How House of the Dragon saved the Game of Thrones Franchise | Video Essay

In this video essay we break down and discuss how House of the Dragon saved Games of Thrones. GoT Season 8 left the franchise in a bad way and HoTD swooped in to save the Game of Thrones franchise from it's issues. The finale has brought the incredibly popular series to a close, setting up the Dance of Dragons, with incredible characters like Rhaenyra, Daemon, Aemond and Alicent spearheading the war. HBO can't release season 2 soon enough!
/ movie_overload
Star Wars Channel - / theozzyjedi
Game of Thrones - (2011)
House of The Dragon - (2022)
Music
- • Game Of Thrones Openin...
- • DRAMATIC CINEMATIC Bac...
- • Game Of Thrones Music ...
0:00 - Intro
1:26 - Part 1
13:37 - Part 2
23:42 - Part 3

[@AntonChyst]

Huge respect to HBO for using real dragons instead of CGI. I hope everyone is safe during filming.

[@scottyhayden9171]

GoTtam i wish i'd written this/that.

[@michaelastadler8423]

😂

[@bobbyhall7472]

My cousin was a handler he lost an arm but amazingly he's still on the job! Milk of the Poppies is damn good I'm told!

[@Kovu2004]

@@bobbyhall7472Let’s hope he doesn’t lose any more than an arm.

[@WigBlissInnovationsLLC]

I wish I made this comment

[@omegaRST]

Everyone is talking about the walk to the throne, but the dinner afterwards was just as impactful to me, such beautiful framing and acting, one of the most emotion-filled scenes I have ever watched

[@jwillwilliams885]

You could tell he realized he was ready to go. He just wanted to family to get along and when it finally happened he could rest.

[@ptr_does_music7042]

Especially if you put the love in his speech to contrast with the unresolved hatred between the cousins. As soon as he was gone from the table, it was clear that nothing could be changed. Really strong episode, in many ways.

[@jacobcrsn]

@@ptr_does_music7042 STRONG say that aagin

[@TTF1997]

@@jwillwilliams885 The throne walk, the family dinner speech, and when he whispers the name of his first wife right before dying are the three moments that hit me right in the feels

[@Rhaelle]

The scene hit so hard because book readers know what's coming. This is the last dinner before the realm gets put to the torch and the dance truly begins. Everyone acted this scene FLAWLESSLY and I cry every time I watch it, just knowing that Viserys doesn't know what's to come.

[@m.cproductions3671]

Didn’t Paddy Considine do such a good job that Martin has stated he may re-write Viserys’ info in Fire & Blood to make the character more accurate to his portrayal in the show

[@bboi1489]

He said he's half tempted to, and considering how much GRRM gets done while fully tempted, I don't think he'd do it.

[@michaelmcgee2026]

​@@bboi1489well said

[@Zach-mw5so]

@@bboi1489 I'd like to think the real Viserys is a mix between the book and show characters, despite the book Viserys technically being the canon lore Viserys. In the show he was less of a drunkard party boy and more of a sober, kind, but ultimately weak and hapless king. I think this translated better to TV, it was more of an emotional response when he finally died and his family tore each other apart. In the books, when I read it, he didn't seem like he was fully aware of what was to transpire, but in the show, he probably had an idea how ugly it was going to get, but without the willpower to fix his family

[@LordDim1]

@@Zach-mw5so Thing is, he book portrayal of him isn’t necessarily the canon, because Fire & Blood isn’t following the events of the dance of the dragons in real time; Fire & Blood is a history book, from the perspective of a maester writing after the fact. It has an unreliable narrator, meaning that what is written in Fire & Blood, inherently, isn’t gospel.

[@Zach-mw5so]

@@LordDim1 true but if George is considering re-writing Viserys then he might think of it as canon.

[@sayanchakraborty4650]

The best thing about the show for me is that it knows that audience is a smart audience and hence knows they don't need to spoonfeed us everything and hence making it a smart series through its subtext and the screenwriting and foreshadowing is just so awesome

[@swayback7375]

Smarter than GOT is kind of a low bar, but they definitely cleared it

[@taserrr]

Smart audience is quite the longshot, I'd rather say "not stupid". Don't get me wrong, I love both shows (except later seasons), I've read the books, but you don't have to be a smart person to understand it. Your average reader/viewer won't have any issues if they actually pay attention.

[@Tenken101]

Out of all of the seasons of GOT, I never felt as touched and emotional as I did watching an old, dying man slowly and painfully make his way to a throne for his daughter. If there's anything that would really tempt me to put HOD over GOT it would be this.

[@lucasouza889]

viserys was such a boring character. hes like the ned start of hotd haha

[@anthonyrd2]

@@lucasouza889 read the books. ned's character was amazing in the books and translated well into television. not sure how u think season 1 was boring.

[@Crybaby-Media]

Viserys was the best character we have had so far in both series in my opinion. The only truly good character in the whole story besides maybe Ned Stark. Losing him was necessary, but such a hit .

[@opriser6595]

@@lucasouza889 Bro he was a peaceful man if you have any emotion in you you'd sympathise with him more

[@dragonslayerthegod9284]

Ngl . When he proudly limped to the throne and pushed the kings guard away to be independent … then he nearly collapsed, and when he felt the presence of someone looming over him trying to help he nearly scolded them again … but this time it was his own estranged brother helping him onto his throne and placing his fallen crown back onto his head …… a literal tear drop rolled down my cheek 💯

[@PhilHug1]

The showrunners have said that after they finish the Dance of the Dragons, they will likely turn the show into an anthology series that covers other parts of Targaryen rule like Aegon the Conqueror and the Blackfyre Rebellion

[@spearshake4771]

That would be fucking amazing

[@movieoverload]

Aegon the Conquerer would be amazing to see

[@agdgdgwngo]

I'd be down for that, easily. They'd probably have to leave out Dunk and Egg bits but they could do the conquest, Blackfyre rebellions and Robert's Rebellion maybe.

[@spearshake4771]

@@agdgdgwngo I personally would love a 3 season show following the reign of Jaeherys. The tv show could be shot in the same style as The Crown following mostly court drama. Granted it would be boring for those who just love to see war and chaos but I personally would be down for it

[@daquaviousbingleton9763]

@@movieoverload ngl I think blackfyre rebellion would be way better because we already know aegon wins without much of a fight lol where as not many people know Daemon Blackfyre

[@nerdoutreachprogram5358]

I love the dynamic between Daemon and Aemond. You can tell Daemon sees a younger version of himself in Aemond, and that Aemond sees the kind of man he wants to be in Daemon. Such a shame they’re on opposite sides. The dinner scene where Aemond calls them Strong boys and Daemon stepping between them with a smirk on his face was so fucking _good._

[@mvdum29]

Funny too that Daemon's name rearranged is Aemond

[@benjamindurand8254]

Aegons character change was perfect for me. Young looked like a promising badass, then you see what his path and addiction to alcohol did to him

[@benjamindurand8254]

Stress and drinking

[@TheSilverwolf97]

I don't really know what change you mean. Dude's first couple of shots are him being lazy, cocky and a degenerate. His character got imprinted on me when he appears jacking off on the balcony lol. Nothing really changes all the way until the finale of the season. He is still a degenerate lazy c*nt

[@maximillienrobespierre7262]

Viserys is simply perfect. Such a nuanced character is a rare treat and Paddy's interpretation was absolutely flawless.

[@89Dienekes]

Robespierre giving complement to royalty? Now I’ve seen everything.

[@xhagast]

He was weak but when well advised he could fake it pretty well. Paddy's interpretation WAS good.

[@jsky2695]

You know when even GRRM is praising the adaptation of his own character, it’s perfect

[@mentalmelt]

He's also the only interesting character in the entire show.

[@Weltall8000]

@@mentalmelt I'd say Vissy T was the best acted character, but Daemon is more interesting.

[@YounglingSlayer9000]

The only negative thing about this show is the long ass wait for season 2 :(

[@ariespain6472]

The cast change bothered me but after 3 episodes I got accustomed to it

[@rebeccaostrander7409]

Just means they're taking their time to make it great!

[@athenstar10]

It's better than rushing it like what happened to GoT S8

[@Jackman1st]

@@ariespain6472 the only change that bothered me initially was Rhaenyra because the actresses look nothing alike. Got used to it after half an episode though.

[@blqest125]

@@ariespain6472 , the cast change is the only thing that bothered you? what about the deviations from the books? start with house velaryon casting.

[@hammatime5531]

Ramin is by far the most underrated person that works on the show. His scores are absolutely breathtaking. This coming from a person that never even cared about music in films and shows.

[@haaxeu6501]

I don't think he's underrated, he's very well appreciated and well known for his work on Game of Thrones.

[@MzCheecharella]

Yep, I don't pay much attention to music in films and shows, but Ramin Djwadni's (sp?) music IS so much of a part of Got and HotD, it's amazing. I love even that his music gets stuck in my mind!

[@MollyFC]

I saw his music performed live when they went on tour, it was fantastic

[@LateStageCap]

Ramin is definitely a popular and respected name even within the industry. What holds him back from the S-tier status is the lack of innovation in these beautiful compositions. Ramin needs to get more work across Hollywood to really develop his sound

[@freyasworn2600]

Was unaware of the name. some of the music in episodes has been so emotionally invoking

[@methospayne4735]

Crazy that the picking up the crown and putting it on his head only happened because it accidentally fell off his head irl and they just went with it was a fucking adlib and it crushed the scene amazing

[@vkolyok]

I just can not get over Emma D’Arcy’s face in the last shot. It just says it all. It’s so brilliant it is beyond me. The sock, the anger, the determination. I know that the show is so much more than this one scene, but come on!

[@sablesasquatchproductions6395]

sock

[@anj1ch1]

That was some super amazing acting... no words necessary but just amazing!!

[@Lycan770]

That scene showed more emotions than guyladriel did in a whole season.

[@Vetrarland]

I saw a mother's wrath and grief in that moment.

[@sashagutarova7248]

The fact that you can see the pain even with her back turned. And when Daemon walks in the room you can see that she senses what he’s about to tell her because as a mother she probably already sensed something is off. Ugh it’s just perfect, Emma’s acting is brilliant.

[@adamcrabtree6729]

What Ned Stark was to GOT, King Viserys is to HOTD. Both good men surrounded by scheming people. And when they both die wars get started in their name

[@Guhlick]

They also both play the same role as the foundation for the audience. The old patriarch who we spend a lot of time with and who generally makes reasonable decisions; a moral guide through the turbulence of the story. I also get the sense that the two actors, Sean Bean and Paddy Consdiine, both sort of "carry" their shows' introductory seasons. An experienced actor taking on a heavy role, instilling confidence in the audience by delivering consistently good performances each week. This was especially important with the time skips in HOTD, which mean Paddy and Matt Smith were the only 2 major actors that stayed with us the entire way.

[@Tamlinearthly]

I mean, Ned Stark never murdered his wife, but go on I guess.

[@erik3371]

Little finger started the war of the five kings with the murder of Jon Arryn. Both the guys you named are dead for the rest of the series'?

[@tylerberman7527]

visarys doesnt really hold a candle to ned stark in terms of honor, i can see why youd see this but with jut a little bit more of analysis its pretty clear theyre not similar at all

[@lukea9343]

@@Tamlinearthly Ned would have done the same, cause he's not a woke leftist

[@moviefansa]

Rhaenys scene where she bursts through the floor could be a means of showing control she has over her dragon where as in the finale we see Aemond and the lack of control he has over his. Just a thought

[@maclain728]

I think it was more they wanted to disrupt the coronation somehow but didn’t want to kill any major characters early on.

[@ytrewq12345]

Digress. Everything is power-play. She didn't kill them because she wanted to live. She choose a side, sure, but if you don't know the story, you can imagine that she is just waiting to see who ends up in the chair. She never bows to Rhaenyra, she never bows to Aegon. She is on Rhaenyra side, but she actually just choosing her immediate family, her grandchildren. She already lost family, is not part of her to kill. She lost, a lot. She can say whatever she wants about her husband, but she isn't different, she knows power = life, and she has none, she lost Viserys and almost was used as leverage, but she don't hate the Greens, but she don't love the Black's. Like her dragon she is seasoned, wiser. They are playing the game like children, she is playing the long game.

[@capablanc]

​@ytrewq12345 Dumb. She had the opportunity to end the war there before it even started lmao. There would only be 1 side left after that. Instead all she did was attack the side she doesn't join and then leave them alive to kill her in a couple of seasons. And besides that, you say she lost her family and its not in her to kill. SHE LITERALLY MURDERED HUNDREDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE WHEN SHE BURST THROUGH THE FLOOR. FOR WHAT? TO STAND THERE MENACINGLY! You're not supposed to admire these psychopaths who disregard human life and only care about control and yet here we are. Everyone seemingly having forgotten the overarching message of the saga in favor of some yas queen moments.

[@simpletimes2819]

The scene where he almost crawled to the throne to make the last call was epic. One of the greatest scenes I've ever scene. On par with Return of the king "you bow to no one" scene at the end

[@simpletimes2819]

...I know "for frodo" is just as good

[@hollys6299]

The scene w Daemon choking Rhynera made sense to me. He beat someone to death for simply being a messanger. He slashed someone in half bc they called his wife a whore or something along those lines. He killed his wife of the vale bc she was an....inconvenience? If someones violent in public i think its safe to assume they're violent in private as well.

[@movieoverload]

Exactly, I really don't understand why so many people took issue with it.

[@roshi98]

@@movieoverload Because they're desperate for him to be a hero and he's just...not.

[@lionelthebuilder]

God damn spoiler alert

[@monicamerle1417]

@@movieoverload because "dumb" Twitter want to see Daemon as the new Jon Snow when he's more like Jamie Lanister as you properly said on the video. There isn't a Jon Snow type character in HOTD yet, I think the character who could come closer to be the new Jon Snow is Jace (we'll see how he reacts after finding out his little bro didn't make it)

[@_Tristen_]

@@lionelthebuilder dawg why are you watching this if u didnt want spoilers LMAO

[@yogeshsharma4823]

I don't think Aemond regretted his actions at the end because he's a nice guy inside, I think it's because he knows what the consequences are for those actions.

[@dianasayson2846]

No 🤣 a 10-year old willing to kill his 6-year old nephew can't possibly have a kind heart inside. He is jealous, he is envious, he needs validation all the time and not getting it. That character is an unforgiving conceited insecure monster. An adult faced by a joke from childhood shouldn't be triggered by it, especially when the titter is from a middle-school aged boy.

[@SemperVII]

It's also his first kill (as far as we know), and kinslaying is considered a huge cardinal sin in Westerosi society. It's one of the worst thing you can do, and most people believe you're cursed after that.

[@MyHam-os4bq]

I mean if you consider the fact that he had the upper hand since borros had already sided with him and his family, his blunder definitely could have ruined all of that and any hope of peace is now gone. Plus, he’s not exactly a cold blooded killer (yet.) He still has an element of humanity in him, his implied ambitions aside. It makes sense that he regrets his poor choices in that scene. I think he likes the idea of being ruthless and feared like daemon, but just doesn’t have it in him….. yet

[@SnailHatan]

@@dianasayson2846 yes, yes, a joke. Don’t worry bro, them slashing your eyeball out was just a joke 😂 Jesus Christ you’re dull

[@danlegend8486]

Huh? He was begging his dragon not to do anything after his dragon got a face full of fire. He is almost whimpering trying to get the dragon to listen to him.

[@Donnirononon]

Man when Daemon helped his brother to sit down, best scene of the whole season imo. Got to admit i shed a tear.

[@avishkarandika4473]

same here

[@robertjandejager6758]

@@avishkarandika4473 That entire episode is such a great finale to the first part of the show. When the strings start playing as Viserys is looking at his family finally getting along like he always wanted. Amazing how well this shows evokes that feeling of there being a before and an after when someone passes like that.

[@lateralus6512]

I love the way characters are written 'in the grey'. There are no 'white knights' or 'dark villains'. They all have some black and white to their nature. They are damaged people, like in real life. This is genius story telling.

[@swayback7375]

Classic grrm. It’s how basically all his characters are which is how humans really are.

[@nnmartin94]

King Viserys actor, Paddy Considine, gave one of the best performances in the show. When the door opens and I saw the dying king make his way to the throne, I was just spellbound.

[@01rancid10]

A very moving and intense scene.

[@smallbluecaramel9144]

I was too !

[@bungalowfeuhler1541]

I love Aemond after that final scene. He’s a deeply traumatized kid who just got his drivers license, not realizing how dangerous it is to use his pickup truck to chase his little cousin who’s fleeing on a bicycle. He wants to make his cousin feel the terror of having your eye slashed, but doesn’t actually want to hurt him. Lots of people don’t understand how dangerous a vehicle actually is until they experience a car accident. This is just like that.

[@GP.Records]

I understood how dangerous it was and I’ve never been in a serious accident 🤷‍♂️

[@lIlIlIlIlIIIlIllIIllIII]

I don't think that's true, Aemond genuinely wants to take his cousin's eye. He does want to harm him, but he felt guilty cause he might've caused a war

[@woodboogerfarm]

@@GP.Records yeah but you have rode a dragon

[@quak823]

@@GP.Records in other words people don’t realize how dangerous vehicles are until you experience a vehicle accident that’s traumatizing. “A reality check” This is just like that

[@Skizzy461]

@@lIlIlIlIlIIIlIllIIllIII He wants to harm him, but he certainly did not want to kill him. And not just for the war, I don't think he wanted to take his life. Just the eye and we're square sort of deal.

[@rafaelgomez9298]

Viserys was odd to me at first. Saw him as a pushover, but man with every episode. He was such a great character. I couldn't get enough of his screen time. How he is struggling to hold it all together. I thought he wasn't going to last the season cause of his health. Made me feel that he pushed to stay alive for the unity of the family. Which of course was peace to the realm.

[@jackclark4598]

I loved when he asked if he would be remembered as a good king. He knows he was no hero, that he has no great deeds to his name - he doesn't expect to be remembered in high regard compared to his predecessors, but he was a good king & a decent man. I think him being remembered as "Viserys the Peaceful" shows as much, esp in the eyes of GRRM, a king who keeps the peace is the best of kings.

[@GLA69]

The dinner scene were the team actually used bloopers and the help of daemon to viserys with improvisation makes the show a huge 10/10

[@antonioborrego5718]

The time skips in my opinion are REVOLUTIONARY. It leaves each episode feeling like a whole season. It’s inevitably going to end up being a tad complex, but my god they walk this line SO beautifully. Incredible stuff man. Waiting for this next season is going to kill me.

[@headoverheels88]

I actually didn't like it until I found out that it's basically just a set-up for a month more prolonged war (Dance of Dragons), which is honestly brilliant in retrospect. It's like watching a Captain America movie, Iron Man movie, Thor movie first, and THEN watching the Avengers movie... the motivations, struggles, stories, etc make sense when put together. It's satisfying. I now know everyone's temperament, how they react to crisis, who has what kind of chip on their shoulders, grudges, etc. So I'm so so excited to see how it turns out.

[@antonioborrego5718]

@@headoverheels88 It was definitely jarring at first. And I won’t lie I only watched premieres of the first few episodes. Then went back when it all had wrapped up and was so pleasantly surprised! It’s wild how it stays almost… Overwhelming, yet so exciting this first season. It reminds me a lot of GOT’s first season, yet achieves that same feeling in a completely different way. These first few decades of the new millennia have seriously spoiled us, no?

[@Mizgrievoux]

Disagree. I thought It was a cheap way for bad writers to get away with not having to come up with payoffs to scenes. I'll hand it to em they learned from D&D writing themselves into a stupid corner but I see right thru that shite. If you were to take out all the scenes that went absolutely no where because of time skips the whole story of S1 HOTD could have been told in half the episodes.

[@antonioborrego5718]

@@Mizgrievoux Interesting take. Which scenes specifically did you think ended up having no purpose?

[@abraham2172]

Im always a little worried we might missed out on a few great scenes that might wouldve happened within the skipped time frame. But I guess the benefits outweight the costs.

[@Actual_Neanderthal]

If there is one thing that has come out of this, it's that Paddy Considine is finally getting the recognition he has been deserving for so long.

[@MonBerry]

Viserys just sitting down to see everyone happy for once while eating his dinner was the best and his brother watching him sloyly fading away was the saddest moment of all episode.

[@Big-Papa-Smurf]

I loved the show, but I only had one gripe with it. The way Daemon solo'd that army at the beach was a little much, you have to admit. They were really testing the limits of his plot armor with that one.

[@CaptainLuckyLuke]

I thought Daemon choking Rhaenyra was a brilliant and deliberately shocking way to highlight the idea that Dragons are never fully tame. Daemon is 100% Targaryen, a dragon in human skin. His blood and bone is fire and chaos made flesh. I feel Rhaenyra understands this because she doesn’t admonish him or scream for help. Shes not even angry. She’s just surprised that Daemon knew nothing about the Song of Ice & Fire and likely understands for Daemon the fact that his brother didn’t consider him a truly worthy successor is a festering wound on his soul that no sane person should poke. I just feel it’s a deeper moment than just an abusive act.

[@victormeas7898]

I think it also serves to recontextualize where everyone stands at present. There's already a fair amount of scheming among the greens with Otto and Alicent and Aegon and Aemond's rivalry. But the show doesn't necessarily want to paint the Blacks as the manichean good guys, here - we know there's an unspoken tension between Rhaenyra and Daemon in terms of leadership and power-plays

[@janeathome6643]

Ties in beautifully with Vhagar and Arrax.

[@rasallyjohansen3951]

also people especially the team black has to know early on that daemon is not a saint hes a grey character capable of good and evil things but ive seen some of the team black say that the directors shoudnt make daemon a bad guy, these people need a reality check hes already murdered one of his wives (rhea)

[@BigMikeMcBastard]

Yeah, it was important to illustrate what the very valid concern was that caused Viserys to select Rhaenyra as his heir. Daemon is a violent psychopath. He is volatile and not even his wife is safe. It's telling us as the audience that Rhaenyra isn't safe from Daemon, even as Queen, and there may come a time when she has to choose between Daemon's life and preventing some kind of atrocity -- even her own murder.

[@patmos09]

Hes also teaching her the lesson that violence is the ultimate force from which all other legitimate force is derived. She was set on a course of diplomacy and peace, he demonstrated her that all the diplomacy and talk in the world can literally be cut of in seconds, without warning, by violence- and when it does all the moral authority and legitimacy in the world cant help you in that moment. She learns this lesson in a much harsher manner at the end of the episode.

[@harlequinne.]

Viserys showing up to take the throne to protect his daughter and her legitimacy as his heir is hands down the best emotional scene in game of thrones followed closely by the heartfelt emotion of the dinner that follows.

[@adehela13]

Yet the whole thing was an act of pure delusion, Rhaenyras kids are bastards, its simple… i found myself disappointed in his forced willingness to live a lie and die having lived a lie

[@baptistearmengol624]

Red wedding surely.

[@stevepickford3004]

I thought the throne scene was sad. Its showed how weak he was and I took that weakness as far more dangerous than the threat to the heir

[@b1bbscraz3y]

I'm still reeling from the fact that even people who are making insightful analysis like in this video can still come away from season 1 saying "Daemon said the heir for a day line" with such confidence when there was literally no proof of that whatsoever. they literally left it ambiguous and Daemon didn't admit that he himself said it, he just took the accountability for it being said. it's entirely possible one of his men or Mysaria said that line and Daemon just let it be. the way he was looking and the way he cares about his family I highly doubt he said it

[@Travisfairman]

As a supporter of the hightowers opinion that the bastard children shouldn’t be heirs, I actually felt the opposite during that scene! I was like “oh no he’s about to fuck everything up”

[@sjbrooksy45]

Daemon is certainly a villain. But he is one we hope will make the right choice in the end. Loving his family only makes him slightly less villainous.

[@lemonadelemon1960]

I don’t see Daemon as a villain. I wonder where and how you got to that conclusion.

[@patrickmack6414]

Just the long long character dying arc of King Vesarus, Paddy - was so moving and emotional - made this series so so great

[@roshi98]

Isn't it great that our return to Westeros is producing (mostly) compelling, fun, vigorous debate over the motivations of the characters and not the bad writing?

[@LetsSingTheDoomSong]

YES!!! This is exactly, in my opinion, what good storytelling SHOULD make the audience ponder!

[@natalie457]

it’s honestly such a relief as well. i really missed what game of thrones could do to me at its best, so great to watch all those power struggles and conflicts in the same complex universe

[@ROYAL_REBEL]

How many years did we wait for the dragons to grow, for Daenerys to cross the Narrow Sea, for the WhiteWalker zombies to come down from the north? 10 freaking years of nonsense. I remember getting excited at seeing those little dragons burning their food before they eat their meat. And we were left to yearn for any scene involving dragons, which were too few and far between. D&D really destroyed GoT. Thank God for HotD. I would've told Rhaenyra "HELL NOOOOO" when she brought the matter up

[@erinm9445]

Yes!

[@made13145]

AGREED. In early GoT to see the book and show fans debating each character, the dread/excitement of how our favourite character will fare when the long winters come, etc but in the end we all united on how bad the writing was and hoped that the Night King might as well just wipe the whole westeros out lmaooo

[@lovelynxie]

It took me a bit of time to warm up to the idea of watching anything related to GoT again. I've avoided watching HoTD for quite a while, but almost exactly 24 hours ago I decided to give it a shot. Now here I am, already finished watching the season and I'm so happy that I didn't let my disappointment from season 8 to stop me from watching. This is all, and even more than what I wanted to see from this franchise, and basically loved almost every element of it. I could go on for hours about this show, but I'll just point out a couple of things that I really liked. For me the time skips were insanely well executed. The show spent exactly the right amount of time in every setting to successfully develop the characters without being too rushed or drawn out. The characters themselves are extremely compelling, and the flawed, but still understandable nature of them just brings back that same feeling that I had when I first started watching GoT. From the looks of it, we are all in for a wild ride. Also, this is might just be my dragon obsession speaking, but I love how they introduced different types of dragons. It just makes so much sense. My only serious(ish) gripe with the show is that some scenes were extremely hard to watch for me personally, I've even skipped a bit from the "c-section" scene and miscarriage, but as I'm not forced to watch it all, I'm fine with skipping a few seconds if I feel too uncomfortable.

[@Blue-yk9yw]

My major complaint about Hose of the Dragon is that some stuff moved abit too fast if you ask me. How we got introduced to Harwin only too have him die in the same episode or how we didn't get too see Daemons fight with the Crabfeeder, that could have been a great fight but no we just see him enter the cave and then come out all blody with the torso of the Crabfeeder

[@misanthropicservitorofmars2116]

Harwin was technically introduced 1 or two episodes before that. And while I too am sad I don’t get more crab feeder. We really didn’t need it. Even if I 100% support his cause to crab rave. He was more an idea, he’s clearly completely psychotic. But he had no chance against daemon. I’m glad we didn’t see the 1 on 1 fight. The fact he just goes into the cave, then we see him dragging his corpse out. Was genius in my opinion. RIP crab feeder, I hope the crabs can still get fed

[@wrongplacerighttime]

Wrong

[@Longshanks1690]

Even if the show goes off the rails, we will always have Paddy Considine’s Viserys, one of the most heartbreakingly tragic characters ever put to screen as the man did everything in his power to save his family and keep his kingdom united but it was all in vain as his legacy would be unravelled by his wife and daughter while the secret he worked so hard to pass on properly will be lost to time as the Dance sweeps across the realm.

[@nicholas5569]

Everything in his power? He is the weakest king ever, he singlehandedly ruined the great house of Targaryen by his lack of Action. The king is one big bitch, rather building legos and letting his kingdom rot in the hands of traitors, Hightowers. He worked Hard on NOTHING.

[@cristinademartini1284]

Totally agree. He MADE season 1.

[@chriscuckow5793]

@@nicholas5569 I mean he never really wanted to be king, especially after Balerions death🤷🏻‍♂️

[@icyman2]

@@nicholas5569 Interesting take on being a king. I take you praise Daemon's actions as best? Well, we'll see where the war he longed for so much take him and his family. :) The only did mistakes as all humans do, but we can see ON SCREEN, he tries his best. Especially for his whole family. It's people around him that brought the ruin and war to House of Dragon and the Realm. Or maybe you would prefer Maegor or Daeneris father?

[@nicholas5569]

@@icyman2 If you cant see the ultimate weakness in Viserys, you must be pretty weak yourself. Paddy even said, he played a weak, poor king. And i do not favour war, i favour propper action taken to build a good feauture. The inactiveness of Viserys is a reflection of the Gen Z, gender swap bullshit going on in the world today. and you are far from an iceman with that attitude. Action is indeed ALWAYS better than inaction. Not my opinion, but learned from a thousand of lifetimes, So yes Damond would be a better king, atleast he does something instead of letting it DIE.

[@theeNappy]

Regarding that scene with Aemond and Luke at the end of the season, it makes the tragedy of the war soooo much richer. I read the book, the book's an outline, it's a treatment, it's sparce on details and even then a lot of those details are contradictory (given it's formst as an in-universe history written more than a generation later and itsrlf working from incomplete snd contradictory sources, that makes sence). The Maester character who wrote the book wasn't there, he's just repeating what he's read, it's all he *can* do. It's best treated by the show as a roadmap, hitting those major plot points and key details, but otherwise remaining flexible enough to flesh out and breathe life into the literally dead characters in the book. That's exactly the stew they pulled off in that scene: Aemond's still a punk-ass kid playing at being a dangerous badass. He's not interested in murder so much as freaking out the asshole who took out his fucking eye. That's why he tells Luke to cut out his own eye: he's bullying his bully back. He chases Luke on drgonback to scare him, it still hasn't sunk in for this teenager that he's at war and war isn't just looking badass and scary with a saphire eye, war is murder. When Arrax (who's also freaked out and being chased) tries to fight back, Vhagar takes that personally and kills them. Vhagar is the experienced killer Aemond pretends to be. This isn't a game of looking anime af for her; she's a veteran of murder and does so without ceremony. That's the moment Aemond realizes this isn't a game, that there are consiquenses. It's all fun and games till someone looses an eye, or because this is hyper-violent Westeros, till the guy who lost an eye murdered his nephew. So what's Aemond gonna do, come down and be all "I didn't mean to kill him" when his whole persona has been building up an image as a dangerous badass? No, he's gonna own it like he meant to do that. And thus the fact that the first kinslaying in the Dance was an accident never makes it into the histories; that devastating civil war started with a kid playing too rough is lost to time.

[@lexmc8419]

Best outline observation I’ve read hands down 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@sumanbaral8457]

Kid playing too rough ??? Damn ! Nobody plays game of “you give me your eyes “on riding Vhagar’s back …. That too with a nephew whose mother is the greatest threat for your house lineage …. Do you think Aemond treating them with roasted pig in King’s dinner another bromance of Uncle and Nephew??? And what observations are you making from the books ??? In book Lucerys death is said to be a murder out of rage and humiliation than playful accident where uncle Aemond was trying to airlift kid nephew Lucerys 😂😂

[@katiehorneshaw995]

@@sumanbaral8457 I think you missed the point. When he said 'playing rough' he didn't mean the boys were playing with one another- he meant that Aemond had been performing/playing this 'badass' character, but he hadn't yet faced any of the realities of war, so until he's in a real battle, it's all just a concept to him. It's not that he's not feeling real rage and vengfulness- he is. That's the whole point. He wasn't psychologically prepared to manage those emotions and weigh his choices- his inexperience combined with his rage lead him to make rash decisions that a more experienced soldier would reconsider. He goes in full tilt, loses control of his dragon, and before he knows it he's started a war. We then see the emotional fallout as he realises it takes more to be this badass master of war than training and a bad attitude. He is confronted head on with the fact that he's still a frightened boy.

[@jwillwilliams885]

I also never felt the book didn’t say this couldn’t have happened. Great analysis

[@liv97497]

True, but I also think it shows two important things: one, that Aemond is not stupid, and while he's taunting Luke, he knows what the consequence of actually killing him would be. This goes in line with him offering the dagger for Luke to take out his own eye, instead of trying to do it himself; it's much more about the psychological game, as well as to show himself as the superior, stronger one out of the two in that moment. But the second thing it does is highlight what Rhaenyra says, about their dragons not having seen war, and we understand in that moment that she is right to be cautious, and that more dragons doesn't mean an advantage. We need to understand that the dragons have a history that can't be disregarded, and that they're not pets. Personally, I thought the sequence was very well done, and very efficient as a storytelling mechanism.

[@Anonymaus209]

I do agree that HotD feels like a big step in the right direction, but I think it's way too early to say that it's saved things. Like, we've only just got started.

[@anordinarytree4425]

I cant wait for HOTD season 8 :)

[@akechijubeimitsuhide]

I also love how much they added to Alicent's character. I can really sympathize with her. Both actresses did an amazing job, too.

[@Rizwaan122]

That scene where viserys slowly walks to the throne was just so good man, just huge thanks to everyone that was involved in that scene cuz it was so damn powerful

[@mercedesgazda1635]

i think rhaenys’ scene with meleys was meant to compare the ability to control the dragons. a newer dragon rider (aemond and luke) vs a trained dragon rider (rhaenys)

[@janeathome6643]

Good point!

[@ro4eva]

I never thought about it that way. Interesting.

[@mercedesgazda1635]

@@ro4eva @Jane at Home thank you ! i heard it from david lightbringer on youtube

[@LorraineVirginie]

Solid point! Her dragon was waiting for her to give the cue to burn them to a crisp but she didn’t so Meleys just walked away.

[@ThePremixedRaptor]

I think the difference is between full blooded targaryan and half blooded

[@FRMJD1996]

The only thing I would disagree with, is that Aemond and Luke weren't, in the end, responsible for Luke's death. Aemond is entirely to blame for what happens, he didn't mean to actually kill Luke, but his actions and the abuse of the Dragon/Rider relationship, by him, that is on him.

[@dragonrider4339]

Daemon singing to vermithor was so epic to me and such a beautiful scene i think that one scene alone blew away 3 to 4 seasons of game of thrones…😂 and thats just one scene..😂

[@Fitchy-ke3wz]

Viserys Targaryen, first of his name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm. 10/10 Character, Give the man an EMMY!!!!

[@blueblack3591]

Yes!

[@Chariking13]

The time jumps were necessary to get to the Dance in S1 - but it did still feel rushed. They could've fit in a couple more episodes. We got a good amount of time with young Rhaenyra and Allicent. Imagine if we got even 1 more episode of screentime with the kids. More time with Laenor and Rhaenyra, Harwin Strong, Daemon and Laena and his children. Lucerys death would've felt more tragic if we had spent more time with him.

[@randomhuman97]

The moment I saw rhaynerya giving birth to multiple children, I had a feeling one or more of them were going to go. The time jumps could've been avoided but you would compromise quality for quantity then. But then, there are only 2 places where quantity triumphs over quality and that is love and war.

[@american5668]

I think they were necessary to an extent. I don't believe we needed to see Rhaenyra's mother die or Dameon get banished only to come back only to get banished again only to come back again, or the Criston Rhaenyra relationship. A better starting point imo would've been with Viscerys already marrying Alicent so we'd have more time with their kids who are far more interesting than their parents. It's just way too rushed imo. We only see teenage Luke in 2 episodes, we don't see any Targareyen bond with their dragon, nobody even talks to Halaena except her mom on 1 occasion. The deaths just fall really flat and I can't say I'm too invested in any character because I just don't know enough about them. And some characters motivations are a little weak, I don't find Alicent to be a particularly interesting character or have a very strong drive tbh.

[@jennelmariano114]

they did the time jumps because there was going to be lots of repetitive weddings, births and feasts. and on top of that, not much interesting events just really happen in between those periods they skipped. in my opinion, they adapted the book the best they could.

[@Zyxxus619]

Yeah maybe 12 episodes could've been a bit better. I think it's pretty great as is but just slightly more time with the kids in particular would've been neat to see.

[@jessier8949]

Yes, I was already sad with laena and harwins death. One more episode with them would have made me heart broken when they died

[@mwardell36]

The kid fight and the aftermath with the parents wow was just as tense as battle of the bastard's..two of my favourite sense across the series x

[@geeniuskeys8269]

The Larys Strong laser eyes on the feet took me out 😂. Awesome video man!

[@anamariduena2896]

I think in regards to Aemond’s last scene, people have to understand that he didn’t feel bad about killing Luke, he hates Luke and his family. But he shows feelings about his death because he knows his actions are about the unravel what it’ll be known as the dance of the dragons. He knows any idea of a peaceful agreement between the greens and the blacks is down the drain with him killing Luke (intentional or not). That is character development that Aemonds does not receive in the books, you know he’s evil, you know he likes war, but in the show you understand him a little bit more and I really enjoyed seeing him in the show, by far already one of my favorite characters.

[@didymos9010]

Yes, exactly. He isn't shocked for Lucaerys' sake, he is shocked for his own. He knows he has just unleashed something much greater than himself, even with Vhagar in tow, something that he knows he, or much of his family, WILL NOT survive, given the circumstances of a dragon-on-dragon civil war.

[@AMYV3]

I don’t think he hated him at all. He’s the kids uncle and a teen boy lol. And he knew what he did to gain that dragon. Beating up all his nieces and nephews, He knew he was being a little sht. Remember he’s not his brother. That scene when hes looking for his brother in kings landing after the king died. He was normal, he didn’t agree with the crappy things his brother was doing then when his brother begs him to run away with him. It hurt him not to say yes. He Has empathy etc. so I think He looked that way ..first. Not wanting to kill him and second “oh what have I done”. I don’t think he would realized that fast what that actually meant, he was reacting as his dragon was about to kill the boy. Because he didn’t want him to go and go like that.

[@kimmmwest4641]

We understand. He was chasing him with a massive uncontrollably dragon.. clearly he didn't care if the boy lived or died.

[@chrisl1832]

Nah his face says otherwise idk

[@wildmarks]

I think he did care but like you said, there's a lot that just shifted in the world because he let his emotions carry him away. On top of starting a war he's now a kinslayer, which is a huge red mark against your name in this world.

[@ezz625]

I really love that HOTD has such vibrant colors, it feels like this is a much more well-fairing era, while GOT is more of a grim dark era.

[@limitedtime5471]

Definitely! HOD is at the very end of a peaceful and prosperous period, while GOT is the grim aftermath of ending that empire

[@mirow5568]

What? No... HOTD was so gray and mostly colorless

[@TheTwinklinglilstar]

HOTD starts after the prosperous Golden Age of King Jaehaerys. In the time of GOT, its just dragging its feet in that Era. Robert was no great king, neither was the one before him, the Mad king. Loving the new show. Can't wait for season 2!

[@juresaiyan]

If HOTD has vibrant colors, than Lord of the Rings is an acid trip. It has to be the darkest, most colorless thing I have ever seen.

[@mammamiaculpa]

@@mirow5568 did we watch the same show? while it had some muted tones in the colour-grading, the costuming, the heraldry, and the production design are all super detailed and vibrant

[@user-tb9ok6cr1m]

Man, I wish that ALL KZbinRS used this essay format with an actual THESIS with opening statements that relate back to the thesis statement. Good Job!

[@rasenpapi5653]

Daemon really was the stand out character for me. one of the best "cold and loving" characters in recent history. they pull off the "no time for nonsense i will get what i want, but i still care about love" type of character really well

[@haaxeu6501]

He's definitely a very complex and fascinating character, I see him as the most Targaryen character of the show.

[@misanthropicservitorofmars2116]

He groomed his niece into a sexual relationship and we’re all like “Yeah but he’s fun so it’s okay” It’s great. He’s just a silly little guy.

[@spaceginger7627]

I feel like GOT banked much more on the shock factor of some scenes than HOTD does. Thinking back to my first time watching the red wedding, I remember being way too shocked to be sad. Meanwhile, HOTD allows itself to be slow with it's "traumatic scenes" and wants the viewer not only to root for it's characters, but feel for them. It's a brilliant way to handle storytelling in a show that, in essence, is about a family. Trying to evoke compassion is probably much harder than shock, but they really did a great job.

[@adrianneagoe3652]

Youre comparing a moment at the end of season 3 of got with hotd season 1.

[@greeninferno1339]

Gotta say the death at the end of HOTD felt like that: where you knew the good kid had no chance but hope he would somehow slip out of the danger. But he didn’t. And it felt like a complete loss, the loss you saw coming but held out a small candle light of hope until the last bite, then a bucket of water starts pouring onto that candle as the wings fall down. Not even time to smoke in shock, just *failure*

[@adminsucks8806]

Until i fall asleep

[@kaliospits7831]

Yeah butbthat wasnt season 1. But that scene was the most wtf part in the whole show. Top 3

[@kaliospits7831]

I remeber wen drogon went to battle for the first time with the lannisters army ..... woooowwwi i love they came out last too . The music the dothraki, the the fuckers standing on they horses. I felt fot Jamie and bron. I was on both sides . Crazy

[@eiko4252]

I think you misunderstood why Daemon choked Rhaenyra. For me it seemed he was really hurt and angry that Viserys did not trust him with the prophecy and thus he lashed out. It was another thing his brother felt he was not good enough for. And he does have a history of taking it out on the messenger. Rhaenyra even asked him "he didn't even tell you?" after the choking, indicating that was the reason. And I'm quite sure that Aemond wanted to stop Vhagar from killing the other kid (yeah, I have trouble remembering all their names too) purely because he knew what that would lead to. It was not the goodness of his heart, it was because actually killing him would be a bad strategic move while there still was atleast a slight hope to avoid a war (the outcome of a war is never certain, thus it's usually best to avoid it if possible). He felt quite a calculating character to me, so this seems to be a more likely reason.

[@HylianPirate278]

Kinslaying is also a huge taboo in Westeros and unlike his older brother, Aemond actually gives a shit about the customs and social norms of the society he lives in. He knows that killing his nephew will forever stain his legacy, like how Jaime's was when he killed his king. Which according to the book it does, as all of the history books call him "Aemond Kinslayer".

[@Zeruel3]

It feels more natural, like the fight that led to him losing his eye, both times no-one involved wanted things to go that far but the situation escalated, got out of hand and no-one there was mature/in control enough to diffuse it

[@aerieleah533]

I don't agree about Aemond and poor Luke. I think all he wanted was to scare him. Take his eye for an eye. I think it was more than just fear over starting shit. He hadn't ever done something so bad. He was all talk and bravado. For his first kill to be his own flesh and blood in a vicious and unintentional manner was a perfect realization of his character. Honestly I've seen that expression when one kid unexpectedly seriously hurt another. It felt real.

[@misanthropicservitorofmars2116]

If Luke did the fair thing and just gave him his eye. This would have never happened loo

[@yd-tn9rg]

Showrunner Ryan Condal also explained the scene’s motive to Variety: “It’s a moment that I think is surprising and shocking for Daemon as a character, but I also think it’s one of those things that’s been set up over the course of the entire season. Daemon - while an incredibly charismatic and deeply interesting, complex character, I think - he’s also capable of great darkness. It’s simmering just beneath the surface. When he learns in that moment that Viserys never believed in him enough, as his actual heir to the throne, to pass this thing on that he clearly just easily passed on to Rhaenyra, it breaks him. He loved his brother so deeply and trusted him, even through all the problems that they had, and Viserys never shared it with him. He kept [Daemon] in the dark, and it just it breaks Daemon. Instead of reacting with grief or sadness that you see out of him later, he reacts with rage and he takes it out on Rhaenyra.”

[@Zach-mw5so]

You're exactly right. When I first watched House of the Dragon I completely forgot about the later seasons of GoT while I was watching it. It felt like a totally new setting, but it was still the same world.

[@Macxermillio]

I found myself crying a lot when watching this series. More times than I did with Game of Thrones. Real man tears. For me this is better than season 1 or they are equal.

[@adambriest5257]

At the start of episode 1 my feeling was "well,lets give it a watch. Cant be worse than the conclusion of GoT" At the end of the episode i was right back in westeros,and i realized just how much i missedbeing there. At the end of season 1 iam entirely hooked once again...its going to be a long 1 1/2 years until the next season.

[@asdfghjsdfgg1841]

The last scene of the season is so beautifully done. Everything is perfect, the music, acting, the framing, and not a single word was spoken. It such a good ending, and to an incredible season.

[@B..B.]

Man i could not agree more. And the speed things are going without skipping important events made it very good.

[@adamfriisakra7351]

This is indubitably one of the best analyses I've seen for a long while! It's like you're speaking exactly what I feel. This show is what quality story telling is all about, and I am more than here for it! It's the stuff like this that keeps my hope high for the time to come! Subscribed and eagerly waiting along side you to dance with some dragons :D

[@loopseeker]

one of my favorite scenes in all of GoT/HoD is after Viserys struggled to the throne and held a family banquet. everyone is talking and eating and he kinda detaches, looks around him and you can see him realize that his family will tear each other apart once he's gone.

[@LetsSingTheDoomSong]

This is a totally different take than what I originally interpreted that scene to be. During that detachment moment, everyone was jolly and genuinely seemed to all be in good company. I figured Viscerys was content, thinking that this final time he got to witness everyone together, rifts were mended. It was a heartwarming thing for that to be his final memory of his family. But then in a cruel twist of irony, the MINUTE Viscerys is taken from the room, there's a huge fight and tensions are high again. However I do like your perspective on it as I didn't even consider it!

[@erinm9445]

Yes, nothing in GoT ever hit me as powerfully on a personal, character-based level as those scenes did.

[@Just_Dave1]

Something that also been suprisingly helpful in my opinion, is the simultaneous release alongside Rings of Power. Because RoP proved such a stinker, people started making comparisons how RoP failed where HotD succeeds, in turn further hyping up House of the Dragon.

[@isabel5592]

I totally agree about the score. The last scene and building construction of multiple parts of the soundtrack was amazing

[@naidraug1990]

Reason I was disappointed with HOTD re-using the GOT theme made me thing the music composer got lazy or couldn’t come up with another catchy and iconic theme. But still love the show

[@zaram1492]

I agree. As someone who hasn’t watched GoT, this show was so easy to follow and i absolutely loved every bit of it! Matt Smith completely knocked it out of the park with his brilliant acting. Olivia Cooke was another highlight. And honestly all of the child actors did an incredible job. As for Paddy Considine, he better get an Emmy or else i’ll riot.

[@dahken417]

Haven't seen this show, but it seems way more interesting than GOT did. Seems more focused, rather than setting up 17,000 plot threads for the future.

[@joeydrummer7929]

Bro you gotta watch GOT. The first 4 seasons are some of the greatest television ever made

[@Dianimations_]

@@joeydrummer7929 Why do people sleep on S5 and S6 sm??? Battle of the Bastards might be the best episode on GOT!

[@yourdreams2440]

@@Dianimations_ Battle of the Bastards had some cool moments but the plot armor they gave Jon Snow was so blatant.

[@dahken417]

@@yourdreams2440 Yeah, that one clip everyone always shows of Jon Snow dropping his scabbard and raising his sword to meet the cavalry charge during Battle of the Bastards was all I needed to see.

[@Sean.Vosler]

HOTD is like a game of thrones series with only two main sub plots… I remember some seasons of GOT where they had 5 or 6 plots going and you’d go 4 hours of screen time before they were able to revisit some important character - it’s nice not wondering if an episode is going to visit a specific sub plot or not

[@Andimlikerawr]

Rather than nice, for me it feels boring and barren. I want to live inside this huge, multifarious world, and feel enclosed when I’m only shown two or three little parts of it

[@jackelinevalladares7118]

Season 1 is just a prologue for the dance of dragons, be excited, as the next seasons we'll see winterfell and many other places, new characters and how the trouble inside the Targaryens will spread all throughout the kingdom... GOT will be back truly next seasons in HOTD!

[@bboi1489]

​@@AndimlikerawrYou are. Which is why this is a spin-off.

[@jg3_75]

What a great review/video. Well done.

[@tamodio4]

Really great review and observations. 👏🏼🙏🏼

[@frankvandorp2059]

What they could have fleshed out more though is Rhaenyra's journey from a selfish and impulsive person who just does whatever she feels like, into a much more responsible and restrained person in episode 10. I expected her to flip out and immediately prepare for war like in the books, because that felt in character for her, but suddenly she was a different person who was suddenly considering to step down for the good of the realm. It feels like they wanted to show her be Viserys' daughter or something, but Rhaenyra always had a lot more in common with her uncle character-wise than with her father. So that felt a bit weird, it felt like her character in earlier episodes was built up to go full fire and blood in this moment, but they have her turn into a responsible person to then revert to fire and blood mode again after Luke's death.

[@ro4eva]

She was trying to honor the wish of Viserys -- stop fighting with other family members. Seeing as how he dragged himself to a throne in episode 8. Pretty understandable. She even tried to honor his wish after Viserys died + Aegon was crowned king + she lost her daughter. I give her credit. Luke was the final straw. Again, understandable, as patience or restraint has a limit.

[@actually_curious4773]

honestly Rhaenyra before and after the time jump feel like two completely different people and it's kinda not explained why she's changed so much. Granted, Alicent is very different too, but it's apparent how years of hatred and paranoia have changed her. With Rhaenyra nothing really explains that personality shift apart from generic reasons like "motherhood" or "she's just matured".

[@qweraws6829]

i think her working as a cupbearer for her dad gave her the right political influence

[@natalie457]

maybe it doesn’t explain it fully, but one of the reasons for her restraint was i think the “note” from alicent she received of the book page. a mix of her wanting to honour her father and all the complicating feelings that come with an old friend-turned-enemy made her need more time to process everything and so, made her more reluctant to go to war immediately

[@qweraws6829]

@@aldo3423 ????r u being serious rn 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@keirangrant1607]

I cant wait for Blackfyre rebellion and Dunk and Egg to be put into the anthology. Good writing and acting will make any GoT show shine. It's a great set of stories

[@redtech4798]

dunk and egg deserves its own show after george has finished the source material.

[@mysticnovelbro]

@@redtech4798 summerhall tho :( that gonna be a painful end to such an iconic story, like - for everyone involved. as it opens the way for Aerys

[@AdamG1983]

They're doing the Blackfyre Rebellion?! SICK

[@jazzyb3424]

@@AdamG1983 the show runners said once they finish the dance they want to turn HOTD into a anthology series that covers all of the big eras of the Targaryen’s reign

[@keirangrant1607]

@@redtech4798 I hope they get it too

[@philshoward9340]

So right about the music the song that first plays when the “spy kids” are running through Westeros brought me straight back to the earlier seasons of GOT

[@odoacredacalcutta5085]

out of all the changes in charachter personality from the book to the series, I have to say I love Viserys in particular. In the book he is a bad king unfit for his role, in the series he's a bad king, but still tries so hard to be a good one who can keep his family and his kingdom together, which makes it really human and great to empathize with

[@Jorgelhus]

The best definition for the show is something I read a few months ago: "House of The Dragons is not about who's right, but who's your favourite war criminal"

[@shehzadiaziz6950]

the scene at the end of the finale where Rhaenyra looks straight at the camera gave me chills. The scoring and music was absolutely perfect. I can't wait to see her fuck shit up in season 2

[@madshader]

She's gonna start with Otto's head, I think. Probably send it in a box to Alicent. And then there is Blood & Cheese...

[@clanmav]

Excellent video review!

[@liamnicholas8969]

I was about two minutes and 59 seconds of the video, and I immediately had to pause and pull up my phone and subscribe to this channel because I agree so much with everything you were saying and the way you worded it. The long night and the bells were as well directed as they could be given the script.

[@spaceginger7627]

Viserys was an absolute highlight for me and a definite improvement to the version in the book. That's a general thing in the show. They managed to take these vague characters that are mostly defined by key actions and fleshed them out so well without diverting from the source material. Absolutely amazing job by the writers.

[@LizzyGiggles]

Glad it wasn’t only me who got confused about the child characters after the time jumps. I would spend like half an episode not knowing what was going on because I was trying to figure it out. 😂

[@raeesshah257]

The division of characters in team green and black is also incredible, as there are going to be some favourite characters fighting on different sides

[@raminybhatti5740]

I never felt half the emotions when watching GoT than I did when watching HotD recently. I'm not a particularly huge fantasy fan, but I love any brand of story that puts characters and genuine emotions at the forefront. Having a less sprawling and more intimate setting also seemed to help with immersion. The politicking in terms of not only issues of rulership but also family politicking was superb in HotD. I wouldn't say the show is flawless, but I absolutely adored a vast majority of the series with perhaps only one episode (Ep9) where I felt a discernible drop in quality.

[@davidorozco5027]

I really hope to see robert's rebellion on screen, seeing how the house of the dragon goes, I think it would be a great adaptation too.

[@TheV8Pumpkin]

Yes… and thankfully there is SO much detailed literature in the books for the show to rely on for an amazing screen writing

[@mrj1341]

Nah, i'd rather see the first blackfyre rebellion. Kind of how HOD started, with the end of aegon IV's reign, setting up the stage for the really interesting characters like daemon( yes another one) blackfyre, sheara seastar, bittersteel and my Guy bloodraven. This would be epic!

[@imagingteam]

Same feelings. I started watching HOTD with skepticism at best and bitterness on how GOT ended at worst. But boy oh boy how it won me over with vert good story telling, good dialogue, pacing and the acting from everyone was just magnificent.

[@aidenjames_6103]

absolutely amazing summary dude wow.

[@ayiza8511]

I still get so many emotion when I see that walk, and Deamon putting the crown on his brothers he'd and then helping his brother up the steps, amazing beautiful. talk about a complicated relationship

[@Cinna316]

I agree about the Jon Snow show, they can actually fix and acknowledge plot lines abandoned in S8 and leave a better taste in our mouths as a proper GOT ending

[@BrianHeise1983]

The fact that this show has me wanting to go back and revisit the original franchise again, but also has me excited for where this is going and the other spin-off shows you mentioned for the same reasons... that by itself is a massive accomplishment.

[@ayceeonethirty6141]

I wasn't really paying attention during GoT original run, so this was my intro to the entire franchise and it was good enough to make me go back and watch the rest. Might be my favorite thing I watched all year now that I think about it.

[@YouTubeSupportSucks]

Stop at the end of season 7

[@jamigoddess]

Skip the sand snakes too - I think that’s season 5 - the worst! 😱

[@s22rose3]

Fountain of youth Christian Cole 😂 That was perfect

[@kalecrystal4054]

Totally agree about the music!!! I’m so glad someone else is talking about it in this way!!!! I loved the music and sound design during the dragon chase scene I also love the variants of the different characters themed so much! Deeply moving and also fitting for each characters story arc Sooo delicious

[@YanickaQuilt]

I loved the music, so happy that it feels "at home" in this world. I really want the piano theme we had in GOT season 6 if I am not mistaken. It still gives me goosebumps

[@kalecrystal4054]

Oh yeah like during the Timmen death episode That was a good one

[@kalecrystal4054]

Tommen- autocorrect

[@YanickaQuilt]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/m2Hbl6B-mNNqhdU

[@YanickaQuilt]

@@kalecrystal4054 exactly 💯

[@ryanw7196]

The ice and fire books are fantastic but Martin's actual magnum opus is the world he created and the worldbuilding he has done. So even though the mainline show went down the shitter, this universe George created could be the basis for an infinite number of amazing stories, right on par with the world of star wars or middle earth.

[@kobarsos82]

Agreed but I wouldn't say infinite. In reality, you can only make good stories for these worlds, as long as there are books and source material. Once you start making things from your head you ruin everything. We can hope for more shows, but only as long as there are George R.R. Martin books for that world. That's measurable, not infinite. Let's just enjoy it for as long as it lasts. :D

[@babsgalv6556]

Clearly RoP show that is not the case. * ugly sniggering*

[@richi6550]

That minutes of sheer brilliance when king is walking towards his throne... the atmosphere and silence the acting is just soooo on poit

[@tyrionstrongjaw7729]

The part 3 of this video is so interesting to watch now that we've seen both a writer strike and an actor strike. We'll see if Hollywood is taking those lessons to heart, but it took pushing everything back a year via strikes to get compromises. Either way great video!

[@quizzlybear]

I was not worried that it was going to be all about dragons only. The budget would be absolutely absurd if that was the case.

[@agdgdgwngo]

Daemon in particular, but a lot of GRRMs characters seem to be unique in their "greyness". It reminds me of my other favourite author, Irvine Welsh because all of his protagonists and main characters have similar deep flaws. I mean Welsh even has Begbie have a redemption story and STILL be a murderer. I like that because even really evil people still have some humanity, they still love their mother and their children. George Martin and Irvine Welsh can both be very graphic in their writing too. They both have a lot of passages you can read and feel a bit sick after. Both have mastered the art of dark humour too.

[@545group]

What are some books of Welsh’s that you recommend

[@agdgdgwngo]

@@545group Trainspotting is the most well known but my favourite is Filth, sort of the downwards spiral of a corrupt policeman . The protagonist is pure evil but quite charismatic and funny. I dunno why his writing reminds of GRRM but they're my 2 favourite living authors. There is actually a bit of magic in a couple of Welsh's stories, so there's that. And a bit of incest. Tonnes of murder too, a bit of castration. Milk of the poppy features strongly. Family, friendship, loyalty.

[@AussieRoos]

Crispin Glover with a eye 👁️ patch 🤣 great video, loved HOTD 🙌

[@scottpedley7801]

My favourite scene from the series was when allicent is questioning Cristian Cole about renyares sleeping with daemon and he tells her he slept with her thinking he was having his own integrity questioned. I just thought the build up of tension in that scene was soooo good

[@rhidiandavies1991]

Okay the cut at 4:58 had me rolling and I completely agree with you, Paddy has been wonderful in the show. Also 100% agree with your opinion on how the changes to Aemond's reaction to killing Luc from the lore help add some complexity to him. Whether it was horror over his first kill, genuine regret for killing his cousin, or he was simply aware of the gravity of his actions in starting the war, it prevents the character from coming off as a 1-note villain.

[@jupiterbean]

I wonder if older aegon and aemond’s actors originally auditioned for the opposite roles based on appearence but their performances were better suited for what they got cast as

[@joshnlevinson]

I think part of what made GoT so great was how well it balanced (in the earlier seasons) the politics with the white walker stuff. In my eyes, the politics was always setting the stage for what was going to happen with the white walkers. That's why it was so heartbreaking when they dismissed the white walker stuff in the end.

[@alexisgeiser4387]

I heard that George RR Martin thought about re writing this part of the book because Paty Constantine’s performance was so spectacular

[@Gltdoors]

I seriously got misty-eyed at your conclusion. I was SOOOO hearbroken that because of the last season of GOT, everyone seemingly had given up on the property. To hear you say what you did....well, my soul feels lighter. Great work bro.