yellowfred

I think Rhaenys' point to him was, more or less, that they're already in it. Their granddaughters are betrothed to Rheanyra's two oldest sons and they're all there on Dragonstone. There isn't a way for them to gracefully bow out. Plus, I think that she believes that Rhaenyra is approaching the upcoming conflict with a steady hand, which meant that she'd avoid war if she could. Before Luc's death, I think the option was very much still on the table that Rhaenyra would gather her forces and they'd be substantial enough that the Greens would surrender. I thought it was interesting how Rhaenyra and Team Black didn't think to offer anything to the Baratheons to gain their loyalty. I feel like that's an aspect of politics that the Targaryens are maybe not that well versed in, while the Greens/Hightowers would think of it as second nature, because that's how you gain allies when you're not counting on your flying death machines to keep them in line. Speaking of flying death machines, I liked the fact that Luc and Aemond figured out too late that there are limits to how much you can control them in an actual fight. Flying around and breathing fire at human troops is one thing, but fighting another dragon is on a different level. It's not surprising that Arrax and Vhagar would both follow their own fighting instincts, rather than the commands of their respective riders.

I feel like this episode had a lot of really good stuff, but I think it suffered a bit from the pace of the season, so far. Like, I really loved a lot of the smaller scenes (Alicent trying to win over Rhaenys made me wish that those two had more scenes together), but then there was a bunch of stuff that felt a little thrown in without enough context. Like, did they even say who the various lords were that were either bending the knee to Aegon or getting arrested? There didn't seem to be that many of them there (contrasted with the scene in episode 1, where all the lords are swearing their allegiance to Rhaenyra as heir). Were those just the ones that they figured would be on the fence? Also, I know they needed to show Otto being very ruthless, but assuming that guy who tried to get away was at least moderately important, it seems like the smarter thing would be to hold him hostage so that his family will support Aegon. I also didn't love the reveal that Alicent has not been in on the planning for the coup. Also, like, if you're planning a coup in secret, and then it turns out last minute that it might not totally be a coup, maybe don't announce to the room "oh, good, let's go ahead with our secret plans we've been working on." Especially not in front of at least three people who were not in on that plan. Also, didn't Rhaenyra just say that she was gonna return on dragonback as soon as she got her kids home? Seems like she should have shown up at some point, or there should have been some effort made to keep her away.

Yeah, I kind of read that scene as her having a genuine reaction to what her son has done, but also she still knows how the world works. She's not telling her anything she doesn't believe is completely true, and also in Dyana's (and Alicent's and everyone else's) best interest to keep in mind. I think Alicent's general philosophy is that she doesn't make the rules of the world they're living in, she just knows them and follows them and (when necessary) enforces them. She's always been a little bit fatalistic like that. Speaking of which, that's part of why I really didn't like that final scene, with Viserys talking about the prophesy and Alicent misunderstanding it. Like, I feel like it would be more interesting if it was just Alicent's decision, rather than what she thinks Viserys wanted. Like, if he thought he was talking to Rhaenyra and called her his only child again, I could definitely see that being enough to push Alicent through any indecision she might be feeling. I feel like, between Aegon being horrible and Rhaenyra reminding her of why they were friends before, Alicent had a genuine moment of rethinking the path they've been on all this time. It was never really gonna last, but I wish the thing that put her back on that path was more fully her own decision, rather than a miscommunication. Also, as a side note, I still say the idea of the secret prophesy is dumb, and this just reinforces it. Regardless of what happened this episode, the Targaryens would have to be the first royal family ever (in any universe) to have actual proof (well, "proof") that they are ruling because of divine providence and then choose, deliberately, to keep it to themselves. Now, on top of that, it might have avoided this whole conflict, because Alicent would have known what he was referring to.

Yeah, I think one of the interesting things about the conflict in this episode is that, while Alicent and Criston are more malicious, they're also not wrong. Rhaenyra isn't being vindictive or cruel, because she doesn't have to be. Viserys already has no interest in confronting her. We don't 100% know how the rest of the Velaryons reacted, but, at the very least, Laenor is firmly in her corner. Alicent has obviously been pushing the issue, but all she has is soft power in this situation, and the main person she could influence doesn't want to hear it. Rhaenyra doesn't have to scheme or manipulate to get what she wants, because (for the most part) she already has it. Alicent and Criston, on the other hand, are being petty as hell, because no one wants to listen to them. And it's not that no one else sees it (you cannot tell me that the outburst in the yard was the first time Lyonel Strong realized he might have some illegitimate grandchildren), it's that no one else really seems to care. To be clear, I'm not under the impression that either Alicent or Criston have pure intentions here. I imagine their personal histories with Rhaenyra (Alicent feeling betrayed by her, Criston feeling used by her) meant that they were already looking for a reason to bring her down. Rhaenyra just happened to give them a really good one.

Look, I know a lot of other stuff happened, but I just have to say: it continues to be super weird to hear people refer to Rhaenyra and Laenor marrying as "finally uniting their families" when they are, in fact, second cousins.

Totally agree. I would also just add that, if the King decides he wants to marry her, it's not the sort of thing that she would be in a position to just turn down. I'm not saying that she'd want to (other than the general, cuticle-picking anxiety, I don't know that we've really had a serious look at what's going on in her mind), but I can't imagine a scenario where she'd be able to turn down that proposal without some pretty dire consequences.

I have to wonder if Otto really thought that one through. Like, after he went out of his way last episode to have Rhaenyra officially named the heir, wouldn't it have been smarter to try and have her married to one of his sons? If his plan was to have Alicent marry the king, and presumably have children with him, it would have been smarter to just let Daemon remain the heir. Then again, it kind of gives credence to Rhaenys' point that no one seems to be trying to wed their kid to Rhaenyra; it seems like no one really thinks of her as her father's heir. I also agree that I think there is (or, at least could have been) more going on between Rhaenyra and Alicent than entirely platonic friendship. There was definitely a very charged look between them when Viserys announced the engagement. That being said, I have a feeling that the plot of this show is going to be moving too quickly for that element to really be explored. It's too bad, because I feel like Alicent has a lot going on beneath the surface, but I'm not sure they have any scene partner for her where she can totally let her guard down. As a side note, while I appreciate them pointing out the awkwardness of (someone I assume is) a middle-aged man trying to court a 12 year old, the fact that he's now getting ready to marry a 15 year old kind of undercuts that idea.

So, gonna be honest, I was a little hesitant to watch this, since I figured a show focused on the Targaryens was bound to be a bit too incest heavy for my taste (which still might end up being the case), but I actually ended up enjoying this, for the most part. That being said, I kind of had to roll my eyes at the whole "secret prophesy" speech. Like, first of all, believing that your family had to conquer and now rule this country for the sake of humanity is a remarkably convenient belief for a conqueror/king to have. Ignoring whether or not it's actually true, why would they keep that a secret? Also, the whole tournament seemed very strange to me. Like, did they just not have any rules? Daemon's stunt with the horse was probably a low point, but there was certainly a lot of beating people to death for an event that was put on for entertainment. Even in peacetime, it seems strange that so many lords would send their knights/children into something with such a seemingly high mortality rate.

So, I've been thinking about it a bit, and I think the thing that bothers me so much about Alice and Mary's storyline this season (other than the obvious "she killed your mom in front of you" part) is how much it conflates a lot of the themes around mental health, redemption, and consequences. Like, if Mary actually feels bad enough about accidentally killing that guy that she was about to go confess to it (to be clear, she was doing this with zero outside pressure) why would Alice taking the fall for it be a good thing? It makes it seem, at least on the surface, that Mary was upset about killing someone because she might go to prison, not because she actually feels bad about it, which I don't think was the intention of the writers. Likewise, Alice wants the joy buzzer because she doesn't want to have to feel guilty about the things she's done, but if it worked the way she seems to want it to, it would most likely have the opposite effect. The part where she fantasizes about getting to use the joy buzzer doesn't even really touch on her feelings of guilt, but rather on the fact that she doesn't have to face punishment for her actions any more. Not to mention, for some reason, they assume that her delusional episodes might be cured by the joy buzzer, but that doesn't even track with the already far fetched thing that they've told us the joy buzzer does. I also think it was maybe a bad call to have Mary be Alice's main connection to the Bat Team, while also having Mary be kind of disconnected from the team all season. Yeah, I was a little surprised they played it for as much of a reveal as they did, since I thought we were basically told that in 3x05. Then again, maybe I was the idiot for assuming that the Joker probably only hijacked one school bus around that time.

This is one of those things where I'm kind of okay with Ryan blaming herself, because sometimes people are like that, but I really need other people to stop acting like it's her fault. It was only, like, three in-universe days between when Mary woke up in the park and when she told them that she was Poison Ivy. I actually liked that Sophie kissed Ryan, but I'd like it more if she gave Ryan her therapist's number, because this is the second time this season it's come up that Ryan does not seem to have a healthy fear of death. I loved that, afterwards, she just went off into the woods by herself to find her car, because I guess that was an option the whole time?

Yeah, I feel like a lot the Wayne Enterprise story lines fall apart if you try to apply even the slightest bit of real world knowledge to them. I guess it's possible that Marquis was already in talks with the board to become the new CEO after the scandal in 3x04. I think it's more fun, though, to think that Bruce set up Wayne Enterprises with some weird policy about the succession of CEOs and the board just has to go along with it.

So, not that this was my main takeaway from the episode, but I can't stop thinking about the fact that the Bat Suit apparently has no safeguards against electricity. Have none of the criminals of Gotham every tried using a taser?

So, I'm gonna be honest that I didn't really care about the whole "Ryan is the acting CEO of Wayne Enterprises for reasons" thing before this episode. But hearing Jada use that as the proof Ryan has "risen above her circumstances" irked me on a level I'm not sure I can fully explain. I think it's mostly that it doesn't feel like something Ryan would appreciate being complimented on, but they seemed to kind of blow past that? I don't know, I hope they circle back to it more later in the season. I loved Ryan's explanation at the end of the episode about what she really wants from Jada. It felt so specific and relatable and also really sad. Like, what she wants is what she lost when her adoptive mother was killed, even though she knows that's not something she's gonna get. I kind of think that part of her disappointment is that both members of her biological family seem to be approaching her from the "we're all titans of industry" angle (full disclosure: this might just be me projecting, since it's a thing I'm kind of disappointed about). Like, for the Jets, it seems like the concept of family is so closely tied to career ambition and corporate strategies, and that just doesn't jive well with who Ryan is. Also, am I understanding correctly that Alice's deal with Montoya seems to be that she's locked up in Arkham full time, but she gets furlough whenever there's an active lead on one of the Batman trophies? That is not a great deal. I guess it makes sense if she agreed to the terms with the thought that she'd escape the first time she was out, but still. Speaking of Alice, I feel like a lot of the in-show discussions about what she wants and deserves and all that seem to skip right over the footnote of "but also she's killed a bunch of people." Like, yeah, I know she's spent a lot of her life in captivity and she just wants to be free. Also, yes, I fully believe that she is deserving of compassion and fair treatment for her trauma and mental illness. I don't even mind the idea that Mary and the Bat Team ought to be more empathetic and open to working with her. But also, she's killed a bunch of people, and I don't think any redemptive storyline for her can really work without Alice acknowledging that and taking steps to make amends. Complete side note: I hope "cranky old lady who does not fear death" becomes a more common archetype in superhero media.

If I've learned anything from the other Arrowverse shows, it's this: the writers almost certainly either don't know or don't care what a CEO does or how they get their jobs. I'm not gonna lie, though, I kind of enjoy the idea of the long-suffering board of Wayne Enterprises getting a note from Kate (presumably) saying that she's not dead, but she's leaving for reasons and she's chosen her replacement, a bartender/volunteer Karate instructor with a GED and a pretty recent felony on her record.

Yeah, that's what I remember, too. Also, I feel like the only special thing about Poison Ivy's vines is that she can control them, not that they make any plant grow way faster. Then again, I feel like this plot line is gonna depend a lot on the items themselves being powerful, and not just things that powerful people happened to use, so it's probably best not to think too hard about it. As far as Alice revealing Ryan's identity, there are definitely worse people she could have told than a detective who just wants Ryan to finish the job she's already working on. I'm glad Sophie got to be a good detective in this episode. I kind of hope they do more of those investigative montages, since I think it's more interesting than just showing the debrief after they've figured out the thing.