Aemond & Daemon: Two Sides Of The Same Coin In The Targaryen Civil War

Aemond and Daemon Targaryen are two rogue princes on opposing sides of the Dance of the Dragons. While they are each terrifying and powerful representations of their houses and seem like they are two sides of the same coin, they are not necessarily mirror images of one another.
Content Of This Video:
00:00 Intro
00:39 The Rogue Prince Daemon
04:15 Aemond Targaryen, Forged In Fire & Blood
10:36 Daemon vs. Aemond = The Blacks vs. The Greens
14:11 Outro

[@KuningannaSansa]

"this was a traumatic event for all of viserys's kids who aren't rhaenyra" - well that could sum up their whole childhood lol

[@fightingmedialounge519]

Eh, parts of it.

[@HK-gm8pe]

I dont know wtf you are talking about...Rhaenyra may have been loved but he was betrayed by her father and didnt have much of a relationship with him either ...she was only his heir but in everything else ...he was a horrible father...didnt give her any attention and dont forget how Rhaenyra lost her mother...I would have screamed at my father for killing my mother like that , I would have never forgiven that...Viserys is lucky to have any relationship with Rhaenyra at all

[@alexhodder4918]

how did he betray her tho

[@Gothicwill]

little aemonds glare at viserys after getting mutilated is one of my favorite parts of the scene. you can see what little innocence remained in him disappear when he realizes that viserys truly does not care. that young actor is def going places

[@HillsAliveYT]

LMFAO yes Leo Ashton nailed the whole "I would respect an upturned bucket with a face drawn on it more than I respect you" look at Viserys.

[@janellejulianajoy]

I'm not an Aemond fan at all but in that moment I wished someone would've smacked Viserys. His child lost an eye. Not a sword or gold...his flipping eye!! The only one in the entirety of that room showing concern was Alicent. It was wrong on so many levels.

[@TheGoodLuc]

And that's why I hate Viserys and am not said he died. Peaceful king, bah!

[@made-line7627]

Leo Ashton was the most handsome male in Season 1. Fight me

[@roronoalaw7772]

Alicent’s reaction was completely understandable from a mother’s perspective

[@Okkotsu86275]

A personal headcanon of mine is, Aemond didn’t just shape himself into a cunning warrior because he sensed a war coming. But to protect his family, namely his mother and sister. Because he knew Visereys wouldn’t when push came to shove. I find it funny how fans champion Daemon and Rhaenyra for the love of their family, but condemned Aemond and Alicent for theirs.

[@Okkotsu86275]

@@Captain_Insano_nomercy I hope your right about pulling the rug out from the audience. That should generate some worthy reactions.

[@Okkotsu86275]

@@Captain_Insano_nomercy The Woke Era 🤣🤣 it does seem that way

[@Okkotsu86275]

@Sir Jack Indigo of the Patriarchy Really, I always thought that Cole was supposed to represent the good and ugly side of knighthood

[@HK-gm8pe]

I never said that Aemoind doesnt love his family.... I hate Greens for other reasons :D I have not seen anyone deny that greens love eachother., Alicent loved her children just like Rhaenyra....Rhaenyra is just a better person than Alicent, greens are c*nts

[@jessseg4100]

@@Captain_Insano_nomercy that’s exactly what I think of Cole! I didn’t read the books and had no idea he was supposed to be like Jamie Lannister! 🤯🤯 I definitely can see that he’s talented, but dang! That’s interesting!

[@anpatman]

They really named a SECOND son an anagram to Daemon, like he was destined to be unhinged

[@HillsAliveYT]

LMFAO yeah and I really appreciate George making their names one letter off so when I'm reading my script I can constantly screw it up by saying Daemon-Daemond-Aemond-Aemon or some other variation on their name, which I definitely did multiple times throughout this recording.

[@jordannieland365]

@@HillsAliveYT Just call them names like Big D.

[@xubarze]

LIke Dracula and Alucard.

[@merrittanimation7721]

@@HillsAliveYT Daeaemondmon

[@kimberlyplatt2382]

Aemond basically had to work for everything, while Daemon was cuddled and allowed to get away with murder literally.

[@femalegays]

the greens are just more interesting and complex characters from a writing standpoint, and they're still regarded as lame.. the most interesting thing about daemon is his relationship w/ viscerys and nettles, take those away and he's every other well liked male asoiaf character. then everything about aemon is interesting, from his interest in magic, to him working to escape middle child syndrome, his relationship w/ women, his *eye.* it's so ironic because he probably should've been king and that's through his effort and cunning, nothing else. and it's always daemon stans getting defensive and calling aemon a clone, even they don't have security in their fav.

[@robbybeckmeyer828]

I think you nailed it when you said Aemond was crushed into becoming himself: Daemon grew into Daemon, Aemond had no other choice

[@danika9411]

Aemond was parentified due to not having a father figure. He grew up way too fast and only learned to put his emotions to the side, but not actually processing them. So they break out of him. It's actually really sad and also realistic. Many children with a crappy parent try to grow up fast and loose their childlike innocence too early.

[@ganykaliya7811]

There is also the fact that Aemond spent much of his childhood being mercilessly bullied by his older brother and nephews. After Vhagar he did everything he can to become the person that would never be bullied again.

[@angelaholmes8888]

Yeah I do understand how aemond became the way he is

[@janellejulianajoy]

Mercilessly?! The dislike between the kids came from the parents. If it were as bad as you say then we wouldn't see Aemond almost offer kind words to Jace at Laena's funeral. He didn't have a dragon and was overlooked because of it. It was the same with Rhaena. This did not make Aemond turn into anything, that attitude adjustment came about when he claimed Vhagar. The insecure child becomes an insecure bully. We see bits of it with Aegon, as Aemond is basically Loki reborn which isn't cute. Wanting something so bad because he feels he deserves it.

[@rhuskymikhaelorcullo5832]

@@janellejulianajoy it has been stated in the book that Jace and Luke bullied Aemond through his childhood though not specified and unknown whether it was "Merciless", and with him looking to offer kind words. They were his bullies but they had still lost their father. I disagree that he was overlooked as a child, by Viserys yes, but Aemond seems to be Alicent's favorite among her children, due to her not being able to connect with Helaena and with Aegon being a pos in general, I believe that his want for a dragon really just stemmed with wanting to become something that they couldn't bully, and he achieved that by episode 8, he was a better fighter, swordsman, better educated (I refer to him being better at Jace with speaking Valyrian) and having the biggest dragon of the era.

[@KingSlayer_.]

17 year old Aemond beats 17 year old Daemon mid diff.

[@MrFredstt]

@@janellejulianajoy I mean it couldn't have been any worse than having his eye cut out save just being killed. So, yeah, I'd say the bullying was quite merciless

[@lukaz1034]

"Uncle, you have lived more than enough." "Of that we can agree."

[@truetory6231]

This is exactly why I CANNOT understand when people say Viserys was a good father, he was a horrible father. A good father loves all his children while Viserys has made it clear time and again that he only loves Rhaenyra and her children while caring nothing for the children he had with Alicent. That's the opposite of a good father

[@zestybutterfly7161]

I think the relationship he had with Rhaenyra and Daemon are examples of how unhealthy unconditional love can be.

[@HK-gm8pe]

well yes I cant argue that something more needed to be done by Aemond losing his eye...but Luke losing his in return is also too insane! If I was in Viserys place...I dont know honestly what I would have done...these are just children.... one thing is for sure...Viserys failed as a father to his children...even to Rhaenyra...he wasnt prepareing her to rule eventhough he absolutely needed to...now we have Aegon who is just a psychopath cause he was never loved or cared for and Rhaenyra who just doesnt know how to rule, I dont know if you remember but Rhaenyra didnt have much of a relationship with Viserys either...so she turned to Daemon...which is pretty creepy on its own...I know cause I have been there...I didnt have a father so I looked for older men for a replacement who actually just tried to groom me

[@yasmina3999]

It hits me how unnecessary it was for Rhaenyra and Viserys to focus that Aemond called the kids bastards and how irrelevant it was compared to what a kid with a gouged eye felt. Alicent said the right thing "they're kids, they throw words around all the time". Like, Aemond is a 10 year old boy, even if he did say that they are bastards, this is not the same if an adult lord said this and accused Rhaenyra of treason.

[@jostockton.]

It's also completely true that they're bastards lol

[@HillsAliveYT]

Yes agreed, ironically their paranoia proved others right in the way that they always wanted to avoid, had they actually just treated it as an insult between children it wouldn't have been quite so obvious that they were trying to cover up the fact that the Strong boys were actually illegitimate.

[@dissisme5311]

@@jostockton. Joffrey tortures anyone who calls him a bastard and Ramsay does the same with more brutality. Luke took out aemond's eye because he could. Team blacks should have burnt aemond with wildfire and taken away vhaghar from him

[@dissisme5311]

@@HillsAliveYT basically nonsense, because brandon stark didn't take it as a mere insult when frey kids mocked him for being a cripple or mocked hodor and even threatened to kill bran's wolf . They eventually became turn cloak against stark kids and joins Ramsay to burn winterfell. Had it been not treated as 'kids stuff' and bran simply warging into his wolf and finishing those two annoying kids , they would never have been alive to betray the Starks .Similarly the green kids were learning to usurp rhaenerya Targaryen ever since they were born , they'll kill rhaenerya and her children without any second thought. The greens were shitty from the start , not the fault of the strong boys.

[@dissisme5311]

@@HillsAliveYT big walder and small walder were also kids . Just 8 year olds . They tortured theon . Can it be considered and dismissed as 'kid stuff' ????

[@thesahel7218]

Your point about Aemond and Daemon being forged by opposite circumstances is so true. Aemond did not just claim Vhagar that night because he wanted a dragon. He did it because he knew that if he let the opportunity slip away, he would go back dragonless and would probably have to settle for a hatchling while Rhaena gains Vhagar (the most powerful dragon in the world) for the blacks who already have Cyrax, Caraxes, Meleys, and 2-3 smaller dragons. He was forced to become politically aware at a young age, earlier at Laena’s funeral he adviced Aegon to wed Helaena and strengthen the line, those are not the words of a clueless child, he knew war was coming. Daemon on the other hand never learned diplomacy or politics because he solved every obstacle in his life through violence and intimidation. Aemond is different because of his relationship with Alicent. Kids pick up on stuff like that easily, he may have seen or heard Alicent worrying about Rhaenyra and took it upon himself to make sure his mother never has to fear anyone ever again.

[@lisahuber9329]

I don't think Aemond claiming Vhagar was that politically driven. He wanted a dragon, and he was mocked for years for not having one. Vhagar was a chance for him to not only get his own dragon, but a bigger one than anyone else has. First thing he does after claiming Vhagar is talking smack to his cousins and nephews about how he has the biggest dragon now, and if they ever mock him again he'll feed them to her. He may have sensed the politics on some level, but I think it was mostly just a child trying to get something he wants.

[@Argos-xb8ek]

I also don't think it that far fetched with Aemond regurgitating everything Alicent has said.

[@jjh2456]

@@lisahuber9329he wouldn’t have had to talk smack if they didn’t start on him first.

[@thalmoragent9344]

I mean, while I agree with most of what she's said, I do believe part of Aemond really did just want a Dragon. He's a Targaryen prince, who sees Dragons as the symbol of his house and his bloodline. Yeah that's partially political, but Aemond bonding with Vhagar, I feel, was just more personal than it was political.

[@thalmoragent9344]

@@lisahuber9329 Agreed, I'd say the political thing was more so Otto's point of view. Aemond wanted a Dragon for more personal reasons, not political..

[@Mic-Mak]

Although Daemon and Aemond are not siblings, their dynamic reminds me of how siblings who are raised with the exact same set of parents, can have opposing reactions to their upbringing, regardless of if they are treated the same or not.

[@AnAmbientBlack]

In regards to Aemond's character development in the show, I think it is interesting that the writers decided to depict the bullying he suffered as well, wherein he's presented as a victim of systemic bullying, tormented by his elder brother and his nephews. I feel that his bullying by Aegon, Jace and Luke contributes to his ambition to claim Vhagar for his own and then his violent turn when confronted by Baela, Jace, Luke and Rhaena for doing so, a similar dynamic which he has experienced before. As you say yourself, Aemond is portrayed as having to take everything for himself and learns he's the only person who will stand up for himself.

[@vitorfreitas1682]

I’m so glad than the series actually make the green side motivations more substantial and relatable

[@LadyDreamfyre]

I absolutely agree with your points. Daemon chose to become the monster he is. Aemond was shaped by trauma, the fear of losing his family and his desire to protect them. Even when he burnt the Riverlands to lure Daemon, he was consumed by grief and without a doubt guilt regarding little Jaehaerys' fate and he wanted to not only avenge his nephew but also make sure the Blacks' greatest warrior was focused on him. I'm not saying he was right, obviously. Just that I can see how he got there.

[@HillsAliveYT]

I'll be very interested to see how the show handles this plot point given that it seems very OOC for the Aemond that they have created, but the whole "making himself a target" thing actually does make a lot of sense.

[@lalesskahernandez9903]

De verdad piensas q daemon se convirtió en monstruo por q el quiso si nadie niega q daemon tiene sus ambiciones como todos pero alguna vez te as puesto a pensar q fuera pasado si viserys ubiera confiado más en daemon viserys solo sabía decir daemon estas exiliado aya daemon regresaba asia de las suyas y de nuevo viserys lo corría viserys nunca se puso a pensar estaré asiendo bien tratando así a mi hermano viserys todo le cree a otto y no a daemon y ahí esta daemon le dijo a viserys q solo otto buscaba su propio veneficio y ahí esta otto iso lo q quiso daemon o q siempre a querido es la atención de viserys y q siga el legado targaryen verdad quisiera el trono fuera matado a viserys o a rhaenyra ase mucho y nadie dice q daemon es perfecto / y aemond si sus primos lo molestaban y su hermano también pero por q solo les agarro odio Asus primos por q alicent les vivía hablando mal de ellos y el a aegon se ve q le tiene envidia por q igual q daemon es un segundo ,hijo nadie es perfecto todos comenten errores

[@rafaelluna3564]

@@lalesskahernandez9903 es verdad . El mismo se lo dice en el primer episodio . Que nunca le dio la oportunidad de nombrarlo a él , su propia sangre y hermano como su mano derecha. Cuantas cosas hubiesen sido distintas si en fin lo hubiera tratado con más confianza . Y el hecho de que Viserys le decía al consulado que su hermano no tenía interés en el trono . Cuando la verdad es que si le interesaba pero no a cualquier precio . Servir honradamente a su hermano siempre fue primero .

[@lalesskahernandez9903]

@@rafaelluna3564 así mismo lo q pasa q todos solo saben decir hay daemon quiere el trono y no es así lo q daemon siempre a querido es estar al lado de viserys si daemon no es ningún santo pero eso la sabe viserys y rhaenyra si cuando fue comandante de la guardia de la noche si el usaba sus propios métodos si pero el trataba alos delincuentes con sus propios crímenes y asta el mismo viserys dijo q no había mucha violencia en el reino y viserys no se enojaba mucho con Damon solo le dijo q tratara de acer las cosas menos peligroso por q por q otto estaba siempre metiéndose en la relación de los hermanos

[@realhillkell]

"monster" is stupid

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

One thing I wished that was in House of the Dragon was Rhaenerya’s relationship with her younger siblings. I think it would’ve been very interesting if in the beginning she loved or at least liked them to the point that Aegon, while not a good person at all, still cares about her and tries to reject his mother trying to put him on the throne until they see she’s willing to do anything to protect her sons and her own rights to the throne.

[@HillsAliveYT]

Agreed, I don't feel like they have developed Rhaenyra's emotional life enough, even when it comes to people that she supposedly cares about (or that she hates), I don't think they have really demonstrated that convincingly. Even if she hated her siblings because they posed a threat to her taking the throne I think it would have been more interesting, but I feel like the show has made her bizarrely unemotional about a lot of different people and things to the point that I don't feel like I get where she's coming from or why she's invested in what's going on in a lot of instances.

[@Mic-Mak]

That's exactly my feeling too. The war is officially between Aegon and Rhaenyra, so it's really perplexing that we have no insight into the kind of relationship she has with her siblings. I really enjoy #HotD, but for me, this just goes to show how hard it is to adapt a bullet point story. The writers did a lot of things right, but they left out a ton too. It seems like, without George's help, they are unable to develop characters and relationships that may be unexplored or underexplored in F&B. If the Dance of the Dragons has been a complete novel or novella series, I have no doubt that #HotD would be very different, and we would have definitely gotten an exploration of Rhaenyra's relationships with her siblings, as well as many other relationships that the show has failed to explore.

[@yasmina3999]

So sad that we don't know anything about their relationship. Like, Aegon and his nephews were friends,, how did she feel about that?

[@maYTeus]

I think they did a good job actually. From the moment aegon was born rhaenyra viewed him as a usurper. Therefore she didn't want anything to do with any of them. I'm sure in the back of her mind she worried that she'd have to do something diabolical eventually so she didn't want to develop an emotional attachment. A better play would have been to get close, be a good older sister to inspire loyalty but Rhaenyra's bold not cunning.

[@Mic-Mak]

@@maYTeus That still gives us no insight to their relationship. It's really hard to hate a baby.

[@ratgirl34]

It occurs to me that Aemon and Sandor kind of have similar childhood experiences. Both were maimed by a relative, though the circumstances are very different. Both incidents were basically brushed off by their fathers. And both were shaped by the experience.

[@WisteriaNerium]

I can't help but to feel so much sympathy for Team Green. Aemond and Alicent in particular. I can relate to them in ways I just can't with characters of team black. Maybe it's because it's more personal and I relate more to having responsibilities I don't want being trusted on me and having my feelings disregarded by my own family. Team Black seems appealing in a wish fulfillment way, Daemon and Rhaenyra are seemingly free and wild spirits who "shouldn't" be held back by the rules, but ultimately care about their loved ones. While Team Green are those who've had to suffer so other people can enjoy their freedom and privileges, it doesn't seem particularly appealing to people. They get demonized to such a vitriolic extent because to the people that support Team Black the Greens represent the very rules that threaten the lifestyles of Daemon and Rhaenyra, but they don't realize that the Greens are the ones that get affected the most by those rules and Daemon and Rhaenyra's freedom was basically built on top of Alicent and her children's.

[@HillsAliveYT]

Yeah, I just find them to be more compelling characters because they have a lot more meat IMHO. Like, Daemon and Rhaenyra and Viserys are fine as characters, but they're not as intriguing to me because a lot of what happens is simply driven by them doing whatever they want, there's not a lot of pathos in their character developments in season 1 because it is mostly just them YOLOing and every other character developing around the aftermath of that.

[@timothytzovolos153]

It also helps that Alicents children have actual character dynamics as opposed to Rhaynera's copy pasted honorable sons

[@marga.9793]

Dang, even though I'm Team Black (I'm just biased because I don't like Alicent's dad and Aegon), I love watching Hill's Alive take and it gave me a new perspective on the Greens. I definitely see both sides more and I don't necessarily feel sympathy for the whole of Team Green just yet, but I feel for Aemond and Alicent.

[@Rhoxmaster316]

At Hill's channel we all stan Team Green! 😁

[@rext4607]

Exactly!!

[@samsonright936]

I’m very excited to see where Aemond’s character goes. I guess he can look similar to Daemon on the surface, but even on a purely moralistic level they’re clearly different. Sometimes I feel like HotD fans are desperate for Aemond to be a “wannabe” Daemon because of how much attention Aemond is getting lol. Anyways, I love this video! Another great one from Hill Alive ❤

[@HillsAliveYT]

Yeah, everything that they've done with Aemond's character is something that I've loved, even with Luke, I like that he may have spent nearly a decade preparing to fight and kill, but we can see the shock and horror on his face when Luke actually dies, even if they were always going to be on opposite sides and even if Luke horrifically injured Aemond and seem to have no regrets about it. He didn't seem like he was ultimately prepared for the reality of killing someone even if he may have glorified it in his own mind.

[@janellejulianajoy]

There is a big difference between the two, arrogance and security. Despite riding the largest dragon in the world, intellect and being an excellent swordsman he's insecure as hell. Daemon and Aemond are mirror images right on down to wanting to be seen or acknowledged, the only difference is the fact that one is a raging psychopath and the other isn't. Don't get me wrong, Daemon is fucked up but he has absolutely nothing on Aemond.

[@user-xy6xr2hf8x]

@@janellejulianajoy ​ Can you blame him? He was tormented by his brother and his nephews as a dragon-less Targaryen. Following the scuffle and the loss of his eye, his father had subjected him to an interrogation… The blood on his face hasn’t even dried up yet! It was beyond humiliation.

[@kellharris2491]

Are we sure that Aemond is raging psychopath? Or is that hersey from an unreliable narrator and rumors? Because I can see how a kinslayer would be perceived. It will be interesting the direction he will ultimately take.

[@mariavi33]

Daemon became what he wanted, while Aemond became what he had to

[@normtrooper4392]

The spiderman pointing at spiderman meme comes to mind here. Aemond is definitely my favourite targaryean psycho

[@thalmoragent9344]

Honestly, I'm glad you've made note of the fact that they're not just direct mirrors of one another. They're Parallels sure but, not in the way so many casually think they are

[@jordanhowe188]

Always happy to see another video from you, and this was an excellent one. I've always viewed Rhaenyra as something of a spoiled brat, but I never realized that the same could be said about Daemon. So many fans characterize them as brave and rebellious figures to be admired, but it's easy to break the rules when you're at the top of the food chain. Aemond and the Greens might seem like villainous plotters, but they are only plotting to maintain what is literally the law of Westeros, that the oldest male heir succeeds the throne. What makes the conflict so engaging is that the Blacks are very sympathetic, despite the fact that they are objectively in the wrong by Westerosi standards, and the Greens are very villainous, despite the fact that they are objectively in the right by Westerosi standards. Here's hoping the second season keeps the conflict morally grey. #teamgreen #teamaemond

[@HillsAliveYT]

Yes agreed, obviously Daemon is brave enough to put his life on the line but generally it's very easy to be a rebel when there are no actual consequences to it. And on the flip side, it's not surprising when people like the Greens or Vaemond are fighting against that rebellion when they ARE the people who are experiencing the actual consequences of it.

[@hugolouessard3914]

It's very interesting to see how Aemond had to grow up fast, and how the eye-loss fight made him realize that his mother was the one he had to protect, because she was the one protecting him. When he senses that she's mad angry and committed treason by cutting Rhaenyra, I think him saying "it's alright mother, I may have lost an eye but have gained a dragon" is not only a very mature thing to say for a 10-12 year old boy (not sure about the age) but it's clear he wants to calm his mother to protect her from going further in a quest for vengeance. A thing that Otto recognizes immediately. Aemond is mature and smart, and it shows. Although I'm team black, I empathize towards Aemond and Helaena especially, Alicent less so compared to many people but still she has her reasons.

[@HillsAliveYT]

The "lost an eye but gained a dragon" thing is one of my favorite lines in the show so far for a few reasons. Firstly, the fact that a child would be willing to lose body parts or even die just to have a dragon goes to show how toxic the Targaryen mindset is and how they seemingly only judge people worthy if they have dragon power. But there's also the fact that it WASN'T an exchange. Aemond claimed a dragon and then got jumped and lost an eye, so the fact that he realizes that he needs to diffuse the situation because nothing is going to happen as a result of his injury and if his mother keeps fighting for him then she'll probably pay consequences for that is incredibly depressing but feels very true to children of abusive parents who do often allow themselves to suffer to protect their parent who is also suffering. The reality is that what happened to Aemond was OUTRAGEOUSLY unjust AND he knows that, he's just saying that it was "fair" because if he doesn't then things will get even worse for him.

[@nataliaperez6203]

@@HillsAliveYT and black fanatics say "oh aemond shouldnt be mad at luke 6 years later, he said himself that his eye loss was worth it". They are the dumbest people in the fandom! OBVIOUSLY, aemond didnt 100% mean that, he did it to diffuse the situation

[@michaelnkomphela8231]

@@nataliaperez6203 Exactly.

[@hugolouessard3914]

​@@HillsAliveYT Absolutely, some people seem to have understood that line as being him accepting that this is a fair exchange, but it wasn't an exchange at all. Though, I'd say he tried to murder Jace with a rock. He's not clean in this, he's the one that made things escalate because even if they were 4 against him, he used his fists first and then went too far by saying he'd kill "him" like his father dies screaming in fire. But anyway, in his mind it's clear I think that when he said to his mother that it was "ok", he wanted to stop things from escalating further and his mother risking her life. Not that he thought it was just. But Aemond, as mature and smart as he can be, can also be naively stupid. At Storm's end, it seems he only wanted to scare Lucerys like never before, but doing so with a 60 meters dragons is extremely dangerous and the risk of death is close to 100%. He seemed chocked of what happened, but what did he expect? He's intimidating Luke and Arrax with a gigantic monster, of course they're going to panic ! Maybe he thought Vhagar would obey him no matter what, but if so, he's naive. As they say, "dragons are no slaves"... And now, war is declared. Side note : I haven't read the book, and even though I know some of the things that will happen, I'm so excited to see the dance. I can't wait for season 2 ! Serisously, the time between seasons in big shows is becoming really too long... Yeah, they waited to see if the season was successful, ok, but 2 years? Come on ! I know it will be hugely expensive, long to film, complicated, and with a lot of VFX, but that's a very long wait !

[@punkwister]

@@hugolouessard3914 dont be an average black supporter dude lmao u can write comment that long and so one sided yet u havent read the book LOL

[@pedrofernandes2466]

Aemond 💚

[@bensonfang1868]

My headcanon is that Viserys’s coddling of daemon was merely a continuation of his father’s coddling. My theory is that baelon kind of gave up on the character side of parenting and coped with Alyssa’s death in a nice version of Wenwu from Marvel’s Shang chi: he pulled daemon into the training yard and just trained him to be a great swordsman but otherwise paid little attention to the development of his sons as people. That’s why daemon values combat skills and the attention and approval garnered from such skills so much. If was his only way of bonding with his dad.

[@HillsAliveYT]

That would make a lot of sense given that this actually mirrors a lot of Viserys' parenting style too.

[@bensonfang1868]

@@HillsAliveYTyea he is pretty nice but doesn’t step up til his beloved wife dies then attempts to posthumously live through their kids with their late spouse

[@tazzioboca]

Personally, I don't think Aemond and Daemon are as similar as people make them out to be. You're right when you draw attention to the fact that they're both badass warriors that ride large dragons and are younger brothers to kings, but that's more or less where their similarities end for me. First we must reconsider the "love" they have for their brothers. In Daemon's case, the one thing that's been consistent about his character is that there's only one person that he really loves, himself. Would Daemon actively try to sabotage his brother's reign if he truly loved Viserys? Is bringing Viserys' only and precious daughter and heir to a whorehouse the actions of a loving brother? I don't really think so. Daemon's character is about advancing his own position to the throne, regardless of law or, at times, personal feelings (keep that in mind). In regards to Aemond, it's harder to say because, as you correctly pointed out, we haven't got a lot of screen time from him. Even then, it's not absurd to say that being bullied and abused by Aegon most of his childhood would not make him love his older brother too much. But despite the bad history between them, Aemond still defends his brother's claim. The only important question then is why. The way I see it, Aemond's dedicated to duty. He, unlike his uncle, defends Aegon's claim even if it is not, at first, directly beneficial to himself, i.e. he's not defending his own claim. From the few scenes we had with him, we can see that he can sometimes struggle with that when he said that he was more deserving of the claim then Aegon. But despite that, Aemond still upholds the laws and traditions of Westeros that gives his brother his legitimate claim. And now we can get to the point I was trying to make and why Aemond and his uncle are almost the opposite of each other. Whilst Aemond is dedicated to maintain order and law even if he personally doesn't have that much to gain from it, Daemon works to disrupt that precisely because of what he has to gain for doing so. I think a great example of this is when we find out that Aemond offers himself as a match to a non-Valyrian family (the Baratheons) for the benefit of his family, something that Daemon couldn't possibly stand for.

[@HillsAliveYT]

Aemond's duty towards Aegon is interesting as well, because Aemond seems more pragmatic than his siblings so even if he knows Aegon shouldn't be king he almost certainly recognizes that Aegon will have to DIE in order to cement Rhaenyra's claim, and ergo Aemond's head will be the next on the chopping block. I actually have a different POV on Daemon though, because I do actually think his love for Viserys and Rhaenyra are genuine, but he's an abusive and toxic person so his behaviors are not consistently or healthily loving.

[@tazzioboca]

@@HillsAliveYT I guess I just have a different definition of what is love. To me, true love is something that requires self-sacrifice for the benefit of someone else. From what I understand, Daemon has never done that for either Viserys or Rhaenyra. People like him are incapable of doing that, thus incapable of loving others.

[@yasmina3999]

@@tazzioboca Aegon? You mean Daemon ?)

[@tazzioboca]

@@yasmina3999 oh yeah, my bad. These Valyrian names sound so similar I'm often getting them mixed up lol.

[@STARK0181]

If what you say about Daemon is true, then why didn't he ever try to usurp Viserys when he was heir to the throne?? He clearly does love his brother. In fact, I would argue he did all those rebellious things out of heartbreak. He felt betrayed that Viserys would trust people like Otto over him and felt marginalised because his Viserys always tried to keep him away from arm's reach regarding politics. Basically, Daemon did all those things because he was trying to prove him self and earn the validation of his big brother, which he desperately craved.

[@amdalauara]

ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER SLAY

[@jaybe9627]

For real when I see her upload I’m just like “ok who is she gonna read for filth next”

[@HillsAliveYT]

😂

[@chingizzhylkybayev8575]

Aemond was forced to grow up way too fast. Daemon never grew up.

[@sofia-ou3uf]

lol yes daemon’s literally a man child. Even in the books it was told he acted cold towards aegon and aemond when they were toddlers😭 but team black won’t hear this

[@CryptoIncursion]

Aemond is probably my favorite character in all of cinema right now. He is so compelling to watch.

[@bensonfang1868]

5:30 the training point is interesting given that Jaehaerys did this too. He didn’t enjoy fighting but saw being good as combat as his duty as king

[@Mic-Mak]

Thank you for reminding me that Aemond & Luke were just children who couldn't appreciate the full ramifications of their behavior. Admittedly, my first reading was that Aemond intentionally tried to kill Aemond. The sheer violence of the act made me not sympathize with the fact that he was a child. That said, it was still terrifying. I find it so interesting that you compared Visery's dealing of the situation with Robert when Nymeria attacks Joffrey. On the one hand, Viserys seems to completely dominate his wife, she can't persuade him of anything. On the flip side, it seems absurd to me to think that Robert was dominated by Cersei. That was clearly not the case. And yet, he completely gave in to her, when she asked Lady to be killed for Nymeria biting Joffrey. It doesn't quite make sense to me.

[@HillsAliveYT]

LOL yes, even though it was a bit of a tangent, the number of people who have been like Aemond tried to MURDER Jace really threw me off given that these are all literal children so even Luke who did something incredibly dangerous had no real comprehension of what the results of their actions could be, and while Bobby B is a scrub who let Cersei's vindictiveness kill Lady, his immediate take on the whole situation was clearly the most reasonable one because kids do fight.

[@wolfsbanealphas617]

@@HillsAliveYT Hey I just realized jon is rheagars kid in show it shows with how both of them fell for two women and both caused the death of both but feel sorry for themselves. For Dany she's like him in the fact she always justifies everything she does and pass the blame on others and is self righteous which i think so was he. They both gave a presences of perfection and charisma and lastly all three of them births meant the doom of thier family and mothers. What do you think?

[@kikima258]

The thing is aemond didn't even try to kill luce he grabbed the rock while he was on the flor getting beaten by four children, but then as soon as he was safe he lowered the rock instead of hitting luce's head with it. jace just couldn't handle the bastards insult and drew the knife just rewatch the scean

[@wolfsbanealphas617]

@@kikima258 right ! Why did no one call out the kid with a knife

[@KaiHung-wv3ul]

"Aemond intentionally tried to kill Aemond." ????????????????????????????????????????

[@ohmyduck8101]

People getting mad Aemond claimed laena valaryon’s dragon but don’t get mad rhaenyra claimed her husband.

[@notyetawomen5257]

😂🤣😂

[@MrFredstt]

Ikr

[@ParisMedina-cr8if]

U don't knoq what ur talking bout..fake fan

[@iriswatt4275]

Aemond: *rides Laena’s dragon* Most of the fans: The horror! The shock! The audacity! How dare he steal poor Laena’s dragon before her body has even grown cold! And at her funeral no less! How shameful. Rhaenyra: *also rides Laena’s dragon, proceeds to marry said dragon less than a week or so later* Most of the fans: WE. LOVE. TO. SEE. IT! Damn, I wish the lighting was better out here on this beach. Look at our king and queen go! 🙌🏼

[@ulquiorracifer5493]

I never understood this either. Them *BLACKS* be biased asf.

[@kaxachianged5869]

I don't like the idea that Viserys was manipulated by Otto into marrying Alicent. Pls tell me how? This is a king who took advantage of a little girl, he was even adviced by Ser Strong his hand to marry the valaryon girl Leana but he refused. Alicent have been a faithful wife 100% to viserys and never disobeyed his order. Why will anyone hate on the greens?? VISERYS despised the very process that make him King over his cousin Rheanys and denied Aegon his birthright according to westoris custom by installing his daughter who has no regards for him as heir. VISERYS was terribly sick but his beloved daughter couldn't stay close to take care of him, if Alicent wasn't there he would have died earlier. Pls cut the Greens some slack. Their fight is legitimate and am on their side 100 percent 💪

[@thorthewolf8801]

Otto sent Alicent into the chambers of Viserys, who was at the time grieving for his wife and secluded from the people. When you are in that stage, its easy to develop attachments to those who helped you through it. Alicent wasnt THAT young (remember the little girl the Valeryons tried to marry to him?), she was a teenager, which in medieval times was old enough to be seen as a possible match. Another thing to mention is the moment where Otto suggests to Alicent to wear a particularly good looking dress, one that apparently her mother looked "sexy" in.

[@mariavi33]

@@thorthewolf8801 She was just 2 years older than Laena, and Viserys had watched her grow up alongside his own daughter. And he knew that what he was doing was wrong when he told Alicent not to tell Rhaenyra.

[@anajuliagomez878]

Alicent debió mandar a viseris al carajo,yo no se como sigue siendo buena esposa, q pesar de que ella y sus hijos no le importaban.era Para que ella lo dejara

[@yusufraage8554]

@@mariavi33 The king needed a hole to produce ofsprings with, Otto served his own daughter up. Viserys I even half dead he was the best Alicent could get.

[@cheshirevixen8881]

This video put my nebulous feelings into words. I always get kinda annoyed when someone compares these two as if Aemond is just a copy cat and they're fundamentally the same person. However, while I can pinpoint many reasons why I feel the way I do about each of them, when they are compared I've found it hard to specifically articulate why their similarities feel like they are superficial and stem from different places. But highlighting how they relate to the differences in the factions made it click, cause I have pretty strong feelings on the general philosophies of the blacks and the greens.

[@jt7638]

I really respect your work. Sharp and insightful analysis!

[@Okkotsu86275]

Aemond and Daemon are definitely cut from the same cloth by the same man, but their made of different material. One Green. One Red, they represent their quite well respectfully. This is one of your best videos, not just because your talking about two of my favorite male Targaryens. But because you excellently broke down how two Rouge Princes were made and shape by the same man. Introspective character video like this are my favorite by you💚💚❤️❤️

[@Cole_E]

Honestly, the more I look back on the show, the more I wonder if the creators actually knew what they wanted Daemon (and Rhaenyra, but she's not the topic here) to be. To me, Daemon is the embodiment of a spoiled child who still believes they've been deprived and he seems to flip from one extreme to another without warning. Maybe that's the point, but the impression I took from the books was that he was a shrewd political operator, selfish and ambitious but still caring to those he thought of as family. I think Matt Smith did the best he could with what he was given but Show Daemon really just comes off as a prick with a wounded ego and a dangerous sense of entitlement so I just can't understand why people like him so much. I don't really have much to say about Aemond because I think you've summed it up very well. What I'd add is that Viserys' betrayal the night he lost his eye must've been devastating. Luke was defending his brother, yes, but his actions had permanent consequences and he should have been punished. Calling someone a bastard and taking someone's eye out, intentionally or not, are two very different things, and while I understand Viserys' desire to protect Rhaenyra and her sons, it shouldn't have to be at the expense of his own son.

[@yasmina3999]

i don't think there was a need to protect Rhaenyra, especially when Aemond sat just there without his eye. Rhaenyra change the topic because she knew her sons should have been punished for attacking Aemond and cutting his eye, that's all.She made all us believe that she was in danger because her 10 years old brother said something mean during the fight ( and none of the adult actually heard it).It's not like he accused her officially, he was just a child that said something he didn't understand/ didn't know he shouldn't have said. Aemond should have been punished for saying stuff like that but Rhaenyra WAS NOT in dander.

[@maYTeus]

How do you punish a Luc? Certainly you wouldn't blind an even younger child.

[@Cole_E]

@@maYTeus Of course not but I do think he should have been removed from the lines of succession to both Driftmark and the Iron Throne. Personally, I would have had him become a Maester. He could probably have become an Archmaester like Vaegon. He might have actually preferred that given how reluctant he was to become Lord of Driftmark but even if he didn't, it would've ensured that he faced consequences without resorting to taking his eye.

[@Cole_E]

@@yasmina3999 Rhaenyra shot herself in the foot by bringing it up but I think she was counting on her father's blind devotion to her. Like it or not, her decision to have Harwin father her children was a massive political blunder and I don't buy that Viserys was blind to it. I think he played dumb out of guilt for what he did to Aemma and it came at the expense of Aemond in particular.

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

@@maYTeus No but I would have him serve his uncle as a servant until Aemond recovers from his injury.

[@belsempai2671]

You deserve so much more views. Your takes are a breath of fresh air

[@MrFredstt]

I really hope the show continues on a good path of making Aemond interesting instead of saying fuck it let's make him an irredeemable villain like his brother

[@radiclelife]

I just wanted to say that I love your GOT, HOTD analysis videos and you’re one of my favorites in this realm of video genres. I always love listening to your break downs and interpretations of the source materials and find that you make really compelling claims - even for someone like me who’s never read any of the books! So thank you for all of your work and all that you produce for us!! You’re doing a great job and I look forward o your videos

[@HillsAliveYT]

💜💜💜

[@ewanscrumbs]

Aemond has all my empathy! All greens actually have. Viserys is hateful! He sentenced all the his children to death.

[@kittycheshire5099]

I don't think I've ever hated a character as much as I hate Viserys Targaryen. Literally, all of this is his fault. He is a shit king and a shit dad to everyone but Rhaenyra. Like, if was going to hate them, why remarry or have more children in the first place? He doesn't even care about them, and their existance is what causes this whole dilemma. I hope he's burning in Hell for all the shit he's put Alicent and her children through.

[@kailanerman5090]

He wasn't even a good father to Rhaenyra. Not really. A good parent will allow there children to fail and feel consequences of their actions. They'll punish and correct what needs to be. But he does literally NOTHING, worse even, he lies for her and plays into her misdeeds.

[@JoshuaHenelyThornhill]

This video has become my favorite opinion on Aemond. At the end of the season, I felt as if I had to be on the Black side but the story kept tugging me from side to side because both sides were shitty in a way. But when it comes to my boy Aemond… Nahhhh I’m on his side homeboy is just trying to protect his mother and sister from his father disregard or his brother’s foolishness. I think he still loves his brother but more on a « we’re of the same blood so I’ll protect you but careful brother » level. Aemond is just that intimidating because it works at protecting those he loves.

[@rext4607]

You're my favourite hotd KZbinr. A very unique perspective.

[@Laramaria2]

Honestly, I feel bad for both of them. The feeling that no matter how hard you work, you will never be as important to someone as that person is to you is truly heartbreaking.

[@ty-zz9ic]

Yeah and when you deserve that love it must suck a lot more too. Every child deserves their parents’ love

[@Alex-bz8lj]

Aemond seems like a Decent guy while Daemon just comes off as a evil dude

[@HillsAliveYT]

Aside from Aemond's war crimes he is completely innocent!

[@bensonfang1868]

Daemon was mom and dad’s favorite kid and he’s still that spoiled kid on the inside. Aemond’s humanity comes from the suffering he witnessed his mom go through

[@jaxontrimble2553]

@Hill's Alive all he did was mess with a kid who carved his eye out and bullied him as a child. The rest was up to their dragons as you have talked about before

[@Janary08]

@@jaxontrimble2553 I think she's referring to the books where Aemond burned people and places in the war and killed a house to extinction which is most likely to happen in the show

[@jaxontrimble2553]

@Janary08 that's fair but it's not happened yet and characters to get whitewashed by HBO sometimes so treating it like it already happened isn't exactly fair. Not saying she's doing that BTW

[@maharanieh]

here we go new hills alive hotd video 🙏

[@Princess_Weekes]

Ohhhh another banger!!! 💚🖤

[@bensonfang1868]

Aemond’s loyalty to Aegon does kind of mirror daemon’s actions at the great council of 101 AC though. Daemon was aemond’s age at the time too. Perhaps daemon’s reasons were a bit more selfish than dutiful but nonetheless the whole “fighting for older brother’s claim” parallel remains

[@chingizzhylkybayev8575]

What did he do back then?

[@bensonfang1868]

@@chingizzhylkybayev8575 he gathered armies in preparation for war in case the great council turned to war

[@elijah5182]

King Aemond 🐉💚💚👑

[@Bori.1776]

Oh you sweet poor child

[@kimberlyplatt2382]

Aemond is still very much a nutjob.

[@echosword6468]

Really good video, always enjoy parts of HOTD that I haven’t thought of before that this channel brings to light, and adds on to the enjoyment of the show.

[@icaro_andstuff]

Yassss, a video on the elf looking maniacs!!!! They are both unhinged and entertaining 🖤🖤🖤

[@josh10722]

Not even gonna lie, when the time jump happened Aemond confused the hell out of me. First i thought it was Daemon, then i thought it was his son. They look exactly the same save the eye and hair length

[@lutilda]

Really well done! I hadn't thought of the dance before in these terms but what you said about sun /shade made me think how plants will due both if you leave them in too much sun or darkness.

[@HillsAliveYT]

Thanks! LOL the whole light/darkness/growth analogy felt a little melodramatic but it also felt too appropriate to leave out.

[@Alduin_el_Compadre]

The more i check of the dance of the Dragons. The more i'm glad Bobby B brought the Hammer down on that family

[@Mic-Mak]

Good Lord, I love a good ASOIAF analysis. Another fantastic video. Keep it up!

[@holly-hobbiest3141]

If Lucerys had been punished I think aemond wouldn't be the way he behave

[@HillsAliveYT]

It's interesting, because I think if it had even been acknowledged that Luke did the wrong thing then everything would have been different. I get why this was such a cataclysmic event for the Greens because it wasn't just that Aemond was mutilated, and it wasn't even just that Luke suffered no consequences, it's that Aemond, Alicent, and everyone who felt that this was unfair or wrong didn't even have that wrong acknowledged, nor could they acknowledge it themselves.

[@Janary08]

Lol plus the family dinner wouldve ended peacefully if that strong boy didnt deliver aemond the roast pig reminding him of the pink dread incident thus showing that he's not sorry for the incident at all and was smug about it. Just like rhae, he's protected from learning the consequences of his own actions and continues to make worse problems :(

[@holly-hobbiest3141]

@@Janary08 Luke is remorseless

[@SofiaSmileey]

Luke is remorseless because nobody ever told him what he did was wrong. Thus he felt like he was in the right. Even if it was just a childrens fight they should‘ve been punished and reprimanded, not too harshly of course because they are kids but the point still stands.

[@notyetawomen5257]

@@Janary08Luke is a moron, what logic was he thinking when he decided to laugh at his former bullied victim, who has demonstrated in the yard not to be fuck with and also has a dragon the size of a castle.

[@anais559]

always a delight when you upload

[@princedaemontargaryen4971]

I absolutely love the way you described how Daemon is more in love with his family than actual power. Yes he is power hungry and dangerous but he ultimately doesn’t like direct power nor does he care for politics personally unless it badly affects his family.

[@jomeotrashgod1098]

Both teams needs that vicious guard dog aemond is like that police German shepherd and daemon is like a wild pit bull in my opinion

[@arthurgomes8214]

It bothers me how Rhaenyra's only interaction with her brothers is her calling for them to be tortured after one of her sons disabled her baby brother for life. This post has been payed for by Alicent Hightower.

[@RonnieFlare17]

Oh love this. Aemond and Daemon are pretty clear foils. Thanks for your breakdown!

[@smecclesshwifty8548]

I freaking love your videos. I heard your cameo on Bite Marx too, nice work.

[@minp2001]

YES THE VIDEO IVE BEEN WAITING FOR

[@luminyam6145]

Such a great video, thank you.

[@ameshoward2002]

Another great video

[@MichelMawon4982]

As usual, well done!

[@guitaristAustin]

Daemon and Viserys remind me of Maegor and Aenys. Daemon would totally do more crazy shit if Viserys encouraged it. Plus Maegor had his mother hammering ideas into his head and possibly ressurecting him. I think Daemon is like a more sane, less tampered version of Maegor.

[@ChrisCarrasquillo]

These second sons are reckless af. Aemond, Daemon, Otto and Vaemond(rip). They need to chill tf out.

[@InterestingNerdClub]

Aemond: "Can I copy your homework." Daemon: "Yeah just don't make it obvious."

[@jostockton.]

You got those mixed up

[@BobbyFlay14]

Aemond learning a very valuable but harsh lesson very as a young man. Nobody’s coming to save you

[@jentalksbooks]

Great analysis! 👍

[@BP-yd9vn]

I’m sure it hasn’t escaped anyone’s notice that Daemon and Aemond is the same name with the letters rearranged. Also interesting that the name, Daemon, is the same as the word demon, just a different spelling of it.

[@jordannieland365]

Can't a character be a foil and a mirror at the time?

[@HillsAliveYT]

Sure, I guess maybe "twin" would have been a better word to describe it but all I meant was that they're not identical, in a lot of way they're each other's inverse.

[@jordannieland365]

@@HillsAliveYT Understandable. Do you think the young Aegon might be something more than a hedonist to be a puppet to a puppeteer if he was similarly scarred?

[@ahmedosman1327]

Interestingly enough, you might find while Aemond is inspired by and shares similarities with Daemon, so too does Jace with Criston Cole.

[@SuaveJoker]

3:40, is that GRRM standing behind Daemon???

[@joe9739]

I like Aemond better, tbh.

[@eoghanclark165]

Look, I know I'm not supposed to take sides, I've read Fire & Blood, and I know how this ends. But nevertheless... Team Green, all day, every day.

[@khfan4life365]

“You have lived too long, uncle.” “On that much we agree.”

[@spiritofarkham1235]

One scene in the show at driftmark where Daemon interupts a fight between Rhaenyra's sons and Aemond makes me wonder if he sees Aemond like Jaime Lannister sees Loras Tyrell. Jaime sees Loras as just like he was at that age.

[@ajae...]

Daemon and Criston are two sides of the same coin. Aemond is the unlucky kid who grew up with it in his pocket.

[@fameasser123]

That was an interesting video, good job yo! I don't know what a foil is but other than that 'twas a good video to gander at.

[@HillsAliveYT]

LMFAO I was watching a Breaking Bad reaction video when I read this so the "yo" immediately switched it into Jesse Pinkman voice in my head.

[@coolchristiangirl190]

Targaryen second sons are so interesting, what are your thoughts on Maegor Targaryen? Some argue that he purposely made himself the villian to save the house from the maesters thus saving the Targaryen lineage 🤔

[@aaq1655]

I love aemond so much

[@xoxo7207]

This is very good analysis of these characters, and even if i love both of them, this is the reason why i prefer aemond and have a soft spot for him and why i hate Viserys so much..

[@idontuploadanym0re]

it really all boils down to the failings of Viserys, doesn’t it?

[@taliyahthompson6072]

Hard work vs. Cheaters. The green children had to develop under tough conditions which forced them to grow. While the blacks took advantage of the fact that no matter what they did they could never be wrong. They took advantage of the king.

[@yaboyed5779]

Could do a video on house Strong. Like a history of their house from their founding to their end in Fire & Blood?

[@reginaldamoah8608]

I think Aemond probably understood his position even before he lost his eye that's why he went for the biggest dragon. But the difference with Daemon is that he was a Kinslayer by accident where Daemon took advantage of an accident to kill his wife on purpose. This all goes back to Otto not a great choice for Hand

[@sabrinamcclain162]

I agree with everything you said about the greens and Daemon. I disagree with you about Rhaenyra's motivations coming from having absolute freedom under Viserys though. She was favored by Viserys as an adult, but as a kid, she lost her mother because her father put her in danger to get a male heir. Then she lost her best friend when she married her father. Rhaenyra has seen first hand that the lack of power and agency women in Westeros have can put them in danger, and she doesn't want that for herself. Being Viserys's favorite doesn't cancel all that out. And yes, I know Viserys was by all accounts a good dad to Rhaenyra in the book, but I'm talking about the show.

[@HillsAliveYT]

Yeah you're not wrong on Viserys being a bad parent until Aemma was dead, and it's incredibly ironic that he overcompensated by completely favoring Rhaenyra and then being a bad dad to his new children.

[@hightower19]

She was even favoured by viserys as a kid lmao what are u even saying? she got the privileges no other noble woman or princess ever received for that matter. 1. Viserys gave her the liberty to choose a love match as a teen, an opportunity she threw away so easily. No one gets the chance to choose from a list of suitors and rhaenyra had the upper hand thanks to her father's favour 2. Viserys covers up her mistakes even as a child. In episode 4 viserys pretty quietly wipes up the mess rhaenyra created during her night out with daemon. In his own words; jaehaerys would've disinherited you! That's what the previous king did when he found out about his daughter's (saera) similar actions. He sent her to become a septa in oldtown. But, viserys did none of that, he remained a good father to her and favoured her even while she brew a scandal for herself and the crown.

[@jasonck9635]

My 2 favorite characters , and I can’t wait to see them battle in the skies !

[@jujubih9343]

Been binging your videos since Sunday. BY ANY CHANCE, are we gonna get a video on the “relationship,” between Queen Alicent & Larys?? How was he able to get her to do that & HOW long has that been going on? Is that her way of making it so he doesn’t spill the truth about the murders of his father & brother or something else entirely? Is this relationship even in the book?

[@HillsAliveYT]

Yeah I will probably do something on that at some point although not in the near future!

[@wargames2195]

Daemon is the bad boi chad the show writers want us to empathy with, Aemond is the actual sympathetic character that the show writers want to demonize. Like come on, what did Aemond even do wrong? Killing his kins who are already in war with him?

[@danielallen4450]

I imagine even Visenya would find Daemon’s obsession with Fire and Blood just a little bit much.

[@senister14]

I'm team Aemond.

[@thedukebox2815]

Will you ever do a video on cersei

[@kekero540]

It’s fascinating to see your perspective on things. Because I think my mind has been corrupted by history, when I’m thinking about viserys I usually think of him as non committal to his decision about Rhaenyra because he talks about “having peoples tongues” and then shortly after, Alicent assaults the heir apparent of the realm and absolutely nothing comes of it. Viserys fails to enforce his decision on Rhaenyra and the entire realm and his house pay a bloody price for it.

[@bichiAllen]

I wouldn't call Aemond a "decent guy" taking into account his war crimes, murderous intent, and treason (be it if Rhaenyra was or not worthy to be heir, or if she was the right pick, if people like it or not, is irrelevant if the king has already named her his heir. In the end, the king has the last word.) But what I would say about Aemond is that Daemon is far more violent, and unhinged, Aemond's actions are based on his own perspective of protecting his family but Daemon's actions are based on his knowledge that nothing he does will have consequences against him

[@minp2001]

You never miss!