Best Fantasy on TV Right now? House of the Dragon Episode 7 REVIEW.

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[@R0GU351GN4L]

I think the reason Larys dismisses the whisper is because he doesn't want to help Aemond due to his earlier slight. It seemed more self serving in my opinion.

[@dannbrauckmann1545]

Exactly. It's weird to me that Shad didn't seem to catch this. Pretty obvious.

[@Rio..o7..]

or distracted by working with the king

[@R0GU351GN4L]

He could easily have this verified with his connections, but I feel he doesn't and dissuades the other feller from telling him. By the end of the episode Aemond is surprised to see so many dragons. If Larys had reported it to him he would probably have known not to give chase.

[@gtc4692]

I think Larys knows about the bastards and them leaving for Dragonstone and isn’t telling anyone for his own reasons. What those reasons are I don’t know but he seems to have his own selfish reasons for why he does things.

[@irena4545]

Yeah, that's my reading, as well. Especially if we take into consideration that Larys has casually dismissed the intel about Seasmoke having a rider again - oh, my, almost as if he wanted to get Aemond in trouble, tut-tut. And meanwhile, he is also speeding Aegon's recovery in secret...

[@aakkii5271]

Silverwing the black dragon that chooses Ulf is the real grandma dragon, she is described as the friendliest dragon, even to strangers, so to me it makes sense, just a lonely grandma looking forward to a new friend Edit: Also, I really like diffrent characteristics of the dragons Vhagar(Aemonds) - An old veteran dragon that loves to fight Sunfyre(Aegons) - the most beatiful dragon, more usefull as a symbol than a figher, also the only kind one to Aegon Caraxes(Daemons) - Not much yet, but seems sadistic Seasmoke(Alynn, the bastard of Corlys) - Seeks ambition and freedom? Vermithor(Hugh the Hammer) - seeks bravery and heroism, hates cowardice Silverwing(Ulf the White) - seeks compainonship and adventure

[@VoFALT]

She's not black she's more of a bluish hue

[@cooleycollege01]

yes thats a good rundown. I liked Silverwing bonding to him maybe because he is acting like a newly hatched dragon after stepping in the gunk near the eggs. Maybe looks at him motherly as a result etc.

[@s8theninjawarrior916]

Seasmoke's rider is Adam, not Allyn

[@aakkii5271]

@@cooleycollege01 I like that much more actually, she seeks a child to take care of, also good catch with the egg hatching

[@aakkii5271]

@@s8theninjawarrior916 My bad, always mix up those two...

[@iliaponomarev1624]

Hugh's mother is supposedly Runaway Saera, a daugher of Jaehaerys and Alysanne and twice the aunt of Viserys and Daemon.

[@johnnycage112]

Twice the aunt? You mean great-aunt?

[@iliaponomarev1624]

@@johnnycage112 I mean she's their aunt on both mother's and father's side.

[@johnnycage112]

@iliaponomarev1624 oh ok. All that inbreeding lol

[@wavion2]

@@iliaponomarev1624 Classic Targaryen

[@danielbelanger2756]

I notice everyone is jumping straight to that but i feel like the more likely insinuation is that she is the natural daughter to the old king. It just makes more sense and it is still a revelation for the book readers because we are led to believe he was a honerable monogamous husband. I just dont see how the old king allows his trueborn daughter to be a pro in his own city.

[@CSPaffy]

I kinda like how Vermathor is looking for a noble person to be his rider, but Silverwing is just kinda like 'Ey, you seem chill. Wanna ride?

[@xavierhugo9269]

Lols ahh yes, the dragon that killed multiple innocents wants someone noble😂 Tbh i personally think the dragon was more so won over by the man standing up against him and gai ed some sort of respect from the display of bravery and strength. And in terms of the last guy the writters mentioned something about his submission to silverwing may have contributed to it choosing him, so sounds like silverwing likes to be the dommy mommy in the partnership lol. Unless silverwing is a dude(i cant remember) then its dommy daddy

[@onepunchbud1472]

​@@xavierhugo9269 You think dragons care about innocent or not when they burn down armies, castles and cities? 😂

[@xavierhugo9269]

@@onepunchbud1472 certainly note lol Well maybe some arent as eager but in tbe end they always do what thier riders tell them to. Except when asked to go over big scary deathwalker wall

[@onepunchbud1472]

@@xavierhugo9269 true... What I also find quite nice is that the character of the dragon is a bit reflected in the rider. Aggressive rider - aggressive dragon. The show does this show nicely so far.

[@R0GU351GN4L]

I think it's more Vermithor wants a worthy rider, why would such a proud dragon submit to anything other than pure heart and bravery in the face of annihilation.

[@apelincoln1616]

You can tell Daemon really liked Willem Blackwood and really didn't want execute him but he had no choice ifbhe wanted their army

[@TrueFork]

for a moment I thought he would be sent to the wall, but clearly Daemon thought he deserved a quick and clean way out

[@martinzemek5798]

I get why Daemon didn't want to do it but it seems to me that a lot of people forget that Daemon told Willem that the crown can't be connected to those attacks yet Blackwoods chose to fly Targaryen banners while commiting those atrocities so it was Willem's mistake since he's responsible for his men. He should've been more careful.

[@LucLB01]

@@martinzemek5798exactly. He screwed up there. If I were Daemon I would’ve gotten rid of him immediately and denied any involvement. I get he needed him at the time but that shouldn’t have gone unpunished.

[@veronicadavanzo2064]

We don’t actually see Willem’s head leave his shoulders though. I’m still getting dream vibe from Daemon’s story. Not sure what’s real and what’s not.

[@artyjnrii]

He also sees himself in Willem, I think

[@alexanderwiles2003]

one of my favourite moments in any of your reviews is you finding out dragonstone and driftmark are close, you look so pleased and you can really the relief on your face of a show that actually does some realistic travel times

[@Pragma020]

For the third Bastard, the talkative one with a limp, He stepped on one of the dragons eggs. I remember hearing about this lure of dragon yoke used to tame, but i may be mistaken as i can't find the source, and i think that had somthing to do with it. The Targaryen blood magic and the scent of what would be a hatchling was probably more overwhelming than the initial rage of having an egg destroyed.

[@babyyoda6549]

I love how they make dragons scary, something game of thrones didn’t do

[@rohit_7777]

Dany's dragons were just glorified pets

[@Haakonisak]

New generation cgi does something for you.

[@Replica_Films2000]

You guys are just saying whatever you like to make game of thrones seem worse than it was.

[@musicalaviator]

@@Replica_Films2000 Don't have to try hard. Just say "Season 8", it's short hand for how much the producers stopped caring. A bit like "Somehow, Palpatine Returned", it's the modern day "Jumped the Shark"

[@TETASARAIVACS]

Daenerys’ were baby dragons

[@omarmahmoud2111]

I don't think it was a trap for Aemond. I think it was a warning and a show of force to end the war. Like hey we have 5 dragons with Daemon's dragon, surrender.

[@R0GU351GN4L]

Sabre rattling essentially. Like you say, it's saying "we have more dragons, yours might be bigger but It can't match all at the same time."

[@als3022]

Especially since their most deadly dragon is almost Aemonds dragons size.

[@NYCfrankie]

​@als3022 half the size maybe the show is gunna make vermithor way bigger but in the books he's half the size of Vhagar thats how big Vhagar is plus she's double the age of vermithor he's like 95-96 Vhagar is 181

[@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylord]

@@omarmahmoud2111 how was it a show of force when they were hiding? Why are people's media literacy this low watching this show? It clearly was a ambush 1 ally draws emeny attention while the other allies hide and ready to attack thats is clearly ambush tactic 101.

[@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylord]

@@R0GU351GN4L that's not what was going on its clearly a ambush they were hiding behind the rock Ameon didn't even see them.

[@tillyt4054]

Season 2 has been slower than season 1 , but it’s still better than anything else currently showing

[@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylord]

Season 1 didn't even have any battles how is season 1 faster?

[@Mrvideogameoficial]

that says someting about the quality of the other show because this show is not of good quality of writting and i belive Shad know that very well

[@AndrewFrancisIlyrian]

​@@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylordexcept the Crabfeeder

[@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylord]

@@AndrewFrancisIlyrian we only seen the after math of that and battle we got this season was a lot better

[@DazHotep6EQUJ5]

​@@Mrvideogameoficial The audacity and irony of someone with a very loose grasp on the English language talking shit about writing he couldn't hope to ever rival is insane.

[@michaelbeasley9401]

Pretty sure Hugh's mother is Saera Targaryen. One of Jaehaerys's daughters that he disowned and she ended up in Volantis working in a brothel.

[@VoFALT]

You mean Lys?

[@michaelbeasley9401]

@@VoFALT she went to both. Ended up in Volantis according to the wiki

[@bailey03]

She owned the brothel full of slaves.

[@Kriosaivak]

@@michaelbeasley9401Had a kid with one of the Triarchs who showed up to the Great Council with an elephant!

[@SightUnseen555]

Wondering how Hugh ended up as a small folk of King's landing if her mother was a prostitute in essos.

[@aidenbrooks7529]

Loving the content Shad! As much as Im sure we all love the rants and mind melting from bad shows, it’s always fun watching the positive reviews, the analysis of each episode is always stellar too, keep up the good work as usual

[@iliaponomarev1624]

> Larys, Ironrod and dragon rumor Looked like they both really-really-really didn't want to go to Aemond with bad news. Also, Larys figured he had to speed up Aegon's recovery, since they might be forced to leave King's Landing with haste.

[@greyknight627]

Sliverwing’s selection of Oalf as his rider has better subtext to it than you presented. Oalf showcases a different sort of spunk to his character in his moment with Silverwing than Heugh. He shows acceptance and deference to his perceived fate. He doesn’t try to run, squeal, or lose it when he realizes he is in Silverwing’s den. You have forgotten that in your last stream with Gary and Ryan, they specifically mentioned how there were more than one way to claim a dragon. Oalf shows similar reactions to Heugh in that Heugh also accepted his perceived fate. Yet, where Heugh showed heroism, Oalf showed pure acceptance of the circumstances.

[@danielleeskelton]

You mean Ulf and Hugh.

[@Bigglesman96]

The show doesn't really do a good job giving this information to us though so it ends up feeling cheap. They should have given us dialogue about Silverwing like they did vermithor, explained her disposition so we had this context. In the show, if you didn't read the books, it just looks like ulf stumbles onto a dragon, was a coward, cowers in fear and the dragon just accepts him out of nowhere.

[@greyknight627]

@@Bigglesman96disagree. This show is great about conveying information without needing dialogue all the time. Excessive dialogue explanations eventually conveys they think the audience is too stupid to figure things out.

[@greyknight627]

@@danielleeskeltonmeh.

[@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylord]

@@Bigglesman96 no it doesn't we are told blood is needed for dragon riding since game of thrones and this show. And the dragon also choose. 2 of the condition have been met so how is it cheep? Your just complaining to complain. Every dragon is different not every dragon needs to kill a bunch of people for them to choose their rider.

[@BlackQback]

Do you remember who ratted to Otto when Daemon and Rhaenyra went out for fun on the town? It was Miseria. She was undermining them both, and Daemon since the first episode of season 1 (when she goaded Daemon into making a toast re his dead nephew, and Daemon presumably becoming the heir, while Daemon was brooding in the corner of that brothel, sad for his brother). And now, she's wormed herself into being Rhaenyra's most trusted advisor. Well done, Rhaeny, such a masterful judge of character you proved to be🙄👏🏻 (even more so if the events continue as in the books)!

[@jasonvanhart2405]

As soon as Jace started ranting I knew immediately what his train of thought would be, and I absolutely loved him reading Rhaenyra the riot act. I'm pretty loyal to the Greens, but I can't help but love Jace.

[@samuelpatton5148]

Second half of this episode was likely the most fun I’ve ever had watching GOT/HOTD.

[@princestarfy4098]

As cool as the dragons and the low born were this episodes Daemon and Oscar was my favorite part. Simon Strong looking worried and Blackwood’s reactions. Golden scene. Daemon continues to be the best part of the show

[@irena4545]

This was on the whole a great episode even by the HotD standards, but young Oscar publically dissing Daemon is definitely my favourite scene :D

[@princestarfy4098]

@@irena4545 Oscar playing 9D chess and Daemon has to just sit and take it.

[@BlackQback]

@@irena4545 Yet in private, Oscar called Daemon "my king". It almost feels like the two of them hatched the plan to get Willem out of the way together (off-screen, of course) and then performed the scene for the lords. Daemon didn't even flinch when young Oscar called him "prince" in front of everyone. In any case, Oscar has been brought up well by his family of Muppets.

[@BlackQback]

"Daemon continues to be the best part of the show". I agree. Even though writers are doing everything in their power to make him hated. Even one of the female writers expressed her bewilderment why is Daemon fan favourite. So, two episode priors, when Rhaenyra was rant-complaining that from all sides all she hears is "Daemon, Daemon, Daemon..." I couldn't help but hear it as writer's (or writers') frustration about that through Rhaenyra's mouth. @princestarfy4098

[@irena4545]

@@BlackQback ​ Lol, such a scheme definitely wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility, but I think that little interplay "do you want your army?" suggests that Daemon probably hadn't expected it. - Though, if it _had_ been agreed on, that exchange was a really clever thing to do to give Oscar an immense boost in front of his bannermen.

[@Duke_of_Lorraine]

It has been established Larys hides important information to Aemond, such as not telling him about Seasmoke having a new rider. He could dismiss such rumors as another ploy to cause agitation, like the food deliveries were. If Aemond doesn't know about Seasmoke, he may indeed not connect the dots.

[@waynebarker9778]

The fact that Larys does not inform Amond about the bastard recruitment is handled I believe. In another scene he tells the person some stories are better left to the wind. I believe that it also applies to the recruitment of the bastards.

[@veronicadavanzo2064]

I’m not convinced Larys is Team Green without some major caveats. It seems like he is working against them half the time.

[@zekeolopwi6642]

Hugh is GOATed in the books too. For different reasons, but bro is just built different. Alternate universe where Hugh actually becomes king would be hype.

[@greyknight627]

You do a great disservice to Jace’s scene with Rhaenyra. It’s not just about his legitimacy, it’s about how through Jace, Rhaenyra is getting everything she ever threw at Viserys (being upset, constantly at odds with his choices, etc.). Look at how he broaches the topic: “did you know I would have black hair when you laid with Harwin Strong”. It is rife with subtext. The point about his legitimacy is that Rhaenyra has put her own son and heir into potential jeopardy because her choices have made it that he may need to fight for his own crown, NOT UNLIKE Rhaenyra (with Viserys putting his daughter as his heir, having sons later, and putting the wrong people in his chain of command who do not want her as heir).

[@ToeKnife166]

Well Jace is justified in his displeasure with his mother, Rhaenyra was a headache to her father who was trying to help her secure her claim.

[@nersesgarabed781]

@@ToeKnife166well said. Rhaenyra was a spoiled brat. Jace was dutiful from day one struggling to learn High Valyrian etc

[@BlackQback]

@@nersesgarabed781 What was Rhaenyra thinking, waiting so long to start teaching Jace (and who knows about other kids) High Valyrian - when he was about 15? Didn't she and Lenor know that kids pick up foreign (or second, third, fourth...) languages much easier and faster the younger they are? Instead of teaching them sailor shanties, Lenor could've at least make sure that kids spoke the language. It seems that only once Daemon became "pater familias", the kids (or, Jace at least) started to learn High Valyrian properly - that is, beyond just >dragon commands

[@Mrvideogameoficial]

31:00 Not a trap to kill him him that would be intelligent. she just want to show him that she have more dragons to see if now he would surrender

[@andyw_uk74]

I really felt for Aegon in that walking scene. In 2019 my back gave out and I spent 5 days in hospital. At the end of that, I had to slowly begin to walk again on crutches through immense pain while drugged up on opiates, just like Aegon this episode. It's not fun, let me assure you. 😬

[@Captain_Insano_nomercy]

Been there myself when I was injured in Afghanistan. I had to relearn to walk too, still a daily thing to think about that I never had to before

[@gazlator]

9:35 Talking of medieval fealty, I was particularly impressed at how, however briefly, we saw the actual protocol of medieval fealty take place in the "proper" manner; the vassal kneels before his liege lord, clasps his hands and in return his hand is grasped by his liege lord in acceptance. Proper stuff!!

[@random-unbreaded-commentor]

"Pruning the family tree.....with a flame thrower."

[@YetiRC]

One good episode does not save the season. Fact is that this is how the show should have looked from the beginning and it just doesn’t.

[@magister343]

Note that in the book Velaryons and Targaryens intermarried a lot. Coryls probably has Targaryen blood, but that is not 100% certain. Going only by those named in the official pedigrees, King Jaehaerys, Viserys and Daemon are 3/4 Velaryon. (Viserys and Daemon's parents were full siblings, as were their parents Jaehaerys and Alyssane.) Aegon the Conqueror's mother was Velaena Velaryon. We are told that Velaena Velaryon's mother was a Targaryen, but do not know her relation to any other Tragaryens or to Coryls. It seems probably that Coryls is also descended from Velaena's mom, but it is possible that he descends from one of her cousins. Jaehaerys's mother was Alyssa Velaryon, whose brother Daemon Velaryon was Coryls' grandfather. In the first published short story to mention her it was said Alyssa Velaryon's mother was a Targaryen, but by the time Fire and Blood came out that had been retconned to say her mother was Alarra Massey. The Masseys were not Valyrians but a First Men house who had intermarried with some Andals. Good Queen Alyssane was a dragon rider but did not look Valyrian like her siblings because she took after her Massey grandmother, with honey blonde hair and blue eyes instead of silver hair and purple eyes. In the book the Velaryons and Targaryens look indistinguishable, with pale skin, usually silvery blond hair, and usually purple eyes common to all Valyrians (including the lowborn commoners in places like Lys). I am not sure if the pedigree has been retconned for the show to explain why the Targaryens are white and the Velaryons black. In my headcanon, the Velaryons have only been black very recently due to his father and grandfather marrying Summer Islanders. His mother and grandmother are never mentioned in the book, so there is no reason they could not have come from a maritime superpower like the Summer Islander House of Koj, scions of the legendary Malthsar the Mapmaker. One of them could also be a daughter of the Sealord of Braavos. Braavos is the most powerful of the Free Cities and has a navy rivalled only by the summer islanders. Braavos is like if Haiti became one of the richest and most powerful countries on Earth. It began as a Maroon colony of escaped slaves, so it is very diverse. I think all the Braavosi we see in GoT were white but logically their ruling class should have a lot of dark skinned people who boast descent from Summer Islander or Naathi slaves.

[@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylord]

Vierys was looking like a Elden Ring npc 😂

[@alstrong5115]

My first thought when daemon walked into that room

[@Demotruk]

The fact that the rumor didn't make it to the Red Keep may not be a plot hole. Larys doesn't seem altogether loyal to Aemond, and even may not be loyal to the Greens overall. It's possible that he is failing as master of whispers on purpose. Aemond doesn't seem to have anyone else close to him who would be bringing the info to him.

[@SpiderboyN2Jesus]

That's what I was thinking. Also, I doubt he has the same (or as big as) network of whisperers that the White Wyrm has, anyway. She's been in (the bowels of, no less) King's Landing for much longer than he has. The smallfolk is her home court, he's a noble from outside of King's Landing who's shown up recently. She may have ways of preventing news from reaching the Red Keep that he's not aware of 🤷‍♂. In fact, I don't believe we've seen any evidence that Larys has a network at all (I'm sure he has *something*, but it's still a contrast to the White Wyrm), nor have we seen him catch wind of anything happening among the smallfolk. So who knows 🤷‍♂?

[@Chaosoftheunicorns]

The lack of appreciation for how good the acting from Jace's actor was in the scene with Rhaenyra is a shame. Dude is a killer actor and deserves appreciation

[@immortaljanus]

30:30 Aemond chasing Silverwing shows how seriously he takes another dragon being in the equation. He wanted to take her out while she's alone and isolated. But he turned away before seeing the group of dragons waiting for him, so he must've figured out it was a lure.

[@garrythegoldfish7593]

I think Lareys Strom is purposefully not telling Aemond certain things because he wants him to fail Edit): we shall see if my theory is correct

[@princestarfy4098]

Last episode: Whiteworm you are my equal! Rheanyra: YAS Queen!!!! This episode: Rheanyra: low born on dragons!?!? wtf they aren’t equal to nobles!!!! Whiteworm: :/

[@Aurora-313]

There's women attempting to wield the same power as men in the medieval political system, and a threat to Targaeryn exceptionalism. Plus, every bastard who claims a dragon is yet one more threat to her own bastard children, as Jace rightly points out. For Rhaenyra, its the balance act between wanting to wield equal political authority and not wanting to have common people walking around with flying nuclear warheads. Its hypocrisy but I get why she's been hypocritical.

[@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylord]

@@princestarfy4098 people try so hard to criticize the show they end up saying stuff that makes no sense. There's a big difference between treating you fairly. And giving up my number 1 power that ensures my house stays in power.

[@Kriosaivak]

There’s a difference between Rhaenyra accepting Mysaria’s aide as a councilor and a spymaster, (and a lover,) VS Rhaenyra deciding to give away some of her flying nukes to random lowborns she doesn’t know in the hopes that they’ll be loyal.

[@princestarfy4098]

@@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylord Whiteworm literally said Rheanyra threats her as her equal last episode.

[@princestarfy4098]

@@Kriosaivak I agree. Nukes are more important than an aid. Becuase commoners and nobles are not equal. Nobels have a lot more to loose. Nobels are bound by oaths. But white worm is not just her aid, she seeks her consul over her entire consul which includes her son and her uncle. Whiteworm is a literal whore who Rheanyra met less than a week ago. And she has the balls to say Rheanyra threats her as an equal. And instead of Rheanyra being insulted about it, she gets horny at the thought of being called an equal to a literal whore.

[@ellysium4629]

I love how Vermithor sounded like he was laughing the entire time he's eating all those poor bastards. That creepy little chuckle coming from a giant nuke lizard *chef's kiss*

[@simonmoody8400]

I think Oscar Tully openly taking multiple digs at Damon, while standing by his grandfather's oath and showing moral strength is just as good a moment for just as honorable and decent a character as the blacksmith's bravery in the pit

[@robmartin525]

I like the idea of Silverwing saying "OMG A VISITOR! HIIIII!"

[@KamalaKackles]

“You get a dragon, yoooouuu get a dragon, and you get a dragon.” -Oprah Targaryen

[@TealWolf26]

*Larys warging rats across King's Landing, watching all the cloak and dagger operations:* 🍿 Aemond: Anything to report, Master of Whispers? Larys: Nothing of consequence, your Grace.

[@veronicadavanzo2064]

I love this theory. Out there, but plausible.

[@greyknight627]

Shad, please. If you’re taking notes about an episode, take the time to put down character names.

[@Danbearpig]

The scene where Hugh saves the woman is even better than you described: He not only gets the dragon’s attention, he roughly shoves her out of the dragon’s path to save her life. That’s the kind of action I thought we weren’t going to see in modern television.

[@marcguidetti3081]

Shad Driftmark is about 2 to 3 hours by rowboat from Dragonstone or 15 to 20 minutes by dragon.

[@greedavaricious7760]

I think it’ll be interesting to see if the rumours of the riders reach Aemond. I mean Hugh’s family is still in Kings Landing and If Aemond finds out then I doubt that’ll be good news for them

[@MalonzeProductionsGaming]

Ryan and nerdrotic made a gpod point of ulf vs hugh. Both showed no fear. But in different ways. Hugh showed challenge. While ulf showed acceptance of death. Luckily silverwing accepted that form of no fear. While vermithor was looking for one to syand up to him.

[@Mozers05]

8:13- Shad, I think one Lary's folks did hear of it. Because there was a scene where Rhaenyra's handmaiden was talking to someone and in the background there's two washerwomen, one of them looked at Rhaenyra's handmaiden, listening intently.

[@AussieGooner14]

is that even a question? Obviously its the best, when its competition is Rings of Power, Witcher and Wheel of time. lol

[@rpgadventurer32]

But when not compared to them, you can clearly see the problems, especially this season.

[@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylord]

@@rpgadventurer32 this show is better than most shows in general this season was better than the boys and that new fallout show. And this season was better than last season. You people just complain about everything.

[@TrueFork]

what are you talking about, surely Galadriel and the Princesses of Power is the bestest

[@AussieGooner14]

@@rpgadventurer32 I dont know every episode 8, 9, 9.5's for me. Every scene is gripping and meaningful. The acting and cinematography is almost flawless. This as perfect a fantasy show you can get. Yes it does stand out even better when compared to the recent shows like Acolyte, but it should.

[@paulraines9635]

It's still written by committee.

[@sardonically-inclined7645]

21:00 This is why you need to read the books, Shad. F&B or TWOIAF, but seriously, choose one. It will be worth it.

[@bryanttownsend381]

I love Larys, but the most frustrating thing about him is I can never tell if he is incompetent or deliberately allowing things to happen.

[@apelincoln1616]

He is certainly not incompetent

[@iliaponomarev1624]

He might not be omnipotent, but he surely isn't incompetent. He also seems to have his own agenda. Like, I can see him getting the rumors about dragonseed gathering a bit too late to deal with it quietly (because Mysaria is also a competent master of whisperers) and then keeping it all to himself because, first, he doesn't want to appear incompetent and second, he has his own reasons that probably involve getting rid of Aemond.

[@bryanttownsend381]

@@iliaponomarev1624 Perhaps using incompetent was a bit harsh. But, with the boats last episode, and the dragonseeds this episode, and Blood and Cheese, it seems like alot of things that a Master Of Whispers should be catching he isnt. But, if he is allowing those things to happen because of his own agenda, that is fine. Awesome, even, if it has a sufficient payoff. I just kind of wish the show would give us some hints.

[@idawg7332]

@@bryanttownsend381 this episode was definitely because he's working against aemond

[@irena4545]

@@idawg7332 Aye. Never snub a man who came into power because his family died at mysterious circumstances.

[@thedakotalogs]

Hugh isn't the son of illegitimate child. He is the son of a runaway Targaryen Princess

[@greyknight627]

Heugh’s mom is Sara Targaryen (of legitimate birth) daughter to Jahaerys Targaryen, Visery’s predecessor. She was actually mentioned briefly in Season 1 and the beginning of Season 2. Lore wise, she was very rowdy and could never be controlled with how she slept around. Lionel Strong mentions this in the hart hunt episode of season 1.

[@danielbelanger2756]

I am arguing against this theory. I beleive it more likely that they are insinuating that Hugh's mother is a natural born daughter of the old king.

[@greyknight627]

@@danielbelanger2756 That's what I said. Saera Targaryen is a legitimate daughter (natural born, not a bastard) to Jahaerys Targaryen, making her Viserys's aunt, and Hugh Visery's cousin.

[@danielbelanger2756]

@greyknight627 natural born is the nice way to say bastard. True born means legitimate.

[@magister343]

@@greyknight627 "Natural born/natural son/natural daughter" is the polite euphemism for bastard in Westeros. The legitimate children are called Trueborn.

[@furiousfelicia5751]

Jace become a woman. “we should try this..” (We try this) “Why the fuck did we try this!”

[@RoccoLGM]

Technically Willem was not Lord Blackwood, he was serving as regent for his younger nephew whos father was killed at the burning mill. He mentioned this when daemon was tripping in an earlier episode when they were at Harrenhall at the table. His name is benjicott blackwood and hes a similar age to Oscar Tully.

[@xavierhugo9269]

Im convinced larys knew about the hole bastard operatio. And chose not to inform amond in hopes itll lead to his downfall amd perhapse aegons safety or rise. But even if he didnt know about the operation he might have given his ears intructions to not inform anyone or maybe they just didnt have a chance to inform him

[@iamtheecho]

My Missus made a good point about the two new riders. The Dragon the Blacksmith claimed was the largest one on Dragon Stone and a male who needed a fearless strong hand to claim him. Whereas the other Dragon the barfly claimed was a woman and the mother who laid Dannys Dragons from GOT. So having just had her perhaps last viable eggs taken from her she was looking for something to mother and in came the weaker vulnerable barfly. Different dragons need different things. One needed a master the other needed a charge to protect.

[@SamuelWorkman-f5r]

It doesn't have to have action it just needs pivotal decisions to made and show that there could be or are consequences for those actions short and long term . The action is good but we need better political intrigue in season 3 .

[@demiboi0315]

I feel like Ulf will be the catalyst for the dragonseed's betrayals. He looks very weasely.

[@paulraines9635]

After his daughter's death, the Hammer is one loss away from snapping.

[@thatdarnkitteh]

Going between Dragonstone and King's Landing in this season is super easy. Barely an inconvenience.

[@ianyoung6706]

If by mongrel someone means “a person who is not enculturated” then even though it’s harsh, it’s still got some utility rhetorically. You can use “mongrel” in the sense of a barbarian even though I realize they’re talking about bloodlines. It just so happens that in that world whether you’re enculturated or not depended on your bloodline, so there really isn’t a clear distinction with the use of the word. One means the other.

[@Mrvideogameoficial]

2:43 comparing to what others fantasy shows that are airing now ?

[@Idealdeath8304]

I don’t think it was a trap for Vhaegar per se I think it was more to send a message. That Aemond was supposed to get close and see the dragons and be like OHHHH FUCKKKK.. and force them to do something drastic or something. Maybe they were trying to get Aemond and Granny V close and jump them but it seemed more like a show of force

[@caedus6525]

I do enjoy the show, but the scale of time is a bit off. Aegon was supposed to be King for about 6 months, it really didnt feel like it. Aemonds regency is supposed to be around a year. For those who know what happens in Episode 8, well ... .

[@ricardocastro6320]

Hugh’s mother was not a bastard. She was Saera who was exiled because she was very sexual and her father the old King Jaeharys had enough and just disowned her and she went to work in Volantis as a sex worker.

[@lenski8306]

As for the rumor, i think Larys scene is the explanation. They're just all so convinced that only a trueborn targaryen with royal blood can ride dragon that they don't consider anybody else to do it. When talking about seasmoke, Larys and the other noble first instinct is to go that it must be Daemon's other daughter. They don't say it but i think to them the other option is one of the other baby child from Rhaenyra but they are just babies. So Larys would be the kind to just discard such rumor as the continuation of "the friend of a friend of a friend told that Seasmoke had a rider"

[@davidjackson6475]

Considering what’s yet to come assuming book accuracy Shad’s going to feel so betrayed by Hugh Hammer considering how much he plays up his bravery and integrity as a man.

[@soiTasTic]

I thought in one of the earlier episodes the CGI was a bit meh in a few parts but this episode.. the dragons were on point, the entire selection part was so good.

[@Secretsquirrel724]

Its shaping up to be a dark Dragonriders of Pern. Well done, Martin.

[@markmorris7123]

Peak fantasy?? Its definitely one of the better things on tv..But lets not pretend this is peak fantasy,, we just haopen ti be in a time where tv is shite. But yeah i do like it..But dam i miss the world we grew up in..Everything is so politicised today

[@MarkusBartus]

When the shows like Rings of Power, Wheel of Time and The Witcher is your competition, it is not that hard to rise to the top of the quality.

[@danielleeskelton]

"Best fantasy on TV right now?" Yes probably. But that isn't really a high bar now is it.

[@carlrood4457]

It seemed less a trap and more a warning. Rhaenyra wasn't mounted, they weren't concealed, and made no attempt to engage with Aemond. This makes sense since they had threes extremely inexperienced riders.

[@mikeforester3963]

I liked the differences between Hugh's and Ulf's claims to the dragons. Both dragons and men are of very different personality. Vermithor, as you pointed out, admires bravery and defiance. Silverwing seems to have a Loki'esque (I mean the real Loki from the Edda!) personality. Literally nudging Ulf, who is a bit like the Dude (Big Lebowski), and kind of saying: "I haven't flown in ages. You seem fun. Hop on and I will cast away your self-doubts". And Silverwing is a female dragon, so she might wanna have a "man she can shape", you know ;D Vermithor is a male, and so both scenes make pretty much sense _and_ avoid becoming a boiler plate thing.

[@magister343]

Vermithor might be male and Silverwing female at the moment, but Valyrian lore says all dragons are sequential hermaphrodites whose sex is as changeable as flame.

[@mikeforester3963]

@@magister343 And in the moment they choose their sex they will be either male or female with all the strings attached to it. At this point in the story it is like that and their personalities (should) account for that.

[@elijahring3261]

Even if Larys had ears on the spreading rumors he wouldn’t tell Aemond anyway as established in his earlier scene where he dismisses the sea smoke rumor, even tho he clearly knew it could be true. He’s cut Aemond off. Also in regard to the rumor of Rhaenyra and Daemon spreading, that was Otto’s ears that marked them, who worked for the White Wyrm, who now belongs to team Black.

[@oswinhull4203]

One of my favorite episodes on the season. The thing with Jacerys being against the dragon seeds is a little weird. I get what they are going for but the whole dragon seed thing is Jaces idea in the book. It seems like the writers are just trying to manufacture some more conflict to make things more interesting which is something they've done a lot in the show. It is kind of unnecessary. Also I don't understand why Corlys hasn't come clean about the whole bastard situation.

[@ajcgolf69]

One thing I think would have made the dragon claiming scene better is if the show had set up another one or two dragon seeds, we’ve spent quite a lot of time with Hugh Hammer and Ulph the supposed half brother of Viserys / Damon. So when it got to the dragon claiming scene it was pretty obvious that they would survive and the other nameless silver haired people would be dragon dinner. If they’d have given us a few similar scenes getting to know some other dragon seeds briefly, it would have been more suspenseful as to who died and who lived

[@elpsykongroo8308]

The bastards coming from kings landing is a show thing...in the books the bastards are from dragonstone itself. The show seems to portray dragonstone like a small island with only a castle but in the books it has a small port town and and other settlements.

[@magister343]

Some of the bastards were from Dragonstone. Others were from Dritmark, which is so close that smallfolk travel between them on small fishing boats all the time.

[@drnekodr]

Vermithor picked him from the crowd, he stops over him when he sniffing all of them, but I agree that him standing up bravely is what sealed the deal. Seasmoke had been circling Adam from before, so clearly the dragons just pick someone they like if left to their own devices.

[@Gondor532_]

I think Seasmoke felt that Addam and Leanor are connected, considering they are half-brothers. That is why he chose him, not because his mother was Targaryen.

[@gillian32]

My theory is Larys kept the rumors of dragon seeds from the small council because he wants Aemond to lose power.

[@TETASARAIVACS]

Larys clearly bets on Aegon’s comeback. He clearly wants to be Hand, and Aemond made it clear he won’t be so.

[@kalumbailey5103]

After the acolyte and rings of power hold is amazing, but there's still little holes that are annoying, like Jace saying ser steffon was lord commander of the kings guard then saying he was heir to duskendale... That's not how it works bro 😅 loved the dragon seed bit though it made more sense then them all lining up to go die one at a time. edit: comment posted before I finished writing it lol

[@Intreductor]

Hue the Hammer was awesome in this episode. Also what you said about Viserys, GRRM praised Paddy for his performance saying "Your Viserys is better than mine (in the books).

[@sarkastodon30]

18:00 it highlights the failure of Laris Strong, the master of whispers.

[@amirhossein1382h]

They could've easily set a trap and kill vhagar in this episode

[@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylord]

That's literally what they tried to do.

[@iliaponomarev1624]

@@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylord I don't think so. It looked more like Ulf was having his first flight ever while being a bit drunk. And he didn't really figure out the controls yet. If it were a proper ambush, they'd have Rhaenyra do the luring in part. And the other 3 dragons would have been hidden so that Aemond wouldn't turn back before it's too late.

[@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylord]

@@iliaponomarev1624 it's crazy how this entire season they have been saying the queens safety is top piroity. But yet you think it makes sense to send the queen directly into enemy territory by herself were she risk getting shot down. Can you think for a second bro she just recruited 2 new dragon rider why would she play the most dangerous job of playing bait? What she did was smarter send the third biggest dragon and hide with the second biggest dragon to jump Aemon if he's dumb enough to follow silver wing.

[@greyknight627]

Notsomuch. The new riders had their dragons that day. Even against 3 opponents, I think Aemond would not have been so easily defeated here and he may have been victorious.

[@greyknight627]

@@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylord no. There was no sign of a trap here. If there were, why was Rhanerya not ready and geared up to fly on Syracuse? It’s extremely doubtful she ordered Heugh to fly on Silverwing to lure Aemond to Dragonstone.

[@masterwesty]

I think only Targaryens riding dragons is not an actual thing but something enforced buy the family themselves. I think dragons recognise blood, Adam was selected because he shared blood with his last rider.

[@mikecobalt7005]

Sometimes it looks like Larys and either not helping Aegon/Aemon or actually working against team green.

[@darthbricksempire3606]

I could be wrong, but I don’t believe the Blackwood who died was the Lord, but rather, the younger brother, or perhaps the uncle of the current young lord

[@FlyToSafety]

Hugh’s mother is King Jaehaerys’ legitimate daughter

[@LucLB01]

I think Larys failed to inform Aemond on purpose and is setting him up to fail, while endorsing Aegon. But he better have a great plan to get out of there quickly because if I was Aemond I would instantly figure that out and get rid of him.

[@AstroAvenger]

Why would Larys tell Aemond anything? It's already been established he's with Aegon, he most likely knew and kept it to himself, once again he left it to the wind.

[@Shadowpack95]

If I remember from the books Driftmark is less than a Days Sail from Dragonstone.

[@ilmattogazber]

it's the best because other fantasy show like the witcher, ROP ecc are trash. It's the only Good One. And i also put Arcane up there. Dear Fans of George R.R. Martin ya'll very Lucky that the One adapting the Story it's HBO and Not Netflix... I want a good witcher show😢

[@AndrewFrancisIlyrian]

Both shows you consoder good are garbage

[@ViolentMessiah666]

Agreed but I'd still rather have the books :(

[@alstrong5115]

@@AndrewFrancisIlyrian you must have quite the high standards to consider HOTD and arcane garbage. I think they're both top tier shows, some of the best for a long time. If there's better shows out there I'd love to hear your positive recommendations

[@deriznohappehquite]

HBO is just good at making TV. Right after GOT flopped the put out Chernobyl.

[@dimercamparini]

For me this was the best episode so far...full of powerfull scenes but also a lot of subtext and "show not tell" (and an absurdly high production value)...incredibly well done writing and excellent acting... (We can say whatever we want about Emma D'arcy IRL but holy crap she is absurdly good in her part here) I enjoyed it immensely.

[@KevDaly]

Larys might have avoided passing on any rumours about dragonriders because he wants someone (or more likely multiple someones) to take out Aemond.

[@markmccune25]

It’s not that great really but all the other shows are so terrible it stands out

[@rayous5480]

Honestly the shanting in the pub thing is easily explained by them all just having heard Ulf's stories about being a dragonseed before and this just bieng them joining in because of it.

[@vanessalore9942]

Always eager to hear Shad’s take

[@larqven0192]

Why the Blacks didn't just take the dragonseeds to the dragons individually, and starting with Silverwing, I don't know. Quite possibly, the revolt of the dragonkeepers made such organization difficult? Many if not most of the dragonseeds would have been from Driftmark or native to Dragonstone. As far King's Landing, well, I would hypothesize that wild rumors are being told all the time; and the idea that bastards would be sought to become dragonriders sounded like it was on the top of the list of incredible stories. Still, gathering them and having them embark without some knights or city watch check on this is surprising. Maybe the new loss of White Cloaks has led to a new shortage of trusted knights to look into stuff? Maybe Larys Strong has become distracted?

[@madwellmusic8995]

Plus thought from last few episodes that kind regent had the city on lockdown. It never showed that order being dismissed. I was wondering how did all those people just up and leave kings landing no problem. It was dumb

[@teampa1996a]

Silverwing waking up like "what is one of Vermithors snack doing stepping in my eggs? And immediately going I smell Targaryen you woke me you are taking me out for a ride." Had me dying

[@Acroteleutium]

I'm sure Larys knew that Targ bastards were being called on and is not telling Aemond anything.