Why did Rings of power include so many coloured people compared to the hobbit and lord of the rings trilogy? Most medieval fantasies are based on northern or central european culture.
Otto deserves an Emmy for this part. I am just so utterly impressed by this man’s acting. To be fair every single actor manages to embody their role completely from season 1 to now. Otto Hightower is just such a delight to watch-he’s just so so so good. WOW. I’m literally savoring every scene the man is on and just take in every sentence and facial expression with pure delight. One of the best performances in all of Game of Thrones.
He does subtle things that are awesome. Like in episode one when Alicent and Cole entered the council, his expression was as if he knew something was going on between them. He is amazing in this role
Need to correct Gary/Ryan, it IS AEGON II that orders all the ratcatchers to death. Otto's part is that later he brings in 100s of cats 🐈 to the Red Keep to do the job. Otto wasn't the one who gave the orders.
Otto Did not, in fact, order the murder of the Rat catchers in the book. Just an FYI, "In his grief and fury King Aegon II commanded that all city's ratcatcher's be taken out and hanged, and this was done. Ser Otto brought 100 cats into the Red Keep to take their place." pgs 425-426 Fire & Blood
This is why I get frustrated listening to these guys talk about the show…. Literally everything they say is the book this and the book that …. The show is never going to follow what the books were verbatim…… STFU about the books and review the show!!!
I'm gonna defend the Aemond scene. He isn't crying or anything, he's just being honest with sugar-mom about his regrets and insecurities. Him losing his cool DID start a war, he's not an idiot, he knows that was a mistake. He'll never admit it to anyone openly, but he will vent it to his therapist. "Stone cold killer is a softie to their side-chick" is a well known phenomenon. He's keeping it behind doors. And the lady's not _that_ old. I think the scene stands
Scrolling through the comments, I'm left with the impression that some viewers just don't want to see that side of the characters because it 'makes them look weak' or something; It just seems kinda weird, in a show like this, to _only_ want to see the 'cool' or 'badass' sides of a character, but here we are I do have some concerns growing, but still enjoying the show as a whole thus far
@@reaps912 I'd agree with them if that conversation was with Alicent or Aegon or at the counsel; but that scene clearly being framed as within a private brothel space, that's exactly the place where guys like him DO vent their feelings. It's like Tony Soprano with his therapist VS Tony talking to literally anybody else. Like, Hans Gruber _definitely_ vents insecure shit at his side-chick. It's a well-known phenomenon with guys like that Look up any interview with a hooker, they have a hundred stories about "powerful men in places of leadership would come to me with their insecurities because they couldn't even talk to their own wife or look weak ever; they're all just boys"
@@reaps912 but yeah, if it was with Alicent or Aegon or god-forbid at the council, I would agree with the complaints, but that scene was clearly framed as a private vent-space where Deamon "was never there". Very very common with guys like that who can't talk openly or show weakness even to their own family, to go to (women like that) to dump their insecurities. (Copypasting this in case YT randomly memory holes me again, goddamn)
@@samwallaceart288 youtube comments is getting worse and worse. Sometimes it'll straight-up delete your comment in seconds, other times it'll twiddle it's thumbs for 15 minutes and then shadowban your _comment_ (it'll still show up in your comments history but will be missing from the comment chain when you visit the page) Meanwhile bots copypaste someone else's comment and it gets 1k upvotes, absolutely atrocious. Anytime I write something longer than one paragraph I'll copypaste it into notebook and leave it for a day, it's gotten that bad
The Producers pulled a fast one on us. They lied its not Erryk that died and defeated Arryk, and take his own life at the end. It was actualy Arryk. If you look closly at there wounds during the battle, especially when Rhaenyra is trying to run away and you see one of the brothers runs tward Rhaenyra and goes for the kill but the brother stops him and Arryk falls on and breaks the statue, from that point on if you look at there wounds you will see there is a large wound on Erryk's right knee and a wound on the right side of his face. From there you will see its Arryk that kills Erryk and then Arryk kills himself at the end.
i was 1000% sure that Erryk died, based on the wounds and the last bits of dialogue. then was super confused by the other brother unaliving himself. it didnt even came to me, that after spilling the blood of his kin he regretted all these and came to realization that he did all these for a king thats not even worth saving and he was striking at the queen that was the rightful heir, whom he was sworn to protect; all the while his brother remained true to the cape, lost his life protecting the roghtful heir he was supposed to protect like a kingsguard should and was slayed by his own hands , guess he couldnt take it anymore
47:18 Still a better executed "Twins" story than The Acolyte. What I am really enjoying about this show is the ability to tell me everything without saying a word. Good acting, good characters and for the most part an unpredictable story.
I agree. The ability of these actors to convey what they're thinking with just their expressions is incredible! Rhys Infans in particular...holy crap! Every scene he's in is a masterclass.
The story is predictable, and it all ends in season 8 of game of thrones. Unlike GOT, there is nothing really unpredictable in the show, the events that follow are all predictable based on the characters' actions, however the writing and acting is very good. You don't really have the shocking developments of GOT here, we all know where it's going and what will happen to the characters.
@@rpgadventurer32 No.. I haven't read the books and have forgotten any mention of these characters in Game of Thrones years ago... the ending of the first half had me genuinely shocked... they killed that baby and as a single full-time widower and father I grieved with Aegon... I did not expect any of this in the first couple episodes.
23:40 Matt & Emma are just so fckn good on-screen together! I only have ONE bone to pick: When Rhaenyra accuses Daemon of plotting "his war" when she was in labor. Go rewatch Episode 10/S1, Daemon did EVERYTHING CORRECTLY. • He knows Otto's plan will be to send a small band of assassins & do it thru stealth. So he organizes what little force they have on Dragonstone to watch the skies & the beaches. They dont have much men, but they can be vigilant & LOOK stronger than they are. • He correctly understands that no more time can be wasted. The Greens had a head start & they need to play catch up & FAST. So he wants to secure the Riverlands & Harrenhall bc he knows strategically that will tip the war in their favor. Jace walks in & says nothing is to be done w/out the Queen's consent. Daemon has the maester send the ravens anyways -- again, time can't be wasted. All Daemon did in those crucial hours/days when Rhaenyra was struggling thru her birth -- something we've seen the MEN can do nothing abt -- He took the assertive role to PROTECT HIS QUEEN/WIFE & THEIR KIDS & in many ways to secure her claim as the rightful heir/ruler. So when Rhaenyra answered Jace when he asked "Wheres Daemon?" & she goes, "I dont know...gone to madness...gone to 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘳..." AND she throws that back in his face in THIS argument...dafuq??! He did what was necessary, he acted appropriately & he probably got them ahead of the curve which they desperately needed at the time. It's bizarre that even Rhaenyra cannot recognize that. & I'll be honest, when she said her "I want Aemond Targaryen" line, she LOOKED directly at Daemon with a "do what you do" look in her eyes & she knew he's been out for blood since he learned Viserys died & they usurped her throne...what did she think was gonna happen? & what responsibility will SHE bear for her part in it? Bc she could've also said aloud "I want him dead, but we'll make a plan". Or something. When she singled out Daemon, she couldve pulled him aside & said "We'll do it together. Promise me." Point is, she could've stopped it. Also Rhaenyra, BEGGED Daemon to join her, "I cannot do this without you." Saying she can't face the Greens on her own. Daemon was gonna fuck off back to Pentos, but she asked him to stay with her. & she wanted him BECAUSE of his "darkness", that was a key component, "They will fear what we're capable of (together)"... But now she wants to act brand new to the man she's known her entire life & wanted to marry all-along 🙄
This is what I dislike most about this show. The writers go out of their way to make everyone look better & more righteous (frequently at Daemon's expense, in this case with Rhaenyra) & they always play Daemon as the irredeemable psycho villain. I remember last season the writers even outright said they don't get why Daemon is so popular, coz they really hate the dude. Their bias shows. I feel like his character's been treated rather unjustly. Not to mention that they are seething that Matt Smith stole their narrative even with the limited presence he 's been given.
It's one of those many situations of a show trying to tell you one thing while the reality of what happens in that show actually means another. They keep doing it with the queen that never was (didn't even wanna try spelling her name lol) constantly sprinkling her in like she's a badass when everything she says or does is wrong or stupid.
I'm so glad somebody sees it as well. When I heard that the writers didn't understand why Daemon was popular I knew the second season was doomed as they would try to diminish him. And here we are. Both Daemon and Aemond are now pathetic it seems. I think I might be done with this show after this episode.
And a bull's eye again. I could not wait to be rid off her character so that this foolishness would stop. Her 'badass' moment of episode 9 ruined the otherwise perfect scene of the coronation. She trampled dozens of innocent smallfolk just for show and now she somehow has the moral highground over Daemon.
I think Otto still sees Aegon as Alicent's son; no matter how pissed Aegon gets, he wouldn't fire Grampa Otto, his mom would kill him. But then Aegon's like "fuck mom, fuck you, I'm the king" and he's like ". . . Ah shit"
I think Ryan and Gary missed a bit of the consequences of those supposed “smart but ruthless” choices that Tywin and Otto made. Tywin orchestrating the Red Wedding has plunged Westorosi culture and society into a chaotic decline. Where not just among the nobles but the common folk now have a dim view of their betters and it’s becoming harder to negotiate and function in good faith throughout the realm.
"Explain to me why it is more noble to kill 10,000 men in battle than a dozen at dinner." How would you explain it to him?" Yeah a lot of people miss the part about this quote where the through line becomes. "Then the realm will know no peace as dinner becomes the battlefield." I really enjoy tywin and Otto as characters and the gravitas Charles and Rhys Ifans bring .But ultimately theyre men who are tearing apart their own dynasties and the realm through their pride and ruthlessness.
I laughed SO HARD when Alyn said "You have not seen what I've seen", the flashbacks were so strong) It's almost like the writers of HOTD heard that phrase in TROP and took it as a challenge to put this phrase in in a well-suited manner.
@@omsaxena116 when it was just a common line, it was fine because there was nothing attached to it. It's just a general establishment of someone with more experience trying to prevent a younger person from going into danger. It's the atrocious writing and bad acting in trop that completely destroyed any weight that line used to have.
@omsaxena116 Yes, my first thought that it was a dig at Rings of Power, and that it was an appropriate usage as it was "I have been in combat, it kind of sucks as an experience".
As someone who hasn't read the source material for this show, I thought this episode was brilliant. A couple questionable scenes, but an easy 9/10 for me. The reason I came to love Game of Thrones in the first place was for the incredibly compelling political intrigue behind the fight for the throne, which is part of the reason why the more action-oriented final two seasons fell flat for me. HotD feels like a return to form, and I'm here for it. The way the scale tips one way than the other due to Daemon's ruthlessness, Aegon's stupidity, Cole and Alicent's trysts, Otto's maneuvering, Larys's scheming...it's fantastic. The acting in this episode is superb across the board, able to tell a deeper story with mere facial expressions than most shows can with entire exposition dumps. And there was a moment where we got a wide shot of Dragonstone and I just thought...this is F-ing beautiful. Unlike The Acolyte, you can totally tell the budget was put to good use in this show.
I wonder if the kids head coming loose and rolling off into the muck is a (deleted) scene that they shot but chickened out on in the final edit?! LOL ;-)
This episode definitely made me sympathize more with Otto. In truth, the man isn't evil like Tywin was. He thought he was doing right by his house and the realm by having Aegon as king. In this episode though, it does seem like he's having regrets about his actions and feels like he betrayed Viserys. A man it seems that Otto did have love and respect for.
Otto realized that he had an illusion of control, not real control. His firing was something of a relief to him, but I imagine he will still be agonizing over the results of his plotting.
I feel like he is evil though, he just thinks he's doing the right thing while serving his own interests at the same time. He is not at peace with that fact. Tywin was the same and that was his undoing, for all his talk family and legacy, he died because he always served himself
@@sarwatarannya8786Otto isn't as callous as Tywin. Otto is a man with no birthright he is trying to secure his legacy by hitching his wagon to the Targaryens. I don't think Otto is the same type of evil as Tywin, Tywin is fueled by pride. Otto is fueled by fear of irrelevance.
@@sarwatarannya8786 A noble man in a place like Westeros, who got angry to the King that some rat catchers were wrongfully put to death is definitely not evil. He cares how the smallfolks view them, not many Lords in that world are like this.
Theres a lot of subtle things which is what I'm really enjoying this show for. When Otto is unmade as the Hand, the first time he turns to leave he grabs the door to close it as he is leaving, when he is told "you are dismissed", he no longer bothers to close the door behind him. There is a large shift in mindset and the way people act that undertone shifts inside the characters. The contrast of this with anything disney spaceballs is just hilarious, and saddening at the same time.
The kingsguard twin cant change into his armor after he arrives on dragonstone because he cannot put on the armor by himself. It takes some help as show with Cole many times.
@@sleepylion9788why can't he just be out on patrol to the docks? His twin was the one on a ship who found Mysaria so his duties include being near and on ships and walking from docks
@@loveoffilm4327correct established in the 1st episode. It all makes perfect sense. Someone spotting him out of his kingsguard amour would be suspicious anyway. "Hey Sir, Erryk why are you out of uniform"
I think Daemon calling the assassination "a mistake" is drawing a comparison to Aemond's killing of Lucerys. As characters, they are mirror images, Aemond's actions were unintentional, but he tells everyone they were, but Daemon's intentional actions were played off as a mistake.
It could also be that when asked watch to do if they can’t find Aemond Daemon says leave and try again another day But they were impatient so wanted to kill someone then Daemons probably did order it but then again he may not have
It could also be that when asked watch to do if they can’t find Aemond Daemon says leave and try again another day But they were impatient so wanted to kill someone then Daemons probably did order it but then again he may not have
Episode started stronk & peaked with the soap-opera scene between Daemon & Raenera *( which would have been even more powerful were it spoken in Valaryan ) Ended with one of the saddest things I've seen in All of GoT. Also: Tom Glynn-Carney can act his arse off! He's going to be fantastic, in this series, & many features to come.
When Daemon says that he is not going to held responsible for a mistake, it is also Rhaenyra who is attempting to dodge responsibility for what happened. She did give the order to get Aemond. She is ultimately responsible for what her loyalists do in carrying out that order. The Greens are not entirely wrong in framing her for Jaeherys's assassination, just the result was far from her intent, like a murderous game of Telephone.
I want to see Criston bite the curb in 4k. I hate him for sending Arryk to his death out of his own regret. His actor is doing a really good job, his face when Arryk walks away from the conversation really sold me on Criston being an unhinged mf.
I don't hate him. Because of his ambitions, and weaknesses, he wants to feather his own nest, but I also think he is being used, in a way, by Alicent. She could cry rape one day and that insidious moral blackmail might be preying on his mind in a way ( I haven't read the books). He knows he has sinned, and seems be digging himself deeper every minute. On the other hand, having been "badly" treated by Rhaenyra, he is now against her, and perhaps he is just a cold blooded sneaky so and so. But for the moment he doesn't come across that way to me.
@@emk3485 hmmm there are a few Daeron’s in the asoiaf world but this one is Daeron the daring. He’s actually one of the normal ones in the green camp and was a pretty good guy and a fair minded kid despite fighting against Rhaenyra and the blacks! He is like the Jaecerys Velaryon of the greens! And I agree! It’s been pretty good so far. I enjoyed the 1st season and the second season is off to a good start although I wish they would include more book material, I still think it’s been super entertaining and a breath of fresh air in entertainment. The writing, acting, costumes, soundtrack, cinematography and sets have been fantastic. I’d go 7.5-8/10. I hope they keep things moving in the right direction
Anyone else think the main thing this show suffers from is a lack of characters and actors playing those characters that are as varied and interesting as GOT? I notice this with Otto, he’s so great in every scene he’s in but doesn’t have characters around him at that level whereas in GOT, we get to see Tywin for example (his closest comparison) spar with Varys, little finger, Jaime, Cersei, etc… Matt Smith stands out but of course he’s reduced to sparring with rhaneyara. Side note, rhaenyara and Alicent are fine but not interesting enough to be the main characters of really only two factions that dominate screen time.
You are totally right. I really hope that at least Daemon and Alys Rivers interaction might be intriguing (if it happens now). The few characters that I find truly interesting rarely or never interact and the rest is just meh. It baffles me that I have already seen a quarter of this season and there has not been Aemond on Aegon conversation - that should be an interesting dynamic.
I liked this episode much more than the first. So many good moments of just two people talking. No need for wars and duels just people talking. The scenes between Rhaenyra and Damon, and Otto and Aegon were especially fantastic. Otto was a definitive highlight of the episode. I love how you can see the regret in his face as if he's saying "God i miss Viserys" when Aegon is being so stupid. Great episode in general
I think it was kinda weird that the guard that fake Erryk relieved, when he rushed back into the room he was entirely undressed (out of armor) given how quickly that whole sequence was I think it would've made more sense if he was like half way out of his armor when the maid came to him, like shoulders and boots off but breastplate still on, maybe with his helmet on as that's super easy to grab as you are running out the door.
02:44:00 He very, very clearly states he hates the subterfuge and wants to fight in the light when he is being ordered to do it. The scene makes sense, he didnt want to be a filthy assassin, but to kill her with honour and her being aware and knowing it. Prob why he locked the door too, if he wanted to just kill her he didnt need to do it, in fact it would close one of his escape routes, he could just approach and stab. He tried to do it with honour, in accordance to his character.
31:00 Otto was clearly vindictive towards Daemon because he was the only real threat to his influence over Viserys. Otto is not about "the greater good" he just wants his own legacy.
If I had a quid for each episode of HotD S2 so far where the violent dramatic climax of the episode is undercut by Alicent Hightower getting porked by Criston Cole, I’d have £2… which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
It's weird, and it isn't an interesting development anyway, turning them into hypocrites makes their characters more flat and feels like appeasing the Rhaenyra stans who just want Alicent to be horrible.
@@frankvandorp2059 I was so disappointed in her. I was so hoping her feeling (rightfully) guilty for the death of Jaehaerys would turn her around and make her grow a moral backbone, but it doesn't seem so.
@frankvandorp2059 This show is written by Rhaenyra stans sadly. I'm honestly not sure if they'll actually show Rhaenyra becoming more cruel and tyrannical like in the book.
@@SolarDragon007 At this point, I'm starting to really worry about that, especially because they're also intent on depicting Mysaria VERY sympathetically. It's almost as if they're laying the groundwork for completely rewriting the most important part of the story, turning it around 180 degrees and turn villains into misunderstood victims. That would be a GoT season 8 level failure as far as I'm concerned.
@frankvandorp2059 Hopefully, Rhaenyra begins to change after the Battle of the Gullet. That was a major turning point for her character in the book as well.
Gary and others are very genuine in their reviews, whether they cover good shows or bad shows. The bad shows are unfortunately far more in numbers and are utter shit, so the reviews given are appropriate to their horrible quality.
The White Worm later uses her position being in Rhaenyra's confidence to her advantage - she still plays a part later, they had to get her back to Rhaenyra and in her good books somehow. I think they did a good job there, as well as establishing she knows Erryk and Arryk are twins.
Does anyone else feel like Daemons biggest payoff from Season 1 is taken away in his argument with Rhaenyra? Daemon places his brothers crown back on his head and helps him to the throne, an acceptance of his brother's place as king. I feel his critiques of Viserys in this argument is coming more from the audience than from Daemon himself.
@@spicysausage8805 that's not really the issue I take with it. I think Rhaenyra makes her position quite clear, and I don't necessarily take issue with her statements or critiques of Daemon (may change with rewatches). My main issue is with Daemons' critiques of Viserys, calling him weak as a king, just doesn't sit right with where Daemon is at the end of season 1, especially after watching his crippling brother take the throne to hold fast his promise to Rhaenyra in front of a hall of people who've doubted him
The thing about Maelor not being in it isn't necessarily true. Ryan Condal said that, with how they wanted to do season one, their simply wasn't a way to have Maelor be born and have it realistically fit into the time frame, hence, he said "Maelor isn't born yet. " That would seem to suggest that Maelor will be coming at a later point.
It could work dramatically as there's more pressure on Helaena to produce an heir in the middle of this war. That said, the we won't be getting that "you're mum wants you dead" drama so it'll be a change longterm
I’m a complete newcomer to the channel. Still learning. I’ve been enjoying the well deserved roasting of Acolyte here, as well as on many other creator’s channels. Hilarious and informative, all. What I would like to say here is that I’m genuinely happy to watch you gents have a fun, positive and intellectual (and of course nerdy) discussion about this series. I totally passed on GOT - I blame it on the SouthPark’s parodies. But I actually got through season 1 of HOTD. I’m liking season 2 a lot more. Great video!
Watch the first 4 seasons of GOT, you can even add season 5 and 6. They were better, more impactful with arguably the best cast overall on tv and the plot covers many characters, houses and regions in the world. There were plenty of shocking moments and it was more brutal in comparison. It's far "bigger" in scope than HOTD that leads to a civil war and a known ending of one house. HOTD has some great actors, scenes and drama, but it also has greater imperfections than the earlier seasons of GOT that are, IMO, unmatched to this day.
Would Erryk have said anything different? Also it's clear from their exchange that Arryk was the one chocking Erryk and Arryk is the one who got killed first. Unless I missed something, I'm pretty sure Erryk lived.
@@omsaxena116 Erryk was being choked, but Erryk/"the one who was choked" was also the one who was ran through with the sword. Arryk lived, Arryk had wounded his forehead by the fall. in i dont wanna wrote essays but pretty sure Arryk who is supposed to be a kingsguard and a lrotector of the throne as well as by extension the protector of rightful heir was going through some serious complex emotions after k^lling his twin, the fact that Arryk was the one who lived and unalived himself is what makes the scene 100x better.
That's really annoying, yeah. It doesn't help Mauler's enjoyment either, which seems to be on a downward trend anyway. Let's not add to that unnecesarily, shall we?
I've noticed the "Toning down" Of the violence as well for two episodes now, Notably The Cargyll twins Duel book description was that Erryk almost severed Arryk's arm from the shoulder and before passing away Arryk slips a blade into Erryk's belly and dies in agony four days after. They really PG-13'd the scene and that really dulled out the impact of the twin's death.
I liked it overall. But seriously, maybe people would like it more if they just gave Matt Smith more screen time. Such a waste of a great actor and a character
The character is not a patient, "sit and talk politics" kind of character. More of a; "break everything" character. The "break everything" episodes will VERY SOON.
Shame that the show did not keep one of the twin survived. it could keep the suspense high of everyone to keep guessing, "Is this Erryk or Arryk?" Of course he'd say he's Erryk, but is he? Make Rhaenyra distrustful of her own guard.
Everyone seems to be missing the main aspect which is their reputation. Erryk doesn't kill himself because it'll be hard to figure out who is who physically. He does it because it hard to tell them apart morally. They reflect on each other. One or the other has betrayed the crown. One or the other has participated in an assassination. And now the remaining one bears some responsibility for the near-success of this assassination and has kin-slayed. He has the exact same view on this as Cole except he has the adrenaline in that moment to "escape".
Heres my interpretation with the twin brother situation. For the sake of clarity, I'll be referring to the Eric's as their affiliation with the blacks or greens. The Eric who pulled the sword first on rhaenrya wasn't team green Eric but team black Eric. My reasoning for this, the Eric that takes guard of the door to rhaenryas room is an Eric who is nervous/scared/uncertain/unconfident of what to do, purely because the answer the Eric gives to the doorsman is a pretty shakey one. The answer is literally "ehh I'm not tired you go rest doorman while I stand guard" even the doorman guard was like "that's a little irregular for you but alright I guess" which means the Eric standing at the door is team green Eric. So why is the Eric who pulled the sword first against rhaenrya not team green Eric but team black eric? Listen to what that Eric says. He says something along the lines of "im sorry I had no choice" why would team green Eric say something like that when his motivation is just a small scale thing (relatively speaking), that bring his honor. Team Green Eric has a choice and he knows it. So my thinking is that Rhaenryas council is plotting against her cause they know objectively speaking, she's on the losing side of this civil war rn. So the council convinced team black Eric to kill rhaenrya to essentially stop all of this. They literally concocted a similar plan to cristin Cole though for different reasons. I would even say that rhaenrya inadvertently being behind the death of Aegons child definitely plays into the decision to kill rhaenrya. Also I think the Eric who kills himself at the end of the battle, was again, not team black Eric but team green Eric. My main reason for this is that team green Eric went into this mission extremely conflicted. Not only because his brother is involved, but because rhaenrya is inherently tied to the crown, something he is extremely honor driven for, so killing a "queen" in her sleep, let alone in general, was too much for him, along with killing his brother, so he just decided enough was enough so he killed himself. He even says "im sorry your grace" (I think atleast, I'm typing this out while at work lol). Why would team black Eric say he is sorry along with calling his queen "grace" when he needs to be even more formal than others in the most dying times. I think that was a little slip of the tongue of team green Eric right before he was gonna die
This was one of my favorite episodes based on the amount of scenes i was glued to the screen. Aegon tantrum, Aegon vs small council, Otto vs Aegon, Daemon vs Rhaenyra, Rhaenyra vs Mysaria, Erryk vs Arryk, baby vs funeral. Literally every scene was a 10/10 except the very short Jace/Baela scene, Corlys, Alyn of Hull, and Hugh scenes which were fine just not amazing like the others Im very surprised Mauler was mixed on this, maybe hes watching for Daemon and Aemond moments
the guy who plays Otto was out of this world again...Daemon was top as well. overall acting in HotD is matched only by Tywin, Tyrion, Joffery from GoT when Otto went out shouting at Aegon...missed one line... "WHO THE FUCK YOU THINK WILL CATCH THE RATS NOW?" SPOLIER the Greens just got rid of their only capable man xD Daemon would be just like Maegor before the Faith told him he can't get a second wife... quite decent king if you ask me... he`s sharp at anger, but he was always calculated not like Maegor.
No, the cast of GOT was better overall and also far bigger in scope. The top actors of GOT in the first 6 seasons are unmatched. I would suggest you to go and watch the earlier seasons again. The actors who play Otto and Daemon are the only two - and the one who played Viserys - that can actually match the top actors of the earlier seasons in GOT.
Good actor, but poor character. Feels like another Ramsay or Joffrey, just make him as unlikeable as possible so audiences will clap and cheer when he gets offed. There is zero depth to his character while there was so much great material to work with. Came from nothing, became a kingsguard, a self made man where every orher character is a noble or royal who inherited their power from their dads. Then gets exploited by a royal and loses all he lives for. But you can't make Criston more likeable without making Rhaenyra less likeable, and the show clearly wants Rhaenyra to be as likeable as possible. Missed opportunity.
@@frankvandorp2059 ... But that is the whole point of the character ? Zero depth to his character ? Mate, he just projected all his own mistakes and faults, on the Twin guy, then made him go on a suicide mission to kill Rhaenyra. Im not gonna say he is deep as the Mariana Trench, but he is still deeper than a puddle of piss.
The acting, directing and most of the dialogue is still phenomenal and despite the flaws at the end of the day HotD is still one of the best shows on TV nowadays because its an actual show like we used to get unlike something like The Aco-shite but there is some genuine criticism to be had. I do agree there toning down a lot of the violence and nudity almost to the point that other than the language this could be PG-13. As much as D&D messed up Game of Thrones they knew how to hook viewers with shock value at least early on anyways. The Red Wedding and Mountain vs. the Viper were more brutal than the books whereas Blood and Cheese and the Cargyll twin fight weren't. In a universe like this its appropriate for a ton of sex, nudity, gore and violence. Even though I enjoy HotD I do think its lacking that oomph factor that made the early seasons of GoT memorable.
the actor playing Aegon also plays in "Rogue Heroes," which is a historical action show based on the origins of the SAS, and he really crushes it there!
Finaly FNT can have a discussion about something good again! I feel like its been awhile since I have got to see a good! A series that can be enjoyed! It feels like Disney crap have monopolized most reviews for far to long now! I have not read the books! I read up until the "Red wedding" befor! but this time I went in blind and I like it so far!
Rhaegal is the dragon that got shot by the scorpion. The dragon Jon rode named after Rhaegar. Coincidence that he rode the dragon named after his dad. Drogon was the dragon Daenerys rode, named after her late husband. There are so many good choices for favorite character but I have to say Oberon Martell. I know, Pedro but IDC.
Instead of Aemond talking about how he lost his temper with Lucaerys I think it would've been better if instead the scene focused more on his guilt over his nephew's death and the "they were there for me" part instead of talking about how he lost his temper (cards I think he is wise enough to keep closer to his chest).
My understanding was that Criston Cole didn't make any mistakes in terms of planning things but his sense of guilt makes him act out, just like Daemon acts out, it's an attempt to regain control over their lives. Also there were questions raised about their behaviours but I think both Daemon and Aegon flail around looking for people to blame and punish when it's clearly not reasonable. Aegon is completely beside himself and utterly incapable of rational thinking by Episode 2.
I agree, mixed bag of an episode.. cargyll bowl and Otto/Aegon, rhaenyra/daemon scenes were very good. Really enjoyed the kings guard parts and funeral shots too. However the white worm scene being forced was wayyyy unnecessary and redundant writing? She could have just been freed? All that talking for the same thing daemon promised to happen.. happens..? Dumb.. but other than that solid episode. Good reviews dudes
Little tisms aside this is one of the better shot and directed episodes of all GoT and HotD, the shot composition went crazy the entire time. This is the best looking show out right now and I won’t hear any arguments
The scene of Daemon in full armour leaving for Harrenhal was awesome 🤟🏼 Not gonna lie I was slightlyyyy disappointed by the episode. But I think great things to come 👌🏼
A great way to insert Mushroom into the show w/o us ever really interacting with him would be having him be there entertaining the king and his friends in the background of Blood & Cheese.
I wish Otto was more harsh on Criston Cole. Criston Cole butting in pissed me off. Like "Criston stfu this is an AB conversation." Don't tell me to beware when disciplining *MY* grandson.
The thing is that Cole has the privilege of talking to Otto because he's the lord commander (part of the small cuncil) and he knows how to get in Aegon's mind. Otto has influence but he's not even the head of the Hightowers.
@@ILoveManCity.Otto is the hand of the King and clearly outranks Criston in station and the social hierarchy. Otto is the son of a historied house he is the grandfather of Aegon and Criston is a 1st generation noble. Criston has a loose tongue too and even Aegon took offense to it when Criston called Rhaenyra "Bich Queen." Rewatch the scene. Someone needs to put that man in his place. "Always Doin' Too Much, It's Just Alcohol, You Actin' Like a Kid."
@@sebastianprimomija8375 Otto overrule any other member on the absence of the King, but when the king it's present he (the hand) its just another council member and on Ser Crisppin case, hes not intimidated because he knows Aegon its happy with him and has been unhappy with Otto for months if not years. Aegon feels validated by Criston and he's surprised by how much he also hates Rhaenyra, perhaps Aegon will get suspicious and investigate/discover his mother affair.
@@ILoveManCity. Yeah true enough but its still improper for an underling to display such behavior and not correcting him. Otto is right about Aegon. He is weak and it shows in how he conducts himself and how his councilmen act. Criston "Crub-biting" Cole shows that. Aegon in rewarding such behavior is proof enough for me that Otto was so right when he was speaking about Viserys' virtues as king which Aegon does not have. It shouldn't be Aegon IV the Unworthy that should be called that it should be Aegon II.
I'm a bit worried about how young Aegon the Younger is. There is a scene in the future that will need emotions from him that I don't think a kid that young can pull off
I’m not asking for a big battle scene, but I absolutely want more action scenes. And they have the opportunities to do them. Why did the dragon attacking Seasnake happen off screen?!?
The Hugh and Adam scene didnt land because they didnt have a scene with a known character which would have felt more congealed. Them o. Their own felt like a different sbow 🤷♀️
I just take issue with Rheanyra being so shocked that Daemon attempted what he did. Did her dramatic, season one ending, angry at the camera face just mean she had gas? You said you wanted Aemond. You know a war is coming. Does it really "weaken" her cause? A simple statement like "eye for an eye"/"they're usurpers" literally would justify the action to any other house - even "kinslaying for a kinslaying" considering her boy just died. Why is she trying to act so virtuous. You're going to have to get your hands dirty, unless you're all talk and just going to spend your days at Dragonstone bitching like Rheynse (sp) being like "it was muh turn" until you're dead. She even hit Daemon with the "Am I your queen" like he was Jon Snow "I dun' want it". Crazy. Hope this isn't a portent of things to come. I liked her character.
@blackmantis3130 Spoiler Hes one of the dragonseeds. They all claim dragons to ride. We've seen three of them in this episode. Hugh Hammer Adam Hull Ulf the White.
we need to stop simping alicent. this is a girl at 14 years old slept with her best friends DAD! .. and did before the mourning period for his wife was over. And before we say her father told her too... she could have said NO ..... the same way we wanted rhaenerya to say no to her betrothed. Novels aside the tv show made rhaeneryas betroved a golden gay who would not and could not get it up for her. and he convinced her any kids he had with harwin strong he would love as his own. so she hardly slept "around". she had 2 long term lovers before daemon. Criston cole who was older than her and acted like a beta brat and harwin who loved her and his kids. so the hate that ones a ho and one isnt .. is totally wrong. if anything alicent now is using criston like a tool to get her groove on.. and unlike what he could have had with rhaenerya the true heir. He could have been the father of a king, the right hand to a true queen and heir and now he went all beta bad cause he was butthurt
No, she really couldn’t. Alicent was not a princess so she couldn’t disobey her father. This is not a modern day drama where teenage girls can call out the old man consequences be damned.
This is such a clueless comment. You have to be a huge Rhaenyra simp in order to think ALICENT is the one who gets simped too much. It's NOT TRUE that Laenor couldn't get it up. Laenor says to Rhaenyra that they tried only " few times", meaning they couldn't be bothered to put in the necessary energy to get it working and gave up almost immediately, as both wanted to pursue their own selfish pleasures, instead of doing their duty to the realm. I wish Rhaenyra apologists would stop ignoring this fact. And even if this WEREN'T true and Laenor really couldn't get it up, it wouldn't justify anything, because Rhaenyra already HAD heirs: her brothers Aegon and Aemond. No need to put illegitimate children in the line of succession, and by doing so, Rhaenyra effectively guaranteed civil conflict in the future. I swear, all these Rhaenyra fans simply have no clue how this society even works, or what even happened in the show they've been watching.
As a proud member of Team Lurker I died laughing when Gary said I don’t read emojis. 😂. It’s nice to see the internet unite for the pure hatred of Ser Criston!
Otto turned Vicerys against Damon, so he can keep power, also this a coo by the sept they've been trying 2 wrestle power from the beginning, Viceres& Daemon together would have been a strong team,the sept could not have that. It was all about old town& the sept,not 4 the good 31:54 of the realm they would not been able 2 manipulate viceryes with Daemon by his side, all Daemon wanted was 2 consolidate the Targaryen bloodline,preserve valliran heritage& protect his brother. Ryhnera was the one who asked Daemon2 marry HER! 2 solidify her claim&Defend her claim from the Greens,then when the time came 4 him 2 due his part she diametrically opposed himWTF! Dude I can go on. I can't imagine how frustrating it is 2 b surrounded b people who don't seem 2 understand that their lives r on the line.
you know, i dont think daemon DOES give a fuck about a kids death. I think he is more pissed off that he isnt being congratulated for his actions. Like in S1 when he had the gold cloaks kill all the criminals, he sat there on the council proud, looking for his brother and others approval of his amazing job. He got scolded instead. And it happened here again, he got scolded by the queen he is fighting for. He wasnt going to say he had a hand in the child's death, yet he isn't pleased that rhaenerya is upset that he did it, even if he did for her. She then brought up her trust issues daemon and brought up his frustration from the past over the crown, that he clearly still has a chip on his shoulder about. Daemon has an ego, as we saw how he said he is better than his brother and deserves the crown, and is hurt when others challenge his greatness. He thinks its his brothers insecurities that prevented him from having the crown. And to hear he couldnt be trusted upsets him. He is tired of this conversation and this bitch nagging at him So he ends it not with an apology, but with an excuse "It was a mistake", and rhaenerya calls him pathetic cause he doesnt give a flying fuck, and instead of apologizing he gives a lame brane excuse of "It doesnt matter, who gives a fuck its whatever"
I think he's genuinely regretful that their position is weakened. He wanted Aemond down as a key rival and then afterthought "well just kill another boy if you can't find him, since you're there anyway" but now it's hitting him how much the realm united against his cause. It was a mistake
He was scolded for his time in the City Watch because Otto did not want him to have any power. Punishing criminals was his job in that position. Having his own nephew assassinated (regardless of which one ultimately died) is de facto kinslaying which is seen as an abominable sin in Westerosi culture.
He was scolded because the writers want him knocked down a peg to prop-up Rhaenerya. Great acting, but the writing for that part was jarringly shit and ignored several facets of their current reality and past behaviors in an attempt make her virtuous. Red flag.
The cracks are beginning to show in this episode. The scene in the house of ill-repute is an example of that. Let’s be honest - that scene could have been written by Leslye Headland, and it would have been rightfully criticized by the panel. They did a bit of that here, but held back a bit because of the otherwise great quality of HOTD.
The cracks are so wide you could fall through them. Everything in the show happens by coincidence and happenstance. Dreadlocks's seven ships happen to find the one ship in the dead of night that was smuggling spymaster girl, and the kingsguard who could recognize her just happened to be on that boarding patrol (instead of, you know... guarding Dragonstone like he is in every other scene). Then she happens to know a rat catcher and an angry guard who are willing to just murder the Prince on a whim. The rat catcher doesn't work upstairs, but he knows his way around. Then they happen to waltz through the castle with nary a guard or staff in sight and murder the lad. Then 70 guards with dogs and everything just happen to appear (guess they do exist!) and catch the dude before he can flee. Then the murderer snitches within the first 4 seconds, but he can't remember the face of the dude he just murdered the Prince with 30 minutes ago, so they have to murder all the rat catchers... Or how when Twin One walks into the Queen's bedroom, it's clearly established by her reaction that this isn't normal. But before he can kill her, Twin Two happens to just walk into the room (again... this isn't normal) at the very second he is needed, and they have a 5 minute fight scene replete with pratfalls and everything else. It's generally competent, is shot well and features some standout performances, but the writing is 'teleporting Dany' levels of rushed and lazy. It's written like a soap opera, not like a political thriller. It's the kind of show where a protagonist will be trapped in a burning building, knock over a glass of wine, and just happen to notice the wine draining into a secret passage in the ground that nobody knew about before. Watching it as a soap opera, it's entertaining enough (albeit frustrating in how pale a shade of early GoT is it), but it's weird that these guys are giving it a pass on stuff they would absolutely roast any of the Disney stuff for. Feels slightly disingenuous.
Could’ve done without the feminist, innuendo litter throughout the show though. The scene at the war table when she goes “watch yourself“ by insinuating the queen is irrational due to losing her child. Major eye roll. The need to ensure they show the women writers during the episode summaries are also so fucking predictable
why? it shows that the slaying of Jaehaerys has shaken her reputation among her own council and they don't trust her. He was insinuating that she did do it and pressing her which is why Rhaenys told him to back off because from her POV she probably already knows it wasn't her and likely Daemon. This is called writing
The guy was a lower rank talking smack about the Queen's personal motivation; old grandma Queen was reminding him what the heirarchy is. In this case it works
Aemond looks more like an elf than any elf in Rings of Power
Why did Rings of power include so many coloured people compared to the hobbit and lord of the rings trilogy? Most medieval fantasies are based on northern or central european culture.
@@thomasrosendahl2783Because Amazon is racist
@@thomasrosendahl2783forced diversity that makes zero sense in the written world.
Most angular face i ever seen.
@@thomasrosendahl2783 because amazon is r@c!st!
The chuckle from Otto when aegon says his dad chose him for king. Just perfect
Otto deserves an Emmy for this part. I am just so utterly impressed by this man’s acting. To be fair every single actor manages to embody their role completely from season 1 to now. Otto Hightower is just such a delight to watch-he’s just so so so good. WOW. I’m literally savoring every scene the man is on and just take in every sentence and facial expression with pure delight. One of the best performances in all of Game of Thrones.
Rhys Ifan really knows how to act man, He made us sympathize with Otto's frustrations and anger and I don't much like Otto tbh.
He does subtle things that are awesome. Like in episode one when Alicent and Cole entered the council, his expression was as if he knew something was going on between them. He is amazing in this role
This show is kinda boring garbage compared to game of thrones
@@ZaShiesty go watch season 8 of GOT then. Let the adults be here.
Ole... Ole Ole Ole! 🖤
Otto stole the show, my jaw was in the floor while watching that scene
Scene between Rhaenyra and Daemon was also pretty good. Good actress.
Otto vs Aegon was the only high point of this episode for me.
A high point in a show filled with dozens of high points@@terryd3113
He was great but this season has't been particularly good compared to s1.
@@DonEnzone Actress good, writing bad for that scene.
This season, the actor playing Aegon is showing to be an actor in his own right. The scene in the small counsel was phenomenal.
Rhys Ifans is such a great actor. He had some great expressions this episode. He seems to be so done with everyone not just listening to him.
“You are all morons! I want Viserys back.”
- Otto Hightower this Episode
Yeah like you can hate your boss or be annoyed by them but your next boss could be worse.
@@nicoleackerman205
Ain't that the truth
When your next boss turns out to be a DEI hired idiot. You'll miss the boss that keeps shouting at everyone but does his job.
@@nicoleackerman205this is the best analogy
Viserys doing things like trusting Otto is what created this war.
Need to correct Gary/Ryan, it IS AEGON II that orders all the ratcatchers to death. Otto's part is that later he brings in 100s of cats 🐈 to the Red Keep to do the job. Otto wasn't the one who gave the orders.
Otto Did not, in fact, order the murder of the Rat catchers in the book. Just an FYI, "In his grief and fury King Aegon II commanded that all city's ratcatcher's be taken out and hanged, and this was done. Ser Otto brought 100 cats into the Red Keep to take their place." pgs 425-426 Fire & Blood
Nice move by Otto btw.
This is why I get frustrated listening to these guys talk about the show…. Literally everything they say is the book this and the book that …. The show is never going to follow what the books were verbatim…… STFU about the books and review the show!!!
@@unknownslayer7128 I like Gary and Ryan's insights but I wish that Mauler would do it with Fringy, Rags and others who HAVEN'T read the books.
@@unknownslayer7128 ??? it's very interesting to see what they change, especially if it's made worse
I'm gonna defend the Aemond scene. He isn't crying or anything, he's just being honest with sugar-mom about his regrets and insecurities. Him losing his cool DID start a war, he's not an idiot, he knows that was a mistake. He'll never admit it to anyone openly, but he will vent it to his therapist.
"Stone cold killer is a softie to their side-chick" is a well known phenomenon. He's keeping it behind doors.
And the lady's not _that_ old. I think the scene stands
Scrolling through the comments, I'm left with the impression that some viewers just don't want to see that side of the characters because it 'makes them look weak' or something; It just seems kinda weird, in a show like this, to _only_ want to see the 'cool' or 'badass' sides of a character, but here we are
I do have some concerns growing, but still enjoying the show as a whole thus far
@@reaps912 I'd agree with them if that conversation was with Alicent or Aegon or at the counsel; but that scene clearly being framed as within a private brothel space, that's exactly the place where guys like him DO vent their feelings.
It's like Tony Soprano with his therapist VS Tony talking to literally anybody else.
Like, Hans Gruber _definitely_ vents insecure shit at his side-chick. It's a well-known phenomenon with guys like that
Look up any interview with a hooker, they have a hundred stories about "powerful men in places of leadership would come to me with their insecurities because they couldn't even talk to their own wife or look weak ever; they're all just boys"
@@reaps912 bruh again with the yt deletion, I had a whole comment responding but because I said h00ker uncensored it's all just yeeted.
@@reaps912 but yeah, if it was with Alicent or Aegon or god-forbid at the council, I would agree with the complaints, but that scene was clearly framed as a private vent-space where Deamon "was never there". Very very common with guys like that who can't talk openly or show weakness even to their own family, to go to (women like that) to dump their insecurities.
(Copypasting this in case YT randomly memory holes me again, goddamn)
@@samwallaceart288 youtube comments is getting worse and worse. Sometimes it'll straight-up delete your comment in seconds, other times it'll twiddle it's thumbs for 15 minutes and then shadowban your _comment_ (it'll still show up in your comments history but will be missing from the comment chain when you visit the page)
Meanwhile bots copypaste someone else's comment and it gets 1k upvotes, absolutely atrocious.
Anytime I write something longer than one paragraph I'll copypaste it into notebook and leave it for a day, it's gotten that bad
The Producers pulled a fast one on us. They lied its not Erryk that died and defeated Arryk, and take his own life at the end. It was actualy Arryk. If you look closly at there wounds during the battle, especially when Rhaenyra is trying to run away and you see one of the brothers runs tward Rhaenyra and goes for the kill but the brother stops him and Arryk falls on and breaks the statue, from that point on if you look at there wounds you will see there is a large wound on Erryk's right knee and a wound on the right side of his face. From there you will see its Arryk that kills Erryk and then Arryk kills himself at the end.
Makes his apology to her before his suicide very impactful, loved the fight.
That's what I thought too, but wasn't sure & haven't rewatched the scene yet to confirm. It would make it more poignant this way.
i was 1000% sure that Erryk died, based on the wounds and the last bits of dialogue.
then was super confused by the other brother unaliving himself.
it didnt even came to me, that after spilling the blood of his kin he regretted all these and came to realization that he did all these for a king thats not even worth saving and he was striking at the queen that was the rightful heir, whom he was sworn to protect;
all the while his brother remained true to the cape, lost his life protecting the roghtful heir he was supposed to protect like a kingsguard should and was slayed by his own hands , guess he couldnt take it anymore
I thought the exact same thing, but people are saying that Errick killed Arryck
I admit I was confused there, I was like that's not erryk...
47:18 Still a better executed "Twins" story than The Acolyte.
What I am really enjoying about this show is the ability to tell me everything without saying a word. Good acting, good characters and for the most part an unpredictable story.
"Wrong twin died! Should've been Acolyte" I liked that superchat! LMAO
I agree. The ability of these actors to convey what they're thinking with just their expressions is incredible! Rhys Infans in particular...holy crap! Every scene he's in is a masterclass.
The story is predictable, and it all ends in season 8 of game of thrones. Unlike GOT, there is nothing really unpredictable in the show, the events that follow are all predictable based on the characters' actions, however the writing and acting is very good. You don't really have the shocking developments of GOT here, we all know where it's going and what will happen to the characters.
@@rpgadventurer32 No.. I haven't read the books and have forgotten any mention of these characters in Game of Thrones years ago... the ending of the first half had me genuinely shocked... they killed that baby and as a single full-time widower and father I grieved with Aegon... I did not expect any of this in the first couple episodes.
Yes like how the assasin twin kills his beloved brother and suicide... thats saying without telling😊😊
23:40 Matt & Emma are just so fckn good on-screen together! I only have ONE bone to pick:
When Rhaenyra accuses Daemon of plotting "his war" when she was in labor. Go rewatch Episode 10/S1, Daemon did EVERYTHING CORRECTLY.
• He knows Otto's plan will be to send a small band of assassins & do it thru stealth. So he organizes what little force they have on Dragonstone to watch the skies & the beaches. They dont have much men, but they can be vigilant & LOOK stronger than they are.
• He correctly understands that no more time can be wasted. The Greens had a head start & they need to play catch up & FAST. So he wants to secure the Riverlands & Harrenhall bc he knows strategically that will tip the war in their favor.
Jace walks in & says nothing is to be done w/out the Queen's consent. Daemon has the maester send the ravens anyways -- again, time can't be wasted.
All Daemon did in those crucial hours/days when Rhaenyra was struggling thru her birth -- something we've seen the MEN can do nothing abt -- He took the assertive role to PROTECT HIS QUEEN/WIFE & THEIR KIDS & in many ways to secure her claim as the rightful heir/ruler.
So when Rhaenyra answered Jace when he asked "Wheres Daemon?" & she goes, "I dont know...gone to madness...gone to 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘳..."
AND she throws that back in his face in THIS argument...dafuq??! He did what was necessary, he acted appropriately & he probably got them ahead of the curve which they desperately needed at the time.
It's bizarre that even Rhaenyra cannot recognize that.
& I'll be honest, when she said her "I want Aemond Targaryen" line, she LOOKED directly at Daemon with a "do what you do" look in her eyes & she knew he's been out for blood since he learned Viserys died & they usurped her throne...what did she think was gonna happen?
& what responsibility will SHE bear for her part in it? Bc she could've also said aloud "I want him dead, but we'll make a plan". Or something. When she singled out Daemon, she couldve pulled him aside & said "We'll do it together. Promise me." Point is, she could've stopped it.
Also Rhaenyra, BEGGED Daemon to join her, "I cannot do this without you." Saying she can't face the Greens on her own. Daemon was gonna fuck off back to Pentos, but she asked him to stay with her. & she wanted him BECAUSE of his "darkness", that was a key component, "They will fear what we're capable of (together)"...
But now she wants to act brand new to the man she's known her entire life & wanted to marry all-along 🙄
Correct 💯
This is what I dislike most about this show. The writers go out of their way to make everyone look better & more righteous (frequently at Daemon's expense, in this case with Rhaenyra) & they always play Daemon as the irredeemable psycho villain. I remember last season the writers even outright said they don't get why Daemon is so popular, coz they really hate the dude. Their bias shows. I feel like his character's been treated rather unjustly. Not to mention that they are seething that Matt Smith stole their narrative even with the limited presence he 's been given.
It's one of those many situations of a show trying to tell you one thing while the reality of what happens in that show actually means another.
They keep doing it with the queen that never was (didn't even wanna try spelling her name lol) constantly sprinkling her in like she's a badass when everything she says or does is wrong or stupid.
I'm so glad somebody sees it as well. When I heard that the writers didn't understand why Daemon was popular I knew the second season was doomed as they would try to diminish him. And here we are. Both Daemon and Aemond are now pathetic it seems. I think I might be done with this show after this episode.
And a bull's eye again. I could not wait to be rid off her character so that this foolishness would stop. Her 'badass' moment of episode 9 ruined the otherwise perfect scene of the coronation. She trampled dozens of innocent smallfolk just for show and now she somehow has the moral highground over Daemon.
Otto Hightower overestimated his ability to control Aegon, and underestimated Aegon's pain regarding the loss of his son. Otto messed up.
I think Otto still sees Aegon as Alicent's son; no matter how pissed Aegon gets, he wouldn't fire Grampa Otto, his mom would kill him.
But then Aegon's like "fuck mom, fuck you, I'm the king" and he's like ". . . Ah shit"
I think Ryan and Gary missed a bit of the consequences of those supposed “smart but ruthless” choices that Tywin and Otto made. Tywin orchestrating the Red Wedding has plunged Westorosi culture and society into a chaotic decline. Where not just among the nobles but the common folk now have a dim view of their betters and it’s becoming harder to negotiate and function in good faith throughout the realm.
Tywin was just a piece of shit with daddy issues at the end of the day
"Explain to me why it is more noble to kill 10,000 men in battle than a dozen at dinner." How would you explain it to him?"
Yeah a lot of people miss the part about this quote where the through line becomes.
"Then the realm will know no peace as dinner becomes the battlefield."
I really enjoy tywin and Otto as characters and the gravitas Charles and Rhys Ifans bring .But ultimately theyre men who are tearing apart their own dynasties and the realm through their pride and ruthlessness.
Also Stoneheart remained, troubles continued in the river lands and the Boltons screwed up badly
I laughed SO HARD when Alyn said "You have not seen what I've seen", the flashbacks were so strong) It's almost like the writers of HOTD heard that phrase in TROP and took it as a challenge to put this phrase in in a well-suited manner.
It's also a really common line in fantasy. For me, the line pulled me out of the scene.
@@omsaxena116 when it was just a common line, it was fine because there was nothing attached to it. It's just a general establishment of someone with more experience trying to prevent a younger person from going into danger. It's the atrocious writing and bad acting in trop that completely destroyed any weight that line used to have.
@@omsaxena116
imagine a normal perfectly fine line butchered so bad by the shitshow that is RoP that it becomes unusable by other stories lmao
You have nawt seen…the lameness that I have seen
@omsaxena116 Yes, my first thought that it was a dig at Rings of Power, and that it was an appropriate usage as it was "I have been in combat, it kind of sucks as an experience".
As someone who hasn't read the source material for this show, I thought this episode was brilliant. A couple questionable scenes, but an easy 9/10 for me. The reason I came to love Game of Thrones in the first place was for the incredibly compelling political intrigue behind the fight for the throne, which is part of the reason why the more action-oriented final two seasons fell flat for me. HotD feels like a return to form, and I'm here for it. The way the scale tips one way than the other due to Daemon's ruthlessness, Aegon's stupidity, Cole and Alicent's trysts, Otto's maneuvering, Larys's scheming...it's fantastic. The acting in this episode is superb across the board, able to tell a deeper story with mere facial expressions than most shows can with entire exposition dumps. And there was a moment where we got a wide shot of Dragonstone and I just thought...this is F-ing beautiful. Unlike The Acolyte, you can totally tell the budget was put to good use in this show.
When they got stuck during the Funeral Procession I was just waiting for the dead kids HEAD to FALL OFF! lol
I thought he was going to flop off the cart into the muck 😂
Ok thank God I wasn't the only one! I was so on edge thinking oh no don't do that to the poor baby, to poor helaena!
I wonder if the kids head coming loose and rolling off into the muck is a (deleted) scene that they shot but chickened out on in the final edit?! LOL ;-)
I loved Aegon in this episode. His rage, grief, and desire for vengeance.
The White Worm mentions things like “there were 2 of you” in her previous discussions, alluding to the fact she knows there are 2 Kingsguard twins.
Two sets of twins or two people that are twins?
@rogerhalt3991 Two brothers. This fight was set up since last season.
Yeah but how would she know both weren't with Rheanyra?
@@Mooxieclang Because that was answered in episode 1.
@@rogerhalt3991 two kingsguard members that are twins. A “twin” is a classification and applies to a single person.
This episode definitely made me sympathize more with Otto. In truth, the man isn't evil like Tywin was. He thought he was doing right by his house and the realm by having Aegon as king. In this episode though, it does seem like he's having regrets about his actions and feels like he betrayed Viserys. A man it seems that Otto did have love and respect for.
Otto realized that he had an illusion of control, not real control. His firing was something of a relief to him, but I imagine he will still be agonizing over the results of his plotting.
I feel like he is evil though, he just thinks he's doing the right thing while serving his own interests at the same time. He is not at peace with that fact. Tywin was the same and that was his undoing, for all his talk family and legacy, he died because he always served himself
They're from the same crypt keeper race of tall gaunt men
@@sarwatarannya8786Otto isn't as callous as Tywin. Otto is a man with no birthright he is trying to secure his legacy by hitching his wagon to the Targaryens. I don't think Otto is the same type of evil as Tywin, Tywin is fueled by pride. Otto is fueled by fear of irrelevance.
@@sarwatarannya8786 A noble man in a place like Westeros, who got angry to the King that some rat catchers were wrongfully put to death is definitely not evil. He cares how the smallfolks view them, not many Lords in that world are like this.
Theres a lot of subtle things which is what I'm really enjoying this show for.
When Otto is unmade as the Hand, the first time he turns to leave he grabs the door to close it as he is leaving, when he is told "you are dismissed", he no longer bothers to close the door behind him. There is a large shift in mindset and the way people act that undertone shifts inside the characters.
The contrast of this with anything disney spaceballs is just hilarious, and saddening at the same time.
I thought eric killed eric but turns out it was eric who killed eric.
Who's Eric?
He killed eric after he had killed eric.
Yes indeed😅 2 things: they fight and both of them die...
Really enjoying Hot D season 2 so far. I like the character work before the real war
The kingsguard twin cant change into his armor after he arrives on dragonstone because he cannot put on the armor by himself. It takes some help as show with Cole many times.
He can just wear a cloak over his armor mate.
@@sleepylion9788 Bro, do you realise how comical and obvious that would look lmao. Twice as more suspicious than just wearing armour
@@sleepylion9788why can't he just be out on patrol to the docks? His twin was the one on a ship who found Mysaria so his duties include being near and on ships and walking from docks
@@loveoffilm4327correct established in the 1st episode. It all makes perfect sense. Someone spotting him out of his kingsguard amour would be suspicious anyway. "Hey Sir, Erryk why are you out of uniform"
I think Daemon calling the assassination "a mistake" is drawing a comparison to Aemond's killing of Lucerys. As characters, they are mirror images, Aemond's actions were unintentional, but he tells everyone they were, but Daemon's intentional actions were played off as a mistake.
It could also be that when asked watch to do if they can’t find Aemond
Daemon says leave and try again another day
But they were impatient so wanted to kill someone then
Daemons probably did order it but then again he may not have
It could also be that when asked watch to do if they can’t find Aemond
Daemon says leave and try again another day
But they were impatient so wanted to kill someone then
Daemons probably did order it but then again he may not have
Agreed, I don't think he believes it was a mistake. I read the scene with Daemon and Rhaenyra as him trying to placate her by lying.
Episode started stronk & peaked with the soap-opera scene between Daemon & Raenera *( which would have been even more powerful were it spoken in Valaryan ) Ended with one of the saddest things I've seen in All of GoT.
Also: Tom Glynn-Carney can act his arse off! He's going to be fantastic, in this series, & many features to come.
When Daemon says that he is not going to held responsible for a mistake, it is also Rhaenyra who is attempting to dodge responsibility for what happened. She did give the order to get Aemond. She is ultimately responsible for what her loyalists do in carrying out that order. The Greens are not entirely wrong in framing her for Jaeherys's assassination, just the result was far from her intent, like a murderous game of Telephone.
We knew that by the end we would all hate Cole, but God damn... We really hate Cole!
I want to see Criston bite the curb in 4k. I hate him for sending Arryk to his death out of his own regret.
His actor is doing a really good job, his face when Arryk walks away from the conversation really sold me on Criston being an unhinged mf.
He was a nice guy, women turned him into what he had become.
@@draxrdax7321 Rejection by Rhaenyra made Criston a crashout.
I don't hate him. Because of his ambitions, and weaknesses, he wants to feather his own nest, but I also think he is being used, in a way, by Alicent. She could cry rape one day and that insidious moral blackmail might be preying on his mind in a way ( I haven't read the books). He knows he has sinned, and seems be digging himself deeper every minute. On the other hand, having been "badly" treated by Rhaenyra, he is now against her, and perhaps he is just a cold blooded sneaky so and so. But for the moment he doesn't come across that way to me.
Kind of love his character. What a petty fuck!!😂😂😂
I’m just glad they mentioned Daeron. Hoping we see him next season
This adaptation has been pretty faithful so far, which is exciting! My memory is hazy on Daeron- isn’t he a little weirdo?
@@emk3485 hmmm there are a few Daeron’s in the asoiaf world but this one is Daeron the daring. He’s actually one of the normal ones in the green camp and was a pretty good guy and a fair minded kid despite fighting against Rhaenyra and the blacks! He is like the Jaecerys Velaryon of the greens!
And I agree! It’s been pretty good so far. I enjoyed the 1st season and the second season is off to a good start although I wish they would include more book material, I still think it’s been super entertaining and a breath of fresh air in entertainment. The writing, acting, costumes, soundtrack, cinematography and sets have been fantastic. I’d go 7.5-8/10. I hope they keep things moving in the right direction
Anyone else think the main thing this show suffers from is a lack of characters and actors playing those characters that are as varied and interesting as GOT? I notice this with Otto, he’s so great in every scene he’s in but doesn’t have characters around him at that level whereas in GOT, we get to see Tywin for example (his closest comparison) spar with Varys, little finger, Jaime, Cersei, etc… Matt Smith stands out but of course he’s reduced to sparring with rhaneyara. Side note, rhaenyara and Alicent are fine but not interesting enough to be the main characters of really only two factions that dominate screen time.
Noticed it too. Still loving the show, but the GoT interactions were next level
You are totally right. I really hope that at least Daemon and Alys Rivers interaction might be intriguing (if it happens now). The few characters that I find truly interesting rarely or never interact and the rest is just meh. It baffles me that I have already seen a quarter of this season and there has not been Aemond on Aegon conversation - that should be an interesting dynamic.
Damn, that was hilarious when Daemon looked at Rhaeyns
I liked this episode much more than the first. So many good moments of just two people talking. No need for wars and duels just people talking. The scenes between Rhaenyra and Damon, and Otto and Aegon were especially fantastic. Otto was a definitive highlight of the episode. I love how you can see the regret in his face as if he's saying "God i miss Viserys" when Aegon is being so stupid. Great episode in general
Can you feel it....the MauLer heel turn is coming
Wdym lmao
Nah I think he'll enjoy what is to come unless the show fucks something up massively again, (like Blood and Cheese).
I think it was kinda weird that the guard that fake Erryk relieved, when he rushed back into the room he was entirely undressed (out of armor) given how quickly that whole sequence was I think it would've made more sense if he was like half way out of his armor when the maid came to him, like shoulders and boots off but breastplate still on, maybe with his helmet on as that's super easy to grab as you are running out the door.
02:44:00 He very, very clearly states he hates the subterfuge and wants to fight in the light when he is being ordered to do it. The scene makes sense, he didnt want to be a filthy assassin, but to kill her with honour and her being aware and knowing it. Prob why he locked the door too, if he wanted to just kill her he didnt need to do it, in fact it would close one of his escape routes, he could just approach and stab.
He tried to do it with honour, in accordance to his character.
Loved hearing them mock Rings of power with a "You have not seen what I have seen!"
But actually letting it have meaning to the story.
31:00 Otto was clearly vindictive towards Daemon because he was the only real threat to his influence over Viserys. Otto is not about "the greater good" he just wants his own legacy.
If I had a quid for each episode of HotD S2 so far where the violent dramatic climax of the episode is undercut by Alicent Hightower getting porked by Criston Cole, I’d have £2… which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
It's weird, and it isn't an interesting development anyway, turning them into hypocrites makes their characters more flat and feels like appeasing the Rhaenyra stans who just want Alicent to be horrible.
@@frankvandorp2059 I was so disappointed in her. I was so hoping her feeling (rightfully) guilty for the death of Jaehaerys would turn her around and make her grow a moral backbone, but it doesn't seem so.
@frankvandorp2059 This show is written by Rhaenyra stans sadly. I'm honestly not sure if they'll actually show Rhaenyra becoming more cruel and tyrannical like in the book.
@@SolarDragon007 At this point, I'm starting to really worry about that, especially because they're also intent on depicting Mysaria VERY sympathetically.
It's almost as if they're laying the groundwork for completely rewriting the most important part of the story, turning it around 180 degrees and turn villains into misunderstood victims.
That would be a GoT season 8 level failure as far as I'm concerned.
@frankvandorp2059 Hopefully, Rhaenyra begins to change after the Battle of the Gullet. That was a major turning point for her character in the book as well.
Ulf the White was the guy who asked what the hanged rat catchers had done
I have to say, I far prefer your content when you're covering a good show. Feels more genuine.
Gary and others are very genuine in their reviews, whether they cover good shows or bad shows. The bad shows are unfortunately far more in numbers and are utter shit, so the reviews given are appropriate to their horrible quality.
Great acting this season so far
Unlike Tywin Otto is just a second son, he have no powerbase of his own.
The White Worm later uses her position being in Rhaenyra's confidence to her advantage - she still plays a part later, they had to get her back to Rhaenyra and in her good books somehow. I think they did a good job there, as well as establishing she knows Erryk and Arryk are twins.
Does anyone else feel like Daemons biggest payoff from Season 1 is taken away in his argument with Rhaenyra? Daemon places his brothers crown back on his head and helps him to the throne, an acceptance of his brother's place as king. I feel his critiques of Viserys in this argument is coming more from the audience than from Daemon himself.
Yep - her critique was bullshit and the conversation was simply designed to knock him down for her benefit. It was extremely disappointing.
@@spicysausage8805 that's not really the issue I take with it. I think Rhaenyra makes her position quite clear, and I don't necessarily take issue with her statements or critiques of Daemon (may change with rewatches). My main issue is with Daemons' critiques of Viserys, calling him weak as a king, just doesn't sit right with where Daemon is at the end of season 1, especially after watching his crippling brother take the throne to hold fast his promise to Rhaenyra in front of a hall of people who've doubted him
The thing about Maelor not being in it isn't necessarily true.
Ryan Condal said that, with how they wanted to do season one, their simply wasn't a way to have Maelor be born and have it realistically fit into the time frame, hence, he said "Maelor isn't born yet. "
That would seem to suggest that Maelor will be coming at a later point.
It could work dramatically as there's more pressure on Helaena to produce an heir in the middle of this war.
That said, the we won't be getting that "you're mum wants you dead" drama so it'll be a change longterm
Anybody think this episode lacked something just a bit? Idk maybe I’m stuck on the pacing of last season.
Episode name not up on IMDB yet, but I would say "Farewell, My Brother" would be appropriate.
I’m a complete newcomer to the channel. Still learning. I’ve been enjoying the well deserved roasting of Acolyte here, as well as on many other creator’s channels. Hilarious and informative, all. What I would like to say here is that I’m genuinely happy to watch you gents have a fun, positive and intellectual (and of course nerdy) discussion about this series. I totally passed on GOT - I blame it on the SouthPark’s parodies. But I actually got through season 1 of HOTD. I’m liking season 2 a lot more. Great video!
Their coverage of HotD S1 was stellar. You can see MauLer and Gary in real-time warm up to the show after thoroughly expecting the worst
Watch the first 4 seasons of GOT, you can even add season 5 and 6. They were better, more impactful with arguably the best cast overall on tv and the plot covers many characters, houses and regions in the world. There were plenty of shocking moments and it was more brutal in comparison. It's far "bigger" in scope than HOTD that leads to a civil war and a known ending of one house. HOTD has some great actors, scenes and drama, but it also has greater imperfections than the earlier seasons of GOT that are, IMO, unmatched to this day.
The brother who lived was Arryk, on the Green side, he called Rhaenya "Your Grace"
Would Erryk have said anything different? Also it's clear from their exchange that Arryk was the one chocking Erryk and Arryk is the one who got killed first. Unless I missed something, I'm pretty sure Erryk lived.
@@omsaxena116
Erryk was being choked,
but Erryk/"the one who was choked" was also the one who was ran through with the sword.
Arryk lived, Arryk had wounded his forehead by the fall. in i dont wanna wrote essays but pretty sure Arryk who is supposed to be a kingsguard and a lrotector of the throne as well as by extension the protector of rightful heir was going through some serious complex emotions after k^lling his twin,
the fact that Arryk was the one who lived and unalived himself is what makes the scene 100x better.
@@omsaxena116 He would have called her Your Majesty or My queen, not Your Grace, which is for Princess or the King's wife
@@sleepylion9788 Interesting. But several others refer to the king as 'Your Grace' throughout this season and the last.
@@btchiaintkidding7837 I might have to rewatch the episode. If it truly was Arryk who took his own life, that makes the scene way better.
Can you guys please stop toeing the line with the book spoilers. The hulls man. When you talked about sea smoke. Dead give away
That's really annoying, yeah. It doesn't help Mauler's enjoyment either, which seems to be on a downward trend anyway. Let's not add to that unnecesarily, shall we?
I've noticed the "Toning down" Of the violence as well for two episodes now, Notably The Cargyll twins Duel book description was that Erryk almost severed Arryk's arm from the shoulder and before passing away Arryk slips a blade into Erryk's belly and dies in agony four days after. They really PG-13'd the scene and that really dulled out the impact of the twin's death.
Otto Hightower is a badass.
I liked it overall. But seriously, maybe people would like it more if they just gave Matt Smith more screen time. Such a waste of a great actor and a character
Not a waste at all he’s been utilised perfectly
The character is not a patient, "sit and talk politics" kind of character. More of a; "break everything" character. The "break everything" episodes will VERY SOON.
His time is coming.
We are just on ep 2 lol relaxm
Shame that the show did not keep one of the twin survived. it could keep the suspense high of everyone to keep guessing, "Is this Erryk or Arryk?" Of course he'd say he's Erryk, but is he? Make Rhaenyra distrustful of her own guard.
as they said though they could easily ask a question that only the real one would know since they havent set foot there
I thought they might have the other Whitecloak there kill the winner of the duel just to be certain.
That wouldn't work, it'd be very easy do discern who's who just by asking them questions of their activities throughout the day
I fully expected the other guards to execute the survivor. It had to be done.
Bro saved them the drama and deliberation
Everyone seems to be missing the main aspect which is their reputation. Erryk doesn't kill himself because it'll be hard to figure out who is who physically. He does it because it hard to tell them apart morally. They reflect on each other. One or the other has betrayed the crown. One or the other has participated in an assassination. And now the remaining one bears some responsibility for the near-success of this assassination and has kin-slayed. He has the exact same view on this as Cole except he has the adrenaline in that moment to "escape".
Heres my interpretation with the twin brother situation. For the sake of clarity, I'll be referring to the Eric's as their affiliation with the blacks or greens. The Eric who pulled the sword first on rhaenrya wasn't team green Eric but team black Eric. My reasoning for this, the Eric that takes guard of the door to rhaenryas room is an Eric who is nervous/scared/uncertain/unconfident of what to do, purely because the answer the Eric gives to the doorsman is a pretty shakey one. The answer is literally "ehh I'm not tired you go rest doorman while I stand guard" even the doorman guard was like "that's a little irregular for you but alright I guess" which means the Eric standing at the door is team green Eric.
So why is the Eric who pulled the sword first against rhaenrya not team green Eric but team black eric? Listen to what that Eric says. He says something along the lines of "im sorry I had no choice" why would team green Eric say something like that when his motivation is just a small scale thing (relatively speaking), that bring his honor. Team Green Eric has a choice and he knows it. So my thinking is that Rhaenryas council is plotting against her cause they know objectively speaking, she's on the losing side of this civil war rn. So the council convinced team black Eric to kill rhaenrya to essentially stop all of this. They literally concocted a similar plan to cristin Cole though for different reasons. I would even say that rhaenrya inadvertently being behind the death of Aegons child definitely plays into the decision to kill rhaenrya.
Also I think the Eric who kills himself at the end of the battle, was again, not team black Eric but team green Eric. My main reason for this is that team green Eric went into this mission extremely conflicted. Not only because his brother is involved, but because rhaenrya is inherently tied to the crown, something he is extremely honor driven for, so killing a "queen" in her sleep, let alone in general, was too much for him, along with killing his brother, so he just decided enough was enough so he killed himself. He even says "im sorry your grace" (I think atleast, I'm typing this out while at work lol). Why would team black Eric say he is sorry along with calling his queen "grace" when he needs to be even more formal than others in the most dying times. I think that was a little slip of the tongue of team green Eric right before he was gonna die
You guys are such a team!!
When Aegon repeats Larys (sp?) line "You are my Father Hand." when he fires Otto you know the precipice has been crossed.
This was one of my favorite episodes based on the amount of scenes i was glued to the screen. Aegon tantrum, Aegon vs small council, Otto vs Aegon, Daemon vs Rhaenyra, Rhaenyra vs Mysaria, Erryk vs Arryk, baby vs funeral.
Literally every scene was a 10/10 except the very short Jace/Baela scene, Corlys, Alyn of Hull, and Hugh scenes which were fine just not amazing like the others
Im very surprised Mauler was mixed on this, maybe hes watching for Daemon and Aemond moments
HotD done a better job with twins characters than The Acolyte
the guy who plays Otto was out of this world again...Daemon was top as well.
overall acting in HotD is matched only by Tywin, Tyrion, Joffery from GoT
when Otto went out shouting at Aegon...missed one line...
"WHO THE FUCK YOU THINK WILL CATCH THE RATS NOW?"
SPOLIER
the Greens just got rid of their only capable man xD
Daemon would be just like Maegor before the Faith told him he can't get a second wife... quite decent king if you ask me... he`s sharp at anger, but he was always calculated not like Maegor.
No, the cast of GOT was better overall and also far bigger in scope. The top actors of GOT in the first 6 seasons are unmatched. I would suggest you to go and watch the earlier seasons again. The actors who play Otto and Daemon are the only two - and the one who played Viserys - that can actually match the top actors of the earlier seasons in GOT.
@@rpgadventurer32 sure but the 2 main characters were mid at best... that was my layoff...while in HotD there is consistency from everyone.
Props to the writing for the character of Criston Cole and the acting performed by Fabien Frankel. Because I FUCKING HATE CRISTON COLE !
@Opener73keep hating for the sake of hating. Have you even read the books? Fake ass fan
@Opener73?
@@trevorsmith572 they ruined him completely, nothing like the book character
Good actor, but poor character. Feels like another Ramsay or Joffrey, just make him as unlikeable as possible so audiences will clap and cheer when he gets offed.
There is zero depth to his character while there was so much great material to work with. Came from nothing, became a kingsguard, a self made man where every orher character is a noble or royal who inherited their power from their dads. Then gets exploited by a royal and loses all he lives for.
But you can't make Criston more likeable without making Rhaenyra less likeable, and the show clearly wants Rhaenyra to be as likeable as possible. Missed opportunity.
@@frankvandorp2059 ... But that is the whole point of the character ?
Zero depth to his character ? Mate, he just projected all his own mistakes and faults, on the Twin guy, then made him go on a suicide mission to kill Rhaenyra.
Im not gonna say he is deep as the Mariana Trench, but he is still deeper than a puddle of piss.
The acting, directing and most of the dialogue is still phenomenal and despite the flaws at the end of the day HotD is still one of the best shows on TV nowadays because its an actual show like we used to get unlike something like The Aco-shite but there is some genuine criticism to be had. I do agree there toning down a lot of the violence and nudity almost to the point that other than the language this could be PG-13. As much as D&D messed up Game of Thrones they knew how to hook viewers with shock value at least early on anyways. The Red Wedding and Mountain vs. the Viper were more brutal than the books whereas Blood and Cheese and the Cargyll twin fight weren't. In a universe like this its appropriate for a ton of sex, nudity, gore and violence. Even though I enjoy HotD I do think its lacking that oomph factor that made the early seasons of GoT memorable.
the actor playing Aegon also plays in "Rogue Heroes," which is a historical action show based on the origins of the SAS, and he really crushes it there!
It's shocking how so many adults keep saying "two twins".
Finaly FNT can have a discussion about something good again! I feel like its been awhile since I have got to see a good! A series that can be enjoyed! It feels like Disney crap have monopolized most reviews for far to long now!
I have not read the books! I read up until the "Red wedding" befor! but this time I went in blind and I like it so far!
Rhaegal is the dragon that got shot by the scorpion. The dragon Jon rode named after Rhaegar. Coincidence that he rode the dragon named after his dad. Drogon was the dragon Daenerys rode, named after her late husband.
There are so many good choices for favorite character but I have to say Oberon Martell. I know, Pedro but IDC.
Hating aegon and glazing rhaenyra is just crazy
The juxtaposition between HOTD and the Acolyte can not be more dramatic. I am just happy there is one good show out there.
Instead of Aemond talking about how he lost his temper with Lucaerys I think it would've been better if instead the scene focused more on his guilt over his nephew's death and the "they were there for me" part instead of talking about how he lost his temper (cards I think he is wise enough to keep closer to his chest).
AEMOND LOOKED LIKE GOLLUM 🤣
Looking like Christian Bale in The Mechanist.
Are you body-shaming Ewan?🤔
I think george is done with Winds of Winter. I think he gave up on finishing it.
Im glad they went with the more romanticize version of the fight instead of them cursing each other and doing an Anakin "I HATE YOU" version
My understanding was that Criston Cole didn't make any mistakes in terms of planning things but his sense of guilt makes him act out, just like Daemon acts out, it's an attempt to regain control over their lives.
Also there were questions raised about their behaviours but I think both Daemon and Aegon flail around looking for people to blame and punish when it's clearly not reasonable. Aegon is completely beside himself and utterly incapable of rational thinking by Episode 2.
I'm liking the second season so far .
I agree, mixed bag of an episode.. cargyll bowl and Otto/Aegon, rhaenyra/daemon scenes were very good. Really enjoyed the kings guard parts and funeral shots too. However the white worm scene being forced was wayyyy unnecessary and redundant writing? She could have just been freed? All that talking for the same thing daemon promised to happen.. happens..? Dumb.. but other than that solid episode. Good reviews dudes
But how else would we know that men were keeping the white worm from greatness if she didn't get her 5 minutes of exposition?
Big props to cinematography guys simple shots of pebbles during funeral where great and added to whole scene. Take note Snyder how grains can be done
Little tisms aside this is one of the better shot and directed episodes of all GoT and HotD, the shot composition went crazy the entire time. This is the best looking show out right now and I won’t hear any arguments
The scene of Daemon in full armour leaving for Harrenhal was awesome 🤟🏼
Not gonna lie I was slightlyyyy disappointed by the episode. But I think great things to come 👌🏼
A great way to insert Mushroom into the show w/o us ever really interacting with him would be having him be there entertaining the king and his friends in the background of Blood & Cheese.
Yeah that would've been the perfect spot. Even as a blink-or-miss background character
I wish Otto was more harsh on Criston Cole. Criston Cole butting in pissed me off. Like "Criston stfu this is an AB conversation."
Don't tell me to beware when disciplining *MY* grandson.
The thing is that Cole has the privilege of talking to Otto because he's the lord commander (part of the small cuncil) and he knows how to get in Aegon's mind. Otto has influence but he's not even the head of the Hightowers.
@@ILoveManCity.Otto is the hand of the King and clearly outranks Criston in station and the social hierarchy. Otto is the son of a historied house he is the grandfather of Aegon and Criston is a 1st generation noble. Criston has a loose tongue too and even Aegon took offense to it when Criston called Rhaenyra "Bich Queen." Rewatch the scene.
Someone needs to put that man in his place.
"Always Doin' Too Much, It's Just Alcohol, You Actin' Like a Kid."
@@sebastianprimomija8375 Otto overrule any other member on the absence of the King, but when the king it's present he (the hand) its just another council member and on Ser Crisppin case, hes not intimidated because he knows Aegon its happy with him and has been unhappy with Otto for months if not years. Aegon feels validated by Criston and he's surprised by how much he also hates Rhaenyra, perhaps Aegon will get suspicious and investigate/discover his mother affair.
@@ILoveManCity. Yeah true enough but its still improper for an underling to display such behavior and not correcting him. Otto is right about Aegon. He is weak and it shows in how he conducts himself and how his councilmen act. Criston "Crub-biting" Cole shows that.
Aegon in rewarding such behavior is proof enough for me that Otto was so right when he was speaking about Viserys' virtues as king which Aegon does not have.
It shouldn't be Aegon IV
the Unworthy that should be called that it should be Aegon II.
The guy playing Aemond can play Deathstroke if he gets padded suits and all. The acting ability is there.
I'm a bit worried about how young Aegon the Younger is. There is a scene in the future that will need emotions from him that I don't think a kid that young can pull off
I’m not asking for a big battle scene, but I absolutely want more action scenes. And they have the opportunities to do them. Why did the dragon attacking Seasnake happen off screen?!?
The Hugh and Adam scene didnt land because they didnt have a scene with a known character which would have felt more congealed. Them o. Their own felt like a different sbow 🤷♀️
I just take issue with Rheanyra being so shocked that Daemon attempted what he did. Did her dramatic, season one ending, angry at the camera face just mean she had gas? You said you wanted Aemond. You know a war is coming. Does it really "weaken" her cause? A simple statement like "eye for an eye"/"they're usurpers" literally would justify the action to any other house - even "kinslaying for a kinslaying" considering her boy just died. Why is she trying to act so virtuous. You're going to have to get your hands dirty, unless you're all talk and just going to spend your days at Dragonstone bitching like Rheynse (sp) being like "it was muh turn" until you're dead.
She even hit Daemon with the "Am I your queen" like he was Jon Snow "I dun' want it". Crazy. Hope this isn't a portent of things to come. I liked her character.
Thing is it could be like usual him taking responsibility for something he didn’t actually do which we have seen before
You guys missed Ulf the White in the episode too. Hes the curly haired guy in the scene with the rat cachers hanging. He asks who they were.
What is his role in the book exactly?
@blackmantis3130 Spoiler
Hes one of the dragonseeds. They all claim dragons to ride. We've seen three of them in this episode.
Hugh Hammer
Adam Hull
Ulf the White.
@@Eggo5150 Spoiler
Also future king 😉
2:05:30 a reminder about the two best fighting episode of GOT both of them had been directed by Neil Marshall
Holy smokes! Jayne Theory showed up in the chat! Hope she comes back to her channel soon.
we need to stop simping alicent. this is a girl at 14 years old slept with her best friends DAD! .. and did before the mourning period for his wife was over. And before we say her father told her too... she could have said NO ..... the same way we wanted rhaenerya to say no to her betrothed. Novels aside the tv show made rhaeneryas betroved a golden gay who would not and could not get it up for her. and he convinced her any kids he had with harwin strong he would love as his own. so she hardly slept "around". she had 2 long term lovers before daemon. Criston cole who was older than her and acted like a beta brat and harwin who loved her and his kids. so the hate that ones a ho and one isnt .. is totally wrong. if anything alicent now is using criston like a tool to get her groove on.. and unlike what he could have had with rhaenerya the true heir. He could have been the father of a king, the right hand to a true queen and heir and now he went all beta bad cause he was butthurt
The show version of Alicent has been sanitized so far. In the book Alicent "took care" of Jaehaerys in his last couple years of life being bed ridden.
No, she really couldn’t. Alicent was not a princess so she couldn’t disobey her father. This is not a modern day drama where teenage girls can call out the old man consequences be damned.
This is such a clueless comment. You have to be a huge Rhaenyra simp in order to think ALICENT is the one who gets simped too much.
It's NOT TRUE that Laenor couldn't get it up. Laenor says to Rhaenyra that they tried only " few times", meaning they couldn't be bothered to put in the necessary energy to get it working and gave up almost immediately, as both wanted to pursue their own selfish pleasures, instead of doing their duty to the realm. I wish Rhaenyra apologists would stop ignoring this fact.
And even if this WEREN'T true and Laenor really couldn't get it up, it wouldn't justify anything, because Rhaenyra already HAD heirs: her brothers Aegon and Aemond. No need to put illegitimate children in the line of succession, and by doing so, Rhaenyra effectively guaranteed civil conflict in the future.
I swear, all these Rhaenyra fans simply have no clue how this society even works, or what even happened in the show they've been watching.
As a proud member of Team Lurker I died laughing when Gary said I don’t read emojis. 😂. It’s nice to see the internet unite for the pure hatred of Ser Criston!
Otto turned Vicerys against Damon, so he can keep power, also this a coo by the sept they've been trying 2 wrestle power from the beginning, Viceres& Daemon together would have been a strong team,the sept could not have that. It was all about old town& the sept,not 4 the good 31:54 of the realm they would not been able 2 manipulate viceryes with Daemon by his side, all Daemon wanted was 2 consolidate the Targaryen bloodline,preserve valliran heritage& protect his brother. Ryhnera was the one who asked Daemon2 marry HER! 2 solidify her claim&Defend her claim from the Greens,then when the time came 4 him 2 due his part she diametrically opposed himWTF! Dude I can go on. I can't imagine how frustrating it is 2 b surrounded b people who don't seem 2 understand that their lives r on the line.
"Show don't tell" great writing and great acting does this religiously.
Thanks for the advice, Gary! Imma go get some chon-chon!
So I'm waiting for the convo about the black dude with a fade. I'm black n I almost turned it off...
right bc knives dont exist
@nolarima are you actually special Ed?
@@nolarimaknives can't give you a fade
okay snowflakes!
Bruh you have black people with bleached white hair. That's WAY more noticeable.
1:29:40 Ser Ryam Redwyne, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, was Jahaerys’s last Hand before Otto if I recall. And he was disastrous, so they got Otto
you know, i dont think daemon DOES give a fuck about a kids death. I think he is more pissed off that he isnt being congratulated for his actions. Like in S1 when he had the gold cloaks kill all the criminals, he sat there on the council proud, looking for his brother and others approval of his amazing job. He got scolded instead. And it happened here again, he got scolded by the queen he is fighting for. He wasnt going to say he had a hand in the child's death, yet he isn't pleased that rhaenerya is upset that he did it, even if he did for her. She then brought up her trust issues daemon and brought up his frustration from the past over the crown, that he clearly still has a chip on his shoulder about. Daemon has an ego, as we saw how he said he is better than his brother and deserves the crown, and is hurt when others challenge his greatness. He thinks its his brothers insecurities that prevented him from having the crown. And to hear he couldnt be trusted upsets him. He is tired of this conversation and this bitch nagging at him So he ends it not with an apology, but with an excuse "It was a mistake", and rhaenerya calls him pathetic cause he doesnt give a flying fuck, and instead of apologizing he gives a lame brane excuse of "It doesnt matter, who gives a fuck its whatever"
I think he's genuinely regretful that their position is weakened. He wanted Aemond down as a key rival and then afterthought "well just kill another boy if you can't find him, since you're there anyway" but now it's hitting him how much the realm united against his cause. It was a mistake
@@samwallaceart288 Yes I agree. There is so much complexity and nuance to these characters. I absolutely love this show.
He was scolded for his time in the City Watch because Otto did not want him to have any power. Punishing criminals was his job in that position. Having his own nephew assassinated (regardless of which one ultimately died) is de facto kinslaying which is seen as an abominable sin in Westerosi culture.
He was scolded because the writers want him knocked down a peg to prop-up Rhaenerya. Great acting, but the writing for that part was jarringly shit and ignored several facets of their current reality and past behaviors in an attempt make her virtuous. Red flag.
I want a whole stream to talk about that Aemond scene
The cracks are beginning to show in this episode. The scene in the house of ill-repute is an example of that. Let’s be honest - that scene could have been written by Leslye Headland, and it would have been rightfully criticized by the panel. They did a bit of that here, but held back a bit because of the otherwise great quality of HOTD.
I just watched it last night, and glad I'm not the only one seeing this.
The cracks are so wide you could fall through them. Everything in the show happens by coincidence and happenstance. Dreadlocks's seven ships happen to find the one ship in the dead of night that was smuggling spymaster girl, and the kingsguard who could recognize her just happened to be on that boarding patrol (instead of, you know... guarding Dragonstone like he is in every other scene). Then she happens to know a rat catcher and an angry guard who are willing to just murder the Prince on a whim. The rat catcher doesn't work upstairs, but he knows his way around. Then they happen to waltz through the castle with nary a guard or staff in sight and murder the lad. Then 70 guards with dogs and everything just happen to appear (guess they do exist!) and catch the dude before he can flee. Then the murderer snitches within the first 4 seconds, but he can't remember the face of the dude he just murdered the Prince with 30 minutes ago, so they have to murder all the rat catchers...
Or how when Twin One walks into the Queen's bedroom, it's clearly established by her reaction that this isn't normal. But before he can kill her, Twin Two happens to just walk into the room (again... this isn't normal) at the very second he is needed, and they have a 5 minute fight scene replete with pratfalls and everything else.
It's generally competent, is shot well and features some standout performances, but the writing is 'teleporting Dany' levels of rushed and lazy. It's written like a soap opera, not like a political thriller. It's the kind of show where a protagonist will be trapped in a burning building, knock over a glass of wine, and just happen to notice the wine draining into a secret passage in the ground that nobody knew about before.
Watching it as a soap opera, it's entertaining enough (albeit frustrating in how pale a shade of early GoT is it), but it's weird that these guys are giving it a pass on stuff they would absolutely roast any of the Disney stuff for. Feels slightly disingenuous.
Could’ve done without the feminist, innuendo litter throughout the show though. The scene at the war table when she goes “watch yourself“ by insinuating the queen is irrational due to losing her child. Major eye roll.
The need to ensure they show the women writers during the episode summaries are also so fucking predictable
Yeah it's woke alright.
why? it shows that the slaying of Jaehaerys has shaken her reputation among her own council and they don't trust her. He was insinuating that she did do it and pressing her which is why Rhaenys told him to back off because from her POV she probably already knows it wasn't her and likely Daemon. This is called writing
The guy was a lower rank talking smack about the Queen's personal motivation; old grandma Queen was reminding him what the heirarchy is. In this case it works
The House of Woke
@Opener73 any arguments or you just gonna bitch?