HOTD S2 - Episode 5 Isn't 𝙏𝙃𝘼𝙏 Bad

A review of House of the Dragon Season 2 - Episode 5: Regent, where I go into why this episode really isn't that bad and discuss the discourse surrounding people claiming that this was a terrible episode. Along with pointing out great things the episode did and equally critiquing it.
Patreon: www.patreon.co...
Discord link: / discord
Letterboxd: letterboxd.com...
Thank you to my Patrons: Logan Farmer and Jernej
Music:
The Green Council | House of the Dragon S2 | OST Cover
Video: • The Green Council | Ho...
Channel: / @diegomitremusic
House of the Dragon S2 | Reign of the Targaryens | EMOTIONAL VERSION
Video: • House of the Dragon S2...
Channel: / @diegomitremusic

[@Infinite-void908]

I started laughing super hard at the scene where Daemon is sitting down and there's just silence and then he says "I did not think they would be so eager to die."

[@proyohiyyiyes500]

That was genuinely such a funny scene

[@mavitilo]

Yeah, even the way he is threatening them is funny, like he's just reading a script.

[@coffeecreamsugar]

I like this helplessness of Daemon in Harrenhall because that is so him: he’s a war machine and the Riverlands demand more of a negotiator and he’s so ready to jump on his dragon and threaten people and do things but just like Rhaenyra he can’t. He’s completely lost because he’s good at confrontation and fight and these are not required right now where he is.

[@proyohiyyiyes500]

@@coffeecreamsugar no crazy crab eaters for him to just go ham on, definitely

[@littlekaren1551]

@@coffeecreamsugar exactly, he's out of his element. he has to do something he's never had to do, and has never been taught to do, negotiate, be diplomatic, be a politician almost. he's gotta be like his brother and get people to like him.

[@mcfleury]

This episode had some top tier Daemon acid trips

[@firstlast9846]

I like his acid trips but I think they’re sorta dragging it right now

[@Toxodos]

I've seen people say the harrenhal plotline is starting to turn into "what I assume it would be like if Gendry's boat ride was turned into an actual subplot." (top r/television comment) I don't think it's THAT bad, but it does start to be a bit dull, there's no plot or exposition there, so it just drags on for angsty daemon vibes

[@HotMonkeyDik]

There is plot, like how he messed up getting the support of the river lords. Its interesting to see that that its not as easy one might think to take castles with a dragon, having to deal with old gods

[@ChrisTheDragon]

@@firstlast9846 not really, these trips felt as real as anxiety presentations (Puss in boots and Inside out 2)

[@Clipshub123-g5r]

What is the effect of this illusions with daemon? are these illusions going to help him somehow. something must be there otherwise why we have at least 3 illusions per episode.

[@keyamazed1038]

It's only slow because streaming services have destroyed people's attention spans by cramming everything into 8 episodes, sometimes even less, just darting from plot point to plot point, giving nothing but a hollow experience. What people these days call "filler" is what character development and world-building used to be about.

[@Morfe02]

Sorry but episode 2 or 3 are filler because Rhaenyra doesnt nothing except going to Church 😂😂😂 Like this THIS IS where i get mad because they didnt use the black council to show the opinions of the 3-4 guys there I would like to hear about the Maester Geraldys or any queenguard because IDONTKNOW WHAT THEY THINK you know character develop about side ones like the Green council does after the new Hand But they waste time showing how they "do nothing" meanwhile Cole is destroying all the castles Also with Daemon happens something similar we meet Óscar Tully (good) but we are 24/7 with Willem Blackwood instead of showing the 3 important characters of the Blackwoods that basically made all the battles of the book in Riverlands and more But no they show nothing until episode 6 you know 6 of 8 i would show them in episode 3 !!! With the Bracken Battle of the burning mill

[@Kizamusic]

What you learned about Daemon that you didn’t know from the last two episodes he spent at harrenhaul?

[@captainroyale]

​@@Morfe02you know that in the books, as far as i know, rhaenyra does even less? I mean, the show is already trying to give her more to do. If for the better or worse is another question

[@Mistlover5]

Not ATALL. First season of game of thrones had no feel of any kind of filler. Why in the world would they drag this daemon dream out for this long. Writers aren’t as talented anymore and if they are they aren’t being hired.

[@lucasbelmonte2832]

I think this episode would be better if the entire season released at once instead of waiting a week

[@josephbiden4296]

I think the reason why Corlys dosnt interact with anyone on dragonstone is to emphasise (by him being alone in driftmark) that he is now isolated and on his own, with most of his family now being dead.

[@Jermrants]

Most* not all

[@phobics9498]

Besides, Corlys is exactly the kind of man who would want to show off his strength (his treasure hall) and hide his weakness (go hide in driftmark). The point about this from supercuts honestly felt rather stupid

[@josephbiden4296]

@@phobics9498 i completely agree, hiding in driftmark is a good way to put it, and also allows Baela who is one of his few remaining family to go and bring him back from total grief by offering him to be hand.

[@stoakleypurfr8485]

@@Jermrantsthey said most 😅

[@insert-name101]

Also he cannot blame rhaenyra for this, rhaenys herself decided to opt to go out

[@patrickletoiledemerde6170]

For the love of God, put my man Simon Strong on the Iron Throne.

[@tomrowell1558]

Love that character - Sir Simon Beale is the actor and he’s mostly a theatre guy but he was so good in Death of Stalin as well

[@ryanjones4116]

Couldnt agree more, they need to give the man the respect he deserves

[@HashBandicoot356]

Venison and Peas for everyone!

[@nahotgirma7117]

True!!!

[@cristinademartini1284]

Nah, i'd prefer the riverlady and riverlords who put Daemon back to his place xD!

[@LeSage28]

War has started! Meanwhile at Harrenhall:👻👻

[@92bagder]

He's playing Silent Hill

[@HashBandicoot356]

I actually love it

[@nunliski]

Terrible writing.

[@markusschickedanz1508]

“ I am blood and fire. Driftmark must pass to salt and sea.” Was such a top tier line

[@luar215]

Man Corlys needs to legitimize his bastard if he wants his name to live on. After Leanor didn’t have any true kids of his own Corlys was screwed. Did Vaemond have any kids? I’m starting to see why there were no Velaryons in GOT time..

[@ikram-258]

​​@@luar215there are velaryons, they are on stannis's side, but their house isn't as powerful anymore.

[@capshyer4815]

​@@luar215They are in the books, they were just irrelevant so the show didn't include them, same with the Hightowers

[@ikram-258]

​​​@@capshyer4815the hightowers are very intriguing in the books, they are doing god knows what from the citadel and preparing to face Euron the antichrist, but the show butchered euron's character and didn't care much about the mystical aspects of the story

[@capshyer4815]

@@ikram-258 god forbid they show magic in a dragon show

[@septakaz8010]

people complain when GOT was rushed, then complain when HOTD isn't rushed lol

[@Tranglerodgreedo26]

They even complained about the last season and it’s time jumps . Being “rushed” now that it isn’t people are upset . They can’t win lol

[@TheStraightestWhitest]

@@septakaz8010 Ever heard of balance? Nuance?

[@septakaz8010]

@@TheStraightestWhitest yes thats why there shouldn’t be big battles every episode

[@TheStraightestWhitest]

@@septakaz8010 Agreed. And you can stop strawmanning about it. S1 of GoT held how many giant battles? Oh right, zero. Not a fucking one. And yet it was radically better than this shit.

[@septakaz8010]

@@TheStraightestWhitest 😟

[@alesenatorephoto]

I swear, people have NO patience and attencion span

[@TheStraightestWhitest]

I too personally want S3 and the rest of S2 to do literally nothing other than have every character hallucinate every episode. Like, let's literally just make everyone trip all season. Aemond's sapphire eye infects him, making him delirious and hallucinate. Alicent's moon teas have side effects, making her delirious and hallucinate. Criston Cole turns crispy, making him delirious and hallucinate. Aegon is badly burnt and dreaming, making him delirious and hallucinate. Daemon exists, making him delirious and hallucinate. Willem Blackwood has PTSD over killing a man when he was a child, making him delirious and hallucinate. Daeron The Daring doesn't exist, making him delirious and hallucinate. Ulf and Alf bond with their dragons, making them delirious and hallucinate. Alyn Velaryon is black now, making him delirious and hallucinate. Corlys Velaryon is alone, making him delirious and hallucinate. Rhaenyra keeps receiving sexist comments from men and is a they/them irl while portraying a female character, traumatising her which makes her delirious and thus hallucinate. That's what the entirety of the show should be. Absolute peak cinema. Pure character focus and buildup to stick it to the Gen Z kids who don't have attention spans! Yeah!

[@arson5304]

@@TheStraightestWhitest literal npc 💀💀💀💀

[@roddur1000]

​@@TheStraightestWhitestyou'll be glad when aemond meets alys at harrenhall in season 3 and has the same acid trips until daemon kills him. Hope you'll enjoy that plot point

[@KingSlayer_.]

The season was marketed as having the war begun. But it feels like it hasn't even started yet. They better start speeding things up otherwise it's going to feel like a giant filler season.

[@WillzMaster85]

Right… like who actually think this episode was bad lmao literally no one with at least average intelligence

[@niallocarroll4450]

"Nothing" happened!? Daemon is establishing a potential third claim, Aemond is also scheming for the throne, they are furthering the subplot of a potential rebellion of the small folk, Jace presents an alliance with the Freys, I could go on. The reason people are bored is because it didn't have the same spectacle as the previous but everything major that happens is subtle but long term will have story impact

[@littlekaren1551]

yeah i like how Daemon voiced his intentions and no one's talking about it. he basically said he wants to be king and he and Rhaenyra rule together. and that the girl Elinda meets in KL is Diana, the girl Aegon raped in season 1 & is working in that pub where 1 of the dragon seeds is introduced. like that seems significant to me.

[@jaythementalist]

Yeah the problem is those scenes aren't that interesting compared to "things happening" in the early seasons of GOT. In GOT, scenes had multiple purposes aside from advancing the plot, but also deepened characterization, had emotional range, and were otherwise deeply memorable years later. Jace meeting with the Freys technically advances the plot but isn't particularly memorable or dramatic. Daemon having trippy visions or meeting with Blackwoods and Brackens is boring because we don't care about any of those other people. All these fucking small council scenes are becoming monotonous and tiresome. So when people the episode is slow, they don't mean it lacks battles per se, but there just wasn't anything dramatic or interesting to keep us on the edge of our seats.

[@FanksCast]

​@@jaythementalistafter game of thrones, any form of diplomacy with the frays triggers my PTSD, so was instantly intrigued lol. Nah but you're absolutely right in general though

[@Xtermenator217]

⁠@@jaythementalisthow did the scenes not show characterization while also progressing the plot? The small council scene shows alicents possible regrets after being turned down, shows Cole’s allegiances, and aemonds scheming. The daemon scenes aren’t about the brackens and blackwoods. They are just tools for daemons character. It’s about Daemons ineptitude to be the king he so much wants to be. Literally every scene with daemon has so much characterization.

[@dawsonlucas369]

@@Xtermenator217don't bother bro these people are stupid as hell they don't even know what they're talking about there was "no drama" Steve toussaints first scene was great that subtle tear as his whole family is gone now all he has is treasure 10/10 amazing but remember there was "no drama" or the scene with Cole and alicent the council passing over alicent as a regent and there's pretty much a new king now but there was "no drama" the riverlords confrontation of daemon for the atrocities of house Blackwood you see a man loosing control when he thought he had so much control but there was "no drama" in this episode both councils disregard alicent and rhayneras viewpoints on war to parallel the two characters bro I swear these other people just dont actually watch the show they just scroll on tiktok the whole time

[@c4dillon]

The lack of episodes like these is what made GoT S8 so terrible

[@nserekojpaul6997]

hhh with episodes like this noone would watch it

[@nserekojpaul6997]

there is a genre called drama and it requires no battle hotd doesn't have it how about Targaryens are supposed to be crazy see any joffreys or danys or robin arryn drink mothers milk hhhh

[@modarnwarfare2rull]

@@nserekojpaul6997 The first seasons of GoT are filled with episodes like this one, the first real epic battle is the Battle of Blackwater Bay, and that happened late into the second season. You just have the attention span of a fly.

[@nserekojpaul6997]

@@modarnwarfare2rull game of thrones have interesting conversations and smart people like tyrion tywin varys everyone here is stupid

[@joseph-fernando-piano]

Ok, but, Olivia Cooke’s facial acting/expressions during the small council scene where Aemond is made regent and you can hear the dialogue behind the zoom in on her face, has got to be some of the best wordless acting I’ve ever seen…

[@alexandermoore2982]

As well as her acting the cinematography in that scene was great too, honestly a lot of the camera shots in this episode were top tier like the one with Jace at the twins.

[@kedrprao]

Lol that was some regular shii. take couple of month's acting classes and you'll do that. Yall praise anything nowadays

[@fatthor2492]

@@kedrprao okay edge lord

[@kedrprao]

@@fatthor2492 "great acting" hahahahaha. yall youtube fools praising some basicasss shiiiit

[@TboneSteak1066]

very human

[@falconknight4964]

Honestly this is the first time I’m hearing people thought it was boring. I really liked the episode, it was slower but really interesting for what the payoff was and what they’re setting up next. And the realization moment at the end has me insanely excited for the next episode so that was a big enough revelation for me at least to count as a big way to end the episode

[@Tomiwa101]

I was shocked when I saw the title. It's Game of Thrones for crying out loud. Who would expect two action packed episodes?

[@IsaVarg]

I was surprised seeing this video, honestly. This was the first time this season I was enjoying the episode all the way through. Not to say the other episodes were bad, obviously, but episode 5 just hit right for me.

[@umarsheikh6419]

i feel episodes like this are important for character development if every episode was a battle it would just get boring and overwhelming dont know why people hating on it.

[@axelni]

The masses like dopamine aka violence, so anything plot related tends to be slow for them

[@joemalone6994]

thats beside the fact, you can have characters doing things while having dialogue, take Tywins introduction for example, skinning a stag while being the general of the largest army in GOT it shows how cool and collected he is, precise and planned, confident in serious moments. now look at the HOTD scenes same location, same dialogue, nothing changes for the better.

[@captainroyale]

@@joemalone6994 what exactly ist your comparison? Character introductions this season were always great. And what should anyone do more while their dialogue? Should Daemon perhaps feed a dog while talking to the Riverlords?

[@LiamPowelluuu2]

We had an action based final third of the previous episode so I don't know why people are bitching

[@danielnemesio3388]

Slow episodes can be good, this one just wasn't. Very redundant development, like Simon Strong saying king consort again and Daemon replying like a freaking Marvel character

[@Charles-In-Charge]

I love how your list of the things that happen in the episode doesn’t include Aemond becoming Prince Regent

[@samf.s.7731]

It's only like the most important thing that happens and is literally carried till the conclusion of TDOD, when Aegon finally decides to make a comeback as King. Yeah people will play "Don't call it a come back" 😂

[@officialthomasjames]

@@samf.s.7731why the spoiler man

[@ikram-258]

​@@officialthomasjamesan advise, if you are not cought up with a story when it's being adapted don't interact with social media when it comes to it. People are not going to hold back

[@Trathien-]

​@@officialthomasjamesyou think they kept aegon alive just to not bring him back?

[@button9]

Tbf, he did say a shift in green council, which was essentially that.

[@davidthewhale7556]

It’s funny when people complain that Rhaenyra and Daemon aren’t doing anything when in the book they did even less. The show runners are actually giving them more to do.

[@TheMikster95]

The things the show is making them do is stupid. Daemons entire arc makes no sense-gratuitous and disgusting not plot moving sex scenes and wasting time NOT rallying up an army, and going against Rhaenyra out of NOWEHRE is all stupid. Rhaenyra having no agency is stupid.

[@MrAnothis]

The scene of Alicent at the table slowly realizing that she's surrounded by sycophants now serving her psychotic son, that she's all alone and has made a terrible mistake, thinking (Ralph Wiggum's voice in her head) "I'm in danger...". *Chef's kiss* It was a great transition episode where we witness the aftermath of Rook's Rest, the dragons' destruction joining the war, and the loss of Rhaenys. Agreed that some scenes seemed cut a little too early.

[@Jonathan_Collins]

The fact that none of the small folks believe aegon actually killed melys was the topping of the sundae of his kingship.

[@arrasectum]

I have no idea how you inferred that. The whole scene was more foreshadowing for the Storming due to the "They're just meat" line and the "WE WANT MEAT!" chant at the gates, than a people disillusioned at Aegon thing. Also a wasted opportunity for the smallfolk to bring up the whole Rhaenys mass death scene.

[@Trashpanda887y]

Either you keep spamming this everywhere or you copy and pasted the exact comment.

[@lucasbelmonte2832]

Did you watch the episode? None of them questions Aegon killing Meleys they are shocked a dragon is dead. What stupid head canon.

[@playoffp2738]

??

[@unc54]

@@arrasectum It's so annoying how they've made such a big deal out of the ratcatchers but still ignore that Rhaenys has the highest civilian death toll

[@TheBadasssnoopy]

I felt the episode was fine, until I learned that this season only has 8 episodes. I thought we were just half way, so I was fine with the show taking it's time and being slow, but now that I know that we are more than half way through I'm a bit more frustrated with the pacing. I feel like there is still so much stuff that needs to happen in this season and will either be rushed by the end, or pushed for the next one, and to have that happen so that we can watch Daemon get high for the tenth time in this season, and rhaenyra being disrespected by her council AGAIN, and Alicent being frustrated with the outcome of her actions AGAIN, is just really disappointing. The moment I learned that there are 8 episodes the seasons immediately went from like a 9/10 for me, to an 8 or even a 7.

[@javierpumarodriguez]

I share your thoughts good sir

[@nikolascsgo]

imo there's just enough time to wrap up this season in a satisfying way, especially since they swapped two of the upcoming BIG events so the season is definitely gonna end with one of them and the other has been confirmed to have been moved to S3 that'll set up season 3 to be the absolute pinnacle of ASOIAF on TV and I think that's fair even though I hate the idea of having to wait, I'll at least be waiting for quality and not GoT S7/8

[@LobsterOfDeath]

Don't forget there will be a 2-year break between seasons.

[@RustCohle072]

​@@nikolascsgoI'm glad we're getting 4 or 5 seasons instead of rushing through everything at breakneck speed across 3 seasons, which would have resulted in us not caring about many of the characters nearly as much.

[@TheRibottoStudios]

You do know as the person said in his video, this whole series of events is a FOOTNOTE in Westerosi history right? This show is only going to have three or four seasons, of 8 episodes. We can't have every episode be fast paced and rushed; then we get GOT s7 and s8.

[@tankmh4468]

People seem to have 2 brain cells that try connection when there is an episode in which there are no fights or dragons

[@Hero_Of_Old]

This is such a cope

[@CampChamp00]

Exactly. This is the quiet before the storm..cant be a damn huge battle every episode

[@NemoRackkz]

@@Hero_Of_Old Your brain is delayed go play some subway surfers

[@Chasingdreams25]

​@@NemoRackkz What happened in this episode that you didn't see in the one prior to it? I will wait.

[@jk_d7837]

​@Chasingdreams25 daemon accidentally fucks up AGAIN, and has blackwoods showing his banners doing fucking war crimes. Daemon is now called a "tyrant" and has maybe created another enemy instead of a friend. He has no understanding of politics outside of threats and fear. Aemond immediately gets the power he wants, he stands before what he's done to his brother but it doesn't stop him. "Someone will have to rule in his stead" aemond is now in charge and yall are acting like nothing is happening.

[@JLchevz]

Rhaenyra's council is at this point boring because we've seen the same scenes since episode 1, and Daemon's plot felt redundant too but honestly it wasnt bad.

[@coopernut]

@JLchevz I miss when I knew the names of everyone on the council and they were actually characters

[@tpw92-u7w]

I felt bored not because there were no action set pieces or because the pace in itself was too ‘slow’. I felt bored because some scenes were less interesting or were rendered uninteresting by the way the scene was written. At times this show makes the choice to focus on something less dramatic while glossing over opportunities for more entertaining drama. For example, an actual full scene with Halaena confronting Aemond in the throne room would have been a far better use of the show’s time than the Rhaena and Lady Arryn tit for tat about the size of the Dragon’s.

[@ignacydrozdowicz8107]

Lady Arryn was actually an interesting character but I agree about the Aemond/Haelena scene, they should show us the whole conversation!

[@nserekojpaul6997]

dragon fights also boring i mean compared to danerys burning Lannister army in s7ep4 spoils of war its nothing so what is left game of thrones was made with much dialogue but interesting dialogue tyrion was never boring but no one smart in hotd so?!😮😮😮😅😊

[@noah2time]

Corlys does blame Rhaenyra for his wife’s death in the books so I wonder why they changed it. The Black Council scenes have gotten redundant with the sexism so that would’ve been a good change of pace.

[@Leaf-tf5oo]

Because in the books rhaenyra didn’t offer to go her self. That means he cant blame rhaenyra for not going there instead. Plus rhaenys offered to go lol

[@TheStraightestWhitest]

@@Leaf-tf5oo People aren't always rational when they're upset. Corlys could easily still blame Rhaenyra. And like OP said, it'd be better than just sticking in a bit of woke politics of ''Men bad''.

[@JarinCOD]

Because Rhaenyra CANNOT do anything BAD in the show for some reason. They cut Nettles because Rhaenyra is the perfect angel fighting patriarchy or whatever.

[@lozpopo]

@@JarinCOD They cut Nettles so Rhaena has something to do instead

[@JarinCOD]

@@lozpopo Butterfly effect will be strong, later story will make no sense just like in GoT when they started cutting and merging and killing random characters.

[@NIGE1UN0]

This is not the first battle of the war. It’s more like the fifth. You’re forgetting the battle of the burning mill also assaults on Rosby, Stokeworth, and Duskendale. It was just the first battle audiences were allowed to see because characters were involved that we were invested in.

[@nserekojpaul6997]

dragon fights also boring i mean compared to danerys burning Lannister army in s7ep4 spoils of war its nothing so what is left game of thrones was made with much dialogue but interesting dialogue tyrion was never boring but no one smart in hotd so?!😮😮😮😅😊

[@MoeOthman]

*I dont think its the slow pace thats boring everyone, but the lack luster dialogue. ASOIF was very slow, but the dialogues especially the ones from varys, little finger, lady olenna, Tywin lanister, etc were amazing. In HOTD, no ones dialogue feels memorable to repeat or want to talk about* It just feels like filler

[@chumanimtwebana6321]

This is the big difference between GOT and HOTD. GOT would develop and make a character interested through one dialogue scene. HOTD just fails to do that.

[@Rounderyathecruel]

@@chumanimtwebana6321 nope. Pretty much all the dialogue is on tier with got, and the acting and visual components are absolutely better too

[@lozpopo]

@@Rounderyathecruel Youre so right with the acting, its a tier above almost everything in GoT bar a few select chracters

[@ishtarinanna4478]

pretty much this , for exemple the Aemond and Helaena scene , she says one line and then it's cut , ffs let the characters talk to each other !

[@Rounderyathecruel]

@@ishtarinanna4478 if you had more than 3 brain cells you’d be able to put together exactly what both characters believed

[@bubbleheart500]

My only problem is I don't feel as close with rhaeneriya as I wish to be or as close as season 1 , I'm more interested on what is she feeling and how grief messes with her head than what is happening inside daemon's head, I know it's important to show what is happening to him in the castle but , she is going through so much and I don't feel we are as close as we should be to her , we get so much about what alicent feels too , so I hope there would be more intimate scenes about rhaeneriya

[@sillylittlesheepjax6009]

u still dont even know how to write her name

[@wintergreen2.073]

People forget the early seasons of got were so great for the dialogue and the set up for big pay offs. My only issue is the Meleys head scene. It’s like everyone forgot that she killed and crippled probably hundreds of smallfolk you think a few people would’ve been cheering. It’s like every smallfolk background character shares one brain cell

[@nserekojpaul6997]

she like killed aegon the most important person yet they celebrate and no vengeance

[@johnwall2wizards]

Let’s be honest, if David and Dan were credited as writers everyone would be hating this season. We’ve had some poor writing thus far. Blood and Cheese infiltrate King's Landing and kill the Queen's son with implausible ease, zero security concerns or conflict Rhaenyra infiltrates King's Landing, where she gets within inches of Alicent with a plan for peace, her plan fails but Alicent lets her go…. Zero consequences? And she gets back to DragonStone safely? Daemon goes from the most badass character in the story, to tripping balls for 4 straight episodes in a castle. Doing absolutely nothing. Aside from Episode 4, the show has been a slow burn, repetitive dialogue with minimal suspense. I think the biggest issue I have is there are zero “great” characters this season. When you think of GOT, the line up of great characters experiencing intense crisis is endless and we the fans are 100% emotionally invested at the edge of our seat. I think Season 1 established King Viserys as a great character. But I have not had the emotional connection with season 2 characters. Lastly, I don’t think this season is bad. I’m still all in, however, I’m just exposing the hypocrisy on how pple praise HOTD but shit on seasons 5-8 of GOTS.

[@diegopinales86]

The amount of mental gymnastics and copiun to try to defend this crappy season is really something else

[@ej_buendia]

I agree that the Green Council meetings are so interesting to watch because we know most of them, unlike the Black Council members with the majority we only see around the painted table. That's why I'm so happy to see a 1-on-1 scene of Ser Alfred Broome with Rhaenyra in this episode. What I didn't like was the emotional response the characters showed to the death of Rhaenys. She was such a major figure for the blacks together with her dragon. She deserves a proper tribute.

[@yeezysleez]

Daemon needs to actually do something this season

[@Rounderyathecruel]

Hes trying to fix a broken riverlands.

[@unc54]

Tbf he was actually doing something last episode. We went to negotiate with the Brackens, then implemented a scheme to get the loyalty of the riverlords only for it to backfire. Honestly, I'm more annoyed that it took everyone else on TB until this episode to actually do useful stuff. Like the first 4 episodes was just them waiting on Rhaenyra to do something.

[@okacz19]

At this point it's going to be a success if he actually eats a meal by episode 8.

[@MA-rf6bu]

Trust me he will do something huge either at the end of this season or the start of the next.

[@Morfe02]

He is in Riverlands, he needs to Talk with more characters (they are important later) because he is in a cycle of talking with Simon Strong ? About food 😂

[@FilmStudent07]

This is one of the best episodes in all of house of the dragon! GOT was great in first few seasons because it was a show about politics and backhand deals. It fell apart when it became an action show. This show and world isn't about the fighting really. The theme of ice and fire was always anti-war

[@usmanmohammad7417]

but there has been no politics and backhand deals in season 2 of HOOTD. absence of king viserys and otto hightower hurts the show alot (i think they were carrying season 1). daemon taking up all the screen time because the show wants to tell us he is getting dreams in this place (okay we get it, now lets move on). rhaenys' death felt so meh because the show didnt really do a good job of making the audience feel any sort of attachment to her before killing her off. rhaneyra has been doing absolutely nothing since the season started. the show might not be as bad as people have made it out to be but it is definitely not on the same level as early GOT seasons. the quality of HOOTD has dropped a lot from season 1 to 2. i personally dont care for the action and dragon fights, i wish there was more politics and so far the show has been lacking

[@Mr_Mcfeely]

I thought it was a good episode. I love the line from Baela to Corlys "I'm of fire and blood, it must pass to salt and sea." when he tried to make her his heir

[@sameerjain4145]

It just felt like many story threads didn't hit their climax or resolution. It felt like 50-60% of a larger episode. What we had was great. I really wish we had a Corlys and Rhaenyra scene, and we moved the Bastard Dragon'rider story beat along faster.

[@nserekojpaul6997]

how do hotd picture look worth than got any one spotted that dark view its supposed to be newer higher hd

[@JustAnotherAccount8]

My main gripes with this episode, and the season as a whole, is all the book changes. They're making this a story about good vs. evil where Rhaenyra is a good person unlike in the book. Basically every female character is now a voice of reason/peace/balance/good, and every male character (few exceptions) is a voice of war/bad. It just lacks the same nuance as the book which is insane considering the book is written as a dry history book.

[@wallopee]

Even George has said the story of the Dance was written by the Greens, so it is a biased retelling.

[@JakeBaldwin1]

@@wallopee Didn't the Blacks win the war (technically) with the Queen's son becoming King? So why would they say the guys they beat were in the right?

[@wallopee]

@@JakeBaldwin1 the stories about the Dance were written by Greens and they were accepted as truth. Obviously when Aegon and then Viserys came to rule, they were probably taught the Greens' version of the story since almost nobody who was actually present during that time were there to tell them what actually happened or even about their mom. Why do they also accept Aegon II as the king? Well, they were told their mom was the Usurper and she was a woman, so she wasn't "fit" to rule.

[@SuperPal-tr3go]

Yeah and this is also the same episode where Rhaenyra is reading about an infamously bloody and murderous queen. It's also as if their going somewhere with that.

[@karljonson3287]

Really? Cause theres only 2 women characters that you're talking about and besides them noone else was friends

[@georgech6006]

People don't even care about building up events or characters properly😂 watch fast and furious then

[@ThatsThing1]

The dance of the dragons literally just started in the series and it's been out for 2 years. This season has 8 episodes, then it's a 2 year wait for the 3rd season. At this point I feel it's entirely safe to say that this show has major pacing issues. Or are you going to ignore the 3 time skips in the first season alone?

[@joemalone6994]

no, the writers and dialogue don't know how to do it properly.

[@andrewmorrison3057]

@@joemalone6994dude the writing has been incredible wdym

[@georgedapro9377]

bro thats cold

[@ThatsThing1]

@@andrewmorrison3057 are you kidding? Go watch seasons 2-4 of game of thrones and say that.

[@SilkBuckets]

Idk how people think this show is bad when its out the same time as shlop like the acolyte

[@D.Rodrigues_18]

Tbf anything is good compared to the acolyte

[@SilkBuckets]

@@D.Rodrigues_18 true lol but its clearly just on another level in all aspects

[@CSH_Technology]

Ah yes this bad food tastes great compared to pure liquid shite

[@Deed-jo8ul]

@@SilkBucketsthis show is not far off from rings of power at this point

[@nikolascsgo]

@@CSH_Technology it's not bad food, you just fantasize about being a connoisseur

[@stormerjc9493]

Yeah my only concern right now is this season only having 8 episodes when I think i should have 10, depending on what happens next episode it might end up feeling rushed at the end, it's not as bad as last seasons time jumps but but I feel like there's a lot of story that could be told that isn't, like I wanna see what otto is doing right now just as one example

[@danieljardim5245]

In the books, Corlys straight up confronts Rhaenyra and screams at her, blaming her for Rhaenys death. This would have been very interesting and develop both characters. The blacks so far are painfully boring

[@JarinCOD]

And Jace offered the hand to him, for some reason they play down Jace's parts from the book and make Rhanerya perfect.

[@danieljardim5245]

@@JarinCOD Rhaenyra being a peace-loving moderate politician is so dull, its like the writers are team Black and want to make her perfect

[@berserk4souls]

The Rhaneyra being a saint and girl boss is becoming very eye rolling and even casual fans are commenting on how much they sugarcoat her. I hope they bring out her bratty and brutal side, it’s actually made her feel like a real character that grew up in royalty her whole life. Instead we get this show version that they are so terribly afraid to show as flawed because she’s “punk rock”

[@byeoocg]

This isn't the book

[@NS-xx1ze]

I agree about Rhynera Being too passive but the scene with Corlys and Baela was top tier...i Like that he doesnt outright scream at Rhy but we get something more subtle. Its Like he grows more resentfull towards her but we still get to see this poinient moment where he grieves over his wife

[@Lukkern]

100% agree with you. The episode is nowhere near being bad. The thing that is starting to get tiring is the constant complaints from certain people watching about the show being slow and "boring", while i have the time of my life every new episode that's coming out. Especially as a guy who's read the book as well.

[@ronniewhitedx]

That council table scene was amazing though. Slower pace with awesome direction. Maybe I don't have zoomer brain or something but this feels like classic game of thrones.

[@bigdaddystep.]

Seasons almost over and all Daemon did was wander around a haunted house in his pajamas.

[@lozpopo]

He did even less in the books, theres a huge part where you just dont hear about him at all while he's in Harrenhal

[@zigglerguy7652]

Would you rather have them rush to his death?

[@Geckoman23]

@@zigglerguy7652spoiler bro

[@officialthomasjames]

@@Geckoman23 the book readers don’t care. They have to showoff to people that they can read and enjoy ruining it for others.

[@psychkosys]

​@@officialthomasjamessure, but the books also leave his fate somewhat unknown...and the show has been more than willing to make their own story so nothing is "assured".

[@nikolascsgo]

> *no action for an episode* > casuals: "what a boring show" > *action* > book purists: "ermm there hasn't been enough buildup to warrant an emotional reaction to X character doing Y 🤓" there's no need to care about what the loud part of the audience thinks

[@Mustang_Dan]

Way to gate keep. One can still appreciate the slower episodes while preferring exciting episodes.

[@Leaf-tf5oo]

@@Mustang_Danwhich one of those 2 do you fall into lol?

[@christianbroadbent7489]

More like no action for the entire season except for an episode.

[@thenedsmmachannel8970]

​@christianbroadbent7489 that was like the first 3 seasons of GOT lmao

[@Dialect6081]

No action doesn't mean the episode is bad. Good dialogues and character development could make it great. But this one didn't have any. Sadly, this episode is about nothing. Story did not progress, so cut this and you miss nothing. Bad writing, just bad writing. Imagine you reading a book (not much exciting action in a book huh?) and you've just made it through 70 pages and the story didn't move a step forward. Speaks for itself

[@thespaldo]

When I watched it, I didn't think it was bad by any means... It just felt kinda weird. Most scenes felt almost out of place to me. I kept getting weird off putting less then good horror film vibes at times, and at others it just felt... Off somehow. Like I was watching a different show from what I was used to seeing up to that point. I don't know, we'll see how it all ties into everything by season's end. I'll withhold my major critiques until then.

[@BourbonBiscuit.]

The fact I'm more interested in Coryls than Daemon this season is wild

[@jaimelannister1797]

Corlys has done absolutely nothing this season

[@sillylittlesheepjax6009]

corlys is a non char this season common bro

[@BourbonBiscuit.]

His convo with Baela was more interesting than the Daemon and Allysa crap that's been going on for too long

[@i0kiVids]

I enjoyed the episode but can admit it was MUCH slower, and maybe not in a good way. HotD is still 10/10 television so I don't mind, I know there are some CRAZY exciting plots coming

[@haydenvogel1790]

i0ki spotted in the wild

[@josefchovanyecz4525]

Senna is that you ? 😂

[@TheStraightestWhitest]

It's not a 10/10. Solid 7/10. Slightly above average TV.

[@NiklasMJ]

@@TheStraightestWhitest ? Great acting, almost perfect casting, great story and writing (for the most part) characters acting in logic and faithfull to their character throughout the entire show, subtleties everywhere without having the character outright say everything as if the audience is dumb (like for example alicent noticing whats going on with Aemond without having to walk up to another character and say out right exactly what her character noticed in the scene like in many modern tv shows) pretty good CGI and effect's, great visuals, killer costume design etc etc etc in other words it is leagues better than most things coming out today even if it ain't your cup of tea, objectively it's a great show, atleast 8-9/10

[@Scoob3rs]

@@TheStraightestWhitest7/10 is slightly above average?

[@GeorgeWashingMachine69420]

Bruh why are we even having this discussion, its just an episode part of the season, moving the story forward, juxtaposition of the last episode, its like nickpicking every thing. This is just dumb. "Seeing a lot of people complain"? --More like just vocal minorities, but of course there will be those people no matter what they show, it feels like an excuse.

[@ShotAcrossTheSky]

i didn't know people were upset at all these things and thought it was a boring episode. Are we all watching the same same show? I thought it was a fantastic episode!

[@oscargarcia8204]

i felt this episode as the aftermath of what has happend so far, a space to see where things are headign to

[@ideozublake8036]

i’m sure the final 3 episodes will pick things back up

[@mikeomalley2460]

I agree with you that the writers are *trying* to build characters up. But I think the main issue with this season is that the three most important characters have done next to nothing. Sure, Daemon had the son killed. But he wasn’t even in that scene. So his character actually hasn’t done anything of note on screen. Besides sneaking to kings landing, Rhaenyra has been talking about what she can’t do all season. And Alicent actually hasn’t done anything of note, like at all. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that character development is driven by *action* at its core. Dialogue is a big part of it; but it’s how the dialogue drives the character to act, ultimately.

[@mrflufflebunny4529]

Ordering someone to do something classifies as taking action because making something happen still speaks to a persons character

[@Wyliecoy0te]

I overall agree with your review. I was disappointed that more people didn’t mention that meleys and Rhaenys killed lots of people in the dragon pit last season.

[@Wyliecoy0te]

Upon rewatch I do agree with your point that the episode could have been improved with some conflict between Rhaenera and Corlys. I was confused why Corlys suddenly wanted Baela to be his heir. Shouldn’t joffrey be the heir to driftmark? Does blood now matter to Corlys? If so what changed his mind? It would have been nice if that was explained

[@vehnashur2771]

I want to like HOTD, but it's boring.

[@Corlwow]

Corlys going back to his hall without his wife and with both children “dead” is i think listening and watching bts scenes what they were going for to try make him feel isolated/detached and alone emotionally (which is important for upcoming plot points too) - and also before he goes back into the fray - having him separated location wise subconsciously helps the viewer

[@rdvargwolfhhqkeq2879]

My problem with the Game Of Thrones comparison is that it's inevitable, most of the people watching don't know much about the books, they just wanted more Game Of Thrones. I feel like the writers understand this and are trying their best to split the plot between as many POVs as they can, but when these are missing from the source it starts to feel a little forced and predictable, these characters were never meant to be deeply analyzed. The Dance Of The Dragons boils down to: "An incompetent king fumbled his succession and then a bunch of terrible people fought for the throne and then most of the Dragons died". You kinda know what to expect from every character every time they appear on screen. Daemon tripping balls in Harrenhall is cool, but now, every time it cuts to him you think "geez, I wonder what he'll be allucinating this time and what ominous shit Alys is gonna tell him!". Wouldn't one solid episode focused on him, filled with dream sequences and going deep within his psyche, Sopranos style, be better? Probably, but that wouldn't be like Game Of Thrones, and this is way the series is dragging.

[@frankvandorp2059]

The only conflict we had with the blacks since Daemon's departure, has been the council grumbling against Rhaenyra, but even that felt toned down as they tended to hang their heads in abashed silence as soon as Rhaenyra or Rhaenys said anything back to them. The Corlys/Rhaenyra fallout after Rook's Rest was explosive in the books and even temporarily ended their alliance. Why didn't we get that, how does that make sense as a writing decision? And about Rhaenys, didn't she blame Rhaenyra for what happened to Laenor? What happened to that? Why were they suddenly besties this season? Wouldn't it have been much more interesting if Rhaenys supported Rhaenyra in the council becasue she supported her approach, but still hated her in private, giving a unique dynamic to their relationship the past few episodes? It could even have served as a justification for Rhaenyra to not trust Rhaenys enough to make her Hand. And what if we got some more conflict between Jace and Rhaenyra? Rhaenyra screwed everything up essentially and Jace obviously was aware of it, but after criticizing her he just immediately accepted Rhaenyra's argument about "seeking peace at any cost", even though it didn't make much sense. It's as if there were many seeds of good, believable conflict there, and the writers just chose to ignore them or let them end anticlimactically.

[@AyoBigBrot]

Because the books are events occasionally falsely documented by maesters and the show is what actually happened

[@lawdogattorneyatlaw4886]

@@AyoBigBrotno it’s not. That’s a marketing soundbite. Even considering the unreliable narrative of F&B, the show is inconsistent with it. Stop perpetuating that bs

[@themysticwarriorgal9465]

​@lawdogattorneyatlaw4886 no body is perpetuating any bs. The books r heavily bias and the show is supposed to give u the 360 view of what happened.

[@lawdogattorneyatlaw4886]

@@themysticwarriorgal9465 it’s not though, it’s even more biased. The morality and themes of the show are so simplistic, obvious, and one-sided. Which is, by the way, the opposite of why the book works so well. It doesn’t tell you what to think, like HotD does. The show is relentlessly beating a dead horse

[@themysticwarriorgal9465]

@@lawdogattorneyatlaw4886 it's not more bias it's just pointing out the facts of what happened. Just bc u don't agree with it doesn't mean it's biased

[@jimjohnson6944]

Daemon harrenhal arc is straight up bad so far

[@Nero910]

People: "Why did D&D rush through the last seasons of GoT? They did not take the time to develop characters & storylines! Same people: "Why does HOTD have these slow setup episodes? Just gimme the big plot climax already!"

[@astrojeet]

People enjoyed much of season 5-7 which was 90% bad. Especially 6 and 7. That just says a lot.

[@nserekojpaul6997]

game of thrones with it's faults was still the greatest tv show of our time no matter how it ended i don't think hotd is gonna come close to that

[@nserekojpaul6997]

got was interesting no matter how they rushed it and 8 seasons isnt that short people still wanted more but hotd im starting to wish it would end there's nothing interesting

[@Moss_and_Such]

Two things can be true at the same time. The diologue isn’t as natural as early seasons of GOT but it’s still pretty good and moves the plot forward. Some characters don’t have progression markers often enough, Allicent and Daemon, specifically. The hallucinations have overstayed their welcome. This was an okay episode. Wasn’t great wasn’t bad.

[@seanjones2524]

I think the issue was that Season 1 was explaining the causes and setting the scene for the war and finished at the point where fans, both those who have and haven't read the book, believed it was going to dive right into the 'war of dragons'. Yet there may have been one too many slow burning episodes in Season 2. I've read the book, I know what happens and I'm excited to see it, but there is a lot to cover. I feel as if Condal may be dragging it out so 'that' scene will be the Season 2 finale. As much as I don't want a rushed series, I also don't want a series that drags unnecessarily into four or five seasons.

[@ncblock87]

The correct take

[@A-Rather-Dubious-Character]

My only issue with this show is that it wastes its time showing us, in my opinion, "lesser" scenes that could have been replaced with something more important or even build up pre-existing scenes than what we were shown. I would have liked to see Aegon and Helaena *speak* to each other after their son's death! And the scene with Helaena and Aemond? A simple question and a cut to somewhere else. What the hell man?! Bit of a tangent here, but I want *more* scenes with other characters. Jace even, the guy's been idling for a while and has only recently been allowed to actually *do something* in the story. Meanwhile... Tune in next time for: "Will There Be Peace?! During this episode Queen Rhaenyra pays a visit to Dowager Queen Alicent at church to SQUASH. THIS. BEEF! Will they agree to peace for the realm, or is the war- that's been going on and is actively being fought... Uhh... Can end?" (I'm having a go collectively at the episodes but am I making sense? Feel like a whole lotta nothing is happening when there probably should be.) I barely even register who is on the Black Council.

[@govinddas7876]

People calling it slow have tiktok brainrot. Let them add a subway surfers screen at the bottom and all these kids will gladly watch lmao

[@geomatic696]

It is slow. It’s objectively a slow episode. Don’t know what you’re trying to say with this comment

[@Hero_Of_Old]

I like the slow moments, but at this point in the season things should be developing, but its not that engaging or interesting. The characters act in bizzare ways and seems to contradict themselves all the time. We're supposedly at war but it doesn't feel that way.

[@berserk4souls]

@@geomatic696he’s trying to say slow does not equal bad.

[@lawdogattorneyatlaw4886]

fire and blood is written pretty dryly yet it is immaculately entertaining to me. The dissatisfaction with the season is not brainrot, it’s a lack of plot.

[@equos5060]

Damn dude, way to make yourself feel better than the rest. Touch some grass, people are entitles to have different opionion and it's as valid as yours.

[@tomtruyens9804]

I didn't even suspect this one would be divisive. Sure, it's another episode building things up, but I was seriously entertained in every goddamn scene..

[@Ray565.]

I think the people who complain that HOTD is boring don’t actually care about the story or any of the characters. They’re just watching the show for the scenes showing dragons and dragon fights.

[@LiamPowelluuu2]

Yep, dumb sheep, low attention span casuals who would probably be better off watching Fast and Furious.

[@prashantmaganti]

Exactly my thoughts

[@gingercatqueen4368]

Might be true for some that are complaining. But not for me. I don’t need all action and dragon fights. I need better writing.

[@skoolboydes6680]

@@gingercatqueen4368bro yall sound like sheep bro🤦🏾‍♂️ if you cant see this writing is top notch then you not understanding whats even going on

[@gingercatqueen4368]

@@skoolboydes6680 I’m hoping that by the end of the season you are right and I am wrong. You have no idea how badly I want this show to be a GREAT show.

[@token8765]

I reject the idea of development happening here. The black council has been talking over rhaenerya all season. Daemon has been brooding/hallucinating in harrenhall for 3 episodes. The show has constantly been focusing on alicent and criston's affair ALL SEASON. We get it. The episode was boring not because of a lack of action or dragons. It was boring because it didn't establish anything that new or fresh. HOTD suffers from being too heavy handed and on the nose with the points its making.

[@glebv]

That's some primo gaslighting :) This is still a filler episode - not only for the slow pacing (which is not a sin in itself), but mainly for the unispired way it was directed: they could have brought to life so many of these build up scenes - but ultimately didn't. We could have excused not much happening - if we managed to FEEL something. We didn't. Your suggestion for improving the Corlys scene is a prime example of what would make this better, which I wholeheartedly agree with.

[@britt5650]

You’re an idiot and that’s not what gaslighting means ffs

[@mgm3649]

They left the king without medical atention gor about a whole 10 to 15 days, the time they took to march from Rook's rest to Kings landing. I'm convinced the writers, do not understan geography or the world they're trying to cr3ate a story in. The show is not garbage, but the writers have never looked at a map of westeros and every original plot point or scene falls flat.

[@jaymalgola3709]

these "people " haven't watched game of thrones and the way is was paced throughout the show.

[@danonck]

They probably considered season 7 and 8 as peak GoT

[@LeonardMasters]

i think hotd is definitely slower paced than seasons 1-4 game of thrones

[@moneova1256]

​@@LeonardMastersit is

[@LobsterOfDeath]

Oh my fucking god. You people really can't see what made GoT 1-4 one of the greatest TV in history? You really think it was just pacing?

[@Kizamusic]

No way you think these first 13 episodes is on the level of intrigue and quality of the first season GOT

[@reasonablyserious]

It's unfair to say people's only problem with the show is it being "slow". It's not as well written as it should be. Let's just be honest.

[@charlyquinn]

It actually is. And if you would have any knowledge about script writing, you would not say that. Or am I mistaken and you are a world famous script writer?... Nah, didn't think so.

[@DanieSBbg1983]

​@@charlyquinnSo, you are a famous screen WRITER then? Sure. 😂 And the writing on HotD is absolutely laughable. You don't have to be a screen writer whatsoever to see that.

[@charlyquinn]

@@DanieSBbg1983 I am not the one crying about it on the internet, am I? And it's ppl like you being the reason for shows to be canceled. Why don't you watch something else and leave the rest of us to enjoy it?

[@DanieSBbg1983]

@@charlyquinn lol I'm the reason shows get canceled because I don't like the writing on a particular show you like? 🤣🤦🏻‍♀️ Also, I wasn't crying about anything on the internet either, and you can enjoy the show all you want. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@charlyquinn]

@@DanieSBbg1983 ppl like you. And yes, that is the reason Studios don't take risks anymore, only fund easy and stupid marvel projects and cancel second seasons. It's ppl like you. Complaining about things they personally don't like and call it bad writing f. e. But I did not expect you to get it. That's why ppl like you complain in the first place... they don't get it, get angry and blame it on the writers. You trying to make me sound ridiculous, but it's actually you... I feel sorry for you... Well, but d0mb ppl never know that they are d0mb. Go watch a Michael Bay movie, puppy.

[@vedu6774]

Lmao people hate on got season 8 but want the same thing in hotd that season 8 was hated for. This was an amazing episode. Let it take its time and let the events unfold ffs. Edit: I take that back. All that development for nothing in the finale. What a SHITSHOW!

[@Dr.Baymax-iu2dd]

Daemon ain't live those other fake kings... he a REAL mf, yall gotta stop sleeping on him.

[@g.holmes8764]

I want Daemon back❤️ this Harrenhall plot is not it anymore

[@licmir3663]

I think fans forgot that Game of Thrones barely had an action in it, until the very last seasons, when the script became awful. In fact, Stannis’ failed attack at the capital in late season 2 was seen as extraordinary, because it wasn’t considered possible to see that in a TV show.

[@Sethpelepchuk]

That's the things, the first 4 seasons of Game of Thrones were way better than this show because even the scenes without action felt meaningful or just well written. HOTD has gotten way too repetitive

[@terryd3113]

@@Sethpelepchuk I‵m baffled that people consider this GoT mention a good argument. It undermines their point completely. Precisely, GoT was adored for its dialogue and characters, because it was excellent, unlike this.

[@nserekojpaul6997]

​@@terryd3113 it would be best if it wasn't got adjacent just another show in ancient times no one would judge it harshly but game of thrones has higher standards

[@RaynmanPlays]

"Season 6 GoT will be remembered a lot more fondly once the series ends because of all the setup it provided for payoff later."

[@iMrBananaman]

It was a classic GoT episode. If you dont like it you dont like GoT, you like dragons and action. Which is fine.

[@jammeraw355]

Am I the only one whose main problem with this season is that it feels like it has no soul (caused by Viserys' absence)?

[@valenciasaintilus9573]

Thank you!! This show feels incredibly shallow. It lacks substance. Its dialogue feels weak and unnatural. It feels like a group of fans came together and started making things up about the canon. Even when they are talking about the possibility of non Targaryens being able to ride dragons feels off and feels like fan fiction.

[@celeste7987]

​@@valenciasaintilus9573 I don't disagree that season 1 seemed more "soulful." But people outside of House Targaryen riding dragons is not "like fan fiction" if it happens in the book.

[@valenciasaintilus9573]

@@celeste7987 the fan fiction was a queen dressing up as a nun to speak to another queen. The fan fiction isn’t the fact that other people besides Targaryens can ride dragons but how the information was delivered. Jace basically winks at the camera and says “ of course non Targaryen’s can ride dragons, all those works were written by supremacists who were trying to cement their superiority over others” like huh. It wasn’t a “ what if” or a mystery to him. He grew up in this societal structure of the supremacy of his family and I guess just deconstructed ? I felt like in real world when something that has been an accepted fundamental truth of the world is questioned it takes a lot more to dismantle it. Like when the dragon meleys was killed and her head paraded through the town, the towns people didn’t just go “ well of course you can kill a dragon duh”. No the boy was confused and said “ I thought the dragons were Gods”. They had to question the status qou, they started to deconstruct their reality. I didn’t see that with rhaenyra and Jace, all I heard with that dialogue was fanfiction/fanservice.

[@LemonClarkMedia]

Like, we just came off of an intense battle in last week’s episode. I’m tired of ppl who only want to see things go “BOOM!,” and refuse actual storytelling and responses to chaotic events in a show. Every episode isn’t a spectacle.

[@scespinosab]

Exactly, things going Boom and refusing actual storytelling is what made GoT Season 8, well, GoT Season 8.

[@Luna-ii4mx]

The storytelling can be done much better than is currently done, that doesnt mean people only want BOOM! Wanted to see Corlys reaction when he found out Rhaenys was dead, wanted to see the full dialog between Helaena and Aemond etc. You guys who dont understand why people are critical are dumber than the people you critisize.

[@LemonClarkMedia]

@@Luna-ii4mx We’re the “dumb” ones and yet: You’re resorting to insults, missed Corlys in mourning based on his demeanor during this last episode and failing to recall the impact of losing Rhaenys made greater after losing his son and daughter to the Blacks. Like I SAID, not every episode is a spectacle. What do y’all have against pacing and buildup during a season of television?

[@AlexRye-sv6no]

What too much marvel does to a man

[@valenciasaintilus9573]

@@LemonClarkMediathe show isn’t boring it’s just bad. Shallow. Fan fiction. Weak dialogue.

[@StefunnyStrange]

I thought it was a good episode and had interesting scenes BUT I’m kinda getting tired of the dream sequences. I never thought I would be bored by Alys Rivers scenes and was so excited to see how they would handle her before the season started but now those scenes are becoming redundant. Specifically when Daemon dreams like the one of him and his mother. I found the scene of Rhaenyra and her small council redundant as well. How many times are they gonna show us that the men in the small council disagree with her or think she is weaker because she’s a woman? Or that Rhaenyra wants to take her dragon to fight but is stuck at Dragonstone? Like, we get it! There’s so much cool sh*t that happened in the book that they’re just not showing us and it’s not really justified because not all the scenes they do include in this episode are needed IMO. There are a few scenes in this episode that should’ve definitely been cut and replaced with a Bracken vs Blackwood fight scene instead because the scenes they did show don’t add much to the story and were quite slow. I’m not the type of person who needs battles, explosions and dragons every episode but it just feels like the development of this war is very slow. Sometimes I forget that a war is even happening because so much of it is off screen. It’s also not very interesting to watch characters like Daemon do nothing. The most action we saw out of him was chopping wood and threatening men on his dragon and then basically having no response to their treasonous statements. Why TF did he even bring Caraxes there if he’s not gonna use him? For the life of me, I cant understand why the writers thought portraying Rhaenyra and Daemon as cautious with using violence would be more entertaining to fans. Her stance on the war and her behavior really hasn’t changed much at all from the start which makes me wonder why she looked intensely into the camera in the season 1 finale, leading fans to believe we’d see her snap and contribute to a violent, bloody war. I feel kinda clickbaited there. I enjoy seeing that fire in her like when she spotted Luke’s dragon on the beach and came flying down, crashing into people with a disregard for their safety. I loved that scene but it seems the show runners don’t want to portray Rhaenyra in a negative light. She’s practically a pacifist. I was just a tad bored during the Dragonstone and Harenhall scenes this time around. I just hope this is all building up to something special and that it will be later revealed how necessary all the slower scenes shown were. I’d love to be proven wrong on that. The episode wasn’t bad and actually started off quite great but it was such a drop off in excitement compared to the last episode. After about the halfway mark, I started losing interest a bit. My favorite parts were the Kings Landing scenes like the scenes of burnt Aegon, Aemond gaining power, and the scene of Alicent and the small council. I also enjoyed the scene between Baela and Corlys. All of those scenes were EXCELLENT. But the rest was just meh IMO. Not bad, but not particularly interesting either. Anyway, still a good episode. But like I said, it definitely would’ve benefited from a Bracken vs Blackwood altercation of some sort. Do the writers not realize how excited book fans are to see altercations between these two houses?! Because a lot of it is off screen which is annoying me just a bit because I was looking forward to seeing them destroy each other. But my main issue is with Rhaenyra who I would like to see more enraged or at the very least, change from what she’s experienced. Her throne was usurped, her son and Rhaenys were brutally killed and Rhaenyra also came an inch of being assassinated. And yet, her stance on the war and her behavior has pretty much remained the same. If those events didn’t make her more aggressive or unhinged then what will? I know it sounds like I’m not enjoying the show but I really am. It’s just that these little issues are starting to pile up and annoy me just a bit. There is still a chance that the season will wrap up nicely and that my concerns will be addressed so that’s what I’m hoping for.

[@gingercatqueen4368]

So well said!!! I feel all of this. I am hoping my mind gets changed by the end of this short season 🤞

[@xyzain_1827]

0:30 I don't think we wanted battles this episode, just not dragging on Daemons trips. There is a difference between slow and boring

[@acallforanuprising6168]

People recognize the pattern episode 1 2 and 3 builds into the epic war of episode 4. Now we will get another war in episode 7 and 8 weight people

[@TheMikster95]

Die hard fans are defending this shows issues but the issues are not the battles It’s the characters and the pacing and the dialogue. Seasons 1-4 of GOT were great because of those things, not the battles. Daemons arc is ridiculous, Rhaenyra has no agency, Alicent has nothing to do, and nothing is happening. And it’s taken a huge departure from the books. I loved season 1, but season 2 is trash-guess why-the previous show runners are gone.

[@acedanger7170]

Corlys was not in dragonstone. It was rhaenys who was flying between driftmark and dragonstone. Remember that some characters can be in different places pretty quickly because of flying.

[@margarethmichelina5146]

Isn't that happened in Game of Thrones before? One episode is about battle and the next episode is about people standing, sitting, walking while talking?

[@mmtgangsta91]

here we go.....ladies and gentlemen welcome to the "gimme everything i want now or this sucks" era. where peoplehave the attention span of a child and everything must happen in 30 seconds to be entertaining

[@rajveerdholan8291]

Yeah i fuxking hate these mfs. I mean like bruh💀did you even watch GoT. It was a political drama after all with barely any action. HotD is just perfect up until now. And imo, on par with first 4 seasons of GoT. I wouldnt be surprised if it crashed into my top 10 fav shows at the end of season 2

[@hicranakdeniz]

Can you please explain to me what you learned about e.g. Daemon this time in Harrenhal? Did you see something new we haven’t seen in the last 3 episodes with him? I really like slow burners and I definitely do not have an attention span of a child. This is just ridiculous, they don’t build on anything right now.

[@urimkodra5792]

​@@hicranakdenizfor one he makes a final twist to claiming things for himself and not for Rhaenyra. Which comes after his dream with his mother saying he is favourite son. Second, he shows growth by not just burning people but giving them a chance. Finally, he showed that he is incapable of dealing with people and situations in the final incident which might further give him doubts as a ruler. You just need to pay more attention as this will all come together.

[@thegimbeer]

But all of these things had been shown before, except Deamon not burning people. Him not being exactly capable of ruling and being prone to his aggresive side have already been established through S1 and in the first half of S2. Him wanting the throne for himself has been established as well. Someone not agreeing with your opinion doesn’t mean you’re smarter and more perceptive and I get that sense of superiority from your last comment.

[@rajveerdholan8291]

@@thegimbeer my brother in christ, the show is doing the best it can with the source material. You do realise that in the book daemon stays at harrenhal for an entire year doing exactly what happend to him in the show?

[@Charles-In-Charge]

People who think “the show is boring now” apparently forgot that 1/2 of Game of Thrones was paced exactly like this… and Season 1 of HotD wasn’t exactly a non-stop action fest. These kinds of episodes are necessary and good, so long as the setup pays off sufficiently

[@LobsterOfDeath]

GoT was paced like this. The key difference being that the first half of GoT is full of charismatic people talking with each other about interesting things. HotD is devoid of that completely.

[@christianbroadbent7489]

I love early GoT, HoTD fails to capture the same magic that GoT did I don't know if its the characters, actors or writing but its just mediocre. Feels the same way I felt watching season 5-6 but without any of the action to keep my eyes from drooping.

[@LobsterOfDeath]

@@christianbroadbent7489 " I don't know if its the characters, actors or writing" unfortunately it's all of this, brother.

[@JamesPerkins]

GoT first couple seasons were replete with T+A

[@terryd3113]

@@LobsterOfDeath Actually, I think many of the actors are excellent. If only they had better writing to work with, they would smash it.

[@Raumplestomp]

I loved the focus on the small folk perspectives during episode. I want to see more about how the small folk hold a large amount of power due to their numbers.

[@gabrich1991]

simon strong bulying deamon iby calling him consort not king is realy top tier :D

[@lolcats987654321]

This episode is a good test of the average plebs media literacy.

[@user-dz9vk6we9k]

people constantly pressing for more action is what led to got ending the way it did

[@CameronkAK]

No got ended the way it did because the brothers directing it rushed it since they got the Star Wars solo gig and wanted to work on it. Instead they fucked got and got fired from Star Wars.

[@aidanwagner4760]

GOT ended in s5, even if it wasn’t rushed it would’ve sucked. This show feels a lot like later seasons of GOT with mediocre characters and poor dialogue but beautiful cinematography and sounds.

[@adampohlen2133]

“It’s so sloowwwww! Gimme more dragon fights” like we just got the biggest battle of the show last episode? I swear people are too dumb to pick up on character development and proper pacing

[@Lexxir]

What was there not to like about this episode? Not every episode needs rushed action for the sake of not being “slow”.

[@oscaryo3583]

I totally agree with you, those who think this episode is boring should recall the bad scenes in GoT season 8….

[@gingercatqueen4368]

We are. That’s the point.

[@TheStraightestWhitest]

Different problems. Neither are good. Rushing everything is bad. Doing nothing is also bad. S1 of GoT didn't even have one large scale battle, yet it was peak. S2 only had one, but was still or arguably even more peak.

[@Sethpelepchuk]

Nah I'm thinking about the first 4 of GOT

[@nserekojpaul6997]

who is jon snow in hotd damon ?he hasn't even used his sword no interest no one to believe in .and no witches in this era how 2050 amazing i guess melissandre was boring lets replace her with prophecies well can prophecies get naked because that was interesting

[@jamiewalsh9184]

This show is terrible 😂😂😂

[@lambo_visions4765]

I’m into dialogue and drama so seeing anemond sit at the council table not saying anything…knowing he basically won his game was great to see

[@vengerberg3125]

Why is bad even in the discussion? It was an amazing episode, easily a 9/10

[@XiyuYang]

Counterpoint: it's beyond bad. Reason 1: Daemon's acid trip at Harrenhal should have been wrapped up in one episode and it would still have been an effective building block of his character. This part of his characterization surely does not need four episodes (S2E2 to S2E5, and still counting) to lay out, and by stretching it out, his characterization has stagnated for far too long, and this particular part of his story has long outstayed its welcome. Reason 2: The narrative that "women can't rule and are struggling" is shoehorned in and way too tongue-in-cheek. Let's not forget that the entire ASoiAF franchise was very much a late Medieval/early Renaissance era setting, some leeway on how the characters talk, interact and behave is to be expected. But by repeatedly rubbing "wOmEn aRe sYsteMaticaLLy oPprEsseD" in the face of audiences (by multiple characters no less), the dialogues break the immersion of the show, and isn't far removed from a lesson on gender equality in a high school classroom. Reason 3: By dragging out the storytelling, a lot of characters are beginning to show inconsistencies - in season 1 a teenage Rhaenyra flew to Dragonstone to soothe the tension between Daemon and the Crown, now, as the Monarch, she somehow doesn't/cannot/will not deliver messages to Daemon herself, she somehow does not have the authority to rule out dissidents and doubt. These facets felt disjointed and jagged. Other characters, especially Alicent, suffer from similar issues too. Reason 4: A lot of plot points were never addressed, such as Rhaenys dragon pit scene, Rhaenys somehow "got over" her perception that Rhaenyra had something to do with Laenor's death, Rhaenyra somehow still pursuing peace after Luke's death which made such a monumental and tragic turn of events practically weightless, etc etc, and that wasn't exclusive to this episode alone. The writing in season 1 was good, it was even great at places. But it would take some serious willful ignorance to not acknowledge the quality of writing has tanked this season. Maybe you're being paid by HBO to sing the praise, maybe you're just looking at this show through a rose tinted glass, either way - I find your recaps lacking in both sincerity and genuinity. Oh and while we're at it, maybe learn to pronounce Emma D'Arcy's name correctly.

[@Phantastically]

I don't think people critiquing this episode are all just people who want big battles and tons of action every episode. Personally, I just found it underwhelming in dealing with the aftermath of the insane and game-changing events from the last episode, and most of the dialogue scenes weren't nearly as compelling to me as in most HOTD episodes. To me, EP2 was a great example of an episode that deals with the aftermath of a huge event and being almost entirely dialogue-driven but still excellent because of how amazing the scenes were. In fact, the one action scene in that episode (Erryk bowl) was one of the weaker scenes of the episode to me.

[@chriscrowninshield4623]

People after Episode 4 = OMG! so MAny Feels! they laid the ground work for this! People After Episode 5 = WHY SO MUCH WORLD BUILDING! JUST DO MORE DRAG DRAG FIGHTS NOOOOOWWWWZZZZ

[@nserekojpaul6997]

the war just started and the war just stopped lets go home we're done yeee dialogue hhhhh

[@charlyquinn]

So..... WTF... I am re-watching GoT atm and in S3E4 JOFFREY just SPOILED ME that raynes will be killed by her brothers dragon AFTER 10 YEARS from the grave that Bastard!

[@Morfe02]

The dragonseeds is damn slow episode 6 and they didnt started the plot I would show at least the 4 characters in different positions : Ulf chilling in Kingslanding Peebles suffering in Kingslanding Alyn chilling in Driftmark Hugh suffering in Driftmark To show this smallfolk gets affected both good or bad with war in THE TWO SIDES because we already see Hugh two-three times and doesnt change nothing until they escape the capital And to show more about the personalities we didnt meet Hugh, is good is bad is a killer is a hippie ? All i know is a smith and has a family

[@im2arrogant118]

I liked this episode. People complaining about this episode being boring are the same lobotomites who think GoT season 8 "wasn't that bad".

[@nserekojpaul6997]

this isnt the boring episode the one with dragons fighting is the boring one