HOTD Deserves Some Love - The Raw Take

[@berserk4souls]

I love everything about Otto Hightower and Aegon. Those two in particular have been near flawless all season and the show really suffered without them moving the plot forward and being complicated characters. Also great comedy relief from both actors.

[@Miller09095]

Very much missing those two in this season as well. I do think that Otto may be joining Daeron in the Reach which is a big win though.

[@ThommyofThenn]

I was afraid of a Joff 2.0 but the writing and acting have distinguished Aegon. I keep thinking of the scene where he naively offers to replace a guy's sheep after they were used for dragon fodder. Maybe I misread but it seemed like he was genuinely wanting to help the guy and was embarrassed when Otto shut it down. Did Aegon feel bad for the sheep guy in that moment or was he just playing the open-handed king in an effort to win favour? It's hard to tell but it was still enough to show me personally that Aegon had at least a surface ability to show empathy to someone. Joffrey would have laughed in the guy's face, chained a bunch of dead sheep to his legs and forced him to walk back to his farm while the KG beat him relentlessly with a shepherd's crook😂

[@derekholmes4733]

THE RATCATCHERS!!!

[@ThommyofThenn]

@@derekholmes4733 "cut down the f***ing ratcatchers"

[@VraeliaValkyria]

As a person who read the books, I love the show. I love seeing differences, and still being surprised by what happens. I think a lot of book readers are too overly critical. Movies and series are never going to be perfectly aligned with their book counterpart. Thanks for this vid!

[@Binks129]

The differences are intentional, the "books" is a biased history book. History is written by the "victor".

[@Jon155mt]

This is one of the reasons why I subscribed to your channel a few weeks ago. I wish I’d found it sooner. You not only provide in depth analysis in every episode, but also provide fair criticism when necessary while still showing appreciation for the show and what you enjoy about it too. And I like that you don’t get angry whenever the show is different from the books and you stay open minded to see how it plays out in the show before making judgements. Your channel provides the perfect balance between analysis, criticism, and praise. Keep up the good work!

[@DCharles]

I appreciate that a lot, especially on one of these unscripted freestyle videos. Thank you 🙏

[@samf.s.7731]

Episode 2 was the best one so far. Every moment was in service of this story and its characters... I loved it. The scene between Daemon and Rhaebyra, the Aegon/Otto showdown... Just top tier writing and acting. And yes, this episode did change stuff from the book, but it was just so well done...

[@voiceofreason8398]

Glad to finally hear someone with this take. It seems like so many people are intent on hating the show and just looking for every little thing to pick apart. That’s not to say that there aren’t legitimate criticisms with the show, and I think people should review and critique the show honestly. But it seems like many are viewing it through the lens of expecting to hate it, and it skews their perception of it. As someone who has read ASOIF and Fire & Blood several times over, I am really enjoying the show overall. Sure there’s things they’ve done that I haven’t been a fan of, but there’s also things they’ve done that I think are great. I’ve already seen a few reviews that have come out for Episode 8 based on the leaks that were pretty negative. I’ll wait to watch the episode in its entirety and in full quality before judging it. I just feel from what I’ve read and heard that the show is getting overly criticized unjustly by people who are expecting to hate it. But I guess that should be expected with the way D&D massacred GOT. And by all means if they somehow manage to blunder the show the way D&D blundered Game of Thrones, they should be slammed for it just as harshly, but House of the Dragon is not even close to season 8 level of Game of Thrones awful as I’ve seen some suggesting.

[@StanleyMabonga]

This show is awesome. Season has been awesome. Y'all can negative all you want but I have been thoroughly entertained.

[@Savage-nv6wr]

The crap my dog did to my carpet this morning was more entertaining than this 💩 show !

[@onefatboiikado8436]

I love hotd and thank you, all I can find is negative reviews about the season but I loved it so far, even with its problems

[@joywagner979]

There are a fair number of KZbin channels who enjoy the show! One of my favorites, that always has me laughing, is ElleBee (I forget her handle, but she also watches other series like Interview with a Vampire and is very funny. It's obvious when she dislikes a series, and she definitely likes HotD.)

[@made-line7627]

As a book fan and a lover of ASOIAF, I enjoy the show and am invested 💗

[@jessjess23brooks89]

Me too. We get to see these characters and dragons and locations that once only existed in our imaginations. I find it extremely cool. It's beautifully shot, brilliantly acted... Like people need to get a grip. They are acting like it is season 8 level bad and it's nowhere near that. I betchu season 3 is gonna be tailored to absolute perfection to make all these haters look foolish AH.

[@made-line7627]

@@jessjess23brooks89 Right?! I understand it's had some issues, though it's blowing season eight out of the water, and some book changes have made sense, and elevate the show (others not so much, but no adaptation is perfect) 💗

[@TheForkOnTheLeftist]

Hell yeah. I mean with tywin dead, lady stoneheart written out of the story, Jaime not leaving cersei behind and bran literally lost in the warg world, season 5 should be the best season ever!! Oh wait .....

[@Fitz2364]

It's a great series. Love it! The minus is not enough Jace and Rhaenys. Love your channel. You need more subscribers. You, Grayarea, Lightbringer, Quin The GM, Fantasy Haven, Glidus, The Dragon Demands, Rawrist, The Alt dudes are my go to channels.

[@Binks129]

It still don't understand the hate. Its building up to something... something GOT failed to do with their last seasons. We now have the dragonseeds, Aemonds Regent, Alicent is ostracized, and Daemon is getting to the point where it makes sense on why he responds with "On that much we agree" Let it be a slow burn, it doesnt have to be dragon vs dragon every episode.

[@yomismo83]

I am freaking out with all the hate because of the leaks. People are acting like this is the final series, and not just the end of season 2.

[@Savage-nv6wr]

​@@yomismo83 The hate is justified , if a show is said to be boring without any action it means the story is trash and not worth investing to 💩

[@yomismo83]

@@Savage-nv6wr don't invest anything, then. Easy!!

[@TheForkOnTheLeftist]

Watch game of thrones season 1. The entire season was buildup technically. Yet it's somehow far superior to this season. Maybe it's simply better written, better acted and paced far better than this show. And that's fine. There are levels to this. But if you're gonna compare to actually good content, don't be surprised at the results

[@kimiyajoy3814]

Well said some of those negative comments made by fans sound more like them being a karren over everything than giving feedback also I really love that it is different from what we knew some times do I get that all the changes are for the best? Absoloutly not. But I love that they exist because thats exactly how history work you dont find nuance and morality and motivation or much character. you dont even get the exact things that happened just what was recorded. And it is a fun way to look this seeing how things unfold and how they were recorded. Also fire and blood is a history text book with the smallest context on these characters decisions or inner monolouges. How people say that was more complex than the show really baffled me cause there was never really much there at all.

[@S.D._777_]

Book reader here, and I love the dragon show so far. It's relaxing to sit down and tune out the chaos of the real world for an hour. I like that we're getting more nuance from characters that are pretty one-dimensional on paper.

[@adamschaenzer6941]

Also a book reader, and I'm enjoying it too just to sit down and see some of my favorite scenes from the World of Westeros come to life. It's just disappointing that some of my favorite analysis channels are gonna flip their sh*t with episode 8 and make it feel like my enjoyment of the show is a guilty pleasure. Almost an "if you like this, then there's something wrong with you" mentality.

[@joywagner979]

Thank you! I've been so confused by people who insist the show characters are "too good" and have "less nuance" compared to the books. It genuinely seems like they have different definitions of both "good" and "nuance" than I do.

[@Savage-nv6wr]

Y'all bugging , a good show will not have this much criticism , let alone most of ASOIAF hating it in general ! This show fell off 😂😂

[@aquila4228]

People are too quick to judge. Give time so the story can breathe and grow. I think it’s great so far

[@ZanderStentz]

W, yes this may not be a perfect season, and It may not even be great, but it’s still good. Also I’ve seen videos of the leaks who are already saying the last episode is going to be trash when we’ve only seen about half the episode due to leaks, and I don’t think we should judge just yet.

[@agustintrivino9365]

The show is good enough to somewhat wash the stain of the later seasons of Thrones, and the first season in particular made me remember how much I loved westeros as a setting that now I'm buying the Song of Ice and fire books for the wait for season 3, if anything it re invigorated the franchise which was no easy feat

[@jdelray]

I am enjoying HotD more than Game of Thrones, and I am a ISOIAF reader, huge fan. HotD is better than GoT if you are a real nerd. I think the time jumps scared a lot of people away in season 1 but the political intrigue and war we have set up in season 3 is unparalleled. It will be much better than season 3 of game of thrones. The acting is much better, we need Otto back. Even our sex scene, the actress that plays Mysaria said that makeout sesh with Rhanerya was totally improvised, was not in the script it was just a hug. How hot is that, imagine watching that on set lol. They just felt it in the moment, that is why that kiss worked so well. Everything in this show feels real, credit to the acting all around. The casting is phenomenal, even in these minor new characters.

[@darwinodriscoll7750]

I respect ur opinion snd like ur positivity but the reason we get lackluster shows these days is because we keep making excuses and the people can keep getting away with it. Was season 1 good, yes it was but here’s the problem. We had s7 and 8 which was absolutely awful then we finally get a good season from this franchise and now we are back into the worrisome zone. Lastly s5 and 6 wasnt well received as well, so basically the last time we had a massive positive season was around 2014

[@goated3285]

I’m apart of other book to movie/shows and it happens. Sometimes writers don’t stick to the book which I understand as the book is the reference of the story. I still love and enjoy this show, it’s the reason I got into the series of GOT. It’s the reason I started watching it after many years of my brother telling me to..

[@itsmainelyyou5541]

I agree, I was quite critical for two early plot beats and my criticism still stands as I think they stripped layers that would've made the overall story more complex that in the long run would have made for more memorable storytelling. As a whole though, I'm just enjoying it for what it is. And as an aside, I have to give props to the kid who played Oscar(Kermit) what a wonderful addition he was. He did so well, not every character gets a plot point to humble Daemon and he did it with flair. Sesame!

[@ThommyofThenn]

6:14 what an absurd "argument." You can't butcher a few pages worth of 'screen time' where only a handful of pages about her provide meaningful characterisation. Ah, people will find something to complain about regardless of thinking it through or not

[@joywagner979]

I think the inconsistencies and waffling from characters like Alicent and Rhaenyra is very realistic to real life. Rhaenyra wants to be like Daemon, but was raised to be like Viserys, so her flip-flopping makes sense. All her life, Alicent thinks she needs to behave a certain way, but then reality smacks her in the face with a cold rotten fish and she starts speed running in the opposite direction; I've seen that IRL a hundred times! Daemon's waffling is a bit less realistic, maybe, but then again I don't know many people like Daemon IRL. It makes sense that even a stone cold d-head might sometimes pump the brakes and say "wait ..." before giving into his stone cold d-bag nature again.

[@SystemUnderSiege]

I was a defender until the finale. Now I'm mad. Sorry. 2 years for this. Just to end on a cliffhanger with another 2 year wait. After removing all agency from the characters and making so many baffling and poor decisions. I want to love this show, I do, but they are blowing it, and they are blowing it hard. It just is what it is.

[@ZanderStentz]

I’m not gonna judge until the final episode airs, but yeah based off the leaks it seems like there’s gonna be a lot of problems, but until the finale I think it was a pretty decent season, but still season 3 is gonna be entertaining.

[@jessica8518]

I'm enjoying the series, as a whole. Are there creative liberties that I don't agree with? Of course. Are there elements that match what I envisioned when reading the source material? Yes. Are there things I wish would have been expanded or drawn out over more episodes? Absolutely. However, the team adapting the show is doing a fairly good job of making me enjoy the series as a whole. I hope they continue to do so.

[@masonpawelko5763]

Agreed, this show rocks. I enjoy it. Sucks how there was no battle at the climax this season, but all it means is that we just have to wait longer, which I don’t want to do, but at least they have the chance to do it right

[@anastasiabetts]

As you said, I also am enjoying HoTD, even the story thought it has changed some things. I have read/listened to Fire and Blood probably over 10 times. I continue to listen to it each week as I’m waiting for the new episode to drop. Yes it’s different. I love both the book and the tv series. They are both great in their own way. Do I miss some of the things from the book that they change or leave out? Yes. But do I wish I have all 10 seasons of the tv show done already so that I could just binge watch the whole thing over and over again? Heck yes. I love it.

[@robstewartstewart98]

I’m 100% enjoying the show still as well! And honestly, the leaks don’t bother me

[@lawv804]

HOTD is closer to GoT seasons 1-4 than it is seasons 5-8. It is just lacking a clear hero to root for. Overall, I like the show, and don't miss an episode.

[@ThommyofThenn]

16:25 I think i'm misunderstanding the whole "kingmaker" thing with Cole. Once he jumped ship to Aegon, wasn't he supporting him and even participated directly in plotting to install Aegon? Maybe i'm mixing stuff with the books and imagining it happened on the show, so any clarification would be welcome

[@iliaponomarev1624]

Books have Criston being a way more active participant of kingmaking. In the show, he committed manslaughter and placed the crown on Aegon's head. The way I rationalize it is: 1. Books are written from a biased perspective. Cole is a convenient person to be blamed for everything, so that Hightowers (defenders of the Citadel!) look better. 2. Cole did place the crown on Aegon's head in public, which might make him the main culprit in the public's eyes.

[@jenparianos]

I love this show and I’m sorry so many people are so cynical of it. It’s been a joy for me to go down this rabbit hole.

[@hitskwaad]

This show has been a lesson to anybody who didn't already know, to understand that this is an adaptation of a book beloved by enthusiastic fans who are passionate about the source material. And therefore to tune them out when they inevitably started whining and catastrophizing.

[@wKFaded]

They are very entitled group on reddit the free folk sub is one of them. The show has been spectacular and universally praised. The pacing is weird at points because hbo made them cut 2 episodes. The acting the writing the set peices what more could we want?

[@Marlboro-lights1]

Better tell George that. As he stated a few weeks ago, people buy the rights to a story and then think they can make it their own better story. Sorry kiddo but Alicent betraying her family for the can do no wrong “team black” and handing kings landing over is idiotic. The actors are great but we all know if the show runners went the route of making “team black” the evil stereotype family the same people lecturing the book fans would be upset about it. Look how you people treated the actors for team green during season 1. Young alicents mother had to step in to ask people on social media to stop harassment. It’s obvious to anyone who isn’t just a “team black” simp, that the writers have made terrible choices that seem to only appeal to the lowest form of show watcher. Tye Burlington bar, cheering in glee for creepy uncle Daemon grooming his niece or that super sexy kiss between Rae Rae and the white worm after she just got done talking about her father R wording her. It’s the fandom that’s ruined the show. The writers see how angry and insane you all get whenever “team black” is portrayed as true to the source material do they just gave them what they want. Super sexy incest dragon people who kill small folk and believe in pure bloodlines through grooming of their family members. But again what do those idiot book readers and the guy that created the world you’re drooling over know? 😂

[@wKFaded]

@@Marlboro-lights1 wow you are toxic... got some advice for you if you do t like it don't watch it pretty simple. I don't like something just don't watch it

[@hitskwaad]

@Fat-rhaenyra I just said book people were intense about the series, dear. That seems not to be the priority of this diatribe, and you also seem to have tried spoiling the finale? If that was on purpose, wouldn't that make my point better than anything else I could say?

[@jessjess23brooks89]

This is my little fantasy slice of heaven to live in the Westerosi world and escape our very stressful reality for an hour a week and people keep bringing their real-life grievances into the mix. It makes it so difficult to chat with the broader audience outside our normal bookish one. Which makes me sad. I want to connect with people over a shared interest and many people are only interested in trashing what is a beautiful show.

[@whatareyoudoingoverthere1425]

I'm just gonna say it. I still like this show

[@ewalsh7682]

I’m really loving the show, it’s far and above anything else on TV at the moment. I do just think that after Episode 4, the pacing has been a bit strange, I think because of the 8-episode format. Maybe with Season 3, now that the writers have already written an 8 episode season, they’ll be able to nail down the pacing next time. It really could have done with 10 episodes tbh but I think that’s out of the writers’ hands and more so HBO’s fault.

[@wandachamberssomrajit2260]

I love the show. I haven’t read the books. So I’m pleasantly surprised by every episode.

[@robertsmiley2207]

Your not alone minor flaws in a other wise 🦉 perfect show 😎🐉👑⚔️🔥

[@DCharles]

Perfect is strong, but I don’t hate this show.

[@robertsmiley2207]

@@DCharles My words are always strong 💪 like my boy Sir Harwin Strong it's a Scorpio ♏ thing 😎🎯🔥

[@THOU713]

I love it like I still love my favorite sports team when they’re bad. Just have to wait to it gets better

[@jjosifovic]

Also I dont think daemon character was rined he is very consistent to what he was in season 1. I feel most fans were blinded to the fact to who his chracter truly was. He was a man who loved his brother, and his niece, but he loved himself more. The man was always greedy, prideful, and a straight groomer and manipulator that always wanted power. He is the same in season 2 except he needs his therapy of ghost and visions to side with rhaenyra. So again daemon is consistent to who he is.

[@cnmcnm5853]

I'm enjoying it. But they are prioritizing shock value and not development... for example Alicent and Cole... the Actors express disappointment bcus they film the scenes and we're just cut because the show runners want -->"😱Shock"

[@dudeguys6362]

"Well, the writers' strike, and things going on in real life. I know people don't want that to effect their favorite television shows." You're absolutely right. We *don't* want that to effect out favorite television shows. Because there's so much crap going on in real life, we watch shows like HOTD to escape it for a brief fucking moment. And when that, in itself, gets tampered with, fans like me get mad. We're not "learning anything", we're just mad. It's not good. And it won't be good for season 3. I think most fans of the franchise are tired at this point.

[@ALtheuncommonicedragon8360]

I’m enjoying it pretty throughly. Love certain choices esp deep lore refs. Ppl complaining about pace sound very whiny to me. They do have to do setup to have payoff. Still there are some real bad writing choices that stick out

[@joywagner979]

I think a lot of people also mistake "characters making dumb decisions" for "bad writing." Some excellent writing can come out of people doing absolutely bell-ended things!

[@Marlboro-lights1]

“The book is the book, the film is the film they will tell you, as if they were saying something profound” George martins own words as he tried to warn us. After this weekend, his stance on this matter and why he made this statement will become clear. The show had the potential to be great and was for a while but unfortunately we are back to “the bells” level of writing. There were always issues but after this weekend happens it will be its own show, completely divorced from George’s work and should be viewed as such. Could it still be fun to watch? Sure, but as far as fire and blood? This ain’t it.

[@itsmainelyyou5541]

Oh, and I like that they aren't redeeming Daemon. I'm not sure he's best served being redeemed as much as shown to be what he is.

[@sheismymom]

Good show I watch it

[@iliaponomarev1624]

> book, show and canon The thing is: book is kinda written about the show. By someone who didn't watch the show and wasn't born when the show was running. So it's based on a bunch of reviews written by people who didn't watch the full show.

[@HarlemSexyBlaqkat]

Exactly

[@realstateguzmandr248]

My only two critiques are the murder of prince jacaerys and the fact that nettles might be missing in the show

[@nif82]

It's not perfect but I still really like it.

[@MertSu66]

i only watch it for aemond. As soon as they do him dirty, which they will, i wont be staying for african blonde nobility

[@cruxlamar9681]

Comes down to race huh? Not quality of the story being told? Pathetic

[@MertSu66]

@@cruxlamar9681 every time i see them, its severely distracting. So yes this is a storytelling issue. Why pull the issue to race what are u racist?

[@DyLeN17]

Meanwhile Ryan Condal gets rid of the only actual black character, who on top of that is an amazing character shows how bonkers and up their own ass the writers are

[@BernyRandom]

@@MertSu66 who are you talking about. I'm a bit confused.

[@crazywomancreek1]

I adore this show. Favorite characters: , Lord Larys, Daemon and Simon Beale’s character. Beale is great in Penny Dreadful. All of the actors are superb in HOtD! The Hightowers …. No.

[@ThommyofThenn]

I was very vocal in my dislike towards GoT so I am not one of the fans who seems to like anything hbo cooks up. Series 2 of HOTD has indeed been inconsistent but I wouldn't say bad quality or not worth watching. I haven't spent much time on reddit/twitter or wherever most of the "hot takes" occur. (I'm actually kinda interested now so please reply if you would recommend a place to see such) But I still assume some people's dislike comes from Daemon's time in Harrenhal and changes in Cole/Alicent's characters. I can't defend ColeiCent and would go so far as to say it's pointless titillation in the tradition of GoT's most distasteful, gratuitous content that GoT handled with all the subtlety of a jar of wildfyre launched from a trebuchet. But even at its worst, the exploitation of sexuality/cheapening of abuse has been (in my subjective opinion) handled in a much more intelligent,sensitive way on HOTD. On Daemon, the book doesn't fill in all the blanks for us between his appearances so naturally the show has had to extrapolate a bit. Alys and the Weirwood have been the saving grace for both Daemon and his time at Harrenhal. Indeed, through her guidance Daemon has grown as a character, but we know we can have character development without stagnation of the overall story arc. Which again brings us back to Alys; by making her into a more fully realised character, I think the show has availed themselves of a great opportunity to expound a bit on the mystery of the trees, owls and the Old Gods. So it was definitely about as slow a burn as possible without the light guttering out, but depending on how we see Daemon behave in the S2 finale, and into series 3, I think the Harrenhal mini-arc will gain acceptance as an example of measured, thoughtful storytelling. Now I will start watching the video in earnest and see what you're thinking and what the community at large might be feeling. Thanks for uploading about a topic I haven't really seen discussed much!

[@bridgetofold5645]

I love the show, it has its flaws but it is wonderful be back in the world of Westeros. The fandom is getting a bit toxic.

[@jjosifovic]

I genially love the show, but their are major flaws with it is because the were suppose to make the show faithful to the book adaption. To be clear just because the book is historically inaccurate that doesnt mean u could do whatever u want. The cut of maelor and nettles r big mistakes in my opinion n then u got to ask y they where cut and what point do they hold to the story. To me the simple reason is because both characters puts rhaenyra and the blacks in a more negative light. The whole point of the show was to show both side of each family were both greedy individuals that wanted the throne for their own selfish needs. Certain characters from each the previous season acts completely different in season 2. Im liking season 2 as its own separate entity that is not connected to the books or even season 1......

[@deathnsd6953]

I couldn't help myself lol...I watched the 33 min........ the last two episodes were sick AF but the finale seems to be one hell of a no action cliffhanger 🤣🤣🤣

[@forgotmyun]

Is it accurate to the book? Absolutely not Is it also heavily a Team Black biased narrative (coming from someone who is Team Black) Absolutely. Are Daemons Scooby Doo adventures tired af? So tired But it’s still a fun watch, it’s something I look forward to watching it each week, enjoying the memes with the fandom, it’s just a fun time

[@MarwolfAeducan]

the writing is trash in season 2

[@thatamericanbritishbloke5672]

It’s not trash. It’s just kinda mid.

[@ivangeorgiev4676]

Am i the only one that prefers hotD over GOT in general like

[@ZegetaX1]

im the books daemon is way cooler in show he is a chump getting owned by a kid

[@Smilodon_ex]

I will say team black been mostly disappointing but team green especially Aegon been star of the show I will say even Aemond early episodes even though they butcher he’s character especially just trying make him simple villain

[@rodgerskuchikiri7650]

L take buddy.. Give it a few months this show will tank just like season 8

[@DCharles]

Ok

[@baron6588]

Ok

[@LaluD217]

"enjoying" the show because there are some cool shots is like allicent making daemon wait 2 years just to see the new tapestry in the castle! I get it this is your bread and butter but come on be honest! And no not because there was "not enough action" scenes, which I would have preferred over those mediocre Convos between characters. The only two good things about this season were rhaynes (which is over by episode 4) and Oscar Tully in episode 7. Everyone went head over heels when rhaenyra said "let's have an army of bastards" and though the convo was smart but did rhaeynera really need Messaria to tell her how UNhonorable aemond and aegon are for her to get convinced! Rhaeynera was so stupid and useless this whole season!

[@DCharles]

Ok

[@hitskwaad]

You're going to have to grapple with the fact that somebody can disagree with your opinion on a TV show without it being a mercenary inauthentic business decision. You just are.

[@LaluD217]

Ok

[@ZanderStentz]

okay, take it somewhere else then, if you don't want to enjoy it then dont, but dont come here and think your opinion is fact, without looking at other peoples opinions

[@LaluD217]

@@ZanderStentz soo I'm guessing you and logic don't mix well huh! I'll make it easier for you: by your own logic, shoo 🙋🏼‍♀️