House of the Dragon Episode 6 REVIEW with MauLer and Shadiversity

4086 days since A Dance with Dragon was released.
Guests: ‪@MauLerYT‬ and ‪@shadiversity‬
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[@TheL0ngbeard]

HotD: spends an hour to catch you up with the development over past 10 years RoP: Spends an hour to develop nothing, but makes you feel like it lasted 10 years

[@BrianReardon1]

Spot effing on 😂

[@sitroom8922]

I agree with you and with this episode I'm checking out. The 10 year jump is just to much for me. I do hope the show continues to do well.

[@BrianReardon1]

@@sitroom8922 to each their own, but you see that as a knock on HotD? It's a positive for me in that HotD does such an admirable job overcoming the time jump vs. the slog that is RoP...

[@sitroom8922]

@@BrianReardon1 I'm not say anything negative. I just don't like stories that keep jumping in time. It's just a personal thing.

[@BrianReardon1]

@@sitroom8922 Fair enough🤝

[@TheWizardQuinnDiscGolf]

Anyone notice that Maester Mellos has passed and his assistant from previous episode is now on the council! Annnd Viserys seems to be doing better than when Mellos was using his “leech treatment”!

[@2st_duallist]

yeah didnt catch his name

[@RPknight101]

MAESTER CONSPIRACY….MAESTER CONSPIRACY!!!!!!

[@spookybabe9042]

Viserys is still alive because of him?😯

[@sandervr.6262]

Mellos just died of old age in the book... the new Maester used alternative treatments, which only helped in the short term.

[@SkurtavusGrodolfus]

@@RPknight101 If it was a conspiracy, surely the new maester would be no better than Mellos. Mellos was probably just an diot.

[@fernandopajares8998]

3 men in this shw just wanted to chill doing their own thing: Daemon was reading his damn book, Vyseris was building soem damn legos, and Laenor wanted to go do some damn sailing. In all three cases their wives would not stop busting their balls and getting them involved in some drama. It was the best.

[@iriswaldenburger2315]

The saying of the wife behind every powerful ruler is true more often than you think. Mostly it’s because they fear for their children’s lives and will do whatever they think is best for them

[@Ithilienranger345]

Really what about Criston? Who just wanted to bring his low born house honor and eventually fell in love with Rheanyra and she used him, Criston Cole was my favorites in the books and especially in this show

[@Manco65]

Yeah another touch of reality 😂

[@blakerackley8874]

Laenor wanted to play with swords, he wanted MORE drama.

[@Ithilienranger345]

@@blakerackley8874 mhm

[@elemenz888]

Gary should've told Martin "come on, shaking a hand isn't as hard as FINISHING A BOOK man"

[@thatboi7492]

Did anyone else notice Larys Strong “starting the meal with out her” refers to his killing of Harwin. Starting the conflict without her approval

[@SklLLLY]

That hadn’t happened yet...?

[@hannibalmago7827]

​@@SklLLLY Foreshadowing and subtle setup

[@gammakap]

How much better was Criston Cole vs Aegon and Aemond as opposed to Galadriel vs the mob?

[@StardustX24]

I was thinking the same thing

[@rodrigoalister9593]

He was showing two immature kids that they need a lot of tranning. Galadriel was just showing how much she is badass fighting grown man soldiers... Doing a lot of inappropriate parry moves that would not parry any strong attacks...

[@gammakap]

@@rodrigoalister9593 k

[@poppit5481]

yeah good point..in rop it was just about the fight and jer looking cool..but it fails. but in hotd it was so much more you learn so much. its what action scenes should be about to move the show ford and set up new story..it brought the whole kingdom in. such a big difference in story telling

[@7Nebulae7]

@@rodrigoalister9593 That is so funny as Crispin Cole is so immature himself. Still salty about Rhaenyra, lol.

[@itsmeliska1186]

I think Rhaenyra reconsidered having children because of that conversation with Daemon when he told her that if she keeps living in fear she will forsake the best parts of life.

[@cathakjordi]

I found really funny realizing how Aemond and Daemon are the same just moving a letter forward in the name. That's so true about them character wise.

[@petrowegynyolc7108]

Can't wait to see his daughters, Emonda and Mondae :D

[@Idealdeath8304]

Did you catch aegons and aemonds sister when Alicent and aemond were talking about the pig incident and how he doesn’t have a dragon and I think the sister spouted off prophecy. She said at that moment “he needs to shut an eye” meaning that once he loses his eye he will become a dragon rider. Idk just something I thought I picked up on

[@SweetandFullofGrace]

"He'll have to close an eye", yes good call

[@Idealdeath8304]

@@SweetandFullofGrace I didn’t know she had the sight. I think she will be an awesome character if that’s the case. I wonder if she will foresee blood and cheese?

[@SweetandFullofGrace]

@@Idealdeath8304 I would have to go back but I dont recall her having the vision, or being "autistic" as she seems. This could be something they have changed in the books, I think they might make her into "Bran like" character with her flaw being more of mental then cripple. I am sure they have made a lot of changes.. I will be surprised will they actually show the "choose the child" scene. I mean that would top even Red Wedding

[@Idealdeath8304]

@@SweetandFullofGrace they have to. Lore heads would revolt if that wasn’t in there. The cool thing about fire and blood is that everything is open to interpretation. It mushrooms view could be true, the maesters could be true. Or they could both be wrong. So there’s a lot of leeway with this show vs the fleshed out ASOIAF.

[@Welsh_Dragon756]

@@SweetandFullofGrace I know in general greenseerers have some sort of disability but Targarians are different. Lots of them throughout their history are born with the sight or have dragon dreams and have no disability at all.

[@beatrizfernandes1506]

I mean, even in the books it's obvious they couldn't be Laenor's children. With two valyrian looking parents, the children came looking like "normal" people, brown hair and brown eyes. However, considering Daemon's children with Laena, it's even more glaring, indeed. I'm just realizing that Viserys saying that the baby has his father's [Laenor's] nose might be a jokey reference to the book, where another feature of Rhaenyra's children is their plugish (?) nose, so unlike Laenor's long aquilline one.

[@anthonyarmstrong5352]

Pugish it's somewhat of a good description of a fighters nose. Coming from pugilism which means someone who likes to fight

[@WrathDrago]

Yay Daemon's twins with Laena are even more darker, than there already mixed mother.

[@beatrizfernandes1506]

@@anthonyarmstrong5352 thanks. I didn't remember the exact term from the book. When I read it, I assumed it meant a smaller flattened nose (so it kind of fits your definition) as oposed to Laenor's long and elegant one

[@Bayard1503]

In the book Rhaenyra's mother had dark hair... so it was plausible.

[@Bayard1503]

@@WrathDrago It's not like mixing paint on a canvas... come on.

[@darthdaenerys545]

You Know it’s bad when Vhagar got you more emotional (a literal CGI Dragon) than whoever it was on ROP screen

[@1978NR]

spot on

[@Rantsnrambles808]

I’ve been really wanting to see “the big one”. Sauron not so much

[@sowianskiwojownik5973]

I was more emotional for the goat getting engulfed than who was on ROP.

[@JJJJJVVVVVLLLLL]

The dragons are great

[@travisspazz1624]

Why are you emotional about a dragon?

[@nelguinevere4036]

Really impressed with what they did logistically with this episode with the huge jump, new actors etc. The only issue I had was the death of Leana - not the death itself, that scene with Vhagar I liked a lot, but the set up was stupid, jarringly for such a great show. However, for me it also had the absolute best scene so far, the whole monologue of Larys over the montage at the end. Every frame was just unbelievable story telling. I can get over ten Leana's deaths for that one scene, it just catapulted Larys into stratosphere of playing the Game. And from here on I'm starting to feel that this show is going to remain good, knowing what happens in the book and that the worst logistical obstacles are now overcome and from here on we are basically in our real time. Yeah, there'll be another time jump, but that one will be very easy to pull off. Very impressive what they've managed to do with this material, definitely elevating it quite a bit.

[@willbeard4835]

I took laneas suicide was she didn't want to do the c section and die that way and would've rather died by fire

[@dlilwon]

It was Vhaegar’s hesitation for me. 😢

[@theproofistrivial7677]

Laena is such a shame. She seems like a very cool character and a good person. I wanted someone to root for damn it. I wanted to see her claim Vhagar. Feels like she’s just wasted

[@nelguinevere4036]

@@theproofistrivial7677 it's tough when you know the source material, cause I knew from the start that she is a very minor character, like she got far more time on the show than in the book. But they did such a good job with her, she stood out, she was outspoken and brave and cheeky, and a decent person, and beautiful on top of that, and as a result I totally agree - I wanted more of her, even though I knew there really is no space. I do feel that one more episode between 5 and 6 would have been great. But I do understand why they are rushing. Give us directors cuts, dammit.

[@DexLuther]

57:51 The princess's first kid looks to be about 9-10 years old and there's been a 10-year time jump. Unless she got with Ser Strong really soon after the wedding and got pregnant, it's possible she never took the tea she was given and that first kid is Ser Cole's.

[@cristobalsapena4654]

That's a theory quite repeated in the fandom. In the book it's even more probable because at that point Harwin had a broken collarbone (courtesy of Cole, he didn't take the break up well) and I can't imagine anyone jumping on a mattress with a broken collarbone.

[@waltuhgoodman3427]

Again, it's mentioned the kid has Ser Harwin Strong's mark So the theory is wrong

[@sammerry7706]

Ser strong did carry her to saftey the night of the wedding yano ;) big strong man an all, could have planted some seeds early

[@Camarooooo]

This girl fucks with everything that moves huh? 😂

[@SweetandFullofGrace]

@@waltuhgoodman3427 Yeah always the head canon runs wild...

[@broccolibeater]

i like the scene when rheanyra left the queen's room and walks back to her place. her blood on the ground, ser criston looking away at first, the turns to her. i liked the details.

[@Mahalleinir]

Folks, Laena’s burning is done purely for one reason: to show her making her own decision as a contrast to Aemma in the first episode. The messaging is the priority in the scene and logistics/justification are not even an afterthought, hence the scene not making sense

[@com21h8tr]

That's actually exactly how I interpreted the scene as well. I feel like these guys are a little delusional and not seeing some of the clear messaging within the show lol. I'm still liking it regardless of that. But it's definitely there

[@Lux_0-60]

Message or not, it was still poorly executed... Can't blame people for dunking on it

[@Dousch]

Remember when the writing seemed to be getting better and better with the first few episodes?

[@com21h8tr]

@@ju9604 I think you may have misunderstood my original comment. I actually agree that this scene wasn't set up well. It was one of the main problems I had with the episode. I feel the scene played out the way it did simply because the writers wanted to show a parrallel between Viserys wife and Laena. It was all about the "message" they were trying to push and they didn't care about the steps they took to get there. The scene suffered because all they cared about was showing Laena making a decision for herself that Viserys wife didn't get to make(that's not theorizing, it's just obvious IMO). It seemed sort of lazy and rushed to me. Like the original poster said, they weren't concerned about making it make sense. There are a handful of social justice/feminist messages and themes sprinkled throughout the show. I'm just kind of surprised that Gary and Mauler aren't picking up on some of the "messaging" the show is pushing, especially in this episode. That is what I meant about them not getting the "messaging" in the show. Even though I think some of these themes are clearly present within the show, it hasn't been enough to make me dislike it yet. I just really didn't like this scene lol

[@Mahalleinir]

@@com21h8tr agreed. I will add that some of this “messaging” is present in Fire and Blood of course but it is handled with much more sophistication and doesn’t take a 2x4 to the readers’ face, and is worked nicely into the narrative without feeling out of place. Not so much the case here and I am also surprised many people are bot picking up on this stuff in the show.

[@tallulahbeaverhausen4382]

HOTD : you hold your pee not to miss a second of the show. ROP : you enjoy every minute of the dump you're taking while the episode is playing.

[@steven469]

I let my legs fall asleep to stay longer, the suffering was less than watching ROP

[@Manco65]

ROFLMAO 🤣

[@wizard3817]

Nerdrotic subs: watching woke soap operas

[@Dousch]

Or, you know, don't watch RoP. There's only so many hours in a day.

[@jamesdykes517]

What's the difference between the dump you're taking v. the dump you're watching... 1 billion Bezos Bucks.

[@koalachina]

Yes. If Leana asked Damon to carry her and also bid farewell to her children, it will be so much more impactful. I am very disappointed with episode 6.

[@frankvandorp2059]

I loved the scene where Vhagar and Caraxes flew together, for reasons that will become clear near the end of the show.

[@darthfuruta1218]

You are right, i didn't Notice this

[@sfinn13]

Also these dragons flew together years ago. Laena’s grandfather rode Caraxes while Daemon’s father rode Vhagar. Those two riders were brothers.

[@frankvandorp2059]

For some reason I found it really important to see Rhaenyra smile for a moment when looking at her newborn child. She really was in need of some redeeming qualities after the last few episodes, and we can see she finally does care about someone other than herself. And it also showed that motherhood can be a good positive thing, which is something this show so far has been way too negative about so far in my opinion.

[@MirandaSinistra]

It's weird the view of motherhood the writers are trying to portray when so many events and actions in the story are driven by the mothers love for their children.

[@Dousch]

Brought back feels I haven't felt since the end of Juno. Motherhood/child birth is more often than not portrayed as a horror to be avoided at all cost these days.

[@nicbrone1846]

I had the opposite reaction regarding the show’s message on motherhood. We had a forced cesarean that ended the life of King Visery’s first wife, which ultimately was done in vain since the baby also died. We also had Laena commit suicide by dragon fire because she couldn’t give birth to a baby. So part of the message I got was “don’t get pregnant because you will either be held down against your will and sliced open and die or you might become so distraught for failing to give birth that you commit suicide.” Not a ringing endorsement for motherhood in my opinion.

[@jackreeves7]

Yeah I loved that we see how much she loves them, Alicent on the other hand wasn't the same and I like how they've done that

[@jackreeves7]

@@nicbrone1846 For Rhaenyra it was showing how good it can be but yeah we know how tragic it can be for women

[@TheFriendlyIntrovert]

One line I didn't really like in this episode, was when Rhaenyra and Laenor were arguing after Laenor named their child, and says in his defence "He's my child too, you know." and she just goes "And yet I'm the only one bleeding." As if to imply that women have more of a claim to children just because they suffer more. To be clear, the dad naming their kid without even consulting the mom is a dick move in any scenario, but that's not a justification for what she says.

[@tyronemccloud4361]

Thanks Team Alicent 👍🏽

[@kristianwesterdahl9576]

“Fun fact”, Daemon looks more the elf, than ANY of the elves in RoP :P

[@thed3008]

Dude looks like a Neanderthal. Maybe they cast him to look masculine next to all the strong females

[@johns.1854]

Prince Elric of Melnibone

[@frankietheheathen4513]

As far as Lady Laena’s death , I interpreted it as she knew how the queen died during child birth with the failed C section and the decision the king had to make to choose between them. I feel like she was removing that stress of choosing from Daemons shoulders by deleting herself

[@frankietheheathen4513]

2:44:30

[@franciscooctavius5957]

Thought the same thing

[@trajanthegreat2928]

They could have gotten that across a little better if the baby was already dead and have it be "the baby's dead, your wife is probably dead but maybe we can save her" so she's not giving up any chance of the baby living even if she is 100% dead.

[@sillylittlesheepjax6009]

@@trajanthegreat2928 yup we need more info in that scene, it was rly rushed imo

[@vanessalore9942]

That’s a fresh take, thanks for that

[@gammakap]

Shout out to the lady that cut the umbilical cord. What an absolute pro!

[@harryh.r.9082]

Yeah, I enjoy scenes like that... shows the pratical effects of real life and it's cool. I did not enjoy Laenna and sir Harwin dying like that... There's not a time jump so soon, they could have given them 1 more episode for us to sympatise... Also, the small children acting was terrible, I miss the casting choices from GoT first season...

[@Bayard1503]

@@harryh.r.9082 GOT needed to cast for an entire show... here these kids will be in just 2 episodes.

[@sebastianfiel1715]

@@harryh.r.9082 The baby was huge tho

[@dlilwon]

@@sebastianfiel1715 newborns are ethically not allowed to be used in movies/shows/tv etc

[@Rantsnrambles808]

We just had a kid and I was really impressed with the look of the cord

[@ElizabethPD24]

Sadly, Rhaenerya shows she lacks wisdom and smarts because she could have chosen a lover that at least looked like her husband or her and Laenor had done it at least once so they would have one legitimate kid. She just has not made the right decisions . She should have listened to her father, married someone that pleased her and not make deals with men who can fulfill their duty.

[@anathimatandela1195]

That's my whole ordeal with her she was literally given tinder with guaranteed success and she cut it short bc she was too holding them to the standard of her uncle. She was paved a path of silver and continues to moan and play victim to her own in sensibilities and wonders why not eveyone in Westoroes aren't indulging her. I hate Cole but he is correct she is spoiled.

[@ElizabethPD24]

@@anathimatandela1195 yes Cole is bad but the statement he made was right . But he should not have played favorites with the kids

[@Neo2266.]

45:30 Once you mention the Empire of Dawn leaving traces everywhere, Shad looks towards his book, where “The Dawn Empire” was also a thing XD

[@dtzyYT]

The show so far, and mainly these discussions are reminding me how good ASOIAF is. Then I remember season 8 and the unfinished books, and I'm back to apathy.

[@spearshake4771]

At this point we're gonna have to go break into his house and read the planned ending

[@reasonablyserious]

It's not even close to early GoT. Season 6&7, maybe. But that's not a compliment

[@mamoruchiba752]

Yeah it reminds you bc it is a recycled plot

[@ChrisPeteG]

I am still in the camp that S8 was not nearly as bad as many make it. It had issues, but I still was satisfied with where everything landed...just not terribly satisfied with HOW it all landed there. But compared to what....like 99% of other shows that are woke modern crap....S8 of GoT was really good.

[@mamoruchiba752]

@@ChrisPeteG you serious man?! Bran the king? There's no way this makes sense! Arya stabbing the NK? No way this actually could play out. The book is called asoiaf and the show doesn't even attempt to explain why

[@tylern3788]

I thought Laena chose to die by dragon fire in order to spare Daemon the choice of killing her to save the baby.

[@neamraven]

Everyone looks the same. Daemon, Ser Criston. Especially the latter, he looks just as young as if a day hasn't passed. And then you look at Rhaenyra. Why? If Criston didn't need to be changed, then Rhaenyra didn't need it either. I see a double standard here, and it's so bizarre looking at Rhaenyra so drastically different when Criston is EXACTLY the same.

[@Dousch]

Just a couple of gray hairs would've at least been something. He looks YOUNGER.

[@neamraven]

@@Dousch It's so stupid. You see him and Rhaenyra in the same scene and it's jarring. Everyone's praising this show but it does some retarded things and people are giving it a pass. Nah, not on board with all of that personally.

[@a.r.mproductions5616]

Exactly I was like WTF he looks the same

[@Texmechs]

I was walking within 20 minutes of giving birth. It felt weird. It didn't really hurt. It just felt really weird and uncomfortable. Your whole body is like, "you should go sit down or something." But I just had to show them that I could go to the bathroom and they cleaned me up and everything. My girl Rany was getting dressed as they cut the cord. I honestly loved this episode. I kept telling my husband, "this one could totally suck. Almost the whole cast has changed." And it worked for me! Everyone did such a good job.

[@wthall11689]

1/4 Black Garret is pretty white as well, it's definitely the hair that gives them away.

[@game_jinx]

human beings arent black or white. they have recessive and dominant genetic predispositions to pigmentation

[@electricelephant7471]

I don't buy that dude is 1/4 black. Bet his "black" grandparent was heavily mixed.

[@justhair17]

The thing is, it would be possible for 1 child to be that white, but all 3 of them? Really unlikely. And then you add the hair into the mix and its obvious they are not Laenor's sons

[@snubbles9991]

3/4 Bleached Garrett

[@reasonablyserious]

1/4 black children are 3/4 white, people seem to forget that, but genetics don't care about the bechdel test

[@jorgerangel2390]

I was expecting one of the nurses to tell her: this is a Strong baby xD

[@Seeric85]

Love these reviews, boys. Watching an episode of a weekly show that you actually enjoy and then having a longform discussion to tune in to is great. Having this kind of content for good shows and movies is pretty rare in this sector, I wish you guys would do more positive stuff like this.

[@SylvainOfGandahar]

This fatherhood issue is such a crap - and we are supposed to pretend that the black family is not black and we cannot find out whether it was his kids? And Daemon would have obviously been the better option - in addition the girls - should be quarter black by now which is not very black. We shall overlook that as well eh? This show is propaganda - just better made propaganda and I frankly hate that casting. The worst part is that it's not the fault of the actors because they look and act great - it's just as wrong as a redhaired Chinese Tang family in the 15th century - shall we overlook that too?

[@cosmictreason2242]

Marxist plot continues

[@ManSeekingMeaning]

The episode was a step up to the previous one, in my opinion. There were some real gem scenes, such as the cold open ‘one-shot’ labor, the training yard scene, the understated but powerful confrontation between Lyonel Strong and his son, the subtle but touching scene of Daemon and Laena on the rooftop.

[@DoomofOlympus]

You forgot to mention Laena’s death. Vhagar made that shit emotional as hell

[@Goodywloss2010]

People are saying the princess started all this with her actions with Criston and lying to Allicent Hightower however the Hightowers were plotting for the throne to be usurped as soon aegon was born, even before that when Otto was sending allicent to “comfort” the king

[@danielledaniel1900]

The Hightower started this. Ailcent doesn't see she at fault as well. She betrayed Rhaenyra

[@thetruth997_]

Rhaenyra started all this cuz she was stupid. She made enemies almost on purpose and kept giving them ammo to use against her lol 😆

[@DillsyYourDaddy67]

Honestly, it was the birth of Aegon that started it all. Otto was right in that there was no way this wouldn't end up in war. So long as Aegon and Aemond live, Rhaenyra's claim to the throne is third best. Viserys had multiple chances to prevent the war; Aegon's birthday, the Ser Criston/Daemon incident and the three bastard grandsons but he refused each time to make the right decision and has guaranteed civil war

[@Goodywloss2010]

@@thetruth997_ you missed my point they wanted to take the crown regardless, Otto mentioned it before episode 3, before daemon, before Cole The princess did make life easier for them, but the idea was hatched as soon as alicent had aegon

[@Goodywloss2010]

@@DillsyYourDaddy67 exactly what I said Otto plotted since aegon, the king and princesses flaws and decisions just made their lives easier and it will give them a lot more allies when war happens than just the houses tgat prefer a male heir they would have had before

[@TanukiDigital]

On a second watching, Laena DOES disappear from the room as Damon and the Maester are discussing what is to be done. There is about a 2-second look as Damon glances back and then around the room, implying she had left. And then him seeking her outside right before she becomes a human candle.

[@samwise8565]

This far into the show and it’s still good. I’m definitely excited rather than worried

[@arcanea9598]

not even half as good as the first season of GOT.

[@guitarriff123]

@@arcanea9598 I disagree. HOTD is on par with Season 1 as far as dialogue, narrative, & character development, but HOTD has better pacing. If they pull out a shock ending like GOT season 1, this could end up being better.

[@ziakiryu4079]

@@guitarriff123 dw it'll be shocking and fked up!!! The dance begins with a major death!!!

[@Longshanks1690]

@@guitarriff123 GTFO of here with the idea that HOTD has better pacing than GOT S1. HOTD is absurdly fast paced and skips over so many important time periods that actually needed to be shown to give these characters the development they need which just isn’t present here.

[@danielmacdonald9287]

@@arcanea9598 Not many shows are as good as the first four seasons of GoT tbf.

[@vanessalore9942]

Sarah Hess has the sole writing credit on this episode. She’s obviously a very good writer. Miguel Director guy cut out at least two scenes out of that sequence. One of them is Daemon hugging his kids, and the other is him telling them what happened. So I wouldn’t be surprised if he continued the hacking. I’m so glad he’s leaving.

[@baldfraud1806]

Ouff

[@jonny-b4954]

It's so wild to me a first born son of the living king would be passed over by his first born daughter and then HER lineage would sit the throne. So, wild. And both new Princess and Queen actresses are good, but.... not living up to the other 2 actresses so far. Alicent's other actress was delivering incredible vocal performances. Her voice was so captivating and fragile.

[@pg1448]

It's wild to like half of Westeros too. It's honestly bullshit how everyone paints the Hightowers as villains when they have been passed over and the king expects them to step aside and watch his daughters bastards ascend the throne. it's such a blatant break and violation of tradition, why would any great house put up with that? Imagine if in GoT Robert had been like "Yeah I know Joffrey is my first born son and all, but I like my bastard Gendry better, so he should inherit the throne"

[@Sgt.Dornan117]

@@pg1448 I'm rooting for the Hightowers,Allicent, Aegon etc at this point. They seem to be one of the few reasonable people bringing up valid points and concerns. I love Vasyrus but feel extremely sorry for him, I do not envy his position.

[@pg1448]

@@Sgt.Dornan117 I had sympathies for him at the beginning. But not anymore. Turning a blind eye to the bastard issue is just pure irresponsiblity and foolishness. The Hightowers and many other lords won't accept her now and it's frankly unreasonable to expect them to. War is all but certain. The only correct thing to do at this point would be to disinherit Rhaenyra and name Aegon heir.

[@mjjohansson1702]

It would be better without the race swapping but I'm still enjoying it. Looks ridiculous tbh.

[@reasonablyserious]

For me it's getting more ridiculous each episode. This one was goofy af.

[@izero1uk355]

George rr Martin was the one who wanted the change for the show. He was originally meant to have the Valaryons as black in the books but he changed his mind

[@reasonablyserious]

@@izero1uk355 doesn't change the fact it's stupid

[@izero1uk355]

@@reasonablyserious your opinion bro. I happen to like the change

[@wheelmanstan]

The time jump was weird..I mean the timing..all these kids everywhere..people still giving birth...I mean it feels like I'm watching a show that takes place in a maternity ward. It's really gotta get into the action now. I just don't understand why Rhanerya, however it's spelled, would leave? It's obviously such a fatal mistake. And the other problem is a high ranking LORD COMMANDER defending his honor against such accusations and getting in trouble for it to the point he loses his job! Why the hell wasn't Sir Criston in trouble for that? Why not just call it even? I mean he deserved it!

[@JakobMahase_Bass-Baritone]

Honestly the new actresses nailed it. I was worried but not anymore. Excellent performances!!

[@lordmelvin9310]

They were like completely different characters, but the performances were quite good in their own right.

[@bigl9478]

The sad thing is that most fans actually like Rhaenyra and want her to be queen. They’re completely oblivious to her flaws as a potential ruler.

[@danielledaniel1900]

Her flaws are what I like about her. I hate Ailcent. Her and father started this

[@DillsyYourDaddy67]

@@danielledaniel1900 But Rhaenyra would not be a good Queen at all. She's been involved in two very public scandals involving her uncle and a knight in the red keep. She has insulted several of her vassal lords and ladys (Lady Redwyne, Lord Dondarrion, the Blackwood boy and House Velaryon) She didn't realise sending troops into the Stepstones would be seen as a severe act of aggression and most likely unite the free cities against Westeros She's very hypocritical and doesn't seem to care about the consequences of her actions. She insults the blackwood boy and laughs at him being demeaned by the Bracken, now she's saying it's an issue that needs addressing despite fueling the fire. She sleeps with Ser Criston despite knowing this action would see him castrated and killed. She has three very obvious illegitimate bastard children to Ser Harwyn Strong and would kill anyone that would speak of this despite knowing this action will get everyone killed. And that's not considering how Daemon would influence her rule since he has that whole valyrian supremacy thing going on She would be a disastrous queen

[@skywatcheradept]

Rhaenyra has to give orders to her own husband because she is unable to convince him otherwise. If Rhaenyra is so bad at convinicing even the closest of her allies how can she expect to have the whole realm supporting her?

[@pg1448]

People will change their minds once they will see her rule. She will make Joffrey look like Jaehaerys come again.

[@Rantsnrambles808]

Rhaenyra has already prevented wars. Allicent is also just really unlikable.

[@meostafford]

Since it never was proven and the timeline is right Harwin Stong should have told Cole: hey, you better be careful, the oldest one there could be yours.

[@NPCRR]

I'm really glad you're appreciating this show, Gary!!! If memory serves, you were luke-warm at best prior to its airing. :)

[@ducminhduong9873]

Corlys is black but his son can pass as a bi racial, it's a very fine detail actually, because his mother is literally Snow White.

[@_Dovar_]

The show Corlys, that is. Actual Corlys Velaryon is a Valyrian, so he's white, silver hair, purple eyes.

[@reasonablyserious]

@Cardano Ada News the show didn't make him mixed though, did it? And we're treading on thin ice here, if we start with the "it's never been explicitly said it's not so" excuse.

[@reverendrico5631]

@Cardano Ada News he’s a Velayron, unless he deviates from the family look, it doesn’t need to be stated.

[@ducminhduong9873]

@@_Dovar_ I'm talking about the show, of course. Personally, I don't dislike the race swap. It makes the contrast between Rhaenyra/Laenor's children and Daemon/Laena's children all the more obvious. Her bastard children doesn't just lack their mother's silver hair, they don't even share their father's skin tone.

[@cosmictreason2242]

@@reasonablyserious I’ve argued this with TLM baiters and ROP stans too. Knowing religion can be really helpful here. In Reformed theology, there is the concept of the regulative principle and normative principle. Regulative: if it doesn’t explicitly say we can, we won’t. Normative: if it doesn’t explicitly say we can’t, we will. Fwiw Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu were killed because they did not worship in exactly the way God told them to. That would seem to nix the normative principle. Also the RP allows things which “by good and necessary consequence may be deduced (as the Presbyterians say)” or is “necessarily contained” (as the baptists say) within the original meaning. People have debated this for hundreds of years, and fans of fiction can benefit from it. When maintaining the message of an author, a regulative approach that does not introduce elements which are not in the original is the only right approach On that note, it’s important to know the difference between elements and circumstances. An element is something explicit that can’t be changed without being an editorial action. A circumstance is something that is not explicit but is essential in order for the elements to be presented. For example in worship, gathering together is an element, but whether it’s indoors, outdoors, on chairs, on pews, on the floor, etc are examples of circumstances. You have to pick one but which you pick is not specified in the original material. In ROP for example, they editorialized by time jumping Muriel to before the rings are forged. A circumstance (also sometimes called “accidents”) would be the LOTR decision to depict the elves with pointy ears. You have to see their ears on screen unlike in the book, but afaik Tolkien didn’t specify their appearance, so the decision is a circumstance. Still needs to be rationally justified, but artistic license in the depiction would not inherently be a violation of the source material. So, if the people he belongs to are all described as white, this change is a change of the story ELEMENTS, not merely its circumstances

[@AnneOkoye]

I enjoy how this show grips you without making you overthink things.

[@2st_duallist]

things like "how did leana teleport outside?"

[@JCIIIBULLET]

corn cobs and bungholes

[@Noone91875]

@@2st_duallist she walk u did not see. Sorry if u r blind.

[@reasonablyserious]

Like how 1/4 valeryons should actually look like, but we can't dilute the representation by such trivial things as genetics.

[@2st_duallist]

@@Noone91875 i guess my point is above your capabilities

[@scoots0077]

The actress playing Alicent was from Ready Player One.

[@piotrswat169]

yeah she no good i like the younger better.

[@cyandamadlala9610]

was she good?

[@ricardocastro6320]

Gary, you, Mauler and Shad have the best dissection of this show and others. Sometimes I watch other reactions and I find it so frustrating and still shocking to see people react in judgement from their own modern sensibilities. I know people have been doing this for ever in every aspect of life when confronted with real historical stories in our world so it shouldn’t surprise me they would do it for fictional entertainment based on historical cultures in our world. That being said, I live for your guys assessments.

[@ItsaKindOfMagic86]

💯

[@dimitargeorgiev8663]

The scene where Guyladriel says: "There is a tempest* in me! ".. i just imagine she says tampon* instead of tempest and die laughing every time i think about it

[@Tomb_world]

Seasmoke mentions the pirates with a sack of sapphires as big as walnuts, so hopefully we get a true Aemond one eye! Also I just love how during the sparing scene, the king and the hand were watching their grandchildren spar together, they both knew it but still kept up the pretence.

[@pablopumarestaminiau7512]

It's ironic how a plot that revolves around iffy genealogy... babies not looking like their parents, and the people having to pretend they don't see it, uses black actors in a Euro centric fantasy. Mind you, the actors are all good. But I do have to tell my brain "don't notice the iffy genealogy" in order to enjoy it

[@reasonablyserious]

Which is a stretch, let's be honest, and this episode made it worse.

[@joab757]

Also, we have to discuss their choice to change the race of the Valerians, knowing it would cause serious issues with the legitimacy of Rhenera s children. Instead of kinda wondering whether they are Strong’s or not, it becomes an absolute fact they aren’t her husbands, and this is very dangerous for a woman attempting to be the first ever Queen of Westeros.

[@112Famine]

I think a pre-qual showing the blood magic where the dragons are bonded to the Targaryen bloodline would be a good story.

[@Bayard1503]

I think one of the spinoff projects was set in Valyria, with the big dragon rider houses... And I think it was going to be made by the guy that made Rome. It's not off the table, it's just they can't have 2 shows at the same time with dragons, the next shows will probably be with Corlys' voyages and Nymeria and her migration. Dunk&Egg is also pretty likely.

[@RobewhO]

First off, I love Shad but he interrupts.. and talks, in general.. too much. Not that what he says isn't interesting, but it comes across as kind of rude with the butting in and talking over everyone else, at times. He will interject on someone's point and ramble for 30 seconds, just kind of ruining the other person's train of thought. But having said that.. why are you so sure she drank the moon tea? I really don't think so. The timeline totally lines up to where Jacaerys could be Criston's son.. and I totally believe that's how it's going to go in the show. They have made several points that could foreshadow this. From Criston giving him a hard time in the training yard through the aggressive coaching of Aegon, effectively bringing harm to his own kid; telling Harwin that his interest in the boy only makes sense if he's related, or specifically "..a son." And his hair is slightly less wavy, moreso matching Criston, rather than Harwin. Harwin and Criston's features aren't so different, so their offspring could easily look similar. And even when Jace asks Rhaenyra directly "Is Ser Harwin my father? Am I a bastard?", while yes her nonresponse could be seen as a confirmation, something about her reaction makes it seem like it's actually not even *_that_* simple. I hear hardly anyone talk about this and everyone seems to just think that she drank the tea and that every boy is Harwin's. I'm sticking with my gut reaction that Jacaerys is, in fact, *_not_* his.

[@Brody6666]

So Matt smith comments his nieces children look like Strong but his own chilren are blacker than his wife and look nothing like him... Woke decisions ruin this show.

[@mikeforester3963]

2:29:35 OMG yes! Mark Strong as Stannis the Menace. One would've needed to chuck a bottle of water after every bone-dry punchline by that man :D

[@reginaphalange9417]

I'm not bothered at all by Laena's decision, if the baby cannot come out the mother dies, if the maester cuts the womb to pull the baby out, at that era they don't know how to close it properly and stop the hemorrhage, not to mention the problem of the lack of sterility... so in this case she also dies, plus the pain is unbearable and the chances of survival for the baby are still very slim . So I get why she would quickly decide to commit suicide in this condition. But the way it's shown, how she goes to the beach in this supposedly short time, wasn't great, the showrunners should have come with a reason for Laena to be left alone for a few minutes

[@reginaphalange9417]

@@ju9604 when you are in a state of insufferable pain and which inevidably leads to death, I think you consider things differently and not very rationally

[@Harahvaiti]

@@reginaphalange9417 actually showrunners twisted Laena's death, it's very different than book source where Laena does not commit suicide. But, that version doesn't have *the message*

[@reginaphalange9417]

@@Harahvaiti the book version was good too but I like this one too and even if I despise woke bullsh*t in recent series, here I don't see "the message"

[@justmoody5797]

I just went back to see the episode again Daemon shakes his head to say no at min 56:43 in the episode he choose to save her life instead of losing her like Viserys did

[@iriswaldenburger2315]

And I think he specifically asked the maestor this question because he remembered Emma! And he didn’t care more for the unborn child than the mother. Shows quite the dedication on his part, as he clearly cared for this wife

[@justmoody5797]

@@iriswaldenburger2315 In the books it said that he was carrying her to her bed and covered her dead body with the blanket while Rhaenyra , I didn't read the book but this from the Wiki and a great imagine is shown there , I think the Show did this event injustice really.

[@RobertMorgan]

55:10 I just love the way Shad says "OB-viOUS BAHHST-Ahrds" This pleases my American ears.

[@danieleverett4213]

I found it a bit tough with this time jump and I was struggling a bit with some of the changes to character but as the episode progressed I was able to fill in the gaps, which were subtlety alluded to rather than blatantly told to us, for which I applaud the creators. Also I find Ser Larys Strong as my favourite character currently, because of the similarities with Inquisitor Glokta from The First Law books.

[@trentrevis2758]

Inquisitor Glotka was a joy to read.

[@driakos]

I'm hoping one day we get a good representation of The First Law trilogy on screen. Glokta, Bayaz, Logen, such great characters.

[@frankie3010]

@@driakos I hope nihilistic, gray stories go out of fashion by then

[@btchiaintkidding7837]

@@driakos i wish malazan book of the fallen gets a fully animated epic series, but that never gonna happen

[@driakos]

@@btchiaintkidding7837 yah animated is probably the only way to do those stories justice. They'd simplify it too much for live action

[@didimean]

I am surprised to see how many people think HotD is great... I find it sloppy and underwhelming. The wedding scene from last episode was poorly done, and the time jump was jarring. I feel like we have spent more time watching women give birth/squirt out afterbirth than we have fleshing out characters. I dunno - maybe I am still bitter about GoT, but HotD is mediocre at best IMO.

[@Dousch]

The sound effects of the afterbirth being squirted out seemed really loud too, like on the same level as the dialogue itself. Like they really wanted to rub it in.

[@shaecouture7480]

Got any refernces to substaintiate? Because they are talking for hours detailing the quality to be found in the character work etc.

[@jaredouimette1]

Beat a guy to death at a wedding: No problem from paramour or anyone else. Beat a guy unconscious after he openly insults you: Obviously his insults must be true, lose your rank and get kicked out. Also, isn't the literal heir to the throne a prince and thus pulling the non-heir off him his literal fucking job?

[@shaecouture7480]

Love when Loras says "Im not sure I agree that your father would have remained impartial." "But he would have been partial to me!" Loved that line from Allicent.

[@ChrisPeteG]

Absolutely. Cuts right through to her honest opinions with no pretense. She doesn't want someone unbiased. She wants an ally.

[@112Famine]

The Princess should have had her Uncle's (Mat Smith) children. They would have been born with white hair, & all been dragon riders by keeping the blood pure.

[@faiz3711]

to avoid spoiling anything. all i can say is you are on to something

[@theshadowling1]

To be fair Gary, Laenor did ride Seasmoke. And so him being in the Stepstones is very reasonable, as 2 dragons is better than 1.

[@comfortablyunknown700]

I love that the Obi-wan trailer(youtube forced commercial) starts with, "it is over. We lost." YES YOU DID!🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Baalshazar]

So glad the new actors did well Warner Bros got a win this episode.

[@MasterOfTheElements]

Jacearys has brown eyes like Criston and Luke and Joff had blue eyes like Harwin, plus Jace has straight hair and Luke and Joff have curly hair. And I think it makes sense since we didn't see her drink the tea.

[@MGall_Channel]

Personally I love the Game of Thrones theme and to be able to associate it with something good again is more important than a new theme for me.

[@spicysausage8805]

It has good story-telling, but the themes they want go for are not what is being communicated. For instance, they're deliberately trying to make Alicent, whom has the best claim, as unlikeable as possible to support the theme that Rheyneara and her sham marriage would be great if the realm weren't so unreasonable. The fact is that Rheyneara and her hubby are trying to play the system essentially hoping to have their cake and eat it too. Reality is smacking them in the face and deservingly so. There are politics and woke messaging at play, but it's pretty much portraying it faithfully so it can be seen for what it is: immature people trying to live in la-la land and due to their position the world will pay the price.

[@LawlTwins]

The Laena death was fucking stupid... all the good details of the show seem to go out of the window at that point.. Didn't even hug the dragon or show any sort of emotion towards it, the dragon shows more emotion than her lol.

[@TribeofGadd]

Did anyone else get dancing master vibes when Cole was sparring with the two boys using a Wooden sword and swerving his upper body?. Gave me the feels.

[@eddiep.7559]

I love these “Talking House of Dragons” After the episodes and adding Jane should be a consistent thing . Keep it up guys. I look forward to Sunday nights now

[@SumGuy099]

Something I noticed in this episode is the show starting to establish how bad of a queen rhaenyra is going to be. When leynor essentially says he's getting the fuck out of dodge because of the bullshit that's happening, rhaenrya immediately falls onto her princess status and just orders him to stay so she can get her way, just immediately going to abusing her power to achieve what she wants. There's also the scene where rhaenyra has to lie to her son about his bastard status and not only does she give a non answer lie, she sucks at delivering the lie to her son, she can't even play the politics game with someone who doesn't even know how to play the politics game. And a final thing I noticed was that rhaenyra argues in the council scene that the kingdom should stick around and show their military strength in wherever their strength is needed but what does rhaenyra do in the end of the episode when the consequences for her actions start popping up? She tucks tail and runs from her problems.

[@_SimpleJack_]

Mother of the year takes her own life and leaves two children without a mother... I thought that was really bad writing in an otherwise good show.

[@cosmictreason2242]

Yeah it was a peek behind the curtain to see that it’s still woke

[@leonrussell9607]

She was dead anyway

[@ericgrace9995]

Anyone interested in the locations where the series was shot should check out : St Michael's Mount in Cornwall. Some of the long shots of the church/ castle are distinctive.

[@harryanders2877]

I love Jayne, her voice is ASMR - inducing and quite amazing...

[@mijanhoque1740]

Down bad

[@thomasrowe7445]

@@mijanhoque1740 down bad? Man's got enough confidence to admire and admit what he likes about someone, albeit as a consumer of content. Do you?

[@SklLLLY]

The black valyrian casting makes more sense now, so that the patrimony controversy could be blatantly obvious. Imagine if it had just been 2 white dudes?

[@lordfleabottom278]

i saw Mauler on these House of the Dragon reviews on Nerdrotic and then i checked out his channel on yt, i mean his content is pretty epic as these all folks do (Jeremy, Gary, Shad, Ryan, Disparu, AZ, etc) watched his review videos on GOT Disasterous season 8 and got so much satisfaction lmao

[@samwallaceart288]

His podcast with Fringy and Ragsssss are mainstays of my day. Put on earphones and get through 6 hours of work without needing to change the channel

[@Colistan42]

Welcome to the toxic brood 😂

[@heidijohnes7400]

If she was in labor too long and the baby wouldnt cone out, it would die. The placenta becomes unattached by contraction's. The only way they could get it out would be to cut her open and she would die. You can't remove a full term baby any other way than C-section. If it stays in, she dies. Either way she knew she was doomed, that's why she chose her own death by her dragon that she loved, instead of dying a slow and agonizing death.

[@iulpo]

Never once, in 10 years, Alicent, Rhaenyra and Visery did not discuss it ? "Alicent: Our child, Aegon is in danger. He's the first born son of the king..." Something like that. And then see what Rhaenyra and Viserys say about Alicent's worries.

[@Elmonsoon]

No, because Viserys will smile and wave it off and Rhaenyra would say "of course not, sister! I swear it, on the memory of my mother!"

[@bajbar1810]

About the Laena death scene. I assumed that episode 1 with Aemma's birth set a precedent that they cannot just cut up a baby and save the mother that way. Either the baby comes out by itself or the mother dies. So the only choice one makes when the baby does not come out on it's own is whether to do something to save the baby. The mother dies no matter what. That is why Laena was sure she is a gonner and decided to end it all. It is true that it might be "selfish" to take the unborn child with her to death, but they did suggest the child has a slim chance of survival - again, a precedent set in episode 1. So I thought the whole scene to be very logical and in terms with the rules they have established.

[@jjs69544]

The new Rhaneyra looks like Ezra Miller with a wig on.

[@Kernwadi]

"What'd you bring me?" -Bilbo Baggins

[@dracoandkodak9737]

I think I’m the only one who thought episode 6 was the worst so far

[@mroh6285]

I thought so too...

[@joab757]

Have an issue w the kings inability to understand the threat to his daughter, the political climate. Also we need to delve into how dumb it was was Rhenera to have children that aren’t her husbands. Last, wttf would she go to Dragonstone, leaving Aegon 5 ft from the throne?

[@EK_Beast]

I hope George watches these videos or sees/ hears Garry say “He’ll never finish the books!” Enough times that it pisses him off to the point where he actually finishes them just to spite Garry 😂

[@niks1538]

If only Rhaenyra and Harwin happened before Daemon came back. We wouldn't have all this shit. I can see Rhaenyra legit choosing him for a husband.

[@2st_duallist]

if alicent had not been so vague with cristen, and he wasnt such a bitch, none of this would have happen XD

[@justhair17]

He is a noble and the son and heir of the Hand. Yeah, it could have happened

[@davidmartinsen7343]

My understanding of Laena's birthing scene is that it's a parallel to the situation in episode one with Viserys first wife. Daemon does not make the same choice to force the c-sec. Obviously they set up that she wanted to die a dragon riders death, but I have a theory that they play in to the whole "Targaryen tolerates fire" that the show seems to embrace. her child being Daemon's would survive the dragon fire, but she wouldn't. Did we see the dead child?

[@Gainn]

Not all Targs can tolerate fire. They suggested Daemon can earlier in the episode, but that doesn't mean his kids will. "Every time a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land." - Sometimes the coin lands on it's edge.

[@mihnea919]

@@Gainn isn't that saying related to the madness that "runs" in the family ?

[@SweetandFullofGrace]

Another stupid separation from the books...

[@GetDerty]

The kid is born deformed and dead in the book. He has more children to come.

[@Gainn]

@@mihnea919 Yes, but it applies to more than just that. Some Targs are built different and the madness is a symptom.

[@autoclock8650]

Call me thoroughly burned by wokebullshit, but if I was watching this show instead of just enjoying some good Nerdrotic content, I would be done here. I just have no tolerance left for the way things get disrupted by their idiotic and dishonest ideaology. It's supposed to be questionable, not blatant, and so of course the showrunners recklessly throw a wrench in the works anyway, because the whole world HAS to revolve around their sensibilities. What pisses me off is that's completely one-sided. You don't see guys like me whining that Sex and the City didn't have any gunfights, but you will see folks demanding they be included when they don't deserve to be, just because it's popular.

[@evanmeiners3943]

Aegon went full Homelander.

[@shaecouture7480]

I can do whatever the fuck I, oh shit aaaaaahhhhhhhhh splat.

[@danielwlodawer1282]

I really disliked the actor switches. I mean it's just 10 years, there is not really a point in switching actors except for childactors. And if you have to, pic two actors that are somewhat lookalike. Just look what they did with Rhaenyra and Alicent.

[@theproofistrivial7677]

Milly is 22 but could pass for 15. Many viewers find her scene with criston creepy because even though her character is supposed to be 18/19, everyone still thinks she’s 15. Rhaenyra is supposed to be in her 30s or older for the bulk of this show. I just don’t see how Milly could pull off a 30 year old, especially as she’s supposed to become middle aged by the end.

[@atomicamerican7]

Otto Hightower did nothing wrong.

[@WeiderMystic]

apparently what Rhaenyra meant about the whole duck/goose metaphor, was that she prefers white meat

[@dtzyYT]

2:31:00 YES GARY. We need the maester conspiracy confirmed!

[@-NateTheGreat]

Poor Vhagar having to put down her own dragon rider. At least she is now unbound and her kids can ride her.

[@Harahvaiti]

Laena's death was significant deviation from the book source where she gives birth to a baby boy which died soon after and she couldn't recover from difficult childbirth, her last wish was to ride Vhagar one more time but she collapsed while trying to reach her dragon. Show took another way and gave us _my body, my choice_ messaging. As for Vhagar's next rider - probably you're not going to like it.

[@RAZGR1Z]

Oh no no no, nobody tell him.

[@tomre2769]

This episode really stood out to me, with all the black folks with strange rags on their head. Good show and such, but I just cant with those headrags. Why did they have to do this? Could they not just follow the books? This is just stupid at this point.

[@robbomegavlkafenryka6158]

24:08 Elmo was his grandson, Kermit his great grandson.