House of the Dragon 2x2 REACTION!! "Rhaenyra the Cruel"

[@BlindWave]

GO BEYOND at blindwave.com and watch Full Length Reactions and 4 WEEKS Early Access!! Blind Wave BEYOND Members can watch the Full Length Reaction to this Episode HERE: blindwave.com/video/house-of-the-dragon-2x02-full/

[@Wolf6119]

The look on Otto’s face when he asked “And WHAT… has Ser Criston done?” was priceless. Dude looked like he was about to puke from the sheer headache he could sense coming his way. Rhys Ifans and Tom Glynn-Carney both acted the shit out of this episode.

[@not_ian5543]

Him saying "Gods help us all" needs to become a meme. I was literally laughing out loud at 1:00 in the morning

[@govinddas7876]

@@not_ian5543 Its already a GIF lmao. Saw it on twitter as soon as the episode was done

[@elliewilliams9746]

bet he misses viserys 🤣

[@SoranotRoxas]

Tha acting was phenomenal 👏

[@costco_pizza]

Criston Cole truly is EVIL! 😱 He makes Ramsay look like a saint by comparison. I have not seen a more despicable and evil character than Criston!

[@coachrd22]

Not Criston Cole trying to gaslight Arryk for Jaehaerys murder. 😭

[@JohnSilverHawkins]

While he is reprehensible, Cole was off duty. That is why he is out of his armor in Aemond's room. His shift was over. The night shift was Arryk's who was with Aegon in the throne room. They just never imagined that Helaena or the children would be targeted. She had no personal guard designated.

[@garlantyrell6368]

@@JohnSilverHawkinsAnd even after Jaehaerys’s death, she still doesn’t have a guard beside her. Only two handmaidens.

[@user-luciddream]

he was projecting his own guilt onto him i think

[@camerondowney6413]

But why does the actual queen not have a guard?!! Screw Alicent, she’s a dowager queen. No one cares.

[@kylethompson3008]

​@@JohnSilverHawkinsThere's an interview on IGN with the actor who plays Criston and even he says he was supposed to be protecting them and that's why him and Alicent feel guilty

[@iccy6039]

Fun fact: after Aegon had all the rat catchers hung, the red keep only ever used cats to catch rats which is why you see them running around in Game of Thrones

[@reinsaxony4623]

And Otto was the one to buy 100 cats and release them in the Red Keep, so this was one of Otto's biggest legacies, he solved the rat problem, made some cuts in the budget by not having to hire and pay the ratcatchers ( cats don't need a salary ), and ended any chances of some ratcatchers figuring out Maegor's tunnels and using it to break in the Red Keep and murder someone again.

[@Varekai0723]

Maybe cats work well as ratters in Westeros but in our world, terriers are the superior ratter.

[@J0ECrAWF15H]

@@Varekai0723 lol no, cats are top at catching rats.

[@reinsaxony4623]

@@Varekai0723 Dogs lack the agility to catch rats, and they can't climb or sneak in certain places, they basically have no ambush skills.

[@Varekai0723]

@@J0ECrAWF15H Terriers were literally bred to hunt rats, but go on.

[@govinddas7876]

I love how we all collectively thought the body was gonna drop onto the street when the carriage was stuck

[@Jamiiemac]

It’s not confirmed but I got a feeling it was filmed and cut, or the original plan was for the body/head to fall off. Then they changed their minds after realising the fear and anticipation was bad enough 😭

[@govinddas7876]

@@Jamiiemac Yeah I thought that as well. I kept saying "there's no way" over and over until that scene was over 😭

[@BhBc8f8]

This is the G.O.T universe

[@pnut3844able]

99% of possible scenarios cross my mind on this show, but that one never did. My wife caught on and thought it was going to happen.

[@TheRAH14]

I thought it would happen, and every reactor I've watched has thought it. We've just learned, in Westeros, to expect the absolute worst thing to happen in pretty much every situation

[@ailimesv5]

The last two scene with Alicent and Otto and Alicent and Aegon are mirror to each other. Alicent wanted to open up to her father, and Otto didn’t want to confront or hear her at all. Immediately after, Alicent failed to find a way to comfort Aegon, who probably needed his mother there with him in that moment. It’s a cycle of generational trauma. On the other end, Rhaenyra was able to hug and grieve with Jace, show her love for him, because she had a father who showed her affection and his love for her growing up.

[@reinsaxony4623]

Otto did a lot more for Alicent than Alicent did for Aegon tho. Otto hugged her on the first season, he comforted her with some words after B&C and took her hands on his in their last scene together. Alicent just stared at Aegon and left to commit treason with Cole.

[@ailimesv5]

@@reinsaxony4623 Otto literally pimped her out to gain power for his legacy and place his blood on the throne. I think he loves Alicent, in his own way, but only shows care to her when she agrees to help him in his scheming and is on his side of the argument. Alicent has cared and shown love for her children before but I think in this moment in the story, her guilt and knowing she is partially responsible for leaving the kids unguarded is preventing her from connecting with anybody. She feels dirty and undeserving of acting like a mother, which she longes to be.

[@scotthewitt258]

Crispin Cole is the poster child for "failing upwards"..... Two, three more "mistakes", HE'LL be King.....

[@outlander1998]

An inspiration to us all

[@tb4076]

Lmao as someone who hasn't read the books, there's still a small part of me that believes this might all just end with him on the throne. Cole's "mistake" is he's always having sex with the person one away from the throne. First princess Rhaenyra, then Dowager Queen Allicent. Maybe he should try Helaena and see what happens

[@FrolleinMiez]

Crispy Cole is such a disappointment. 😅

[@randyk_18]

Crispin Cole? Don't think that's a character.

[@FrolleinMiez]

@@randyk_18 you're right. It's Crispy Cool. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@Mike-the-Jedi]

"You're destroying the world your dad built!" Profoundly put.

[@havok6280]

Maybe if Viserys spent half as much time raising his son as building his model, we wouldn't be here. Also Viserys didn't build this world. He inherited it. Jahaerys built this world.

[@viktorstagnetti7491]

@@havok6280 You can't be serious. Viserys was falling apart physically. Alicent should have spent more time with her kids. It's obvious they ALL lack a loving support system. She can't even be bothered to console her son and is more concerned with Helaena exposing her relationship with Cole than she is her. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra's kids seem perfectly well-adjusted.

[@TheTeddyGuy28]

@@viktorstagnetti7491 Aemond probably would have been a good person if it wasn't for the bullying and then the lost eye. I think Helaena is just screwy because of her prophetic visions. Viserys not picking up on her being a dreamer is a big failure, since he was obsessed with the idea himself he was the only one with a chance of seeing his daughter as more than just a bit 'touched'.

[@anotheryoutubeuser]

@@viktorstagnetti7491 Nah man, Viserys was a terrible person when it came to Alicent and her kids. He only cared about Rhaenyra and her family.

[@ducksauce9187]

@@havok6280 why would Viserys have to care about raising his son when HES NOT THE HEIR.. Rhaenyra is the rightful heir. And she was raised good

[@thedarkknight2221]

The fight between Erryk and Arryk was one of the hardest fights I’ve ever had to watch because of the fact that these brothers have been forced by circumstances to kill each other even though they still love each other. And it’s really heartbreaking that Erryk apologized to Rheanyra before he fell on his sword because while he was always faithful he didn’t want to live in a world without his brother.

[@leisastalnaker3790]

I saw the twins playing Erryk and Arryk interviewed. They said they practiced for over 30 hours to get it right. It shows.

[@markmullins8622]

The Tittensor twins have been awesome actors since the UK Shameless - nearly 20 years later they've only gotten better​@@leisastalnaker3790

[@ktanaka3486]

Arryk falls on his sword. Read the explanation below

[@Vurawn410]

I thought it was Arryk who was the last one standing? I could be wrong but I’m fairly sure it was Erryk who got his leg cut at the start and then the one with the leg wound was the one that got killed.

[@DonerJBump]

@@Vurawn410 they both had the same injuries

[@govinddas7876]

Otto fails to help Alicent find comfort. Alicent fails to help Aegon find comfort. Aegon fails to help Helaena find comfort. If they all just hugged I feel like it would solve some issues.

[@pnut3844able]

That's why Rhaenyra is the best. I fully expected her to tell Damon to leave when she found out, and she didn't disappoint.

[@sillygoose7646]

Imagine if the season finale is just Vizzy T’s ghost forcing everyone on both sides to go to therapy.

[@DavyJones_]

@@pnut3844ableI hope they start to bring in more shades of grey into her character as it is in the books, right now the show is far to biased

[@Mutazili]

Halaena hates to be touched...

[@Rps2800]

@@DavyJones_I would say they probably will considering they did it for Danerys but then again people kinda hated that so maybe they won’t

[@TearYouApart360]

The acting this episode was on another level. Rhys Ifans (Otto), Emma D'Arcy (Rhaenyra) and Tom Glynn-Carney (Aegon the Magnanimous) were the stand outs.

[@Ashbrash1998]

When Aegon named Cole hand, I actually considered if Cole was gonna sleep with him next. 😂 The man falls hard for anybody who praises him

[@LocksAndChains]

The season is young... Who knows what might happen?

[@qaaronrodgers2479]

Maybe Cole sleeps with Helaena next 🤔

[@rexibhazoboa7097]

@@qaaronrodgers2479 Keep Helaena away from impure substances please.

[@earth2saka]

@@qaaronrodgers2479 I'd sleep with her. Clearly the most sane person in this entire show lol!

[@barcodebear]

I already know the biggest heartbreak of this episode will be Eric watching Aegon destroying the city model 😭

[@MelynaSosa]

I thought I was the only one 🥲

[@TheTeddyGuy28]

As an extremely sentimental person, the idea literally makes my stomach hurt a little lmao.

[@IIReckllessII]

@@TheTeddyGuy28 No its truly sad, because as Vicesarys was really getting bed ridden and old he spends more and more time working on the model and after his death it really is a perfect allegory for his kingdom having his own children children destroy everything hes built and maintained without remorse for anything

[@queenxx1690]

Viserys care more about his lego than the rest of his kids

[@beingandtime]

@@queenxx1690 the “legos” are far more interesting than his Hightower offspring.

[@Triskaan]

Nope, that dragon wasnt Moondancer, it was Seasmoke. :) That was on Driftmark.

[@RasmaRose]

Was waiting for this comment!! 😎👍🏼

[@viktorstagnetti7491]

I assumed it was Seasmoke just based on the coloration.

[@sy1011]

That’s what I thought! Is Daemon going to bring back Laenor, to prove his devotion to Rhaenyra?

[@jamesruggieri7076]

@sy1011 Daemon is flying to harrenhal

[@rexibhazoboa7097]

@@sy1011 now why tf would bring back Laenor prove that?

[@computerthug8745]

When Aegon hung all the ratcatchers in King’s Land, Otto almost had an aneurysm. lol.

[@leonardoherrera9059]

Nah the show stated it was only the rat catchers in the castles employ.

[@MrJethroha]

True, but while it might turn King's Landing a little against the Greens, I doubt it would influence the great houses much, if they even hear about it. In terms of mustering an army, it's not of great consequence. But I think Otto recognized in that moment how little control he had and how bad a King Aegon could be. Thats been something he's neglected his whole career: actually raising the kids rather than just giving them orders in the guise of advice. He presumed that his grandchildren would be moldable like Alicent, but she at least had the love of her mother, these kids have no love and no real reason to respect Otto.

[@edwinsuijkerbuijk5106]

And this is why there are so many cats in the red keep during game of thrones.

[@rexibhazoboa7097]

@@MrJethroha i agree with everything you said. But kingslanding smallfolk's view of the greens and rheanyra is way more important that other smallfolks. Because this is where Rheanyra wants to rule. If smallfolk in oldtown dont like rheanyra, who cares? But here? It will make rheanyra's job of proving she is the rightful heir harder.

[@OrionInSpace]

I don’t know if I’ve ever transitioned as quick into feeling tension then when the brothers were walking around the castle and in one second I immediately lost track of which one was which. I kept thinking “No no no no no no wait wait wait wait wait wait which one is which?!?”😂

[@smittyjjensin558]

I just thought it was following the evil brother the whole time.

[@fishleaf1093]

That's interesting. From a bookreader's perspective, knowing what's coming, I didn't even try to keep up. I knew they intentionally made it so that we lose track of which is which, lol. Watching it, knowing they both die, didn't give me the tension of the moment. Rather it's like seeing a tragedy unfold. It's also seeing history being made, literally. (Not only Fire and Blood, A song of Ice and Fire talked about Sir Erryk and Arryk a lot, as well)

[@ninjabluefyre3815]

I never expected that stupid, stupid plan to even get that far.

[@OrionInSpace]

@@ninjabluefyre3815 as soon as the bad brother just walked in through the port I immediately said “Wait… how did the guards at the port not immediately stop him as he was coming off?!”😅

[@annakh2892]

​@@OrionInSpace the "bad" brother?..

[@Dan_G.R.S.]

Fun fact: Erryk and Arryk are the first ever named characters from the Dance of the Dragons mentioned in the main series. It's in one of the first Bran chapters, so it's a very, very old idea from George. Another fascinating fact is that Daemon and Alicent have never been mentioned in the main series

[@pastychong]

Yeah I found that out the hard way. Had been a show-only watcher until I read the books last year. Got a spoiler 77 pages in 😂

[@Vurawn410]

That is fascinating considering Daemon is his favourite character.

[@seanmorton4689]

the acting in this was phenomenal from top to bottom Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Rhys Ifans, Tom Glynn-Carney, Fabien Frankel, just to name a few all killed every scene they were in which is huge with an episode of only talking and no action... each character depicting guile, anger, cowardice, and all kinds of emotions and motivations perfectly on screen...

[@foulrot]

There aren't enough Emmys for all this good acting.

[@Vurawn410]

Yeah I saw people criticise Emma’s acting last season which I never understood. Particularly in this episode, I thought she was excellent.

[@MelynaSosa]

@@foulrot I feel sorry for some actors because this year the Emmys are going to go to Shogun (which I love) Phia deserves an award, I don't know which one but it has to be given!

[@foulrot]

@@MelynaSosa there have been so many good shows and performances this year, someone is gonna be disappointed at the Emmys but at least it won't be for it going to a lesser performance.

[@holysecret2]

I wouldn't say no action, the fight scene between the brothers was a big deal. But nothing large scale, that is true. I wonder how well HOTD will be handling large scale action scenes. I seem to remember only one such big moment where Rhaenys fled from King's Landing. Many think that was quite a blunder by the show because of how many thousands of civilians she must have killed in the process, which was not addressed at all. So I'm cautiously looking forward to how well they will be planning things out next time.

[@govinddas7876]

The dragon that was seen flying above Addam was Seasmoke, previously ridden by Laenor

[@leonardoherrera9059]

In a interview the actors for aegon and haelena had to petition the directors to have a conversation or a scene together but the only scene they got was them staring at eachother at the hallway lol.

[@Vinlander95]

Literally all Aegon had to do to get the proper ratcatcher without killing the others was to bring them all before Helaena and have her identify the right one since she was a witness to the murder.

[@cassierayrao7472]

I think in all her grief, suffering, and post traumatic disconnect she wouldn’t be that much of a help

[@Ashbrash1998]

​@@cassierayrao7472Based on what? She is still very aware of her surroundings and spoke to her mother.

[@cassierayrao7472]

@@Ashbrash1998she was already sensitive and different before the murder, putting her back in that experience of possibly seeing the man that did it could make her spiral and become more despondent

[@BhBc8f8]

He's killing 2 birds with one stone. Justice for his son and sending a message of "strength"

[@LS13.]

Don’t think it’s that easy after what she just saw. Parading men in front of her to point stuff out … nah. Especially with how trauma works. Many family victims of murderers don’t even like to see them in court for their sentencing.

[@itsrickus3582]

"The Hand of the King is finger blasting his mom." "......it's very hand appropriate." God damn it, Eric.

[@FrolleinMiez]

Had me in fucking stitches 😅😅😅

[@harshahir3176]

I'll one up him, alicent is having sex with her son's hand

[@holysecret2]

Ohh, I only realize now what he meant by that 😆

[@barcodebear]

IF CRISTON COLE HAS NO HATERS LEFT ON THIS EARTH, WE'RE ALL VERY VERY DEAD CAN I GET AN AMEN???

[@charroboo]

No, you cannot

[@barcodebear]

@@charroboo damn... can't beat that

[@Sensationalhehe]

Amen🙏

[@arabizaman8722]

AMEN!!!

[@mellisima6451]

Amen!!

[@thedarkknight2221]

Fabien Frankel and Tom Glynn-Carney are EARNING their paychecks by giving us incredible performances, and what’s really funny is that in real life they are absolute sweethearts.

[@Marcus_1001]

Absolutely. Emma D'Arcy and Matt Smith, too.

[@scotthewitt258]

"And where were you, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard?!?!?" "I was "protecting " the Queen Dowager. From her reaction, I'm sure she felt "protected " at least three times."

[@Marcus_1001]

18:58 That dragon was Seasmoke. It's the dragon that was ridden by Laenor Velaryon when they were fighting the Crab Feeder in episode 3 of season one.

[@skills4u2envy]

@@angeo3830 Spoilers much?

[@Marcus_1001]

@@angeo3830 WTF?? Do you not know what a spoiler is? smh

[@SoranotRoxas]

*Can we just all appreciate how great the acting was in this episode? The cinematography was also really good. Absolutely phenomenal* 👏 💯

[@MelynaSosa]

100%

[@Pigmy145]

Yes it was great 💯

[@scotthewitt258]

Mysaria met both twins together in season one when the Usurper was missing after the old king died. In the last episode, when she was found on the boat, she said to Erryk "Weren't there two of you the last time?" Someone had to remind me of the last episode thing, BTW.

[@rexibhazoboa7097]

"The last time we met there were two of you" Is what she said on the both I'm sure.

[@MrJethroha]

AltShiftX had a really good observation about Criston literally 'vibrating' with pent up emotions. He so filled with anger, shame, lust, fear, stress etc. and he can't express ANY of it, he can't confess anything, or he'd get his head chopped off ten times over. The dude is the last person in the entire Red Keep I'd trust as Hand of the King, including the foot guy. The dude has failed upwards for years now and we're going to see what it's like when he's actually in charge of things.

[@reinsaxony4623]

Cole is a great soldier and general though so in times of war he is a good choice for Hand. Kevan Lannister explains it with Randyll Tarly.

[@godusopp2752]

Guy if Rheanyra wanted to know if the right twin won all she would have to ask him was to repeat something that he was in the room for during the meetings, Like "Who spoke up against me when I said I didn't have the child killed"

[@rexibhazoboa7097]

Thank you! So many people dont think

[@sblood311]

The scene between Rheanyra and Daemon was top-notch, honestly, the acting was amazing. When she looked at him at the end and called him pathetic, like she was seeing him clearly for the first time, was so freaking good! Like, give Emma D'Arcy an Emmy. I do think that Daemon said "A son for a son". and I do think he meant it to happen the way that it did. I think Daemon is on Rheanyra's side though and I really hope that he shows her that by the end of the season.

[@carlypowell_7]

Otto Hightower had a Scar moment with Aegon and Criston Cole, "I am Surrounded by Idiots"

[@quasarone3083]

The fight between the twins is such a perfect summary of the whole show. God i love it when shows are written well

[@jacobvozzo2934]

When Helaena was seeing the stuff floating down in Kings Landing during the funeral it reminded me of the ash from the bells episode in GOT. Was she having some kind of vision then?

[@Elnont]

Glad more people are praising Rhys Ifans. Otto is a great character but he works very much in the background/subtly so I think some people underestimate how great the performance is.

[@jpa5038]

Man during the funeral scene, when the wagon wheel got stuck and the casket was rocking back and forth, I thought the Prince's head was going to fall off. That fight at the end was as brutal as it was tragic.

[@scotthewitt258]

Otto is more upset over the death of the ratcatchers than he is the death of his grandson for a reason. One advanced his scheme, one set it back.....

[@pnut3844able]

I don't think he's THAT cold. He did seem to handle his grandsons death rather well, but I'm sure it hurt him. With the rat catchers, it affected the entire realm so he was angry, which he seems to show far more than sentimentality

[@emanuel81111]

​​​@@pnut3844able hes psychopath, he acts emotions only if it servers him, hes north is firm towards power, and only cares about his family because they help him achieve power, im sure he would spill a few tears for his daughter's death but the next 30 minutes he will go back to his cold, calculated powerhungry plotting and schemeing

[@judigemini178]

*Great grandson

[@holysecret2]

@@emanuel81111 That's nowhere near enough to be calling him a psychopath. He is brutally rational, as arguably any hand of the king should be. Even being manipulative and being interested in furthering your own and your tribe's interests is a very human and normal thing. Problematic? Yes. Psychopathic? Unlikely. Possible, but based on other reasons than this.

[@timothypolanco8622]

The fight between the twins was actually as tragic as written as in the book, the sorrows after each slash to eachother was incredible. If a nitpick could be made for that scene it would probably be that writers should have added the factor of the twins trying to convince eachother to stop and join their own side as their blades connected. If you ever get a chance, you should check out a song that was made for this battle called farewell my brother. I haven't check yet but I believed it is still on KZbin.

[@queenxx1690]

as always it is better in books

[@scotthewitt258]

"Your Grace, forgive me" works either way. Erryk knowing he has the "leave" because she can never be absolutely sure or Arryk has to "leave" because he sided with the Usurper. Of course, either would be devastated he had to kill his wombmate.

[@judigemini178]

The showrunner confirmed it was Erryk, lets all move on now

[@danno1375]

I dont think Arryk would acknowledge Rhaenyra as “Your Grace” when he doesnt see her as a rightful Queen

[@renzovasallo5778]

Arryk is loyal to Aegon, thats the whole point of the twins, they get separated because of their different believes

[@scotthewitt258]

@@renzovasallo5778 And people make mistakes. Maybe he had a "Why do we have baby-sized handcuffs?" moment when the people he sided with ordered to betray his knightly honour? And it ked directly to fighting his brother to the death.....

[@holysecret2]

@@danno1375 The tragedy and scarred conscience may just have changed his heart in the end. The Greens forced him on this immoral journey, breaking his vow of honor, breaking his soul, I can absolutely believe that he would have acknowledged Rhaenyra as a last act of defiance against the injustice that was inflicted on him.

[@Sith_Kermit]

Man viserys put so much damn time into that model 😢

[@jordanrivers5825]

Should’ve put it into his kids

[@Steddy]

Should have put a fraction of that time into raising his sons.

[@Laz4r96]

@@Steddy Correct, Fuck Viserys.

[@govinddas7876]

@@Steddy true

[@pnut3844able]

And even more into keeping the kingdom peaceful.

[@theindoorkites]

Tbh, Aegon hanging all the ratcatchers is actually good for their security. Maegor the Cruel got those secret tunnels built and killed all the workers that built the Red Keep to keep them hidden. The ratcatchers having access to the tunnels that open to the royal apartments became their biggest weakness and resulted in a toddler's death. i know Aegon wasn't thinking about keeping the Red Keep secure and impenetrable when he did it, but it's not 100% as dumb a move as Otto makes it out to be. In his grief and fury he did something that would get revenge and show his power in one move. It sent a message, but it also made him viewed negatively by the smallfolk again. (And i remember in the books, Otto brought in 100 cats into the Red Keep to replace the ratcatchers. And that's a nice tie-in with Game of Thrones 1x5 where Arya chases a cat into Maegor's tunnels and finds the dragon skulls. ) I also do believe Daemon 100% meant for it to happen. He has skewed morality and he must've known damn well that those two bumbling idiots wouldn't be able to kill Aemond. He definitely wanted the head of a son. He's lying lol. I LOVEED the acting in this episode!! Phia Saban, Tom Glynn-Carney, Emma D'Arcy, Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans, Olivia Cooke all gave incredible performances! And i loved the twins' fight, the choreography and the force they put behind their blows were really realistic it really felt like they meant it and it was gruesome and heartbreaking.. I'm gonna miss them i wish the twins stayed for longer..

[@holysecret2]

I do think it was 100% as dumb a move as Otto makes it out to be, simply due to the fact that Aegon did not know or consider this part at all. Any inadvertent beneficial consequences of the decision do not make the decision any smarter. That's like going out and killing a random person for fun, and you happen to have killed an absolute monster of a person and saving people's lives as a result. That does not make your initial decision and act in any way more redeemable, not even 1%. The reason for that, if we were to think of it categorically, other than the obvious legality aspect, would arguably be that if your logic and decision process did not account for that positive consequence in any way, you will make more such bad actions in the future, since you are not aiming at a positive outcome, you will in almost all cases still not achieve one. So even if his one action resulted in something positive, based on his logic behind that decision he is still condemnable.

[@KdeeBUBBLES444]

Otto was such a good PR manager

[@scotthewitt258]

Aaron is right. Cheese kicked the dawg.

[@TyrannosavageRekt]

Calvin incorrectly correcting the crew must be a meme by now 😅

[@augxman]

​@@TyrannosavageRektalways so confidently wrong 😂

[@holysecret2]

​@@augxman Being wrong is okay, but saying it so confidently (and repeatedly) is incomprehensible to me. I have, or at least I want to believe that I have, relatively rigorous categories of assumptions, beliefs and knowledge. I think you can state beliefs confidently, but they still need to be stated in a qualified way, like "pretty sure it's ABC", or "unless I'm mistaken, ...", at least as far as facts are concerned. There are other contexts where subjectivity is implied, such as debating the morality or ethics of something, where you don't always have to make such disclaimers or qualifiers. When you state things as fact, you bear the responsibility not only for your own reliability and reputation, but also for the well-being of the people around you. Option A) They believe you since you seem to know what you are talking about, they are misinformed and go on on this faulty basis, potentially causing conflicts for them in the future. Or option B) they find out that you were wrong, and draw one of two conclusions: 1) your word cannot be trusted, 2) nobody who states facts confidently can be trusted; potentially weakening the entire concept of discussion in their mind.

[@TyrannosavageRekt]

This episode did a very good job, perhaps better than any in the show’s current timeline (since Cooke & D’Arcy have taken over, and the kids have grown up), of showing the depth and nuance of the characters on *both* sides. I’ve never felt so much for Aegon & Otto. Well, except Criston Cole! Fuck that prick.

[@manvirshergill1739]

I did feel for Otto in that scene with Aegon but he bought this on himself by installing Aegon as king.

[@BhBc8f8]

Why's everyone so mad at cole lol, he's literally doing his job

[@KCohere33]

@@BhBc8f8I didn’t know his job was servicing the Queen

[@TyrannosavageRekt]

@@BhBc8f8 He clearly should have been on alert that night, instead of shagging Alicent. He isn’t man enough to take responsibility for his actions, so rather chooses to project his guilt onto Ser Arryk Cargyll. He’s a gaslighter, a simp, and a walking hypocrite. Everything he does betrays the vows he swore when joining the Kingsguard.

[@pnut3844able]

​@@BhBc8f8his job isn't to screw the Queen Regent. He'd be fired at the very least, if not killed. At least by traditional rules, which went out the window when Aegon made him hand. I told my wife during episode 1, Aegon can just make a law stating the leader of the gold cloaks no longer has a vow of celibacy.

[@jackson857]

15:36 That's the same brothel madam from season 1 episode 9 and the actress was also Fabien Frankel's acting teacher. 18:58 It was Seasmoke, Laenor's dragon that has been residing on Driftmark since he "died", not Moondancer.

[@Panster7]

One look at Daemon and they all know 😂

[@scotthewitt258]

COULD SOMEBODY PLEASE HUG HELAENA?!?!?

[@edwinsuijkerbuijk5106]

She was already working on her sons death shroud before her son got killed. During the scene when she says she is not afraid of the dragons but the rats.

[@queenxx1690]

Can someone hug Aegon ?

[@whatisreddin7367]

they know she hates physical contact.... did you pay 0 attention to any of her scenes in season 1?

[@reinsaxony4623]

That would just make things worse, she doesn't like physical contact, which makes me wonder how she managed to make children.

[@Outsyder216]

@@reinsaxony4623 We already know Aegon is a rapist, so there isn't much to wonder.

[@GopherBaroque61]

4:20 Tywin Lannister: Any man who must say, "I am the king" is no true king.

[@yazzio82]

yes...the great Tywin Lanester..

[@pnut3844able]

​@@yazzio82Lannister*

[@AstaraBrightwing]

Holy shit. It's been an entire two minutes since I've heard someone quote that.

[@khalednajjar3852]

Then both Aegon and Rhaenyra are not true king or queen since Rhaenyra said the same thing in season 1

[@zawa7497]

The most cringe dialogue in existence of asoiaf

[@TheRagzzz]

He never said 'they' made a mistake...he said 'I' made a mistake. Totally implies they did what he asked of them if they could not complete the original task.

[@burntfishy7833]

The duality of Otto with Viserys when Alicent mentions she has sinned, with Otto simply replying, "I do not wish to hear it." is such good storytelling. Now that he's somewhat in his shoes, he understands where he was coming from much more.

[@govinddas7876]

I think Otto thinks what he's doing is good for the realm, but not always. Setting Alicent up with the king did nothing for the realm, but it was beneficial for his house. I do believe when he says he's doing it for the realm, he 100% has convinced himself that he is.

[@tb4076]

I think it's both. I think that now that HIS family is in power, he really does want to do what's best for the realm, because when the realm flourishes, his family does too.

[@chelscara]

Yeah, it’s a very “well my house is the best so obviously us in charge is best for the realm” vibes but also he has unfortunately been one of if not the smartest guy in the room most of the time so I get why he thinks that. The delusion hits him as hard as any of them.

[@whatisreddin7367]

how does setting up alicent with viserys do nothing for the realm? Im convinced all you mfs are bots smh my head. Go play crusader kings for day or two and see what happens when you dont remarry with only 1 young child to inherit your kingdom....

[@miaborges3674]

​@@whatisreddin7367 it's not that Viserys didn't need to remarry, because he did. But he didn't NEED to marry Alicent specifically, she's the daughter of a second son to a house that's not nearly on par with house Targaryen. She was of no consequence before he married her, she wasn't even on the list of options when Viserys was looking for a possible wife. Otto specifically placed her in that position solely so his own blood would be a contender for the throne. Otherwise Alicent more than likely would have just married an average Lord elsewhere, she wasn't bringing anything to the table that any other highborn woman could not have.

[@whatisreddin7367]

@@miaborges3674 she gave him 4 healthy kids in a short amount of time, the ifs and buts don't matter.

[@godusopp2752]

The acting in this show is top-notch, several episode stealing performances every other scene, Like you watch Alicient scene in the beginning and think "damn what a performance" then you watch Aegons scene at the meeting table and think "damn what a performance" then you watch rheanrya and daemon scene and think "damn what a performance" then you watch ottos scene and think "damn what a performance" all the way up until the final scene

[@1KEET82]

"Oh ive dared, and it stimulates me" great line

[@ar471]

I love the “history is written by the victors” aspect. The deviations from the book all make sense in that regard.

[@whatisreddin7367]

mental gymnastics. "The blacks won lol haha the green line went extinct" "uhm actually the book is biased because history is written by the victors" pick one, it cant be both.

[@fakudan]

Otto really put Aegon in the throne, and now gets upset at how he acts. Like my brother in Christ, did you not pay any atention at the kind of man he grew up to be? What did he expect? lol

[@jake_mk_0314]

Criston Cole: Lord Commander of Gaslighting

[@Jack9art]

My new hand is a steel fist! Me on the couch: HE SAID THE LINE!

[@elioharrington]

It's wild to me that people view 21 year old Aegon as "just a kid" but weren't bothered by 17 year old Alicent being pregnant with her 2nd child.

[@holysecret2]

It may be due to the consequences of their respective actions. Aegon's actions are getting innumerable people killed and hurt, which is why people jump to the conclusion that he is obviously not old enough for the responsibility. As much as Alicent's situation is ethically questionable, the injustice was done TO her, not BY her, limiting the victimhood to just her and not involving everybody else, if that makes sense.

[@rodrigoborges3876]

I really enjoyed alicents arc this episode. She's riddled with guilt for what happened, at effectively rock bottom, having hurt her children, her father's position, to the point she expects some divine retribution and then... she's rewarded for it. The kings ears are now only hers and her f*ckboy's, with her father gone she is for the first time free of his influence and nothing she does must pass through his approval. This is the best position of power she has ever been in, and she achieved parly due to an action of hers that in her own eyes is deplorable. This is fascinating because alicent has never seen herself as a sordid individual. Even if she has done things with sordid consequences, she always conceptualized herself as righteous and moral, and that brought her nothing but misery. And now she's done something she sees as repugnant at its source, with terrible consequences for her loved ones, and yet she is personally rewarded for it. The final scenes, with Otto refusing to console her, and then her refusal to console her own son cements this. While she may be free of her father's direct influence, she has now become him: gazing upon her own child's suffering with casual distance and seeing only opportunity. This new paradigm she has shifted towards disgusts her, but she has finally conceded that playing by the rules is certainly not the way of the game she has found herself in. Her running to ser cristonand slapping and pushing him is to tell him she's repulsed by him and their collective actions but then also glad, ecstatic even, at their collective ascension. Amazing writing.

[@snerdterguson]

Cristin Cole may be my most hated character in Westeros. Jeffrey was a monster and a douche, but he dies at like 15, so no matter how bad he was, he was still a child with a child's ability to reason and control themselves. Cole continually falls short of his own purported morals, and then making others pay the price. He was a grown man who slept with a young teen girl, then blew up her life and sent the realm into chaos, while he gained positions of power. His failings allowed the Prince to be killed, and he blames Erryk (or was it Arryk? I can't remember which was which) and sends him on an unalive yourself mission that results in two brothers fighting to the death. God I can't wait for him to eat it.

[@whatisreddin7367]

"He was a grown man who slept with a young teen girl" bro are you fucking kidding me? She started it and she was a fucking adult.... not a word on Daemon trying to fuck her earlier the same night and then marrying an actual young teen girl a few weeks after....

[@holysecret2]

Arryk was the Greens twin who got extorted by Criston. Erryk is on Rhaenyra's side. Or was, I suppose 😥

[@luckner14]

Otto seemed more reasonable than most this episode

[@govinddas7876]

Otto is pretty reasonable when it comes to his family. Reasonable does not mean he cares about ANY of them, but he is reasonable.

[@emilyprice178]

@@govinddas7876 I'd actually argue that Otto is pretty reasonable EXCEPT when it comes to his family. That isn't to say that he doesn't love them, he does. But he is terrible at making them feel loved. I think Otto understands well what it takes to maintain stability in a kingdom. But when it comes to his family, his ambition causes him to do what is in his own interests (and what he thinks is in the best interests of his family) over what is best for the kingdom, and then convinces himself that what he is doing IS what is best for the kingdom. He is generally a reasonable and measured man, but his ambitions and favour towards his family undermines that reason. For example, I think Otto was right to counsel Viserys to take a new wife and produce more heirs (as only having one heir that the kingdom may not accept puts the kingdom in an unstable situation). But Otto fucked up by pushing for Alicent to be the new Queen. That made him biased towards protecting his own family in his duties as Hand of the King, and undermined his ability to counsel Viserys impartially as a Hand should.

[@govinddas7876]

@@emilyprice178 I guess we have different definitions of reasonable? Because pushing Alicent towards Viserys is the most reasonable decision to further his house. But it's not like he gives a fuck about Alicent, he doesn't. But she's useful is furthering his house and in turn, himself.

[@hafor2846]

I mean, he always was pushing the line that Rhaenyra would get rid of Allicent's kids, when everyone who knew them would immediately see that Rhaenyra if unopposed would have never harmed them. It's either a total misjudgement of character or just manipulation. Him pushing to dethrone Rhaenyra like that is insanely dangerous for everyone. If he was truely reasonable, he would have just enjoyed his position as second most powerful man in the realm and all the prestige of marrying into the royal house and enjoyed that. He already climbed so high, he could just be happy with everything he has instead of betting all of their lives and the entire kingdom on one final push to become not only a close married relative of the ruler, but the actual grandfather of one.

[@judigemini178]

Except for the part where he antagonised and belittled aegon until he lost his position as hand, im sure that will work in favor of his endgame of keeping peace

[@ruairimcgreevy8670]

I'm surprised you skipped over the first mention of Daeron

[@Marcus_1001]

Same.

[@ixTaKK]

Alicent failed to comfort her son in his grief. Rhaenyra hugged and comforted his son in his grief.

[@sblood311]

They also made a point to show Aemond being "mothered" by the woman in the brothel and Alicent not being able to comfort Haelena. Their differences as mothers and therefore rulers is very much a theme of the show so far.

[@zawa7497]

Because those children were forced upon her

[@chelscara]

@@zawa7497oh that’s definitely part of it, as well as never having been shown parental love growing up herself. She perpetuates the cycle because she was created by it

[@zawa7497]

@@chelscara exactly

[@queenxx1690]

Oh yes St. Rhaenyra who did not send her son but send Baela (she may die )to go on dangerous mission instead go herself what a step mom

[@LordRamzee]

It really was Cristons fault. While he was off duty, it is his job as lord commander to divide duties and ensure the royal family is protected at all times. The kingsguard should have filled its empty positions and assigned personal protectors.

[@sneb1886]

18:55 That dragon was Seasmoke, Leanor's dragon & currently riderless.

[@nor.freddy]

Love how Otto speaks about Viserys in this episode. Changes how i view him in Season 1 completely. He actually liked and here it seemed like almost love or admiration of Viserys...

[@pnut3844able]

I don't think many people caught the fact that the White Worm told Arryk that his brother was there, that's why he burst into the room.

[@govinddas7876]

I think literally everyone caught that no? Why else would Erryk burst into the room screaming "Brother"

[@pnut3844able]

@@govinddas7876 well he had that twin moment in the hall, so everyone I've seen comment on it believes his twin sense kicked in.

[@govinddas7876]

@@pnut3844able oh. I didnt see anyone say yet that but I guess that is a possibility

[@liz0319]

Adam is on Driftmark, so dragon was probably seasmoke. Book readers should know that. Lol

[@govinddas7876]

This mfer Criston keeps failing upwards that I'm convinced he's gonna be king in 2 episodes 😭

[@AegonJaeger]

I hope he will😂

[@Skye_Writer]

Yes, you COULD tell if it was Arryk, because you immediately take him down to the dungeons and you start questioning him, and the first question is easy: "What is the last command our queen gave to you?" And in fact, if he can't answer that, then you start questioning him about the plans the Greens are making, which Arryk knew was a risk and he would have killed himself anyway so he doesn't give up info under torture (because he doesn't know that the Blacks don't torture prisoners).

[@scotthewitt258]

Almost every other reaction channel expected Aegin to name Larys Hand. I knew IMMEDIATELY he was going to appoint Crispy Cake.

[@markmullins8622]

So did everyone who read Fire & Blood 🤡

[@LuckyDDBH]

Black council: who could have arranged the death of Aegon's son? Daemon: Ah yes, the roof is made of roof today

[@luriventura]

It can’t be Moondancer as Baela is in Dragonstone and Addam is in Driftmark. It has to be Seasmoke (Laenors dragon)

[@spoonfedblueberry5527]

The dragon flying above Addam was Seasmoke, not Moondancer. Seasmoke was Laenor Valaryon's dragon before he "died".

[@UserName-vb4lg]

29:14 Alicent couldn’t comfort Aegon any more than Otto could comfort her. She doesn’t really know how to do that. She never learned.

[@drew6479]

Would this entire war have been avoided if Alicent did not happen upon Cristan right before he was going to kill himself in front of the tree?

[@magdalenagakowska4845]

I appreciate Eric's straight face while talking about Alyn, Addam and Hugh and not giving any spoilers regarding their future role 😂

[@MechSlayer71]

It was the little guy who kicked the dog, btw.

[@cancuvelek-jy1md]

Daeron targaryen entered the chat omgg i never thought they bring him too in the show

[@NyikoDoris]

The way Rhaenys’ “mind yourself” could go three ways: to Rhaenyra, who listens because while she IS the Queen, Rhaenys is older and had warned her 20 years ago that they WILL usurp her and she was her mother-in-law so she might see her in a way as a replacement for the mother she lost when Aemma died, to Daemon, that while he is the consort, he is also NOT the king and plus no one can humble you like your cool older cousin who will always see you as a dumb kid and to Ser Alfred, that she IS still a princess, one of the queen’s closest advisors and a dragonrider, this war is between HER family and he better not forget that. And you can see this confidence and daring in Baela who she raised from age 10 in how she asks Jacaerys about a topic most would avoid unless mocking him but because she wants to be a good cousin-stepsister-future wife, she asks him about one of the biggest shadows that follow him, and he actually answers her. Not angrily, but fondly as he remembers both his fathers. I love women

[@danno1375]

There is no way Rhaenys would say “mind yourself” in that tone to Rhaenyra. She maybe would if she was giving Rhaenyra advice but not in the way she said it in that scene, that was a your pushing your luck tone and was def aimed at the guy that had riled Rhaenyra

[@AkronRain69]

The dragon circling near the beach was SeaSmoke. The one Laenor rode.

[@ConnerKent08]

They introduced a number of characters that will be important later this season

[@swedish_malin]

Aaron mentioned he loves the sounds of the dragons. The official HotD podcast had an episode where they talked to the person in charge of those which was really fun and interesting!

[@ericsolo08]

It may have been mentioned or commented already but i think the dragon seen was Seasmoke.

[@sabrina-lucio]

The dragon that Addam sees on the beach is Seasmoker, Laenor's dragon. Love all your thouths about the episode ♥

[@VkaraujoHusk]

Dude I just love Otto in this episode, his face expressions alone scored so many points with me hahahahahaha

[@scotthewitt258]

Literally all of us expected the jostling when they were trying to get the wagon unstuck was going to undo the "repair work" the Silent Sisters had done......

[@7thHourFilms]

21:54 Eric: "Kings are a bad idea!" Funny thing about that Eric, there were some people about 248 years ago that thought the same thing!

[@saberstrike000]

I love how Christian Cole's expressions show that even he doesn't understand how he keeps failing upward.

[@LadySophiaVelaryon]

Rhys Ifans aka Otto Hightower deserves every award in the television industry for his performance. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@mjre748]

Calvin kinda looks like a young Plotto Hightower lol 😂

[@NeilsonBuntowa]

And he is wearing green 😂

[@Sensationalhehe]

Alicent is a bad mom guys she did not break the cycle of abuse she enabled it

[@hrodebrt]

The council: So it looks like someone possibly from our camp had an infant murdered Daemon: Damn thats craaazy yo, do they know who did it? :o

[@hannahali5317]

Otto slayed this episode so many funny moments him telling Alicent “I do not wish to hear of it” had me cackling in other words save it wench we’ve all had a terrible week he really meant suffer in silence🤣🤣🤣

[@danielkelegian5306]

In the book, Cheese was never caught and Blood was tortured for 13 days then perished.

[@rolandomendoza4274]

Actually the owner (ratcatcher) was the one who kicked the dog. I've seen this debate all over the internet and I don't understand the confusion. It was clear who did it. The one holding the torch, which was the ratcatcher. 🤷🏽‍♂️ The actor even posted a pic of him and the dog with a caption, because it seems he was getting hate from a lot of people.

[@davidcuffe9728]

Do a poll for who’s hated more sir crispon or Geoffrey

[@ericfee7923]

Calvin has to be THE most hydrated reactor on KZbin! Every single video he’s chugging something! LoL

[@texasrattlesnake31637]

Another intense episode! That Arryk V.S. Arryk Duel was BRUTAL! Great reaction once again Wave Crew!

[@ListerWalkthroughs]

as someone who hasn't read any of the books or recall any lore drops of this period from GoT. I find it so interesting that in Aegon's "temper tantrum" scene (justifiably), he proclaims "I AM THE KING" I was immediately brought to Tywin Lannister claiming "any king who must say "I am the king, is no true king". I can't imagine that is a coincidence.