House Of The Dragon Ep. Three ~REVIEW~

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

Two things are certain in my videos. 1. My dyslexic ass will mispronounce a name and 2. If I’m recording early in the morning, Pips tail will waft by the screen.

[@jossecoupe446]

Spelling checks out

[@mohawkmeteor7189]

You may have gotten confused too because the queen who wasn't is called Rhaenerys, which sounds like Rhaenyra the princess and Daenerys combined. Targaryens are hard man! Edit: And 10 seconds later I see someone call her Rhaenys which turns out to be correct, goes to show how rough it is for non dyslexics too lol.

[@kanhaibhatt913]

Don't worry, could've been a lot worse

[@---mh7dk]

Great review, also nice shirt. Where'd ya get it?

[@uglystupidloser]

rhaenyrs is the queen who never was, corlys verlaryon's wife, cousin to king viserys. i get that you mixed up denarys (how do you spell denarys anyway?) and rhaenyra, but i thought you should be reminded that rhaenyrs is an actual character in the show. edit: rhaenys. not rhaenyrs. i got it wrong.

[@cadengeer7961]

Viserys is easily stealing the show for me. The way he's portrayed as a good person trying to make the right decisions, but is to naive to truly be an effective king just really works for me. Paddy and Matt have been the standout performances of these early episodes.

[@Josh-the-man]

Milly Alcock is great as well

[@davister84]

@@Josh-the-man Yep, everything she does on screen just feels so effective. I had to rewatch and that scene in the small council chamber near the end just blew me away. When she finds out clumsily that she's still heir she literally can't reply then can't look at her father, then has to leave the room or she'll breakdown in front of her father. I love her brittle strength so far, can't wait to see her develop. I bet Milly is going to be a massive star too.

[@mariebourgot4949]

@@davister84 Completly agree!

[@uglystupidloser]

@@Josh-the-man milly alcock is the only one winning me over. ... i am actually so over viserys. paddy considine's great. but my brain is starting to check out whenever i see viserys... it's, like, "ok, i get it, you just want to be a good guy, and things aren't working out." but the story STALLS dead in the water while letting viserys show us over and over again. same with matt smith. he's doing good too. but they only seem to use his character to do some flashy scenes. he's just used as a plot device... that doesn't even matter to the plot right now. rhaenyra is the only one who seems to be positioned to move forward... but nothing is actually in her control. and she's just pushed around by events episode to episode, rising above with a little triumph written in for each episode. this story is a mess. ... i am so negative.

[@llamabaseball]

@@davister84 that moment was so well acted i almost thought it was accidental

[@qlipothian]

Its weird how Crabfeeder is better antagonist than Euron...and he had no lines and was killed offscreen.

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

Didn’t think of that… you’re completely right.

[@valaja1458]

Because we didn't get cok jokes as we did in got season 7,8. Such wonderful writting is only possible by DnD

[@dannhaleigh9573]

Yup hard agree. It's all about presence and presentation man, would loved to have seen more of him but I guess that adds to the mystique which might have died with him but yeah.

[@phueal]

Just goes to show that bad lines are worse than no lines at all.

[@jjmmm515]

I love always checking the sky before telling his men to come out and fight

[@TheOnceandFutureJake]

The Daemon scene felt really weird at first until I realized what was happening. Daemon started that war to prove his worth to his brother. To have the King send reinforcements at the last second to win the war they were losing would mean Daemon did it all for nothing. So in true unpredictable Daemon fashion, he bet everything on a last-ditch gamble to win the war without his brother's help, or die trying.

[@purtyboi4901]

To add on this, I also saw it as him saying "If I stand aside and let my brother win this war for me, I may as well be dead." He started this war to prove his worth, as you said, and to garner support. If he fails and his brother saves his ass, he loses all credibility and will basically be a laughing stock. He'd rather die in trying for one last shot at glory, than live the rest of his life in his brother's shadow.

[@alb0zfinest]

It looked really dumb though with somehow hundreds of arrows not catching him. And then they surround him for no reason, even though they had been trying to kill him this whole time with arrows and swords. That awkward surrounding without killing him was like plot armor 5000, genuinely terrible. And even in the jousting, this dude got hammered, meanwhile not a single drop of blood on his face, and he looked like he didn't even break a sweat, even though he was getting wrecked, like what???? It's a decent show so far but man they need to go back to Game of Thrones realism.

[@TheOnceandFutureJake]

@@alb0zfinest First of all, there weren't even hundreds of archers, so there weren't as many arrows at once as you're exaggerating. Secondly, as it was already stated by Daniel in his video, it is possible to just get that lucky, not to mention the several times he takes cover under wreckage as a shield, and he does eventually get hit twice. Thirdly, the Crabfeeder was sending out his soldiers in small waves in the beginning, in fear of dragons, and Daemon was killing them all with relative ease. They don't rush him outright because he's still a dangerous combatant, even on his own. It's important to remember that this war was fought for three years in the gap between episodes. I have no doubt that they recognized who he was, and were a little scared to be the first to charge in. That hesitation was enough time for Corlys to come to his aid in the counterattack.

[@makoygaara]

@@alb0zfinest go watch again he got hit thrice.

[@himanshubhushandubey6446]

I agree with what you said but I think a lot of people are giving Daemon the credit for the "fake truce" strategy. The idea came from Laenor. And I think Daemon wouldn't have agreed to it if not for two things. The Valyreon men under his command resented him after a 2 year long war with no results to show for it. We see Vaemond stirring up the men even further before Daemon arrives. Further, the message from the King & especially the wording used. It sounded very patronizing. It was like "Hey little bro. You can't even get rid of some savages on your own? Don't worry, your big bro the King will rescue you." Viserys meant it to be comforting but it basically drove Daemon to accept Laenor's suicide plan.

[@gustavo519]

If you’ve ever had any kind of family drama, being angry at and not talking to your relatives for multiple years even though a simple conversation could be the catalyst to heal the tension is totally believable and realistic

[@jamessloven2204]

I was going to say, this feels completely realistic. Also, it is almost impossible to talk through the issue of disliking or hating someone's husband or wife.

[@mimimurlough]

Also, Viserys is really not entirely in Rhaenyra's corner, and assurances aside she knows it.

[@GaryCrant]

Not when the fate of 6 entire kingdoms is on the line 😄 I mean it can happen I guess, it’s just inherently stupid

[@eldraque4695]

@@GaryCrant rhaenyra and alicent are about 15-17 so it’s pretty realistic

[@GaryCrant]

@@eldraque4695 I was talking about Visery - Rhaenyra

[@brodymercer8166]

I love the subtle manipulation we see from Otto Hightower onto Viserys. Just rewatched all three episodes and literally every action he has done so far has been toward increasing his foothold on the throne. Gives me vibes of a more subtle Tywin type character.

[@keshav1321]

More like Tywin was littlefingered and Otto was born

[@Markelicgaming]

@@keshav1321 Lmao

[@senpai1628]

My problem is with the actor that portrays him, he's very wooden and his delivery is monotonous. Tywin on the other hand played by charles dance was a magnificent performance.

[@UsernameyMcUsernameFace]

@@senpai1628 I think he's going for subtlety. He's like human wallpaper, blending into the background, not making too much of an impression while he progresses his machinations. While that gives the impression of Otto being the more spineless of the two, Tywin would have had to be similarly careful prior to Joffrey taking the throne I'd imagine.

[@jamessloven2204]

@@UsernameyMcUsernameFace I would agree. Otto Hightower seems more like the Littlefinger in the books. Such a helpful bureaucrat, with plenty of sensible advice when asked. Tywin is a domineering presence in every scene, and GoT Littlefinger had a tendency to twirl his mustache.

[@godemperorcarlo]

You forget Daemon is a Rogue. He has high points in Luck and Agility thus has high evasion.

[@mariebourgot4949]

^^

[@arenkai]

I accept this DM ruling

[@jarltrippin]

It's a shame Milly Alcock and Emily Carey won't play their characters for the entire duration of the show. They've sold me as Rhaenyra and Alicent, and Milly is what I've always imagined a Targaryen girl to look like, as though she should have actually been born with white hair lol. Easily the best casting choice of the show in that regard.

[@Bayard1503]

Too young, you can't have 35 year olds play 15 and vice versa... She is great

[@nuclearmusic77]

ughhhh really? Milly Alcock is so sexy i'm gonna be sad. Not to mention Emma D'Arcy who is going to play older Reinera is some "non-binary" SJW diversity hire. BOO D&D once again!

[@majorianus8055]

Olivia and Emma are also spot on. The first time I saw Emma I just thought she was a perfect cast. Let's see though what happens

[@trollofjom]

Milly has been such an incredible surprise for sure. Already a fan of her!

[@carolbriscoe9337]

I'd like them to at least stay with the character for at least this first season. Each actress is brilliant in their respective roles

[@AudrenDev]

One of my favourite and least appreciated characters is Lord Lyonel Strong, who is just consistently giving out good and unbiased advice. He doesnt impose himself on to the King, he just talks when asked to talk, and does his job well.

[@AudrenDev]

Additionally, I just realised but Laenor is the one who should be credited for the victory, as it was essentially his plan to fake surrender with a big hostage as bait.

[@samuelleask1132]

He’s a great guy

[@gabebarnes2254]

I think my favorite scene in this episode was Rhaenyra walking back to camp all bloody & brooding, not saying a word & just strolling past everyone looking so badass.

[@7Nebulae7]

I loved that scene too, although she should have appeared even bloodier. Her face and hair were drenched right after she had killed the boar.

[@Conorp77]

Paddy's performance as Viserys has been so unbelievably good. In the book he's such a jolly man, but again Fire and Blood was written by the maesters and is their version of the history. It's a really great angle that the 'jolly man' is the face he showed the world, but underneath the mask he's completely and continuously torn and conflicted by trying to please everyone. Viserys is the most nuanced character by far as of yet, while his book counterpart is seemingly the opposite of that. Masterful.

[@TheOnceandFutureJake]

Also, I think the White Hart being setup as a sign of true royalty through the whole episode just for it to be there for Rhaenyra was such a nice moment of foreshadowing.

[@theonlyjuan3074]

Yeah she's the true heir the Gods favor her, and the stag they got on aegon 2 is black which its a NO! NO!

[@jimboslice6367]

That was made up for the show and not in the book

[@mariebourgot4949]

@@theonlyjuan3074 More like brown, but yeah.

[@Lgrodo]

@@jimboslice6367 the book is histories written by maesters, not a detailed look into every event. The white stag was mentioned in book one of game of thrones.

[@jimboslice6367]

@@Lgrodo and it was not mentioned in Fire and blood. This is purely fan fiction by the showrunner

[@alexmontague5440]

I liked the symbology in this one. Kings struggling with the idea of who to choose, cant find a white stag on his sons birthday hunt and all the court tie it up and force him to kill it but his heart isnt in it and he cant rven kill it first try, and then raeina finds one and chooses not to kill it and it bows and walks off... also the parallels to his wife being tied up and butchered for his dream of a son to the stag being tied up and butchered... good stuff

[@mariebourgot4949]

Oh, I thought about all your comment except for your last sentence. Nice input! ^^

[@connorhaygood1478]

Symbolism

[@aerynmusick4548]

That first dragon battle scene was better than any of the ones they had in Game of Thrones. I was STOKED. Now, Daemon’s attack at the end seems like the worst tactical decision I’ve ever seen, but then he’s always been a little dramatic.

[@unc54]

In the "Inside the Episode" the showrunners explained that the intent was for Daemon to basically be on a suicide mission and that his surviving sets the basis for his character going forward this season.

[@jacobbaise6140]

Dude do your remember The spoils of war episode from season seven Im pretty sure it tops this opening

[@fluffy-lise]

@@unc54 But how do they explain the Crab Feeder not even thinking this could be a trap and sending all of his men on Daemon, and he knows they have dragons.

[@Conorp77]

Daemon put everything on red, risking his own life for the victory before Viserys could intervene and steal some of the credit.

[@m.worthy]

_"That first dragon battle scene was better than any of the ones they had in Game of Thrones"_ 🙄 *Hell fvckin' NO !!!!!!!*

[@SLEEPTHIEFofficial]

Milly Alcock is absolutely making the show for me. One of the best young actresses I've seen in a while. You empathize with her situation and I feel like her emotional arc is very genuine and relatable.

[@Morfeusm]

Not for long my friend she only plays young princess in couple of more episodes 😢

[@s8theninjawarrior916]

@@Morfeusm 2 more episodes of her and than 15 years time jump

[@carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723]

@@s8theninjawarrior916 wow, I got so used to her that I will miss her😭

[@s8theninjawarrior916]

@@carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723 yeah, but I think Emma Darcy will do a great job portraying her as well

[@carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723]

@@s8theninjawarrior916 I don't know who she is but yeah👌🏼🤣

[@fantasyfanatic6038]

The score when Daemon comes out of the cave dragging the Crabfeeder’s body gave me goosebumps big time! All hail, King Djawadi!

[@zenithquasar9623]

But I am kind of disappointed the title sequence song is the same as GoT's. I wish it had its own rendition at least.

[@Opian008]

I felt like they dropped the ball there, it would have been more impactful if Crabfeeder and Daemon shared words whilst Daemon was searching for him in the cave and we saw a small fight between them which then led to Daemon dragging out his severed torso in triumph. It was still good but for that to be done off screen felt wrong especially since the start of the episode had Daemon calling out to Crabfeeder to fight him.

[@fr3nch246]

I think they will probably show it in a future episode as a flashback as they speak about the victory@@Opian008

[@DavidDecero]

Daemon took an arrow to the knee! I guess his adventuring days are over. I liked that we get to see King Viserys be a little more aggressive in this episode, but man... he really needs Daemon by his side to protect him from people like Otto Hightower.

[@pablolacalle6098]

Really like what they're doing with Daemon (and how it was conveyed with 0 dialogue). He's almost like a far more dangerous, cunning and vicious Jon Snow, equally willing to put his life on the line and lead in battle rather than being a one-note smarmy Ramsayesque coward. Matt Smith is a treasure

[@harsh_1910]

I don't wanna be rude but he's nothing like Jon and you seem to agree as you've added things that are quite the opposite of Jon, the only similarity is probably you liking them both

[@wittweirdo3066]

@@harsh_1910 He has similarities to Jon as a battle commander. As a person, he is nothing like Jon. Jon was Kind, humble, brave, and reckless. Daemon is cruel, brave, Narcissistic, and reckless. There are similarities and differences both.l will agree that he is more like Jamie though. He is almost completely season 1 Jamie, just wayy more cruel and cunning.

[@harsh_1910]

@@wittweirdo3066 I think that the traits that you're posting out are similar are not what most people associate with Jon, the traits I see most people see in Jon are kindness, honor, good heart, he was an underdog he was treated not well, while daemon is the opposite in those departments but I will say that you're not wrong but most characters have small similarities like that for example sansa and Jon are both kind, goodhearted people, and bratty early on so does that mean they remind anyone of each other , obviously no same goes for ned and tywin, both are great battle commanders, both have quite the presences but they're obviously not people associate team to be similar

[@wittweirdo3066]

@@harsh_1910 I agree that the similarities are not big but they are there. Moreover, i think similarities with Jon are going to be bought again and again by many people. Mostly because the only person who can compete with the feats Daemon achieves in this book is probably Jon Snow (among the people we have seen). Again, he is less than 10% similar to Jon i think, he is way more like Jamie or even Tywin (imo) in some regards, especially later on with his ruthlessness.

[@uglystupidloser]

i think they totally missed out on fleshing out his character more in this episode. it feels like that they just needed him to do something cool for the audience to talk about. because every episode, they need that shock value thing for people to tweet about afterward. i think they should have made daemon portray his determination to be king here. that he was sick of wasting his time on the steppe stones and he was willing to do whatever it took to win. he rejects gis brother's message of sending help, and he risks his life to win. the trailer for episode 4 has him named king of the steppe stones, but i want to see his emotional resolve here. otherwise, its just a cool battle. because the writer needs the story to move along.

[@loferx]

I really like the juxtaposition of Viserys killing the deer after it being already tied up - and in fact seemingly not wanting to - and Rhaenyra straight up brutalising that boar. She's a dragon through and through, and Viserys seems to renounce that very Targaryen quality, and suffers from it, personally and politically.

[@damianhrnka9019]

7:40 At first I thought it was a bit unrealistic too, but I actually spotted this little detail: all the archers keep missing Daemon until he stops for a brief moment, that's when three arrows finally hit. And I think that justifies the whole scene.

[@Lightwaverable]

gotta give a hard disagree there

[@miller0002]

They are also far away

[@cadenmorales1482]

Why @how bizzare?

[@rikremmerswaal2756]

All that is gold does not glitter, but what glitters isnt always gold.

[@hunterghobadi1269]

oh wow, this is a good quote.

[@tomswiftyphilo2504]

not all those who wander are lost the old that is strong does not wither deep roots are not reached by frost From the ashes a fire shall be woken a light from the shadows shall spring renewed shall be blade that was broken the crownless again shall be king

[@phen0menos]

All that glitters is gold, only shooting stars break the mold

[@eldritchbaobun9976]

It's believable to me that Viserys wouldn't really speak to Rhaenyra in two-three years since he's proven to be conflict aversed in the first two episodes. He killed his wife without telling her what was happening, Rhaenyra had to brigde the gap between them at their dinner and he dismissed her anyway, he let Daemon get away with literal murder so it makes sense to me that he had to be positioned by Allicent/Otto to finally talk to her. He's probably been playing with Warhammer models the entire time. X

[@CharalamposKoundourakis]

Hey, but they are so much fun

[@ChezzaOuttaNowhere]

Milly Alcock’s faces are top notch. I feel EVERYTHING from her expressions,

[@MattonBooks]

Great breakdown, and I share your excitement and enjoyment. 🙂👌🏻 And I’m an archer and can say at that distance, on a windy beach, hitting something that’s NOT moving is pretty damned hard. The slightly unrealistic part was that suddenly for some reason they DO manage to hit him multiple times. 😜

[@CharalamposKoundourakis]

Luck!

[@BenIsOnlyAsking]

Love seeing your passion for a Song of Ice and Fire reignited! It’s my favorite series and this show has gotten me excited again as well, I’ve always loved the heavy theming GRRM can achieve, such as the Lannister spear killing the stag calling back to Cersei killing Robert

[@dinocollins720]

​At first I was rooting strongly for Rhaenyra to take the throne, but Daemon was so epic that I kinda started to root for him! Funny I can overlook his violence and cruelty because he's such a stud ha

[@christ-air-backflip-720fla6]

Milly Alcock is so great as rhaenyra! Gonna be kind of sad when they swap her out mid season. That being said I also love the time jumps and what it does for the characters

[@mariebourgot4949]

I love her too. At this point I'm so afraid that the new actress won't be at least as good as her and/or not being similar enough to her and thus be jarring. I really hope not.

[@Morfeusm]

I agree she killed that role, but she was only cast as young princess from the start

[@MetalCharlo]

Raenerys is actually a beautiful name lmao

[@timothypolanco8622]

I'm happy Daemon is getting the recognition he deserved from the fan's for being one of the best characters from ASOIAF. Ofc I might be biased because the rogue prince have always been one of my favorites, but now when ppl mention Dany, Rhagor, or Jon we can start to see Daemon name pop up as will. Hopefully there's a Blackfyre spinoff in the future so that another Daemon can be introduce to the fan's.

[@archivist_of_dragonstone]

The sleeper hit for me so far has been Viserys. Big props to Paddy for portraying him in such a sympathetic and moving way.

[@QuinnTheGM]

I definitely think that those arrows were more realistic than, say, the Battle of the Bastards, especially considering that by the end Daemon had taken three hits!

[@gaybowser4967]

Yeah, Daemon used cover (ok admittedly only once but still that's more than Jon), we see be was surrounded by smoke from the Crabfeeder's POV and it's been mentioned that hitting from afar with this stuff taken into account would make it hard as hell. Then you have BotB were Jon survives 2 arrow barrages aimed squarely at him, doesn't break any part of his body falling from his horse, and survives 2 armies slamming into each other around him.

[@Aredel]

@Lifestyle He retreated at the start because the pirates had mostly retreated into the caves, and on Caraxes he was a sitting duck for the archers to kill him. Retreating is neither a show of fear nor cowardice. To think otherwise is just silly. Here, all the chips are down. Viserys coming to save him would render this entire war, and by extension Daemon, completely pointless. He would rather die than let his pride be sullied like this.

[@Aredel]

@Lifestyle The archers don't have to expose themselves nearly as much when shooting at a dragon and its rider. As they explained in the meeting, they hide within the caves whenever dragons show up and shoot the dragons from the caves whenever they try to land, so they need to be drawn out.

[@HashtagWhattaNerd]

Honestly I’m quite happy with the boar scene because it ties into Rhaenyra’s character. The show mentions that boars sound like children when they die and after she hears it, she goes off on the boar as a representation for her hatred of Aegon

[@himanshubhushandubey6446]

Damn. Just saw the episode and didn't catch that. Also, I now want a series where we see the descendants of that boar multiply, spread their influence, forge alliances & wait for the opportune moment to kill a King of Westeros & avenge their fallen.

[@daemontarg000]

Infants are treated differently in this world. In the north they wouldn’t even name a babe until they were a toddler. That’s why everyone’s unsure Aegon could’ve died in those 3 years and Rhaneyra be the heir again but now that he’s no longer an infant those questions of how is the heir have been answered

[@crazybiogeek]

Exactly! They even said it clearly during that first party scene. He's not a baby anymore, and now they consider him heir material.

[@drewtheunspoken3988]

That was common in our world until about 130/140 years ago as well. Infant mortality was high enough that they didn't name them until they were a year old.

[@samjb6471]

When I saw Spotify man I shouted "there's Jaskier". He looked and acted like Jaskier too lol

[@mariebourgot4949]

Same. ^^

[@CharalamposKoundourakis]

Saaame

[@camma12]

I was so worried that all I would be able to see when I watch Matt Smith is Dr who but I gotta say he's nailed it! he was born to play Daemon. Emma D’Arcy gonna have some pretty big shoes to fill when they age Rhaenyra up.

[@Mikus011]

The whole Daemon running and the archers missing was indeed believable at the end because at one point they did hit him. Sure they missed a lot, of the shots, but not all of them. Also there was cover and he did use it so it all makes it a little less eye-roll-inducing in the end. And I was so pleasantly surprised when the other dragon riders came along! Great episode. Also agreed that HotD is currently ahead of RoP and I say this as a massive Tolkien-head.

[@crazybiogeek]

Plus the guy knows how to zig-zag while running. Unlike a Stark brother we could name...

[@thomasdehaan00]

Maybe its realistic that he dodges the arrows, but I just can't get over the stupidity of crab guy, why send out groups of 5 to all fight video game style 1 one 1 and then send ur whole damn army? Why not just 20 together?

[@Marcusjnmc]

xP not like being a fan of Tolkien can't be a detracting element when watchig rings

[@Mikus011]

@@Marcusjnmc by all means, I'm enjoying RoP, it's just I'm enjoying HotD a bit more. Rick and Morty even more so 😂

[@rikremmerswaal2756]

Ill take a good show over a good looking show any day of the week.

[@jarltrippin]

Yeah, all the reviews of Rings of Power I've seen have started with "First off, it looks amazing-" Which is never a good sign. That show has had so many red flags.

[@rikremmerswaal2756]

@@jarltrippin like a Russian parade in the 1950's

[@jjmmm515]

6:53 for me I liked it It not only showed the limited power she feels like she truly has all the while not being able to do much about it In addition to that, she killed something herself which ties to the king's hunt and emotion(both letting their emotion through the hunt) (and maybe showing how there's not many on her side with how each hunt went) And her being approached by the white stag and letting it go which could reaffirm her queenliness but is above tradition

[@pingucrimson750]

The King is an amazing character, his mentality reminds me of Arthur’s from the three kings conversation in fate zero. I also really like the young guy who rode in on the dragon and acted like a tactician for Daemon

[@Major98]

I agree HoTD is ahead and not by a little imo. Good writing will always beat out pure spectacle.

[@akshaysinghrai]

So, did anyone else see that during the scene with Otto and Alicent, there was a huge portrait depicting a gangbang behind Alicent. And in the next scene, there was another portrait just beside the door to Viserys rec room.

[@ninnusridhar]

As heavy handed as it was the white hart metaphor worked for me. Along with the looks the hunters give rhaenyra when she walks in with a boar she killed, compared to what her father did. It's nothing subtle, but in that scenario, it works It's sad that we will only get the current actress for one more episode. She's killing it

[@dannhaleigh9573]

Two more right? Doesn't the rapid time jump happen after ep 5? Savior these last two I know I will.

[@ninnusridhar]

@@dannhaleigh9573 i don't know how the time jump is gonna work. Anyway its some consolation to have Matt going forward. Coz I just wanna see the dragon battle above the godswood at the end of the war.

[@dinocollins720]

I hope both series succeed because I just want more fantasy adaptations moving forward!!

[@nevanrea9325]

Loving these reviews, personally think this was the best episode of the show so far 👌

[@nunyabusiness8000]

Kinda wild how much better this was than the two hour snore fest that was Rings of Power. Yeah rings looks pretty sometimes but when there’s movement the green screened backgrounds look so bad. Galadriel’s backstory didn’t get enough time to make her anger feel justified or believable, they had to keep to cutting away to boring story lines. With Rhaenyra you get two episodes of what made her resentful and angry, to be betrayed by two people she’s incredibly close with, to see the entire court fawning over the result of that betrayal an trying to convince the king to replace her with him. The angst, the anger, the resentment, it’s so much more believable. Man the characters are so good.

[@CharalamposKoundourakis]

What's the point of comparing the two?

[@nunyabusiness8000]

@@CharalamposKoundourakis eh both are fantasy shows released around the same time and are literally in direct competition. It’s only natural though to be far they are very different tonally

[@razorboy251]

I really enjoyed this episode and a big part of that was the accurate portrayal of feudal court life with its pageantry, emphasis on status and appearances, throngs of servants, all that stuff. There was a filter they were using that made everything in Kingswood hunting camp look kind of sepia - I wish they would've cranked up the bright colors even more.

[@Alexander-kc8oq]

R.I.P Crabman. May you live on in the dpeths amongst the crabs.

[@thatguy779]

For me, it’s so human for them to make progress so slowly especially as royalty

[@elyesmrabet1905]

Just started the video. First thing I hear is crab people, and I fully understand what it means. I should be worried.

[@shawn6745]

The problem I've had with later GoT, and now with this episode, is that it seems like in this universe scouts and outriders just, don't exist? Like these armies while encamped would at the very least have scouts around the perimeter, *especially* when an enemy is coming to surrender. Daemons allies just come out of seemingly nowhere and I just can't help but feeling they needed some sort of set up where they were hidden or at least something that doesn't make mr. crabman seem like a total idiot along with his army. Battle of The Bastards in GoT had a similar issue

[@thingusbingus8181]

I liked the duality of the king and Rhaenyra. The stag was tied down and he was given a fancy spear whe she killed a wild angry boar with a knife

[@7Nebulae7]

I loved that it was a Lannister spear killing a stag.

[@emmaquarterman]

I liked how they mirrored the establishing scene in episode 1 in the Gods wood where Rhaenyra and Alicente are studying, and then the scene in this episode in the same place highlighting how their relationship has changed

[@sneedmando186]

This episode was pretty good at showing us and not just telling us. Understandable with large time jumps when necessary, but I feel they tried to leave context clues

[@Suiram82]

Both the acting and the writing is supreme. The story is engaging and shows that don't get how important that is shouldn't even be published.

[@kenaustinardenol1338]

The Two River men would never miss 🙂 It was all politics in the beginning, with a formidable Rhaenyra and it ended with a big fight, which was good to keep the old dragonblood in viewer's vains flowing

[@dreamyphil]

I am loving this show so much I have completely forgiven HBO for GOT8 and I feel a renewed sense of patience for Winds of Winter. Hopefully I won’t be eating these words by the end of the season!

[@rakusoverthecoals861]

Fun little bit of subtle storytelling and continuity is that later in the episode during that talk with Allicent, I'm pretty sure you can see that he's had pieces of his fingers amputated where he had that infected cut from the Iron Throne. Beautiful bit of show-don't-tell about his failing health along with the general sense of exhaustion that seems to be weighing him down in all his scenes.

[@mintybadger6905]

I haven’t noticed too many people mention that Visyres only has 3 fingers left on his hand. I noticed it last night when he and Alicent were talking about the Crab Feeder. Fantastic episode, just so much goodness squeezed into an hour and change.

[@tomswiftyphilo2504]

they finally did a hunt correctly. GRRM was saying during some interview that he imagined the hunts in ASOIAF to be these huge productions. But they didn't have a budget for it. So we ended up with Robert, his brother, and one of his knights tramping through the woods like boy scouts looking for a latrine. This feels more like what a medieval hunt SHOULD be.

[@PaperbackJourneys]

I love this show but the speed that the plot progresses sacrifices a little bit of suspense for me. I would have liked to have seen the Crab Feeders built up a little more before knocking them down. It would have felt more triumphant.

[@yippeekayak7051]

The crab guy was just a minor villain who needed to be dealt with to flesh out Daemon's character. There was no point in extending his story too much.

[@harsh_1910]

I would've loved it if they had waited to start the dance in late s2 or in s3 but I understand that they have to start it by season one to keep casual audience's attention

[@JLchevz]

I agree but the show would have to be 10 seasons long or more if they properly set up everything and built up tense moments and wars properly

[@harsh_1910]

@@JLchevz I think it would more like 6-8 seasons but if you add Regency era then it would be 10

[@godemperorletoatreidesii6971]

That's the thing about this world tho the lore is so fleshed out that like in the real history you can skip around alot and still have content for years.

[@treenalee2551]

I recommend listening Paddy and Matt’s interview on the first episode of the official Game of Thrones podcast. Very informative of their perspectives of their characters and the relationship between them.

[@mikehenika5449]

You know, I’m actually kinda surprised that there isn’t a Rhaenyres Targaryen

[@isn0t42]

Most people don't just sit down and talk things out. Especially with someone "above" or "below their station", who is "supposed to do what" they "are told"; or is otherwise isolated within a hierarchical system. When writers do that, more often than not it looks and sounds abrupt and deeply unnatural. Almost like breaking the fourth wall. Because people rarely tend to talk like that. And when they do actually get to talk properly, that's a big deal collision event and not some passing exchange: when they suddenly decided to act out of character and solve all their differences by a magical wave of the writer's keyboard in a 2 minute robotic conversation.

[@Mas0n0saM]

I agree with your opinion on not showing the Daemon v. Crabfeeder "duel". We all knew who was gonna win, so spending the time on the large battle rather than the 1v1 seemed like the better choice. Plus, him dragging half a body out of the cave with little to no context lets our imaginations take over and think of what the hell happened in the cave to have that result.

[@john_frankford7450]

I haven't read a song of Ice and Fire yet and have only watched GoT. But knowing Aegon eventually becomes king and that whole story makes me really excited/dreading what will happen with rhaenyra (probably spelled that wrong lol)

[@SuperNoobz22]

Corlys with his massive axe looked so fucking badass. Loved that costume design.

[@Liesmith424]

I really didn't understand why the strategy worked against the Triarchy: they had no reason to send out all their people just to attack Daemon, when they already had archers all around him.

[@Aredel]

If you've ever used a bow, you'd know how difficult it is to hit the center of one of those massive targets in a controlled environment when it's only 20ft away. Now shrink that target to the dimensions of a human, put him in a huge valley at least 100ft away, and send heavy winds that would be rolling through that huge alcove. It's a wonder they hit him at all. As for sending all those soldiers out: the Crabfeeder was exposed and in danger. Daemon is a legendary swordsman armed with one of the deadliest blades on the continent. Crabbo is toast if Daemon reaches him, so he has to be stopped at all costs.

[@YanickaQuilt]

I sure hope crabguy didn't get paid by the lines of dialogue

[@Montie-Adkins]

I was asked why Rhaenyra was still serving drinks if she is not only a Princess but the Heir to the thrown. The position is called 'cupbearer' and it helps prevent the King from being poisoned. So I wonder, if her circumstances become worse will she be capable of poisoning her father?

[@philasandemtetwa652]

Daemon was out there running like he's playing Ding-Dong-Ditch!!

[@psy2825]

One big thing that stands out to me, compared to both the original Game of Thrones and the Rings of Power is the comic relief/lighthearted element. It *really* needs a Tyrion/Bronn/Podric-esque storyline for me.

[@KarmaEpsilon]

I am glad you brought up the arrows thing, yeah at distance massed bows are only useful against massed troops. Actual precision with the smaller bows has a pretty low range without a high skill ceiling. But yeah Daemon totally went "my brother helping me proves I am a failure so suicide mission go out in a blaze in glory time!"

[@nicomal]

The dragon production is awesome, it's not just the CGI, but clothing and scenery. Also actors performance.

[@justmoody5797]

7:35 Shad Brooks he uses Bows like this, He said from this distance and volleying like this it is super hard to hit the target so it is not that unrealistic and when he got hit by 3 arrows he was fine with it. so in terms of being realistic yes. I think everyone would have liked him getting more covers he does it like one time and then he keeps running even though it is realistic making him kill 1 2 dudes and then take cover when he sees the arrows for 2 or 3 times would have made it much much better.

[@bishopcruz]

I also liked the detail that when he got hit he was standing still after killing a guy.

[@justmoody5797]

@@bishopcruz Yea I noticed it now on rewatch didn't notice that he stopped.

[@Paul_McSeol]

Really enjoying both shows right now. Can’t wait to see what’s next. Great video! Sorry about your Crab People. 😢

[@yasspanda2559]

Wheel of Time, The Witcher, Rings of Power, House of the Dragon... and a possible adaptation of Mistborn? We. Want. More!

[@redsands1001]

I could see viserys I and rhaenyra not talking that long. Vis I seems to avoid a lot

[@bishopcruz]

Yeah, it's amazing how consistent his character is. Ever since we first met him, he avoids ANY difficult conversation as long as possible, then explodes in anger when he cannot handle it anymore. After that he MIGHT be able to finally talk it out, but not always. He didn't even tell his wife what was going to happen to her, he didn't talk to Rhaenyra about Alicent, he didn't talk to Damon about his issues, and in all of those it ended up blowing up in his face. He is a weak King as a result.

[@m.worthy]

Applause to the director and/or writer for showing that Drahar's hand is free while Daemon is dragging Drahar's remains by "material" (cloth and/or otherwise) around the arm/wrist area of the corpse. Daemon at least is not directly pulling the remains by the hand of the remains. The digits/fingers to the remains are extended because Daemon isn't holding the hand of the corpse. At least the director and writer were thoughtful enough to not have Daemon directly pull the corpse by a hand-to-hand _"greyscale grasp."_ The blood on Daemon's face..Ha..I guess if that isn't at least partially Drahar's blood it is to be attributed to Daemon's battlefield theatrics. Although, while eyeing Drahar immediately before Daemon then runs to the cave entrance in pursuit, Daemon is shown without any blood _(his own nor the blood of a foe)_ on his face.

[@JLchevz]

I agree. A bit of plot armor but overall the action didn't seem stupid. I find I liked this episode more than the first two lol

[@mikelynch-zeroviewz2507]

I like the parallel vs the first hunt scene in GOT where the king is killed and Cerces becomes the Queen ..

[@noahjohnson8975]

Great review, as always, and so great to hear that you'll be looking at these two shows week by week as they come out. I think there's more to the boar scene with Rhaenyra and Sir Cole than just setting up their relationship. Like the two Harts in the episode, it shows a difference between Rhaenyra and her father (we are supposed to read his primacy as artificial, but hers as cosmically fated), the way that the King makes his kill in comparison to Rhaenyra really makes that point, if somewhat ham-fistedly (as another commenter pointed out). Moreover, watching that sequence I couldn't help but hold it up against the scene in WoT where Perrin and Egwene are being held by Valda (I won't say anything more about that scene, to avoid spoiling). Here, Sir Cole, got rocked and Rhaenyra had to hold her own--but Sir Cole is not absolutely useless, so he gets back up and deals a mortal blow to the boar... but Rhaenyra still has to deal with the boar while it's dying and so she gets to show her chops too. Both of the people contributed to that success, and both of them revealed something about their character. I literally said, out loud to my TV, "That's how you do it. That right there."

[@fakjbf3129]

One thing I was a little annoyed by was that they didn’t explain the extra dragons. The silver one was Seasmoke ridden by Laenor Valeryon but there was also a black dragon which I do not recognize and I cannot think of who could be riding it.

[@Aredel]

A black dragon? I only remember Seasmoke there.

[@fakjbf3129]

@@Aredel I rewatched a couple days later and I guess there was only one dragon, but Seasmoke looks much darker in the long shots vs the close ups so I thought they were different dragons.

[@Suiram82]

This just dawned on me, but there was so much symbolism from GoT and Robert Baratheon's death in this episode. First of all, GRRM has been pretty vocal that one of the scenes he would have liked to see from season 1 was Robert's hunting party and that was of course not possible for budgetary reasons so I kind of think this hunting party was a way of making up for it. -The stags. The darker stag (Robert) dies while the white stag (Joffrey) lives on. - The boar that attacks Rhaenyra. - Viserys being drunk throughout the hunt and hating being the king. A little far fetched. But still a little funny.

[@violetbliss4399]

It's a nice show so far, but some things are just a little bit convenient, like the Crabfeeder actually looking to the sky & thinking what could go wrong here. It was probably a timesaving reason and at least it wasn't a "kinda forgot" type of deal, but still. I really like the nods otherwise though, like the lion spear taking down the trapped stag.

[@MrTino12]

What bothered me with the Daemon scene was not the archers. Its that after his charge they won in a straight up fight. When the whole point was that they were fighting for two years because every time a fight with a dragon started the crabs men retreated in to the caves. Guess this one time they forgot they can run back in to the caves they just came out of ?

[@zenithquasar9623]

I really enjoyed Rings of Power, especially the production values but my god writing leaves me wanting. And then you have House of the Dragon with great dialogue and character moments! *chef's kiss*

[@inlander_dye_4242]

Daniel you gotta check out Ken Liu’s Dandelion Dynasty!!!! I personally hold it up there with my favorite series: Stormlight and Red Rising

[@esile567]

I think a major difference I will have in mind with these two shows are their access to source material. In this regard it's a bit hard to compare them. HBO have a pot of fully developed flavors with the cook available, Amazon have a few ingredients and are lacking spices to fully develop flavors. That said, I like both in their own way, but I agree with the difference in emotional investment. Rings of power is a visual feast to my eyes. HotD is a emotional feast to my heart.

[@emilygildea]

I was also thinking about the arrows, until Daemon does get hit by a few. So good work, show!

[@jdiggitty]

Deamon was dragging that greyscaled dude's "body" without any gloves on. Truely a man with no effs to give.

[@alexanderkenway]

HotD is stomping Rings of Power so far. It's not even close

[@phueal]

It's so great to see you having an opinion but still withholding final judgment from Rings of Power. I don't mind if you eventually conclude that HotD is better than RoP, I don't know which I will like more either at this point, but I'm getting really sick of people (both professional reviewers and in the comments) condemning it without ever even watching it, or only watching the first couple of episodes.

[@jostbrazil]

I thought the ending battle was kinda pathetic. Like, "we're losing this war so bad ohmygod" and then "oh look, this one stunt won the whole thing, great I guess". Now I know how 'badass' Daemon is... but I knew that already. What I do know even more though, is that he is a spoiled little brat that shoudn't rule a sandbox in a small park.

[@SundayMorning91]

Lol at spotify boy. I totally saw that scene as a teenager blaring a song on repeat and leaving in on when her parents try to talk to her as a way of ignoring them. Bringing that 20th century mindset to ye olden times. Haha.

[@janpiorko3809]

2:09 funniest part is Rhaenys is also a character in this show.

[@s8theninjawarrior916]

Rhaenys is a character in the show, not Rhaenerys (what he says here) though lol

[@kb-ih7ni]

Yo Dannyboy, seeing this massive increase in bookish tattoos on you makes me want a tattoo collection video! No worries if you don't want to do it but just throwing the idea out there ehe

[@brettbyers3360]

I think house of the dragon still looks amazing I didn’t notice bad cg but maybe I’m not noticing it lol

[@ben17ism]

I think a lot of people misunderstood the Crabfeeder. He wasn't this big fighter. He was a very good commander, but in hiding. That was the problem. He commanded his troops so good and needed to be taken out, but wasn't a good fighter Deamon needed to *FIND* him, killing him was the easy part

[@gordonc615]

Man all I saw was "A good man goes to war" as daemon was going after the crabfeeder.. gotta love Matt Smith

[@Spafon1]

Paddy Considine is an acting god. Huge range and kills every role he takes on.