HOTD: How The Dragons Keep Us Coming Back

[@golgarisoul]

It's obviously reductive, but I do like the joke about HotD Dragons being nuclear dogs. They are animals that humans can bond with, but they also have such massive magical power that they uncontrollable weapons of mass destruction.

[@poenpotzu2865]

They remind of the godweapon or godzilla froma naussica or godzilla

[@Heather-xm9ul]

More like nuclear wolves. Dogs are much more cooperative with their people, and can be trained to near perfect obedience. Wolves are too independent to expect real obedience. Even wolves that are hand raised in captivity don't become dog-like. They learn to read human body language, and can build a significant vocabulary, but they do nothing better than make friends, they won't obey if they don't feel like it.

[@bobbiecat8000]

'NUCLEAR DOGS'.

[@ajax3310]

@@poenpotzu2865 Godzilla; God-Killer. "We Targaryans are closer to God's than Men"...

[@thalmoragent9344]

@@Heather-xm9ul True, very true

[@adc1222]

The shot of Vhagar far in the background at Storms End being lit by lightning, and you see her just towering over everything, making even the buildings look tiny... It was perfect. And the whole time Luke is inside and being threatened by Aemond, a very dangerous warrior, you know there is something infinitely more dangerous waiting for him outside. It's probably my favourite scene with a dragon in any form of media

[@DoctorKnow00]

Imagine the stones on Lucerys to fly to Storm's End, see Vhagar parked outside and still walk inside. Naw, fam. I'll just send a raven. Thank you.

[@XALKEMPORAS]

Then when he walks outside there's no Vhagar and that was terrifying,the amount of tension in that scene

[@theblackpearlofbraavos]

@@DoctorKnow00 he should've put Baby Arrax in reverse and got the hell out of there. Nope. I knew what would happen and it still sucked.

[@theblackpearlofbraavos]

@@XALKEMPORAS terrifying.

[@thesahel7218]

What they did with vhagar in episode 10 is one of the most genius decisions in tv history. I love that the dragons have personalities of their own. Vhagar was literally the most battle hardened Dragon in the world (probably even more than balerion), so I'm so glad they found a way to incorporate that into the story while at the same time showing us very important characteristics of the dragons. A lesser story would have stopped at the whole 'dragons are mindless weapons' thing but HOTD takes it further and even reveals a side of Aemond we haven't seen before.

[@GrantEkert]

A great choice, yes, but if you think that's one of the greatest decisions in tv history, you really need to watch some more shows

[@morganburt2565]

i’m so glad i didn’t read the book cuz that was the most impactful scene for me since The scene in episode 1 holy cannoli i was literally thinking about how sweet luke was and how excited i was to see him grow up. honest to god. i was on the edge of my seat the whole chase. the size difference of the two dragons? daaaaamn

[@insert-name101]

@@GrantEkert i hate it when PPL reply like this. U can't judge everything. There's an endless amount of content out there on a limited time. So whenever someone says, 'one of the greatest' it's gotta be relative to their taste and the content they have consumed. I for one, haven't watched more than a dozen shows. Though i can just watch Game Of thrones, and know it's that good.

[@AshePBlack]

@@morganburt2565 Martin himself said show is more cannon than book in that book is maesters gossips, show is true history. No this quote doesn't extend to game of thrones. The reason this happened with house of the dragon is because Martin gets a say on the show this time and because we are not supposed to trust the maesters, as in we are supposed to question book

[@AshePBlack]

I called it cuz aemond was a loose cannon and at one point was like a less chill younger daemon, but now he has a mean streak with an odd eyeball obsession, like dude get over it, aemond was no innocent child. I think vhagar being a war vet and not caring for human shenanigans senses aemonds attitude and hidden desire and it was like ok whatever. But when vhagar was fired at she saw red and wouldn't stop

[@DanCreaMundos]

I mean, it was obvious, the moment they sent him, that the kid would not survive delivering that message, but the fact he was eaten by a dragon, must admit I didn't saw it coming

[@sydnitheromantictaylor112]

Hell, the minute Lucerys saw Vhagar once he got to Storms End, he should've flew back home instead of insisting on delivering the message to Lord Borros Baratheon, sometimes it pays to be a coward. I know my ass would be a coward that day.

[@alejandrobernal9200]

@@sydnitheromantictaylor112 gotta respect his guts in that regard. I’d be flying back home too

[@riccardodessi5387]

@@sydnitheromantictaylor112 well he was a messenger, protected by all the laws and tradition of that world, only a stupid ( aemond ) would think of attack him and you can see with the reactionof lord borros

[@calamitysangfroid2407]

sending him was the right choice. he's important enough to get diplomatic immunity because killing him is too risky, but not *that* important that his death would be a major blow (too young to be a good commander/fighter, small dragon, not the heir to the throne). he's non-threatening, but basically protected from most dangers because he does have a bonded dragon that would go berserk if he was harmed, or fly him to safety. the only thing that really posed a threat was pretty crazy, like theoretically, a giant angry dragon t hat couldn't care less for human politics. but that was such a low chance of happening, why would anyone consider it?

[@pauljenger7553]

@@sydnitheromantictaylor112 At this point it was either being a coward and going back home or being brave until the end and taking his own eye on the spot like a true hardcore badass.

[@friedkeenan]

Describing Vhagar as a god who has hitched a ride with Aemond is so fitting and so utterly terrifying. Great video, thank you.

[@JayStryerTheDeadWizard]

this show really brought all of us back into the fold huh

[@LuisSierra42]

People are starting to heal from s8

[@PrimerCinePodcast]

Lucky us

[@mjinba07]

@Abdulkarim Elnaas Far as I'd heard, HBO wasn't the reason GoT jumped the track. Personally, I'm crediting GRRM for his involvement and his choice of writers and directors, for both GoT and HotD. We'll see what happens in S2 without Sapochnik.

[@stryfelyfe01]

I think HoTD is already 10 times better than GoT ever was. They took the best parts and ppl from GoT and followed the books and lore better than GoT ever did.

[@Slender_Man_186]

@Abdulkarim Elnaas you forgot Season 5, hell, even the very end of Season 4 when the Tysha reveal was cut from Tyrion’s escape should’ve been a major red flag for what would come later.

[@lukaslambs5780]

I think it’s awesome George is so involved in the show, as long as he is directly a part of the production it will continue to be good.

[@바보Queen]

they better pay him to stay on board.. HBO def doesn't want a repeat of season 7 and 8 of GoT

[@kawhileonard3745]

He said he’s not involved lol

[@rexibhazoboa7097]

@Dragon I think George isn’t part of the writing team but the writers are smart enough to ask George lots of questions. HBO isn’t paying him to write, only to adapt it.

[@_Tristen_]

@@kawhileonard3745 the writers ask him a lot of questions regarding lore and his opinions and advice on certain story elements

[@Trosvvo]

@@바보Queen what do u mean pay him to stay, he's the one who pitched the idea to HBO, he's not being paid to stay, he is and will continue to be directly involved. When GoT was pitched, he wasn't directly involved, they paid him to be involved, but this time around it's different.

[@hayleyhistorynerd2211]

"He is an angry behemoth filled with keroscene." I adore that line, chef's kiss. Your analysis is always top-tier. Hayley ^_^

[@caytutugrenadele3691]

*casually names hella dragon media in the first minute* dang dawg I didn't know you were cool like that, dap me up

[@hunkydory8437]

Lol bro I had the same reaction. I was letting the vid play while I was cleaning up and heard Eragon and Skyrim and I was “okay I see you!”

[@pedromoreira2875]

When he said booster dragon I got so happy that someone else remembers that show.

[@lukaslambs5780]

In the books (A Feast For Crows) a (sort of) Maester named Marwyn the Mage says that the maesters wish to create a world without magic and especially without dragons. He even says that they worked to facilitate the downfall of dragons and possibly Targaryens.

[@nont18411]

Not just Marwyn but Barbrey Dustin also claimed this as well.

[@lukaslambs5780]

@@nont18411 true, she mentions how their allegiances are unknown since the renounce their house when they become maesters.

[@rsync9490]

I hope the others kill them all.

[@The.Kyle.Scott.]

@@lukaslambs5780 I believe that the Maesters, the Citadel, and Oldtown itself have and always will be extremely loyal to the Hightowers. They are called the “Voice of Oldtown” and they were the House that funded and supported the Citadel and the Maesters.

[@spearshake4771]

@@lukaslambs5780 Isn't Maester Marwyn viewed as a crackpot conspiracy theorist by the rest of the Citadel? I'm not discounting his or Lady Dustin's claims I believe Maesters can be self serving. I'm just not convinced that there has existed a 300 year long conspiracy to kill off dragons and magic. Especially when dragons already died out at the time of Aegon III why would the succeeding generations of maesters also carry this secret knowledge of when they basically (at least until the time of Daenerys) knew that all the Dragons and magic in the world had mostly died and had succeeded in their mission. There were also two Targaryens who were at the Citadel (one as an Archmaester and the other as a Maester). I do however believe that Maesters can be crooked and self serving as we have seen with someone like Grand Maester Pycelle.

[@andrewmartin2567]

I would love to see you revisit this topic after the later seasons, especially if the show visits the Nettles and sheep-stealer storyline. Instead of trying to use the power of her Dragon to control the world around her, she realizes that she actually has very little control and uses the power of her Dragon to enable her to run away from the conflict, there by freeing her self.

[@EJinSkyrim]

"He is an angry behemoth filled with kerosene," is just... MAN what a phrase! Also can I just applaud your smash cut between Vhagar doing her thing and Drogon being snippy? The WEIGHT. Bruh.

[@MrWizeazz]

I absolutely love Daemon’s giant Noodle Boy 🐉

[@paradoxus6098]

Caraxes is also my fav, either slightly over Drogon or very close to him, he looks and acts wicked and I love that ❤

[@Jon.A.Scholt]

My favorite as well. Caraxes, the Blood Wyrm, is definitely the most unique and the show, so far, has done a pretty good job at making it easier to differentiate the dragons. I just hope they continue to do so. Like Sunfyre should be golden, instead of some drab yellow color. Moondancer should be a light, seafoam green and not just some drab lightish green. I hope they continue to design dragons as unique as the Noodle Boy.

[@flux.aeterna]

YES I love his archaeopteryx leggy-wings!!!!

[@kunik61]

Same. He may look weird, but he is amazing and cute.

[@pimtooler6370]

Personally I thought the amount of screentime dedicated to the dragons are solid because they were used so sparingly. Its a show about succession conflicts, petty drama, and backstabbing, etc. The dragons and overall magical aspects of the world should only appear as wildcard elements within the story. To accelerate political conflicts that would normally last for generations in our real world history, into a relatively short amount of time. Like how a medieval siege historically could last for months, but in the show a single dragon could just decimate a castle in 5 seconds. It makes the story constantly engaging and intense, because there's probability of conflicts accelerating while still maintaining unpredictability, since they've now established that dragons are inherently wild animals, that won't always obey its master's orders like a pokemon or something...

[@poop696969poop]

RE: wildcard elements That is effectively the reason the Maesters give for opposing magic in general

[@AshePBlack]

Lol well they had to as targaryens are dragon lords but they way Martin sets up rules of magic, which is there's always consequences, I'd agree balance was good and even if dragons arnt used 24/7, they get plenty of screen time

[@dudeat1320]

They haven't earned enough Pokémon Gym Badges

[@XKathXgames]

Guess Aemond just didn't have enough GYM badges...

[@androkguz]

The magic is a wild card, but the dragons are nukes. They are actually decently predictable. Dangerous and wild, but not random

[@SpottedHares]

You really put it perfectly, a dragon is worse than a Nuke. They are nukes that have allowed their handles to use their power, but only because they have allowed it.

[@happilyevernever4289]

Weren't they subjugated via blood magic in the first place and then tamed for thousands of years?

[@technicaldeathmetalhead]

Dragons fulfill the same role as lightning. You can study it and harness it, but never truly ignore it. Ironic that Thunder/Sky gods clash against Dragons and Serpents so often in Japan, Judaism, Mesopotamia and other cultures.

[@ShadeStormXD]

the battles between susanoo and yamata-no-orochi, is epic

[@halostill-alive5790]

Oh boy, if you knew how many times Drogon in the books have been mentioned as a "coming storm" or his wings making sounds similar to a thunder 😅

[@SighingDm]

Interestingly some in world theories state that the dragons were actually made by the Valyrian Blood Sorcerers/Fire mages from Wyverns. So they are literally forged weapons with supernatural powers and an animal side. Very cool creatures and a shame that GoT misused them so badly. I'm glad HotD is doing a better job.

[@바보Queen]

i really like the idea that the dragons are basically their pyro magic power... instead of his original plan of just having fire magic

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

The Hungarian Horntail is my absolute FAVORITE dragon is all of fiction as I've always loved how aggressive fierce and ferocious it looked in design as it was shown in the movie and depicted in boxart images for the film it's in. Absolutely NOTHING about the horntail looked friendly in nature and I loved that about it as that seemed like the most natural state of what a dragon SHOULD be. Ferocious beasts that are too dangerous to comprehend and manage in anyway that people REALLY should not be messing with it as it would only bring inevitable backlash from being too dangerous to control.

[@snakething87]

Prideful carelessness is one of the better descriptions of a dragon’s personality I’ve heard.

[@CoconutmilkFilms]

Never thought the topic of dragons could be explained from so many viewpoints. I found the categorization you used very valid, and it's interesting how HOTD utilizes dragons both as animals and creatures rising above humanity. They are VIEWED as animals to be controlled and subdued, but in reality are forces of nature that cannot be wielded like a sword.

[@josefinehansen6096]

I see people asking about the cosmic dragon at 5:50 , so: The clip is from a cinematic trailer for the release of a playable character from the game League of Legends. His name is Aurelion Sol and his personality and one-liners/quotes are golden! He's arrogant in that charming, badass way.

[@trevorwinn5012]

That shot of Vhagar at Stormsend was fucking amazing ! They finally showed a proper scale of how big she really is !

[@cupidsfavouritecherub9327]

Hoooly shit lol when you mentioned Dragon Booster you unlocked a whole cascade of memories. I had completely forgotten that show until now

[@georgedowling7744]

The dragons remind me very much of monitor lizards. They’re too small for a human to ride(even the big ones), but a lot of the bonding is possible to a smaller extent. The dragons are a little more mammalian in behavior, but monitor lizards will be the closest we can get to having dragons.

[@AshePBlack]

They were never in wild, dragons are a cross of fire worms and wyvern. When people claim dragons came out of air if they assumed they were wild, nope, they were created in eras prior. Sorry, I love the lore, the lizardness maybe cuz wyvern?

[@ashishgeorgechandy8501]

In the how to train your dragon books hiccup could talk to dragons and the large sea dragons had telepathy and the ability to talk norse. But the selfishness of a dragon was well shown in the books that a dragon can't be counted on being there for the trainer when it's needed. But some tamed dragons to the extend they are militaristic and disciplined but like I stated before every dragon has a selfish side but some like toothless decides to put aside their serpentine side to save their masters due to the extend their masters go to befriend them.

[@tonichan89]

It should be noted though that the line about the show dragons "being as smart as humans" (or "smarter") is a line that, afaik, D&D wrote when GRRM wasn't involved in the show anymore; it is a huge contradiction the earlier narrative in the show where it was (to my memory) claimed/established they're more on the level of dogs or something when it comes to intellect. If someone recalls better than me about the dog-intellect comparison, feel free to correct me!

[@maxicam5980]

The claim that the dragons are uncontrollable is an exageration in my eyes, i mean they clearly can do whatever they want whenever they want as no one can stop them, yet 99% of the time they do what their riders command them to do, even if they don't want to, like when Vhagar killed Laena

[@flux.aeterna]

If it were a matter of Vhagar being controllable like a dog, she would have obeyed on the first or second command from Laena. The show made a point of Laena having to ask 4-5 times and focused on Vhagar’s face, which appeared to express confusion, scrutinizing Laena as if to ask “are you sure this is what you want?” It seems like Vhagar only fulfilled Laena’s request when she understood her rider to be in deep distress and pain. I think it’s less that they’re uncontrollable and more that while the dragons can develop bonds, that they have a clear intelligence and free will, and as Vhagar shows us, will make their own choices, human intent be damned.

[@halostill-alive5790]

I think people forgets the obvious fact that they are protective of their riders and "share" their emotions or like one the maesters said "feel an eco of the riders emotion". In the book Vhagar roared when Aemond got mauled by this then is not far fetched that Arrax and Vhagar are at odds because Aemond and Lucerys are at odds.

[@nidohime6233]

A bear tamed since birth also can follow commands 99% of the time, but when that 1% where it doesn't obey you happens you would be lucky if you still have a face on your skull.

[@karlwikman3874]

It almost seems like when Vhagar killed Luke against Armons orders, she was doing it out of spite the petty, cruel and insecure nature of her rider. Not out of any sense of morality, but just becuase Aemon was beneath her.

[@constantinetranos2225]

Bonding and control isn't the same thing.

[@xeno2319]

I appreciate the Lair background music used. My childhood right there my guy.

[@birgitteandersen5886]

I was waiting for the Dragonheart reference. One of my favorite movies of all time.

[@cephasoj108]

This video is top tier, truly you explained what makes game of thrones' dragons so special.

[@trehubb6144]

Well done 👍. Season 2 will definitely increase our love for Dragons

[@saltlakeatrocity9771]

I think a fair bit about westeros dragons was lost by the shows' not including the books heavy focus on warging as an essential component of the world. GoT had some warging, but in the books its so heavily ingrained that many characters are implied to have subconscious warg relationships theyre not even aware of. Imho westerosi dragons are such a direct extension of this warging magic system that it feels insufficient to discuss them without touching on it.

[@atelalafford4794]

Not a minute in but i already agree wholeheartedly.

[@billyalarie929]

Seconded.

[@ebonysoldier]

Amazing video as always. I play a game called monster hunter and one of the best fights is Lao shan Lung. Lao is trying to escape another dragon but is so large that he really only hits you accidentally as he lumbers through a mountain pass. The goal being to reroute Lao as his path if continued will destroy a town.

[@Revanshard4501]

I would argue that the dragons from the Inheritance Cycle fit all the same categories as well. They are, at their core, apex predators with instincts to match, have intelligence equal to or more than a human, immense power, and they have bonds with certain humans. Bonds that can allow either to influence the morality and thought patterns of each other, as well allow them to be used as weapons of war.

[@FellsApprentice]

Yeah, it's even a plot point that the only reason Saphira doesn't gorge herself on the opposing war dead is that Eragon insists that she not, and she's not particularly happy about how complicated that makes it to feed herself.

[@kochsalz3197]

I love Robin Hobb's depiction of dragons in the realm of the elderlings series. They're right in the middle between what you call supernatural and natural dragons.

[@spearshake4771]

I started reading the first book a week ago and I have to say (being a fan of George RR Martin's ASoIaF) Assassin's Apprentice just pulled me in with the first chapter. I'm busy with exams now though so I put reading on hold but once I'm done I can't wait to get through the whole series written so far.

[@Njabulo.Masuku]

0:28 I’ve loved them “…since the days of old Valyria”😂😂😂

[@motorcitymangababe]

I feel like this video explains why I keep thinking "These people don't deserve their dragons if they are just gonna kill them all in a stupid war" Idk what else you could do with a dragon, but holy shit not a good idea. A dragon isn't a slave? Ok but it's also not a tool. It's not a warhorse. Like you said its an eldritch fire god.

[@Varatil]

Hell yes! I've been hoping for this video since the moment HotD wrapped up.

[@Comet-Man3015]

LOVE you for showing Aurelion Sol🐲🌠

[@Stolanis]

Aurelion is a special example for me because not only does he speak like a self-important prima donna artiste, he is a dragon that breathes STARFIRE and makes the very stars in the sky. He's everything I love about the arrogance and power of dragons dialed up to 11. I really hope his rework delivers on that fantasy.

[@Ntwolf1220]

@@Stolanis man it sure was fun to kill people with my spinny circles though, I hope they don’t change him too much. I do realize I’m in the minority enjoying it lol

[@Alexander-kc8oq]

"I love dragons" - A wise man

[@GustavoSilva-ny8jc]

0:27 WHOAH, time machine, i had forgot about that. Great show.

[@lucasaraujo5446]

MY FAVORITE EP OF YOUR CHANNEL. I LOVED, AS ALWAYS

[@AliIKarimi]

Small note but you forgot to mention the dragon tapestries in King's Landing. There are several tapestries showing men with dragon heads having sex. You can see these in Viserys's room and Alicent's room in several scenes - they were produced for the show. The tapestries represent the dragon also as a subconscious element on the show - the 'being a dragon' or feeling like one is an essay in tyranny and the power-complex, particularly in relation to masculinity. The tapestries show how the notions of Targaryen exceptionalism, desire for unbridled reckless power, lack of accountability and the notion of virility is a confluence of dragon wielding and masculinity, so the show uses dragons to also - in a way- touch on fragile masculinity and gender (and thus power) as a space of violence without accountability.

[@AshePBlack]

Targaryen literally are dragon kin because by blood magic they have literal dragon blood, hybrid babies, it's not just symbolism

[@AliIKarimi]

@@AshePBlack Great point - would say they don't really explore it in the show as the babies only are shown as stillborn rather than the dragon hybrids they are in the books. But agree that the tapestries can be understood both literally and metaphorically.

[@dac314]

Also, have you come across the Temeraire series of novels? They're natural dragons, used as weapons, but are highly intelligent and reasoning, in some cases.

[@stephenbyrneireland]

This is my favorite video of yours. Thank you

[@BlackHand531]

Imagine if the stark dire wolves were as big as elephants. It would be a good comparison. But with them, there's more control because it's less of a partnership and more of a taming.

[@empatheticrambo4890]

By the way, if you want fantasy with the blood of war and death, I’d recommend the Witcher book series. The Peter Kenney audiobooks are incredible (quite a disturbing world, to a degree. Very medieval but fantastical. Cynical but humanistic)

[@spearshake4771]

Yes the Witcher books are amazing and if you like dark fantasy I would also highly recommend it

[@dylanmay4993]

I already love your videos, then you mentioned your love of dragons in such a way in this video that I love your content even more.

[@luissg2401]

Dude thank you so much I've been looking for dragon booster for a long time but could never quite remember the name.

[@parkerpshebnisky1051]

As a dragon fan I loved your video! 🐉 👍👍

[@flux.aeterna]

Thank you for putting into words what I only experienced in vibes ❤︎ MORE HOTD TALK IN THE FUTURE PLEASE ❤︎

[@Sam-de6qx]

My bro here talked about Dragon Booster! DRAGON BOOSTER! Someone inserts Stoick's _You're as beautiful as the day I lost you_ meme here pls. I miss that show. It had a fresh concept, the animation was slick, a unique power system (which I picked up once watched a few videos on them) the transformations and powers were Awesomesauce, Artha and Mordred's rivalry, the symbolism, the promised transformation of four more Boosters, the CLIFFHANGER OF DRAGON BOOSTER ACADEMY! I want to see more of it... I want to see it return... Samurai Jack style.

[@grekoy]

Dragon Booster was awesome when I was a kid.

[@Sam-de6qx]

@@grekoy Dude Dragon Booster is still awesome now. If you re watch it, it holds up!

[@Chiiyaam]

This is the first time I'm coming across your videos, I'm impressed! Top-Stuff! 👏🏼

[@AssasinZorro]

This discussion reminded me of the book series Dragonriders of Pern. Mom likes this book series, I've read it a long time ago. She insists that I need to GM a game in this universe

[@nickotronick7725]

What’s going to get interesting as the show goes along is that the dragons will walk a fine line between weapons of mass destruction and merely a tool in an army’s toolbox akin to an Air Force. Unlike nukes, dragons can be called off or influenced towards a more precise target, and like both nukes and aircraft, you can destroy your enemy with them. However, you cannot conquer an enemy or occupy their territory without armies of men.

[@Vhagar_CaneCorso]

Excellent video. Excellent passion for our beloved Dragons .

[@jimjohnson6944]

I personally couldnt care less about dragons and honestly prefer my fantasy without them. But you bring up some interesting points about how HOTD combines the archetypes successfully

[@monterazee1579]

Idk whether he read fire and blood or not but for anyone reading the comments after this s2 ep4 came out two days ago and this is insanely spot on

[@BlueTorchWeddings]

Your Breakdowns are legendary

[@empatheticrambo4890]

I feel like Avatar: The Last Avatar have some of the most definitive spiritual dragons, going off your definition

[@he2875]

Did not expect to see Aurelion Sol here.

[@jeagerpoelse]

really enjoying this channel man since the arcane video

[@jgg0207]

as always, awesome content!

[@AchanCham_]

Awesome video!

[@logan5818]

Well, knew it would happen one day, you've finally convinced me to watch game of thrones

[@barend4285]

Awesome vid man!

[@jomeotrashgod1098]

I can't wait to see what you have to say about the canibal

[@thereccher8746]

HOTD is the definition of a flawed masterpiece. The middle episodes had too many rushed storylines and illogical moments, but the first and last acts were peak television.

[@nostalgicbliss5547]

The time skips affected the quality plus some shock value moments like the knights brutalizing themselves in episode 1. Cole killing an invited guest in the wedding rehearsal of the heir and also striking her betrothed with no consequences. Rhaenys girlboss moment in episode 9. That whole explosion should have killed her. Time skips meant that some of the side characters were not properly developed and to much exposition of important moments rather than showing these moments to build more emotional connection to the characters. These were the main issues, some of the establishing shots and CGI were concerning in the earlier episodes. Also Miguel Sapochnik is not good at directing love making scenes. Also Daemon killing his wife was rushed, in the books he was still fighting in the stepstones when she died. Also they made him too petulant in the earlier episodes. He almost came off more like Ramsay Bolton than the Rogue prince. The stepstones plot was not handled well and Daemon's Rambo moment was badly choreographed and directed. Even the music was not inspiring in that charge of his. It seemed pretty contrived. All around I would say it was 7.5/10 season. Showed potential for greatness at times, but didn't hit all the right notes. Season 2 has potential to be one of the best seasons in TV history if it's well written and paced.

[@allthenewsordeath5772]

@@nostalgicbliss5547 Like I’ve read the timeline so I’m probably not gonna watch the show, as I don’t really feel like watching 30 more episodes of basically nothing but depression, I mean three separate child characters torn apart by angry mobs just seems a little excessive even for George RR Martin. Like canonically speaking here only three characters in the whole show get anything resembling a relatively happy ending, and basically none of the Targaryen’s do. I know there’s an argument to be made that it’s the journey and not the destination that matters, but the issue with adapting material like this is that typically in a story you need your characters to have goals and make progress towards those goals and even if there’s setbacks there needs to be a payoff for the audience, when 90% of your cast dies and all but one of the characters in your main cast dies, mostly without rhyme or reason in the brutality of war or whatever, it makes it very difficult to have those payoffs.

[@Edaxidous]

The only reason I watched game of thrones was cause of the dragons and the way they were portrayed as nukes as you said and I want to do it the same as this but I want it to cost more. What would an intelligent creature so mentally and physically powerful even want, what would such a creature even do. I see why they portray them sleeping all the time. It’s an easy out. Maybe I can raise the environmental states to match. An uncertainty factor. So many small pieces moving the future becomes uncertain, for the readers and the characters. Definitely something to mull over.

[@ekx5120]

Like the Canal+ feel

[@GardensAndGames]

I'm interested to see the Targaryen bastards try to ride the unclaimed dragons. The Dragon in the movie Dragonslayer: Vermithrax Pejorative, was one of the best Dragons ever, especially in the pre-CGI era. It was bestial, but talked about like a plague or a natural disaster, approaching the supernatural but amoral aspect you me tion of the show dragons.

[@Calebgoblin]

"I love dragons" I smash the like button It's simple

[@cynfaelalek-walker7003]

* draconic escalation* see what you did there.

[@Jillofalltradestuvm]

Dragonheart and How to train ur Dragon made me fall inlove with them but best features was the Hobbit and this

[@felicitys3621]

Can’t wait for you to do a video on Andor!!! The best Star Wars story ever

[@shadowgamer4306]

He needs to do a video on Andor!

[@halostill-alive5790]

Haha 13:00 Grrm has called them that himself

[@TheCrazyPlayer]

Dragons are far more terrifying than nuclear weapons. A hydrogen bomb doesn't get happy, or sad, or angry, or hungry; dragons do, and that's scary AF.

[@bobcancer9746]

There is no control, they choose to obey, and when they choose to disobey, you're screwed

[@drakejohnson5386]

An interesting spin off series could be a show about the faith or faiths in the world of game of thrones. The natural first choice would be the fire god, not because he is more real than any other, but because the series could balance it's world building with plenty of time watching Stannis do what he does in the series with greater focus and maybe some edits (I know that Stannis is very different from the books to the show. It would be cool to see "Stannis the Mannis" on TV.) The second season could be on the many faced god/God of death. Following the faceless men should give us plenty of action and maybe even a history of their order. (I do believe it was the faceless men that killed the 14 fire sorcerers at the same time, that caused the 14 volcanos to destroy old valyria.) We could follow jaqen h'ghar as a day in the life as his role as assassin, teacher and monk. When teaching recruits about how death is a gift, we can go to flashbacks to see the most impactful assassinations in history. The last faith I would want to explore is that of the 7, or rather the one, or rather the stranger. This would be the hardest, as a part from the invasion and evangelism of the andals, there isn't a single character we can attach the season to. And I do think the 7 is just a mask for having a death cult surrounded by the stranger, but with the trapping of relatability that makes a death cult palatable. The final season can show the true gods and their strength, that being the old weirwood trees. We could follow the first men, the children of the Forrest and even the first long night.

[@violetleporid]

I need you to know that every time you show me a clip from the Eragon movie, a part of me dies.

[@danime35]

10:31 As soon as you mention children controlling gods: "Pokemon!"

[@allthenewsordeath5772]

The show by all indications is going to be pretty good but I still don’t think I’m gonna watch it, as wile a Greek tragedy or a Shakespearean tragedy only takes four hours to get through, watching 40 episodes of your favorite characters dying in horrible ways or going crazy, or whatever else, it’s just rather extreme, and I’m not a masochist. Like I’m sure some of the characters will get really good arcs, but the whole reason for the dance of the dragons in the first place is to wipe out the dragons and narrow the Targaryen bloodline, so most of the deaths are just kind of horrible and meaningless, and wether it is George trying to be “realistic” or whatever, it’s not very compelling to me.

[@HxH2011DRA]

It's no wonder Viserys never claimed another dragon

[@adlerofrowe9224]

Riders can't claim another dragon, dragons can get new riders. The lifetimes are to different

[@HxH2011DRA]

@@adlerofrowe9224 is that ever said explicitly?

[@Vampirewolfking]

@@adlerofrowe9224 we don't know that. Viserys is the only one whose dragon died of natural causes, and he didn't feel the need for a new one. He only rode Balerion once.

[@amyra8159]

@@HxH2011DRA yes, dragon can bond with another dragon in its long lifespan, but a dragonrider can only claim one dragon in their entire lifetime

[@amyra8159]

@@Vampirewolfking do you think a Targaryen king wouldn't want to bond with another dragon? He just can't

[@kjellduteweert9262]

Also I would some of the bonds are different Rhaenrya and Deamon have a different bonds. Then Aemond and Lucerys what can see when one of ths riders is hurt.

[@suto5704]

More House of the dragon videos please

[@RTDice11]

I think the distinction between dragon types is a bit too simple. There's a subtype of 'low-fantasy, high-intellect' dragons seen in Temeraire, Age of Fire/Dragoneer, The Witcher (arguably), and heaps of indie fiction that I think take the best aspects of both

[@adlerofrowe9224]

Well good for you buddy. You're so smart.

[@Stolanis]

@@adlerofrowe9224 Don't be a dick, guy. OP was trying to add to the discussion by introducing more classification and examples.

[@adlerofrowe9224]

@@Stolanis you may interpret my response in that way. You're very perceptive with how you read comments with no tone or anything to that like. Good job buddy, you're very smart.

[@Ntwolf1220]

Legit 10/10 video

[@Sui_Generis0]

00:47 as you know, HOTD is a prequel. I guess you just mean releasing at a later date?

[@SaskDuder]

If you had a "Join" button, you are probably one of the very, very few channels on KZbin for whom I would actually hit it

[@shadowgamer4306]

Can you make a video where you cover Star Wars Andor?

[@gagecrewe7798]

Hey, Aurelion Sol, neat.

[@sapling_parajito]

Hey, in the 12+ minute range is a song with flutes and ethereal vocals - what music is this? :) Also, excellent video. I really appreciated your analysis, I think it was spot on.

[@joyelizabethmellinger]

We deserve the Dragons. The Targaryans deserve us. 👍💯I love this shit. I'm down to the bitter end. 💯✌

[@matttheking1655]

Dragons are probably one of the most mythical creatures across all cultures and continents..🤔👌

[@zachryder3150]

The thumbnail might not stand out enough. I could barely tell what it was about by scrolling down by subscription list.

[@thalmoragent9344]

To be fair, the Dragons are less so Nuclear Bombs, and more so Fighter Jets/Bombers. An Air-Force in Medieval times is essentially what Dragons are.

[@nicholassealstern]

Where can I go to download your Rattlesnake Jake video?

[@Julianna78]

YEs I love all this nerdy shit.