MASTERFUL, House of the Dragon SEASON 1 overview.

[@alricfremanosrs1509]

The lucerys/ Aemond dragon chase scene felt like two rich kids racing super cars, then one bumps the other at 180mph and accidentally causes a lethal wreck.

[@Acromion11]

Very good take on that scene!

[@vjbd2757]

House of the Dragon proves that you do not need half a billion dollars to make a very good fantasy show.

[@jsw973]

In contrast, Rings of Power proves that you can still make 1 billion dollars look like a cheap high school drama project

[@justincarter1217]

Think the fact george rr martin was helping out with the show also gave them a HUGE leg up

[@KseRes]

It was never about the money, it's about getting talented people who can get along and want to make cool good stuff! :)

[@frankie3010]

@@KseRes no, it was about making money. People don't feed their families with art

[@KseRes]

@@frankie3010 You can make shitty art to feed your family, someone will buy it. So my point still stands.

[@mihaitha]

I didn't feel that Aemond's personality shift from kid to adult was wrongly portrayed. Just think about it: he grew up being constantly tortured by both his brother and cousins for not having a dragon. Then he manages to tame and ride one of the largest and fierce dragons alive, and as a result he loses an eye at the hands of his cousin. So he grows up resentful about his injury, knowing his older brother is going to inherit the crown despite being both unfit for the job and unwilling to take the burden, and having his ego inflated by the knowledge that the most badass dragon in the land is at his direct command. I think the cynical, rude asshole that is adult Aemond is spot on.

[@anthonywarren9885]

Those are Aemonds nephews. Not cousins

[@AaronGuest]

@@anthonywarren9885 They are technically both.

[@donkeysunited]

And the dragon isn't 100% under his direct command, as we saw in the final episode. But that's another story.

[@josephnarvaez9507]

@@AaronGuest Targaryens lol

[@matus19971]

@@AaronGuest no they're not lol. Aegon, Aemond and Daeron are brothers to Rhaenyra, albeit by a different mother, same with Haelena being her sister. Lucerys, Jacaerys, Joffrey, Aegon and Viserys are the sons of Rhaenyra, therefore they are the nephews of Aegon, Aemond, Haelena and Daeron. They are however cousin's to the girls they are betrothed to through the fact that their "father" "was" the brother to the mother of Baela and Rhaena, but they are also their stepsisters (due to the marriage of Daemon and Rhaenyra) as well as great cousins due to Daemon being their father and brother to their grandfather Viserys. In other words the girls are also cousins and nieces to their stepmother Rhaenyra. Hope that clears it out for you 😂 (To depict all other relations I only use the characters that are prominent in the show so as to avoid confusion when talking about a child named Aegon, without giving spoilers)

[@jsw973]

I'm a massive Tolkien fan, which is exactly why I'm not even gonna think about watching amazon's billion dollar insult to the man. I would say I can't believe I'd watch a show about ASOIAF history much more than the second age of Tolkien (imo the most interesting age), but then again RoP definitely isn't about that, or any age of Tolkien's legendarium. Its like if a billionaire tried to LARP as a wizard but didn't even bother with buying costumes, and just showed up in a full business suit claiming he spent thousands of dollars for his costume, insulting everyone who said he doesn't look like a wizard.

[@sarahgould5435]

Not quite. The billionaire would at least look professional. Maybe if he came in wearing golf gear.

[@theeightbithero]

What’s so interesting to me about the house of the dragon is that if we just take that show by itself, there are episodes everyone agrees are good and there are episodes everyone are like, “eh… this part of an episode wasn’t good, but it gets particularly good at at this particular point.” It’s like it reveals that people do actually know good art when they see it.

[@dylanbell268]

There was only one point I went, “wtf” in a bad way, but they brought themselves back in a great ending l

[@GioTummy3463]

Sorry but the level of explicit sex and depravity ruins whatever good aspects the show has to offer...But that's just my opinion.

[@theeightbithero]

@@GioTummy3463 I agree. The more porn they remove going forward, the better.

[@ni9274]

@@GioTummy3463 it’s soft compared to got.

[@GioTummy3463]

@@theeightbithero It's really not needed. The show is good without it. There are ways to get it done tastefully and artistically without being so raunchy and depraved. It doesn't serve the story either. Just gratuitous shock value .

[@isoghai2061]

How is it a child can deliver one line " lose eye and gain dragon" and its better than anything said in 8 episodes of rings of power?????

[@ryanmaass5360]

Oz will be missed, but Marcus is his own man and seems like he knows his stuff. Good to see!

[@seanp8220]

No way Oz is gone

[@kaisercollins3097]

@@seanp8220 I hope not but I haven’t seen him I miss him

[@evan7391]

@@seanp8220 he has his own channel called Team Oz. He and Shad are on good terms.

[@firewolf2930]

I agree on both points

[@seth7174]

Marcus seemed a little nervous, I hope he knows we enjoyed his addition to the conversation. Good pick Shad!

[@sirrantcelot]

I know now. But yeah I'll work on the nervousness.

[@lobomedina6312]

@@sirrantcelot You have a nice presence. Very likable and genuine. Near the end of the vid you loosened up, could tell you were having a good time which of course means your audience is gonna have fun as well. You went from being kinda "fidgety" to natural, expansive gestures that complimented the points you were making. I've watched myriad HotD reaction/analysis; this one with you and Shad is my absolute fave. Before I performed with my metal band, did some breath exercises and the yoga "fish pose". It opens the chest and throat. As a battle tactician/weapons expert, you're probably familiar with the warrior poses. They promote confidence. *Doing a whole body "shake out" is a real stress buster as well. Make funny faces, shake out tension, make space for relaxed energy. Good work, good ser!

[@crapsound]

@@sirrantcelot Looking forward for more KW with you and Shad!

[@AndrzejGieraltCreative]

Gonna miss Oz and his anti-communism tangents/rants, but it's amazing how naturally you and Marcus work together and have seemingly instant chemistry in the discussion. Great to see!

[@snepping1885]

what even happened to oz?

[@ShieldWife]

I would like to know too. I really like Oz, is he gone for good?

[@ilari90]

@@ShieldWife Oz had personal issues and had to leave the group, but he has his own channel Team Oz now, so go and subscribe!

[@Swedishmafia101MemeCorporation]

Oz was needed back in the Emerald City so he had to leave

[@ilari90]

@@Swedishmafia101MemeCorporation Hopefully in the land of his name and not with Tim McManus in the Oswald Penitentiary.

[@Kernwadi]

"Objectivity is objective, in my subjective opinion." -Bilbo Baggins

[@Truejustice420]

Good writing is when you can have almost a whole season of a TV show of people just talking to each other and it being completely captivating truly speaks to the quality of the show

[@pabooth88]

You can't starve out the Crabfeeder. It's in his name. These guys had an essentially endless supply of crab in that cave.

[@HierophanticRose]

The costumes, the tourneys, the hunts, the camps, the pavilions... THE TAPESTRIES!

[@Texmechs]

My best friend hasn't seen HOTD and didn't really care much about it. I texted her one picture of Aemond and now we are having a watch party this weekend!

[@janeathome6643]

What's most important about the casting changes is that the personality traits tracked across time and the quality of the acting was stellar.

[@zonefreakman]

It's interesting seeing people's different reactions to the time skips and how the characters changed. To some people it was jarring and they didn't understand how the characters developed. Such as some say adult Rhaenyra as too stiff and unemotional compared to her teenager self. For myself I saw her as more grown up and mature, that showing less emotion doesn't equate to worse acting or a character assassination. Emma D'Arcy did an amazing performance. I was concerned about the time skip, but I enjoyed both portrayals of the young and adult actors.

[@rontrezbeaugard8212]

This. Show. Slapped. Welcome Marcus

[@reinsaxony4623]

Idk where this idea that Viserys I was a good king/leader comes from. He's canonically one of the worst Kings of all times, rivaled only by Aegon IV the Unworthy and Aerys II the Mad King. I don't even think Maegor the Cruel was as bad as him, not even close. His decision of naming a girl heir caused the extinction of the dragons and the bloodiest war ever fought in Westeros. He heard complains about it for decades, people warned him, but he never listened. He knew he got elected over a heir coming from the female line with a difference of 20-1. 1000s of Lords voted. Even then he still insisted to the bitter end to keep Rhaenyra as heir despite having 3 sons.

[@benlewis5312]

Sir Marcus has potential. Good stage presence for someone who’s a bit nervous (watch what you are doing with your fingers mate) but he will grow into the role well

[@BlueBeat008]

Agreed, I felt the constant dealing with the sweaty palms lol

[@firewolf2930]

i agree, he'll get better... i got full on Ricky Bobby's first interview vibes watching his left arm

[@sirrantcelot]

Yeah I'll do my best to work on that. Cheers for the comments.

[@badandy9716]

Great addition. These two could be brothers!

[@firewolf2930]

Welcome Marcus! It is great to get another Knight at the table. Although I do hope The Lady still makes a cameo here and there. (Post viewing update) I really love how well versed in this world Marcus is. That perspective was something that I was missing in the reviews.

[@kingofmee1]

My thought process for Rhaenys' actions in episode 9 was, the opportunity to take them all out right now is worth the sacrifice of some people's lives to stop a war, but then when she saw Alicent standing her ground facing down a Dragon to protect her children, she thought about her own children and how she couldn't save them and she couldn't bring herself to burn the greens and so she fled kings landing.

[@theawesomeman9821]

I still don't like her for killing civilians in vain

[@Acromion11]

I don't get why so many people have problem with that scene. Or did I miss a part where Rhaenys is supposed to be compassioned and decent human being?

[@reverendrico5631]

@@Acromion11 you can’t miss what isn’t present.

[@Acromion11]

@@reverendrico5631 exactly

[@andorea11]

​@@Acromion11it's about like a character or not

[@Krommer1000]

Loving Marcus's references to antiquity. Caesar, Brutus, Alexander, Achilles, to name a few. Great first major appearance. Looking forward to more.

[@anggorogedewaseso169]

Welcome, Marcus to the Knights Watch!! we are excited how do you express the cathartic rants :D

[@selfcorruptor]

Marcus has some huge Oz-sized shoes to fill, but so far so good. Marcus seems very knowledgeable not only in fantasy but in history as well. Shad truly has found quite the fitting sidekick. Can't wait to see Nathan join in and experience the Media Murdering trio hard at work!

[@neilstinston1457]

That would be a fun panel with the 3 of them!

[@rafraf893]

Viserys' title of "peaceful" is meant to be an ironic dig at him for being the person most directly responsible for the war; with the title being particularly condescending coming from Otto of all people. That wasn't supposed to be heartwarming. Do you think the leprosy was a metaphor for something? Viserys' story demonstrates how avoiding conflict and peace are not the same thing, and how good intentions mean much less from a position of power with disproportionate consequences. Even as a family guy, his track record is mixed if you really look at it. Still my favorite character of the season tbh, that is what good writing does.

[@Peterski]

They did film King's Landing in Spain, actually. Croatia was used for the original GOT but for the last two seasons they used the same Spanish locations too: Cáceres and Trujillo.

[@sirrantcelot]

I did not know that, cheers for the comment.

[@randomstuff6355]

In regards to why Ser Crispy Creme didnt age too much... You have to remember that salt is a pretty good preservative

[@sourstuff]

29:25 Diza was basically made into a Sith. She even had the orange/red eyes to go along with it, ha!

[@TheArtalex]

The new Knight does his Job well!☝🏻🏛

[@_Uh_Oh_]

Yeah can tell he is bloody anxious/nervous but he does well - congrats on your new job Marcus

[@woutervanbinsbergen3368]

Regarding the "Snafu" in Ep. 9: Why not take the scene from the book and alter it a bit?: Aegon gets crowned, flies around KL on Sunfyre, while crowds cheer. Suddenly Rhaenys' dragon bursts out of the OTHER exit from the Pit (not murdering thousands). She flies up, whilst Aegon (newly boosted by the crowd's acceptance) attempts to block her escape. They engage in a few feints in the air, until a roar shakes the air and Aemond and Vhagar rise into the air. Focus on Rhaenys' resignation and have a short slash vs Aegon/Sunfyre by Meleys and then a sprint before Vhagar's talons snap shut on her. She outruns them over the Blackwater and escapes into the cloudbanks --> Scene and episode end. We would've gotten: Cool dragonf(l)ight, celebration disrupted (Aegon pissed off) and the ominous foreshadowing of dragons dancing in the air with Vhagar's obvious menace as a highlight leading into Ep. 10. Also: No illogical mass murder ór confusing restraint when facing likely enemies (hello, your granddaughters are engaged to Jace and Luke! And they must likely die to keep Aegon as king).

[@Kernwadi]

A wise man once said; “the smaller the breasts, the closer you are to their hearts!” A wiser man once said; “bigger breasts are the expansion of the heart!” And the wisest man once said; “you must cherish the entire woman, as she’s the only doorway to her heart!”

[@rayous5480]

53:08 anyone else catch that Shad said Daylen instead of Daemon, he's been working too hard the man deserves some sleep, his universe is merging with his book :P

[@firewolf2930]

yea i loved that slip

[@Swedishmafia101MemeCorporation]

When I first heard this show was coming I fully anticipated it to be terrible. Just like GOT Season 8, and just like seemingly every other media adaptation coming out currently. What a relief it is... to have been wrong. 😁

[@danielgrunwald5002]

*creepy Larys stare*

[@Peterski]

same here, I had no interest in this show after the horrible ending of GOT... but I watched 2 episodes out of curiosity and got hooked

[@NotAGoodUsername360]

The fortunate thing is they have GRRM alive and available for consulting and has enough experience TV writing to call unforgivable bullshit out while also giving the team plenty of leash to improve on his writing.

[@lobomedina6312]

@@NotAGoodUsername360 Agreed. Now if only he'd done similar with Derp& Derpier. Plus there were KZbinrs who wrote brill alt endings that made sense within the context of the narrative. Yeah they (*D&D) ran outta source material, but the ASoIaFverse and its characters were already well established. No excuse.

[@rasta77-x7o]

Disagree, i never expected it to be bad, i expected it to be great like early GoT. There were plenty of signs such as: 1. GRRM is heavily involved 2. There is Book material to use 3. The people who did Season 8 aren't involved

[@Nifava]

The fact that so many people were ready to hate House of the Dragon, anticipated "the message" inserted in it, "the message" was indeed present durig the whole season and the same people still liked it so much is a testament that audiences are really desperate for quality shows.

[@quirelll]

Such a great chemistry!

[@willmosse3684]

Viserys’s predecessor, Jeaherys the Conciliator, was supposed to be the best king. We saw him at the very beginning as an old man when the Great Council was held at Harrenhal to decide the succession between Rhaenys and Viserys. In terms of was there a good king in Game of Thrones, I think Robb Stark was pretty good, but he screwed up royally (pardon the pun) by marrying that field nurse rather than the Frey girl, which led to his downfall. But if you rate Viserys as a good king because of his intent, despite mistakes he made, then I think you have to count Robb Stark a good king on the same basis. Though one thing George Martin is getting at, and he is fond of saying, to paraphrase his precise quote, “being a good man is not enough to be a good king.”

[@Simmesty]

38:49 I heared some one say that the books are supposed to be a retelling of history by one of the meisters after the events of the dance of dragons. (cannot confirm as i haven't read them) And historic retellings are not always accurate to the actual events themselves, to anyone outside the council chambers it might indeed seem like Alicent was all-in for taking power.

[@janeathome6643]

It's actually three different perspectives. Which is why GRRM has said that the show's take is supposed to be canon.

[@CharlesZane_]

Yep, and the three accounts are clearly biased in different ways, which the maester acknowledges. Septon Eustace is on team green and puts a religious tone to most things. Maester Orwyle is also team green and is heavily biased so much so that anything green is justified for one reason or another. Then there’s Mushroom, the dwarf fool that is mostly team black and is pretty vulgar and claims to have been personally involved in things that he definitely would not have been.

[@aoshishinomori5566]

@@CharlesZane_ didn't mushroom say he had a three way with daemon and rhaenrya at one point?

[@tanvir254]

Thank you for the review Shad

[@iamai_iggs]

You keep saying how good viserys is as a father but honestly, he’s a good father only to rhaenyera 😂 surely you can’t say he’s ever shown any cares to aegon, aemond or haelena. He took one look at his 9 year old, still bloody, permanently maimed boy and did not even ask if he was ok, decided to take rhaenyera’s side instead and did nothing in justice for aemond. No, instead he focused on demanding to know where aemond heard the rumor of rhaenyera’s bastards (as if the boy couldn’t see for himself with two good eyes that he had just moments ago). Both aemond and aegon must have had the harsh reality shoved in their face that night, that in a room full of the most powerful people in Westeros, no one but their mother was willing to take their sides or demand justice for them. Certainly not their father, the king. Interesting to see aegon developed massive daddy issue and turned to booze/sex to drown himself while aemond was forced to mature so quickly. If they turn out to be terrible people, it is as much on viserys as it is on alicent. which then begs the question, was viserys being supportive of rhaenyera because he truly loves her, or was he feeling guilty towards his late wife aemma

[@Psyanigh]

1:11:40 Same! I was looking forward to the eye when they'd announced Euron Greyjoy because his eye was described exactly like my left eye. I was stoked for the funny comparisons those I know woulda made, but when he made his debut in the show I was staring at him like wait...what?? So all these years later, seeing Aemond's eye was a nice reveal that I hadn't expected.

[@Transformers217]

“House of the Dragon” is a great show and a very good adaptation. You can have diversity, but still stay faithful to the spirit of the book.

[@dupeesfashionconsultant4204]

Yea it's like in game of thrones where all of season 7 and 8 we are constantly told by every character who meets Sansa says she's been taught and is the smartest person on earth now they say it over and over....yet Sansa never once displays any type of intelligence at any point...in fact she consistently shows how unintelligent she is

[@SiglaVideos]

Over 500k for your comic, I love to see it and the new guy is a great addition to the show

[@Tepalus]

Honestly, I started HotD because of YOU, Shad! I did not want to watch it and was just like "Yeah, Shad probably will rant about it", but you changed my mind. THANK YOU :)

[@walkir2662]

01:30 in and Marcus has already convinced me. Wil lwe ever get to see that TLJ review?

[@sircrim8694]

Good work Markus ! Keep your head up, your doing a good job !

[@thevictoryoverhimself7298]

I really don’t get why he thinks thousands and thousands of people died when the dragon burst through the floor. Dragons aren’t slugs they stand on feet. Maybe some got squished underfoot and maybe some fell into the hole, but I’d put the casualties at dozens, not hundreds or “thousands and thousands”. There was no indication whatsoever that a majority of those in the room were injured or killed.

[@antigonostiggokarchedonios4788]

I honestly think Shad´s love for HOTD prooves a point I and some KZbinrs like the German David Hain have made for some time. Politics in media only matters when it comes to bad media. If the movie/show itself is good, nobody gives a crap even if it is politics they not agree with. I mean HOTD is a pretty liberal show and let´s be real Shad is extremely conservative ( at least by my European standards). Yet he still loves it. Similar I as a liberal really enjoyed the new Top Gun despite it being basically a progapanda and recrutiment video for the US Navy.

[@JuanRodriguez-im6ul]

Absolutely! Themes are only what product is about, it's not what it "is". If the execution is competent, you can profoundly disagree with some aspects of it, and still enjoy it and admire it

[@khamok6916]

Basically this. In the long run, people tend to pin the blame on stuff like woke narratives or race/gender swaps of characters only if the show sucks. And this in turn gives bad show writers a scapegoat in which they blame bigotry on why their show did badly.

[@KNIGHTSWATCH]

it's not about politics, politics has been in media for ages, it's about lecturing to the audience, and making a subversive regressive agenda the main priority in a show that's supposed to be for entertainment. HOTD is actually very anti woke in many instances as we talk about in this review.

[@bars5555]

Fellow European and I guess social democrat, I feel the same. We lived for years with consumerism and military propaganda being forced down our throats but I feel like the fake moral grandstanding of corporations these days is far more sickening since they have corrupted the whole idea of equality. Instead of being about equal opportunity it feels more like cynical box ticking to please a tiny minority of a tiny minority on twitter.

[@StellaTZH]

I agree, honestly I started to watch Shad's videos because I was interested in all the medieval contend and he’s super entertaining and I love the enthusiasm he has for the topic. It’s just recently that I started to watch his reviews, too - after years of consuming his other contend. So it’s just now that I noticed how conservative he really is and some points he makes are really a bit much for my liberal European self. Like using woke in a derogatory or insulting context, the whole women are nurturing men protect thing, the immediate negative reaction to what he calls girlboss moments or the idea that there must be a woke agenda behind a show if there’s a strong female protagonist not in the mold of the kind of strength he attributes to female characters. I still like watching his content but sometimes I wonder if the things he says are meant the way they come across to me or if it’s me misinterpreting them.

[@taherkagdi2781]

I never thought I would see real life Alicent reviewing House of the Dragon. But hey, its his first day, Alicent got over her habit of picking the skin of her thumb he will too as he gets less nervous. Good job on the first day.

[@sirrantcelot]

Hahaha, an interesting comparison. I'll work on that.

[@taherkagdi2781]

@@sirrantcelot Take your time it was only a joke. Though it seems you are nervous when I look at your hands, you never let that nervousness reach your face or voice. Its an amazing feat in of itself. Keep up the good work.

[@mikeforester3963]

44:15 Except after the last brutal fire bombings of Tokyo between March and August 1945 the Emperor of Japan was ready to surrender. Thus the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was nothing but sheer criminal violence on behalf of future post-war geopolitics.

[@isakaldazwulfazizsunus7564]

The way the show presents it, Aemond just wants to scare the shit out of Lucerys, but then Arrax panicks and Vhagar decides to kill Arrax like a cat that just saw a ball pass him by. But there's an issue with Aemond protesting before the kill, like he understands what Vhagar is going to do.

[@jaketheberge1970]

One thing I wish they touched on is Westeros view on kinslaying considering some events that occur. Basically kinslaying is considered the biggest sin you can commit and anyone who does is branded with the title. You are considered cursed and damned by the new gods and the old. That's another good reason the greens survived the coronation and why Aemond's fucky wucky at the end are important.

[@zonefreakman]

I've heard that being shared around by fans of the book. Although they should have implemented it in the show so that it was more clear why Rhaenys hesitated and decided to not burn them all.

[@ghostwriter3175]

Thanks for extending the campaign.

[@dustinosborn4068]

I personally have had multiple personality changes as I’ve aged. I don’t see a problem there.

[@thatdarnkitteh]

Marcus doesn't know what this channel is about, walking in with those guns!!!! 💪💪

[@figjam9530]

funny you should mention women goading men into being violent with one another. the episode 10 dragon fight that killed Luc in the book Aemond was letting him leave until one of Lord Baratheon's daughters goaded him into going after him. she basically said in front of the entire room, "did he take one of your eyes or one of your balls?" yeah, savage. poor little dude didn't stand a chance after that. CHOMP!

[@Edwin-tk5kv]

Omg Marcus is amazing! Great pick!

[@vladimiralexanderlagos1477]

I really enjoyed the chemistry with your new member to the team. He seems like a great choice. Really looking forward to his growth as a member of the Watch.

[@Kernwadi]

Yes... It was full of masters.

[@Maxion435]

Just finished the video. Very good discussion and Marcus is very well spoken which makes him a good addition to this channel.

[@Kernwadi]

Chess hasn't been updated in almost 200 years and it's obvious the devs have abandoned it. The greedy creators took your money and laughed all the way to the bank. I remember back in 705 AD when chess was fun. Then they started adding stupid features no one wanted like "Castling" and "En Passant" instead of listening to player feedback and fixing game-breaking bugs. I've been complaining for YEARS about the collision-detection glitch with the horsey. The "clipping-thru-pieces" bug has been abused to death and the lazy devs refuse to fix it. Don't support this awful behaviour and boycott this company.

[@J1283-s1k]

Very cool to have Marcus on this overview, Shad. Keep going on strong, boys.

[@caromatla5597]

it's now official we have shad m brooks as shad of the presant and we have markus (sorry if i spelled the name wrong) as shad of the past.

[@sirrantcelot]

All good, but it is with a c 😉

[@gshann73]

There was an episode of The Dog Whisperer where the host was called to a Rottweiler rescue. He wasn’t there to solve a problem with any Rottweilers. He was there because the owner/managers tiny purse dig (Chihuahua perhaps) was terrorizing the much larger dogs that could have ended it with a single snap of the jaws. A small beast trying to assert dominance over a much larger animal is not unheard of.

[@maghof7121]

The thing is: HoTD does the race swapping in a way that makes sense. It is one house now that has black skin as a feature. It actually adds to the story underlining that Rhaenyras kids are without doubt bastards. In the book it remains a rumor - it is suspicious but still possibly an evil a rumor, since Rhaenyra has ancestors from House Arryn. So it is less likely but still possible that her kids could have inherited the black hair (I come from a family where literally everybody in the present generations on both sides has brown hair and brown or green-brown eyes with the exception of my both brothers, who are blond with blue eyes, inheriting our great-grandmothers' genes and no one ever came with the idea they could be bastards:). In the show, the fact that Laenor is a black skined, silver haired Velaryon and ALL of his kids are born black haired with very white skin, displaying no facial characteristics of their black father either - that is, as Queen Alicent said, an insult. One kid like that could be a big coincidence, but come on, even in mixed families if there is the rare case of a perfect white child being born, at least it has the typical facial features of the black side of the family. Therefore HotD made very clear that the rumor is not a rumor but a fact, an open secret, everybody knows but is forbidden from talking about - like "The Emperor's New Clothes". And this clarification was done without much talking thanks to the race swapping. Like Aegon said: "just look at them" - it is such an obvious thing because of the black skinned father. There is no way all of his kids could look the way they look. They are bastards and everybody in the realm knows it. Which at least for the House Velaryon should be a legitimate reason for objections in terms of legacy (not so with House Targaryen, where the legacy should only be based on the question if the future king is Rhaenyras child, since she is the heir to the throne, not the boy's father. It does not matter if the boy is a true Velaryon but if he is a true Targaryen and that is the case). If RoP would have done the race swapping in similar way, let say a tribe of Dark Elves or all of the Numenorean being dark skinned (it is an isolated island, the skin colour might have become darker over the centuries, at least it could have been used as a believable explanation for the race swapping) combined with logical story, good plot and good acting - most people would have look past it, even if it is not faithful to the lore. But they went with race swaping all over the place for no logical reason and characters being added in each race obviously only for the sole purpos of race swaping. And Numenor was boring big time - felt like a highschool play and cartoonish. I was glad they finally got out of there, but now after only two episodes they are going BACK to Numenor, jeeeeezzzzz. Also Rhaenyra going to Viserys right after giving birth (or afterbirth still being in process), because she is not taking shit from Alicent, or Rhaenyra, still covered in blood from a traumatic birth standing up to dress her stillborn child for funeral, is for me a definition of a strong women. So is Rhaenys on her dragon showing her superiority with a single look then turning and flying away without hurting anybody (sorry don't agree with your point of view on that one - Rhaenys is badass in a good way, she shows at this very moment she has the power of killing everybody but spares them. I don't argue about the civilians, not disscusting if Rhaenys is a good or bad person because she doesn't consider the common people in the room. She is Daemon-style badass). In opposite to RoP no-emotions-strong-men-pissed-off-genocide-Galadriel.

[@RaMraM-zm1el]

The Rhaenys moment might come back to bite them in the end. Depending on how they frame it. I just can't say it because it might be a spoiler.

[@badgamemaster]

Seeing Rings of Power like how Marcus did takes a lot.... I guess I was right in saying that he has the spirit of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus......

[@ZamWeazle]

Shads head canon for the end scene Is actually agreed by most as to what actually transpired. 👍

[@bababo0oey297]

Marcus did wonderful! His presence felt completely natural and was appreciated!

[@thebenc1537]

Nobody noticed the queen showed her feet to Larys in an earlier scene. They only remember the obvious one.

[@zonefreakman]

I caught that on the rewatch knowing to look out for it.

[@thebenc1537]

@@zonefreakman me too!

[@throgoy]

Marcus is great, he kinda reminds me of Oz

[@firewolf2930]

almost like Oz and Nathan had a baby

[@jennyjustjenny7634]

For me it's a 10/10. Rhaenys moment in episode 9 for me is in no way out of her character or unnecessary. Sure, she killed civilians but! she also used this moment to show that she would go places she herself never thought of to protect the family, realm and throne. She stood up for herself as the queen who never was and her niece, the true queen. That's the first time in the show she actually does a thing in her favor instead of doing what is best for her husband. By doing this im front of so many people she showed that a) Alicent never cared about them, she only invited them to justify her son as king cause he doesn't have any other justification and b) Rhaenys also doesn't care about the games Alicent plays.. she plays her own rules. 🤷‍♀️ I just loved this moment.. it is, like you said, the violence that is necessary to avoid greater violence. That was a public statement of the queen who never was that people should always stay true to their oaths. 🤷‍♀️

[@reverendrico5631]

Well, I mean she just doesn’t care about the little people. Don’t need to pretend it was more than that.

[@machinagirl]

I thought this was a very “strong” first season. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was well written and well acted. I was quite impressed. For the most part this was a very solid first season.

[@chriso0015]

As a scientist, I find the case of Rings of Power and House of the Dragon to be very similar to the structure of a very simple experiment. The variables that differ between the 2 include writing, characters, visual design, etc. The fact that they are so different despite (from an outside perspective) looking quite similar, speaks volumes.

[@peaceandloveusa6656]

One thing I will say is House of the Dragon made a race swap that was *better* than the canon. Making the Blackfire race black served a *narrative* function. It made the fact that Rhae's children were bastards even more obvious. Not only were they not white haired, they weren't even mixed race! This really helped to emphasize the "they clearly aren't his children" aspect of the story. I honestly love this change of the story after originally being indifferent to it.

[@reverendrico5631]

1. Velayron, not Blackfire. 2. The choice to make the Velaryons have white hair has had narrative consequences. Not the choice to race swap them. The narrative, the script, nothing actually acknowledges that the Velaryon’s are black. The show only acknowledges that they have White hair, where in canon Corlys, his sons, his daughter and even Rhaenys all have dark hair, white skin and violet eyes. Mostly because of some storm lander blood in them. But no, the race swap didn’t have any narrative effect because it hasn’t affected the script at all. It was just a racist producer that wanted less white people. The show doesn’t treat it like it’s even real. That said, despite hating the reason for the race swap and being annoyed by the minor issues it creates, the actor playing Corlys owns that roll. Dumbass as he is, he’s a damn fine actor and commands the screen in all his scenes, unless Daemon is around, but Daemon steals from everyone.

[@e.c.winner7252]

I like Marcus 😊 As a new subscriber, I didn’t realize that Marcus hasn’t been around longer! Please more Marcus content!

[@Syposaurus]

Hey Shad, loved how you talked about how violence, blood, and horrible stuff can actually affect you in a different way than just negative. You're absolutely right, it strengthens you and makes you more aware of what the world can be like at its worst. Personally I've kind of taken that train of thought to the next level seeing I work as a mortician, putting people back together and/or restoring their bodies so they can have an open coffin at their funeral. You see some horrible situations and people who have died in bad ways but because im now, after about 3 years into the job, more used to it (and i guess always pretty much have been), i can now put that to work.

[@mikewaterfield3599]

Personally I love how Amazon kept swearing their abomination would be so much better than Martin’s work. Well side by side with a third the budget for more footage HBO is the obvious winner.

[@muylae]

i don't think we can use our 21st century morality about the killing of innocent civilians in this brutal world. in the context of this world, killing thousand peasants without blinking, but being hesitant to become (the first) kin or king slayer and starting the war, it works for me.

[@perseusveil9376]

Curiosity: Book Viserys was paying for Daemon's Stepstones campaign since the beginning.

[@Tallorian]

Glad to see that the new recruit to your company of knights is a chap with charisma and wit, you two really work well together. Great start, sir Marcus!

[@skrublordnord69]

“I will sit the throne today.” - Viserys Targaryen

[@thomasphillips885]

Looking forward to seeing Marcus get more comfortable in front of the camera in the future! Great stuff!

[@ShieldWife]

Great review guys. I do have one issue, which isn’t about the show or your review of it, but the description of the end of WWII. Japan was actually seeking a conditional surrender, but the USA and UK would only accept an unconditional surrender. This was a particularly terrible prospect for the Japanese because they have the world’s oldest dynasty and they feared that an unconditional surrender would cause them to lose it. So the options weren’t just between a bloody invasion or dropping nuclear bombs, but accepting a conditional surrender was also an option for the Allies which makes the mass murder of hundreds of thousands of civilians far more questionable. I do agree, though, about how bad the scene with Rhaenys was.

[@dorvinion]

There is also that the military advisors said not to do it but Truman's political advisors overruled them. It was a political decision, not a tactical military decision. Most of the leading Generals and Admirals who had charge of the European and Pacific wars are on record of having opposed it if they knew of the plan beforehand, or in the days/weeks shortly after when it became known just how destructive it was.

[@zonefreakman]

Everyone believes that only "the other side" are capable of propaganda and historical brainwashing, rather than their side or government being capable of it. It's a safety blanket. I've heard Shad say things like the bomb was necessary before, and I do wish he would read up a bit more about that.

[@a.r.mproductions5616]

Yeah they wanted unconditional surrender because there was a lot of anger and emotions involved Pearl Harbor and all the island fighting. They felt that conditional surrender was worthless.

[@ShieldWife]

@@zonefreakman Yeah, I was taught the same thing growing up. If defeating the enemy faster is the justification for killing enemy civilians, then basically anything can be justified in war.

[@dorvinion]

@@a.r.mproductions5616 A conditional surrender is exactly what occurred despite the demand for unconditional surrender, and the dropping of the bombs. Publicly it was called unconditional, but privately, assurances were given regarding the status of the emperor.

[@dresdyn100]

Great rundown guys! Welcome Marcus! Marcus is a little nervous but that'll fade with time 😀- Just remember to look at the camera thingy 🙃

[@Kernwadi]

A foolish man complains about his torn pocket. A wise man uses it to scratch his nuts.

[@AntonVeliTajan]

Someone forgot to edit this ...

[@JamieHitt]

I really like videos talking about HotD and RoP,… But that being said, lol, these conversations are going to start sounding rather dull, rather soon. Sadly, there’s only so much we can discuss about a series after the season has long ended. It’s kind of like delivering a eulogy days/weeks/months after the funeral. The only thing I dread more than drawing this procession out any longer… Is imagining the long list of videos that will be generated after season two of The Wheel of Time premieres. And God help us all when we see Hemsworth take over in Witcher. Lol.

[@MatthewLoom]

Don't worry. There will be plenty of discussion when teasers for season 2 start dropping.

[@xanovaria]

I am glad to hear you guys mention men in a positive light

[@hoagie9391]

Your new squire's arms look like they are about to burst out of his mail. I approve.

[@eternalpadawan1]

I'm so glad to be wrong. Markus was very enjoyable to watch. He had fountains of knowledge and great insights. I look forward to seeing more of you Markus and am truly sorry for m negative comment on your introduction video. Stay on watch 👊

[@durrangodsgrief6503]

honestly I think viserys is a great man but a bad king the fire he showed when defending rhaenyra is something that always should have been present also the fact he was very much guided by emotion which led to him making decisions that make things worse off like him not marrying the Velaryon girl as immoral as it sounds shes connected the most powerful house besides his own with a Dragon of their own with a great fleet had he been wise he would have listened to his advisor and married her but he allowed his emotions to guide him and insulted them another example is him basically ignoring the edict chosen by his predecessor the wisest king in westeros if the decree of a king can be disobeyed after their dead then what reason does anyone have to obey viserys own orders and not marrying aegon to rhaenyra viserys is the type of guy to make an inconvenient job look unnecessarily difficult because he cant make the simplest decisions he literally has the right choices spelt out to him but doesnt take them how can I take such a man and his words of "wisdom" to heart and feel any type of remorse for his family situation when he could easily avoid it I see the sickness viserys suffers as a representation of the pain he caused his family and well deserved considering what they would go threw due to his bad choices

[@ML-cc7gj]

I agree, especially, when taking the book into account as well, that says that Viserys wanted to please everyone and took people's advice too much. Except in his choice (in the book) of Alicent, when he went against what was advised and married her since he wanted to marry her...and look where it got him. I'd say he might be a good king for nowadays but not the medieval-ish fantasy world that is Westeros. The best Targaryen kings had enough sternness to command respect but they knew when to use force and did it by carefully measuring how much was needed when - I mean Aegon, Jaehaerys, probably Rhaenyra's son Viserys II if he had lived longer. Viserys I was too soft for that word but he was a good man and the show made him way better than in the books. All in all, there is really not a thing like a good king in our sense in Westeros, basically all Targaryens were pretty nuts and the other lords as well, so the kings fit the world nicely but you would not want them running around in real life. ASOIAF is good in purposefully painting a really rose-coloured view of the Targaryen reign (well, aside from Aerys) to make you want Daenaerys to succeed, but then you get to Fire and Blood and you realise that it was just one craziness after another (especially when the heir-situation was tricky), interspersed with a little bit of good times.

[@peaceandloveusa6656]

One contrary point I would make about our takes on media as a whole = Everyone *should* experience nudity at some point in their lives. (They do not reproduce without it.) However, ideally, most of us should *not* experience violence. I have experienced violence, and I will say, my being numb to it did not make me "better suited" to the situation, only more efficient in it. I resent not batting an eye to violent depictions far more than I resent not batting an eye to sexual depictions. This is, of course, my own bias as a critic, though I will say House of the Dragon is much more tasteful in their depictions of nudity as a whole than Game of Thrones. GoT took more liberties than made sense to convey the story, in an obviously exploitative manner, while HotD opted for more narratively relevant depictions, which I can appreciate.

[@LaFam1L]

For me, with Rhaenys not attacking the greens, it shows she is conflicted. Her husband is away fighting in the step stones in a war which was egged on (Sort of) by Daemon (Thats a bit of a reach), her daughter was dragged out to a foreign land by Daemon because of his selfish needs and was killed, her son was killed (They think) by Rhaenyra in a plot to strengthen the targaeryan pool, Rhaenyra was unfaithful to their son having bastard children and propping that bastard up to become leader of the seas snakes. I havent read the books, so I could be completely off the mark, but to me, I dont feel like I would kill the greens, people who havent really done anything to me, just to be treated like crap and used again. We can even see in the last episode Daemon is automatically assuming Rhaenys' allegience and including her dragon in the fight, to which she seems suprised. And all in all you've got to think that Rhaenys still has hatred for being overlooked for the crown, even if she says otherwise. That whole situation couldnt been handled better but I do think it shows the god complex these people have, probably not even seeing the citizens as humans, and Rhaenys conflict towards the blacks.

[@balrog262]

Barristan vs Daemon is the Virtuous vs Toxic Dichotomy.

[@Moshugaani]

Welcome Marcus! You seem like a great guy. :)

[@Dec4AllTimeAlways]

My boys killed the most in Season 1. I'm sounding like a proud parent of them. Bronn with 5. Daemon with 20. I know Daemon killed at least 15 in Ep 3 including the guy who got squashed by Caraxes' right foot. Daemon beheaded a guy in Ep 1. Killed Crabfeeder, Rhea, random guy to fake Laenor's death, and Vaemond. And the Internet has a crush on this serial killer or one that looks like a serial killer (Aemond).

[@PrincessPattyPumpkin]

I like the new guy, he's quite personable and witty. One thing he should do, though, is to try not to slouch so much. If he would just practice sitting up straight, he would really shine. Great choice, otherwise.

[@sirrantcelot]

Thanks for the feedback I'll try to work on that in future videos.

[@g00se99]

I thought the action in HotD was the weakest element. Which speaks volumes for the story. The beach fighting scene didn't work for me at all. Bu I can easily overlook it because I liked the characters and the writing. The dragons were done spectacularly well.

[@kristenstoumann8345]

yeah a consultant in battles, and in other matter too things too, I think would be a grand idea.

[@badandy9716]

"You are the King, But I do not envy you."