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Game of Thrones - House of the Dragon - (and beyond) Discussion (spoilers allowed)

truifh0 said:
Fantastic episode and agree with the tone set by the music in the opening. I do have one lingering question. Does no one else know that there is another Aegon or are they just choosing not to bring this up as it would cast doubt on who the king was talking about on his deathbed?

From what I remember, Rhaenyra definitely told her father her newborn child's name but not sure if she confirmed the name with anyone else. Just seems odd that no one would bring it up unless they don't know.
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They know, but it didnt work with the narrative that the Queen wanted. The Queen heard what she wanted to hear. Visery's was talking about Aegon's dream and the need to protect the information, but she heard it as the importance of Aegon, so she interpreted it the way she wanted to.

The Meleys scene was a change from the books, and I dont know how I feel about it. There is a scene that I am really looking forward to though next week which is going to set the tone for the remainder of the series, so I am interested in how they do it.
 
Both valid points and that makes sense. I guess I was just surprised that the naysayers didn't bring it up even if it would end up being a moot point.
 
truifh0 said:
Both valid points and that makes sense. I guess I was just surprised that the naysayers didn't bring it up even if it would end up being a moot point.
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I thought the show did a pretty good job of showing that there intentionally weren't many naysayers in King's Landing. The plot also made sure to make an example out of dissent very early on with the scene in the throne room. Important to keep in mind that the whole episode takes place over like 18 hours or something.
 
Deacfreak07 said:
I thought the show did a pretty good job of showing that there intentionally weren't many naysayers in King's Landing. The plot also made sure to make an example out of dissent very early on with the scene in the throne room. Important to keep in mind that the whole episode takes place over like 18 hours or something.
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Good point. They clearly worked hard to lock away, hang, or quiet both dissenters and those who might get word out
 
TimmyClutch said:
No one is going to talk about the foot fetish scene? Or how the queen already knew what the guy was after?
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I could give you 20 good minutes on why that scene was maybe the best written of the series, as unsettling as it was (hard to find shock value in a show largely about incest).

  1. It's clearly evident that this has been part of their relationship for sometime without really saying it. This means that Alicent essentially cheated on her husband with a member of the Strong family exactly like Rhaenyra.
  2. It establishes that Alicent seems to compartmentalize sexual intercourse as cheating exclusively. Anyone who grew up in religious circles in the south knows this mentality very well. She also emotionally cheats on Viserys with Cristan which is further reinforced through this scene.
  3. Alicent has an illusion of power, but she's really just being used as an object. Larys could obviously have access to all the feet he wants with his role in the dungeons and access to resources. This is about power and exerting it over her.
  4. There's a straight line from this scene to Otto telling her to put on her mother's dress and go to Viserys in the beginning of the series. She's trying to utilize the only value she was told she had by her father.
  5. It further supports Raena's claim that Alicent is a prisoner. Reminder that Alicent is pretty much the only character who doesn't go outside the entire episode. She's both the most powerful and least powerful person in the whole episode all at once.
It will obviously be memed to death as a depiction of a kink involving some characters people don't like, but I think it's largely one of the best scenes of the show so far.
 
There has also been a lot of really wonderful back and forth between parents and kids. Alicent definitely does things for her kids that she abhors Rhaenyra/Daemon for.
 
Deacfreak07 said:
I could give you 20 good minutes on why that scene was maybe the best written of the series, as unsettling as it was (hard to find shock value in a show largely about incest).

  1. It's clearly evident that this has been part of their relationship for sometime without really saying it. This means that Alicent essentially cheated on her husband with a member of the Strong family exactly like Rhaenyra.
  2. It establishes that Alicent seems to compartmentalize sexual intercourse as cheating exclusively. Anyone who grew up in religious circles in the south knows this mentality very well. She also emotionally cheats on Viserys with Cristan which is further reinforced through this scene.
  3. Alicent has an illusion of power, but she's really just being used as an object. Larys could obviously have access to all the feet he wants with his role in the dungeons and access to resources. This is about power and exerting it over her.
  4. There's a straight line from this scene to Otto telling her to put on her mother's dress and go to Viserys in the beginning of the series. She's trying to utilize the only value she was told she had by her father.
  5. It further supports Raena's claim that Alicent is a prisoner. Reminder that Alicent is pretty much the only character who doesn't go outside the entire episode. She's both the most powerful and least powerful person in the whole episode all at once.
It will obviously be memed to death as a depiction of a kink involving some characters people don't like, but I think it's largely one of the best scenes of the show so far.
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I loved the scene with Raena and Alicent. That was really excellent and it played into how Raena operated in rest of episode, culminating in her leaving on dragon
 
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The ending was odd, if Rhaenys is team black, why didn't she end everything right then and there?

Also the Aegon kidnap stuff, why did it matter so much who found him first if they both were just going to have him become king? I guess so they could try to persuade him to kill/not kill Rhaenyra but seems like they both would have talked to him eventually anyways.
 
deacfan123 said:
The ending was odd, if Rhaenys is team black, why didn't she end everything right then and there?

Also the Aegon kidnap stuff, why did it matter so much who found him first if they both were just going to have him become king? I guess so they could try to persuade him to kill/not kill Rhaenyra but seems like they both would have talked to him eventually anyways.
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Because the showrunners wanted to make it clear that while the Greens will happily murder Rhaenyra, the Blacks are not yet willing to do that with Aegon. Hightower was trying to get Aegon first so he could convince him to murder Rhaenyra.

Its pretty much, good guys don't murder moms and their kids but bad guys will. (Smallfolk dont count, because they are not playing the game of thrones).
 
That makes sense, but I still think if they wanted us to truly all be on team black (hard not to be regardless), they should have had Alicent leaning more into being sneaky, straight up trying to get the throne, than leaning into some false prophecy as her reason for doing so.

All in all though very excited for the season finale.
 
Well I think the Alicent arc is that she's going from naive to jaded/ruthless, but still under the thumb of various men who are in and out of her life - her father, her husband, Larys. She went from wanting to maintain her childhood friendship, to wanting to just preserve her kids' life, to even at the beginning of the last episode just trying to maintain peace overall with a transition she believed to be legitimate (through her father's misunderstood Aegon deathbed commentary). Alicent isn't just leaning into some false prophecy for trying to put Aegon on the throne - remember how shocked she was that other members of the council already had long laid plans for succession right after the king dies - she actually believes this to be what the king rightfully wanted.

Game of Thrones has always steered more to shades of gray and moral ambiguity in setting out factions across multiple seasons rather than getting viewers to be "all in on team X." Alicent is learning to play the game of thrones but is still being handheld in getting there (and being used as a pawn in others' playing the same game).
 
Wakeforest22890 said:
Well I think the Alicent arc is that she's going from naive to jaded/ruthless, but still under the thumb of various men who are in and out of her life - her father, her husband, Larys. She went from wanting to maintain her childhood friendship, to wanting to just preserve her kids' life, to even at the beginning of the last episode just trying to maintain peace overall with a transition she believed to be legitimate (through her father's misunderstood Aegon deathbed commentary). Alicent isn't just leaning into some false prophecy for trying to put Aegon on the throne - remember how shocked she was that other members of the council already had long laid plans for succession right after the king dies - she actually believes this to be what the king rightfully wanted.

Game of Thrones has always steered more to shades of gray and moral ambiguity in setting out factions across multiple seasons rather than getting viewers to be "all in on team X." Alicent is learning to play the game of thrones but is still being handheld in getting there (and being used as a pawn in others' playing the same game).
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Agreed here on all counts
 
I need to rewatch, but that episode initially feels like a dud minus the ending.

What was the significance of the stillbirth at the beginning?
 
In the books. I didn't see how it added to the story at all. She was stressed and miscarried?

They have limited screen time and it just dragged to me.
 
Liquid Karma said:
I need to rewatch, but that episode initially feels like a dud minus the ending.

What was the significance of the stillbirth at the beginning?
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I think we are supposed to view the last two episodes together. Two viewpoints of same story…each queen’s reaction to the death of the king
 
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