Queen’s Landing

For the 88th EP of the pod, we tackle "Queen's Landing", the second episode of HOTD season 3.  Rhaenyra’s grief finally lands with full force, and we dig into how Emma D’Arcy turns devastation into the emotional center of “Queen’s Landing.” We track the episode’s biggest power shifts across Team Black and Team Green, then argue about the choices that felt bold, messy, or both.

Transcript

Welcome And Episode Setup

SPEAKER_02 0:11

Bring anything Are you?

SPEAKER_03 0:26

Welcome all to the Dancing with Dragons podcast. For those joining us for the first time and to those returning listeners, thank you for joining us for our 80th episode of the show. My name is Tony, and with me is my amazing co-host Minua. We are ready to discuss the second episode of the third season of House of the Dragon. The episode is titled Queen's Landing, which is written by Sarah Hess and directed by Claire Kilner. Before I go any further, let me ask my co-host Minua, how are you doing? How are you feeling? And before I well, actually, how are you doing first?

SPEAKER_04 0:57

I'm doing well. Thank you. How are you, Tony?

SPEAKER_03 0:59

I'm doing

Meeting Podcast Friends In Real Life

SPEAKER_03 1:00

good. Actually, I wanted to tell you, I don't know if you saw my story or Shan's story uh this weekend. But uh our good friend Chandra, aka Film Forger, hosted the Fellowship of the Mic podcast. Her and her hubby uh actually joined me for dinner last Friday.

SPEAKER_04 1:17

Oh I missed that.

SPEAKER_03 1:20

Yeah, she was actually on vacation. She uh left, I think, the week before. So like the 20th, she came over to the house on the 26th, and she left on the 19th of June from South Dakota, and her plan, her final destination was gonna be in Phoenix, Arizona, to visit Lewis, who from a co-host of the Fellowship with Mike, who actually lives in Seattle now, but he came down for a birthday party for his daughter. So Shan made that like a vacation, and she told me about this a few months ago. My plan was to just go up to Phoenix and just see her. But she said, No, no, I'll come down to you guys. And she came on Friday. I bought some food, I grilled it. We had too many drinks. So it was me, my wife, uh Shan, her husband Micah, my son joined us later, my daughter. So it was, you know, I think they got here around 6, and around 1:30 in the morning, they left to their hotel, which was like an eight-minute walk from my house, so they could walk back. And then the following day, we went out to breakfast, and then they watched uh the first episode of Hustle's Dragon season three.

SPEAKER_04 2:35

Oh, amazing! That's so fun.

SPEAKER_03 2:37

So we watched it, and then she goes, No, I could listen to your episode on the way up to Phoenix. So yeah, it was a great time, and uh hopefully you know we could um you know meet up again or go up to her. And and uh for those listeners, I mean have not met in person yet. Uh but one day, hopefully, um we'll see where that that that happens. This is my second, third person actually from Instagram that no, I'm sorry, my fourth Instagram Filmstagram friend that I've met. I met her, I met Quinn, uh Kath Reviews, and then Merc with the movies uh in New York. So I kind of meant it. So yeah, that's four. Hopefully, you'll be five one day.

SPEAKER_04 3:21

Hopefully, hopefully, some way somehow.

SPEAKER_03 3:23

So anyway, I just send me photos. I wanted to mention that because Shanna is just a big um supporter of ours. She's been a guest of ours many times, and I thought people would get a kick out of it. So okay.

SPEAKER_04 3:35

Um send over the photos. I'd love to see them.

SPEAKER_03 3:37

Yeah, we took one, and I think my eyes were all, but yeah, it was pretty. It was anyway. You sent me a text, I think, Sunday night. It was like because you're like 10 hours ahead of me, so I received something. It was like four in the morning my time. Yeah, and she's like, I I gotta talk about this episode.

SPEAKER_04 3:56

Tony, you have no idea what my reaction was to the episode. I just felt like I needed to scream about it and talk to someone about it, and I didn't have anyone to talk to about at that time, so I messaged you and you weren't answering. Like you were, it was obviously like at 4 a.m. And I was just like sitting there with so much like I don't know, so many emotions and so much excitement within me, and I just couldn't do anything about it. It was so frustrating. So I'm so glad that we're finally sitting and talking about it now because I need to to discuss it. I need to talk about it. I've just been quiet the past couple of days. I had no one to talk to, so I'm I just can't wait to talk about this.

SPEAKER_03 4:31

Yeah,

Rhaenyra’s Grief Hits Like A Wave

SPEAKER_03 4:32

I wanted to mention that last week I did say like the episode didn't have an emotional impact on me with Jace. And I I think I said in the episode, I don't remember, maybe I took it out or something when I did the edit, that I probably have to wait until I see Rennera's reaction to it, which was exactly what happened. Because I mean, we can all agree, everybody can agree that this performance by Emma Darcy, this scene is probably her best scene of the series. It's just the fact that you get to the point where she's yelling out her name and how can you do this? At first, you think she's talking to Baylor and Sir Lauren, and you realize that she is can't accept it. She's probably thinking to my head, no, there's no way that I just lost another son. There's no way, right? And then the way she's just grabbing Jace's body, I mean, it's like some somebody turned on the faucet, and yeah, my wife's on the side just bawling, and everybody's just like this is the reaction that that that I was waiting for. That the my reaction, the emotional reaction that that I knew I was gonna happen because of this amazing actor. It's it's a remarkable scene, and it's pretty much gonna be the scene that is sent or submitted to the Emmys. Uh, even well, we get when we get to the last scene, isn't also an incredible scene. It was such a well-acted scene, even from the guy who plays Sir Lauren. I think it's Max. I I don't know how to say his name, his last name. So I'm not gonna butcher it. It's Max something. Bethany Antonia's she doesn't really say much, but you could see her face, and that's just those three, the signs of good actors, is if they could have get you to cry or have emotion with just looking at their face, facial expressions, and just Sir Lawrence saying I forfeit my life because he knew he messed up. He could see that it it caused, it was just a chain reaction. But um just wow. I mean, I have more to say about it, but I want to hear your your thoughts on this this powerful scene.

SPEAKER_04 6:43

My god, I mean I cried, obviously. I couldn't keep it in. I I just I don't know, I I couldn't I I got so emotional, and I feel like you know, I I mentioned in the last episode of our podcast that I also cried and got emotional when we when Jace, you know, died. And then I don't know, I just felt Renera's devastation. It just felt so raw, you know, like her denial, her confusion, how she felt a sense of betrayal all at once. I just I I feel like I just felt that surge of multiple very strong emotions in Emma Darcy's amazing performance, and I just cried. It was so um it was so powerful, you know. And obviously there's a scene at the end, but we'll leave it for later. Um, and then when yeah, when her her guard, Sir Lawrence, when he like pulled her off of Jace, I just got so angry because I mean, are you serious? Are you serious? She is grieving the death of her second son in months, and he's right there and she feels so betrayed. And you want her to what hide hide her emotions in that moment because she's the queen and she shouldn't show emotions. Are you kidding? I mean, if it was a king and if if she was a man and he went in a rage and killed someone right then and there, then he probably wouldn't do anything, you know, he wouldn't dare touch a king, but Renera, he can't touch her. Just it's um it's like it's it annoyed me so much that he did that. Like if I was in the world of Westeros.

SPEAKER_03 8:10

So um, yeah, I'm glad he was like, Do you think I don't want to forget about the amazing shot, which there are a few shots in this episode that can are all-time great shots. And I don't want to mention the one that is at the end that I think is has so many meanings that we you can try to decipher about. But the one shot of Jace's body floating and then the cameras underwater with Jace's body on top, and you can still see the the ships, so you can still see the the dragon flame going all over, I think was it was an incredible shot. But hit his death doesn't stop it. Like, you know what I mean? Like, okay, he's dead. Okay, everybody take a pause. No, no, no, no. We keep going. And then uh we did mention last week that I I mentioned that I was a little bit I'm not disappointed, but I I thought that the dragon seeds would be in the gullet, and then they actually came up doing cleanup duty, you know what I mean? Like everything was pretty much done, and they came at the end to clean it up.

SPEAKER_04 9:18

Yeah,

Velaryon Reunion

SPEAKER_04 9:19

and also on the waters, somewhere along the waters, um, is Corless and Co. basically. So Corless, Bela, um, Alan, and Adam. Um, we get like a couple of quick scenes here and there between these characters as they try to find Corless. They find him among the wreckage. We can see that his home has been absolutely destroyed and like looted, and they find amongst the wreckage, they find like his body there barely breathing, but they're able to spot him. Um and he says a quote that I mentioned in the previous episode of our podcast, um, which is a famous quote from the books. He says, If this be victory, I pray I never see another. And Corless is someone who values victory so much. He values like going into a fight and winning and all of his achievements, and he decorated high tide with all of his, you know, the rewards from war from his war battles, you know, and like he he values victory so much for him to say that shows that we could be at a turning point with Corless. And another turning point um possibility, or I think something that's at a turning point, is that he mentions to um he hints to to Alan and Adam that he might be legitimizing them. He says, Um, I have nothing to give you now but my name. Uh so it could be very interesting if he decided to legitimize them, making them official Valorians. Um, it was a bit funny to me that he said that because it's almost like, yeah, now that uh you have nothing to inherit, I'm ready to legitimize you. Now you can be my heirs because you will get nothing. It made me laugh because I mean, you know, neck now you're ready to I would have felt offended, you know. Poor Adam was so honored. He was like, that's all I ever wanted. But I was supposed to meet like now.

SPEAKER_03 10:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:59

Now you're ready to legitimize me. So yeah, um, I thought it was like an interesting, uh, interesting moment, and it shows that Corless is possibly being changed, like he's changing as a person. Don't look at those two things.

SPEAKER_03 11:15

I I kind of like the discussion between Alan and Bela, because Alan is like, you knew him as Corless as a child, and she said he was stern but gentle, at least in my eyes. He loved my grandmother more than a few men I've seen love their wives. It was for her sake, I think he tried to forget about you. And he kind of just, you know, your brother told me was Adam, and Alan just responded we were not mere memories to be forgotten.

SPEAKER_04 11:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:44

And so it's kind of a nice quote. Yeah, good quote back and forth. And um, he does mention about Jace and your betrothed, and she was able to children together and all that stuff. So it's a kind of nice, nice little scene. Nice to see Adam on top of Seasmoke flying him because I think that's the first is that the first time we see him actually flying on Seasmoke.

SPEAKER_04 12:07

I'm not sure. I I don't remember.

SPEAKER_03 12:09

Yeah, I didn't rewatch season two, so I couldn't. I watched the first two episodes. I didn't really watch uh episodes seven and eight. Alan's response to him being legitimized is that that means more to him than a mountain of gold. So he would rather have the name than than the gold. And and that's just his his he's grew up poor and a working man, so he's not gonna he's not gonna miss out on something he's never had.

SPEAKER_04 12:36

Yeah, that's true.

Rhaena Rejected In The Vale

SPEAKER_04 12:38

And speaking of Beta, we also see everyone's suddenly least favorite character, Raina, um, towards the beginning of this episode. Um, we see her return to Jane Eren and the Vale. If you remember her in last season, um Rainier sent Raina to be the mother that she couldn't be to her kids, um, taking Joffrey and I believe both of Damon's kids as well, like her kids from Damon, to uh um to the Vale, and then she was meant to, I'm pretty sure leave Joffrey there and then um take Damon's, like Rainier's kids from Daemon to Pentos. Um, I believe that was the plan. That's why um Jane Erin was like, you should be on a ship to Pentos right now. And just as a quick reminder, the reason why she says I have a dragon trying to like convince Jane Erin is because Jane Eren only accepted hosting uh the team black children because she was promised a dragon, and that was like a funny moment that's happened in season two. Um and uh Jane Eren refuses Raina's requests of seeking asylum. So I guess for now we'll see what happens to Raina, we'll see what happens to Rainera's kids. We don't know um what they're gonna do with them essentially, just because um the show changed so much from the book, so uh we don't know. We we're we're gonna wait and see what the show does with Raina and Renier Rainera's kids.

SPEAKER_03 13:57

I think before I mention the theory that I I sent you, oh yeah uh I wanted to mention about Lady Erin, and she's just a smart and shrewd politician, she knows what she's doing, she's not going to aid an enemy to the crown who which Reina is now in her mind, like she's not gonna harbor a fugitive like Reina, and um I do want to say that we finally get to see Phoebe Campbell, Reina, act like actually act, probably act, yeah, and it was a really good scene for her. I saw a theory online about how maybe in Raina's mind, she's thinking, I'm now a traitor, I am the fault of Jace is dying, the heir to the throne is dead because of me. I need to seek asylum, I need to get away before they kill me. Now she feels like an outcast, and pretty much is this going to be the start of her taking Nettles' story, which I don't want to say what Nettles' story eventually ends up with, because you never know. They might this is might be the start of it. I don't see Ranera having it in her to execute uh Raina or or telling Damon to execute his own daughter. I don't see that. Maybe in prison, book Ranera, yes. Polly would have done done something to Raina if she if this was the story. But that that's just my this uh we'll we'll leave it there because uh now this this kind of twist, we never know if you know what I mean. I don't want to spoil anything.

SPEAKER_04 15:40

Let's leave it at that and jump straight to Team Greens for a sec.

Aegon And Larys Break Free

SPEAKER_04 15:45

We have a quick scene with Aegon as well, Aegon and Larissa on their journey as prisoners, they're like in a chicken transport carriage, and like as prisoners of Team Blacks. Um they've they're being taken, supposedly, to a dragon stone, I guess, to uh meet meet Trenier and like to answer Tyrone, and you're like, Oh, we have this we have Aegon like execution. But um they are ambushed, like the Team Black troops are ambushed by Team Greens loyalists, which are actually the triarchy, they're meaning triarchy troops that are um were fighting for Team Greens in the Battle of the Gullet. And Laris and Aegon are able to escape, but there is a very nice detail in that scene that I really appreciated, which is that they make their escape, but it's technically through Daris first, because Laris kind of I saw the the like an interesting pun someone made where like he clubs the guy that is attacking them, their main attacker. Um he like kind of knocks him out, moves him out of the way, um, like hits him on the head with something, and then he like moves, falls away, and then Aegon jumps out from behind Daris and like violently stabs the guy to death. And I thought that that was such an interesting detail. Apparently, this is an another like detail added by the actor Tom Glenn Carney. I think they said that's in the original script he was just supposed to like stab him, like one and done thing. But um, the actor suggested that he that Aegon act this way because it was more true to his character, and I think that that's such a great detail, and it is so true to Aegon because he is the type of person where he just take out all his emotions and anger on this innocent person. Well, not innocent, okay, the guy was trying to kill him, but like he would do that in that way, and at the same time, Aegon in his mind thinks that he's being so tough when he's doing that. But I don't know about you, but for me, he kind of looked a bit lame, like he felt like a kid that was trying to kill someone, if that makes sense, rather than like a like Aemin, for example, later on. He just felt a bit lame. So I thought that that was so own character for Aegon and loved that detail added by um the actor. So I'm gonna incornate. Shout out that out.

SPEAKER_03 17:44

I think it it felt and and I saw like a sitcom.

SPEAKER_04 17:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:50

Sitting. Oh, you don't want the milk of the poppies? You haven't asked for it, so I don't want to, I'm not speaking to you, that's why. Stuff that you see in a sitcom. I think they put this in so that way they can find their way through Rick's rest, which I think we last saw Sunfire, his dragon, and hopefully, you know, this his dragon is getting well because we haven't seen Sunfire since what episode well, episode five, I think.

The Fishfeed Skipped And Daemon’s Detour

SPEAKER_04 18:20

Also, somewhere in Westeros in the Riverlands is Damon. Um, he has won the battle by the Lake Shore, which is uh you know a battle we see off-screen, unfortunately, in House of the Dragon. Yeah, another battle off-screen. And it is won by Team Blacks, but um they lose like a lot of troops in it, I think and Team Greens lose a lot as well.

SPEAKER_03 18:42

And I think I think the Winter Wolves lose two-thirds of their guys in this battle.

SPEAKER_04 18:48

Yeah, so both sides have been significantly weakened, even though they're celebrating. As you said, they lost like a good chunk of their army because they won. And the events after the battle is called the fish feed in the books. It's supposed to be it's such a violent um battle that they lost so so so many. So it was like tens of thousands, I think, if not thousands or tens of thousands, and all of their bodies are in the shallow riverlands waters. So the fish of the day were able to feast on them for days, so that's why the battle is called like the bastard of the day, short and the fish feed. That's what it's called, and that's what they're chanting. The fish feed, fish feed, that's what they're chanting. It's everything.

SPEAKER_03 19:23

I think people according to the the book, the Maesters, this is the biggest and bloodiest battle, which I've I thought this would be on screen. I thought this would be as large as the battle of the bastards.

SPEAKER_04 19:39

It could have been like that.

SPEAKER_03 19:41

Um, but I guess they don't want to spend the money because it's just easier to have a little celebration with a few extras on the side than having this massive choreograph battle. Um, you know, I I I see a lot of disappointment in a lot of the comments like, here we go, this this this freaking show doesn't want to show this one battle.

SPEAKER_04 20:02

I think I mean I don't know if I mentioned this in the past uh recording, but I made a list of predictions that I plan to post on my story um for episodes I think one to three or one to four, and most of the events already happened. So I'm kind of nervous as to how fast they're going through the uh events. I think I predicted seeing the fish feed in episode three or four rather than the beginning of episode two off screen. It's already been done. So um, yeah, I think they're just they're saying, you know what, Game of Thrones maybe had enough battles here. People want to see dragons, they want to see, you know, the the big um pieces. Uh if if there's an action sequence, something more along the lines of Damon in this episode later on, or Eamon and Heron Hall, I think that's what's um like they're they're going for for this show and what fans kind of want to see more. Um, but yeah, so Damon receives the letter from Sir Simon Strong, uh, who walks in with gifts and the letter, you know, announcing the sad news. Um and before leaving uh the Riverlands, Damon makes sure first and foremost that Caraxis is well hydrated because Caraxes is seen um like sipping up water from from the riverlands, which I thought was a really cute scene. Um, but as Karaxis is doing so, he has a conversation with Alice Rivers, and it's a very interesting conversation because can I stop you there for a second? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:23

No, I do want to mention that we go from all this sadness and drama to a sing a song and dance routine with the river men. Yeah, at first I'm like, what the hell is going on here? It just felt so out of place. Uh it felt I'm like, am I watching the Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? Am I watching uh Lord of the Rings with Mary and Pippin? It kind of sounded like them. Uh we get to see Black Alley, Allison Blackwood. She looks amazing and she's gonna be a big part. Uh, but I just wanted to throw that in there because there's a funny scene where Damon is just like uh He's singing and then he puts his hand, his arm over Jason Lannister's head on a on a on a spike. That's so funny. That's the head of a lion. Uh but anyway, sorry. Yeah, yeah. But that's uh Alice Rivers.

SPEAKER_04 22:14

Yeah. So for Alice, um, they have an interesting conversation because uh she kind of uh what I thought was funny was that she says uh she talks to Damon and then Damon says something like I don't even know what purpose you served me. Like what's your use in all this? Like what how did you help me? And then she says, I put 40,000 reverends troops at your like command. And that actually kind of backs up a fan theory. Yes. That's um, or like a widely speculated like belief that's like not really like you know, it's a theory, but it's most likely what actually happened. Um in the past season when uh Damon was you know off on his side quest trying to get the reverence troops to side with Team Black, um uh he wanted how to study, he approached Grovertelli, but Grovertelli was like this uh really old man, and so he sent his grandson, the young Oscar Telly we've seen this episode in his place. And Damon kind of suggested to Oscar, you know, why don't you just kill your grandfather? But Oscar obviously to him, to a normal person, that's a ridiculous suggestion. So he refused, but suddenly Grover dies, and it's most likely that that was Alice's doing. So it's a theory, but Alice saying this kind of makes it, you know, not just a theory. So um that that's what she says, and her intentions become clear. And she says that she wants Heron Hall. That's something that she also says is I've seen, I've been in Heron Hall. I think she says, My long life, I've been here. So we all know that she's a witch. She introduces herself as a witch in the in episode one. So a lot of people are wondering if she's just like a normal, like witch who's just because she's also like a theory or speculator that she's the legitimate daughter of um Sir Simon Strong, I believe.

SPEAKER_03 23:59

So yeah, or is she like a Melisandre brother?

SPEAKER_04 24:02

Or is she a Melisandre? So it's interesting. We'll I I'm sure, or I I guess we'll get more hints and uh like answers to that. So it'll be interesting to keep an eye out for that in the coming episodes. And I mean, if only Damon kind of just lied to her a little bit because the the butterfly effect of that was annoying.

SPEAKER_03 24:24

Yeah, because he kind of I mean he insults her saying, You have neither name nor title nor noble husband. The crown is not in the habit of giving out castles to midwives. And then at the end she said, I asked for food and you offered me rubies for all their work that will never satisfy my hunger. Go home, Damon. Do not come back here. Remember what I told you. You don't want that person as an enemy.

SPEAKER_04 24:48

Actually, talking about that, let's just jump into why that was such a bad like I don't want to say such a bad decision, but why that could have gone better for her team blacks, and that's because Amund actually makes

Aemond Storms Harrenhal For Blood

SPEAKER_04 24:59

it to Heronhall. We see it, we see him there. And uh interesting enough, he it's like it's somewhat as easy as it could have seemed to us because he walks in on uh Sir Simon Strong while he's having his dinner, poor guy with his uh grandsons, and he kind of just has none of it wants to battle Sir Simon. Simon isn't that type of guy. He's like, I don't have a sword, you know, but why don't and then he can't like bear finish his sentence, can't finish his speech because Amon just goes in the poor guy, kills his sons, but but one of them does manage to stab him in the back, which is very is very interesting. I think that it's uh this this of course isn't true to the book, it's not um it doesn't happen this exact way. Um but then seeing Amund almost dying and then crawling to Alice and begging for help, I think it's gonna be very interesting because we've seen Amund as a very kind of wounded person. Yeah. And kind of the type of person where he doesn't want to admit that he needs help. And of course, I think someone in that situation would see another person and ask for help, it's natural, but I don't know why, but to me, it's obvious, it's obvious. This is not a spoiler that Alice is going to help him in some way, just because you know, we've seen her get angry at Damon, so now she's switching her allegiances. But seeing that, I guess, um, shot of them, you know, with Eamon like begging for help on the ground, you know, almost dying, and Alice looking, you know, she looking so powerful, standing up and having, you know, his his life in her hands. I for some reason I'm gonna make a wild prediction here and say that the show might lean into that a little bit, where they're gonna make Eamon a bit reliant on Alice and her magic in some way. I think that it's going to play into that a little bit, where she's gonna have the upper hand and like play into that wound that he has in him while also um like helping him and helping Team Greens. And it's just yeah, an insane butt of reflect because the war could have ended then and there, everything could have been different if she just you know let him die. But yeah, if if Damon hadn't said that, then the war would have been very different, and history would have been very different.

SPEAKER_03 27:08

Damon would have said the castle's yours here, defend it. She just sees him die. Obviously, now you know Eamon will be in debt to her because she will save him, and then in saving him, he's gonna be laid up there and he's gonna have these crazy dreams. He's gonna parallel Damon from season two, and he's gonna be oh, yeah, you know what I mean.

SPEAKER_04 27:31

Good prediction, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:32

Uh he comes in blazing with with Vagar, just blazing through Heron Hall in broad daylight, so it parallels Damon in season two. Damon comes in with Caraxes at night, goes to the castle quietly. Not Eamon, he comes in with Vagar just dragon fire. He goes into the middle of the castle, destroying half the castle. I saw somebody post a meme saying that with Damon like fixing up the castle in season two, only for Vagar to come and destroy it in two seconds. So Eamon comes into Sir Sir Simon Strong's like little I guess room, whatever that called, like a council room, but they have dinner there, and he just starts killing, murdering people. Damon comes in in season two and he's joins them for dinner. Damon knows he can get something out of these people because if you just start stabbing them, what what does that do? You're killing these innocent guys who have nothing to do with it. And what kind of irked me was you have Eamon who's been a fierce warrior, he's been trained by one of the best knights in Westeros, and he couldn't handle two guys, two strong boys who probably never fought in their life. And you at the end of this episode, you have Damon like slashing through 10 guys highly trained to keep the king safe, but Eamon couldn't fend off two dudes who've probably never held the sword in their life.

SPEAKER_04 28:57

Okay, now that we got a lot of the like smaller plots kind of out of the way, um, let's just jump into what's happening on Dragonstone again. Damon

Dragonseeds put in their place

SPEAKER_04 29:06

leaving the Riverlands goes to goes back to Dragonstone, and the first people that he meets are the Dragon Sees, and he's furious with them, and it's understandable because that's another butterfly effect that's show only, I have to say. Um, because they left, they left Heronhall. They didn't stay an hour longer, and just to pay their respects to I think that was like the right thing to do, but they did it like making you know it's their own decision, nobody told them to do so. And if they just stayed like a couple of hours more, then they could have wiped out Amen, and Aamon would have faced his fears and exactly what he was fearing when saying that he was scared that there's three big dragons. Oh, it's just it annoyed me so much because it's a butterfly effect, it's another butterfly effect. But it's real, you know, like I I I'm annoyed, but I like that I'm annoyed, if that makes sense. Like it's just feels so Ashley.

SPEAKER_03 29:57

Because you're saying that right now. Can I just put the audio of Damon just talking to these guys? Because it's it's yeah, sure. For me, it felt so Damon's face or Matt Smith's face is so like the way he's talking to them, he's saying his faces of you have the audacity to you know, it's it's the audacity like you have to question or or why would the queen want to hear your thoughts about anything? What are you doing here?

SPEAKER_02 30:29

My prince, we are just returned from Harrow.

SPEAKER_01 30:33

And the gully we weren't sure if we should go up there.

SPEAKER_00 30:39

A terrible thing has happened.

SPEAKER_02 30:43

The Queen wished you to attack Opposition Vega. Well, am I mistaken? Haymond did not come. And you waited two days only before resigning your mission. Adam left home. We thought uh it might be some misunderstanding. I was unaware, her grace the queen, had required of you in this moment or any other. Your thoughts.

SPEAKER_00 31:13

There's something wrong in those woods, though, I'm telling you. We heard all kinds of sounds, like voices. I saw a you have heard.

SPEAKER_02 31:28

All three of you, and your arrow will cost us dearly. I left a garrison there and a household. There was a woman who brought news of a battle. A maester, I thought. Or maybe a witch. Where is your comrade? He's gone with a lady baylor back to the college.

SPEAKER_00 31:50

Should we return now to Harrenholm, my prince?

SPEAKER_03 31:57

I saw somebody on TikTok, and I don't know their name, defending Olf and saying that you know how Alan, Adam, and Hugh are tradesmen. Olf is like the jobless, homeless, doesn't know anything, no education at all. Like, we should give him a break. And why? I I don't know if he knows any better. He doesn't have these guys don't have experience in this kind of thing.

SPEAKER_04 32:25

So Yeah, I mean, I understand that. And I understand that, you know, when they left Heronhall, they would probably have been like, oh, we have to go pay our respects, otherwise, what if she gets angry that we don't that we didn't pay our respects and and and came over immediately to see how she's doing? You know, the I understand that they could have thought differently, but I mean, you know, they couldn't have at least stayed two of them there, and one of them went and checked. And

Mysaria Versus Daemon for Rhaenyra’s Trust

SPEAKER_04 32:50

after that frustrating scene with the dragon seeds, obviously Damon just walks past them, ignores them, and goes to see Ranira, but he's stopped by Missaria, who's kind of like guarding Ranira instead of one of her knights. I think because obviously Ranira trusts her now more than others, you know, she knows that um at least Missaria, you know, wouldn't strap her the way that one of her knights did. But um obviously there's uh with the daemon meeting Missaria, there's some history there, you know. Um Missaria is his former paramour, as the show labeled her. And Missaria tells him that you know Reneer refuses to see anyone, and they have a very interesting piece of dialogue where they go up and down like these steps and kind of symbolizes like the shifting power dynamic between these two, and they're both kind of like, Oh, I'm Reneer, I'm Reneer's most stressed person. No, I am, I am. So it's a bit interesting that they have this dynamic now, and they're so distressing of one another, um, because they were together to one point. Um, and I think you know, Damon always knew that she was that way, but he used it to his advantage when he was with her, and he did, you know, he he like he he cared, but not too much when they were together. Um I guess like 15, 20 years ago now on the show's timeline. Um and I think the last time that they saw each other, Damon had imprisoned her, and then Ronier let her out in season two. He kind of is concerned, I guess, that she's a bit close to Reneer because, as I said, he knows that she isn't trustworthy. I think I saw someone, I believe in like some TikTok comment or Instagram comment, point out that um he's right to think that way because to us, the way that the show showed us that Miss Arya was untrustworthy in a way is because she gave different backstories to Damon and Renera, so we don't know which one is true. I I didn't like double check that, but I I I did see someone say that.

SPEAKER_03 34:38

She did save Ronera's life.

SPEAKER_04 34:40

She did, so I guess that's why Renera trusts her, but I don't think that it's far-fetched for Damon to be sad of her and basically say, Oh, you wiggled your way like a worm to Renera's side, because um he knows that it's not like out of the goodness of Mizaria's heart that she she's by Renera's side. Um, and I think that's why Mizarya says that seemingly out of place line before Renera takes off later and she's like, remember which one of us has been faithful? Because she kind of wants to like like drill that into Renera's mind. Like, I've always I've I've been supporting you and I was here for you when the others weren't, and I I saved your life and I did all of this. So I think that's why she says that. Um, because she knows also that Renera is not really in the right state of mind. She's grieving the death of her son, she's going to take over a city. Like, she's there's a lot of emotions, so she just wanted to remind her, you know, like, don't forget about me. So I think that was just the point of the scene between Damon and Missaria. Damon then just goes straight to visit Renera, who is understandably very depressed and grieving, and it breaks my heart to see her that way. People were commenting on the scene saying, um, like, oh, here comes a man because she's grieving, and then um, talking about the death of her sons, and then Damon just says, Will you let them die in vain? And then they're like, Oh no, but at least Damon's gonna get things done. And the the woman lost her second son again in in months. Like, this is not normal grief that she's going through. And she has a line that broke my heart as well. And she said it, she says, The boys who clung to me who had their little faces in my skirts dead, so that I may sit upon a throne of swords. That line broke my heart because I think at that moment she just feels like it's not worth it. Like, how did this all amounts to this? And she kind of regrets it. And I know we both agree on this.

SPEAKER_03 36:25

It's not worth it because I know what you're gonna say. Yeah, it's not worth it, but the prophecy.

SPEAKER_04 36:32

The prophecy. That's the one thing I one of the few things I didn't like about the scene. Something that's the episode.

SPEAKER_03 36:38

And he says it in high Valerian, so it's sounds extra special and fancy. Um that ignites with the fire in her belly to get up to fight for her throne. Not not that the the sounds, not the the usurper Aegon and all that stuff that's happened, not that thousands of people have died in the gullet, it's the prophecy.

SPEAKER_04 37:02

I I I I really dislike that. I mean, we both I think most most fans and everybody are just sick of that prophecy being brought up because we know that it'll not amount to much. And um, I understand that the think that it's more like it's a stronger angle for them to be like, oh, but it's a holy war, so that's why she has to do it, but like a Dune-esque, I guess. But there she has a bit, you know, the reasons that are stronger. Why go with this one?

SPEAKER_03 37:27

I honestly, I honestly thought that once that scene with Jace happened, I thought she was gonna have that determined look that she had when she was walking in the season. End of season one King's Landing and all that, you know what I mean? Like, oh yeah, I that's what I thought was gonna happen right away. Then I go, Oh, here we go. Is this and I mentioned that are we gonna have her? How long is she gonna grieve? And with this with the episode title, I go, Well, they obviously they're gonna land in King's Landing today in this episode. What are you gonna do? Maybe we could cry over the spilt milk, I guess, but over and over. Uh, but it's just annoying, and we're gonna bring it up every time.

SPEAKER_04 38:04

Yeah, uh, every time they bring it up, we're gonna bring it up.

SPEAKER_03 38:07

Yeah, so uh, I do love the scene with the rest remainder of the council. She's like, I don't have time to listen to this. Like, I'm done. I'm done with you guys. Get get away.

SPEAKER_04 38:16

And she meets Bilden, and I kind of like when you see her in that scene. I think when she talks to Damon and Damon's trying to motivate her, she just tells him, I'm just so tired. And you can see that she's just tired of it all, just tired of the war, she's tired of losing her sons. But you see it on her face as well. Like she has, you know, like like eye bags, you know, she's she just looks completely fed up with it. Like there's no expression on her face whatsoever. She's not angry, she's just utterly fed up. So I kind of like that attitude. Uh seeing her near on that attitude, she just doesn't listen to anyone, has no time for it. And I think at that point when she goes, like, decides to actually go to King's Landing and she leaves, she's like, if she dies, she dies. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. If it's a trap, it's a trap. If she has she lost both of her sons, like she doesn't care if she dies. And they receive more to do something about it.

SPEAKER_03 39:01

They they get a raven saying that uh Vegar has left King's Landing. Um so they had they have to go now. Uh, I did notice, and I know this is a actor's choice by Emma Darcy. When she was walking to the dragon, she had a it was a weird walk. It if it looked like she was uncomfortable. I I don't know. I don't know. I need to rewatch this. You have to re-y have to re-like, yeah, rewatch it. And just the way she was walking towards Cyrax, like she was like adjusting. She had the sword, she had Jace's sword on.

SPEAKER_04 39:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:35

There's something that Emma Darcy mentioned to the showrunner. She wanted to Renera to have a sword, because you know, she does it doesn't happen in the book. But I I felt like that was on purpose to see that she's never had this armor on and a sword. So I don't know if that was deliberate. Anyway, just just watch it, and maybe we could I'll I'll remind you next episode.

SPEAKER_04 39:58

We'll do. We'll do.

SPEAKER_03 40:00

Okay. I

Helaena’s toxic butterflies

SPEAKER_03 40:01

I think I want to talk about Allison, not the scene, but her and Helena. Um, and it's something that everybody says every time Helena talks, you need to rewind it and write it down because something's gonna happen. Like it means something. And I knew that freaking when she was in the garden and they were talking about, and they uh you could see this book that she had that she was drawing something like a journal that you know that meant something. Her saying that the caterpillar was it's too early, it doesn't make sense. Why is this caterpillar here? And then when you dig deeper into uh you probably have the notes about why this butterfly uh caterpillar effect is yeah.

SPEAKER_04 40:43

So Helena was reading about the famous butterflies of Nath, the faraway island where Sante from Game of Thrones is from. Um, the butterflies infamously carry some kind of disease or poison, which the Nothi people themselves are immune to, but outsiders they die in agony if they're exposed to it. So, in short, they're toxic butterflies. And this appears to be a reference slash kind of a dig um added by the showrunners towards George R. Martin um and the infamous creative differences between uh George and the showrunners of House of the Dragon, because as we all know, during season two he expressed his frustrations in a blog post that was titled Toxic Butterflies, comparing the small changes in season two to the butterfly effect, um to a butterfly effect that have consequences in later seasons. So he's pretty much saying they're setting themselves up for failure and plot holes with their little changes. Um which is, I mean, interesting. I didn't think we'd see a George R. Martin dig in a George R. Martin show, but here we are. Yeah, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_03 41:49

Yeah, I I I think that the Helena what's her name? Uh Phoebe, not Phoebe.

SPEAKER_04 41:56

Uh Fia Sabin, I think.

SPEAKER_03 41:57

Yeah, yeah. She's so innocent. Like, I just want to be protected at all costs. Um, all right, let's um

The Alicent scene that enraged us

SPEAKER_03 42:08

we have more about Helena, but I just I need to talk about Allison and Lord Jasper. Because as soon as he closed the door, I go, are they really gonna do this? Are they really gonna freaking have this guy try to sexually assault her? Is it really gonna happen? And he's been a a green loyalist the whole time. What gets me upset about this scene is that the the episode is written and directed by women.

SPEAKER_04 42:43

I know, I know, Tony. I was so confused.

SPEAKER_03 42:46

Is there not another way to show us a woman's standing in a man's world other than here, they're defenseless. Here, let's throw let's throw in this scene to show you that she really can't fight for herself. She has no control, she has no say in this world. We've seen Alison not have any say or no real standing throughout these seasons. She's basically, yeah, she's there, but she's never had real power.

SPEAKER_04 43:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 43:18

Um, so like if you take this scene out of the of the episode, nothing is lost. Yeah. Because nothing is added by this. And I I'm glad obviously that that the Maester can comes in at the last second, but still, like, I I don't I don't know. Like Olivia Cook, great acting, but it it just it's lazy to me. And it it's very disappointing that you have these this makes sense, Game of Thrones season five. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 43:52

Yeah, I understand, yeah. Yeah, it it's I was so surprised, honestly, because as you said, nothing changes if they remove it. It added nothing. Nothing. And even when I saw people, I don't want to try to justify it, but when I saw like people talking about the episode and giving an explanation or just discussing the scene in general, I never liked anything that wasn't a criticism of the scene. When I agreed with all the criticism I've seen, with which is very similar to what you said, it's unnecessary. We don't need to see women getting assaulted, you know, for no reason, especially when it adds nothing to the plot or to to, you know, I mentioned this at the last episode. We don't need to see this anymore. Like we never needed to, but you know what I mean. Um, yeah, so I was just so disappointed, and I never liked even when I hear when I heard people talk about it, I I wonder if the writers will ever talk about it, like if um the writer and director will ever talk about it and why they chose to do so. But even when I see just like the reviewers and content creators talking about it, I just don't like what they have to say, and I think that they should have done without this. It's horrible. And and I did not like seeing that.

SPEAKER_03 44:57

It's they treat their audience or us like morons, like we're not smart enough to see that Allison has not had power all these seasons. Let's spoon feed you, let's spoon feed you this little scene to show you that she's vulnerable, that we need to have sympathy. This is another season episode for sympathy, and again, I think it was so out of place, so unnecessary, and it's probably one of the worst scenes of this of the show. He comes in, he says that she's a traitor to the crown, that she's uh informing everybody, and the Maester, what's the guy's name? I keep forgetting his name. That's his name. Okay, I got his name. Orwell, the guy who Aamon wanted to decapitate in the first episode. Um, so I let's stick with Allison because this is the this is the story arc that is added to the show of Allison being the one that's doing all the heavy lifting for Rennera. She's the

The taking of King’s Landing

SPEAKER_03 45:52

one that's making sure that Rennera's conquering of King's Landing goes as smooth as can be. She's telling all the people who are in command of the what do they call the big ass arrows? The scorpions, I guess, right? The scorpions, right? Yeah, yeah. They have all those scorpions on the top of the castle or the Requiv. Stand down. This is it. And Helena has a thing like, I always liked their sons, her sons. They always treated me well or something.

SPEAKER_04 46:19

And this is before her sons were always kind, and that line broke my heart.

SPEAKER_03 46:24

This is before they they don't even know that Jace is dead.

SPEAKER_04 46:28

Uh they might though, because um there's a scene where uh when Jane uh Jane Aaron she knew that Jace was dead, so they were saying word probably traveled around the line.

SPEAKER_03 46:38

That's how and that's something that I was uh I'm thinking about. How did that get to the veil so quickly before Raina? Did Raina make a pit stop somewhere?

SPEAKER_04 46:50

That's what people were saying, but uh that's the likely thing, the likely explanation.

SPEAKER_03 46:56

Yeah, the last time Helena saw Jace, they were dancing in the party. Yeah, uh sad. Yeah, and then she's like, What do you want to do? She's like, I just I'd be happy with my chickens or something, and this brings us to you know, this King's Landing takeover scene, or the taking of King's Landing was gonna be more tr dramatic and cinematic, and I felt too easy. It's just when then when how they took King's Landing, yeah, it was just way too easy.

SPEAKER_04 47:28

Um I think it was meant to be easy, though. It's because you know, we knowing how the book if it how the book is, it's the same thing in the book, it's not meant to be.

SPEAKER_03 47:38

Um that one but one strong. What happens? Okay, here's the thing: you can't take the dragon into the throne room and like get your way in there and sit on it. So you have to physically walk through the castle, and it's just them too. What happens if they get stormed by a thousand guys and then they're both killed? Like in the novel, you have the Valorian fleet, the rest of the dragon sees, they're all there. Uh, the gold cloaks see Karaxis fly over King's Landing, they seize Damon, they open the gates automatically, and they take over and they help secure the castle. Here they come at the last second to you know, as drama, be more dramatic. You know, Damon is slashing through, and I like I like him saying, This is our house. Who's doing this in our house?

SPEAKER_04 48:31

Yeah, I love that.

SPEAKER_03 48:32

Uh, but Damon just taking over and defending his queen, killing everybody was so at times. I I thought, like, is this gonna make people think, well, he should be the king? He's doing all the heavy lifting, he's doing all the work. You know what I mean? Or is he really doing this for her? And I think he is doing it for her at this point, uh, because he saw the prophecy. Oh, please. And he saw Renera on the crown, and he mentions about Daenerys I saw a blonde in the desert with three dragons. The easiness of the the taking of King's Landing was not it it it didn't make sense to you.

SPEAKER_04 49:10

It made sense to me because um I always kind of I don't say I read it that way, but I know that it would be cooler in a way as a team black supporter for her to take the city um in in a cooler way, basically, that rather than just okay, I'm here, it's my house, bye-bye. But um it makes sense to me, um, I guess considering the George's world, because uh when she gets up there, I don't want to go jump up, but the easiness almost almost makes you think, I don't know, like do you ever I don't know, uh did you ever get that experience where it's something is so easy for you that you feel it's kind of lost its um I don't say it's favor, but like it lost yeah, like something is lost when something is so easy. And maybe for some audiences it's troubles in the wrong way, like it should be tougher than this, like it should it should be it should be cool, it should be cooler. But I think that that's kind of the point as well, where it's it makes you feel like oh, was it worth it? It goes back to that theme of like but they lost so much and she just waltz in there, and you know, it it it has its own like weight or like uh spice to it that that it's so bland in a way of that so bland, but you know what I mean? That like it's easiness, it's it's it adds to me something interesting where it's like okay, it's so easy, but it's like I I don't know, the frustration means something to me. I can't word it right now, but I just think that it would have it would have been way cooler, I completely agree, if if she took it took it, took over King's Landing in a cooler way, like you know, with a bit more of a fight. But there is something to be said that the easiness there means something, you know. I don't wanna I don't I don't want to spoil it, I don't want to talk about the future, so I'm just gonna say that.

SPEAKER_03 51:06

There's a there's a scene where um they get into the castle, right, and Damon hesitates to kill the Maester, Orwell. Yeah, and I think in parallel to Eamon, who just wants to slice his head off. Like he doesn't care about how maesters are sworn to be uh neutral politically. So it doesn't matter who's in the whoever takes over, they have to swear their allegiance to. It's kind of like Maester Lewin with Dion Greyjoy when he took over Winterfell. He has to now serve Dion, even though he took it over. And here's a here's a little uh change. Um, Sir Gwen Hightower is in King's Landing when they come, when they take over. And Sir Luther in the book, Sir Luther kills Allison's brother. Um let's get to the actual scene of Renera in the throne room.

Otto’s Execution And The Throne Shot

SPEAKER_03 52:04

Uh, we opened the episode with her, you know, Get Me Aegon, the usurper. And he's not there. You see Damon in the dungeons, and he sees Lord Jasper there, and then one of the guys is like, I guess a dungeon keeper, however, you call those people. Yes, um, he looks crazy, he looks like he's been in a dungeon all his whole life. He says, Oh, uh Lord Um Laris left a surprise, and you know, it's funny. Like, when he said that, I go, Oh, this is gonna be Otto. I mean, that's automatic. Damon tells Ranera, look, you can have Otto take over Aegon's place. You can, and when you think about it, it's poetic justice to have him killed, since he's the one that started all this. He's the one that could have just said, Okay, Ranera, you can be queen. This is what Viserys wanted, but no, this is all you're doing. What was it, 20 years? 10, 20 years? Yeah, I have a lot of feelings about this scene. I I read your thing on Instagram, and mine is a little bit different. I didn't really like the Ranera hesitating to kill Otto because I wish it wasn't like I'm not gonna fault it now because it's there, and she again Emma Darcy, you know. I wanna say I disagree, but but they gave us this performance, which is so freaking great. Um, I wanted her to just be decisive and do it to her to her to chop off Otto's head with Dark Sister, the sword that belongs to Vicenia Targaryen, probably one of the greatest woman warriors ever in Westeros. Uh, a woman warrior who would be frowned upon in the likes of the auto high towers, he wouldn't agree with them at all. I thought that was a poetic justice. And I think maybe if I watched it again, it I'll have a different feeling. I just wish it was just clean cut off. Um and maybe having that last scene in the in the seat when she sees Allison, maybe it makes up for it.

SPEAKER_04 54:20

But um, I understand your point, and I think that it's fine. It's funny, I was gonna say it's fine. Um I think that it's like it's fine, it's valid. I don't think that it's like a something that I like I get your point, you know, I completely understand. But I think for me, I didn't mind seeing Reneira emotion as she um like executed Otto. I think that's where I I like see I guess her emotions stemming from isn't just the fact that oh he's her best friend's dad. It's not just that. I think in that moment it's just everything coming out of Reneira. It's everything. It's her rage, it's her sadness, it's her grief because she's in the throne room, it's there, and Damon whispers to her before she gets emotional, this is the moment where you become a queen. And it's it. But when he tells her that, like it's like that, it feels so final for her, you know, like that's it. And this is just the last thing that she needs to do, and she's never killed someone, I think. If I correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't uh but I don't remember her executing someone like on her own and um doing that for like it's her first kill. Um, so all of that just obviously is taking an emotional sword on her, makes her human. Um, I didn't mind seeing Grenera that emotional. I I didn't mind it. I think that it makes her more human. You can see all the emotions um kind of come out of her in that scene, but especially in the iconic, iconic moment when she walks up to the to the throne, and um not to get ahead of myself, but we're already there. Um, when she uh like slowly walks to the throne, stepping on Otto's blood, going to the throne, because she took what was hers with fire and blood like a true target, and it made me so emotional. And then we got that scene like from the floor view of like the reflection of the iron throne in the blood. It's just so poetic. You know, that's my Martin Sorce courses, even where it's like absolute cinema, that's what that was. And then when she sits, you can see a ton of emotions on her face. You can read it in so many different ways. She's relieved, she's in disbelief, but she's also taking it all in. She's scared and she's happy, but she's also like partially regretting it, and that just amplifies when Alison talks in. Because when Alison talks in, you can see like what takes over is kind of her regret and her sorriness for a second, like for a second, but she swallows it and tries to like kill that emotion, but it's so clear in her face. Tears are streaming down her face, her eyeliner is all over her face, it's just so emotional. And I just loved loved the emotions that that we see on Ronera. That scene I just wanted to say to like talk about the entire episode and like end it, but like that's how I how no, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 57:02

This was the the series finale, right? This is it right here.

SPEAKER_04 57:05

That's it, you guys. House of the Dragon ended. I'm I'm so I'm so sorry to pick to you. This is the end, there's no more to come. That's the end of House of the Dragon.

SPEAKER_03 57:14

Thank you guys for listening, and we'll see you next time.

SPEAKER_04 57:16

Yeah, thank you. Yeah, um with the Knights of Seven Kingdoms.

SPEAKER_03 57:20

I think uh um for those who would like to know, Alison um does play a part in the novel when a Renera arrives in King's Landing, but it's not to help her. She has an active role in the defense of King's Landing. So she's ordering the Maester Orwell to send ravens to all the green loyal lords, uh, messengers to aim in at Haranhall, but they uh the gold clothes arrest uh Orwell, they intercept the ravens. Uh, and when Damon and Ranera land in the Rat Keep, Allison tries to persuade her to say, Why don't we hold a great council and decide the secession once and for all? Ranera responds with, Do you mistake me for mushroom? We both know how this council would rule. And then it says in the book, she then she bade her setmother choose yield or burn, which Allison says, The city is yours, princess, but you will not hold it long. The rats play when the cat is gone, but my son Aamon will return with fire and blood. That was Alison, the first stage.

SPEAKER_04 58:26

She played the front.

SPEAKER_03 58:27

Yeah. So back to the blood and the reflection of the throne. That has to be the best shot of the series. Yeah. The other shot I think that can rival that is Vagar over Luceris in the clouds and the lightning. And you can see the silhouette of Vagar.

SPEAKER_04 58:48

Yeah, I agree. I agree. I agree.

SPEAKER_03 58:50

That's an amazing shot. All I can say about that scene is like I mentioned the first episode, is that can you imagine this as the season finale of season two?

SPEAKER_04 59:01

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 59:01

What did we say? Oh, season two was so good. Oh my god. And we're like, oh, I had a couple of slow slow episodes, but wow, episodes seven, eight, nine, ten were amazing.

SPEAKER_04 59:14

The hype for season three would have been out of this world, honestly. It would have been huge.

SPEAKER_03 59:20

Yeah. So great moment, funny scene. I guess you have Renera having to hack Otto, and then you have Jasper. Again, it's so satisfying because they had to give us that stupid scene in the beginning of him trying to do that to Alison. And now seeing his head chopped off, you're like, Yeah, you know what I mean? That gives you that Mother Effer. You deserve that. You're trying to, you know what I mean? That that gives you an extra, an extra reason to hate him and and and an extra reason to cheer for Damon for doing that.

SPEAKER_04 59:52

Nobody cares about Lord Jasper Wilde. He can just die.

SPEAKER_03 59:56

Yeah. I think

Ratings, Standouts, And Sign-Off

SPEAKER_03 59:58

the biggest um critiques of the show that I've seen from a good couple creators is the emotional Renera at the end, the Alicent scene, which everybody can agree on, and the easiness of the King's Landing taking were the three main things. And I go, oh wow, watch the watch this episode gonna be like in the sevens in IMDB. But no, right now it's standing on 9.4, which is tied with the highest, I think, of any House of the Dragon episode.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:32

Because it should be, honestly. I mean, despite that, like the one major flaw, or like I guess the two flaws of this episode is the Addison thing. Um, Renee era mentioning the prophecy. But other than that, I mean I think it's an amen.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:44

Amen. I saw people a lot of you know, you know, they like they're angry about amen. But okay, well, uh IMDB has it at 9.4. Uh, what do you have it at? Because last episode you said 8.3.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:58

Yeah, it's 8.3 something like that.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:00

And I think IMDB, not that IMDB is correct. Salt and Sea Fire and Blood has 9.2 out of 10, and Queen's Landing has 9.4. So those are the two. So you had 8.3, and I had a I think 8.8. Something like that.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:18

Um, so what do you give this one?

SPEAKER_04 1:01:20

I give it to 9.3 or 4 or 5. But no, five is too much. 9.2.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:34

Okay. Um I I feel like I'm nitpicking, you know what I mean? And I don't want to be that person. Like, I don't really, oh, they should have done this and they should have done that. Oh blah blah blah blah. I'm like, all right, 9.1.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:49

So that's our ratings, and I think we can both agree that the standout performance slash character of this episode is definitely Renero and Amodorcy. That's the only acceptable answer.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:59

Yes.

unknown 1:02:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:02

Matt Smith a close second.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:03

Honorable mention, he's a second place, but the best. Uh that there's only one correct answer. I'm sorry, everybody.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:09

And uh, how about uh Harry Collette? Because uh, I read something that he had to lay down there like for hours.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:16

Yeah, poor guy.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:17

Plain dead. Poor guy.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:20

Um, but yeah, he had his moment last episode. Um, so thank you guys for listening to this episode of Dancing with Dragons. We'll be back next week to discuss season three, episode three of the series. So stay tuned. We're going to be discussing House of the Dragon episode by episode. And in the meantime, be sure to follow us on Instagram at dancing with underscore dragons. And be sure to listen and download our episodes on your preferred listening platforms and give us rating review and a comment as well if you get the chance. Thank you guys so much. We really appreciate it, and see you next week.