House of the Dragon Isn't BAD | Episode 2 REVIEW: The Rogue Prince

4069 days since the release of A Dance with Dragons.
House of the Dragon Episode 2 REVIEW | The Rogue Prince
A show that is alright, but all roads lead to Game of Thrones Season 8
#houseofthedragon #hbomax #gameofthrones
Guest starring: ‪@MauLerYT‬
Edited by ‪@QTRBlackGarrett‬ and ‪@PierryChan‬
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[@wild_ee_coyote6948]

I completely disagree with your criticism of pacing. I am immensely happy the show has gone back to its roots where it focuses on the drama and politics instead of how it focused on spectacle in seasons 6-8. Let the show take its time, and let it be a political drama before anything else. A lot of these characters are going to die, so let the show invest the time it has now for the audience to get to know them and care for them.

[@HaelinX]

Agreed

[@PineappleBaconPizza]

Yeah, it reminds me of the start of GoT and possibly The Tudors with all the scheming. If it were more fast pace, people wouldn't know wtf was going on. I like the slower approach at the start so they can set up the clusterfuck that will occur later in the show. The more we know about the characters, the more emotional the outcome will be. I already spoiled myself, but I kind of got bummed at the characters who end up dying. No one is safe in GoT...

[@demirkazanasmaz6097]

Exactly

[@KennyZ1615]

Flawless opinion. The dialog is what wrapped me into the new show

[@delitatactics6721]

It's in its build up phase, I think it's been great so far. The inner motives of most the character are starting to be revealed. Can't wait for episode 3

[@KatAdVictoriam]

I'll say this -- I don't mind the frequent council scenes and conversations for exposition and world building. At least it's not seven straight minutes of someone rearranging the chairs in the small council room with an extreme close up and tracking shot of the actor. The dialogue actually moves things along. Whereas S5-8 of GoT it's just endless close ups and pointless dialogue.

[@Amantducafe]

Those are the best scenes for me. But i can see why most would find them boring. Meanwhile i would analyze words, tone, body language and find meaning or double meaning behind ever single word.

[@KatAdVictoriam]

@@Amantducafe At the time, it wasn't boring for me, and I, like most everyone would theorize and read into everything too, and it turned out that the showrunners left so much unsaid/not shown because they literally didn't know what to write and just focused on the actors instead in those silent, meandering close-ups that served no purpose but to be filler. They wasted so much and it still makes me angry.

[@RP-tv2hc]

Yeah, I quite agree with you. My only criticism so far is that the first two episodes should have been released together.

[@Amantducafe]

@@KatAdVictoriam Although i agree with you i like the silent scenes to let the actors play an emotion rather than saying it since the human face is the best tool in filming which is why i mentioned body language. Having good actors helps here (i've enjoyed Matt's performance so far). Staying faithful to the source is also important so i won't praise the showrunners too much for the liberties they take but Martin is there, working with them and i have noticed his presence (Colorful knight heraldry is a Martin's favorite)

[@Amantducafe]

@@RichardHorpe I learnt to appreciate silence in cinema through the movies of Andrei Tarkovsky also allowing the enviroment or the actors performance do the heavy lifting. It works if done correctly, GoT example is the small council scene where Tywin is the hand and everyone sits on the chairs. Not a single word is spoken yet you can tell it is a very descriptive scene of every character: -Little finger moving forward to sit next to Tywin -Varys blending in the middle -Pycelle in a corner away from Tywin -Cercei picks the chair to sit next to Tywin's right side -Tyrion dragging the chair to sit on the opposite direction to Tywin.

[@toegunn4905]

The true theme of the show is the classic GOT "there are no heros" and that in vainly or pridefully trying to do what's best can cause greater harm than indented. Civil wars, no matter how justified only destroy and women are equally capable of royally horrible destruction if they seek power. If they stick to that messaging and don't try to make this a weird patriarchy = bad thing then I'll be stoked. At the end of the day the primary movers are all women, and are all seeking power regardless of what's right for the realm.

[@mertzie31]

The whole theme of this show, from Princess Rhynarys, to the queen who never was, definitely feels like "patriarchy-bad" show. I don't think they have the guts to make the women characters look bad, or touch on the women's power lust leading to civil conflict. They haven't so far, albeit only 2 episodes. For gods sakes, Rhynarys had to save stupid man Otto, bc Otto forgot Daemon has a dragon. Good thing our hero swooped in and saved the day. This show is ridiculous so far

[@MyUserTubeAccount]

yes, except it has been made clear the men are the problem? Rhaenyra will only thrust Westeros into bloodshed to save everyone from the "white walkers", Alicent was put in an awkward position by her abusive dad. Myseria only wants the pain to stop. Rhaenys was unjustly passed over.. they made Corlys a diversity hire so the "beautiful magic people" aren't just "white". Daemon is the only reason to watch

[@toegunn4905]

@@MyUserTubeAccount Rhaenyra in the books is objectively the hero, and they do need to show her relationship to Daemon, who is relentlessly loyal to his family all while resenting them, but hopefully by the end of the first season we'll get Alicent grown into the ruthless bitch she is. Motherhood changes people afterall. Rhaenyra should remain a very masculine figure, who is impulsive, increasingly neurotic and at times hyperviolent. I don't know how the series could begin to spin into the meme of a level headed women who was born to rule and does it justly to have the big bad men take it away. The only hint of that would be the queen that never was, but her story matters less and less. Like there were definitely those undertones in the first episode, but the theme of the rest of the series strays away from that "initial sin". I think by the end of the season we'll begin to see the main characters develop in a natural way and hopefully have evidence this series didn't get the rings of power treatment. Also Daemon is basically a sigma grindset meme and I'm all for it.

[@pg1448]

​@@MyUserTubeAccount ​ They have been a little overt so far on the whole "men will sooner put the realm to the torch than let a woman acend the throne" message. But so far they haven't strayed from the source material. Rhaenys was passed over and with that a precedent has been set that women can't inherit the throne before any male heirs (as is custom in westeros), since the laws of Targaryen succession up to that point haven't yet been definitely settled. Now the king went against the precedent and named his daughter heir and this will cause the coming conflict. But this won't be about Rhaenyra saving everyone from the white walkers, a male heir could serve that purpose just as well, or even fighting the patriarchy, it will be about her personal quest for power and her fighting for her birthright that she thinks is taken from her.

[@MyUserTubeAccount]

@@pg1448 yea you're right, and i'm ok with having some sort of commentary about male succession, thats perfectly fine. as long as Rhaenyra is personally motivated for her seat, or as toegunn said, Alicent wants her kid to be king because its her son, i dont need altruistic motivations for all the women and poc charachters, while only the white guys are selfish. its so unrealistic, people are people. everyone has the ability to be vain, greedy, stubborn, or cruel.

[@damvid21]

Gary: finally gets Rhys Ifans correct Also Gary: pAdDy cOnStAnTiNe

[@ProjeKtWEREWOLF]

Mauler mispronounced Rhys Ifans too.

[@hater2764]

Ris Onlyfans

[@neil_mch]

Now ask him to pronounce Niamh or Siobhan.

[@androidcaller7902]

No one got it right. For the last time, it's Rhys Ee-vans! A single f is a v in welsh. Double ff is an f in welsh.

[@damvid21]

@@neil_mch Or Aoife, or Caoimhe!

[@grandmufftwerkin9037]

There was an article in The Guardian that said The Rings of Power is 'so astounding it makes House of the Dragon look amateur.' 🤣🤣🤣☠️

[@MalrickEQ2]

I mean, some of us prefer the slower, political stuff.

[@vinnyganzano1930]

The Guardian is well known for being a huge left wing mouthpiece and a woke banner carrier.

[@jamesfowler2660]

The guardian says it all doesn't it

[@gs7828]

@@vinnyganzano1930 It's so big that it has all kinds of writers, honestly. On the cultural stuff it goes bonkers.

[@frankvandorp2059]

The Guardian likes flashes and bright lights on their screens and straightforward stories about good and noble oppressed minorities pwning evil privileged white men. The little brains of their journalists are way too simple to comprehend political intrigue.

[@billybadass3056]

and for anybody wondering who that face is that's Tyler1lol the maximum meat ball lol streamer......

[@jobobtargaryen1258]

I prefer the Targaryen intrigue. Within this fictional world, I find the ancient Valyrian dragon lords to be the most interesting house, followed by the mighty Starks....I'm excited!

[@Bayard1503]

And the Starks are actually very important in this war

[@the_lordofthedings]

*valyrian

[@jobobtargaryen1258]

@@the_lordofthedings Fixed, ty

[@SquareNoggin]

I was never much interested in the Targaryen house, probably tainted by my dislike for Dani (even when GoT and the books were actually good she was still my least favorite) - but so far this show has made them seem way more compelling and badass. I find Ranayra (or however it's spelled) a lot more interesting, even though she seems to suffer from the same powerlust as Dani.

[@aslemartinsen5284]

Why is Tyler1 in the thumbnail of the video?

[@tolnaijani]

Rhys Ifans is just brilliant. love the guy. Perfect casting

[@sendmeyourlocation1145]

Perfect casting except the Corlys race swap and his family and his wife she looks old dosen't fit to have a worrior history

[@Shadow-In-The-East]

@@sendmeyourlocation1145 I think Steve Touissant is doing a very good job so far as Corlys Velaryon.

[@tolnaijani]

@@sendmeyourlocation1145 No argument there. Corlys actor is talented and charismatic, but the race swap is bad. GoT did a much better job at race swapping which did not feel forced.

[@PineappleBaconPizza]

@@Shadow-In-The-East and George RR Martin gave his blessing to do it and agreed, so I don't really care too much... I might have an unpopular opinion, but I think his character looked pretty cool. (Pls no hate because race swapping is terrible, especially in Rings of Power) What they did to Tolkien's world and his work shouldn't be okay. I'll let House of Dragon slide since he looks cool, and George agreed. Rings of Power, though? That show can suck a fat dong and choke on it.

[@ProjeKtWEREWOLF]

I used to live in the same street as his Twin Town co-star Llyr Evans. People used to think that they were actually brothers. Rhys has done so well, but Llyr didn't reach those heights.

[@jasonbatista6273]

You missed on this one bro. The sitting and talking is the best part. The writting is very good. The pacing is exactly whereit need to be. We can get to the battles and killing later.

[@MalcomMalediction]

the sitting and talking about their feelings was the whole show and it was boring. I wanna see more of the dragons not 3 minutes screentime of them. FFS its called the House of the Dragon is it not???

[@btchiaintkidding7837]

@@MalcomMalediction it is called "house of dragons" , which basically means "the targaeryens(and their family drama)", it is not called "dragons go boom boom". i suggest u to just wait till the final episode and watch all the boom boom fight scenes from youtube video "All HoTD fight scene compilation"

[@jasonbatista6273]

@@MalcomMalediction this is the build up stage same way it build up in games of thrones. I am sure you will see way more of the dragons later on.

[@jasonbatista6273]

@@btchiaintkidding7837 facts

[@pasomatt11]

​@@MalcomMalediction Ahahahahahah bro, that is the dumbest and funniest comment I read in a while. Like the fact that you actually were expecting to see dragons all the time is fucking stupid, you wanna see dragons? Watch clips online or whatever while we watch an actual show with actual characters

[@patriciafenwick5846]

I don't find it boring, and I like the slow pace. It gives time to set up everything without rushing anything.

[@Rippel0000]

Agreed. Remember what happened when they rushed it?

[@neil_mch]

But how can they show strong female characters when they don't kill orcs withing the first ten minutes??

[@rhaevan.maniyara]

@@neil_mch ah fuck me😆

[@_blank-_]

I wouldn't mind either if the dialogue was well written and had some wit to it. Feels like it's going around in circles, especially since the number of characters is greatly reduced compared to GoT. With the plot just in King's Landing among the Targaryens, I feel trapped in some very basic family argument. They should have added another subplot to keep us entertained.

[@patriciafenwick5846]

@@_blank-_ Maybe there will be one later. It might be slow build to....something else

[@LBrobie]

whenever i see rhys ifans in anything, i'm always reminded of the slobby roommate of hugh grant he played in notting hill. he's actually a brilliant character actor.

[@b2themc]

He's also brilliant in "the replacements" as a pub owner who is in major debt

[@edwardjohnson6744]

I haven't seen that movie in over 20 years and I still remember him best for that character LOL!! I loved his ALIEN tshirt.

[@captbuckyohare]

Same. It's like, "Oh hi, Spike!"

[@dangerotterisrea]

You should give Twin Town or 51st State a watch.

[@capo4ever334]

He was also the best character in the replacements. He can really act man

[@aquila4228]

Princess Rhaenyra could have just taken the dragon for a ride and lied about it being just a short flight(it’s established she always flies the dragon)

[@aonirsplayground6224]

I think the pacing is also perfectly fine, especially since they are doing considerable time jumps so the characters NEED time to be explored and so we can view their motivations/ambitions/grudges NOW and not "oh here's a dude who wants to be king" BOOM CIVIL WAR DRAGONFIRE EFFECTS YEEI. And yes the cart blanche of "its a story written by x y z" can be abused to nonsensical metrics however since martin himself is involved (a lot more) I expect it to be used to explore non-book mentioned issues or "greyify" it as its meant to be, apparently what we see now on TV, on the show is indeed the "truth" instead of what is written, so we'll see how it plays out. But I do recommend it, pacing is more than fine, don't expect instant dragon fighting though I mean its 2 episodes what the hell do you want really.

[@philanderphillips2309]

Agreed

[@lofytodo875]

It is slow.... I mean doesn't pull you so much an ep1 and 2 I remember episode 1 of got it was waaaay better than this

[@terraserpico]

I like the current pacing of the show, at least they are not rushing things. There will be battle scenes in episode 3. I agree that episodes 1 & 2 of GoT were far more captivating but that was a totally different show consisting of several plots and sub plots in Essos and Westeros. It's a losing proposition to keep trying to compare this show to GoT. Yes we know that Season 7 & 8 of GoT sucked mostly because HBO and the writers were just "winging it" and rushing things for the last two or three seasons of the show's run. In my opinion this show will live or die based on its own merits, not on how well it compares to GoT.

[@_blank-_]

The pacing sucks. I'm fine with dialogues and no fighting but the writing is poor and characters are predictable.

[@Ashley_e]

I think it makes total sense he wouldn’t have known that Rhaenyra went to dragonstone, because the only reason Viserys knew about Daemon heir for a day, is because Otto told him. Otto was intentionally following Daemon. Otto wasn’t even in KL to know Rhaenyra left. But it wouldn’t be weird even if she did she goes flying on her Dragon all time. The only person I would’ve known that she was going is her.

[@rubyjade90]

Loved your opener about Jon Snow bleeding out for 11 years!! I think we all need to take away that tussle hat Martin loves so much, and not give it back until he finishes those dam books!

[@RealSugam]

he won't, he is too busy jumping on a trampoline naked (no really he is) and eating whatever he can.

[@The_Breaded92]

@@RealSugam plus working on all the other god awful spin-off series HBO is gonna shit out.

[@LucLB01]

The guy just forgot what got him in his position in the first place. And I think his story will be forgotten if it stays unfinished. A story needs a conclusion, especially when the one we have currently ( D&D’s version ) sucks big time.

[@rubyjade90]

@@LucLB01 totally agree, I intend to forget him, and refuse to read anything else he puts out until he finishes.

[@Red_Lanterns_Rage]

@@rubyjade90 the cows will return home first....the pigs will grow wings and Luci wants a word.....eh

[@lazytyrant9010]

King heard "Heir for a day" from hightower. Hightower was already gone at the time Princess heir left. Hightower was looking to undermine Matt Smith and that was the only reason that info was shared. It also looked like Hightower was looking for bloodshed at dragon stone. Once the dragon showed up he realized he couldn't start a fight without risking his own life.

[@vinnyganzano1930]

Yeah I got that vibe too.

[@caseyjp1]

One of the first times I felt real bias leaking through from you. Most of the time the bias is completely warranted, but the grudging "kinda' liked it" felt more like some dweeb from r/freefolk eating rotten eggs. 😀 What is conveniently forgotten is that while,, yes, this is an HBO franchise, this time around the author himself is not just involved but heavily involved with the production. The showrunner(s) isn't the infamous duo from the prior series. "Pacing was off?" I guess we were watching two different shows. To be clear, I wasn't a fan of S.7/8 , but this series is knocking it out of the park for me. I feel like I'm back in Westeros. 9/10

[@eziomorte3380]

I know Im a minority here but my favorites parts of GOT were the....talking, back when the writing was good so I really enjoy the...talking in HOTD because the writing is good.

[@Dan-qi4ix]

I don't think you're in the minority. The talking is fine because the writing is damn good.

[@uniblonder5606]

The race swapping looks so absolutely absurd I can't get past it...

[@nobody-wk6ej]

So don't watch it then. Personally, I couldn't care less. The show is solid so far.

[@spoons250]

It makes absolute sense. Too many pale blondes to tell them apart.

[@uniblonder5606]

@@nobody-wk6ej I won't be watching. You enjoy.

[@DC-ml6cv]

Hahaha legit just commenting this same thing to someone else then got your comment right after

[@uniblonder5606]

@@spoons250 As pale blond with blond lashes and eyebrows I resent that :D

[@ZeerXX]

Ramin Djawadi is an amazing composer. Made the orginal Iron Man theme, Pacific Rim, West World and of course GOT.

[@protato911]

its a shame that a lot of his great scores are tied to shit shows, or atleast shows that started great and ended up shit.

[@zyehov]

Prison break theme

[@tealsquare]

@@protato911 I'll not entertain Westworld slander here 😏

[@CapybaraConnoisseur89]

Medal of Honor games as well, best one there is .

[@kelpie1533]

GoT wouldn't have been the show it was without his music. Also he got his start composing music for System Shock 2, still to this day one of the best game soundtracks.

[@Ignisan_66]

Blackwashed Velaryons still look ridiculous. I laughed out loud when Laena Velaryon mentionted that she would give the king children of "pure Valyrian blood". Well, I don't think she has a "pure Valyrian blood" when she's like half-Summer Islander. It's ridiculous, like if the writers pretented she is not black at all. If you wanted to have a dialogue like that then you shouldn't have blackwashed the Velaryons.

[@wambokodavid7109]

Bro.. relax.

[@iamthepotato4312]

@@wambokodavid7109 he's got a point, why make an adaptation of something if you don't like the source material, one of the main reasons books get adaptations to the screen is because people bought the books thus making them popular so changing the source material is a slap in the face to the fans who paid money to support the series to begin with.

[@PineappleBaconPizza]

@@iamthepotato4312 George RR Martin was the one who allowed it and thought it was fine. At least it isn't on the level of Rings of Power...

[@ernie4125]

There are 5 lights! That's the modern idea....

[@HorySmokes]

@@wambokodavid7109 He has a point. Race mixing racial purists makes no sense.

[@Amantducafe]

People talking about politics is what i like about the books. It's not empty speech with no context, every single word spoken has a meaning and a hidden meaning. It's a slow build up and if we are honest the first seasons of game of thrones did not have the budget for battles or epic fight scenes.

[@honeybee4016]

We are literally just two episodes in and all these people who were complaining there was no focus on characters and no room for scenes to breathe. Here they are with a show that is focusing on characters and build up and now they're calling it boring. Personally I'd rather at least the first half of the very first season of the show take some time with the build up because that is what made the earlier seasons of the show satisfying.

[@Amantducafe]

@@honeybee4016 Some people complain just for the sake of complaining and antagonizing someone/something.

[@Grivehn]

@@honeybee4016 Id like to believe its not the same people complaining about these two things, but it is ridicolous. Just because its slow it isnt boring. Not saying I was on the edge of my seat all the way, but a couple times, sure. And was always curious what happens next. As someone who hasnt read this, the twist at the end of the 2nd episode was the real deal. I expected Velaryon to make a deal with the Crabfeeder tbh to leave him alone, or plunder the king instead of his ports as revenge. I got smt even better.

[@wolfcrushp]

Unlike the bs flight of Danny beyond the wall, it's entirely possibly rhaenyra was gone for like an hour or 2. It's not unusual for her to go flying most likely, so no one probably batted an eye, but once she returned she was like yes I just returned from dragonstone and the word spread then. Or the word had spread that she was going to dragonstone but it only reached the kings ear after she was spotted returning.

[@Red_Lanterns_Rage]

the word is getting a bit thin over here, mind if i put more word on this wordknife?? so i can.....spread it around more ugh bada tss [tomatoes get thrown]

[@protato911]

My reasoning is that if not Otto, Viserys is pretty clueless about anything in the realm, which is pretty well established in episode 1. He can missed the fact that Rhaenyra took the dragon and fly to Dragonstone and Otto isn't there to rat her out, Otto is the reason that Viserys heard about "the king for a day" thing.

[@hansgruber9685]

The dragon keep is under constant supervision, and the kings guards job is to always know where the king and his heir are.

[@liamjm9278]

@@hansgruber9685 He didn't know Daemon was there in ep 1. The king only knows what's happening if people tell him.

[@hansgruber9685]

@@liamjm9278 That’s my point. The kings people are stationed for that specific purpose in both cases.

[@rogersjolly1]

I loved Rhys Ifans when he played Sherlock Holmes' brother Mycroft in the CBS series Elementary.... great actor!!

[@ciaranbrk]

great actor he was also adrian in little nicky where it showcases his ruthlessness in a character.

[@huntergirl7275]

And the roommate in Notting Hill.

[@BonsaiBlacksmith]

It is refreshing to hear you give moderate praise for once. The state of things I know, but I am glad you deem this not bad, i also enjoyed the first two shows.

[@vinnyganzano1930]

Don't think he's going to be praising the rings of power though, god what a turkey.

[@BonsaiBlacksmith]

@@vinnyganzano1930 I don't know, I sort of enjoyed the Lord of the rings series granted they don't stick The lore as well as they should but it doesn't have that social justice writing that Marvel does, At least not as blatant and in your face.

[@Ksmoove0824]

He keeps it real. That’s why we like him

[@legacy756]

Credit where credit is due, but we'll see if this show is worth it

[@jonathanhendrix2925]

@@BonsaiBlacksmith WITH THE MONEY THEY HAVE THERES NO REASON FOR SETTLING for f*ck sakes stop eating sh*t sandeiches

[@EnsignRedshirtRicky]

If Jon has not, not wanted it, I would feel sorry for him.

[@mantid83]

It's pretty good so far. The jury is still out though.

[@shaunlasich2330]

The Jury will stay out until the very end.

[@warrensloan3467]

Every time someone reminds me that it’s been 11 years since the last installment, it really puts it into perspective just how ridiculous it is that he hasn’t been able to get this done.

[@BurkeanMama]

The problem is ASOIAF is not a bit woke. If he writes a book like the rest Twitter will squeal and shriek. So he Martin is just going to abandon his fans. Lousy thing to do.

[@TheRealDarth_Vader]

@@BurkeanMama what are you on about?

[@JamesKennedy33]

"Gary, ya bellend" was a great interjection 👌😂

[@Dave_L913]

I didn't have a problem with Rhaenerya flying to Dragonstone behind the king's back - it's a very short flight, and she's already been shown to go flying for fun, like a highborn lady would go horseback riding for fun and exercise.

[@adedayooyegunju828]

He was told about the heir for a day by his hand

[@StephenSiu]

i'm kinda glad that you're giving this series a chance. your channel and other ones like mauler kinda feed off the toxic negativity (which for a lot of shows/movies is justified ...she hulk, rings of power, any marvel phase 4 LOL). it's pretty much confirmed making a video flaming something will get more viewership than saying something is actually good. and it's also almost always more entertaining to rip something apart. there are some amazing scenes and good stuff in HOT D though. it's clearly miles above any other shtshow from marvel and other stuff lately. we don't have to hate or dislike something just because it's cool to diss big corps.

[@DayBowBow]

Well it's hard to be positive when we are constantly given crap. You act like we all just love being negative, like it's a hobby. It's not. It's the results of bad writing and a whole slew of other crap that's being put out. If something is good, then you'll hear good things. If something is bad well you'll hear the complaints. It's pretty simple.

[@thatsnotoneofmeatsmanyuses1970]

Tell it to Screen Rant, who has 9 million subscribers regularly gets over a million views per video, and he seems to swallow all this stuff whole. As a lifelong contrarian, I can assure you that it is no freeway to popularity. I don't hate big corporations per se, but I am always concerned about them controlling storytelling, because (at best) they want to ride successful IPs and characters forever for the perpetual cash, and a crucial part of any story and character arc is the end. Every cowboy deserves his ride into the sunset

[@StephenSiu]

@@DayBowBow I'd say it is a hobby for some. Isn't Mauler's entire success predicated on ripping apart popular IPs? Isn't that why there's a term of "getting maulered" because he would spend an insane amount of time creating a 4 hour video destroying a movie? I think those videos are super entertaining. I can't speak for him, but if YT is his hobby/job, we can say him being negative is pretty much a hobby. I'm in the middle of going through his DR strange video and it is the funniest sht i've watched in a while. his channel really thrives off that stuff - it's so entertaining!

[@StephenSiu]

@@thatsnotoneofmeatsmanyuses1970 it's true. they did the jurassic series dirty for sure. good example of big corp wrecking the IP just for a cash grab.

[@rogue_of_the_winds1286]

If it's justified, it isn't toxic, sorry. We nerds have been arguing power levels since we were in the sandbox. Who's the best ninja turtle? Michelangelo. We've been critical and anal since day one. You new age nerds are really showing that you aren't here for the material, you're here for socializing. Fine, but nerds socializing will always come to arguments and debates. Sorry. The gates are swinging closed, and it's time for you to decide which side you'll stand on. Passionate, argumentative lovers of sci-fi and fantasy, or people who watch what Twitter tells them to. Cheers.

[@SKnight1968]

I was a huge fan of Games Of Thrones till the ending which was frustrating to say the least. So, I've watched both episodes and right away I felt the imprint of GoT, it felt, sounded, looked like GoT. And it captured my attention and kept it right away. Yeah it's a little slow pace at first but you can easily imagine the true potential that it has after the two episodes. Which I can't say the same for the Amazon 2 episode blunders I've watched, other than the multi million dollars CGI sceneries, the first 2 episodes had me checking the time every 15 minutes. So, with said, I've made my choice as to which series to watch and House Of The Dragons wins by a landslide! Oh and quick side note/fact about LOTR: Rings Of Power... I loved how Princess Disa whispered in her husband's ear "I'm the first female dwarf on the screen". To which he replied "Huh, sorry honey but there were about 6-7 female dwarfs seen before your character was first seen on screen". That was priceless! She's not even the first female dwarf on screen in her own series.

[@GABDILIVE1]

I love the first 2 episodes. Great writing and acting. I think the build up is amazing, you can see the pieces of the board moving.

[@NormanReaddis]

"all roads lead to S8" good or not.

[@raymondlaspina7870]

@@NormanReaddis not really

[@pg1448]

@@NormanReaddis It's a bit like saying any Star Wars movie or show leds to the sequels. Yes, true, but it's still a self contained story you can enjoy independently of what happens before or after.

[@NormanReaddis]

@@raymondlaspina7870 nerdrotic's own quote.

[@NormanReaddis]

@@pg1448 the thing is it's still cannon.

[@lawlietriver8869]

Matt Smith was the only reason I gave this a chance. Very glad I did as it seems promising. Matt Smith is my favorite Doctor, and he is my favorite character in this show so far.

[@ItsaKindOfMagic86]

my fave doctor too i want season 2 of HOTD already

[@DrRasputin2012]

Wow. The bar for decent entertainment has been set so low, that anything that's not-good is now being considered decent.

[@DC-ml6cv]

Yup and so many nerd moving them goal post for what's considered good. Go to the big got channels. All salivating for a sub par show

[@MinscS2]

8:58 To be fair to the writing here, he heard the Heir-for-a-day that from Otto Hightower. When Rhaenyra jumped onto her dragon and flew away, Otto was well on his way to Dragonstone by boat so there was no way he would know, let alone be able to tell Viserys.

[@ShawnG85]

This is a perfect review. Calls out the bullsh!t, praises the good stuff, and pleads to be rid of the talking heads segment after each episode that ruins all the intrigue and strips away any subtlety in favor of punching us in the face with their agenda. Perfect review.

[@pasomatt11]

Would be better without all the non requested comments that reference the book tbh. Like first he said "incest will be back", and even the dumbest person in the world who watched the first 2 episodes can do the math, so thanks for the spoiler. Ok, fine, this is a small thing, but then he literally spoiled the ending and that's not cool, I didn't read the books and I didn't wanna know

[@PrinceIsot]

Wouldn't want women to acknowledge they live in a patriarchal feudalist society, when their universe is based on patriarchal feudalist society now would we?

[@elLooto]

@@PrinceIsot Patriarchy, like all great conspiracy theories, begins with a nugget of truth then extrapolates into bonkoland ascribing malice where none can be demonstrated.

[@PrinceIsot]

@@elLooto holy shit, I know you tried to come off as deep and intelligent. But you miss the mark when you forget I'm talking about A Song of Ice and Fire....the fictional patriarchal feudalist society. No one's talking about conspiracies you potato

[@Alan_Edwards]

I don't think it was boring, just a little slow. But it feels like these first two episodes were mostly setting the stage for what is too come. For me it works since I have not read any of the books so it helps to tie things together and get a feel for where things might go. I really liked the scene where Rhaenyra came in on the dragon - that was pretty bad ass. There is a lot going on in the background between the characters that comes through even when there is noting being said. Hopefully things will pick up as the story progresses - the stage is definitely set.

[@abstractnonsense3253]

That fast Tommen jump had me dying. Kudos to Pierry Chan.

[@domskillet5744]

8:37 I completely disagree with this assessment. I think Daemon knew how this scenario would play out from beginning to end. Let me explain: Daemon knows at this point he is no longer the official heir and it's Rhaenyra. He and Rhaenyra have a strong dynamic and it's pretty clear they have feelings for each other. With Caraxes' backing, Daemon knows there is no way for anyone to retrieve the egg without another dragon to keep Caraxes in check. Otto never had a chance to get the egg. Daemon knows Rhaenyra is one to take action, so he knows she will eventually show up for the egg (the fact it happens while Otto is still there you can call out as too coincidental, but that's not egregious by any means). At that point, he will give her the egg without conflict, legitimizing the woman who he has feelings for and setting the seeds for Rhaenyra ascending the throne with him and their sons inheriting the throne. Daemon was clearly just messing around with Otto the entire time and had no intention of giving him the egg. It never would've happened as Otto was about to leave ("sheathe the fucking steel"). The only peaceful resolution is Rhaenyra retrieving the egg from Daemon, which Daemon knows.

[@spencertherren6806]

I was on the fence, so pissed about no Winds yet. However, this show does great justice to the book. It's good. I like the sitting down and talking. The dialogue and story telling is what I like about Westeros.

[@JohnM-wk2it]

Well said to many ppl who don't read have no idea what their missing

[@_blank-_]

@@JohnM-wk2it GRR Martin is an horrible writer. Can't stand his style more than 20 pages.

[@nuancedobserver3527]

The House Valyeron race swap is a bit odd and doesn't make a ton of sense with the description of Valayarians.

[@everhall306]

Involving House Martell would change the story in a much more drastic plot affecting manner than the Velaryon swap.

[@PatchesNjose]

They should've jiust given Nettles a big role since she's darker skinned in the books if they wanted to do representation.

[@1979kaoss]

I kinda feel you it is ridiculous but so are dragons and at the end of the day it's supposed to be about acting so let judge that performance who knows he might turn out to be a good villain likes Ramsey Bolton or joffrey baratheon well cheers 🍻

[@LilBerny7389]

@Jermy Wermy hate to break this to ya but GRRM literally wrote them with darker skin and apart from that never refereed to them as white or anything so y’all even talking about this makes no Sense and none of ya read the books apparently

[@mysteryman4013]

Bro what? I’ve read every George rr Martin book multiple times and it does not affect me. In the books the color of their skin does is not a main point…& the story beats are excellent with corlys,I think you’ve got some underlying problems if changing characters skin bugs you that much. The race swap doesn’t have to make sense, they did it because a critique of got is not much racial diversity. So weird people like you have these opinions when it doesn’t effect the story negatively. To make another point in the books all people from valyeria have purple eyes and silver hair not bright blonde. Does this upset you too?

[@PatchesNjose]

The 10M figure comes 'the first on-air showing + streaming and replayso on HBO cable channel' according to the Hollywood reporter.

[@gs7828]

Is that even a lot? I expected a bigger audience.

[@PineappleBaconPizza]

@@gs7828 They're saying it's the most viewed premiere for a new show in HBO history. Total views as of 6 days ago for the first episode was 20 million.

[@Nikitikitavvi]

Good video, however I disagree on a few points and would definitely recommend this show for people who enjoyed GoT. Great visuals here, the story is slow so far, but it's not boring and I can see the buildup on multiple angles going on. The crab feeder doesn't look worse or less imposing than some of the GoT characters you mentioned. He literally had like 5 seconds screen time? Ramsey didn't look imposing at all. We learned what an asshole he is after watching him for way more than 5 seconds. Same with Joffrey. In the beginning he looked like a rich spoiled kid. Then he turned into a piece of shit of humongous proportions. But that took more than a season.

[@gr3atestthink3r86]

Yup.

[@transcendingthedyad5663]

People are so starved for entertainment products that even what is mildly acceptable becomes palatable nowadays. We shouldn't elevate what's acceptable to a gourmet meal.

[@RunBayou]

Other than Daemon, everyone has the same tone and delivery. Even the little Valyeron girl. They're very flat but not quite wooden. Theres having a solemn tone and then there's having homogeneous characters

[@DC-ml6cv]

What happens when you're hiring based on diversity, why writing everywhere has suffered the same for a good 7 years now. That and alot of big names probably shyed away because of how bad GOT ended.

[@Wheeler1717]

I agree 100%. There are no unique characterizations, neither in writing nor acting. It's just cookie-cutter mediocrity with a big budget.

[@jackpatrick8460]

I didnt hate the "they would rather put the realm to the torch than to see a woman ascend the iron throne" when I saw the context of it. The line wasnt forced at all. That is EXACTLY what her character would say. She had the better claim to the throne, and was passed over. I am not saying that she was passed over because she was a woman, I'm sure there where many factors. But I have no doubt she believes 100% she was passed over because she was a woman

[@iremainteague5653]

It was the maesters

[@everhall306]

Being a woman is, at the very least, the biggest reason why Rhaenys was passed over. The question of “who succeeds Jaehaerys” wouldn’t have even popped up if she were male, because as the eldest child of the Crown Prince, Rhaenys would be the unquestioned successor. Her being female was what tossed a wrench into the whole thing.

[@iremainteague5653]

@@everhall306 actually it was bc she was a dragon rider and the maesters want rulers without dragons.

[@everhall306]

@@iremainteague5653 again though - the maesters wouldn't have been able to do jack shit if she was male, because she would be Jaehaerys's unquestioned heir after Aemon died. There wouldn't have been a great council in the first place because the succession would have been clear.

[@everhall306]

@@iremainteague5653 I agree though, for the vote itself, the maesters probably did some shady shit.

[@AncestorEmpire1]

It can’t be bad Since the plan was for to make seasons 6-8 so lackluster than anything above average is considered a masterpiece. This is another reason why post modernism art is a rancid used tampon of quality.

[@criticclips1560]

Season 6 was the last great season....the battle of the bastards and the blowing of the sept made up for it. 7 and 8 was a mess.

[@maxrelax33]

Something can be brilliant for many seasons and still be bad. Right now it doesnt suck and possibly lessons were learned. OPTIMISM :D

[@AncestorEmpire1]

@@maxrelax33 ha ha ha ha, no. It’s either good or it’s shit. Or you’re in bigger denial of reality than the Jedi order during the old republic.

[@AncestorEmpire1]

@@criticclips1560 I disagree. I believe that season 5 was the last good one.

[@Mystra]

It's actually good regardless so no

[@eroope5713]

Whaddaya mean the episode doesn't do enough to show why Viserys chose Alicent over Laena? The whole "not wanting to f*** a child" thing didn't seem compelling enough? The point is that he struggles to choose duty (Laena) over his own needs and feelings. Alicent is at least older than his own daughter, so the creep factor is much lower, and she has been his constant companion since his wife's death...

[@abigfish1620]

I actually quite liked it all so far. The intrigue was always the strongest part of GOT, so I like seeing it here. I do think they could have spent another episode or even 2 just trying to make us believe that the king was falling in love with Allicent Hightower though. Also i think she is supposed to be little older in the book? And that would have been a bit better I think, she still looks way too young for him but if she had been a bit older in the show then, again, it would just help with the immersion and believability. Still, I love it so far. And Rhaenyra is already so much cooler than Denarys was. She actually has some spunk and does stuff on her own. I dont know, hard to pin it down exactly, but I like her more already.

[@LukeGood1018]

oh wow I didn't know MauLer was a Welshman. Thank you Nerdrotic for correcting the Ralph Fiennes error. Us Welshmen (and women) can get a little annoyed when we're mistaken for the English. Tolkien knew that😉😉. Diolch yn fawr (Thank you very much)

[@KSmithwick1989]

Well, not that many people know about Wales. Granted more so than the Cornish, they don't even have their original language.

[@ironpoopie6087]

I'm waiting for Otto to scream out "OLE OLE OLE OLE, OLLLLLLLEEEEEE, OLLLLEEEEEEE!"

[@johngill6290]

When both The Walking Dead and Rick & Morty started ruining their episodes with those horrific "inside the episode" things at the end I quickly learned to rush to turn it off at the end of the episode. I highly recommend the last two The Walking Dead seasons to develop the skill because Angela Kang speaking in a 110% valley girl dialect like totally telling you exactly what you just saw will quickly have you get to the stop button at olympic speeds.

[@heraldofwar]

The biggest problem is that the only character of interest or has charisma is Matt Smiths Daemon, the King is the only other person of intrigue. This really showed in this episode as it was so slow and painful, all you are waiting for is Daemons appearance hoping something happens.

[@potturudharani6425]

Rhanearya is also good

[@iwakeimmalamas2458]

Matt Daemon Targaryan, The astronaut, Botanist, Rogue Prince. etc. etc.

[@skyz6708]

9:12 dragons would be going in and out of Kings Landing all the time as there are quite a few, i'm sure people don't inform the king everytime she goes for a ride.

[@dylangrey2003]

2nd episode in they’re like ‘they would rather burn Kings Landing to the ground than have a woman sit on the Iron Throne’ and I’m like I’m out!

[@msanjelica]

I mean, if you don't like GRRM's work, why were you even watching, lol. 🤷

[@dylangrey2003]

@@msanjelica I loved GOT even the last seasons. This series not so much.

[@Ravnos_87]

I didnt have a lot of expectations to the show. Resubed HBO just to check it and daaaaamn.... I'm shocked. Amazing two episodes, building nice for future events. I really really like both episodes. Cant wait for more

[@andreab380]

Just because patriachy now has a popular name, it does not mean that showing it in historically-inspired shows is tantamount to imposing some agenda. The subordinate position of women in the past, their struggles, and their internalised repression have been a topic in these kind of shows for decades, and nobody is saying that "patriarchy is bad" means "all women are good".

[@tiagos5804]

I love this crossover with the Walking Dead, putting Ezekiel as Velaryon. Good move.

[@JoeSakana]

I don't care if they make some important characters black, but Corlys specifically being black makes no sense. It directly contradicts some of the dialog they are speaking. They repeatedly brought up the fact that the Velaryons are the same race as the Targaryens. It was one of their main arguments for marriage. I didn't really care that much about the casting choice until that moment. It's ridiculous, and breaks immersion and believability. All the more ridiculous when I've read Fire & Blood and know George already wrote an important black character later on in the story! Nettles, a dragon rider! She plays a pivotal role, and the way F&B is written, the screenwriters can absolutely make her a key character if they choose.

[@JammaLamma]

That jumping out of the tower bit was pitch perfect, funny af.

[@KonekoneFukkatsu]

For whatever reason, every time I look at Viserys, I can't help but think of Shawn Michaels...

[@oliverhenry4407]

@Nerdrotic I have to disagree on one point - that it is boring. Yes, I suppose it would be if you are looking for Batman/Superman comic book movie... wham bam and all that... But like the Games of thrones, season 1-6 which were great - (7 and especially 8 I do agree SUCKED big time) - this is a historical fiction of a fantasy type and very political combined with warring factions. You might even describe accurately as a soap opera - with dragons, swords and all the rest. That is why GoT had such high rating's - women and less comic book interested adults loved it too - not just young guys (or old former comic bookstore owners) who are more into the wham bam stuff. Not that I don't enjoy a well-done superhero movie once in a while - but frankly brain wise most of them leave me numb in the end. I think you should be a bit more benevolent in your opinion as to what others like - not just what YOU like. Is it well acted, filmed and does it capture the audience its after? This fantasy series - so far - does just that.

[@skylx0812]

KZbin broke the @ it can only be used in live chats. Gary won't see your comment unless he's scrolling through.

[@miso689]

Well, he said in the end that it has excellent writing, acting and stuff. It is not like he was only negative.

[@phillconklin382]

You might recognize Rhys Ifans from Amazing Spider-Man and No Way Home as Doctor Connors/The Lizard.

[@domskillet5744]

9:00 Viserys heard about the "heir for a day" from Hightower directly. I think it's safe to say Hightower has taken direct control over the information that flows to the king as Viserys is easily manipulated (there is no master of whisperers at the time so Hightower has primary control). Given Hightower is in Dragonstone, there's no guarantee Viserys would be informed about Rhaenyra. Srry but this is the third bad take I've seen already

[@TheTinLion]

I love how Game of Thrones message was actually "obsessive women cannot be trusted with power" at the end lol. And now House of the Dragon seems to be headed in the same direction... The repeated versions of dialogue that women will never sit the throne because "that is not the way of things" is getting so funny. I think I've heard it at least half a dozen times in the series so far.

[@BazookaIke]

The Stepstones are not really close to Corlys' island of Driftmark. The Stepstones are far to the south, but are very close to Dorne. Very crucial shipping lanes for many of the free cities, and also for shipping from the southern portion of Westeros to the northern part.

[@PrinceIsot]

I think he said he was affected most by interrupted trade

[@BazookaIke]

@@PrinceIsot no. I made the comment because of what he said at 2:10 of the video. As we heard in tonight's episode, its a 2 week sail from Driftmark to the Stepstones. Please check your so called facts before trying to fact check someone.

[@Dec4AllTimeAlways]

*My* *Favorite* *HOT* *D* *Characters* *So* *Far* 1. Daemon 🖤 2. Rhaenyra 🖤 3. Otto 💚 (love his scheming and insults!) 4. Viserys (good man but not a wise king) 5. Corlys 🖤 6. Rhaenys 🖤 7. Laena 🖤 8. Alicent 💚 9. Criston 💚 10. Mellos 💚 (if the maester conspiracy is true) Daemon and Rhaenyra are #1 & #2, and it's not even close after that. We still haven't seen enough characters yet. Like Aegon II might finally be born by Ep 3 but is still a child. And it seems Helaena is a popular one with the greens by book fans. She's the one riding Dreamfyre which I can't wait to see next to Sunfyre. One-eyed Aemond is another important member from the greens. We still haven't seen Laenor 🖤, Laena's brother. Yes, he's going to be a Black guy. We do see him only in the trailers and he's chatting with his cousin, Rhaenyra, along a beach. 💒 It's ironic. Otto Hightower would be my #1 for most hated character on HOT D by a wide-margin. He's despicable. He's the one I want to see die first. He's the real villain to this all. But he would also rank in my top 3 for favorites because I do enjoy hated characters.

[@rpgadventurer32]

Otto hightower wants to advance his own family and strengthen his own position, but he's not a mysterious and complicated character, he wants to use his daughter to get even closer to a ruling position and a decision making position. He knows he'll have control if his daughter were to marry the king . But he's not an "evil man", he's not Little Finger, he's not Varys or Tywin or other far more complex and mysterious characters from GOT. His goals are very much straight forward and in the open from the very first ep.

[@w.g.6961]

Sapochnik is reportedly exiting the show & co-creator Ryan Condal will now serve as the sole showrunner working with co-creator George R.R. Martin. Sapochnik is moving onto other projects, so no more post show pearls of wisdom from ole Sapo'.

[@bishopcruz]

Alan Taylor the best director from the original series is coming in to replace Sapchnik

[@PineappleBaconPizza]

No fckin way. Miguel is the guy who had them do that?!? Idk why they're trying to act all progressive (Super Woke for no reason) when they're just telling a story from a damn book that was already written. They had nothing to do with the story, and they're acting like they did, lol. Trying to explain this stuff to us like we're kids. They need to air the show and let people take away whatever they want from it without telling us BS to look good.

[@shaunlasich2330]

They already filmed all of the episodes and recap videos for this season, so I'm sure we'll see more of Miguelito.

[@Ignisan_66]

Good. Sapochnik is a woke nitwit. I'm glad he's leaving the show.

[@yolanda8563]

You call him Rhys Ifans... I call him Eye Ball Paul.

[@polishprince47]

You can shit in some peoples beds some of the time but you Can't shit in all the peoples beds all the time!! - Amazon Rings Of Power.

[@AtrumRes]

Letting your hatred for the coming rings of power blind you to the failings of the house of dragons is quite sad.

[@SoLazy100]

Yes! Get rid of the "show explainers". I don't know how they ever though it was a good idea. If you don't get it, look up some analysis on KZbin or talk to people. The hole "she kinda forgot about it" disaster made a bad episode/moment worse. If that line hadn't been said, nobody would have thought Daenerys forgot about the Iron Fleet.

[@RedRoseSeptember22]

I wasn't bored at all, don't know why anyone would say that, don't watch it if you're bored. That simple.

[@IbrahiemLegoFilms]

Dud those crabfeeder scenes were brutal af tho, definitely stoked to see how it continues, even if I'm still cautious

[@Johnsong6]

It's clear that this will be a female empowerment story but the difference here is it is literally crucial to the plot. Not just shoehorned in to push an agenda. This is how you do female empowerment in media.

[@msanjelica]

That's not quite it, though.

[@josephbaffi639]

the show picks up after the 5th episode they are introducing you to everybody world building . but it gets going

[@centurion8446]

Calling it now, the fact they race-swapped characters and then have to honour the lore by marrying Allicent Hightower instead of mixed race daughter will lead to "muh racism" despite the fact the age is an obvious out...

[@jamesmccarthy6764]

I think that they'll use a different version of the theme for s2, like in The Wire. They just want to make sure that it feels tied into the GoT world, to pull the audience, before they give it more of it's own identity.

[@Zero11235]

Matt Smith was originally suppose to be the next Star Wars villain, but was cut. One can only imagine how good he would of been in that universe, as a villain.

[@alopexau]

And he would have been just as wasted as Adam Driver was. Best that Matt wasn't part of Disney's shitshow.

[@Mystra]

House of Dragon episode 1 was fine and episode 2 is amazing. It's a nice surprise :)

[@jordkinsmith3588]

Agreed episode 2 was awesome

[@kacperwawszczyk]

4:28 Marrying in very young age was very common in Middle Ages. Greetings from Europe! ;)

[@cheeher3212]

I think this series is going to be good because they actually have finish content to work with unlike GOT

[@shaunlasich2330]

Not really, they do have a finished outline. They can still screw that up with very poor dialogue and choices to subvert the expectations of the people who know how this particular chapter of the Targaryen Dynasty is supposed to end.

[@patatevitale]

About the ''inconsistency'' with Viserys and Rhaenyra's flight to Dragonstone, I don't think it's a fair criticism. We saw in episode 1 that Rhaenyra just goes on random flights with Syrax. She very likely just lied about where she was going. He finds out right as she returns (probably the same day). He's surprised she went to Dragonstone, not that she left on dragonback. As for Daemon's insult of Baelon, he found out the next day through Otto, whom I'm sure keeps a close eye on Daemon and was very eager to create more division between the two brothers. I'm not sure Viserys would have found out otherwise. I also think the pacing is perfect so far. Those first two episodes were great; I hope it keeps up! I agree with what you said about the opening title. I hate when I'm reminded too much of GOT thanks to the disastrous season 8 lol. I think the blood looks totally weird. Personally, I would have preferred a new theme song entirely. I don't think that 'patriarchy' line is that bad; it's quite justified in the story. Females not being accepted as heirs in the past is a thing; it should be allowed to be a thing in fiction too. It's a shame woke garbage as made people so guarded against female-centric plots/problems. I'm also fine with them spewing their woke nonesense after the episode since I don't watch it lol. I'm all for them saying their bullshit to earn those lib points, if it means they don't have to throw it in our faces in the actual show. I wonder if that's a deliberate move on the show runners... time will tell.

[@Dec4AllTimeAlways]

I think first time viewers watch the scene of Viserys talking with Laena, people aren't listening to what Laena is saying about Vhagar. We are too shocked how young Laena is. I know when I first saw it, I was like WTF? She's just a child! Then I had to rewatch it again. She's asking about Vhagar, the largest dragon we'll see in this series since the GOAT, Balerion, has already died. At this point, I'm really fascinated by all the dragons we'll see here. I wasn't before but seeing Caraxes and Syrax in Ep 2 really piqued by interest! Like I find it fascinating how Caraxes has this high pitch like a bottlenose dolphin 🐬 due to his longer neck. Daemon and Rhaenyra are so far straight up GANGSTAS in this series! They're also the only characters we've seen with dragons. It does feel very one-sided. We all seem to be on Team Daemon/Rhaenyra. We all think Otto is scum and hate him although some of us do appreciate Rhys Ifans' performance. I personally like Otto the way I did for Cersei and Littlefinger. I'm also digging Lord Corlys. We got more development of him in Ep 2. I already overlook that he's a Black guy. I like that he's like, "F all this! I need a gangsta to help me! This king is weak and ain't helping me! I need some of that gangsta sh💩t to go smoke this Crabfeeder. Let me go holla at my homie, Daemon!" Corlys is a bit of a showboat and flamboyant like Daemon. He is very prideful. You can tell he doesn't respect Viserys at all. *SPOILER* *ALERT* And Rhaenys seems gangsta herself. Wait when she eventually dies. She's taking on two dragons while on Meleys. It seems like the majority of viewers will be on Team Black 🖤 knowing Otto and perhaps the maesters are in it together wanting to secretly overthrow the Targs. Perhaps some viewers might side with Team Green 💚 after Blood and Cheese or when Alicent's kids all grow up. Very one-sided right now and likely stays Team Black for the rest of the series. Otto is the most hated character so far by a wide-margin. Then people are pissed at WEAK KING Viserys. While Daemon and Rhaenyra are the most popular so far from viewers by a wide-margin. Add the fact they got dragons, and it's hard to root for Otto, Alicent, and sabotaging maesters.

[@pg1448]

Let's just hope they don't vilify the greens and whitewash the blacks and Rhaenyra too much because they will fear the blacklash for showing a woman fighting for her birthright in a sexist world in anything but a positive light. There is of course the whole 'female empowerment' trope this show could be very susceptible to, blaming everything bad she does on the patriarchy and the evil men oppressing her. But both sides have good reasons to claim the throne and both sides are trapped in this deadly power play where you can only win or die. That there is good and evil on every side of a conflict was one of the main strengths of the original show, I hope they will emphasize this point in this show too.

[@alexreyes7237]

Do you not know what flamboyant means.....

[@georgeramos1462]

The maesters were on board with the king marying Laena, and that is against Otto's agenda, so I think its fair to assume the two factions are not in cohorts.

[@KiDCRuDi_]

6:15 I really don't see how the actress that plays Laena's wig has anything to do with being a diversity hire 😂

[@legendaryvicius]

If the show writers and actors stfu this could be a success, however, if they keep this episode explainers going full woke with no need the show will suffer.

[@abaddon1371]

Just making sure we are not missing the message, in case we didn't grasp the show and tell in the show.

[@Dave_L913]

I've been skipping precisely for this reason.

[@bananaforscale1283]

I didn't even know thats a thing.

[@pg1448]

I mean as long as their simplistic takes don't affect the quality of the writing I don't care.

[@p0psyckle248]

I really liked characters development, especially Daemon who is multi-dimensional, he's treacherous and strong but not invulnerable as we saw in episode 1, he's mad at his brother but still respect him as we saw in episode 2 finale, and most important imo, he's not 100% machiavellian, which is a very important thing plot wise, a pure evil villain makes for a less likeable antagonist (evidently).

[@___David__]

I wonder if David Zaslav has given orders to HBO to cut the intersectional feminist crap talk from House of the Dragon and that's why Miguel Sapochnik has just resigned as showrunner... At any rate, I'm still not going to watch it until the series is out and you and a couple more brave soldiers give it at least a "watchable" stamp.

[@centurion8446]

To be fair, in terms of the broadstrokes I can actually understand the intelligence of GoT S8, the problem lies in the preceding seasons setup, they need to go to S10 to set up Blackfyre plot, the Dothraki needed to slaughter the Butcher King etc in Astapor while burning Yunkai to the ground with her Dragons to set up KL slaughter. To understand Cersei/Jaimie death you have to look at Tywin Deer skinning speech about Targaryens and "everything collapsing". We missed a Bran battle of the Bells flashback so it is missed that by Burning Red Keep Dany prevents them from escaping and setting up a rebellion ala Robert and Ned. Arya killing NK is an about face on worshipping death but they misused the stunt actor from ToJ in the Godswood and we probably needed to see one of her victims as a Wight. Lastly if Theon re-gave his speech from S2 it would have tied his arc properly as through Bran his sacrifice is "remembered forever" etc etc

[@Grivehn]

Thats pretty much what I was thinking when I first saw it. A few baffling decisions, but overall it just needed more time. (And better writing. Much better character and battle writing.)

[@tonybp]

I'll wait until the season is done, and if it gets a good consensus I'll binge it.

[@gs7828]

Nah bro, don't binge it. Take your time to watch it.

[@rdf4315]

Yeah I'm definitely doing the same thing.

[@NormanReaddis]

Maybe not bad but it still end up in S8

[@moonsofmadness8850]

Sad state of affairs since that's my strategy too.

[@demirkazanasmaz6097]

U will get a lot of spoiler tbh

[@lorddaquanofhouserastafari4177]

The Targaryen stuff is kinda good but when I see those Rastafarian medieval knights I can’t take it serious

[@KSmithwick1989]

It probably will eventually grow on people. It's definitely something original and their armor looks pretty neat.

[@lorddaquanofhouserastafari4177]

@@KSmithwick1989 not on me man I ain’t paying a dime for this show it’s so stupid that they race swapped corlys for no reason at but to appease the woke ppl it doesn’t fit in at all

[@KSmithwick1989]

@@lorddaquanofhouserastafari4177 Yeah about that, I don't think most people knew about that character. They just care if the actor looks cool in the action scenes.

[@zekemyers4444]

I honestly appreciate when HBO releases videos after the episode because it gives us more insight to some of the characters

[@katthunter6561]

I do believe they set up why Viserys likes Alicent- it was because she was kind. There was a line somewhere (can't remember where) about how a queen ought to be kind. And Alicent showed empathy to Viserys at a time when everyone was telling him to get over his grief and just marry someone. This comes to a head when Alicent fixes his dragon for him - I reckon the showrunners might even have slipped a cheeky metaphor in there with that. So I disagree there's no reason for him to like her. They've spend a lot of time together, afterall.

[@honestcat224]

You missed it dude! I believe The King knew that The Princess had left on her Dragon (he would expect her to do that and it appears she does that a lot and he knows) what he was surprised about ? Is that she went to Dragonstone. That's something he didn't expect.

[@aquila4228]

Plus she always flies the dragon, she just had to lie and say it was a 15 minutes ride around the city

[@georgeramos1462]

Surprisingly, I have enjoyed the dialog and plot building. Recalling GOT season 1 my memory calls a traitor getting his head chopped off, intro to the characters and kido's.. The King arriving (ep2?) and more talk about wars of the past, Queen & bro doing it, and shoving bran from the tower. (a little excitement) then the march South with the king, more dialog, and character building, meanwhile J.snow and imp dialog up north and character developement. So there ya go! We're establishing characteristics and building plots; I think it's fair to say this show is on course, and the princess's character is appropriately tough, without having arrogance. Confident, but young and learning, I like her! Overall, I'm enjoying it, while "blacklisting" the "Rings of Power" altogether.

[@averageadam5001]

I'm OK with house of dragon. George RR Martin is OK with it so I'll be OK with it. But rings of power will not be watched by me

[@arnelsamson3023]

that black Targaryen hair wig looks like a old style janitors white floor map.

[@michaelcarney6280]

So far so good is all I'll say. One episode at a time for me! I was pissed off about the race swat at first but now I don't care!

[@sekokhan5307]

See? U get over it, lord corylis is 2nd fav after daemon