House of the Dragon S2E03 live Q&A discussion

[@AltShiftX]

1:13:50 I was wrong! It's not treason for Daemon to be called "Your Grace". In the books, princes like Daeron and Maekar are called Your Grace, as well as queens like Cersei and Margaery, and Daenerys' king consort Hizdahr. So it's not unusual to call Daemon Your Grace, given that he's both a prince and king consort. Though I still think the implication is that Daemon is considering taking the Throne for himself..

[@ShubertReads]

I think it also shows that Daemon is looking for a fight. He's dying to take offence so he can do what he does best - fight and be violent. By being peaceful, the Lord of Harrenhal has taken away Daemon's one card. All he has left is to pathetically assert his dominance through nitpicking titles.

[@LyricalXilence]

Disagree he's not envisioning taking the Iron Throne. Calling him "my prince" denies that Rhaenyra is the Queen and he is King Consort. By insisting on using his new title he is reinforcing Rhaenyra's ascension.

[@FeezFBaby]

⁠@@LyricalXilenceGreat great great comment & theory my friend. I never even thought bout it like in that kind of way. What a beautiful & perfect comment by u yo. Bcuz I’m team black all the way until my last dying breath lmfao 🤣🤣🤣💯💯💯

[@blueberry212121]

😅

[@greenprobe]

My first thought was "Oh actually doesn't it make sense for him to be called 'Your Grace' as king consort?" but with the lord's reaction it seemed clear the show was putting forward the narrative that Daemon was making the correction for his own benefit, at least in that moment. My interpretation was that in the regular king and queen situation the queen would usually be referred to by "your grace" because she'd be considered an extension of the king, but here where the queen is the true monarch they avoided calling Daemon "Your grace" to remove the ambiguity of who was in charge.

[@AnaatthiGozo]

I love the small scene of Aegon realizing that making his friends Kingsguard and surrounding himself with idiots might've been a bad idea.

[@sandorthehoundclegane2235]

Like them all realising they can’t have sex no more😂

[@BoadieBroadus3211]

Immediately following him drunkenly going partying with them anyway

[@SuperStella1111]

@@BoadieBroadus3211 after staring into a mirror!! He doesn’t want to be who he is, in that moment. But he is who he is - so he crumbles. And he lands in that brothel.

[@Longshanks1690]

@@BoadieBroadus3211But the Kingsguard weren’t with him, only his courtiers who hadn’t sworn vows, which Aegon also didn’t swear. I think Aegon is trying to take his duties more seriously, but if there’s no direct conflict, he’ll carry on as before.

[@BoadieBroadus3211]

@@Longshanks1690 ohh I guess I wasn’t watching closely enough I assumed he was with his drinking buddies/newly minted Kingsguard

[@troyareyes]

I love how people were complaining online how Aegons armor didn't fit good in the early footage only for it to be Aegon the conquerors armor so of course it doesn't fit. It's also a cool visual metaphor for how the greens are trying to fit the wrong Aegon into Vesarys dying words.

[@Hotteststewpot]

Shows that aegon the conqueror was a chad

[@orrusfellin5150]

That's even worse. You're telling me that heap of garbage is supposed to be the Conqueror's armor? It looks like a discount Uruk-Hai suit, not an armor of a dragon king.

[@GeeBarone]

​@@orrusfellin5150 My friend made that armour :( He worked really hard on it

[@Pepe-nm9vk]

​@orrusfellin5150 it looks cool lmao u just hating

[@noellindblad]

​@@orrusfellin5150 look at the behind the scenes for the episode. That armour is crazy detailed and looks awesome

[@iliaponomarev1624]

I like the fact that Criston reacts to the overwhelming stress like a normal girl in her early 20s. He goes and gets a new short haircut.

[@MoonStone_Empress]

At least he didn't give himself bangs.

[@BoadieBroadus3211]

In his “Witness” flop era

[@METNA928]

His new haircut is probably the best and only good thing of this episode 😂

[@hypatiakovalevskayasklodow9195]

HAHAHAHAHAHA😂😂😂😂😂

[@skiiworld]

Also common in the ancient world to groom hair before going into battle, for example Leonidas

[@ChaosTheory_122]

I think a cool lore reason for the opening tapestry only just being updated is that it’s Helena doing it. Since she was grieving the death of her son, she wasn’t weaving it at all but as she’s come to terms with it she’s gone back to it.

[@aud2d2]

Oooh, I really like that!

[@buzz1ebee]

This will be my head cannon. It's more likely they forgot to use the updated version, there have been two additions so it would make sense that each episode has one new addition. That's not as fun though... I wonder what will be added from E3? The battle at the mill? The chat about the dream? Daemon taking Harrenhall?

[@sAINTDeVille]

​ ​ It would be cool to see the twins (Eryrick & Aryrick) burial, or possibly the battle at the mill?

[@YenShively]

@@sAINTDeVille Erryk and Arryk

[@nutella1757]

I've seen so many people misspell names I thought cool lore was corlys

[@TheHonoredMadman]

I really liked Simon Strong, he seemed like such a chill dude which makes sense since most of the other strongs besides larry are cool and reasonable dudes, it was funny that even after Daemon corrected him, he kept saying my prince out of habit. Plus it was nice of ryan condal to give George a cameo

[@liamsutcliffe367]

also loved how ready Daemon was to throw down, only to find a damp empty castle and a chill old dude who he doesn't really know what to do with. he's chomping at the bit to put heads on spikes but he's trying to find enough pans to catch leaks in the roof.

[@BasilHagens]

Yeah bro was just over it

[@abelchavez2463]

Who did George cameo as?

[@boonstuff]

@@abelchavez2463 he’s saying Simon Strong’s actor looks like GRRM

[@ProuvaireJean]

Simon Strong, for those who don't know, is played by Simon Russell Beale, one of the UK's greatest living stage actors. I haven't read the book, but I imagine they've cast an actor of his calibre because there's meaty stuff ahead for his character.

[@Jon155mt]

The fact that they actually made Herrenhall seem haunted in the show was a BRILLIANT touch 😂

[@RussellB]

There were subtle hints that the dreams and hauntings may be weirwood magic. Perhaps a visitor like Bloodraven or Bran or whoever has come before or since

[@TH3DUDE0075]

@@RussellB have you not read fire and blood? It’s really obvious who it is.

[@BlueMoonlight777]

I see your comment under every important video about this episode 😂

[@Jon155mt]

@@BlueMoonlight777 Lmao this episode was great bro

[@ayushsharma7184]

​@@TH3DUDE0075i thought it was the women who made him hallucinate or smth just like melisandre

[@ShubertReads]

Bugs out for Helaena 🕷️🐛🪲🪳🦋🐜🐝🐞

[@miea34]

🕷🦋🕸

[@thequimsnaim]

🐛🪱🐛🪱

[@TuberoseKisser]

🪲🐜🐌🦗

[@Robertthachickenwrangler]

🪳🪲🕷️🐞

[@Snagglemama]

🦠🪱🪰🐜🐌🐛🦗🐞🪲🐝

[@FairLadySpiny]

Alicents “oh shit I fucked up” face was great

[@iliaponomarev1624]

Luckily, it didn't matter. Aegon was going to be crowned with or without Alicent.

[@ayushsharma7184]

​@@iliaponomarev1624 if it wasn't for Alicent, what other reason did they have for crowning? Rhaenyra could take over by people's support aye?

[@RickyHGV]

@@ayushsharma7184 did you watch the show? the green council were planning on crowning aegon for years lol without even telling allicent

[@Gigipretty64]

She looked like she was going to vomit. Olivia was amazing. Emma too.

[@BoadieBroadus3211]

@@Gigipretty64deep down she HAD to know he meant the Conqueror. Like SURELY he didn’t mean my idiot son lmao

[@sleepngnight]

Daemon says "People should obey their liege lord, whatever his condition" while Peter Strong was talking about Lord Tully. It felt like Daemon was talking about his brother in that moment, or was remembering his brother. It seemed like he felt down, or melancholy when he said that phrase.

[@Ash-uh2ot]

I felt the same that someway he was referring to his brothers later days

[@niyatiarun]

He was definitely referring to viserys!

[@SirDenzington89]

Yes he totally was talking about his brother it seemed

[@thorCast]

It's doubly ironic because Simon's leige lord is the club foot who he's willfully disobeying by capitulating to daemon and declaring for rhaenyra. And Tully is staunchly pro aegon so if the Riverlords respected their liege they would be fighting against daemon.

[@colbyadamski8139]

It was quite obvious when he looked away after he said that and grimaced

[@alhaithamsfourthabmuscle]

The sound design during the Harrenhal sequence was just perfect - it felt like we were hearing the cries of the damned/the cries of the souls killed there when Aegon incinerated the castle. So haunting. So beautiful

[@Jacob-fz5ho]

the castle was made of weirwood beams as well, so Harrenhal is at least quadruple cursed. You have the old god spirits that were killed and burned, you have the blood in the mortar from the enslaved smallfolk who built the castle itself, you have Harren and his sons being burned alive by Aegon & you have the Strongs being killed by the kinslayer Larys.

[@alhaithamsfourthabmuscle]

@@Jacob-fz5ho seven hells, you're right!

[@illyria7756]

Maybe its because I watched too many elden ring lore vids lately, but armored Daemon walking through that castle gave souls-games vibes.

[@alhaithamsfourthabmuscle]

@@illyria7756 yes! When he looked out into the great hall I was like, "boss battle?" 👉🏼👈🏼

[@ddpzzp553]

@@illyria7756 well grrm helped with elden ring

[@MarcellusMaize]

All these years later Aemond still getting bullied 😭

[@peculiarpig]

was not expecting that scene and my jaw dropped 😭

[@ayushsharma7184]

​@@peculiarpigit wasn't just your jaw mate

[@digge2210]

It doesnt matter how cultured you are, or good at sword, if you are weak inside

[@overlookers]

My dude, if you're a 6"3 Vampire Hunter D character getting laughed out by a 5"11, that's absolutely a _you_ problem.

[@TuberoseKisser]

​@@overlookers VAMPIRE HUNTER D 😭😭😭

[@mikec1236]

Seasmoke is in distress because Laenor has likely finally died accross the narrow sea. The psychic link has been severed

[@nolangerrans6083]

Yeah that’s what I was thinking. Seasmokes been chilling for years but all of a sudden he starts acting weird and they comment that he might be “lonely.” It’s obviously forshadowing his claiming but it also fits really well with his connection to laenor having been severed. Laenor has been off adventuring for many years now and this world is very dangerous.

[@prolastmedia6171]

Exactly

[@TehThxsis]

Yesss I think the body gets sent back to Corlys and realizes he wasn’t killed all those years ago and then steps up as the hand of the Queen

[@rias.gremoryyy]

​@@TehThxsishow did he even die

[@isaacmartinez7557]

They should have just killed Laenor if that was the case.

[@AntrozLPs]

When Helaena forgives Alicent, I read it a lot more positively. I think Helaena is forgiving her for sleeping with Criston when her son was murdered, and for Alicent, it's the absolution and forgiveness she's been longing for. She felt like she couldn't tell anyone, because Otto didn't want to hear, a septon was a no-no, and she thought Helaena hates her.

[@Longshanks1690]

Precisely, I don’t know how he butchered his reading of the scene that badly. This is a case of overanalysing leading him to missing the point because it really wasn’t that complicated and she was just trying to soothe her mothers guilt over where she was during B&C, not making a grand political statement.

[@Sui_Generis0]

Yeah, exactly, it was simple. Unsure how Shift got his interpretation

[@liv-bv3pl]

Agreed- it felt actually super classic oldest daughter and mother relationship stuff. H can sense that Alicent feels guilty (whether its for sex w Cristan or J’s death specifically almost doesnt matter) and her instinct is to emotionally care for her mother in that moment. H gives A what she needs, even if it doesnt feel fair to her. Canon oldest daughter of emotionally-crippled mother activities.

[@KaritKtana]

Simon Strong is MVP in this ep! I LOVE how practical and matter-of-fact he is. He is a man completely used to not having real power and keeps calm. He is the very ANTI-MATTER of Daemon Targaryen and it makes Daemon so uncomfortable 😂😂😂

[@KaritKtana]

Only further proof that all non-Larys Strongs are the BEST PEOPLE

[@ayushsharma7184]

It didn't even take a second for him to bow down, literally took daemon offguard

[@Adv3.]

​@@KaritKtanaI don't know about this Robert Strong guy.

[@BoadieBroadus3211]

Homer Simpson in the navy reaching for peas

[@rias.gremoryyy]

​@@KaritKtananah Larys is the best strong.. he's father was a good guy but his whole life got destroyed by Harwin brokenbones cause he couldn't keep it in his pants.. imagine dying just because you wanted to bang a chick 15 years younger than you who's already married

[@izzyxblades]

The show didn't say this, but when Larys manipulated Aegon into not flying out, I assumed that he heard that Daemon is at Harenhal, but he doesn't say it. He doesn't want Aegon to die, because Aegon is easier to manipulate than Aemond, who would be next in line if Aegon flies out and gets killed by Daemon and Caraxes.

[@SeriesQueries]

I thought almond was using reverse physiology to try n get AEGON to leave on dragon back hoping he would die, I n the episode he tells him it is to dangerous , I think he was proving him to go

[@2Halfs]

Doesn't Aegon have a second son at this point? Wouldn't he be the heir if Aegon dies?

[@Radiance230]

@@2Halfsif I’m not mistaken since Aegon’s eldest died, he would be next in line. But I’ll have to look it up.

[@unitedeagle4046]

@@SeriesQuerieswrong aemond does love his brother

[@borismayr9079]

​@@2Halfsin the book, yes, he has Maelor, but I think he was cut from the show

[@noblehelium3794]

I don't think Daemon is committing treason when he demands to be addressed as "Your Grace." Queen Consorts are addressed as that so I see no reason for King Consorts not to be the same. Simon Strong addressed him as Prince so Daemon corrected him, saying that he is King Consort, not Prince Consort, so is afforded the title of His Grace. And he is recognized as King Consort since Rhaenys calls him that the previous episode.

[@RamseyGarnaoui]

I agree but it is a patriarchal society and in order to not confuse the consort with the reigning monarch, a lot of cultures actually shy away from the title of King Consort. Just like with Queen Elizabeth and her consort Prince Philip. People would not hear King Consort but “King” which is what Daemon would’ve preferred

[@Gigipretty64]

I thought the same.

[@longfellowthefirst5065]

But clearly if it were just that for daemon they’d not have put it in the episode. The intention was to show, or at least mislead us into thinking, that he’s… flirting with treason.

[@Krom5072]

A royal consort would absolutely be addressed as 'your grace'; it is an uncommon situation for Westeros, of course, that in this case the consort is male, but the convention should hold nonetheless. Daemon corrected Simon, definitely, to please himself by a royal title, but I think even more so in order to remind the dude that Rhaenyra is the queen and so her consort is also royalty. (From Daemon's perspective, 'my prince' to Rhaenyra's husband reads as supporting Aegon's claim)

[@leykimayri]

@@Krom5072 Nope, they would be addressed as your majesty or ma'am (for the queen consort) or sire for the king consort. You don't adress them as your grace.

[@TheHonoredMadman]

Aegon laughing at his brother hysterically was a highlight of the episode for me

[@benhutchinson8020]

It’s gotta be the ghosts of harrenhal

[@AuGAlaN]

was not expecting the full frontal, but a welcomed surprise for sure

[@TH3DUDE0075]

@@AuGAlaNwiener wiener, wiener wiener, wiener wiener, one wieeeeener next to another wiener, wiener wiener, wiener wiener

[@ayushsharma7184]

i don't know what triggered the instant motivation in aemond to just snap out of the embarassment and show off his dongling bazooka

[@thatsthat2612]

​@AuGAlaN I haven't watched yet, is it all of it?

[@hypatiakovalevskayasklodow9195]

I feel real bad for all the people who believe this episode was boring. It's because of trying to please such opinions that we got season 8. No media comprehension. Just give them gore and violence

[@jessjess23brooks89]

Right. I want poetry and symbolism and cinematography with my violence, gore and gratuitous nudity. Thank you very much.

[@KlaraL-_-]

Boring???!!!! People thought is was boring??????? Well, they´re welcome to quit watching.

[@HyperSonicX]

I cheered for the Milly Alcock cameo

[@BoadieBroadus3211]

Babe wake up, new episode of Milly Alcock’s Nose Podcast just dropped 🔥

[@the_beef4762]

Then we got some real cock!

[@luzcalderon7808]

I found it creepy as hell but I loved it. I also love how they made Harrenhall feel actually haunted

[@frfras7]

More like sheeatsalotofcocks

[@KaritKtana]

Corlys is a DOUBLE hypocrite, my lord!! He spent his whole adult life championing his wife's claim to the throne and being salty about her being passed over. Then he puts his whole legacy in the lap of a 6 y.o. Luke who knows nothing about sailing. Luke himself admits to being sea sick immediately on amy deck. But Corlys didn't care. And NOW - Corlys' problem with his prospective heirs is that one of them is a woman, and the other is a 6 y.o who knows nothing about sailing. COME ON!!!

[@beden653]

Because he always fought for his own power, hiding behind the right of Rhaenys. It's no secret in this family

[@rias.gremoryyy]

To be fair.. neither of them are his blood are they?

[@aud2d2]

@@rias.gremoryyyRhaena is, she’s the daughter of Laena and Daemon. So she is actually Corlys’ granddaughter by blood

[@Adamantium93]

​@@rias.gremoryyy"History doesn't remember blood...it remembers names." - Corlys Velaryon Corlys wants a man with the last name Velaryon to sit his throne. With Luke, there was a sense that Corlys could teach and mold him to be the Lord of the Tides, but that was in a time of relative peace and now Luke is dead. It's unlikely that Corlys will live to see Joffrey become an adult and he's now worried that he will be the last Velaryon to sit at Driftmark.

[@oatdilemma6395]

@@Adamantium93 Depends if the history has photographs. The boy is whiter than Casper, they gonna remember the blood lol

[@jessedampolo]

Daemon’s room in Harrelhal is like when mom and dad get divorced and dad goes and moves into his studio apartment.

[@EstherDavis-eg2iv]

Yup, enter standard shitty apartment and younger woman lol

[@hoadung5701]

Speaking from experience, aren't you?

[@ShmeckleBoy]

When Daemon walked into the Strong Dinner id imagine they were all talking about getting a smaller table for the seven people that live in the biggest castle in the kingdom

[@nm56342]

The whole time I was asking myself, why is it so empty? But again, even the blood and cheese scene felt empty with them not having to navigate guards everywhere. It all seems a bit too easy

[@zanderrose]

@@nm56342Harrenhal is noted for being too large to effectively garrison. Even when we see it in Game of Thrones and the entire Lannister army is camped out there, there’s plenty of space for Arya and Jaqen to sneak around

[@basedggallin4556]

​@nassorm5634 Blood and Cheese got around easily cause of secret passages plus the guards in the Red Keep being a combination of inept and not expecting something so horrific And Harrenhal is fucking huge haha

[@Jacob-fz5ho]

@@nm56342 It's empty because the curse of Harrenhal is that it makes whoever holds it house poor, nobody can afford to maintain and garrison it except maybe the Lannisters or the Hightowers. Larys Strong is the lord of Harrenhal, but you can see his men and family hold no loyalty towards him and are doing the absolute bare minimum. Larys hasn't dedicated any resources to Harrenhal at all, totally ignoring it and focusing on King's Landing. It makes sense Harrenhal is practically abandoned at this point, especially as nobody was thinking there would be a war until like 2 weeks ago (which isn't enough time to upgrade and garrison the castle)

[@KaritKtana]

The hard cut in the opening, seeing all the corpses in the field, gave very real "1917" vibes 😢

[@daytrip_films]

Get what your saying but its funny because 1917 technically has no cuts hahah

[@KalvinPatel]

Wish we saw that battle tho!

[@Ballzorz]

​@@daytrip_films It technically has a lot of cuts, but they're all just blended and masked very well to make it seem like one shot.

[@einfachJordan]

The field filled with corpses had such a 1917 feel to it.

[@petertom92]

@@Ballzorz The running scene was one shot I think. Really just ONE complete shot

[@c.cornetto300]

I got major dark souls vibes when Daemon stumbled into "Ruined Harenhal" sword blazing.

[@ShubertReads]

I said the same thing! Loved that scene. Wish the show leaned into the fantasy elements more.

[@FilmsOfGreatness23]

Wonder how Daemon will react to Mysaria being on the council upon his return

[@nfarotk]

What's her role in the council? Master of whisper?

[@kurtiskrejci723]

Daemon not coming back buddy

[@royallegacy8441]

Sweet summer child

[@ryankwon8785]

@@nfarotkMistress of Whisperers.

[@EstherDavis-eg2iv]

Spoiler, he never goes back

[@TehThxsis]

Sea smoke screaming and in distress could be Laenor’s death? His body could be sent back to his father making him realize how he never was killed by team black. And that’s what finally makes corlys become hand of the Queen?

[@TrissTess]

Can you watch the episodes again and look if the tapestry by Laenor's name changed? 🤔

[@Sui_Generis0]

Why is everyone keep saying Corlys becoming hand of the queen? Is this a spoiler from the books

[@TehThxsis]

@@Sui_Generis0 uhm, I honestly apologize. But in an effort to not spoil you I’m going to just not answer haha.

[@glispie]

​@@TehThxsis So if it is a spoiler from the book and you know it's going to happen, why act like you were predicting it? Lol

[@TehThxsis]

@@glispie if you’re being genuine, basically that’s not how it happens in the books at all / some of the stuff I “tried to pretend I knew” I just know Point A and point B and tried to fill in the blanks based on what’s happening in the show only.

[@Anvil35]

The dream sequence felt like something from the Sopranos dreams, I really hope they do more in regards to callbacks and foreshadowing for whoever else may reside in Harrenhall

[@madyjules]

now I’m imagining Tony riding a dragon lol

[@HOTD108_]

​@@madyjulesI don't know, famously Tony was more into horses.

[@timdinh39]

Sending joffery and tyraxes to the vale is actually a SMART move by Raenyra. Think about it strategically. The LAST place that will get attacked geographically is the VALE. Also where other place is there to train and grow a dragon? The cake is high mountain ranges. It’s PERFECT for a young dragon to grow. Not to mention the vale is virtually impenetrable. It hasn’t been taken through siege warfare EVER. The conquer had visenya fly her dragon into the courtyard over trying to take it. The vale is the safest place atm.

[@theozuretti6091]

I use CAPS to PROVE my POINT

[@bronmill33]

All of this could’ve been avoided if the Targaryens stopped using the same 4 names for multiple people

[@Pretty_Pubes]

necessary plot device fr - R.R Martin

[@niyatiarun]

It wouldn’t really have mattered, Otto and the green council were plotting to seize the throne anyway. The name confusion only really affected Alicent

[@rias.gremoryyy]

​@@niyatiarunit wasn't " the green council " it was THE council, literally nobody except one dude there wanted rhaenyra on the throne and even he was for rhaenyra just because he thought viserys wanted her as heir.. if everyone had the opportunity to vote like they did when they chose viserys, then I'm sure that Aegon would've been chosen as the next king.. viserys could have basically averted the whole conflict if he called the council

[@KaritKtana]

It's giving "One Hundred Years of Solitude" 😁 except here it's a literal problem, not a metaphorical one

[@diskeyes]

It’s quite literally based on all the Henry’s and whatnot.

[@benandrovich112]

Your livestreams and episode reviews are just as good as anything online. Thank you to you and Shwifty for always crushing it.

[@ayushsharma7184]

i really can't tell how he manages to do all this without even taking any time.

[@KaritKtana]

22:16 - Salute the Red Keep's smiths for managing to craft the chain for Criston in absolute RECORD TIME

[@michaeldonahue1009]

It had probably existed since at least the time of Ser Ryam Redwyne, and possibly since the time of the first Hand, Orys Baratheon. Any Hand who regularly went about in armour would need a badge of office that didn't need to be pinned to a shirtfront.

[@walnuthead]

It def existed from previous hands

[@unitedeagle4046]

People are so stupid 😂

[@leolazari4238]

Nothing as impressive as the quick little industrial revolution that took place between seasons 7 and 8 of GOT where they mass produced hundreds of those scorpions to protect the city from dragons

[@joeloud1]

When Simon Strong said “the throne?” and Daemon replied “it’s a big chair, made of swords,” anyone else not miss a beat and instinctually say “but that’s not important right now” or just me? Maybe I’ve seen Airplane too many times…

[@jbug1979]

Shirley, you can't be serious!

[@joeloud1]

@@jbug1979I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley.

[@taylorfitness10]

Becky, you can’t be serious?!

[@ProuvaireJean]

Oh stewardess! I speak Dothraki.

[@Valkanna.Nublet]

I had to pause at that point because I was laughing so much :D

[@ThatAccumulator]

Daemon isn’t committing treason. If rhaenyra is queen, he is king consort. His title is your grace. Just as alicent’s was when she was queen and just as helaenas is.

[@nfarotk]

He's old, and there's never been a Queen in westeros before on how to handle the queen's husband,

[@himani8927]

I guess there was no Westerosi precedent for having a Queen Regnant so it makes sense there is some confusion over titles for her husband. In irl history, King Consorts aren’t usually referred to as kings, but princes, because kings outrank queens and it would cause an issue for the Queen Regnant. That’s why Queen Elizabeth II’s husband was referred to as Prince Phillip, never King. So Daemon here asserting he wants to be called “Your Grace” rather than “my prince” may still be problematic for Rhaenyra, but does not imply he wants to take her crown.

[@jeremyjames613]

He’s Prince consort in the books, but appears they’re going with king consort in the show

[@uhhhh_bo]

if i'm not mistaken as king consort it actually would be appropriate for Daemon to be referred to as "your grace" (just as Alicent was technically the queen consort and is referred to as such). I think the correction by Daemon is more an acknowledgment of Rhaenyra as queen

[@SuperCrow02]

I don't think Daemon sees any contradiction. Rhaenyra is Queen and he is her King.

[@yeahey5947]

lets not kid ourselves daemons ego craves to be refered to as your grace

[@redbastard9711]

​@@yeahey5947so? His status literally entitles him to be referred to as such.

[@Michael-bn1oi]

​@@yeahey5947 That doesn't have anything to do with the fact that he *should* be referred to that way.

[@yasmingirl17]

You’re wrong. In a patriarchal society like Westoros, you cannot compare Alicent being called ‘your grace’ the same as Daemon being called ‘your grace’. They have very different implications. Daemon asking to be called ‘your grace’ means he wants to be seen as the king, as the ruler of Westeros. You can also clearly see this in Matt Smith’s acting.

[@clowncat000]

THE FUNNIEST THING OF THIS EPISODE (at least for me) , was the moment when Alicent started praying (57:43), you could hear in the background the priest chanting in RUSSIAN "Господи помилуй" which can be translated as God have mercy on us. That was soooo unexpected, I couldn't help but laugh. I thought that maybe I misheard but no it's there😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@sheildingepicness]

Kinda weird but I wish they did this for the house of black and white or some place in the bravosi isle of gods

[@bfarewell296]

I haven't watched it yet but LMAO ARE YOU FOR REAL

[@YoungGriff7]

Ахахаххахахаха, кринж.

[@PittsburghSonido]

Why is that funny

[@clowncat000]

@@PittsburghSonido because I didn't expect to hear my native language in this context out of the blue?

[@unclegumbald989]

I see Condal's taking a page from Gleebus by giving Aemond even **more** Anime Villain backstory 🤣

[@williamjusino3640]

I swear I thought Aemond was gonna start speaking Japanese

[@unclegumbald989]

@@williamjusino3640 start soliloquying IN HIS HEAD 🤣🤣🤣

[@HOTD108_]

I'd argue Condal is just keeping faithful to George R. R. Martin's style. GRRM's writing is basically just anime characters in a mediaeval fantasy setting.

[@BlueMoonlight777]

I really like your breakdowns. Your view on some unclear things are realistic and empathic towards the characters. You can see the intentions of the story and of how or why the show wants to portray something different. Best guy for this concent 🙏

[@robobenn]

i love how you get right into the stream frame one even though its a livestream, amazing for the post stream video watchers

[@cl5470]

Yes. I hate when streamers spend half an hour saying hello to random people.

[@daytrip_films]

Loved the assassin's creed press x to blend moment with Rhaenyra the nun lmao

[@DiamondWoodStudios]

Thought I was the only one thinking this 😂

[@corvoattano44]

for real I was getting old AC vibes, like AC1 with Altair or 2 with Ezio

[@yourstruly9013]

It was straight out of AC2. So many cathedral assassinations haha

[@archivist_of_dragonstone]

I really enjoyed the conversation between Alicent and Rhaenyra. Was it a crazy idea? Sure. But if nothing else, Rhaenyra now has confirmation that Viserys CHOSE her and didn’t change his mind at the last second.

[@Leakampff]

I really loved how they gave us more of the smallfolk this episode yet again. And also established the different worlds the royals and the smallfolk live in, enough to the point that many of the smallfolk dont even know what the royals look like. (Which beautifully sets up how easily Rhaenyra can go unseen even with her face showing, as long as she doesnt look royal.) I loved the visual contrast of Aegon coming into the pub / inn, his clean skin - high contrast look of his white hair and dark clothing with complex embelishments - he stood out soooo much amongst the smallfolk's muddy beiges and browns. Was really well done.

[@memomamo-x2k]

6ft3 vampire looking one eyed prince getting bullied by pyrocynical for his mommy issues

[@Longshanks1690]

Luke really fell off at the end of S1

[@victoriagill1588]

...or WW?

[@Roach613]

Im currently experincing a particularaly hard time in my life at the momen and these videos have been helping me a lot to get my mind off things. Thank you brother, you are a top ten human being in my book.

[@angryfirefly]

I interpreted Rhaenyra's face at the end as accepting violence as the only way forward. I think Alicent will do what she always does and defend Aegon. I know she won't, but I'd like to see her embrace her role as usurper to the crown. I want her to openly admit it and challenge anyone to take it from them. It's telling that Daemon sees a young Rhaenyra in his vision. I think that's how he still sees her.

[@maxsilva11]

This is the second time that Matt Smith has played a King Consort who has thrown a fit to demand a higher honorific than the position would normally allow. (First was as Prince Phillip on The Crown.)

[@jessjess23brooks89]

That role assured me he could fit Daemon to a T. Everyone was in a huff about it and I urged them to watch The Crown before writing Matt off.

[@rayjjupiter]

Simon Strong looks like Sam Tarly aged up.

[@aud2d2]

Yesss!!! I knew there was something oddly familiar about it. He really does look like samwell

[@omranhaddadin5262]

exactly what I was thinking the whole scene lol

[@KlaraL-_-]

I also thought so, plus the way he speaks so calmly. Time-traveling Sam confirmed??

[@iliaponomarev1624]

Vhagar is hard to kill, but she's huge and slow, and her rider can be kinda vulnerable. You only need to sneak past Vhagar's flamethrower mouth, and then Aemond is all yours.

[@digge2210]

If you think about it you just need to stay over Vhagar, or any dragon, for burning or killing the rider

[@williamjusino3640]

Sounds a bit like trying to get inside the Mountain’s reach; possible but likely to end in 💀

[@LAOPINIONDELLOBO]

Viserys was just like the 3rd Hokage for Westeros.

[@jrlombardi5251]

lmao fr

[@durlov2343]

​@@jrlombardi5251Madara is Maegor the cruel 😂😂

[@D2attemp]

Nah Jahaerys was 3rd Hokage. Longest and most peaceful. He even had the same problem when his designated successor died young

[@TheYoutubaki]

I'd argue the 3rd hokage was worse

[@ByTheStorm]

@@TheYoutubakiAs much as the “make it up as it went along” style of writing made him and several characters in the original series look bad or incompetent? Not really. Ninjutsu and the knowledge of the use of chakra didn’t die shortly after he did. If the Third Hokage’s actions caused every single person to lose the ability to use their chakra for anything else other then living, he’d be despised. Viserys caused the death of dragons through his actions. I never exactly bought the supposed death of magic in the series being the reason why dragons died off. Especially when Bloodraven exists and Cannibal, the last Dragon Nettles bonded with, might also have existed as well to the present. Mostly because the idea that magic is dead comes from biased speculation. I honestly believe more dragons could’ve been brought back sooner if someone with conviction went through a similar process as Daenerys. A life for a life, basically. None of the other Targs had that.

[@tonttu7979]

This was my favourite episode of this season so far. Harrenhall with the ghosts and Daemon with the dragon/greendreams, Brackens and Blackwoods, lots of planning and politics. Beautiful effects, enviroments and gore. The last scene made me think of conversations between JFK and Khrushchev during the missle crisis behind the curtains, just a lot more personal

[@edd4131]

The calm before the storm that is next episode! I loved seeing more of the world this time around and how the war affects EVERYONE.

[@mil_enrama]

Okay yes! and Rhaenyra basically gave a dictionary definition of nuclear deterrence earlier in the episode 😂

[@cumpanions8105]

What a cringe thing to write😅. JFK And Chruschev? Give me a break😂

[@ajaysworld93]

My favorite one to date as well !

[@niclassoderqvist7863]

Not sure you agree but I found a cool parallell between Criston Cole and Jaime. Both dislike the intrigues at court but prefer the simple soldier life in the Field. There is a segment in Feast I think when Jaime walks amongst the soldiers and feels at ease there. Similarily, the first thing Cole does as hand is to get out of the court at KL and goes marching with the army; Instantly becoming more capable and making better decisions!

[@jessjess23brooks89]

And they both love breaking their chastity vows. Only difference is that Jaime revels in it, which is much more fun imo. They will also probably be remembered the same historically. Jaime said so himself about Criston to The Knight of Flowers. "The best and the worst are remembered. And sometimes a bit of both. Like Crispy C*nty Cole." Well I paraphrased the last part.

[@MrOtistetrax]

Highlight of the ep for me was Simon Russell Beale as Lord Strong. What a legend.

[@LdangerB]

I kind of like the videos coming out shortly before the new episode. It's like an apetizer and a good recap with even more detail than you might notive yourself

[@lyracakes6912]

How come Aemond isn't considered a kinslayer for killing Luke?

[@tabithajones113]

he is, but I don't think its like advertised to the common folk so much. the greens paraded jaehaerys' body around kings landing for political gain, whereas the blacks didn't parade Luke's body around. on top of that, the blacks wouldn't have been able to do it with Luke as they wouldn't have been able to do it kings landing, which is very crowded etc etc

[@wasienka]

​@@tabithajones113 they also didn't have Luke's body. What impact would parading a part of his cloak have?

[@govinddas7876]

​​@@tabithajones113do you think the realm suspecting Luke being a bastard also plays a part? Jaecerys was a white haired Targaryen, Luke was a black haired 'Velaryon'

[@tabithajones113]

@@wasienka absolutely none, I imagine even if they did have his body (or at least parts of it) they still wouldn't have advertised his death. although this is speculation, I believe the blacks wouldn't have done it as rhaenyra(who is the mother of Luke) is more in control, whereas the greens are more controlled by men, granted aegon didn't want it so that disproves my thoughts a bit idk

[@tabithajones113]

@@govinddas7876 honestly I don't think so, its an interesting thought though. I feel like the common folk just see a dead child and feel for the family, because anyone would.

[@rickycampos3215]

Jayne Aryn asked for a dragon in exchange for her support. She didn’t specify how big the dragon needs to be. Rhaenyra is slick for sending the smallest dragon she has.😂

[@morgankirk7382]

Aemond seemed so bemused in the council meeting. He handles Aegon perfectly… and then Aegon just had to have the last word and make a fool of himself 😂 Also I always saw Harrenhall as like, a beacon of death? Even Arya becomes no one after being there. Makes Alys Rivers super interesting.

[@PoweredByEnvy]

Team Black = Alt Shift Team Green = Alt Schwift

[@noneedforaname640]

Yes, but I see no new posts regarding Greens in Alt Schwift :( .

[@leebarbs7176]

Team Daemon = Glidus

[@coolman5242]

I hate to admit it, but Alt is right about Viserys. If he was a better father to his other 3 kids, Rhaenyra wouldn't of been doomed to fighting the bloodiest family fued in Westeros.

[@SeriesQueries]

Otto n the. Oucel was planningto overthrow, the greens didn't respect vicerys plan of sucession, if they had respected the kings susscesion plan ther3d be jo war

[@illyria7756]

Viserys didnt want a new wife and more kids, his heart wasn't in it, it was with Aemma. He wasn't able to bond anymore. He was forced to choose a new wife and probably anyone would've been better than a Hightower.

[@assortmentofpillsbutneverb3756]

For real though, I know got has messed up royals but it was times of peace. They should've had the best tutors and great family bonding with the fears of succession around in their youth. It's almost silly how messed up they are even if it is what gives us the drama. It is set up and fan be overlooked, but when you really think about it, it is complete parental failure

[@ericb2017]

dude you are so articulate when describing everything Game of Thrones.

[@incanusolorin2607]

Alicent didn't just say it was too late, she said there was no mistake. I really liked the scene because it gave Alicent more agency and complexity, because she can no longer use Viserys' last words as an excuse to support her son.

[@gemfyre855]

Ahhhh look up Ant Milling. When ants fuck up and start following each other in an endless circle until they just all die.

[@Smilodon_ex]

Aemond scene was a shock

[@yeahey5947]

which part? the bullying, his reaction, or the totally hairless peen?

[@colbyadamski8139]

I loved Criston’s “no FUCKING INNs” when he saved Gwayne

[@gregjones4705]

Queens are called your grace. King consorts would also be your grace.

[@FirstSynapse]

Yeah I don't understand that weird double standard, particularly because if anything it would go the other way around

[@redbastard9711]

Alt Shift calling daemon treasonous for this was actually dumb af lol.

[@redbastard9711]

​@@FirstSynapseit's just shitty writing

[@aburrki6732]

​@@FirstSynapse it might be taken from the British royal family where the male spouse of the reigning queen is not given the title of king. Queen Elizabeth's husband was known as Prince Philip but her mother Elizabeth was called queen.

[@Osskibosskiposki]

Kong consorts isn’t really a thing, atleast in the real world

[@messyicymcspicy]

One of the most baffling things about most analysis I've heard is how everyone points fingers at Alicent and Otto and Daemon etc., who do fuck up and make awful decisions, but I have yet to see anyone place the origin of all this bs on Viserys and his complete incompetence, his ignorance and wilful disregard to his whole family for more than a few decades, just turning a blind eye to how much his "not doing" did more damage than anything and started all this complex motivations and mechanisation's of Alicent and Rhaenyra and Daemon and Aegon and Aemond.. Helaena marrying Aegon can be put to blame on Viserys, who is the king and patriarch and has the last say on everything, as much as, if not more, than Alicent, him and Otto combined and I wish people would start seeing this story through the prism that most of these characters are existing in sort of cognitive disonance of who they are and what their character is with what is expected of them as royalty of the realm. All of it stemming from Otto's manipulations of his. hold and grandchildren and Viserys walking around with 7 layers of blinders across his face, no backbone and selfish decisions, hubris that "we are a family so it'll work out"...

[@SeriesQueries]

I think viserys truly believed that his family would do fine and ryhneara would be except3d as queen, yes he was sick of the drama but it was a Otta who was planning on usurping the throne even while vis3rys was alive I but bla e on the greens for not respecting the d3ad kings sucession plan, it's jot viserys fault they did jot listen

[@messyicymcspicy]

@@SeriesQueries yes, his actions completely follow the fact that he honestly believed his family would work it out and it would all "align" through the power of kindness and love, and that is his fault and biggest mistake, staring into the chasm that keeps getting wider and deeper and doing nothing besides telling everyone every 5 years to "stop the fighting" and trying to appeal to some emotional attachments through "if nothing then for the sake of this old man who loved u very much". The only relationships that he had at that table of a dozen people for the last supper were fading ones with Rhaenyra and Daemon, and the longstanding friendship with Otto. The kids, grandkids, his new wife, just pawns and people to ignore. As good and peaceful he was for the realm, his inaction and slow to react attitude that served it was precisely what severed any and all ties for his family. And he didn't do any favours to Rhaenyra by sidelining her in ruling after naming her heir and not affirming his decisions to the Lords and Ladies of the realm more often and more fiercely, given how controversial, unprecedenteded that decision was for so many, highborn and lowborn. Then married a child he watched grow with his daughter, made her into a broodmare and neglected every single one of them, including Rhaenyra, until his death. Bro is a whole ass adult, his decisions are his own, Otto's manipulations aside, he made choices for himself and it fucked everything up. And it all trickled down to the rest of the family, just not present and off in his histories and models while life happend around him. He could've done astronomically better. He wasn't the worst by any means, but what he was for all the things that were in motion for that time, was the first and biggest domino that fell in this civil war.

[@l4nzel0d]

Loved seeing Simon Russell Beale (Simon Strong). He was excellent as Beria in the death of Stalin. Now that I think about it Paddy Considine also was in it

[@tarasis2722]

I get daemon is a hothead, but was he planning on taking on the entire harrenhall garrison? What a guy.

[@rias.gremoryyy]

He knows he has plot armour

[@basedggallin4556]

It's pretty in character from what we've seen so far haha

[@pain002]

I wanna say “he has a dragon” but he literally walked in, after getting off his dragon and having it parked outside 😂

[@Jacob-fz5ho]

His dragon was perched atop the castle, threatening to burn it again like Aegon did. If anything happened to Daemon, his dragon would have gone apeshit and torn the place apart. None of the guards would dare attack a king consort with a dragon

[@Jacob-fz5ho]

@@pain002 The dragon being there, perched atop the castle, was an implicit threat. If anybody killed Daemon the dragon would kill everyone there

[@constanzelade]

Can't believe someone really said "BOOORING EPISODE" Lol! This episode was my favorite so far. Top notch acting, intense plot movement, and INCREDIBLE score.

[@khoivo7947]

Funny thing i just realized. In Vietnamese, the prime minister is called "Thủ Tướng", which roughly translate to "The Hand General/Official".

[@fauxhex96]

A prime minister being a 'right hand' or simply 'hand' is pretty common in many languages

[@ShubertReads]

​@@fauxhex96 What are some examples?

[@kingofquan1796]

Bro “thủ” literally means head. Idk what r u talking about.

[@fauxhex96]

@@ShubertReads правая рука путина = Putin's right hand man, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. It's of course colloquial, and I don't know of any languages where the official title of prime minister is 'hand', to be clear.

[@Aar1sW]

​@@fauxhex96what you saying is insane. Russian words for Prime Minister is literally Prime Minister but in French.

[@yourstruly9013]

If Crispy Cole had a dragon, I genuinely think I would be more terrified of what he would do than Aemond or Daemon. He has gone so far off the deep end, and there is no light in his eyes anymore.

[@TheHellyeahmen]

A weird fact about this episode: in the last scene at the sept there's a male voice on the background praying and it's literally taken from russian orthodox church prayer. He says "Господи помилуй" which means "god have mercy" And I don't really know what to think of this. It wasn't changed. It's exactly how it sounds in a church. In fact it makes me think they just found the sound online and used it in the episode cuz it sounded cool or something. Like with runes on the armor in season 1

[@mil_enrama]

I like to imagine that when they found an actor who could chant like a priest, he just happened to be orthodox so he chanted in Russian

[@assortmentofpillsbutneverb3756]

Might be trying to give more real world color to the faith. It's a common film technique to help code fantasy with a more real world vibe. It would be interesting to map out all of the orthodox motifs in the faith on screen

[@blackjohnny9570]

I understand that things are gonna go to dragon warfare eventually but it’s easy for the lords to say let’s unleash them when they don’t have to ride them.

[@Ty-wy7yq]

Yea if I had to attack vagar on moondancer I’d be massively terrified

[@blackjohnny9570]

@@Ty-wy7yq the riders can still die,really don’t need to kill the dragon if you get the rider.

[@bboozie]

My fan theory is that Criston Cole is a secret spy for the dornish to infiltrate the kings court and dismantle it from within

[@SteezLouise]

Anyone else notice the Cole Pole’s army heading south out of King’s Landing… what a commander

[@valleyscharping]

Yeah, that was a weird decision. Error?

[@govinddas7876]

I did not notice thats hilarious 😂

[@malis9045]

No thats actually an insane detail. To the south is the King's Gate, the largest of all the gates in Kings Landing, therefore the best if you need a small army to move through

[@emperorpalpatine4681]

Seeing the royal winky was a particular highlight

[@stelmaria-mx]

The regal schlong

[@rias.gremoryyy]

The dragonkok is real

[@HopeNight100]

Why is it a treason of Daemon to ask to be called "your Grace"? The partner of the King (Queen consort) or Queen (King consort) is always addressed to as "your Grace". Alicent was the Queen, Viserys's wife, and everyone addresses to her as "your Grace". They even use it now, when she's only Dowager Queen. So that's actually the right way to address the King consort as well. Rhaenyra is no longer a princess - she's the Queen, and hence Daemon is no longer prince, he's King consort.

[@lindenshepherd6085]

Because in real life monarchies, Queens who ruled often had to safeguard signals of power to keep their position secure. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are a good example of this. They don’t really have a comfortable honorific for Daemon without insinuating that he is the King Regnant, rather than Rhaenyra. To avoid the situation altogether, Simon calls Daemon by his established title “Prince,” but Daemon likes using his marriage to Rhaenyra to feel like he is the acting King, so he forces Simon to call him Your Grace. It’s another reflection of Daemon fighting for respect and fear by undermining Rhaenyra.

[@authorfarrell7161]

Daemon saying "You should obey your liege lord, no matter his condition." (Paraphrasing) He had to be thinking of Viserys right? His look was so sad.

[@sheepwshotguns42]

LOVED this episode. children in chat chirping how they dont understand the value of this masterful dialog and these shifts on the characters. the metaphors and the foreshadowing was off the charts.

[@Various_forms_of_Doormamu]

I really liked the sept scene. The connection between Alicent and Rhaenyra was made much stronger in the show for a reason. We have a final chance to try and avoid war and while that fails, Alicent now knows about the song of ice and fire. Perhaps she’ll do her own research into this. And either steer Aegon to peace.

[@banquetoftheleviathan1404]

Man in batwinged helmet "am I the baddie?"

[@SirDenzington89]

Beala is just pulling a sweet move to try and scare them and also to get closer to see who it is

[@samsschool3639]

01:44:00 Look closely at the moneybag and the dragon together

[@luizprado5859]

Mysaria was getting information from the employees of Dragonstone, we see her talking to a employee casually mentioning that her brother works in the Citadel, I wonder if that will pay off later

[@joycej928]

Good catch.

[@theshackledgamer799]

It's my first livestream with Shift and I was glad to have my comment read. Thanks AltShiftX, catch you the next one.

[@limbus66]

Daemon insisting on being called your grace isn't him claiming to be the king! Queens are always called your grace, that's the equivalent of his position

[@Drimil3]

So Alicent and Haelena can be called "Your grace" because they are consorts and it's not treason but when Daemon does it it's treason? Hello??

[@samsschool3639]

yeah, exactly, helloooOOOooooooOOOooooOOOoo?

[@glispie]

​@@samsschool3639Well if we're being historically accurate, the husband of queens generally isn't called a king, because kings outrank queens. So when there is a ruling queen, their husband takes on the title of Prince consort, and would not be considered on the same level. It's just a slightly sticky conflict of semantics

[@samsschool3639]

@@glispie hellooooooooooooOooooooOOOOOOoooooOOOoooOOOoooOooOoOoOoo?

[@assortmentofpillsbutneverb3756]

Haha yeah, it's a patriarchal society. Having the queen called your grace won't challenge authority of the king. Having a king consort called your grace when you have a queen regent raises eyebrows

[@shaneoconnell9279]

Aegon the Conqueror's armour appearing is so cool.

[@Silverarrows445]

I love this episode. 4-5 minutes of straight lore.

[@nicholkola9975]

The cycle/ circle of violence, as represented by the mill, calls back to Dany and her ‘break the wheel’ speech. In this series, we are seeing the Blacks and the Greens turning the wheel and destroy lives (especially their own).

[@mkryvohub]

All Daemon scenes were certainly a delight and a highlight for me.

[@monozuki]

1:22:40 It's quite ironic Rhaenys preaches peace, love and saving the comon folk to Rhaenyra so strongly, when it was she who burst out of the Dragon Pit last season, killing hundreds of *checks notes* common folk.

[@joycej928]

Desperate times, desperate means...

[@91lifetime23]

They shared the same womb and the same tomb

[@samsschool3639]

Lay down the beat boys!!!

[@King_Mac80]

When Otto send Harold to kill Rhaenyra, Dragonstone wasn't aware that Viserys was dead. The Kingsguard would've been free to walk through Dragonstone and kill her without raising a fuss

[@hyplix241]

I really thought after Mysaria Said maybe seasmoke is lonely that Rhaenyra would ask Rhaena to claim him

[@Seraphina-Rose]

Consorts are also addressed as "Your Grace" in Westeros. I think Strong was forgetting that Rhaenyra is the rightful Queen, not Aegon, in addressing Daemon as "Prince", and Daemon was reminding him Rhaenyra's rule is the one Strong must recognize now.

[@himani8927]

I don’t think so because Strong starts saying “I assumed…” (implying he assumed Daemon’s title would still be prince). there is no history of queen regnant with a king consort in Westeros so I guess confusion over titles is natural. However, usually king consorts aren’t referred to as King because that implies they outrank the Queen - in the English royal family, Queen Elizabeth’s husband was only ever Prince Phillip.

[@ognyannedev5979]

Misaria seemed pretty shellshocked and I think she was just about ready to retire. But she helped the queen because of her kindness to her.

[@weltraumaffe7460]

To me the tension in this entire episode was so palpable it really feels like war and death is just around the corner and everyone knows it. So far I think it was my favourite episode of season 2

[@GoBigBlueeee]

Helaena really hit Alicent with the “I’m not mad, just disappointed”

[@CloudMountainJuror]

I don’t care what anyone says, that last scene was fantastic. I don’t think it resembles the “fast travel” in GoT in any meaningful way - the off-screen short timeskip of Rhaenyra getting to King’s Landing from Dragonstone (and back?) is reasonable here because things are at a bit of a standstill elsewhere in the show. There’s no contradiction going on. And what would that trip have taken, a couple of days, maybe? Maybe a week for the round-trip? There’s no reason to believe in-show that it would have taken anything more. I just don’t see any issue with it.

[@zeddtt.z695]

It's illogical for alicent to let rhaenyra free . She could have ended the war right there ..

[@CloudMountainJuror]

@@zeddtt.z695 Alicent still cares about Rhaenyra and recognized her gesture for peace for what it was, even if she couldn’t agree to it. Therefore she decided to let her go. It makes complete sense from a character perspective.

[@rpc0038]

​@@zeddtt.z695almost like human behavior isn't always logical. Its not like one of the shows themes are matriarchs trying to enact damage control. Or imagine the show showed us many times that there is still affection deep down between the two mothers. That would be crazy

[@patrickftw8464]

@@zeddtt.z695 rhaenys couldve ended the war when she bursted through the floorboards on her dragon. theres a lot more than just 1+1=2 going on here. not to mention alicent was fighting to not have rhaenyra killed from the moment that aegon took the crown. while otto and the rest of her council was telling her rhaenyra needed to be killed, she still cared about rhaenyra and wouldn't allow it. so it seems pretty on brand of her character to not want rhaenyra beheaded or imprisoned.

[@alexbo7543]

@@zeddtt.z695 War would still happen. It's not like everyone from team black would surrender.

[@multimediafan6777]

02:03:30 Would it, though?.. Prince Aemond (who is also Hightower trough his mother)attacked prince Lucerys Velaryon ( her future good brother & cousin) who travelled as a messanger... Baella killing an enemy commander riding to war with Prince Aemond's uncle, also riding to war isn't really a drastic escalation in my eyes. It's on sight at this point...