I loved it...
It was more talk than anything else, but it was time for a chapter like this....
Gathering the ashes and regrouping...
But f*ck, I need more...
Who will they bring to ride the dragons...?
It would be weird to see a bastard with Targaryen blood riding a dragon....
Fighting in the name of the queen hahahahaha
This episode is a lesson in diplomacy:
Prince Daemon is shitty,
Prince Jacaerys surprises and does it well,
Lady Rhaena is a diplomat in practice and gets her first experiences,
Ser Alfred Broome is honest and loyal,
Queen Rhaenyra is a fast learner due to the urgency of taking actions and reactions as a leader,
Queen Alicent had to swallow some bitter pills, because she overrated her power and diplomatic skills,
Prince Aemond has the momentum,
Lady Baela has good insights and uses them well on Lord Corlys,
and Ser Criston is good at Poker and takes his chances.
Now it’s about alliances. You might be a Targaryen and have a dragon, but without support from the Houses you‘re powerless.
A good episode with a lot of tactics, scheming and diplomacy and a fine turn in the final scene between Queen Rhaenyra and Prince Jacaerys.
I love it how they kept the episode completely dialogue heavy and character driven. It was necessary after that out of the world action and now they are setting us up for something more sinister. This is a very good episode. I understand why some people are frustrated but HOTD is not always about dragons. Sometimes it's about the mortals riding them.
I was (still am) rather critical to the progress in season 2, but this episode was finally with some believable and logical storyline, dialogs and action. There is still so much unnecessary time jumps and too much cuts between each queen/king.
Even if Daemon's Harrenhal stint is much more purposeful, I start to have unfavorable flashbacks to Daenerys' GoT Season 2 adventure more than a few times.
Coming up next ep: Rhaenery and Jace consulting Westeros' Ancestry.com
Many are here for the dragons and I am too but even more than that I'm here for the moody mystical fantasy. Great conversations in elegant rooms, indeed.
The episode has quite a slow pace compared to last week's battle and seems to drag a bit, though I guess it is necessary to show the aftermath of Rook's Rest and how both sides are reacting to it. Apparently Aegon is not dead but seriously crippled and probably would never be able to lead a normal life again. Aemond got the regency and Alicent was completely cut off from any influence on the ruling party, with Criston's participation, which she cannot forgive him. It turns out Haelena knows what Aemond did, probably from her visions. I wonder whether he would do something to Aemond in order to gain full kingship instead of the regency. The room where the king lies seems completely unguarded.
Rhaenyra's party seems to be seriously weakened after the loss of Rhaenys. I really liked Baela's speech about Rhaenys to the Sea Snake, it was quite moving. Rhaenys will surely be missed and not only by the Blacks but the audience as well ;)
Jace's clandestine mission was quite interesting to watch as he visited the later infamous Freys, their castle looked really impressive. At the end he and his mum have a chat and decide to find dragonriders who are not pureblood Targaryens to deploy their bigger dragons in battle. I hope they will show another epic battle soon.
Daemon continues to have his vision and now he declares openly to the mysterious Alys that he wants to win the throne for himself and not in Rhaenyra's name. Rhaenyra herself send one of her men to check up on Daemon, and Mysaria has her own plans as well. I wonder how it would turn out in the end.
Manages to cover the emotional hardship on both sides after the battle. Solid episode overall
A solid episode that lays out the plans for both sides going forward. :thumbsup_tone1:
Boring. Although Meleys head is impressive.
The episode begins with Corlys and his grief over Rhaenys, but I felt Rhaenys deserved a more appropriate funeral. The focus on Corlys and Rhaenyra's sorrow overshadowed this.
Meleys’s head is displayed in King’s Landing, prompting fear and speculation that Rhaenyra will retaliate. Alicent and her dog observe from above the Red Keep, where Alicent sees Aemond with the dagger, suspecting his involvement in Aegon’s accident.
Aegon's burned body is assessed by maesters, with Alicent's primary concern being his survival, reflecting her interest in his status rather than his well-being. Alicent then questions Criston about Aemond’s role in the battle, revealing her distrust of Aemond and the fragility of her relationship with Criston.
The Black's small council discusses their lack of a ground army and reliance on Daemon to raise one in Harrenhal. Jace, frustrated by his mother’s overprotectiveness, decides to secure The Twins himself, showcasing his determination.
Daemon, on Caraxes, threatens Lord Bracken to bend the knee, with a visually striking frame of Caraxes behind Bracken. Rhaena expresses concerns to Lady Arryn about their inadequate dragon forces.
Mysaria suggests sending Mylynda to King’s Landing, likely to rally support for Rhaenyra. The scene between Beala and Rhaenyra, where Beala is entrusted with delivering the Hand of the King badge to Corlys Velaryon, was touching.
Daemon's unsettling dream and subsequent discussion with Simon Strong about the battle of Rook’s Rest, with its significant losses, highlight Daemon's repeated focus. The Greens' small council agrees on Aemond’s regency, excluding Alicent, humorously underscoring her unfitness for wartime leadership. Alicent later discusses with Criston the impact of dragons on the battle outcome, concluding that a dragonrider must lead.
The public in King’s Landing is terrified, highlighting the Greens' weakness. Jace offers the Freys control of Harrenhal if they bend the knee. Daemon’s discussion with Alis about taking King’s Landing suggests a change of heart, possibly influenced by dreams or Alis.
Beala and Corlys share grief over Rhaenys's death, with Beala convincing Corlys to become Hand of the King, stating, “I’m blood and fire and Driftmark must pass to salt and sea.”
Rhaenyra sends Ser Alfred to Harrenhal to uncover Daemon's intentions. The Riverlands are under attack by the Blacks, suggesting future conflicts. Heleana and Aemond’s scene hints at Aemond’s ambitions, followed by Aegon’s pitiful state, calling for his mother.
Rhaenyra reads about Visenya Targaryen, while Jace proposes using bastards with Targaryen blood as dragonriders, suggesting their potential utility.
Oh man what a boring episode. some of the editing was confusing. Deamon shags his mother while he hallucinates while eating? And anyway, when Deamon has his fucking dragon under his ass, he goes gangster. otherwise he goes chopping wood. and he king lies grilled in bed...after he fell from the sky and survived by chance. yeah :(
Bad script, shitty editing, absolutely boring. Only the visuals are, as always, first class.
So, Aegon was burned to crisps but is still alive - Aemond takes over the regency, much to Alicent's displeasure as she isn't sure what really happened (and no one is telling her as Aemond apparently has everyone in the military in his pockets).
Meanwhile, Daemon is ever more driven mad (BTW, having sex with his own mother? Even if it's just a hallucination, it's yuk) and power-hungry as he wants the crown for himself. Jacaerys secures some support for his mother while others still hesitate to follow through on sending troops. And without a man at her side, Rhaenyra's support within her own council is diminishing. So, she turns to backroom tactics.
Overall, there are interesting parts but not it's not as engaging as the 2 previous ones. And the scenes with that starving family... either they finally show the connection to the bigger picture or they drop that plotthread.
My least favourite episode from this season
Now we know that Daemon would have been a shitty king.
"Is the pudding now served?" :rofl:
Yes yes yes, men are the worst. They only want to fight and fight. No one wants a woman on the throne yes, please tell me one more time.
Don’t get me wrong there is a great setup to get powerful female characters here and I love them. But it is annoying to keep throwing it in like this. Shouldn’t be that hard to keep it in and just tell the story. Social politics everywhere nowadays.
Oh and why can’t a woman be evil?
In better words: https://time.com/6997908/ihouse-of-the-dragon-season-2-episode-5-recap-sexism/
Daemon is such a mother effer
Another solid episode for those of us invested in the plot.
A minor criticism though, it seemed awfully convenient that they just happened to remember they have two (riderless) dragons in the basement who can take on Vhegar.
Nonetheless, I'm very curious to see who they'll choose as the two riders.
A slower episode after the craziness of last week but a great episode nonetheless. It reminded me of why I loved Game of Thrones so much. Dragons are cool and everything but the hightlights of this fantastic world, at least to me, are the politics, the games of power and the plots to achieve personal goals.
Also, it's nice to see Baela and Jacaerys becoming such interesting characters.
There are people who don't care much for the Harrenhall story arc... I am not one of them. Give me more of Alys Rivers please.
I support that mad thought
I love these "slow" episodes. I would watch Jaehaerys' and Alysanne's 60 years of peace just for the soap opera stuff that happened to their siblings and children. The Aerea Targaryen story is so horrifying.
Jeez… this whole entire episode, all they did was talk, talk, talk:sleeping::sleeping:
Boring. The best part was the end with the lineage talk
The writing is not great, they do a horrible job of keeping me engaged and wanting more. I guess I’ll get to the next episode eventually.
Daemon going cuckoo! I find the episodes a bit too long to stay focused whoops.
A little less conversation, a little more action, please
All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me
A little more bite and a little less bark
A little less fight and a little more spark
Close your mouth and open up your heart and, baby, satisfy me
Satisfy me, baby
Shout by EnesBlockedParent2024-07-18T14:03:09Z
Now things start to get complicated. The acting is very good. The series is beautiful in itself. So who will wait for the next episode? I wish they would release it immediately so we could watch all the episodes.