House of the Dragon S1E10 Explained
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- čas přidán 1. 10. 2023
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00:00 Luke & destiny
03:04 Bad news
04:26 Birth
08:19 Celtigars 🦀
09:35 Kingsguard
12:05 Coronation
13:34 Painted Table
14:30 Allies & enemies
20:18 Dragons
22:50 Otto’s offer
27:00 Daemon
29:04 Corlys & Rhaenys
32:20 Messengers
35:31 Vermithor
36:40 Storm’s End
41:59 Dance of the Dragons
#HotD
Finally some Celtigar representation 🦀🦀🦀
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Kept us waiting huh?
Wow finally!!!
Im glad you are ok.. I thought the worse.. stay safe!
Crabs in the chat!
Viserys held out for years with half a face, a missing arm, six teeth, and doped up 24/7. I waited five weeks for an Alt Shift X video. We are not the same.
lmao
Try waiting for a Glidus upload, he’s only halfway through the season :’)
😂😂😂😂
@ghostsurge Sometimes I think he enjoys torturing us😩 Glidus the Cruel (also The Hilarious)
@ghostsurge He probably died and there's a war over his channel
The dragons disobeying resulting in Luke’s death makes sense. Aemond was trying to scare Luke with his big dragon, but didn’t consider that he’d also be scaring Arrax.
Despite being giant magical weapons, dragons are also animals. Aemond’s use of Vhagar to scare Luke made Arrax feel cornered, and when an animal feels cornered, it lashes out to try and escape.
Vhagar was just doing what her best buddy Aemond was asking her to do, and now this Arrax is attacking her. She’s probably like “oh you wanna be like that, huh? Fuck you, you little shit. I’m bigger than you and you can’t do that shit to me” and then eats him.
Of course, the emotions of the riders could factor into this too, and it could’ve heightened what the dragons were feeling. But to me, this is completely within the realm of animal behavior.
I think it’s also a great demonstration of one of the oddities of humans, that our actions and desires are frequently not in alignment. It’s one of the main reasons we shouldn’t be allowed to control magical (or regular) nukes.
Yeah, I thought Vhagar's disobedience was kind of like a bestial power/ego trip.
She was fine and chill letting the kids play around and scare each other and went along with it.
Fire in her face though? Nuh-uh, she ain't taking any of Arrax's shit. Gotta show who's boss, so *CHOMP*
Also shows what an inexperienced dragon rider Aemond is to not have known that.
that's exactly how I see it, too! Especially with Arrax being so much younger/smaller/weaker than Vhagar. Vhagar is seasoned and can tell that Aemond wants her to pull her punches. But lil Arrax thinks he's being hunted for real, so he doesn't wait for the order, he acts instinctually, like any frightened child, or wild animal, would.
I love the change at the end, with it not intending to actually kill Luke. It adds more tragedy to the coming war and the characters depth.
It makes them seem less like crazy psychopaths.
TEAR MY LIFE INTO PIECES, THIS IS MY LAST RESORT! SUFFICATION, NO BREATHING, DONT GIVE A FUCK IF I CUT MY ARM BLEEDING! THIS IS MY LAST RESORT!
I so hope it haunts Aemond the entire dance.
its crazy how incredible irresponsible these characters act almost all of the time. sending their teenage kids on diplomatic missions... trying to "scare" someone just for fun by using an uncontrollable animal while being in a conflict so thick that a wrong look could make everyone explode
Sending Luke on this mission makes sense for Rhaenyra as her suggestion of sending dragon riders in early episode as a demonstration of power got rejected/ignored by King Viserys, and she wanted her kids to know she trusted them and recognized them as true allies. Luke's death is the 'kill the girl' moment for Rhaenyra and becomes her pivotal lesson of ruling as a Queen.
It demonstrated how bad of an idea it was back then, and almost equally as bad when she sent Luc. At least she has more heirs..
It only shows how Rhaenyra is a bad politician sending a teenager with zero diplomatic skills on his tiny dragon to a place called storm's end is an awful idea to bigin with and then assuming that proud lord borros will honor his father's oath and insulting him by commanding him to obey you without giving him anything in return but again such decision is totaly in character for Rhaenyra
@merkikima You understand this is traditionally how its done, right. Like, not in fantasy land, but in real life. Royalty send the princes (Charles, William, Harry) on diplomacy missions since as long as royalty has been royal. You never treat with the King/Queen. You treat with the prince. Charles went on his first diplomatic mission at 14 with Wales. And Borro's father is the one that hosted Rhaenyras marrige parade in episode 4. You understand that right? They arnt distant allys, they are direct allys. This is as out of pocket for the Baratheons as when Small Jon killed the Stark boy and joined the Boltons. I dont think youre able to grasp this.
@Spoons that is not the issue here but the fact that Rhaenyra send luce alone he is still to far inexperienced for such important mission Rhaenyra as a mother and a queen should have knowen that being the right age doesn't mean anything in politics and war it's your abilities and experience that matters luce literaly had no answer when borros asked him a very simple question she should have at least send him with a guarison that includes experienced diplomats even Robb stark despite his military geniouse and being surounded by older people helping and guiding him was a victim to his own young age and lack of political skills same goes for danny in the books.bottom line Rhaenyra messed up and theire are no justifications for it
@merkikima Many other houses honored their oaths, and the reason for the trip was to see who would support Rhaenyra, she had no idea that Aemond would draw first blood and become a kinslayer.
"Vhagar is a 180-year old, battle hardened nuclear dinosaur" is a phrase I didn't know I needed in my life 😂
So you haven't heard of Godzilla
best
Also probably most of the other dragons mother, grandmother or great grandmother. Cranky old lady with all the seniority!
Yeah! I sat up and took notice at that description 😃! LoL!
Im surprised Luke could even mount Arrax with the valyrian steel balls he must have to see Vhagar in Storms Ends driveway and still continue his mission
Yup, definite oh fuck moment right there. I think the showrunners have done a really good job of illustrating the size difference between the dragons. That shot looking up as Vhagar flies over Luke was spine tingling.
😂😂😂😂
he was a bastard and he got owned royally by aemond
@Crasniculnot really
A 44 minute Alt video is all I wanted for Christmas ❤
Truly a Christmas miracle
@Darksideis better to tell her and move on then.
Here here.
I thought we would never get it. But we did and I’m so happy! Thank you, ASX!
IT'S NOT EVEN DECEMBER YET
I am probably not the only one to notice this: There is a layer to the chess analogy, beyond just chess being another game of thrones: Black is always the side that moves after white and is therefore in a more reactive position rather than white's proactive one. Considering that the Greens made the first move and forced the Blacks' hand by proactively crowning Aegon, the title "Black Queen" is quite fitting.
Underrated comment
If you watch the first episode, the entrants for the tourney all have helmets that slightly resemble chess pieces. And those on the balcony are seated in front of a large mesh which looks like the squares on a board. The manner in which characters are positioned helps achieve this aesthichic. I believe there is even a deeper meaning to each knight representing a piece.
Gwayne Hightower is a rook, who can only attack in cardinal directions. He loses to Daemon, who resembles a knight, a piece which can easily outmanouver and take the rook. Otto Hightower is the other rook, a piece which is famously known for being able to replace the Kings position - a move called "Towers".
Ser Cryston's helm resembles a pawn, which is one of the few pieces that can threaten and defeat the knight, which he does.
Well I’m a big fan of house Targaryen 🐉 the blacks 🐉🔥🐉Down with the Greens
@mel leen Wow, really neat analysis. Building on to that, it’s fitting then how frail and weak Visetys is, just as the king is the most vulnerable piece-especially after the death/sacrifice of his queen (Aemma).
@mel leen "Towers"? Ya mean castling don't you?
Regarding the misshapen baby, I heard a theory (sorry I don't have a source) that Targaryen fetuses normally have dragonlike features during pregnancy and only lose them and become fully human late in the term. (Reminds me of recapitulation theory in biology -- Targaryens are descended from dragons, and thus their fetuses go through a dragon phase.) Thus, any premature Targaryen birth is likely to be deformed. Dany's baby may have been premature; the baby in this episode certainly was. I don't know if all the babies described as being born with dragon features were also premature. But it would make this a consistent result and not an occasional bad-luck birth defect.
Good point and it's very likely they were all premature, as this most often occurs in highly stressed mothers. Given what we've seen on how these people live their lives - I'd say it's almost certain they experience a lot higher than average stress levels.
Yeah don’t human foetus’s like have a tail that eventually becomes a spine? Also like some babies are born covered in hair that falls out later
@A - cat Exactly. To be clear, recapitulation is discredited as a theory en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recapitulation_theory but the evidence that caused people to devise the theory -- such as your examples -- made it seem plausible, and plausible is all we need for a fantasy story.
definitely has something to do with the blood magic performed in old valyria
@Nick Colavita Then, isn't it likely that Targaryens would lose their connection to dragons over time due to marrying out but also just time. That's if the dragons had survived. Maybe Targaryens really do need to keep committing incest
I appreciate what the show runners have done with the Alicent Hightower character. Not just the one dimensional “Evil Step-Mom” character from the Book. Now you actually feel some sympathy for both sides
Yeah, for Alicent perhaps, however that could also be interpreted as naive. Hightowers and the council however have been plotting this since the birth of Aegon.
BUT, that kinds of prooves your point that it's more tragic for Alicent, how she is being neglected in all the scheming, apparently because of her 'woman', 'soft' nature and her willingness to make up with Rhaenyra when Viserys "demanded" it. Yet, she's also plotting with Larys so all that stuff is layered so much I just can't stop but love all of it.
Always amazing to see GRRM at work, especially when he's tearing apart all the "bullshit" from past GRRM :D
The young character is great, but after the time skip she’s rather inconsistent, the episode 6 Alicent is pretty bitchy and almost straight up evil towards Rhaenyra but episode 9 Alicent is suddenly almost a saint who doesn’t want bad things for Rhaenyra
@Lilit Arutyunyan nah i think its fine. cause its one thing to try and screw over someone you dont like and even to try and hurt them in an emotional rage if you feel they are responsible for hurting your child. but its another thing completely to order said person''s death (especially if you used to be close)
@Lilit Arutyunyan ikr?? i love how they made her not want to kill her in the council scene when she has already tried to stab rhaenyra 😭
You know, I watched episode 10 on a flight one night. It made the dragon battle with Luke and Aemond so much more intense 😳 🐉 ✈️
Haha! Same! I let out a welp and the dude next to me thought I was crazy 🤪 lol.
Awesome
How did you manage to download it?
@Achint Singh HBO Max from my iPad. Did it through great Wi-Fi I think.
Battle? That was a straight up massacre
The Prophecy is exactly the type of thing Daemon always wanted to know, protect and to be part of. Since the beggining of his life (and the show) he was after the thrill, the magic and the glory of being a Targaryan, but he lived in a time of relative peace and his brother Viserys was too indecisive and too peaceful. So when Rhaenyra told him about The Prophecy, it was almost as if he was robbed of his dream glory life, as if he was robbed of his real Targaryan purpose.
While I was initlally hesitant about it, I really like the decision to make Luke's death an accident. It makes a lot of sense that the bickering of these children would result in death when they're each given an atomic bomb with wings. Plus it'll likely add some interesting dimension to Aemond in season 2, given that he will forever be known as a kinslayer.
These videos have been great all season! I look forward to seeing them again during season 2, and I look forward to further ASOIAF content in the future.
I'm honestly not that bothered that it's an accident, it's the way that the accident comes across in the final episode that annoys me. IMO it comes across as contrived and I'm not a fan of Aemond's delivery with the "NO VHAGAR NOOO!!!!" dialogue. I think it also takes away a bit of Aemond's agency but I'm more than likely just seeing this as more of a book fan than a show fan. At the end of the day, it is what it is.
I’m fine with the change too! The main argument against it was that Aemond would be absolved from guilt by the narrative and I don’t think that’s true at all. It’s still very much Aemond’s fault, he didn’t intend on letting it get that out of hand, but he’s responsible for the situation. It’s just more nuanced now
Nah, I'm NOT feeling it. 😒 Because they threw a lot of dirt on Daemon, showing him doing things like killing his 1st wife or choking Rhaenyra out... only to turn around, and give passes to characters like Alicent or Aemond.
All of us book readers know what a psychopath Aemond One Eye is. He not only kills Luc on purpose.... he then goes back home & BRAGS about it, ffs. But the writers obviously didn't want the audience knowing that.
So they place all of the blame on.... his highly trained, and battle tested dragon?? 🙄 Vhagar is the veteran of over 100 battles, and has NEVER been known to disobey her rider. Ever. So I wasn't buying that nonsense at all.
And when you examine behind the scenes interviews of the writers... it's pretty obvious that they are #TeamGreen. Which means we can expect to see more dirt getting thrown on a lot of Team Black characters that we love, for no f*cking reason at all.
I mean, what was that spectacle of Rhaenys bursting up through the Dragon Pit, and killing hundreds of peasants?! 🤨🐉 The audience might have thought it was cool... but now all that death is being held against the character. And it's especially stupid when you consider that she could have ended the war right then.
These writers are just doing a bunch of fan fiction, instead of properly adapting the written work as they should. I can't believe George was okay w/some of these changes. It's really unfortunate, tbh. But oh well.
Vhgara knew exactly what she was doing, maybe the young Prince shouldn't have a flying nuke 🤔
shit he's got -10 close family opinion now
I actually think daemon was in the right to think Viserys was murdered. They’ve only just got back to dragonstone and Viserys has suddenly died and within not even a whole day, Aegon is on the throne and the entirety of kings landing is sided with the greens. He’s right to think that there must’ve been some conspiring to put aegon on the throne instead of Rhaenyra (because there was) which makes it seem actually quite reasonable that Viserys was murdered. Murdered by allicent though is a stretch and that’s where it’s obvious that Daemon is flawed in his thinking. But the actual thought that Viserys was murdered is not actually that wild. From his perspective I can’t say I’d think different
You cited the symbolism of Rhaenyra getting Viserys’s crown, but not the symbolism of Aegon getting Maegor’s crown. Maegor got the throne because his mother usurped the throne for him, just like Aegon II. They also have the same number of descendants to this day. 😊
i thought that was aegon''s
@A\zzor Aegon was the first wearer. Maegor was the most recent. Jaehaerys didn’t want to continue use of that crown because of the bad things associated with that crown.
Fuck me! nice catch! Its like poetry, it rhymes
He’s’ biased towards the black faction
Hey this is a side topic, but I have a theory about Daemon's attraction to Rhaenyra. This wasn't pointed out on the show, but the sound designers said this in an interview, that in episode 2, before we see Syrax in the clouds, Caraxes sensed that she was coming and he started making mating calls, like a dragon love song.
We know how the dragon riders have a mental connection with their dragons, seen in how Caraxes flinched in pain when an arrow hit Daemon.
What if, Caraxes attraction to Syrax predates Daemon's attraction to Rhaenyra, and that this is the reason they are attracted to each other, is because their dragons are in love?
strange fan fiction
@Kaiden lol seriously. This is Westeros, not some teen paranormal romance.
That actually makes a lot of sense. Empathic connections work both ways, and incest should produce much more deformation in the offspring. Especially brother and sister. It makes sense.
I really don't like their relationship cause he kinda groomed her if you think about at 2am. I mean it looks consensual but because of the power dynamic we will never know for sure.
@Bhlack Bishop yes
Before I was upset about Rhaenyra not having the opportunity to choose what crown she wanted to take up. But now I am so relieved that she got her father’s crown instead because it is a form of political legitimacy for her as she is the true heir of Viserys. It was very smart of Erryk to steal Viserys’ crown instead of Aegon the Conquerer’s. This video made me see that point of view, great insight!
I agree! Although, I don't think the Greens would've allowed Erryk to take Aegon the Conquerer's crown anyways since it was also a form of legitimacy for Aegon II (the name, the crown, and the blade) during his coronation. Rhaenyra looks beautiful with her father's crown.
Looks beautiful on her too
“Ultimately it may have been a bad idea to give dragons to children in a polical crisis” seems like it could be the title of the entire show lol
“Hey guys what are you doing tomorrow night?”
“”Ordering a pizza and watching Ultimately It May Have Been a Bad Idea to Give Dragons to Children in a Political Crisis” Hmm.. nah. Doesn’t roll off the tongue the same
UIMHBABITGDTCIAPC is a bit long, I think it should be
House of the Dragons: Ultimately, it may have been a bad idea to give dragons to children in a political crisis
Must've been nice not to have to crunch and rush to get this out in a week, thanks for the vids
My guy Dolan darker supporting a fellow Australian creator
I like the intentional dimensions being given to the characters, Daemon and Aemond are fan favorites, so scenes like singing in Valyrian really work, and I was legitimately shocked when Aemond lost control. It's actually delivering the idea the TV show alone made and just isn't in the books: that the dragons are power they cannot control. Even GOT's badly delivered ideas make more sense here; that without control passion and desire warps people.
Daemon and Aemond, much like Rhaenyra and Alicent are written and acted as characters with sympathetic moments, intelligence, and ability. They are all political actors denied agency in different ways, and the tragedy is that they cannot simply blame society entirely for their ills and evils. I felt the last two episodes especially were what we were actually waiting for; I feel the show will be MORE engaging the less it's like the source material, I dislike the Dance heavily and find all the characters repellant or poorly developed. The show's second half won me over
Might have been worth pointing out that Boros's maester could be manipulating him into helping the Hightowers, assuming the maesters are all on the same side as Oldtown.
He did point it out he said maesters have been known to twist words for their own advantage
24:50 - Also, the fact that Aegon and Viserys specifically were granted spots at court is another slight to Rhaenyra's eldest 3 sons, at least that's how I interpret it. Aegon and Viserys are not just her youngest sons and easy hostages, but are also Targaryen on both sides, they are not just Rhaenyra's kids and her father's grandsons, but also Daemon's sons, Viserys's nephews in the male line, with no question of their legitimacy; the Greens are essentially implying which of her kids are truly worthy of being at court in King's Landing, and which ones are really the only threat to Aegon in terms of legitimacy.
But they did mention that Jace would remain heir to Dragonstone, and Luke would remain heir to Driftmark (IIRC). So I think it was a fair proposition that did not undermine their legitimacy, at least on paper.
@obuw1 still, if the older boys were legitimate, it seems way more likely it would've been Joffrey as the cup bearer/squire, since he's older. Jace & Luke being allowed to keep their inheritance was just a very mild appeasement because those are the ones people are going to get mad about. Joffrey being overlooked in favour of Aegon & Viserys is still significant.
I've never read the books but its sad that I knew Luke was going to die as soon as Rhaenyra said she was sending them alone on these missions. The kid was too innocent, loyal and kindhearted that I knew he was going to die to be the catalyst for all out war. Pretty bummed we have to wait 2 years for the next season 😞
The production times are only gonna get longer, just like the books
@BiggieCheez season 2 is gonna be a banger, a roberts rebellion tv show would also bang
@Rigby I look more forward to the Blackfyre rebellions, it's probably the bigggest of events in westeros, almost rivaling Aegon's conquest.
@mohd shahariar yes that would be crazy, but seeing a young robert holding his war hammer into war would be crazyyy.
@Rigby not as much as brynden rivers vs aegor rivers, that rivalry was huge
I love how much work you put into the visual explanations in your GoT/HOTD videos. Thanks for bringing to light additional important context to this show. I really appreciate it. 😊🖤
This has been well worth the wait. You have done an exceptional job summarizing the show without giving anything away from the books that will happen in future seasons.
I think this episode makes it safe to say that Daemon married Rhaenyra to be closer to the Iron Throne and not out of love. Which means that he’s been grooming her for DECADES like the book suggests…
I believe that in marriage, you must realize: the person you're marrying will see you as you hoped they never would. That includes vices, insecurities, embarrassing habits, and so on. I don't necessarily believe he never loved her. Perhaps, though, it was more of a narcissistic love. Even if that's the case, it's pretty well established in the older episodes that there was something between them. Cliche, but a "spark" :p
@Sitcom Christian Fully agreed. Daemon is an opportunist. Even if he truly loves his family, he’ll always do what is best for him.
People seem to forget that he’s a second son. Him and many second sons like Otto, Larys, & Vaemond always have to fight for what they want since they stand to inherit nothing.
Word. He's fond of her darker, rebellious tendencies but it hardly seems like love. He knows her being heir brings him closer to the throne and center of the conflict. He knows violence is inevitable. He seems happier with his second wife but also bored by the conventional family life. Her death is sad but convenient. Rhaenyra's also using him to strengthen her claim by resorting to traditional Targaryen inbreeding. She knows if there's violence, he's a fearsome asset as well. He didn't hesitate to decapitate Vaemond.
The video we have all been waiting for
Great video. I liked the chess reference.
"If war's first stroke is to fall, it will not be by my hand" Rhaenyra says to Corlys. Just like in chess Black waits for the first move from their opponent.
Man, I've never felt "phobia" before, and I don't think I really have one for 'giant things' but something about that shot of Vhagar when Luke arrives at Storm's End is geniunely terrifying every time I see it. It almost feels like they got the sense of scale wrong, he seems larger than the entire keep, incredible visual storytelling.
Then the shot looking up as Vhagar overshoots Luke takes your breath away. Great way to emphasise the size difference. Makes Drogon from GOT look a little pathetic now.
We had to wait awhile, but it was worth it. What strikes me about your videos is that you can tell how much thought/time/research you out into them. A small detail that I enjoy is even though I know you know how this story plays out, you still manage to have a POV that’s very in the moment and situational to what is actually happening on the show. I really appreciate the depth that you have achieved with these videos, & thank you for doing what you do because I’m lazy af & this is so palatable it’s insane.
I love the symbolism of Vizzy T's dream of his son being born with Aegons Iron Crown and it being him that crowned him since it was Vizzy T's actions, or lack thereof, that directly led to Aegon being crowned.
Ok
@E alright.
I love the idea that dreams and prophecy destroyed the Targaryen dynasty
@Wyatt Rota Amen. "Prophecy will bite your prick off, every time."
Vizzy T lmao
Incredible job on this whole series. You went into so much detail not just on the show but everything surrounding it, making connections even book readers might've missed. My SO doesn't really do the intensity and gore of the show, but does want to know how things play out, so we've been watching your breakdowns to get the scoop together :D Thanks so much. Rock on!
Thank you for being the VaatiVidya of Game of Thrones, and Vaati for being the AltShiftX of Dark Souls/Elden Ring. The similarities in speaking voice, narration style and quality content are great to see and hear. True juggernauts of lore.
Loved this show so much more than I thought I would they really did a great job. The only thing that sucks about it is the 2 year wait for the next season :(
I hate the wait so much, but at least that means they're actually putting real effort into it. No more mistakes like GoT season 6-8
14:18 - Also a cool title because in chess, Black moves second instead of first. Rhae is reacting and making second moves the whole episode.
The legend himself
While the wait was tough, this video was so worth it. Such a great video to end the season on. This has been better than even the show itself ❤️
Mr. Alt shift X, thank you for these years of good thorough analysis, all the while not spoiling big events to come. During the wait between the last hotd vid and this one I’ve been just floating through and revisiting your older content from before. Your hard work is evident, and it’s much appreciated from us all!
Rhaenyra sending her son's out as messengers during a time like this was a very poor decision. I actually don't get why Daemon and Rhaenyra weren't prepared for this when the whole reason Rhaenyra married Daemon is because she felt like she couldn't face the Greens by herself so she knew damned well the Greens wanted Aegon on the throne once Viserys died and yet neither Daemon and Rhaenyra did nothing to prepare in the last 6 years they've been married.
The thing is according to the books it worked well for Jace tho, he gained the northern loyal allies. The Starks probably wouldn’t have appreciated a regular messenger. I still think she should have sent Rhaenys to storms end tho, Borros is her first cousin and he wouldn’t have disrespected her like he did Luke. Aemond wouldn’t have attacked her either and I doubt Vhagar would have chased or tried to harm Meleys
@Attitude Khaleesi I agree that Rhaenyra should've sent Rhaenys instead of Lucerys to storms end because Aemond doesn't have a reason to go after her. But sending Lucerys was very dumb, the boy can't even defend himself
@Sydni 'The Romantic' Taylor Yeah he was just a kid after all lmao, was a very stupid decision
It’s interesting that Matt during a comic con panel mentioned both him and Emma actually didn’t understand where the choking came from and both struggled to work through the scene. Which is like, I’m just concerned when actors and writers aren’t aligned cos I get flashbacks to GoT season 8’s depressing table read sessions of Kit and everyone else.
Daemon is an inherently violent person. I don't understand everyone's shock at him choking Rhaenyra. He doesn't know how to handle his emotions in a healthy way e.g. him beating up the messenger, the confrontation with Craghas, his inability to be a good father. Especially considering the fact that Viserys was the person he wanted the love and acceptance from the most and then discovering that the one thing that would've, in a way, solidifed Viserys' acceptance as Daemon as his heir wasn't told to him? Yeah... That's definitely gotta hurt Daemon. Also, Emma has stated that they understand the meaning behind the choking in later interviews.
You'd think of all people, the actors would be the most realistic about the relationship between Daemon and Rhaenerys. It's not pure, the evidence is there, they just gave such great chemistry that people forget
Just an incredible ending and an equally awesome companion video, as always! Thank you for your dedication throughout this series - I can't imagine how taxing it must be to create content under such immense pressure. We all appreciate you and no matter when a release comes, we'll be here to watch and support!
@AltShiftX thank you for the intentional thoughtfulness you consistently put into your videos (especially after the livestream Q&A’s) - this S1E10 video was totally worth the wait! You & your team’s contributions make this series so enjoyable!
Surprised you missed how Arrax went after Vhaegar's left eye, similar to how Luke took out Aemond's
Which is actually kind of funny, because the book explicitly states it's the *right* eye that Aemond loses. Maybe just a preference by the actor of which eye he could show more expression with.
I just want to say, I purchased Fire and Blood and read the whole book last month. Before reading I watched all of your explanation videos and live discussions. Thank you for how well you protect spoilers. I'm amazed how you put these together knowing the story and still manage to explain it in a way in which the future is a total mystery. Well done!
As the season ended. It was a thrill ride. I started as Rhaenyra supporter from Ep 1, then my loyalty shifted towards Alicent from Ep 4. This is the beauty of the show. Creating compelling characters with moral complexity.
I preferred Alicent before the time jump and I preferred Rhaenyra after the time jump. Older Rhaenyra(despite her faults) and Younger Alicent are kinder than their other versions.
Interesting! Are you still on team Alicent? Personally, I find myself very conflicted. I understand where both are coming from and that makes it hard for me to decide.
I don't understand how one can be team Alicent. Do you want Aegon on the throne?
@Fagel I'm Team Alicent because I think she's a more interesting character.
It felt really good to have a show to look forward to and get excited about again. Actually sat down to watch it as soon as it released. Wish there were more amazing content like this put out there nowadays
I love that the sapphire for Aemon’s eye is set up in episode six by Laenor. As he’s bragging to Rhaenyra about all of the riches his boyfriend has found, he mentions sapphires the size of a fist. Which is probably about the size needed to fill an eye socket.
How big are your eyes and/or how small are your fists?
Jk, it's possible.
Thanks for the amazing content! I am glad you took your time to conclude the season, it's a great analysis as always.I hope you also took some time to chill and relax a bit :)
Just wanna say, thank you Schwifty for all the hard work and passion you put into these videos and for all you've given to ASOIAF and the fandom
Who's that guy?
Amazing breakdown of the final episode! I see now why it took much longer to be uploaded than the others - nice work ; )
Thank you so much for this series. You should be incredibly proud. It’s an absolutely fantastic effort!
baby Visenya did not have geyscale, that's just ridiculous. She was a deformed lizard baby with dragon scales. It happens to Targaryen babies all the time, especially if the parent has a strong dragon nature (Maegor, Daenerys, Daemon twice).
Also, comparing Daemon's marriage with Rhea Royce to his marriage with Rhaenyra is just wrong. He was forced to marry rhea and they absolutely hated each other. In the books he begged Viserys multiple times to annul the marriage, but the king refused
Daemon is an ultimate Targaryen, basically a dragon in human form and he thinks and acts like one. Nothing about him can shock or even surprise Rhaenyra,she knows it all too well. In essence they are very similar
He said it “looked” like grey scale
the dragons scene with Luke/Arrax and Aemond/Vhagar is really the epitome of this season for me. It just has everything and it works on so many layers. First, the cinematic is awesome, with the climax that seems to drop when Luke gets to the sunny sky above the stormy clouds and then gets smashed by Vhagar, making it even more dramatic. Second, on the narrative, it condenses in a very spectacular way the core of the fight between the 2 branches of Viserys heirs, the ones he had from the first wife and the ones he had from the second, which is a family feud that is never going to be solved, giving it the flavor of a greek tragedy. Third, It symbolizes perfectly what's probably the most cruel theme of the series, that is kids getting tossed by egoistic parents into politics and power when they are not ready or they simply don't want to, resulting into killing them (or at the very least making them bad parents as well, like Rhaenyra proves to be by sending Luke to his death). And, at last, the nature of power itself, symbolized by the dragons, which in the end can't be controlled and guides whoever owns it to do what he would have never wanted to do, ultimately calling for self destruction.
I have to say the screenwriters did an amazing job: even Martin himself told they improved his own book on certain points, and even if, of course, you might argue he just says so to promote the series he's making money from, it's obvious that he clearly didn't need it. this season went way past my expections and I cannot wait for season 2.
It is also funny to me that Daemon threw the line “mummer’s farce” back in otto’s face in the same spot on dragonstone as their previous confrontation
Daemon is so petty, he remembered it all those years lol
This feels almost like getting to watch one final episode of the season
Ty Alt for all of this since got to now
This video took a while, but they never disappoint. I loved your explanation of the series, hope you continue to do it with season 2
What if Targaryens are dragons in the womb but over the pregnancy development they become human which is why Visneya who was still born and 2 months early still looked mostly human but also had dragon features?
Thank you so much shifty, I know this series front to back 10x over and really have no need for recaps but I thoroughly loved and looked forward to these recap videos every single week. They're so incredibly well done. Looking forward to season two!
Beautiful work as always ASX. Thanks for the recap. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed the show.
I’ve been looking forward to this video! Absolutely love how you break down everything and make it easier to understand for those of us who haven’t the heart to read the books lol 😂
I think the scene with Jace and Luke training stems from the scene last episode where Aemon was showing off with Cole. Jace is scared but he’s also intelligent and dutiful. He knows that a day may come when he has to face Aemon or Cole and he has to be ready.
I'd be lying if i said i wasn't annoyed this took so long for you to do. However I was not expecting 44 minutes of pure pedigree explanation. Well worth the wait, thankyou sir. Doing the 7s work. No other channel be doing better breakdowns than yourself
We also see him getting significantly better editing, so that's probably adding some time
If the scene with Daemon was at the begining of the show I think I would have interpreted him gathering the allies as a unsupportive move. I love his character development, because firstly it could almost appear to be supportive - as he is doing what needs to be done when she is unable to. But then I realised he is actually just distracting himself, because of the trauma of what his last wife went through. He seems stronger than viserys and yet he left his second wife to suffer and kill herself because he couldnt make decision to end her suffering.
Oh my God, I hadn't thought of it like that but you make a really good point
Well, Viserys didnt tell Daemon cause he never was truly his heir. He had hopes of having a male heir till the very last moment, so he didnt feel the need to tell him. When his male heir died and also his wife, then he saw the urgency of passing off the secret and then in dispair chose Rhaenyra. Thats why, not because she was meant to be heir. Probably he was going to tell Daemon after his son died but due to that "comment" he simply did not see him fit for it.
It would make for an interesting story/ series. Ancient blood magic sorcerers trying to figure out how to control dragons, failing and getting toasted a bunch of times, and eventually concluding they need to make a human dragon hybrid.
Seeing that A Song of Ice and Fire was going to be a science fiction story first, Martin insinuated that the Valyrians had help not from their world to tame dragons.
@Keyser94 more like lovecraftian cosmic nightmares. No benevolent alien race helping them, just some ancient and powerful evil that's having a bit of fun.
Amazing analysis as always! Informative, thought-provoking and fun! I would wait a million years for one of your videos, Alt!
Been watching you since freshman year in college (2015). As a fully grown adult, I still tune in like a child to Saturday morning cartoons at the sight of any Alt-Shift video. Thanks Alt, we appreciate your mastery in giving us new insights to the fictional universes we all love.
Right? It’s insane how much this channel has grown. I remember when there wasn’t even half the subs he has now.
Hugs from bohemian forest.
0:24: 💔 Rhaenyra faces the betrayal of her friend Alison and the death of her premature and deformed baby, while her son Luke worries about his inheritance.
6:29: 💔 The Targaryens' history of giving birth to deformed dragon-like babies may be a side effect of their dragon DNA and Valyrian magic.
12:51: 👑 Rhaenyra's coronation and alliances with powerful houses.
18:19: 🐉 The conflict between Rhaenyra and Aegon for the Iron Throne intensifies as they gather allies and dragons.
24:04: 😮 Rhaenyra considers Otto's peace terms, while Daemon threatens him and learns about a Targaryen prophecy.
33:23: 🐉 Rhaenyra sends her sons Jace and Luke on a diplomatic mission to convince the North and Stormlands to support her, using their dragons as a convincing tool.
36:01: 🐉 The dragons Verma Thor and Vegar become uncontrollable and kill Prince Luke.
41:39: 💔 Rhaenyra's grief over the death of her son changes her perspective and may lead to war in House of the Dragon.
Recap by Tammy AI
Please make more got videos. I love hearing about Westeros past and all of the lore and you do a great job of pairing factual texts from the book with your own calculated and insightful analysis
Daemon says he would not use the dragons against dragons unless he had no choice. There are far better ways to use them he says. He's also the most accomplished military leader in the seven kingdoms and its not bullshit. I hope the show doesn't dumb him down.
It should also be noted that Luke's supposed tale of "survival" is extremely similar to that of the fool, Patchface, in which he became simple-minded and lost all memories of his life after their drowning after three dBay..
And they both "drowned" on Shipbreaker's bay.
Yeah, and Luke became an ordinary fisherman. Don’t know if it’s true ‘cause that’s just a rumor from the book. Supposedly, the show has the truth
In the book Luke's survival could have been portrayed as a possibility. I think the show decided to instead give us a definitive ending, one that doesn't leave room for "what if's", they showed Arrax being chomped and bits of him falling down to the sea. They took away the ambiguity that the books left and showed us there was no way Luke would have survived, either the chomp, or the long fall back down to the sea, either of which would have been fatal.
Maybe daemon or aemon will suffer patchface's fate instead
@Steve McMillen That was because his body was never found which is why it was theorized that he somehow survived, which is extremely unlikely to impossible.
Can’t wait to see more GoT/ASOIAF content from you! I’ve read all the books since the end of the show, and I’d love to hear more analysis/speculation about winds of winter and dream of spring from you too! 💙💛🧡
Big Jon Snow video coming in future!
@Alt Shift X I dont want it
@Alt Shift X Do you think a sequel series 'Snow' is possible ?
@SerArthurdayne its already in development
@Alt Shift X hopefully this is similar to your previous vid about tyrion in the books. Jon snow in the books maybe?
A theory I like about the baby is that they are dragon seeds that turn to humans as they grow in the womb, and when it comes early it’s still a dragon.
it is so freaking cool to finally see storms end. I really really hope we get to see more places in depth like the reach or even casterly rock
Shifty my old son this is amazing and well worth the wait! Thanks for taking the time to bestow upon is these brilliant breakdowns.
I have a theory for you and other members of the ASOIAF crew, do you think that potentially Jon Snow, or Aegon Targaryen or whatever, could tame the cannibal? He’s of Targaryen blood and can therefore be a dragon rider. Maybe the azor ahai prophecy isn’t as literal as we think with ‘lightbringer’. Potentially Jon offers up dany to the cannibal as a means of taking the at that point oldest biggest baddest dragon on the block to use as his light bringer, to rid the army of the dead.
That shot of Vhagar killing Lucerys and Arrax was pure horror. I knew it was coming as I'd read the books but I still jumped. It is a gorgeous shot, the calm after the storm followed by a jump scare.
AMAZING CHANNEL BUD!!!! THE WAY THE EPISODES ARE DESCRIBED AND PRESENTED WITH ADDITIONAL VISUAL AIDS IS JUST AMAZING!!!!! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
The heart to heart talk Corlys had with Luc about inheritance of the name Velarion would have made Dominic Torretto proud
I can see why this took some more time. Great production! I rather wait a bit more to get more stuff like this. 👍🏼
I was waiting for this video Ser Alt Shift of House X- good tiding Ser! As ALWAYS your videos are remarkably watchable and full of interesting lore and story points. please keep up the great work, and i know we all cannot wait for Season 2 of HOTD!!!
Was waiting eagerly for this summation of episode 10! Great job as always👍🏾
This channel is amazing. Love how he ties book and show together. Not a book reader so this is the best! Thank you
Excellent, extremely thorough explanation. Thanks, Alt!
I appreciate this channel so much. The World of Ice and Fire is such a well-built, interesting world but so many details go over my head. The way you look at these details, break them down and explain how they represent the bigger themes of HOTD and GOT makes me enjoy that world so much more. Great job on the final season 1 video, can't wait for season 2!!!
I really get giddy at how much some of the cast really take seriously their roles. It translates.
I think I looked forward to your video more than the actual episode. Per expectation, you didn't disappoint. Great work!
This was worth waiting for. Thank you for doing such a marvelous job with this video. All of them, really.
I've had 3 attempts to watch this show and I'm glad I finally did watch it till the end. It has everything that made got hbo series good, but amplifies on those aspects to make it a masterpiece
Been waiting for this one! Thanks for all your hard work I absolutely love your videos
I think Daemon blamed Alicent for giving viserys the milk of the poppy. Like Alicent made him into that brittle state.
So it makes sense that daemon would blame alicent for poisoning and dulling his mind with opium.
except it doesnt make sense, considering poppy milk is the only way to alleviate pain in Westeros, especially for already old and dying people. daemon is just being a spiteful idiot
@God Emperor of Mankind 3.0 wasn't it also stated in the books that Rhaenyra sent her Maester to treat the King and it was better for him or something? not really sure about this anymore
Bruh Viserys is literally crippling. He had one eye, one arm, difficulty in walking and moving, his other face rotten, and a dream. I was surprised he was alive for that long. I think he blamed Alicent midst his rage and tried to find any reasoning and because of his hatred against Otto and Alicent for pushing him down inheritance even further, he came to that conclusion.
Bruh Daemon didn't gave a flying crap about Viserys and he suddenly blames Alicent for giving him milk of the poppy? did you saw how he looks like? i mean she literally took care of him all this years, standing by his side.
@Domnul L
you have to be very dense and miss the entire point of HOTD to get to that shallow opinion lol.
otto and the maesters worked together to make the king more weakminded and susceptible to sickness.
Hell, there was even a maester apprentice who said that the current treatment wouldn't work and recommended newer methods than maggots. (but he was turned down by the archmaester)
So, Alicent Hightower just listened to the maesters and "took care" of viserys. And Daemon saw right through it all.
do you understand now?
That whole ritual of a dragon choosing a rider in the world of _Song of Ice and Fire_ is so similar to Anne McCaffrey's _The Dragonriders of Pern_ series of novels... but McCaffrey published the first book set in that world back in 1967. You can't tell me George R.R. Martin has never read those, they were especially big in the 1980s and 1990s. Of course, _Dragonriders of Pern_ is really a SciFi setting masquerading as a Fantasy world at first glance. Similar in that regard to the old _Shannara Chronicles_ novels, although that world actually has magic but is a post-apocalyptic Earth set millenia after some big cataclysm (implied to be a nuclear war that mutated the survivors and awoke long-dormant creatures).
Thank you for the wealth of knowledge and insight this season, ALX!
My one gripe about season 1 is that there isn't much of a relationship at all between Rhaenyra and Aegon. Like 0. They sacrificed it to develop the relationship between her and Alicent.
I just thought it would be cool to see Rhaenyra and Aegon bond and then have a falling out over something later on. But she's already done that with Alicent and Criston Cole so I guess that would be really redundant.
Been waiting for this since Episode 10 aired. And boy was it worth it.
Great job Alt Shift X.
Thanks for your hard work on this whole series! You are a king!
I really enjoyed watching all of your videos for House of the Dragon this season. Thank you.
hold up, you gave what?
@Paul Hui 28 US Dollars...lol
@Paul Hui that's Thai currency, about 30 dollars
That's a very generous contribution. I'm sure he will appreciate it.
You actually gave money for content which is free?🤣🤣🤡🤡
HOTD was such a great show. It rrally felt like the first couple seasons of GOT but with the added budget to make the world of Westeros look absolutely incredible.
To build on the chess allegory from earlier, the pieces are now set and theory has given way to the middle game. White (or Green, i guess) has made their first real move, and i cant wait for Black to respond in season 2.
why is this just as good, if not better than the show? you should be a writer for HBO my guy
I mean he's just going off what the books say and what we see in the show... just putting it all together for us in video format. It's so good because George R.R Martin's writing is so damn good
Wow! What a great explanation with such perfect pictures. You've made me understand many things I was confused about. Kudos :D
My theory is all targaryens have scales and wings in the womb. It's like embryos having tails. We all have tails(most likely because our ancestors have them) at some point but it disappears before birth. They have scales because they have dragon ancestors... So my theory is Targaryen scaly babies are not different from other targaryens, they're just stillborn. Feel free to remind me if we know about any still-born Targaryen babies without scales though, because that would weaken my theory a bit. :D