House of the Dragon S2E01 Explained

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Images from The World of Ice and Fire used with permission from Random House.
Map from The Lands of Ice and Fire.
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#GameOfThrones #ASOIAF #HotD

[@AltShiftX]

50 hours of HOTD and GOT videos with Alt Schwift X and Glidus: nebula.tv/altschwiftx 40% off an annual Nebula subscription: go.nebula.tv/altshiftx

[@im-your-parents]

I love you

[@vinogr00nko93]

nah Alt Shift X sold out... promoting other 2 creators' content? How much did they pay, I cannot respect you anymore

[@surafelkebede299]

​@@vinogr00nko93I hope you are kidding 😂

[@alantyndall85]

@@vinogr00nko93 I hope he waited for the cheque to clear.

[@Darkness-ie2yl]

you do make us wait

[@widgeon4637]

“Maybe incest is bad”

[@mst3KGf]

"Every time a Targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin and everyone holds their breath to see what side it lands on." "Yeah, maybe that wouldn't happen if you guys would actually try fucking someone outside your own gene pool."

[@Winter-Alpha-Omega]

If only Helaena x Aemond shippers understood that.

[@thirdcoinedge]

That one Hapsburg be like:

[@Toki_the_Sponge]

Such a hot take

[@hib6076]

Scrolled to the comments to find this exact comment. Had me howling 😂😂😂

[@Glidus]

bro who the hell would listen to 23 hours of jon snow content

[@teddydancona7237]

THERE’S NO TIME FOR THAT

[@SapphireSolstice67]

the gods have yet to make a man who lacks the patience for absolute banging content

[@Tyfonen]

I am a supporter of Glibus Waters.

[@actuallyPassion]

I've been listening to it for an hour per day and I'm about half way through. I'm not sure why I'm doing this, but I sure am doing it.

[@ahahangiee]

girl what r u doin here

[@luzcalderon7808]

I noticed that Larys walks perfectly normal and stands tall and straight in front of Alicent, but pretends to be small and weak around Aegon (just like he did when he first met Alicent). He's like maester Pycelle, playing a character to manipulate powerful people

[@f.a.l.o.4174]

I never even noticed that. You have sharp eyes 👌🏻

[@mst3KGf]

He's nothing if not a master manipulator. Plus, if you come off as weak and pliable, everyone will think you're no threat. There's no point in doing it in front of Alicent because she knows all too well how dangerous he is. Difference between him and Pycelle is that Pycelle's only ambition was to keep his comfortable and influential position as long as he lived. Larys clearly has far greater goals.

[@BeastscopesCL]

​@@mst3KGfand there is no greater goal than seeing Olivia Cookes little piggies

[@maximilianbeyer5642]

@@mst3KGfLarys really seems to combine Littlefinger, Varys and Pycelle into one person

[@tRevolution321]

Also very Derek Jacobi from I, Claudius inspired

[@fjnemo]

I appreciate you putting character’s names, pictures when you’re talking about them. Helps a lot, a lot of channels talk as if we know everything

[@DontReadMyProfilePicture566]

Don't read my name

[@lorenzodaniel40]

One of the reasons i love this channel im hoping maybe one day he’ll make a video about the differences from the books and the shows in detail

[@wall-e7179]

Agreed

[@CoopaCoop]

Everyone has the same name or almost the same name. The books were rough lol

[@collincaperton6718]

​@CoopaCoop yes such as Aemond son of aemond brother of aemond etc etc or some shit along that line

[@Hobbit0nCN]

Get a raise to whoever made the new intro.

[@infinite_array]

Right? A huge improvement over the original clockwork world's reuse with some changes.

[@georgeealien]

It was me. I did it. Can I borrow 500 dollars

[@dimitrigerman8376]

Big improvement over season 1

[@vinogr00nko93]

get a raise to Ramin Djawadi so he can compose an actual theme instead of reusing the old one

[@SoranotRoxas]

💯

[@awesomehpt8938]

Turns out sir Cristin Cole is a cunning linguist!

[@samaelnemo]

And a Royal one at that, he is tounges deep in both.

[@DrDoom333]

According to Ygritte Jon is one too.😂😂😂

[@alantyndall85]

The lord commander's kiss.

[@f.a.l.o.4174]

​​@@DrDoom333Black haired dudes tongues are just built different 😂😂

[@TheoShahh]

He’s very fond of his good friend *Colonel* *Ingus*

[@xSmuggen]

"Maybe incest is bad" is at the base of literally 4/5 of the conflicts in Westeros

[@DontReadMyProfilePicture566]

Don't read my name

[@nicbahtin4774]

maybe the faith of the 7 was right about incest

[@SennaHawx]

And the remaining one is "Maybe necrophilia isn't great either"

[@sansonefabio8177]

I think class hierarchy is what you’re looking for

[@Alfredo.Rafael]

I love how when House Of The Dragon comes back, it's not just the weekly episodes, it's this entire online community and culture that comes back to life and brings us all together. These videos are an intrinsic part of the GOT/HOTD experience.

[@cashnelson2306]

yeah dude it’s not like this happens with every single tv show

[@YOUNGJBR]

@@cashnelson2306true but HOTD/GOT are bigger than any other tv show and plus what other good TV show is there out rn besides The Boys.

[@thejadedeagle6729]

@@cashnelson2306 Don't ruin the moment.

[@Winter-Alpha-Omega]

Good observation.

[@DontReadMyProfilePicture566]

Don't read my name

[@SpirusOfH]

21:11 - The subtle Tyrek Lannister ahorse joke in the subtitles. I see you, Swift

[@QuinnTheGM]

HAIL, SHIFT THE MAGNANIMOUS

[@Matt-xc6sp]

ALT SHIFT 🐉 🐓

[@joecoffee93]

Shift the Magnanimous, Shwift the Dragoncock

[@dreaelam940]

It's noteworthy that on the beach scene, Syrax is grieving the loss of her child, Arrax. Both mothers are wracked by loss.

[@ADeina-tt7oh]

Where does it say it was her eggs?

[@dreaelam940]

@@ADeina-tt7oh It's implied in F&B, though I don't recall the chapter. Same for Jace's Vermax and Joff's Tyraxes. Note the names as well, all with the same suffix as Syrax. Iirc, there's also a reference to Morning coming from one of Syrax's eggs as well.

[@DontReadMyProfilePicture566]

Don't read my name

[@Kyubii01]

Even if it can’t be proven completely each dragon IS a relative.

[@trippersigs2248]

Daenys being Balerion's original rider is actually really cool.

[@mst3KGf]

Also makes sense because when the Targaryens first moved to Dragonstone, Balerion was the youngest and smallest of the five dragons they brought with them, which is why he was the only one of those five remaining when Aegon began his conquest.

[@trippersigs2248]

@@mst3KGf Its also informs us on why a dragon called " The Black Dread" that been know exclusively as a warmachine would choose someone like Viserys to be its rider.

[@joecoffee93]

I didn't catch it in the show but yeah I love that lore reveal.

[@DontReadMyProfilePicture566]

Don't read my name

[@umitencho]

​@trippersigs2248 maybe he preferred dreamers.

[@lukaslambs5780]

0:46 HOUSE CELTIGAR MENTIONED RAAAAAAAAAAA 🗣️🦀

[@AltShiftX]

🦀🦀🦀

[@teddydancona7237]

AVERAGE TARGARYEN FAN: 🤓🐉😡 AVERAGE CELTIGAR ENJOYER: 😎🦀🥰

[@overlookers]

🦀 🦀 _Fool the crab, get the claws_ 🦀 🦀

[@unclephillymya]

CRAB RAVE ??

[@SaulofIceandFire]

This is the age of the crab 🦀🦀🦀🦀

[@AnneBernhardt]

I always watched your videos with my ex boyfriend. When we weren't together anymore, we watched them separately and then discussed it (we broke up in good terms). Last year, he decided he didn't want to live anymore. This is the first video I'm going to watch alone. Is so painful and yet bring me some very sweet and awesome memories. He was the biggest fan of yours. Thank you for what you do.

[@s0ngf0rx]

Wishing you the best Anne.

[@davelynch1228]

🫶

[@ghandibanks]

❤

[@Jen7867]

Sending you love and hugs!

[@santsi7306]

Aw, me and my ex used to watch his videos and discuss too. 😢 I'm so sorry you lost your person. I think alot of people find solace and distraction from traumatic things with this series. You're not alone, honey. Cherish the memories and hopefully you guys will meet again in a better place one day

[@elenasreadingcorner]

I saw Allicent saying that to Tyland as her way of de-escalating the situation. She knew that by humiliating him publicly and siding with Aegon, the latter will lose interest and they will be able to get on with their meeting.

[@nicholaskinkaid]

EXACTLY. A simple psychological trick to get the other person (Aegon) to willingly change the topic without having to force them to do it. It seemed extremely obvious to me, but from the livestream to this video it seems to have gone over alt-shift-x's head completely. Which is even more odd considering it's in this *same* episode that Alicent says she worries that she is losing control and influence over her sons.

[@celeste7987]

Yeah, I saw it as Alicent stopping Aegon without outright denying him. She gave Tyland a small embarrassment to spare him a potentially greater humiliation and redirect Aegon's attention.

[@elenasreadingcorner]

@@celeste7987 Yeah, recovering from the embarrassment of being ridden as a horse in a meeting would have been hard and would have the potential to endanger their relationship with the Lannisters in the long run

[@hameed]

Same but she was still enabling Aegon Right outcome, wrong means

[@mingyver]

was just wondering if i should comment about this and i see there's a comment already! 100% agree, she was definitely expertly de-escalating what could've been an even more humiliating situation.

[@diegoprodriguez]

Gotta give Olivia Cooke credit. Reading Fire and Blood, I didn’t care for Allicent, but her performance has probably made her my favorite character of the show. Shows not inherently wrong, she’s just surrounded by psychopaths and ambition

[@me-fm8nl]

exactly. Despite her flaws Alicent is a good person.

[@neverstopschweiking]

The show spends much more time on her, it was a good choice to get such a talented actress.

[@sokar_rostau]

There are two kinds of F&B readers, and they view the show differently. Some people understand F&B as a novel where what is written on the page is "what actually happened" except for where the text specifically calls something out. These are the people who will point at details and complain that they're different from the book, "made up for the show", or that this character wouldn't say/do that. Other people understand F&B as the history book that it actually is. AM Gyldayn was writing more than 150 years after the events he narrates. He uses multiple sources of dubious quality, each written at different times and for different purposes, to stitch together a narrative that makes sense while pushing his own political agenda which isn't necessarily interested in historical truth so much as authenticity. These readers understand that while there are immutable facts that cannot be ignored, the details of those events are open to interpretation. These are the people who are perfectly fine with changes in personality or detail from the books (The Princess and The Queen is a separate essay written by Gyldayn some years before expanding it into his magnum opus) but said "yes you should be" when Daemon said "I should be in Harrenhnal", and are increasingly worried about things like Daeron not even being named. The critics will have a field day when they finally introduce him... if they do at all. History remembers Jaime Lannister as the traitorous Kingslayer, the Kingsguard who killed his King to help the usurper Robert Baratheon claim the throne. While it's true in the broad strokes, the reality was quite different to the way history records it. GRRM frequently illustrates this by making Gyldayn compare accounts and decide whether eyewitnesses Orwyle or Mushroom are closer to the truth and sometimes he just acknowledges what they said while going with a different narrative from a different source altogether. Gyldayn never met Alicent, Rhaenyra, or anyone else he writes about. He bases their personalities on their deeds first, and the accounts of witnesses like Mushroom and Orwyle second. Gyldayn put the U in Alicent. HotD is showing us various realities that Gyldayn didn't know about, didn't think was relevant, or deliberately omitted because it didn't fit his narrative. This is why Alicent is a much more likeable character in the show.

[@thatguyyouhatealot]

​@@sokar_rostauThere's two kinds of F&B readers, those that understand it's not a novel but a lore book told by two unreliable narrators, and the illiterate

[@calypso4882]

​@@sokar_rostauWell said. If there were to be a hypothetical in-universe history book about the events of ASOIAF it would make sense for many of the details to be completely wrong. Whether it's cos the details aren't known or the author's own prejudice, we'd all be like "that isn't how it happened!!!"

[@nataliewatson8872]

I'm surprised that no one talked about the fact that Lukes dragon Arrax was hatched from one of Syraxs eggs, meaning that her child was killed along with Rhaenyras and on the beach they were both mourning their babies together. It's another neet little way to showcase how connected dragons and their riders can be.

[@Iin-ky5nj]

Correct! I’m surprised not a lot of people caught this 👏🏿

[@DagothDaddy]

I actually love Aegon as a character now. He is still not a good person but he went from an evil brat to an exploration of how neglect can effect a child well into adulthood and in his own screwed up way he is trying to rectify that.

[@Wolfeson28]

I agree, I think the show's portrayal of Aegon is very interesting. There's clearly a *person* there with some depth of character and some sort of internal logic, regardless of whether we interpret that person as good or bad.

[@YeesaurusRex]

It was such a strangely human moment when Cheese knows that Helaena is telling the truth, the slight hesitation like "holy shit, she's serious."

[@lillukanvarsia]

”they say Jahaerys should ride Tyland as if Tyland Lannister is a horse” I can almost hear Glidus cackling in the background Thanks for another excellent analysis, looking forward to the rest of the season & these videos!

[@mst3KGf]

Lancel should have been praying every night that Robert didn't ask him to be his horse. "Listen up, you golden haired ninny! I'm mounting you today! And that's AFTER the breast-plate is stretched!"

[@Nukefandango]

I laughed out loud when he said that hahaha

[@DontReadMyProfilePicture566]

Don't read my name

[@adrianecarloquestin3555]

The long night is over, now my alt shit x watch begins

[@BruceWayne-fj9bm]

Your alt what??????

[@Samiii90210]

☠☠

[@salchipapa5843]

Was that autocorrect? lol

[@caseco4979]

43 minutes is kind of a long time to be sitting there you might want to try some fiber in your diet

[@JB-mb6lm]

Lololol

[@thirdcoinedge]

"What name will Aegon choose? ...He likes 'the Dragoncock'" "Daemon puts on his ~mischief hoodie~" Stuff like this is why I watch these videos.

[@Demonslate]

Dragon cock was said in the series, that was a direct quote. Mischief hoodie is original hilarity tho

[@Demonslate]

Dragon cock is a direct quote from the show though. Mischief hoodie is original hilarity tho

[@dandychiggins6143]

Imagine if Cregan Stark found out the 2nd Long Night his family and the North have been readying for for thousands of years last just one single battle for a few hours.

[@AJ_M26]

"dragons of flesh weaving dragons of thread" could also refer to the dragons dying out and becoming nothing more than a part of history

[@Modification102]

It could be using 'dragons' as a stand-in for the Targaryns, so it is to mean that the living Targaryns are weaving their history

[@sokar_rostau]

You seem to have forgotten a relevant real-world phrase: weaving the tapestry of history.

[@vampiresforesl]

I'm still not clear on "Beware the beast underneath the boards." The dragon later in the episode most definitely comes from outside the city, not beneath the boards or anything else.

[@sokar_rostau]

@@vampiresforesl Huh? Where did you get that from? The beast beneath the boards is Meleys and Rhaenys killing hundreds of innocent smallfolk when she bursts out of the floor of the dragonpit at the coronation.

[@Scribbby]

We're already starting the season off with a death.

[@Fillduck]

Seasons that start off without a death or ten is considered a dull affair

[@mst3KGf]

Dothraki review: "First death was promising, but then they didn't kill the queen and the other kid. No three deaths, deeply disappointing, one out of five stars."

[@Metal_Fingers.]

Baby wake up. Alt shift x just dropped.

[@benedeknagy4817]

Oh and how many more will we see! Can't wait!

[@amoy5657]

With season 8 logic

[@JordanWylde_]

Some people found Blood and Cheese underwhelming compared to the book. It’s still horrifying and it’s important to ensure the wellbeing of the child actors. Even though it’s acting, it would be traumatising to reenact Blood and Cheese how they did it in the book. Apparently, when a hand covered Jaehaerys’ mouth, it was the actor’s father. There are laws and regulations regarding child actors.

[@dkdonkeykong2875]

That plus also rape gets overused by bad writers to make things look vile , it’s rarely needed in a script and it’s just heinous

[@somerandofilipino6957]

What's really horrifying is that I had to see Alicent getting piped twice.

[@Nukefandango]

Also, the scene in the book is objectively dumb. Two amateur assassins wouldn't risk their lives to torture the royal family just for fun. It's not like they were getting paid by the hour. It was literally just GRRM giving in to the worst "grimdark" tropes: pointless misery pr0n that is so stupidly depressing it breaks all immersion.

[@Mannaggialtubo]

You know that you are watching a fiction, right? That there are cuts, montage, etc... you can easily film only the mother screaming without the children even in the scene. As a fan of the book, the scene as portrayed in the show is shit and we should stop finding obstuse justification for the filmmaker incompetence.

[@somerandofilipino6957]

@@Nukefandango Hard disagree. It set off the series of events leading to Helaena's suicide, from the guilt of knowing she had just sentenced her own son Maelor to death in favor of his elder brother and the mental toll of having to live with that.

[@aintgonnaletuknow5758]

“work life balance is hard”🤣 I can't

[@sciomancy6]

I struggle with who's who because their names are so alike. I'm grateful for this channel thoroughly explaining to make it easier 🙏🏻

[@spacecadet2172]

Ya it’s ridiculous

[@sokar_rostau]

I've read all of the books, and seen both shows, multiple times and written thousands of words on various forums about them. Believe me when I say, the struggle never ends. I think GRRM does it on purpose because he's a sadist that enjoys fucking with his reader's heads.

[@malcolmferguson4869]

I always got the impression that Alicent's issue with Rhaenyra was less about her doing things she wasn't "supposed to", and more about how she could do those things publicly, with no repercussions, while Alicent couldn't.

[@Hoot]

Thank you for your videos, these explanations are incredibly useful and intriguing 🤘

[@JasonValencia]

Finally figured out why Larys’ “they no longer breathe our air” line sounded so familiar: I was hearing Sansa when she questioned Theon “tell me why Bran and Rickon should be gone while you still breathe the air-tell me to my face Theon!”

[@mst3KGf]

Also a convenient method to explain why that handmaiden working for Mysaria is no longer on the show, because she was played by the wife of the former co-show runner who left after the first season.

[@ninjaturtles12121]

@@mst3KGf wtf a show runner quit??!! what??!! who??!! wouldn't that be bigger news a show runner up n quitting???

[@f.a.l.o.4174]

I think Aemond already knows about Criston's affair with Alicent. Everytime he makes a slide against her he carefully watches Criston's reaction. As if he was asking: 'How biased are you. Can you still see her faults or are to much in love to see the truth

[@me-fm8nl]

he doesnt know. Larys knows, Otto is suspicious. Nobody else knows for know.

[@Flappr]

Thank you for making these videos for like a decade. Always incredibly well made. You’re a king.

[@awesomehpt8938]

Cheese kills child Audience reaction: meh🫤 Cheese kicks dog Audience reaction: 🤬🤬🤬🤬

[@whyareyoureadingmynickname8158]

That child would've eventually grown up into Targaryen, though. Dog, on other hand, was just a good boy doing his work and he didn't deserve it.

[@musakamara4157]

​@@whyareyoureadingmynickname8158 okay but the sleeping child did. Sure.

[@Gopackgoinfinity]

Book readers said meh a lot of the non book readers were shocked and disgusted.

[@mementomori771]

​@@Gopackgoinfinitynon book reader here thought the scene was super mid

[@Gopackgoinfinity]

@@mementomori771 cool your in the minority

[@Dekse_]

21:14 I didn't feel as if Alicent joined in on the shaming, rather stopping her son from his continued shaming, without undermining the king. Thereby rescuing Tyland, albeit letting him take some of the blame. Otherwise great video!

[@ethanbrandon195]

She was deftly trying to get Aegon to stop harassing his Small Councilor

[@saatvikkalra6061]

Yeah I saw that immediately, she was clearly trying to pacify both sides

[@hsonmari6665]

💯. It was her way of managing the situation to save Tylands ego and not be seen as opposing the king.

[@Gchan86]

The sound in the blood and cheese scene alone is so haunting. You don't need to see what they're doing to the child, your imagination is doing it for you

[@jlshel42]

“He puts on his Mischief Hoodie” made me giggle and almost clap my hands

[@Panyc333]

Schools should use this format to teach. I swear it increases my comprehension and retention on these subjects. Great job as always!

[@santsi7306]

Wait, really? That's so cool. If teachers had done this in school, I might have made decent grades.

[@mst3KGf]

32:20 - Cute Baratheon family picture there. Although it's funny that even as a kid, Stannis was already dour.

[@liamcallahan9693]

“as if Tyland Lannister was a horse” …

[@dionysuspicious]

I was about to say “About fucking time” because this video came out a week after the episode aired….then I saw the amount of work that went into making this.

[@zachtan]

To think this could've been avoided is Criston just kept his damn sword sheathed (again).

[@neverstopschweiking]

Yes, but this is closer to the very first original story of the Dance than the later versions of the books. At least when it comes to the importance of Ser Criston for the story.

[@SapphireSolstice67]

New ahorse lore dropped 21:10 and new Schwift family tree lore just dropped 39:03. Did we know he was his bastard half brother? How can he be an evil twin if they are only half siblings?

[@williamcross6922]

Shift and Scwhift clearly are the products of heteropaternal superfecundation .

[@BubblegumCrash332]

Did you notice when Larys speaks to Alicent he stands tall and straight but when he speaks to the king he is huntched over

[@theofficialguy]

Ooh, nice catch!

[@BubblegumCrash332]

​@@theofficialguyA total power play from the club foot

[@denawagner360]

He's pulling a Pycelle...

[@phantom_user1]

new shifty upload, it’s already a great start to this sunday

[@Morfe02]

Nice video I would add how Aegon is in daylight walking to the throne happy and with a happy public And Rhaenyra is broken angry with a silent public in the dark night

[@martind5653]

When it comes to small council and ponyride, Idk if there is book version of this but in show I interpreted it as Alicent trying to subtle manipulation rather then joining bullying Tyland. Aegon is king now and potentionally dangerous and doesn't have to listen to Alicent anymore so she wants to stay on his good side to be able to keep manipulationg him/having him listen to her. They even talked about that later with Otto. Same like you would do around Joffrey, when Sansa saved that knight from execution by telling keeping him as Jester is far more humiliating, we all are sure she did to save life not because she same sadist as Joffrey, right?

[@michaelthompson4384]

David lightbringers theory about the song used by Deomon is pretty convincing, can’t wait to see where that goes

[@maarekstele2998]

Im so glad you pointed out that Cheese was the only one to actually listen to her

[@PGHPulse]

This is the content I’ve been waiting on. I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of what takes place in each episode and that just goes up to another level after each Alt Shift X breakdown.

[@santsi7306]

I think one of the true strengths of the dragon series is the Dream of the North. And Rheanys' updos. Can we take a moment to appreciate the absolute artistry that is her HAIR? I guess Ser Crispin has accepted that he will always be a plaything for some queen. I wonder why he isnt equating Alicent to an insect like he did Rhaenerya, when she wanted from him exactly what Alicent does. Theyre in the same room. Madness.

[@Borderlands4eva]

I love the way you make your videos. My favorite HOTD, and GOT breakdowns. Thanks for your work!

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love your content! Thanks For this

[@AltShiftX]

Thanks for watching :)

[@MsZeeZed]

21:55 - This is a good point, Larys knows the value of sneaking murderous men into a Lord’s hall at night. He’s not likely to overlook Rat Catchers even if they live outside the castle. Maybe he was hoping for the Greens to fully commit to war with an outrage?

[@SuperStella1111]

There’s something about menials though…the rich look past them. And unlike the servants, the rat catchers are not semi-intimates. They are semi-contractors. In and out, unnoticed. The first time we see Cheese, Alicent and Cole almost brush past him in the small council room. It’s like he doesn’t exist. They don’t even notice he’s there, or register his presence. That’s why the maidservants didn’t intervene. A menial was fussing over a trap. What harm could this menial be?

[@MsZeeZed]

@@SuperStella1111 I wrote something similar about Larys, then I remembered what he’d done to his own family and that he wouldn’t overlook even a kitchen boy in killing the castle servants. Blood, the disaffected guard is out of place and was seen by the servant, who I believe ran straight to Larys (out of fear of Larys), raising the alarm with the one person who probably allowed this to happen. The Green Royal family have surrendered their security to Larys by Queen Alicent and only Otto has a hope of undoing that. I doubt Larys will let Otto continue beyond his usefulness to the war. Larys will find & bring Blood to a quick end, Cheese was likely ended by Blood before leaving the castle, with only his dog & debtors to grieve him,

[@alliecore225]

Man I can't express my love for this channel enough, you talk so eloquently and with such depth about every topic. But you allways take care to explain things so even somebody who knows very little about the topic can understand. I especially admire the use of visuals to guide the watchers experience and keep them on track with what is being explained

[@universalcollective427]

Alt Shift X weekly Breakdowns! We Are So Back Baby!

[@moe504]

"House of the dragon is back" More like "ALT SHIFT X IS BACK BABY!"

[@JohnKing-xn5lr]

Ser Tyland was almost a horse?

[@MsZeeZed]

A centaur? 😼

[@pkd5849]

Best part about this video is the fact that Alt Schwift X sponsored it

[@fantasyhaven1]

Perfect video to end the week, thanks

[@bigloopsie]

I'll bite you

[@BrunoJuncklaus]

This is as good as watching an episode of HotD

[@ThatWuzSetup]

I’ve been checking your channel everyday since episode 1 for this. Good work

[@Juliusmankey]

I love how you see how Rgenyra threats her grieving child in this episode and how Alicent threats her son in episode 2 when he’s grieving.

[@Matt-xc6sp]

21:11 HE SAID THE THING 🐴🐴🐴

[@MsZeeZed]

21:11 - Tyland Lannister is a horse, confirmed ☑️. The mythology deepens 😺

[@TilDrill]

21:20 i understood Alicent calling Tyland intterrupting as wanting to stop that cruelty without directly opposing the king instead of bad behavior

[@BuddyWithTheSideburns]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate how much Emma D'Arcy did with silence in this episode? Their face, their body language, their ability to communicate all the turmoil within Rhaenyra with just a look. A masterful performance 👏

[@vinogr00nko93]

only one line in an entire episode and yet still an Emmy deserving perfomance, at this point if they don't nominate them it's surely because they just don't know for which category right?

[@MATCHLESS93]

​Delusional.

[@Blaktista]

I’ve just noticed, from what we have so far anyway, that Rhaenyra hasn’t appeared to have told Jace about the prophecy yet

[@ew7213]

Finally! Missed these videos 😍 Thank you!

[@MsJackieJack]

15:32 A “rat king” is also a rare phenomenon where a bunch of rats get tangled up by their tails. It’s also a way of interpreting Helaena’s drawing. She’s predicting mutually assured destruction due to an easily avoidable entanglement caused by stupid, self serving decisions.

[@NicholasAmCuben]

15:43 when lots of rats occupy a tiny space, they sometimes get their tails tangled. This is called a rat king. They are often unable to free themselves and will eventually starve to death.

[@zhinagoodcountry]

good to know

[@ceg496]

So happy to be back the sunday with my Coffee listenning to you guys ❤🎉

[@jaybirdjetwings7516]

Finally I'm always waiting for your reviews, best a song of ice and fire KZbin by far

[@kairosmvr1900]

SO glad these are back! Can't wait for episode 2 tonight!!!

[@Kingsta2000]

Good to see Raised by Wolves Abubakar Salim playing Alyn of Hull. Really annoyed me they cancelled this underrated show after two seasons. Leaving us fans with so many unanswered questions😭

[@ShubertReads]

There are dozens of us

[@zipblockarchives900]

I personally liked how Blood and Cheese was executed. Phia Saban's acting was phenomenal, the shock, the horror and awfulness all conveyed on her facial acting.

[@kiner1092]

Another explanation for the lack of guards in the red keep, in my opinion, is one of the scenes we see in the beginning of the episode. We see a large amount of guards manning the walls of the keep, looking out for any approaching dragons. So I took this as the show saying that's where they are

[@lemmingrad]

I once read a reddit post that poetically put it: They were too focused on looking for attacks coming from above, they never considered an attack can come from below.

[@tuckerg24]

This is exactly the video I’m looking for on each HOTD episode-great breakdown with no future spoilers. Amazing video.

[@Rashomon00]

The quality of research and editing on such a tight schedule is seriously mind-blowing. Thank you for all you do!

[@liamkampff1]

These videos never fail to impress me. Amazing content thank you!

[@mdhsguard3393]

I look forward to your livestreams and videos almost more than the show itself!

[@Wulfarwacht]

I sometimes look forward to these more than the actual episode :D Glad you’re back!

[@Intraj]

New episodes means new alt shift x. Double the content I love summer this year so far 😮‍💨

[@gsampson97]

I've been waiting for this. I'm so happy shift is back for Hot D

[@Beatsbooksandbits]

I’ve been waiting impatiently for the Alt breakdown 🙏🏿 pleasure to have the HOTD insight from the GOAT

[@shaneoneil6088]

I'm so glad you're back making these videos about HotD.

[@biscuitkzh9461]

This was my first time watching one of your videos. I absolutely loved everything about it. You explain everything so simply and clearly and it's a pleasure to listen to your calm voice. Amazing work

[@WumpiniFuseini]

Criston is the biggest hypocrite in the entire show.

[@aquasol333]

Next to Alicent, right?

[@BigPapaMitchell]

props to making an analysis nearly as long as the episode lmao

[@joshshepard4802]

Was eagerly awaiting for you to release this video! Super excited for this season and what it may bring.

[@Jen7867]

This was just phenomenal. It must have taken so much work!!! My hats off to you.

[@awesomehpt8938]

I want a Game of thrones spin-off show about house Celtigar. It should be called House of the Crabs 🦀 🦀🦀🦀🦀

[@olanlesiadegun105]

😂😂😂😂

[@DUBMANS]

Crab people crab people

[@dreamfyres]

The crab show

[@thinkbluealex]

😂😂😂

[@yurinabesima]

It would be the first ASOIAF spin-off that takes places millions of years into the future: everyone has evolved into crabs.

[@nyahmariekabiling4197]

you and david lightbringer are the GOAT when it comes to hotd and asoiaf analysis

[@surafelkebede299]

"History of Westeros" is decent too

[@Proph3t3N]

Quinn's Ideas, before Ideas of Ice and Fire was the goat for me ( still is, in Sci-Fi book recommendations department for me). Too bad later seasons of GoT broke him.

[@vidhoard]

So happy you are doing these videos again!!

[@hellraiser2345]

I've heard a lot of people complaining about the blood and cheese scene being better in the books, but I love what you said about it: that the only one who finally listened to her was the man who would kill her son. It's deeply poetic and I absolutely love it.

[@Laura_Darkspear]

I missed your recaps! 🙌

[@justrandom4304]

Best HOTD commentary in the word bro the visual and information given is like no other thank you I look forward to every video. I wish you were into Harry Potter too especially because they have a TV show coming up soon in a year or so.

[@tonylakes3086]

The problem with comparing Alicent's sexual proclivity and Rhaenyra's is the context which makes all the difference. While Rhaenyra lied and had 5 bastards she still claimed they were true born she even lied to Alicent when she questioned her. At that time Alicent was not a hypocrite and had every right to her criticisms of Rhaenyra, the future heir to the throne. Rhaenyra went a step further by demanding others be punished for her proclivities and people died as a result of it. Alicent did in fact become a hypocrite in the end she did do this after Viserys's death. However, the difference was when Rhaenyra accused her at High Tide her accusations were baseless. Alicent's accusations were not baseless and Viserys and the rest of the court had to cover for Rhaenyra's lies and promiscuity.

[@LadyoftheReach]

So good to have your videos again! Few minutes in fantastic ❤