alicent up. They ask Helaena to pick which of her sons they kill - the 6 year old Jaehaerys or 3 year old Maelor. Jaehaerys was the main target from the get go (not Aemond), they only gave her the illusion of a choice to torture her. When she refuses to pick they threathen her with r*aping her 6 year old daughter so she picks Maelor, hoping he’d be too young to understand what is happening. Blood then whispers into Maelor’s ear “You hear that boy? Your mama wants you dead” and strikes off the head of Jaehaerys instead.
It was Daemons idea to kill the baby- the end of his dialogue with the two assassins was "and what if we dont find him?" And a cliffhanger... he clearly told them to
And then, as they walk through the hall, they repeat that Daemon said "a son for a son". In my mind, that's a clear instruction that, failing to find Aemond, they should kill the prince.
Daemon has no reason to kill the assassins. They asked if they can't find Aemond, what should they do, and they later say that Daemon told them "A son for a son." As in Daemon told them if they can't find Aemond, kill Aegon's son.
@@monmothma3358Deamon was never the brightest. In season 1, he was stuck at war with the crab king for years, unable to finish them even though he had a bigger army AND dragons. Well until his plot armor kicked in. Point is, Deamon isn’t a strategist. His bloodthirsty nature always pulls him towards violence before any other means.
One thing I’ll say about Aegon: yes he’s a prick HOWEVER you can tell he wants to be a good king. And he cares about the small folk. He isn’t as knowledgeable as he should be YET but ngl I cheered a little when he shot down Otto Hightower to give the Blacksmiths the money they needed
Yeh I can tell he is trying which is more than I can say for Joffery which the show could have made Aegon just another one of him. I think what is happening is the result of his father Viserys never grooming Aegon to be king. Never inviting him to the small council, (which is why we see Aegon’s son in the council this episode) always focusing on Reynera because she was his era to the throne. So Aegon is simply out of his depth.
Worst part of this episode was the fact I enjoyed most of Aegons time in it. Like he may not understand what he's doing but he was attempting to be kind giving the man his sheep back etc. Was less malicious than in S1. Though I know he's gonna start doing more and more insane shit
No need? Killing a messenger is usually a provocation of war. I come in peace and you kill the person delivering the message of peace. In this case they killed an individual that was a messenger/prince/heir all-in-one lol. Son for a son evens things out at least.
Daemon probably knew they couldn’t kill Aemond anyway. I’m willing to bet he only said Aemond initially to make it seem like killing the kid was a last resort when in fact that’s what he wanted all along
@@ganggang3788Aemond was just trying to scare him, he literally yelled "vhagar no!" When the big dragon eats the little one. So, he really didn't plan to kill the boy whereas this was a proper plan to kill a child
Having read the book I knew what was coming for poor little Jaeherys but nothing could have prepared me for those sounds 😟...and something about Heleana quietly running away with her other baby just magnified the horror of it all. It wasn't quite like the book portays that event but it was still pretty gruesome.
Yeah, ngl, book readers overhyped the whole thing for me. As someone who read the book when it came out, but don't remember a lot of it, I thought the show did a pretty good job with the scene. But then I went online, and everyone was talking about how the book version was so much darker, so I went back to read that section myself and was honestly underwhelmed for how book readers were talking about it. Also a change I like, that no one seems to be talking about, is how Cole let this happen under his watch because he was in bed with Alicent. And now Alicent is probably going to feel responsible. That's much more interesting and twisted, but because they weren't tied up and threatened, it's hbo censorship? Lmao
I honestly think Emma D'arcy is one of my top 5 favorite castings in all of Game of Thrones. Brings so much regal presence and emotion to the role, even when Rhaenyra barely has any dialogue.
Yeah its phenomenonal casting seriously. Give Emma all the awards, cuz they are killing it this season already. 👏🏽😏🏆 I can't wait to see what season 2 brings to the table.
an absolute masterclass of an episode from them, the actor for Jace was amazing as well and the scene between the 2 is genuinly heartbreaking and beautiful in a way
@@robertl.wilson1199Except everyone should know, the story ends badly for almost all of the characters. As long as the writing holds up, it will be fine.
How was this an accident? Its clearly implied that Daemon asked them to kill a son if they cant find Aemond. You just need them to feed that to you in a little spoon, while most people get context clues.
@@vandanacasmI can’t trust someone who doesn’t understand what the book is. The book is not a novel that should be taken as fact. It is an in universe history book told from the perspective of different people who are unreliable narrators.
Didn't yall hate on GOT's final seasons 😂 we didn't forget how they dropped the ball. Even SW didn't want those writers after that disaster. But ok keep going with your narrative. SW bad/ GOT good.
@@robertl.wilson1199Didn't realize there was a narrative like that. Pretty sure people don't like GOT to bash SW. Can't people just like what they like? GOT have other writers now and a finished book to go from, that could be a good thing for everyone
Nah Jeremey you’re giving Daemon wayyyy too much leeway that guy is awful he killed his wife cuz he didn’t like her, I don’t think he has any real issue with the baby dying
I was a kid when I would watch siskel and ebert with my mom . Did not understand why she like it so much . Fast forward , I’m 37 and run to to hear Jeremy talk about anything to reassure myself 😂 love this channel.
I liked how larys was just hanging around in the background during Aegon receiving petitions in the throne room. You can tell he is always up to something. Im sure if he finds out Ser Christian Cole was not at his post during that assassination , he will use it to his advantage.
I think Daemon himself asked the two to kill away with the heir if they don't find Aemond. This happens in the book, so unless they retcon it, sorry to say but Daemon did it intentionally.
@@IbbyMelbourne The series House of the Dragon isn't about the narrators. It's about the story of the narrators. And in the story of the narrator, Daemon specifically instructs (cant remember the name, starts with an M) to hire assassins (blood and cheese) to have Jaehaerys killed, at a specific place and time.
I can't BELIEVE Jeremy didnt mention Cregan Stark. Dude is a MAN'S MAN. An absolute chad in all the best ways. As soon as he started talking with that "The North Remembers" theme in the background I actually teared up. God it's good to be back in Westeros.
We didnd get Cregan here. We got a pretty boy plank of wood and no chemistry between the 2 like the books. He gives a "good guy vibe" which should not be. Should have gotten someone taller or at least buffer or some facial hair. Butch him up more. And better wig. Fuck, the Starks are not Targs, let the actors hair grow naturally and then get a clip on or weave or something if needed bit more lenght.
@johnnielurker not just any, but ice the ancestral sword of House Stark. God I love this man. I don't think we'll see more of him until season 3, but let's just say he's one of the few Northerners who doesn't melt when at King's Landing. Hegets sht DONE.
@@finaldaylight3804 He is that way because Viserys and Alicent are shitty parents, also Aegon himself encouraged his nephews to bully his own brother because he was weird lol. Blame the blacks all you wants, but Luke cutting his eyes was a consequence of both blacks and greens stupidity. 😂
@@tacituskilgore875 same goes for Aegon. He is the way he is because he’s been raised as a chess piece by Otto and Alicent, and been neglected by Viserys. Neither Aegon nor Aemond ever had a chance at being normal people.
@@finaldaylight3804lmao no he was always like that. Remember exactly how he got that eye? Because he was planning on killing his nephew and have him scream “the same way his real dad did”
The death of the child was darker in the books: both kids were awake and I believe both were boys. Helena was made to choose which and when she did they killed the other one telling the boy “remember your mother wanted you dead”. Wished they did that would’ve been even darker 😢
LOVE IT. Just LOVE IT. I did like how Aegon (who is an idiot/jerk) actually wanted to help the people he ruled, so he wasn't as 1 dimensional bad, like Joffery. But now, any kindness or redeeming qualities he might have had is gone.
Just because I see so many people misunderstanding the scene, he told the guys to kill the son if they couldnt find Aemond. Daemon is an accelerationist, he wants war to break out
Agreed with the sentiment around Deamon, but war already broke out. There is no peace talk after Luce was killed. The Blacks will not forgive Luce’s death and Greens will not abandon Aegon’s rule after they already crowned him.
@@willard39 Because Vhagar is at King's Landing, and he knows he can't kill Vhagar alone. He even tries to get Rhaenys to go with him at the start of the episode, so that they could face Vhagar together, but she refuses. At the moment, Daemon has no way of attacking King's Landing without getting himself killed.
Daemon has the hint of a grin on his face when the camera cuts, Blood explicitly says their instructions are "a son for a son" and it's the title of the bloody episode. I'm not sure how it could be any clearer, people's brains have been melted by Tik Tok and Disney
Great episode!! I teared up when Jace was reporting back to his mom. My only critique was that they really dialed back blood and cheese not that I absolutely needed to see it, but Helena was supposed to choose between her children, not just point to which one was the boy.
What stood out for me in this episode was the acting. Damn, when Jacaerys came back to Rhaenyra and told her about his trip while trying to keep himself together. Man, I really hard a hard time keeping it dry there. The breakings in his voice were so well acted!
I hadn't read the book, so I thought for sure that Aemend was gonna make quick work of Blood and Cheese without even breaking a sweat. I was shocked at what happened. That was horrific. Didn't think they would take it there. At least they didn't show it, but the sounds were enough to make you sick.
I guess having a baby has really changed me. I’m someone who grew up watching body horror, brutal videos on the internet, cartels decapitating people, SA, violence everything the TV can throw at me. I have a one year old daughter now and I couldn’t get through that scene. I even knew it was coming because I’ve read the books. I had to go in the room wake my daughter up just to hold her. I thought I was tough, I guess violence against children is where I draw the line. I’m still sick to my stomach. Nothing against the show, I’m just too new into this parenting. That hit me hard.
Same here. I have a 3 and a 1 year old. I muted and fast forwarded it. That was too much for me. Then I went online and see some people saying it wasn’t brutal enough, like wtf
The first video of yours I watched was about Game of Thrones when I first started getting into it (unfortunately, I got caught up right before season 7 aired lol). It’s just nice, though, that 7 years later we have at least some ASOIAF content to geek out about. Also realizing I’ve been watching your videos for a third of my life now is WILD
Strong premiere. Blood and Cheese was better in the books but I didn't hate the show version. Loved seeing Winterfell and Aegon is weirdly likeable despite being a fool
Good to see Jeremy enjoyed the ep and could talk about something positive! Really good fist ep. Wonder if he watched X-Men 97? Would love to hear his thoughts on that show
The episode was great however I was disappointed by the blood and cheese event It wasn’t bad it was good that could’ve been amazing or more I wanna add my expectation was very high on blood and cheese
Aegon honestly doesn't look that much of a prick so far in this season, and seemed to actually care about his people. I am starting to like him as a character.
the guy who raped a girl and participated in illegal child fighting rings is charismatic and now people liked him? Wow that never happened before what a suprise...
To be honest, if you put Rhaenyra and Aegon in a locked room, it's very likely that everyone outside screw up and kill each other. Thankfully they aren't going to put some of the awful rumors from the books. Otherwise not a single character would be enjoyable to watch.
He's going to snap after finding out that his son died. Even in Season One, he admitted that he's not ready to be the King and agreed that Rhaenyra should be the ruler. He's still wants to get drunk and have fun but too bad, his power hungry grandpa, his crybaby mom who's mostly jealous at Rhaenyra, his sociopath older brother and also his unpredictable King's Guard push him to be the king. At least he's not as spoiled as Joffrey.
@@margarethmichelina5146 Aegon 2 wasnt so bad in the books . He didn't ra-e , neither did he want anything to do with politics and only wanted to protect his siblings. But idk what dirt this female writer have with the DoD men that they made everyone a ra-ist.
The aside to the whole Max or HBO thing with the angry grandpa hands is the most relatable part of the video. It’s like when they changed Sierra Mist to Starry. Just…leave things alone.
This was the most okay episode in the series so far. Not a very smart way to start a new season. I don't like that they're making daemon progressively more stupid... He was completely chill for 10 years now he's not only not chill but is an abusive husband and makes poor decisions? No thank you daemon
@pwn1ngw4ffl3s unfortunately I've read the books, and they seem to be using the source material mostly. House of the Dragon will be VERY tragic. Lots of death. They can't really fuck with the timeline.
The episode opens ten days after Rhaenyra finds out Luke died. Several weeks pass from when Luke died to when Rhaenyra finds out. Time passes during the episode as Jace accompanied Cregan to the Wall which is a months ride from Winterfell. The raven carrying news of Luke's death doesn't reach Winterfell until after they leave and so another raven is dispatched to the Wall. By the time Jace learns his brother died and he returns home at least three months have passed since he left Dragonstone.
I kind of hate how the show made Daemon's plan ambiguous. To be clear, Cheese asked Daemon what to do if they couldn't find Aemond. The camera cut before we heard an answer. There are two options. Either Daemon said abort and we'll try again later or he said just bring me any prince's head. Daemon obviously said the latter, but the fact that the scene cut allows fans to give Daemon the benefit of the doubt.
Why make it ambiguous at all? I really don't understand it. If you want to make characters gray, have them clearly do some good things and clearly do some bad things. Instead they've decided they'll just make everyone's intentions a mystery.
I actually love that about it. It makes you feel like you are witnessing a piece of history--all of the details can't be known. It's a bit like the princes in the tower during the Wars of the Roses. Everyone has a different idea of what happened exactly.
Amazing start to the season but something that is throwing me off heavily is the ages of the characters - especially after that two year break. The re-cast was necessary, I get it, but they fed it up completely. Alicent and Aamon look the same age, they should have cast an actress in her mid 30s to early 40s instead as I usppose this is the time-line wea re gonna stay on. With Criston Cole they didn''t even bother for a recast or some make-up to make him look his age, dude still looks like fresh out of high-school even tho he should be will into his 40s.
They toned the scene down in the book that happened at the end of the episode. In the book, the two thieves made Heleana choose which child to sacrifice. She chose Maelor, and the thieves responded by cutting off the head of Jaherys, leaving her with profound guilt and horror at her actions.
Paddy Considine is phenomenal as always whether he's funny or extremely dramatic to the point where I cried when he (spoilers) crawled up the throne to declare his legitamacy for Rhynaras.
I pause on 0:08 so that I express an "Independent Opinion" and than I procced to watch the clip. I personally liked it. A) It was good on it`s own ~show B) it was so build it hinted me about just enough things about the previous season to have some memories of it re emerged... By the end of the episode I could even tell which some of the characters were and what they were doing. C) (that`s like an added bonus based on personal bias) It overall "matched me" meaning for what it was worth, this one showed me something I wanted to see at the current moment with the indications it will continue to do so in further ones. One thing however I can say and it is *Spoiler Alert* at the very end there was real "Hollywood pushed it further than it have ever before, based on my knowledge of it" moment. Obviously Game of Thrones was launched and intended as "hard to stomach" show (or House of the Dragon, whatever) but this moment near the end of s02 e01 was ~a bit too hard to ~mentally digest.
BTW, we're all chipping in to send you a case of booze so you can make it to the end of the Acolyte/AcoSh*t videos. Glad someone has the courage to take one for the team! Rock on, man!
An ok episode. But they completely screwed the Blood and Cheese scene. I know people hate comparing to the book(s), but it was so much better in every version written by GRRM.
I'd argue that, from what was shown in episode 1, Aegon wanted to be a decent king. He tried hard to accommodate the people that called on him but Otto put him in his place. He had good intentions and after he finds out his son was killed that goes out the window.
Aegon isn't the asshole that we think he is though. He's actually nice. If he was presented as Joffrey then the whole Black vs Green thing would be moot. They did a great job of presenting him as being good with wanting to compensate the sheep herder
I think Joffrey was a psychopath. He wasn't even mean or firm. He just wanted to hurt people. Cersei was actually not a bad leader, it's just the things she did to get there is what got her and the father in trouble.
They messed up the "blood and cheese" scene by not having Haleana choose which kid she would like to keep (it's way different from her pointing out which one is a boy and not). I know they had to tone it down for TV but damn, I was expecting that scene and their delivery was very anti-climactic.
It’ll be interesting what they do this season. So far it seems to be deviating from the book a bit. I didn’t expect Jace to come back from the North this quickly, for instance. I won’t say much more due to spoilers, but that was an interesting decision.
Absolutely fanbtastic episode. At first you may think it slow and boring but at the heart of it it's actually a fantastic slow burn character exploration of where we left of almost everyone. Beautiful visuals, direction and music. And again - great character development and a sick twisted ending. What's not to love?
It was weird that daemon specifically said the guy with the eye patch and they decided to go after the baby in a crib.. they literally could have just been like.. yes the rat traps are set, we will come pick them up tomorrow and try again.
someone said in the books, if they couldnt find aemond, daemon said to kill any targaryan son, a son for a son i guess, this will most likely make rhaenyra angry, cause an innocent boy like her own son died, and aemond still lives.
@@poggamus4330 ah shit I stopped reading your post. Because I’m a huge thrones lore guy but I’m doing everything I can to not be spoiled on this story even thought I know what happens, but I don’t really know so not diving into the TH-cam videos like you could for OG Thrones with theories
They ask Daemon what to do if they can't find him, and it seems that he said the phrase "a son for a son". So, I think he told them to go after the prince if they can't find Aemond.
You also gotta remember these dudes are amateurs. That's why the version in the book is clearly an exaggeration by the sources the maester writing "fire and blood" is using. They weren't trained assassins, they were a rat catcher and a city guard. They wouldn't necessarily think long term.
I really appreciate the fact that they decided to give Aegon some layers as a character. They could have easily just made him another Joffrey, but they decdied to go in a different route.
yea he's not a smart king but he's a giving one, but now that his fav son is dead he might turn more cruel
Yeah he seems like he has good intentions, yet he's young and naive enough to think all issues can be solved that easily
Eh, it felt kinda forced. Like they're trying too hard to have "shades of grey" to make it more interesting. Didn't like when the guy kicked the dog either, it was like, "How can we really easily get the audience to hate this guy? Oh just have him kick a dog, everyone likes dogs." Just a few contrived character elements to get people to like one side more, and hate the other more so make the morality more ambiguous. Like pick a personality for someone and stick to it. All that said though... LOVE the show.
@@crazyfingers619Do you really think writers wanted to make us hate these characters even more after they killed a child? The dog didn't fit into the queen's bedroom scene, but a dog is a good feature for a rat catcher. How to get rid of a dog before the desired scene?That's right, make them flare up due to lack of professionalism and unpreparedness (which they are) and take out their anger on the dog, which is no longer needed for cover in quiet chambers.
@@beden653 I just find dogs used as emotional plot devices to be overdone and emersion breaking in a fantasy story is all. Just a nitpick.
Glad to see Jeremy happy in a thumbnail after those Star Wars acolyte videos lol
Right?!😂
I was looking for this comment 😂
I really hope this is his weekly cover show from now instead of Acolyte. Who wants to watch a man suffer? 😅😂
@@danishaiman2244 Thing is Jeremy knows he is gonna make some fucking money covering that shit 😂
Thanks to JJ and all the YT essay channels for saving the rest of us the unimaginable pain of having to watch the Disney Star Wars shows. And the Disney Marvel shows… and…
The scene between Rhaenyra and Jace was so emotional 😢
Jace breaking down as hes reporting to his Queen/mother was heartbreaking!
On the other hand, Jace is having a new brother figure: Cregan Stark
@@margarethmichelina5146you mean older brother figure they have a 5 year age difference
top tier acting from both of the actors.
The scene between Alison and criston was emotional too😔
I think Aegon being so kind to the small folk was a reflection of how much he enjoyed being cheered. Season 1 makes him out to be a cruel asshole BUT when he becomes king he gets some love he never got from his father or mother. But now that he is getting it he is enjoying it. He’s smart enough to realize his family is using him but he actually likes the appreciation and love he gets from the people that his family never gave him.
Yeah, that reason shot him up as one of the most interesting characters in the show for me, his performance in this episode was so good
Blood and Cheese was way more brutal in the books. When the assassins get to Helaena’s chambers they tie her and Alicent up. They ask Helaena to pick which of her sons they kill - the 6 year old Jaehaerys or 3 year old Maelor. Jaehaerys was the main target from the get go (not Aemond), they only gave her the illusion of a choice to torture her. When she refuses to pick they threathen her with r*aping her 6 year old daughter so she picks Maelor, hoping he’d be too young to understand what is happening. Blood then whispers into Maelor’s ear “You hear that boy? Your mama wants you dead” and strikes off the head of Jaehaerys instead.
That might honestly be too much.
@@charley15z17it’s brutal but its realistic
@@charley15z17I think so too, it was enough to hear the noise
Only GOT fans can watch a little kid get decapitated and say it wasn't brutal enough lmao
nice
It was Daemons idea to kill the baby- the end of his dialogue with the two assassins was "and what if we dont find him?" And a cliffhanger... he clearly told them to
And then, as they walk through the hall, they repeat that Daemon said "a son for a son". In my mind, that's a clear instruction that, failing to find Aemond, they should kill the prince.
They keep it ambiguous on purpose cause the statement is soo vague.
OHHHHHHHHHHHH I was like how the hell do u mistake a kid for a guy with an eyepatch
Ooooh good catch!
I thought that as well. The producers also told us that daemon was evil before the season started.
Daemon has no reason to kill the assassins. They asked if they can't find Aemond, what should they do, and they later say that Daemon told them "A son for a son." As in Daemon told them if they can't find Aemond, kill Aegon's son.
Utter stupidity of Daemon that, just creating more bad blood. Didn't see the episode but something tells me he didn't clear that part with Rhaenyra
Tying loose ends?
@monmothma3358 my brother in christ what are you doing here.
@@monmothma3358Deamon was never the brightest. In season 1, he was stuck at war with the crab king for years, unable to finish them even though he had a bigger army AND dragons. Well until his plot armor kicked in. Point is, Deamon isn’t a strategist. His bloodthirsty nature always pulls him towards violence before any other means.
@@monmothma3358 I mean Daemon’s goal isn’t peace- his goal is to eradicate the greens.
One thing I’ll say about Aegon: yes he’s a prick HOWEVER you can tell he wants to be a good king. And he cares about the small folk. He isn’t as knowledgeable as he should be YET but ngl I cheered a little when he shot down Otto Hightower to give the Blacksmiths the money they needed
I'm team black but I really like Aegon, so good to see him put Otto in his place
@@skedda2861 same
@@skedda2861 i hope you remember hes a rapist
He's trying
Yeh I can tell he is trying which is more than I can say for Joffery which the show could have made Aegon just another one of him. I think what is happening is the result of his father Viserys never grooming Aegon to be king. Never inviting him to the small council, (which is why we see Aegon’s son in the council this episode) always focusing on Reynera because she was his era to the throne. So Aegon is simply out of his depth.
Worst part of this episode was the fact I enjoyed most of Aegons time in it. Like he may not understand what he's doing but he was attempting to be kind giving the man his sheep back etc. Was less malicious than in S1. Though I know he's gonna start doing more and more insane shit
“Luna lovegood” LoL 😅 that was good lol
"I fear the rats" was a GREAT line. In hip-hop terms that was a DOUBLE
I felt so bad for Haelena Tagaryan. She was mental but she loved her family. and RIP poor little Jaehyraes.
WAS she mental though? 🤔 she said she was scared of the rats and she was right.
Daemon really wants war, there was no need to give the instruction to kill the baby if they couldn't find Aemond.
No need? Killing a messenger is usually a provocation of war. I come in peace and you kill the person delivering the message of peace. In this case they killed an individual that was a messenger/prince/heir all-in-one lol. Son for a son evens things out at least.
Daemon probably knew they couldn’t kill Aemond anyway.
I’m willing to bet he only said Aemond initially to make it seem like killing the kid was a last resort when in fact that’s what he wanted all along
@@abongilezolanipeterson5588They kill each other in a dragon fight eventually, but Deamon gets the bests him first before they plummet into a lake.
@@abongilezolanipeterson5588 Agreed, no way Daemon thought Aemond could be caught off guard..
@@ganggang3788Aemond was just trying to scare him, he literally yelled "vhagar no!" When the big dragon eats the little one. So, he really didn't plan to kill the boy whereas this was a proper plan to kill a child
Having read the book I knew what was coming for poor little Jaeherys but nothing could have prepared me for those sounds 😟...and something about Heleana quietly running away with her other baby just magnified the horror of it all.
It wasn't quite like the book portays that event but it was still pretty gruesome.
Yeah, ngl, book readers overhyped the whole thing for me. As someone who read the book when it came out, but don't remember a lot of it, I thought the show did a pretty good job with the scene. But then I went online, and everyone was talking about how the book version was so much darker, so I went back to read that section myself and was honestly underwhelmed for how book readers were talking about it. Also a change I like, that no one seems to be talking about, is how Cole let this happen under his watch because he was in bed with Alicent. And now Alicent is probably going to feel responsible. That's much more interesting and twisted, but because they weren't tied up and threatened, it's hbo censorship? Lmao
I think my fave thing about this episode is that Rhaenyra had ONE LINE! Emma did her big one with this role!
That’s actually crazy I didn’t even notice, she conveyed so much without saying anything.
I honestly think Emma D'arcy is one of my top 5 favorite castings in all of Game of Thrones. Brings so much regal presence and emotion to the role, even when Rhaenyra barely has any dialogue.
Yeah it's phenomenonal casting! Give Emma all the awards, seriously. 👏🏽😏🏆 I'm loving their performance this season already.
Yeah its phenomenonal casting seriously. Give Emma all the awards, cuz they are killing it this season already. 👏🏽😏🏆 I can't wait to see what season 2 brings to the table.
an absolute masterclass of an episode from them, the actor for Jace was amazing as well and the scene between the 2 is genuinly heartbreaking and beautiful in a way
Too bad she doesn’t know that she’s a woman
@@KabbalahSherryyou mean her
Feels so good to watch Jeremy covering HoTD like peace in the universe
Yall are gonna turn on this show eventually. The world is too fickle. Still in the honeymoon phase, I wouldn't get my hopes up tbh.
@@robertl.wilson1199Except everyone should know, the story ends badly for almost all of the characters.
As long as the writing holds up, it will be fine.
Always nice to see Jeremy with a smile on his face!
His liver is grateful
I like the final scene when they are making a new heir lol
In the book the killing of the little boy wasn't an accident. It was very, very deliberate. This show is using kid gloves.
It wasn't an accident here either. It was the backup plan, but it was still a deliberate act.
Thank God for that... At least rest of us who have read the books have surprises still left to look forward to
How was this an accident? Its clearly implied that Daemon asked them to kill a son if they cant find Aemond. You just need them to feed that to you in a little spoon, while most people get context clues.
@@vandanacasmI can’t trust someone who doesn’t understand what the book is. The book is not a novel that should be taken as fact. It is an in universe history book told from the perspective of different people who are unreliable narrators.
@@Brv117 "muh maesters"
Jeremy back to his best after deaing with star wars content
Didn't yall hate on GOT's final seasons 😂 we didn't forget how they dropped the ball. Even SW didn't want those writers after that disaster. But ok keep going with your narrative. SW bad/ GOT good.
@@robertl.wilson1199Didn't realize there was a narrative like that. Pretty sure people don't like GOT to bash SW. Can't people just like what they like? GOT have other writers now and a finished book to go from, that could be a good thing for everyone
Opening scene ar the wall and winterfell was awesome. Glad to see the Starks back in the fold
Nah Jeremey you’re giving Daemon wayyyy too much leeway that guy is awful he killed his wife cuz he didn’t like her, I don’t think he has any real issue with the baby dying
I was a kid when I would watch siskel and ebert with my mom . Did not understand why she like it so much . Fast forward , I’m 37 and run to to hear Jeremy talk about anything to reassure myself 😂 love this channel.
What an episode! So excited for this season
Been watching you since the collider days. Always enjoy your videos.
0:44 perfect 'chomp!' placement.
I liked how larys was just hanging around in the background during Aegon receiving petitions in the throne room. You can tell he is always up to something. Im sure if he finds out Ser Christian Cole was not at his post during that assassination , he will use it to his advantage.
I think Daemon himself asked the two to kill away with the heir if they don't find Aemond. This happens in the book, so unless they retcon it, sorry to say but Daemon did it intentionally.
We don't know if he actually did it in the books. We only know someone's untrustworthy account. The book plays with unreliable narrators.
@@IbbyMelbourne The series House of the Dragon isn't about the narrators. It's about the story of the narrators. And in the story of the narrator, Daemon specifically instructs (cant remember the name, starts with an M) to hire assassins (blood and cheese) to have Jaehaerys killed, at a specific place and time.
1:16
"he sees better" cracked me up good
lol, that chomp edit ... then you topped it w the one eyed monster. savage, lol.
Sophie's Choice, and kicking dogs. I'm here for it
I can't BELIEVE Jeremy didnt mention Cregan Stark. Dude is a MAN'S MAN. An absolute chad in all the best ways. As soon as he started talking with that "The North Remembers" theme in the background I actually teared up. God it's good to be back in Westeros.
Whatever.
We didnd get Cregan here. We got a pretty boy plank of wood and no chemistry between the 2 like the books. He gives a "good guy vibe" which should not be. Should have gotten someone taller or at least buffer or some facial hair. Butch him up more. And better wig. Fuck, the Starks are not Targs, let the actors hair grow naturally and then get a clip on or weave or something if needed bit more lenght.
@@alfredocornelio4329nah come on the voice alone was all Stark. He's a looker too
and he's carrying a fckin Greatsword on his back, so badass
@johnnielurker not just any, but ice the ancestral sword of House Stark. God I love this man. I don't think we'll see more of him until season 3, but let's just say he's one of the few Northerners who doesn't melt when at King's Landing. Hegets sht DONE.
Aegon is at least trying to help people. Aemond would be all war and bloodthirsty savagery.
Aemond is the way he is because of the blacks..had they not cut his eye, he would be fine..
@@finaldaylight3804 He is that way because Viserys and Alicent are shitty parents, also Aegon himself encouraged his nephews to bully his own brother because he was weird lol. Blame the blacks all you wants, but Luke cutting his eyes was a consequence of both blacks and greens stupidity. 😂
@@tacituskilgore875 same goes for Aegon. He is the way he is because he’s been raised as a chess piece by Otto and Alicent, and been neglected by Viserys. Neither Aegon nor Aemond ever had a chance at being normal people.
@@finaldaylight3804lmao no he was always like that. Remember exactly how he got that eye? Because he was planning on killing his nephew and have him scream “the same way his real dad did”
@@sebastiaanv He was a kid back then, all kids have a violent side, he just latched onto it because they actually almost killed him
I couldn't stop 😂😂 when he kicked the dog. So random lol.
I actually took that as him wanting to get the dog away from there. They're going into an area where just being seen is dangerous.
Nice to see that there are some writers out there who know wtf they’re doing.
The death of the child was darker in the books: both kids were awake and I believe both were boys. Helena was made to choose which and when she did they killed the other one telling the boy “remember your mother wanted you dead”. Wished they did that would’ve been even darker 😢
‘Ask Luna lovegood which was the boy’ made me lol
i love watching reviews for episodes of shows i have no intention of watching.
LOVE IT. Just LOVE IT. I did like how Aegon (who is an idiot/jerk) actually wanted to help the people he ruled, so he wasn't as 1 dimensional bad, like Joffery. But now, any kindness or redeeming qualities he might have had is gone.
Just because I see so many people misunderstanding the scene, he told the guys to kill the son if they couldnt find Aemond.
Daemon is an accelerationist, he wants war to break out
Still dumb regardless
Agreed with the sentiment around Deamon, but war already broke out. There is no peace talk after Luce was killed. The Blacks will not forgive Luce’s death and Greens will not abandon Aegon’s rule after they already crowned him.
He's also a showboat. Why be all clandestine? The Daemon from season 1 would do it publicly. War is upon them, why f*ck around?
@@willard39 Because Vhagar is at King's Landing, and he knows he can't kill Vhagar alone. He even tries to get Rhaenys to go with him at the start of the episode, so that they could face Vhagar together, but she refuses. At the moment, Daemon has no way of attacking King's Landing without getting himself killed.
Daemon has the hint of a grin on his face when the camera cuts, Blood explicitly says their instructions are "a son for a son" and it's the title of the bloody episode. I'm not sure how it could be any clearer, people's brains have been melted by Tik Tok and Disney
Great episode!! I teared up when Jace was reporting back to his mom. My only critique was that they really dialed back blood and cheese not that I absolutely needed to see it, but Helena was supposed to choose between her children, not just point to which one was the boy.
I missed Jeremy Jahns reviewing new episodes of House of the Dragon. Thank you 🥲
Just wait til everyone turns on the show 😬
What stood out for me in this episode was the acting. Damn, when Jacaerys came back to Rhaenyra and told her about his trip while trying to keep himself together. Man, I really hard a hard time keeping it dry there. The breakings in his voice were so well acted!
Loved the sponsor fakeout.
I hadn't read the book, so I thought for sure that Aemend was gonna make quick work of Blood and Cheese without even breaking a sweat. I was shocked at what happened. That was horrific. Didn't think they would take it there. At least they didn't show it, but the sounds were enough to make you sick.
I guess having a baby has really changed me. I’m someone who grew up watching body horror, brutal videos on the internet, cartels decapitating people, SA, violence everything the TV can throw at me. I have a one year old daughter now and I couldn’t get through that scene. I even knew it was coming because I’ve read the books. I had to go in the room wake my daughter up just to hold her. I thought I was tough, I guess violence against children is where I draw the line. I’m still sick to my stomach. Nothing against the show, I’m just too new into this parenting. That hit me hard.
Same here. I have a 3 and a 1 year old. I muted and fast forwarded it. That was too much for me. Then I went online and see some people saying it wasn’t brutal enough, like wtf
The first video of yours I watched was about Game of Thrones when I first started getting into it (unfortunately, I got caught up right before season 7 aired lol). It’s just nice, though, that 7 years later we have at least some ASOIAF content to geek out about.
Also realizing I’ve been watching your videos for a third of my life now is WILD
Finally! Back to some good TV!
😴
Strong premiere. Blood and Cheese was better in the books but I didn't hate the show version. Loved seeing Winterfell and Aegon is weirdly likeable despite being a fool
Tyland Lannister is always good for a laugh! 🤣
Awesome character. You will see
I love how the new opening is a literal tapestry of War!
Good thoughts Jeremy 🎉🎉🎉😊💯
Good to see Jeremy enjoyed the ep and could talk about something positive! Really good fist ep. Wonder if he watched X-Men 97? Would love to hear his thoughts on that show
2:00 JEREMEY!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
4:14 Jeremy you got me again 😂😂😂😂😂
Relax bro 😂 its not that deep
it was done due to Daemons orders: jahaerys was option B. this was in the books as well
House Targaryen’s back on tv, Jeremy’s reviewing..life’s good
It was so good! But it does feel a bit rushed. I honestly didn't think they would do blood and cheese so early.
Ser Criston the Queen layer
Queen slayer
@@jaweel6205 he said what he said. Layer!
Just a queen's bitch.
*Ser Crispin Cream
The quality whiplash going from the Acolyte to HOTD makes one wonder how Jeremy's head is still attached to his torso. 😂
Lol I was wondering who the dude with the hair was in the trailer. Didn't recognize Jacaerys 😂
flight to the North took him a year 😂
It feels so good to be back in Westeros!
I actually like it more than game of thrones
Remember the last seasons 😂
I mean there hasn't been a single hotd episode that isn't better than literally anything past season 4 of got
The episode was great however I was disappointed by the blood and cheese event
It wasn’t bad it was good that could’ve been amazing or more
I wanna add my expectation was very high on blood and cheese
Yeah. Where the hell was Maelor?!
It didn't have much tension even though they could have built it up by tweaking it
@SapphireCrusader1988, is he even in the show? I know, he was in the books. I hope he is. What happens to maelor was brutal af later on in the war
@@rektz2457 Quite the understatement.
@@SapphireCrusader1988Maelor isn't born yet in the show timeline.
Great to see Jeremy happy again review something lol 😂 . Cheers man good review 👍
Can't wait to start season two of "Dragons and Swords and Titties".
glad to hear jeremy weighing in on this show again!
Aegon honestly doesn't look that much of a prick so far in this season, and seemed to actually care about his people. I am starting to like him as a character.
the guy who raped a girl and participated in illegal child fighting rings is charismatic and now people liked him? Wow that never happened before what a suprise...
Yeah it’s a choice the show made. In the book Aegon isn’t that bad and Rhaenyra isn’t that good.
To be honest, if you put Rhaenyra and Aegon in a locked room, it's very likely that everyone outside screw up and kill each other.
Thankfully they aren't going to put some of the awful rumors from the books. Otherwise not a single character would be enjoyable to watch.
He's going to snap after finding out that his son died. Even in Season One, he admitted that he's not ready to be the King and agreed that Rhaenyra should be the ruler. He's still wants to get drunk and have fun but too bad, his power hungry grandpa, his crybaby mom who's mostly jealous at Rhaenyra, his sociopath older brother and also his unpredictable King's Guard push him to be the king. At least he's not as spoiled as Joffrey.
@@margarethmichelina5146 Aegon 2 wasnt so bad in the books . He didn't ra-e , neither did he want anything to do with politics and only wanted to protect his siblings. But idk what dirt this female writer have with the DoD men that they made everyone a ra-ist.
The aside to the whole Max or HBO thing with the angry grandpa hands is the most relatable part of the video. It’s like when they changed Sierra Mist to Starry. Just…leave things alone.
Always good to see Jeremy smiling.
Jeremy : He sees better
Aemond : You did not just say that
This was the most okay episode in the series so far. Not a very smart way to start a new season. I don't like that they're making daemon progressively more stupid... He was completely chill for 10 years now he's not only not chill but is an abusive husband and makes poor decisions? No thank you daemon
The opening actors had me concerned...Stark and targeryn... but then the episode got steadily better. Great way to set the table
No one is safe from meeting their gruesome end in this series... no one.
Which is why I can't decide if it's worth watching😂
Except for the main characters of GoT who made it to s8. Plot armor protected them lol
@@monmothma3358Why wouldnt it be?
@pwn1ngw4ffl3s unfortunately I've read the books, and they seem to be using the source material mostly. House of the Dragon will be VERY tragic. Lots of death. They can't really fuck with the timeline.
Yep this is literally a depressing tale of how the greatest dynasty in Westeros lost its major source of power. Fire and Blood.
The episode opens ten days after Rhaenyra finds out Luke died. Several weeks pass from when Luke died to when Rhaenyra finds out. Time passes during the episode as Jace accompanied Cregan to the Wall which is a months ride from Winterfell. The raven carrying news of Luke's death doesn't reach Winterfell until after they leave and so another raven is dispatched to the Wall. By the time Jace learns his brother died and he returns home at least three months have passed since he left Dragonstone.
I kind of hate how the show made Daemon's plan ambiguous. To be clear, Cheese asked Daemon what to do if they couldn't find Aemond. The camera cut before we heard an answer. There are two options. Either Daemon said abort and we'll try again later or he said just bring me any prince's head. Daemon obviously said the latter, but the fact that the scene cut allows fans to give Daemon the benefit of the doubt.
Why make it ambiguous at all? I really don't understand it. If you want to make characters gray, have them clearly do some good things and clearly do some bad things. Instead they've decided they'll just make everyone's intentions a mystery.
I actually love that about it. It makes you feel like you are witnessing a piece of history--all of the details can't be known. It's a bit like the princes in the tower during the Wars of the Roses. Everyone has a different idea of what happened exactly.
@@TheOjamaYellowThat’s not the case here though, George said the show is the definitive canon as it happened
@@leonrobinson2475 I mean, I think we should wait for the next episode. It might not be so ambiguous when he's confronted about it.
B&C do repeat "Daemon said 'a son for a son'" multiple times, so I'm assuming that's what his response was.
The scene when Jace tries not to break down in front of Rhaenyra was gut wrenching but also really beautiful
2:22 am is crazy
still watching tho ☠️
11:22 here
Yea its 11:30 over here on the best coast
Yeah, not if he's on the west coast
@@mementomori771 real people time ammirite
Amazing start to the season but something that is throwing me off heavily is the ages of the characters - especially after that two year break. The re-cast was necessary, I get it, but they fed it up completely. Alicent and Aamon look the same age, they should have cast an actress in her mid 30s to early 40s instead as I usppose this is the time-line wea re gonna stay on. With Criston Cole they didn''t even bother for a recast or some make-up to make him look his age, dude still looks like fresh out of high-school even tho he should be will into his 40s.
They toned the scene down in the book that happened at the end of the episode. In the book, the two thieves made Heleana choose which child to sacrifice. She chose Maelor, and the thieves responded by cutting off the head of Jaherys, leaving her with profound guilt and horror at her actions.
Wait, that feels very Game of Thrones. Why didn't they do that?
Kinda disappointed they didn't go that route
Paddy Considine is phenomenal as always whether he's funny or extremely dramatic to the point where I cried when he (spoilers) crawled up the throne to declare his legitamacy for Rhynaras.
Hell of a start to the season. Making watching GOT every night something to be fun again
I pause on 0:08 so that I express an "Independent Opinion" and than I procced to watch the clip. I personally liked it. A) It was good on it`s own ~show B) it was so build it hinted me about just enough things about the previous season to have some memories of it re emerged... By the end of the episode I could even tell which some of the characters were and what they were doing. C) (that`s like an added bonus based on personal bias) It overall "matched me" meaning for what it was worth, this one showed me something I wanted to see at the current moment with the indications it will continue to do so in further ones.
One thing however I can say and it is *Spoiler Alert* at the very end there was real "Hollywood pushed it further than it have ever before, based on my knowledge of it" moment. Obviously Game of Thrones was launched and intended as "hard to stomach" show (or House of the Dragon, whatever) but this moment near the end of s02 e01 was ~a bit too hard to ~mentally digest.
I thought it was an enjoyable episode, but they completly messed up the Blood and Cheese scene.
All of the craziness going on in this episode and the part that made me the maddest….when he kicked that dog! 😂
How do people not realize Daemon told them to go for the next best option (which is Jaehaerys) if they can't find Aemond...
THIS is the quality I want from my Star Wars/Marvel projects
Too much to ask?
After reading F&B I was really excited to see the ending of this episode. They handled it perfectly
BTW, we're all chipping in to send you a case of booze so you can make it to the end of the Acolyte/AcoSh*t videos. Glad someone has the courage to take one for the team! Rock on, man!
Jeremy... it's 2 in the morning. Why must you do this to me?
I am so happy that house of the dragon is back
An ok episode. But they completely screwed the Blood and Cheese scene. I know people hate comparing to the book(s), but it was so much better in every version written by GRRM.
I'd argue that, from what was shown in episode 1, Aegon wanted to be a decent king. He tried hard to accommodate the people that called on him but Otto put him in his place. He had good intentions and after he finds out his son was killed that goes out the window.
Aegon isn't the asshole that we think he is though. He's actually nice. If he was presented as Joffrey then the whole Black vs Green thing would be moot. They did a great job of presenting him as being good with wanting to compensate the sheep herder
I think Joffrey was a psychopath. He wasn't even mean or firm. He just wanted to hurt people. Cersei was actually not a bad leader, it's just the things she did to get there is what got her and the father in trouble.
When that opening theme hit all I could think was, "WE'RE BACK BABY!!"
They messed up the "blood and cheese" scene by not having Haleana choose which kid she would like to keep (it's way different from her pointing out which one is a boy and not). I know they had to tone it down for TV but damn, I was expecting that scene and their delivery was very anti-climactic.
It’ll be interesting what they do this season. So far it seems to be deviating from the book a bit. I didn’t expect Jace to come back from the North this quickly, for instance. I won’t say much more due to spoilers, but that was an interesting decision.
Give emma darcy her emmy
Agreed! If you didn’t feel her pain you ain’t human!
Absolutely fanbtastic episode. At first you may think it slow and boring but at the heart of it it's actually a fantastic slow burn character exploration of where we left of almost everyone. Beautiful visuals, direction and music. And again - great character development and a sick twisted ending. What's not to love?
It was weird that daemon specifically said the guy with the eye patch and they decided to go after the baby in a crib.. they literally could have just been like.. yes the rat traps are set, we will come pick them up tomorrow and try again.
someone said in the books, if they couldnt find aemond, daemon said to kill any targaryan son, a son for a son i guess, this will most likely make rhaenyra angry, cause an innocent boy like her own son died, and aemond still lives.
@@poggamus4330 ah shit I stopped reading your post. Because I’m a huge thrones lore guy but I’m doing everything I can to not be spoiled on this story even thought I know what happens, but I don’t really know so not diving into the TH-cam videos like you could for OG Thrones with theories
They ask Daemon what to do if they can't find him, and it seems that he said the phrase "a son for a son". So, I think he told them to go after the prince if they can't find Aemond.
You also gotta remember these dudes are amateurs. That's why the version in the book is clearly an exaggeration by the sources the maester writing "fire and blood" is using. They weren't trained assassins, they were a rat catcher and a city guard. They wouldn't necessarily think long term.
@poggamus4330 In the books, Aemond was never the target. It was always Aegons' son Jaeherys.