S01.E02: The Rogue Prince

[Sofie Fatale]

Everybody talking about Corlys’ hair… what else would you expect given that he has a 4c Afro texture.  Flowing straight hair would look terrible.  He has dreadlocks and they’re fabulous. Get some perspective..Geez 🙄

Anyway Game of Thrones is back with all of its pimping out of kids(eek) Family infighting, and political backstabbing. The season is starting off juicy and I’m here for it.

[ferjy]

3 hours ago, dramachick said:

I almost fell off the couch when I saw how young she was!

When they said she’s young, I thought, so is Alicent yet her father is pushing her on the king, then they showed this little tot! The grownup speech she gave that Viserys saw right through... it looked like his only thought of ‘bedding’ her was to tell her a bedtime story. 😄

[steelyis]

3 hours ago, dramachick said:

I almost fell off the couch when I saw how young she was!

3 hours ago, AntFTW said:

I saw that and I said "Fuck this show."

That would have been my first on this thread if that would have happened.

Viserys had his wife cut open so they could pull their child from her womb. He's a cunt. But not so big a cunt that he was down to marry a four-year-old. The man's whole body was screaming: NOPE! every second he was with that toddler, and I found myself liking him just a little bit more than I did before.

[jenn31]

22 minutes ago, Sofie Fatale said:

He has dreadlocks and they’re fabulous. Get some perspective..Geez 🙄

It’s not dreadlocks anyone has an issue with, it’s the wigs. They’re awful.

[MBayGal]

30 minutes ago, goldilocks said:

52 minutes ago, MBayGal said:

I have the feeling she is older.  She looks more mature to me.  Maybe 15?

They specifically said she was 12. Remember she said to Viserys that her mother told her that she wouldn’t have to sleep with him until she were 14. The actress herself looked even younger than 12 to me and I wondered if they got a younger actress to stress the point more. And to make Alicent seem much older. 

The one I thought was older was Alicent.  She looks about 15 to me. Leana is 12, tho she does look 9 or 10 to me. 

[jenn31]

37 minutes ago, MBayGal said:

This show needs a Tyrion!!

Definitely! Love Tyrion! 

[ferjy]

40 minutes ago, MBayGal said:

This show needs a Tyrion!!

Absolutely! I loved the character.

[goldilocks]

23 minutes ago, MBayGal said:

The one I thought was older was Alicent.  She looks about 15 to me. Leana is 12, tho she does look 9 or 10 to me. 

Oops! Gotcha. Sorry about that! Constantinople, who you quoted, was talking about Laena, hence my reply. Yes, and the actress is probably older than 15 too. Alicent, I mean (this could get confusing!)

Edited August 29, 2022 by goldilocks

[Andyourlittledog2]

We saw Viserys finger get cut on the throne last episode. This episode it is infected and being treated with maggots (which is a very good treatment for infection and dead tissue).  Is the throne rejecting the king or is someone purposely poisoning the throne so that it affects the king and hurries his death? Is it magic? It does seem like whatever the cause the throne is hurting this weak king. 

It's hard to tell how old these Targs are since their hair is white. They mostly look like old folks to me. I have to concentrate on their faces to get a feel for how old they are supposed to be, at least the older ones. Rhanerya definitely looks 15. 🙂

Getting betrothed and married to a twelve year old would not have been out of place in our own medieval and Rennaisance times.  Actual consummation would have waited until puberty.  Like Sansa in GOT. She was thirteen when she was sent to Joffrey and she was not supposed to actually wed him until she menstruated, which she had not done yet.  No one promised her to wait until she turned 14. And she was a tall girl who had some development.  I think what was disturbing here was the fact that this particular 12 year old (Laena) looked more like 8 than 12. 

[bunnyblue]

2 hours ago, snickers said:

As much as I love Matt Smith as an actor, I'm not loving his look in this (looks too much like a Lord of the Rings elf as others have said)

Yeah, he definitely looks like Legolas's older brother.

I know nothing of this Lord Lyonel who sits on the Small Council but I thought he gave Viserys some really sound advise and it seemed genuine. But this being GOT HotD, I fully expect he's got some angle that will come to light later and I'll probably end up hating him. 

The look Otto gave Corlys at the end was pure Tywin Lannister. But I suspect I'm going to straight up hate Otto, and not love-hate him like I did Tywin.

If Viserys is dying from unhealed wounds from the Iron Throne, I can kind of understand why he chose Alicent instead of Laena as his next wife since he needs to start siring sons ASAP. But he really fucked up by springing his choice on Rhaenyra and Corlys without any warning and in front of the guy (Otto) who stands to gain the most by this very big slight. And what an absolute shitty friend Alicent turned out to be. I can safely say I absolutely hate the Hightowers and hope they have a mighty big fall. 

My favorite scene was the standoff on Dragonstone. The best line goes to Otto: "All of you, sheathe the fucking steel." Loved how "Crispin" looked ready to shit his pants every time a dragon made an appearance. Loved Rhaenyra deescalating the situation. Chuckled at the dragon egg being placed in some sort of cast iron pot/steamer. Loved seeing more of Caraxes and Syrex. The only thing I didn't like was how fake the long stairway and the surrounding area looked compared to how it looked on GOT. That location in Spain was one of my favorites and CGI just doesn't come close to the real thing.

Edited August 29, 2022 by bunnyblue

[paulvdb]

2 hours ago, goldilocks said:

Oops! Gotcha. Sorry about that! Constantinople, who you quoted, was talking about Laena, hence my reply. Yes, and the actress is probably older than 15 too. Alicent, I mean (this could get confusing!)

I remember Olivia Cooke from Bates Motel and she was barely a teenager anymore back then. When I saw her first scene with Rhaenyra in the fist episode I thought Alicent was her (older) tutor or something like that because they were talking about things that Rhaenyra should be learning.

I also always get confused when they talk about the king's wife Aemma (pronounced Emma) because Olivia Cooke played Emma on Bates Motel and she's going to be his new wife.

[ferjy]

12 minutes ago, paulvdb said:

I remember Olivia Cooke from Bates Motel and she was barely a teenager anymore back then. When I saw her first scene with Rhaenyra in the fist episode I thought Alicent was her (older) tutor or something like that because they were talking about things that Rhaenyra should be learning.

I also always get confused when they talk about the king's wife Aemma (pronounced Emma) because Olivia Cooke played Emma on Bates Motel and she's going to be his new wife.

That’s not Olivia Cooke. It’s Emily Carey.  They do look a lot alike though.

(Spoiler is just about casting, not plot, but in case anyone doesn’t want to know...)

Spoiler

Olivia Cooke will be playing the older Alicent. She does look a lot like Olivia, good casting in that respect. Emily is 19 and Olivia almost 29, only 10 years apart so I guess we’ll be seeing Olivia soon. 

[bluvelvet]

I will admit, my favorite scene was with the dragons, especially when they silhouetted on that bridge. Beautiful, had to rewind it. 

Daemon kinda resembles a foot but ole dude can ACT and he is SEXY. I still majorly stan but they need to give him eyebrows lol. He’s my favorite so far. 

I physically cringed when I saw how young Laena was, cringed through that entire scene. ICK!! I would take Alicent over that but how old is Alicent??

My second fave Rhaenys was laying some knowledge down on Rhaenyra…my other second fave Rhaenyra ended that wall stand off without bloodshed. 

Edited August 31, 2022 by bluvelvet

[paulvdb]

20 minutes ago, ferjy said:

That’s not Olivia Cooke. It’s Emily Carey.  They do look a lot alike though.

(Spoiler is just about casting, not plot, but in case anyone doesn’t want to know...)

  Reveal spoiler

Olivia Cooke will be playing the older Alicent. She does look a lot like Olivia, good casting in that respect. Emily is 19 and Olivia almost 29, only 10 years apart so I guess we’ll be seeing Olivia soon. 

I just went on IMDB and saw Olivia Cooke listed as Alicent. And it's been a while since I watched Bates Motel so I guess I didn't remember exactly what she looked like. I just thought Alicent looked familiar which is why I looked her up in the first place. Emily Carey was also in something else I watched so at least that explains why she looked familiar.

[cambridgeguy]

A Targaryen who doesn't want to marry a blood relative.  Viserys really is a weirdo, isn't he?  Plus he's putting a lot of faith in the idea that his command trumps everything else.  Blindsiding my daughter with the announcement that I'm marrying her BFF?  Why would she be unhappy about it when that's something every teenager must dream of?  A potential son with said BFF will be nothing but a spare and everyone will be OK with Rhaenerya as heir?  Of course, it's totally different than that time I was chosen over my female cousin!  Insulting one of my most powerful allies while ignoring his concerns about attacks?  Eh, he'll get over it!

I looked online and apparently the opening credits follow the Targaryen bloodline - kind of a deep dive.  At least the GOT ones labeled their locations.

[Haleth]

I know a king being married to a child was not unusual in Medieval society, but even in this case they had to see waiting for Laena to grow up was a bad idea.  Who is to say Viserys would still be alive in two years to beget an heir?  (That infected finger looked pretty bad.)  Who is to say Laena would conceive and carry a child successfully at 14 or 15?  Who is to say that child would be male or healthy enough to survive?  Alicent is only a slightly better choice because she's already 15ish, but Viserys and the council should have been looking for a mature widow who already proved herself to be fertile.  (Marie deGuise or Eleanor of Aquitaine.)

I liked Daemon's girlfriend's reaction to marriage and childbearing.  Oh, hell no.

Rhaenyra is impetuous but way smarter than her dad (who really is weak).

8 hours ago, CletusMusashi said:

Matt/Daemon

Makes me laugh whenever I see this.

8 hours ago, dramachick said:

I almost fell off the couch when I saw how young she was!

We saw her at the tournament last week.  I thought she looked even younger than 12.

8 hours ago, Jaundiced Eye said:

Are we going to watch the King lose body parts bit by bit?

The Iron Throne is killing him by bits.

I loved hearing the GoT theme and like the idea of the visuals accompanying it, but on GoT the symbols that popped up were significant.  We got a perspective of the geography of Westeros and where all the families were located.  The symbols on the gears of this opening sequence don't mean anything to us yet.

[Constantinople]

4 hours ago, bunnyblue said:

I can safely say I absolutely hate the Hightowers and hope they have a mighty big fall. 

From a...wait for it...high tower?

I'll be here all week! Try the veal!

Edited August 29, 2022 by Constantinople

[Sakura12]

When your best friend becomes your step-mom. Viserys really likes blindsiding the women in his life. It makes sense they want more heirs now might as well marry someone that is already of childbearing age. 

I also suppose Alicent could've told her what her father was having her do. I she'll go with she's not a Targ and doesn't have the options like Rheanyra has.

Daemon is such a troll, taking the egg meant for the dead prince. Otto seems just as impulsive as Rheanyra. When you have Dragons you can always make an entrance. Rheanyra stopped the bloodshed because the Targaryan's really love each other don't they. 

Interesting that Daemon's new girl isn't pregnant and doesn't want kids. 

What does Lord Coryls think will happen to him if he starts a war with crabfeeder? Does he think being from Valerya will save him. Or is he going to make it seem like Daemon did it his own when he was the only one openly complaining about it. I guess there is a reason we heard nothing of his house 174 years later. 

[revbfc]

What’s intriguing me about this show so far is that none of the characters are likable enough for me to root for.  I’m going to thoroughly enjoy watching whatever chaos ensues.

Edited August 29, 2022 by revbfc

[Nicmar]

7 hours ago, goldilocks said:

They specifically said she was 12. Remember she said to Viserys that her mother told her that she wouldn’t have to sleep with him until she were 14. The actress herself looked even younger than 12 to me and I wondered if they got a younger actress to stress the point more. And to make Alicent seem much older. 

She looked like about 10

[Eyes High]

I am loving Eve Best as Rhaenys. It’s also good that Corlys has more to do this episode.

Someone on Twitter or Reddit describes Daemon’s actions this episode as a bratty little brother temper tantrum, and I tend to agree.

Laena was adorable, but that whole scene was stomach-churning.

I appreciate the attempts to be faithful to GRRM’s dialogue, but in between all the mislikes and mine owns, we’re approaching drinking game territory. At least I have yet to hear “nuncle.”

[Cirien]

1 hour ago, Haleth said:

I know a king being married to a child was not unusual in Medieval society, but even in this case they had to see waiting for Laena to grow up was a bad idea.  Who is to say Viserys would still be alive in two years to beget an heir?  (That infected finger looked pretty bad.)  Who is to say Laena would conceive and carry a child successfully at 14 or 15?  Who is to say that child would be male or healthy enough to survive?  Alicent is only a slightly better choice because she's already 15ish, but Viserys and the council should have been looking for a mature widow who already proved herself to be fertile.  (Marie deGuise or Eleanor of Aquitaine.)

I liked Daemon's girlfriend's reaction to marriage and childbearing.  Oh, hell no.

Rhaenyra is impetuous but way smarter than her dad (who really is weak).

Makes me laugh whenever I see this.

We saw her at the tournament last week.  I thought she looked even younger than 12.

The Iron Throne is killing him by bits.

I loved hearing the GoT theme and like the idea of the visuals accompanying it, but on GoT the symbols that popped up were significant.  We got a perspective of the geography of Westeros and where all the families were located.  The symbols on the gears of this opening sequence don't mean anything to us yet.

Isn't it supposed to represent the Targ family tree? 

[lilabennet]

I thought Daemon was supposed to be extremely good-looking.  Maybe that was just fanon

Spoiler

because a lot of plot points don't make sense if he isn't.

Edited August 29, 2022 by lilabennet
addition

[Haleth]

22 minutes ago, Cirien said:

Isn't it supposed to represent the Targ family tree? 

I guess so, but I wouldn’t have know that had I not read it here. To quote Bernard, it doesn’t look like anything to me. 😊

[Meredith Quill]

11 hours ago, Constantinople said:

Well look who was pimping their 12 year old daughter now?

But hey, she wouldn't have to bed Viserys until she turns 14.

No matter how distasteful the offer of betrothal may have been due to age, the difference between Corlys and Otto is that Corlys followed proper protocol, Otto chose the insidious, schemer path and his own daughter is all of THREE years older... still ick.

11 hours ago, mac123x said:

What was that?  I t looked like blood pouring through the King's playset and sort-of-but-not-really activating some gears. 

11 hours ago, AntFTW said:

Whatever the opening titles were depicting, it went over my head.

10 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

it was good to hear the theme again, but I’m not sure I got the visuals. Lots of blood flowing and messing up the little clockwork pinwheels.  I miss the little clockwork kingdoms. 

My interpretation was that we were following the Targ bloodline, beyond that I couldn't make out much.

9 hours ago, mac123x said:

Margaret Beaufort gave birth to the future Henry VII at the ripe old age of 13.  That garbage happened back then.

Presumably if he'd gone through with it, Viserys would have had a long long long betrothal.  Glad he's marrying someone who's at least post puberty.

This. The Margaret Beaufort story of her getting pregnant at 12 has always disgusted and outraged me in equal measure.

[Cirien]

There's been a really good breakdown of the opening credits here on Twitter: Corlys Velaryon is black deal with it on Twitter: "The #HOTD opening is a Targaryen family tree/bloodline represented on King Viserys' Valyria model/diorama. What an amazing concept design. The tree obviously starts with Aegon the Conqueror himself. Here you can see the Doom of Valyria represented in his circle and his crown: https://t.co/g0PYyW4QWA" / Twitter

and on Reddit here: House of the Dragon - Game of Thrones HBO Original (reddit.com)

https://www.reddit.com/r/HouseOfTheDragon/comments/x0d4ak/hotd_intro_theoretical_breakdown/

Edited August 29, 2022 by Cirien

[Constantinople]

12 hours ago, Constantinople said:

Well look who was pimping their 12 year old daughter now?

But hey, she wouldn't have to bed Viserys until she turns 14.

32 minutes ago, SilverStormm said:

No matter how distasteful the offer of betrothal may have been due to age, the difference between Corlys and Otto is that Corlys followed proper protocol, Otto chose the insidious, schemer path...

The proper protocol according to whom?

The man who pimps out his 12 year old daughter who looks like she's 8, while offering his iron hand of friendship in a velvet glove?

Corlys and Daemon scheme just as much as Otto, they're just not as good at it.

[SeanC]

35 minutes ago, Constantinople said:

The proper protocol according to whom?

The man who pimps out his 12 year old daughter who looks like she's 8, while offering his iron hand of friendship in a velvet glove?

Corlys and Daemon scheme just as much as Otto, they're just not as good at it.

I don’t think it can really be called scheming to make a formal betrothal offer. That’s all very above board by this society’s norms.

[cambridgeguy]

To quote a couple of Lannisters, plots and schemes are the same thing and a plot isn’t public knowledge.

Corey’s absolutely followed the proper protocol of the realm - it’s his job to match his children up with powerful partners, and age is a secondary issue if you can snag the king.

[mcslim]

10 hours ago, MBayGal said:

This show needs a Tyrion!!

Or a Bron!

[CletusMusashi]

I think I know why the Targaryans ran out of dragons. Maybe you should just hand the egg over next time? Instead of tossing it to the other person like it's a damn basketball or something?

[go4luca]

20 minutes ago, CletusMusashi said:

I think I know why the Targaryans ran out of dragons. Maybe you should just hand the egg over next time? Instead of tossing it to the other person like it's a damn basketball or something?

But she did catch it.  Queen of the episode! 🔥

[Meredith Quill]

1 hour ago, Constantinople said:

The proper protocol according to whom?

The man who pimps out his 12 year old daughter who looks like she's 8, while offering his iron hand of friendship in a velvet glove?

Corlys and Daemon scheme just as much as Otto, they're just not as good at it.

To answer:

1 hour ago, SeanC said:

I don’t think it can really be called scheming to make a formal betrothal offer. That’s all very above board by this society’s norms.

58 minutes ago, cambridgeguy said:

To quote a couple of Lannisters, plots and schemes are the same thing and a plot isn’t public knowledge.

Corey’s absolutely followed the proper protocol of the realm - it’s his job to match his children up with powerful partners, and age is a secondary issue if you can snag the king.

What they said^.

Otto is a manipulative, snidey schemer and his daughter is now a proven back stabber, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

[paigow]

33 minutes ago, CletusMusashi said:

Maybe you should just hand the egg over next time? Instead of tossing it to the other person like it's a damn basketball or something?

The real origin story of Dragonball.... that evolved into... 

[iMonrey]

I wasn't quite as taken with this episode as I was with the first, so I'm surprised some people liked it better. It was very dry and talky. After watching the first one, I felt compelled to go back and watch it again. I don't feel any need to watch this one a second time.

I don't particularly care for the opening title sequence either, it feels like an inferior knock-off of the original. Whatever they were going for here isn't very clear. 

Quote

I guess so, but I wouldn’t have know that had I not read it here. To quote Bernard, it doesn’t look like anything to me. 😊

Me neither. Just a lot of blood pouring down carved paths with some spinning gears thrown in.

[paigow]

2 minutes ago, SilverStormm said:

Otto is a manipulative, snidey schemer and his daughter is now a proven back stabber, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Especially when the tree is self-pollinating...

[CletusMusashi]

I'm not just talking egg breakage. Even if we assume that they have a tough leathery shell like reptile eggs instead of a more brittle one like bird eggs, all that bouncing around can not possibly be good for the embryo. We heard in GoT about how the dragons kept on getting smaller and more deformed. Playing eggball may well be contributing to that.

If it's like a bird egg then it needs to be turned periodically to keep the aeration levels balanced. If it's like a reptile egg it needs to be deposited and then just left stationary, with a specific "up" side and a specific "down" side. Yes, I'm somehow actually bothered by this minutiae, yet I'm perfectly okay with them breathing fire and violating the square/cube law...

Edited August 29, 2022 by CletusMusashi

[Constantinople]

1 hour ago, SeanC said:

I don’t think it can really be called scheming to make a formal betrothal offer. That’s all very above board by this society’s norms

Norms set by whom?

Those rich and powerful enough they can implicitly threaten the King while proposing a marriage alliance?

Corlys and Otto both played to their strengths and Corlys lost.

[steelyis]

9 hours ago, bunnyblue said:

And what an absolute shitty friend Alicent turned out to be.

4 hours ago, Sakura12 said:

I also suppose Alicent could've told her what her father was having her do. I she'll go with she's not a Targ and doesn't have the options like Rheanyra has.

35 minutes ago, SilverStormm said:

Otto is a manipulative, snidey schemer and his daughter is now a proven back stabber, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

I can't blame Alicent for any of this. She really had no choice. Her father commands, she obeys, the end. Even Cersei couldn't defy Tywin, and she was a queen. And I don't think Alicent had leeway to warn Rhaenyra. Otto wouldn't want her to give away the game to someone who could put Viserys on his guard.

[MollyB]

because enough can not be said about the white wigs:  in the first episode when the King explains the secret to his daughter at the altar of the dragon head, I was wondering why all the white hair hanging off the altar.  Were they drying out their wigs?  Were these hair of deceased Targs?  Were they preparing them for weaving into clothes?  Then my "duh" moment when I realized it was wax.

Did anyone else get a Jon Benet Ramsay vibe from the pre-engagement stroll?  That little girl looked like the Toddler competitions where their mothers dress and make them up to look like hookers adults.   Boo on her daddy even if he won't let her have sex until she's 14.

[RobertDeSneero]

I'm going to go the other way and say that I initially thought Laena was older than 14 until she said her mother said she wouldn't have to be bedded until she was 14.  I just thought she was short.

[Constantinople]

1 hour ago, SilverStormm said:

Otto is a manipulative, snidey schemer and his daughter is now a proven back stabber, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

How is Alicent a backstabber?

A subject's first duty is to her King not her BFF, and her King told Alicent not to talk about the two of them to Rhaenyra.

Rhaenyra spent the first episode pouting that she wasn't taken seriously because she's a girl. Now she's upset that life in the big leagues isn't fair.

Quote

Welcome to the NFL, rookie - Paulie Walnuts to Christopher, The Sopranos

Quote

Everybody cares about youth, not the individual. All we want is to be treated like human beings, not like guinea pigs to be experimented on and not lik bunny rabbits to be patronized - Veronica 

I do not patronize bunny rabbits - Dad

 Treated like human beings? Is that what you said little Miss Voice of a Generation? Just how do you think adults act with other adults? You think it's all just Doubles Tennis. Adults can be horrible to other adults. When teenagers complain that they want to be treated like human beings, it's usually because they are being treated like human beings - Mom, Heathers

[paigow]

Daemon: My brother is Worst.King.Ever if he passed on marrying a relative... especially one between 1/3 and 1/4 his own age... He must die... now!

[Meredith Quill]

1 hour ago, Constantinople said:

How is Alicent a backstabber?

A subject's first duty is to her King not her BFF, and her King told Alicent not to talk about the two of them to Rhaenyra.

Rhaenyra spent the first episode pouting that she wasn't taken seriously because she's a girl. Now she's upset that life in the big leagues isn't fair.

A subject's first duty is to their king. Can someone tell Otto that please?

The king specifically said "You don't mention our conversations to Rhaenyra do you?" and implied not to do so. He did not forbid it and if she cherished her friendship in any way, she would have let her bff know somehow (perhaps even via whispers to someone else), but no, she cherishes her potential position more. Evidenced by her being so clearly miffed in Ep1 with the fact that Rhaenyra wasn't concerned about her own position as they sat under the tree - position matters to Alicent. As for her being put in said position by Otto and thereby alleviating her of all accountability; yeah teenage girls are well known to do exactly what their fathers tell them to do with nary a quibble, to the letter and without hesitation; oof, Arya wants a word.

Your third point - as a female who was once a girl, I can say I know that those things are not mutually exclusive.

[tennisgurl]

Really solid second episode, they are certainly moving the plot quickly but it doesn't feel rushed. Of course, I am also probably riding high on hearing that amazing, epic Game of Thrones music again. The new opening credits weren't as awesome as the original credits, but I think it worked for this show. While GoT had a huge scope, and the map emphasized that, this show focuses mostly on the Targaryens, the blood of the dragon. 

Rhaenerya riding in on her dragon to get the egg back from Daemon was so awesome, I don't know what Otto was thinking, rolling up on Daemon like that without more power. The guy has a dragon, your going to need more than a few guys with swords to get him to back down. Also, Daemon looked extremely turned on when Rhaenerya showed up with that dragon, and we know how much Targaryens like to keep things in the family. 

I know that Corlys said that his daughter was young, but she looks like she is still putting baby teeth under her pillow for the tooth fairy! You know things are bad when the king marrying his teenaged daughters also teenaged best friend looks like the less creepy option. If he's looking to start having kids soon Alicent is certainly the better option, she's also super young but is at least already able to have kids, but he handled getting engaged like some kind of weird gender reveal party, and no one but Otto was happy with the surprise. He really should have given Rhaenerya a heads up about marrying her best friend, and he should have talked to Corlys about some other way to merge their houses, like matching his son with Rhaenerya, so he doesn't end up offending one of the most powerful lords in the kingdom. 

Viserys seems like a decent guy and not a horrible king by any means, but Corlys makes a good point about how he's indecisive and how he's putting off dealing with problems that are going to get even bigger later on. You would think that a creepy pirate king gathering large forces, killing your own sailors, and monopolizing your trade routes would be a pretty big concern, but Viserys just seems to think of it as some mild annoyance he doesn't want to have to deal with. Its probably why everyone got the Alicent surprise dumped on them the way that they did, he didn't want to have those awkward confrontations so he just avoided them until the last minute. 

Edited August 29, 2022 by tennisgurl

[Constantinople]

36 minutes ago, SilverStormm said:

A subject's first duty is to their king? Can someone tell Otto that please.

When the heir to the throne and the King's only child suggested she could go fight in the Stepstones, Otto shut that down immediately. Dragons aren't invulnerable nor are their riders. Corlys Velaryon, on the other hand, seemed remarkably chill about Rhaenyra risking her life for his benefit.

Otto advised Rhaenyra that even choosing a member of the Kingsguard has political implications and reminded her to thank the candidates for their service.

Everyone was telling Viserys to remarry. When Grand Maester Mellos recommended Laena Velaryon and explained why, Otto said, "The Grand Maester's reasoning is sound". For that matter Alicent said it would be "A very strong match" and she was sure that Laena was "good and kind" and would enjoy Viserys's company.

When Daemon pulled his childish stunt on Dragonstone, Otto insisted the king remain safe in King's Landing while Otto risked his life to retrieve the dragon's egg. When Rhaenyra appeared, Otto's immediate concern was for her safety.

And where was Corlys "Lives Next Door to Dragonstone" Velaryon? Nowhere to be seen.

Quote

The king specifically said "You don't mention our conversations to Rhaenyra do you?" and implied not to do so. He did not forbid it...

His meaning was clear. He didn't need to spell it out.

[gingerella]

16 hours ago, ybrik said:

Vicerys really seems like a somewhat kind person but really doesn’t seem to have the mind to be capable ruler. Hell marrying Alicent can be argued makes perfect sense as he should produce more children for his family line and he wouldn’t have to wait at least two years for it. However, he should have also tried to make some type of offer to Corlys. From the last episode it looks like Corlys has a son as well so he could have offered a marriage with Rhaenyra as a way to not only appease Corlys but provide an ally to aide Rhaenyra in becoming queen when he passes. 

Daemon is definitely continual chaos. He chose to take the dragon egg of his brother’s dead son as provocation. Not sure what the end game was that but I think he was pleasantly surprised by Rhaenyra. Daemon really is a younger brother, he pesters and calls his brother all types of things but will still protect his brother from slander. 

It really doesn’t matter at this point but does Rhaenyra have more than friendly feelings for Alicent?

Rhaenyra does seem to have good instincts for being a leader. I liked that she wanted to find the best person for the King’s Guard and not just the most politically advantageous. Though she needed to hear what Rhaenys said. 

Vicery seems like a kindlier version of Robert Baratheon. Nice guy. People like him perhaps. But not a head for leadership. Yes, marrying Alicent makes more sense than a the 12 year old. At least he can begin trying to have more children right away and not waiting for at least two more years, which would have made sense had he told Corlys that, and then made the case to join their Houses through Rhaenyra marrying his son. Missed story line, that.

Daemon is like a cross between Bad Dany/Cersei/Joffrey. I think he's going to be a big problem for a lot of folks soon.

The convo between Rhaenyra and Rhaenys (damn those names get confusing) reminded me of Cersei's 'fireside chats' with Sansa. Coming across as kindly...at first...then menacing as the conversation continued.

Why am I making comparisons to GoT? Because the show runners of HoTD seem to be treating this as the same show, IMO. I was a bit put off by the use of the GoT theme song in the closing credits last week, and even more turned off when it was used now as the opening sequence. I appreciate that they have a similar yet very different opening wrt the graphics, so why couldn't they ask their soundtrack maestro to create a new theme song that was reminiscent of/but not an exact copy of the GoT theme music? He's a talented musician/composer, I'm sure he could have done something new, yet familiar to the GoT viewer's ear. This over abundance of costuming/sets/music, etc. being recycled from GoT just feels cheap to me, and perplexing given they supposedly had like $20 million per episode? What on earth did they spend the money on, because it wasn't on new sets, costumes, or musical scores.

Overall, bitching aside, E02 was better than E01 for me. Perhaps things will improve. It could happen...it is known...

ETA: For whatever reason, Corlys' grey locks are not bothering me at all. In fact, I rather like them and anyone else feeling similarly is invited to my table for a pitcher of grog and a good gnaw on some bones! To me, he just looks like a really handsome older dude with immaculate grey locks. It's the blond wigs that look most horrible to my eyes, and as others have already mentioned, look more like they were purchased from the LOTRs costume department. That said, all this long hair begs the question how did they keep their hair so clean and fabulous? They all look like they ought to be on a Breck Girl commercial (and if you get that reference kudos, we're of the same era so I will buy you a jug of mead to go with the grog!). I mean, didn't they have lice? They seem to rarely bathe. Where are their combs, brushes, and servants to do their grooming. I hope we see a bit more background like the day to day stuff, rather than going from one very amped scene to the next.

Also, are we to assume that the creepy Crab Feeder is a Stone Man suffering from Greyscale?

Edited August 29, 2022 by gingerella

[cambridgeguy]

27 minutes ago, gingerella said:

Vicery seems like a kindlier version of Robert Baratheon. Nice guy. People like him perhaps. But not a head for leadership. Yes, marrying Alicent makes more sense than a the 12 year old. At least he can begin trying to have more children right away and not waiting for at least two more years, which would have made sense had he told Corlys that, and then made the case to join their Houses through Rhaenyra marrying his son. Missed story line, that.

Viserys is what Tommen would have grown up to become.  Nice guy, loves his wife, cares about others, etc.  Say what you will about Robert, but he would have been all for an attack on the pirates. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I'm not just talking egg breakage. Even if we assume that they have a tough leathery shell like reptile eggs instead of a more brittle one like bird eggs, all that bouncing around can not possibly be good for the embryo.

I don't think it works the same way as bird eggs. Daenerys was presented with dragon eggs on her wedding day to Kal Drogo. They'd apparently been around for some time, I'm not clear on where they even came from. I think they were more or less regarded as fossils. I think they are dormant until some magical fire ritual takes place. Up until then, they're just sort of rocks.

(Hopefully we'll get more info on dragon reproduction in HotD.)

[paigow]

1 hour ago, Constantinople said:

And where was Corlys "Lives Next Door to Dragonstone" Velaryon? Nowhere to be seen.

He went home to Driftmark Castle so he could conspire with Daemon

Edited August 29, 2022 by paigow