House of the Dragon S1E01 Explained
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- čas přidán 1. 10. 2023
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This video has no spoilers for House of the Dragon beyond S1E01. But it does have spoilers for the original Game of Thrones show.
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00:00 Intro
00:35 Harrenhal Council
03:48 Dragonpit
05:57 Small council
07:42 Rhaenyra
09:47 Viserys
12:03 Daemon
13:40 Tournament
16:01 Childbirth
20:54 Aegon’s dream
24:41 Heir
Images and video from Game of Thrones used under fair use.
Images from The World of Ice and Fire used with permission from Random House.
Aemon and Baelon art by riotarttherite: riotarttherite.tumblr.com/
Aegon and Melisandre by Magali Villeneuve: www.magali-villeneuve.com
Vaegon and Saera by warp-speed: warp-speed.tumblr.com/
Marwyn by sprrow: www.deviantart.com/sprrow
Seasmoke by Kawiku: www.deviantart.com/kawiku
Valyria by Ted Nasmith: www.tednasmith.com/
Daella by Sofia Golovanova: www.artstation.com/jdwis
Triarchy by Jordi Gonzalez Escamilla: www.artstation.com/jordi_gonz...
Valyria conquest by Marc Simonetti: art.marcsimonetti.com/
Maegor by Michael Komarck
Rhaego baby by Morgainelefee: www.deviantart.com/morgainelefee
Alyssa and Rogar made in Artbreeder: www.artbreeder.com/
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Jaehaerys II by Amok: amokanet
Mushroom and Eustace by Rossy Does Drawings: rossysculpts
George Martin talking about Aegon’s dream: www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/...
Special thanks to Patrons Cameron Weiss, Michael Appell, Ryan Steele, Harry, Shane Veglia, NotGac, Tim Cunniff, T. Ledoux, Ilhuilkamina Urdiana.
House of the Dragon Episode 1: The Heirs of the Dragon
Did the maesters manipulate the Harrenhal council? What’s the story behind Aemma Arryn’s childbirth? What’s the meaning of Aegon’s white walker dream? Does Daemon just really need a hug?
#HotD
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Weekly Alt Shift X HOTD livestreams every Sunday at ~10:15pm Eastern Time, right after each episode -- then an Explained video later in the week!
in the books the house hightower and the king both supported going to was with the TRI most of their gold came from sea trade it was one of the few common causes they had.
2. alot of the fandom think the slaves part is a fake history said by the Valyrian enemy's.
3. the birth part was so intense that you we're focused on the screaming woman but their might be a egg in the baby crib.. also the princess i'll pick out a female dragon egg for you.... so no unisex eggs??? like alligators/crocs.
4. the heir for a day is unlikely to be true in the books. house strong has a strong link to the rumor.
5. arya might be descended from the tarygans. 5.5 neds grandfather married a cousin-branch family of the starks a targ went on dragonback to winter fall and spelt/married a stark-starksnow maiden that branch family might be descended from that union and that would make anya descended from targs-valyrions
Worry not that GEORGE, can't go over a single PAGE(!!!) without a Bible's worth of food porn.
- Dovah-chan
Hey Alt Shift. I found an interview from 2020 from GRRM where he openly says that Aegon had a dream of a prophesy of a hundred years in the future a big danger coming down from the north and he called it the song of ice and fire. So this idea has already been out there for a couple years! There were zero comments on the video about this connection to fire and blood too.
I really liked the episode, but there was one element that jar'd me out the narrative for 10minutes or more, it was so dumb to me. But no one is noticing it. However you mentioning Daemons behaviour comes closest so let me write it out here.
Doesn't anyone have a problem with how Daemon cheated in the joust? I mean he pretty much stopped just short of skewering his opponents horse with the lance? and he did it in such obvious purposeful fashion? Lets set aside for the moment how EXPENSIVE trained warhorses were in medieval times, how are there no consequences for that reckless and obviously unchivalrous cheating?
If there are no consequences for such reckless action that could EASILY result in the DEATH of noble families SONS (which they LOVE and strive to have above all), why would any of them joust? why would any of them bother showing up for a contest of "skill" if reckless cheating is allowed? why would they even bother to accept ANY of a cheaters challenges. And when they refuse to joust (because the cheater might be the prince-heir against whom they DARE not counter cheat to protect themselves), it would be a massive stain on the cheaters reputation, because their actions and station would force other nobles sons to decline to joust.
I really don't see that behaviour of Daemon as possible. Joust etiquette would have long ago weeded out that sort of behaviour with significant consequences, and the nobility would react accordingly. But here, they all seem deranged, clapping for the cheating, and even Rhaenyra saying "well played uncle"?? its delusional. I don't see it EVER being possible that a nobility-social hierarchy would tolerate that behaviour. They should have all been shocked and appalled. And Hightower should have been showing great displeasure toward the king if the King did not publically condemn the action, etc, etc.
Samduty is different from delight, he clearly states that in books daemon find it delightful to mutilate even though it is criminals, killing is killing one must not be delighted about it, Daemon is definitely a kind of psycho like Ramsey Bolton.
I wonder if holding the council in Harrenhal is an implicit threat to the nobles to not rebel. Historically, succession is always the most dangerous period for a dynasty. Especially a contested one.
That is so wonderfully well thought of, that it is part of my head canon now.
nice! when i asked about why harrenhal on a history of westeros stream, someone said becaus of space - there were a thousand lords attending. the implicit threat is also nice explaination tho!
Jaeheris was no fool yo
Even the continued existence of Harrenhal is itself a... reminder. Like Reigns of Castemere song. Not like they could easily demo it and repurpose its stone, but still. I'm sure Jacy could've found somewhere else that would hold 1000 lords. Other places would be easier even. Sure, the great hall there is largest but it's not a very hospitable location. Most lords and retainers would be in tents and pavilions.
Jacy had 2 great excuses to hold it there: it's largest and it's kinda near the middle of the realm.
But the message is clear: fuck with our succession and we can melt your very castle around you
Definitely what I thought as well, especially given you can see the massive holes and melted stone all around where they're sitting. Very good reminder indeed
I don't think Baratheon was mad about a female heir. I think he was angry that he was swearing fealty to a female heir while the female heir he wanted, Rhaenys, was passed over for Viserys who was now picking a girl as his heir. A real slap in the face
That's correct.
Don’t you mean his Rhae-niece?
I think alot of it has to do with the Targs wanting to remain the top dogs. By giving Rhaenys the crown, you were essentially handing the realm to Corlys Valeryon.
@Rich Smithhmm fair point
@Rich Smith interesting!
Correction. The prophecy strongly alludes to Jon Snow destroying the white walkers. This is most likely the case. D&D kinda forgot what story they were writing when they got Ayra killed the Night King
Maybe, but I agree dumb and dumber had no clue what they were doing with the story.
yeah im pretty sure this is the case. Its fairly safe to assume jon is meant to be the one to destroy them. His entire story is intertwined with the Wall and the north ffs its so obviously set up for him and d&d forget this and just have arya kill the night king because they are terrible lazy writers
After the tragedy of season 8, I didn't look at a single GoT related thing for 3 years, but they've managed to rope me back in within seconds
"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in."
@ElGato1947 I would love to see the Sopranos crew watching Game of Thrones
Dolan you are the prince that was promised, it was never the dragon to end the long night but a duck!
Tragedy of season 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. You people never learn. Hence why we have another spinoff book which they still couldn't stick to and never got the actual finished story of the series that made those silly shows possible. Stop watching it, it encourages them. Then maybe when the ratings drop Martin will get back to the point.
I didn't even watch the final 2 episodes of season 8 cause I was so annoyed with the rushed half-ass ending, but yeah this is starting to feel just like the old days and I'm all for it.
Something I like about the design of the Dragonkeepers in the show is that they look like shepherds, harkening back to the ancient Valyrians who’s original culture was based on sheep herding.
i like Dragonkeepers in the books hands down their armor best armor ever in ASOIAF
The actress for Aemma did such a fantastic job, it's a shame she was only in the show for one episode
Her performance really made this first episode great. It brought all the feels, all the horror. Welcome back to Westeros, this brutal world! Daemon is a great character but it is Aemma who made the stakes very clear.
If you want to see more of her, she's just brilliant in the most recent series of Sherlock (series 4)
Yeah, I have seen her in Sherlock as Eurus and she did an excellent job, she could've had a bigger role.
I almost shed a tear during the c section scene
They killed off the prettiest lady in episode one
I like to think, probably for my own preference more than anything else, that Aegon's prophecy wasn't misinterpreted, but that George and the showrunners of HOTD are just ignoring the events in the later seasons of GOT. There's no way the war against the others will go down that way in the books (if they ever come out). So I think they're going by book-cannon for this particular detail.
Agree
I shall also be adopting this for my own sense of sanity lol
It's spelled "canon" as in canonical, not cannon like the weapon.
Hard agree
100% agreed
I think it's worth noting that when Daemon speaks about Otto Hightower, he refers to him as "A second son, who stands to inherit nothing he doesn't seize for himself." But Daemon himself is a second son, in fact a second son of a second son. He is only in his position because his brother was chosen as heir. And now he stands to inherit only what he seizes for himself.
lol pot kettle indeed.
One cool thing I noticed in the scene with swearing filety to Rhyneara is design of her diadem, jewelry and robes - these felt a lot like inspired by Byzantium to me, so more "Greek" and eastern-inspired then strictly western-European inspired stuff traditionally associated with medieval fantasy. Which is so cool on so many levels - Targaryens are shown as still little bit distinct and foreign culturally compared to Westeros, the descendants of different culture, a foreign empire from far away in the east. Parallel to the Byzantium itself could be drawn, as Targaryen rule is kind of the last prominent remnant of the Valyrian empire and culture and it thrives despite the "main" empire has long fallen. Which is similar to Byzantine Empire, which still thrived for many centuries after the Western Roman Empire had fallen. And this is sooo cool - this small detail already shows that the creators seem to care. Maybe just a coincident, but feels like more thought and attention went into this one costume than the entirety of season 8.
Not this specifically, but I noticed an attention to details overall. The armors make much more sense than the ones in GoT XD
Yeah the showrunners actually have a vision and plan for the whole thing and you can tell the love of the world is back in this show. Hopefully it lasts this time!
This is def intended. Valyria was Rome with dragons
The "heir for a day" story just reeks of hit piece journalism. Daemon doesn't seem like the most sentimental guy in the world but he does seem genuinely choked up at the funeral. I think he said the words as part of a mostly respectful eulogy at the brothel. It makes sense in the context of his speech but out of context it looks like he's laughing about it. He doesn't fight Viserys about it because he knows Otto Hightower has him outfoxed on this issue and it's not worth further antagonizing his grieving brother.
This x1000 justice for my boy Daemon
My fellow Daemon apologists have arrived. I can't help but love him.
Oh good im not alone in daemon being my favorite character
that’s how it seemed to me, or maybe he did say it as the witnesses described, but more for the sake of playing it up in front of his friends. In the brothel before the scene (which we don’t actually see), he doesn’t seem celebratory. Then, he doesn’t become aggressively defensive when Viserys confronted him (until later in the scene for other subjects), he seemed regretful and almost ashamed. I think part of it may be that he’s decided to fulfill the role of the vicious, antagonistic character everyone considers him to be, though it may not reflect how he truly feels. Idk lol
I just feel so bad for Aemma Arryn. With what little screen time she gave us, it still pulled some heart strings in that c-section scene. It actually reminded me of that c-section scene from Prometheus. Brutal.
It would be interesting to get an analysis of the knights killed in the tourney. One of them bears the Stark sigil and during Rhaenyy's ceremony Lord Stark looks REALLY pissed off
I noticed at 25:10 he mentions some of them looked pissed about a female heir. Yet if we go to 14:08 we see that while Boremund is not against a female heir, he is likely against the current female heir.
@Code Red yeah I know but precisely because Boremund is not against female heirs per se I think it's a possibility worth taking into account (Boremund doesn't really look that pissed to me, meanwhile Lord Stark looked like every word he said felt like a stab)
I noticed the Stark sigil too, and thought "WTF is a Stark doing a southern tourney??"
@Gemfyre real question is wtf is the dorne guy doing there??
@K probably because he grew up in the Stormlands and has no real connection with Dorne
I missed these "explained" videos since the end of season 8. I'm glad these are back :)
He makes them for other shows you know
Season 8? GoT only had 6 seasons. I mean, it's a shame that we'll never learn who will win the Iron throne, but that's life I guess.
@sirkl 6? I only remember it having 4 seasons? Such a great show, never a bad episode, they stopped as soon as a story line ran out of books, I'm sure they'll continue when the books are finished.
Also I think whoever has the best story should sit on the throne, so many good choices
@sirkl It reminds me how U2 never made an album again after Rattle and Hum. It was a shame that all the following years were so empty, but at least they went out on top
You mean since the end of season 6 I gotcha
Paddy Considine is genuinely such a hugely underrated actor. He can do furious and terrifying roles and quickly switch to comedy. Few actors can do that with such ease
Never thought I'd be excited to watch Viserys. Haha
I freakin love how Viserys was holding Blackfyre in front of him when he confronted Deamon. We see Deamon use Dark Sister so much, but Viserys outranks Deamon with the symbolic power of Blackfyre alone. Both swords (and Deamon's armor!) look amazing too.
He also has the dagger that Arya uses to kill the Night King.
Good detail about Boremund Baratheon. I was missing the context and actually interpreted that as a public insult to Princess Rhaenys. One detail that was missed is that while we know that Prince Daemon toasted his dead nephew, it's unclear exactly _how_ he toasted him, if it was heartfelt and sad or happy and congratulatory. We, the audience, don't see it, and instead the moment is cut with Otto Hightower reporting to King Viserys, leaving it ambiguous and up to us for interpretation.
It's not ambiguous at all. He admitted it.
@Luigi Board He admitted that he said it, immediately followed by "we all grieve in our own ways", so it's still not clear exactly _how_ he toasted his nephew.
@The White Dragon imagine at some point we see how actually he toasted the baby...
Tbf, it was Rhaenyra who toasted the baby
Watching the lords swear to Rhaenyra made me think about the Norman lords under William the Conquerer swearing to support his daughter, Mathilda, as his heir and how that devolved into the period of civil war known as the Anarchy.
Martin based the Song of Ice and Fire largely of the War of the Roses. (The Cousin's War). That's pretty well known. I have to wonder if some of the Dance of Dragons is based on the Anarchy.
Matilda/Maud was Henry I's daughter, William's Grand-daughter. I agree with this assessment. I think the Anarchy was the central event that this story references, in addition to other historical events.
Rhaenyra based on Empress Matilda of house Plantagenet actually house Targaryen itself based on house Plantagenet/Norman/Anjou
The fact that Rhaenyra didn't want to be queen hadn't been apparent. The fact that she and Daemon are similar in that they want the privilege of being royalty without the responsibilities, having fun with dangerous dragons and violence, makes them a dangerous pair for the realm. Looking at the conflict between Rhaenyra and Alicent, it might not just be that one wants the other's power, Alicent might think that Rhaenyra will be dangerous for the kingdom and its her civic duty to prevent her ascension of power, especially if Daemon is beside Rhaenyra. And if Daemon's lover Mysaria is a dangerous as some of the rumors, Alicent could see Mysaria, Daemon, and Rhaenyra as a trio putting the kingdom at risk.
How is adventuring and eating cake a privilege of royalty. If she didn't care for her mother's health and didn't care about disappointing her father, i imagine she would've peaced out a long time ago like Arya did. And Daemon does want the responsibilities of Heir so your assessment is incorrect. We see that Alicent tends to focus more on Rheanrya than on Deamon, the one who actually enjoys violence. Alicen'ts actions are bourne of self righteousness not duty.
@Bhlack Bishop Rhaenyra acted like she was planning to peace out, maybe when she came of age. Also, my initial comment was made after the first episode, and trying to adhere to community guidelines, I was attempting to present book spoilers as theories
Aemma Arryn’s death was horrifying. Just seeing her be so scared while Viserys couldn’t do anything because he ordered it. In our real world today, they’re much safer, but back then a fantasy world with limited medicine, a Caesarean Section was a death sentence.
no it wasn't you child, they do the same thing nowadays it's called a cesarean. Her fault for not having wider hips and weak pelvic muscles
@shaise Bruh this gotta be a troll
He could've at least maybe... Told her of her impending death for her child's sake instead of leaving her screaming about what was happening.
I legit had to skip most of that scene. Couldn't stand it.
16:56 "In the books, Aemma just dies in childbirth"
Well I'm not sure it's known outside of the people present in the room (and maybe close family) that Aemma died because of the operation instead of natural childbirth complications. Viserys could have sworn the witnesses to secrecy and the truth could have been lost after their death. Fire & Blood is quite clear that his content is based on sometimes incomplete or even misleading historical sources, so it would not be surprising if the historians of the ASOIAF universe were unaware of the Caesarean section.
I hope that in the books, Jon and Dany have a bigger role in the White Walker's battle.
17:30 One thing to keep in mind is that the baby that costs Alyssa Velaryon her life is Jocelyn Baratheon - the mother of Princess Rhaenys.
He didn't even get a son lmao 💀. Massive L
@Doana Le Ikr 💀
The way Aemma pleads and mumbles that she's scared was so deeply disturbing and at the same time fascinating, that I couldn't help but rewatch the scene while my toes curled. Technically, Sian Brooke wasn't even in an entire episode, but she made an unforgettable impression.
I loved Matt Smith as Daemon, who ever cast him in that role killed it.
I don't think Otto should be compared to Tywin at all because in many regards Tywin was a much better hand in a lawful sense but also in a sense to further his houses's reputation and value within Westeros. Tywin was born the son of a fun-loving but cowardly man and he just turned his house from the kicking horse of his land to the most respected house and one of the richest in Westeros, he married his kids off or made them knights, sure, Otto sending his daughter clearing knowing that she knows what going to a king's chamber alone means but that doesn't further his house, sure, when Robert Baratheon became king his love of women was made quite public and petty lords sent their daughters over, hopefully trying to get them rooted by Robert and produce bastards that might be claimed by the king but Otto just snitches about people he doesn't like, he's like Littlefinger, he's spineless and weak, Tywin didn't take shit and just did what he did, people knew not to fuck with Tywin and he didn't need to say it, his actions screamed it. Otto is just crappier Tywin, the real OG has to be Lyonel Strong, he's seen as a large brute with no brain power but he's really smart, he can use this brutish stereotype to his advantage and he just slips into conversations, he's not noticed but when he is he's often agreed with, even by the king, all the players seem to be decent so far but they don't compare to Tywin, Ned and Robert just yet. I don't think the cuts represent rejection I think they represent cutting ties, he gets cut with his brother, he gets cut before thinking about killing his wife for his son, it always represents something yeah, but I think it represents cutting ties. I think that think the son with the crown isn't his son, it's Daemon, he sees a tall strong blonde man but it's Daemon in a battle field fighting for the throne, all of these are just theories or views idk.
Jaeharys the Old King is an awesome character. I hope we see more of him, and his wife Alysanne.
This explanation is actually better than the original episode, despite the fact that it is only half as long.
Damn, this is so nostalgic for me. Every week, I looked forward to 'Alt Shift X Explained' on GoT. By far my favorite GoT review channel. I can see the "Hot D" (lol) explanations are going to be even better now that we have not only the books for comparisons, but the GoT HBO show. Happy to have you back!!
HotD writers made a wise decision to make this as close to the OG GoT as possible which helps to bring back nostaglia that the old fans had and tries to capture the same intrigues for the new fans who may want to watch the prequel's first few seasons. It is a slippery slope kinda gambit through since it could also mean that the writers aren't creative enough to make their own story but they deviated enough that there are similarities but it's truly their own piece of art. I'm happy to know that this series is taking flight and almost able to cleanse the bad reputation that ASoIaF had since dumb and dumber never got their ego checked until after they crashed their careers by ending the prequel in such a craptastic fashion. This new series will be different.
I like to think that they included Nymeria's story in the 1st episode to explain quickly to non-book viewers who the Rhoynar are because they are FINALLY using the correct title of "King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men" compared to GoT.
okay but what i don‘t get about this is that dorne is not a part of the realm at this point in time? so technically the targaryens are not king of the rhoynar here, are they? it‘s nice to here the full term being used though
@lizbechnæsheim I think it's because they still claim the rulership over the entire continent. Remember: Aegon was crowned that title before he even conquered Westeros. To make a real-world relation: The kings of England claimed the title of King of France until the 19th century, althrough England did not hold land in France since the 16th century.
@MP Even today a lot of monarchs still hold titles they technically don't own or claim rightful rulership of- for example, the King of Spain still technically holds titles such as "King of Jerusalem" and "Archduke of Austria"
Very true. Here was the extended title of the King of Portugal. King of Portugal and the Algarves, this side and beyond the Sea in Africa, Lord of Guinea and the Conquest, Navigation and Commerce in Ethiopia, Arabia, Persia and India. And they didn't conquer all those places
I would imagine there could have been a weirwood in the Red Keep's godswood up until the reign of Baelor who probably would have had it cut down as part of his piety. I don't think it's out of place to have one in the show at this time, GRRM probably would say the same.
I assumed there was a place of worship for most religions in Kings Landings. Place is HUGE
@Alan Leos why would they bother to travel to some godswood elsewhere in the city outside of the Red Keep just to chill there? Not sure what point you are trying to make
This channel is consistently excellent. Netflix hasn't produced anything nearly as entertaining in a long time, they should just sponsor you in perpetuity.
One thing that gives me a lot of hope for this series is the visual storytelling. Definitely looking forward to episode 2 and your analysis of it.
Not sure I said it during GoT but the effort put into these videos is absolutely phenomenal. From clips, to artwork, to sourcing the damn books! Keep it up and know the effort does not go unnoticed.
The birth scene was beyond horrific and traumatizing.🤦🏽♀️
True
I wish you'd mention that a big part of the reason the council doesn't want daemon as heir is because they know he would get rid of them for new people not just because he would be violent
Also a good point
Lol Daemon would probably put Gold cloaks on the council.
@Aegon II daemon would make for a good king. At the very least, a far better one than his brother. Yes, we see that he can be a right bastard sometimes, but he is smart, decisive, strong, and clearly shown to be far from evil. Most importantly he sees exactly what Viserys does not. When he is banished to the vale, he tells his brother exactly what he needed to hear - that Hightower is nowhere near as honorable as you think he is, that he is weak, that the council recognizes that and acts like leeches.
@JKi touch grass
I think saying the knights fighting in the tournament were all " Summer knights who've never seen a real war and don't know the real consequences of it. " was really undermined by the fact that they fought to the death lol. It would've made a lot more sense if they were sort of play-fighting without high stakes. Fighting with your life on the line against an opponent of similar skill is about as close to a real battle as you can get. If they were fighting with dull blades or without actually caving eachothers skulls in I think it would sell the point better. But some gruesome gore is more fun i guess.
( And sure, real war has a lot of other horrors in it that goes beyond just battling with your life on the line... but I would say these knights were about as hardcore as you can get when living in peace. )
Seeing a dude get his head caved in followed by an " innocent summer child " sort of sentiment didn't really work for me.
The tourney and the attitudes the audience had re: the deaths really bothers me. As the vid points out, yes deaths can happen at tournaments and yes, there is clearly symbolic/thematic meaning to go along with the Aemma scene, but it still bugs me.
Martin covers tourneys a fair amount in the books, particularly in two of the Dunk & Egg books, and tourney deaths are (mostly) accidental and always treated as some kind of tragedy when they occur. It is dangerous sport but it is meant to be sport. Lords, heirs and renowned knights are often in tourneys, especially a tourney for a royal birth.
Such significant bloodshed should have the audience being shocked and appalled, not just for the deaths but for the bad omens such death would cast over a birth.
You'd think someone who's seen the horrors of war and come out the other side wouldn't be so trivial about risking their life (and taking others') for sport though. They value their bruised egos over getting knocked off their horse in some silly game over all else, when we see it's perfectly fine to just walk away after losing. The jousting lances have blunted tips, they do no serious damage. There ARE no high stakes unless a competitor actively chooses to raise them, and even then either can still yield.
I wouldn't say a knight with such callous disregard for their life is hardcore. Just profoundly prideful, vain, and well, stupid.
Arya Stark killing the Night King was an invention of D&D. Martin says he had absolutely no input in the last two seasons, which also included D&D decision to have Jon kill Dany. Since George is involved with at least HOTD's first season, it might fit to disregard D&D's Arya fanfic.
This book was so good.
Poor Aemma was sentenced to death in the moment she got pregnant again. There was no way she would have survived the birth.
Also, I don't mind Corlys being black. His son Laenor has a brown skin this way, so (SPOILER) Rhaenyra's cheating will be more obvious.
Thank you for keeping these spoiler free beyond the episode and GOT. I've never read Fire and Blood and want to keep the surprise alive while still getting a deep dive into the nuances of each episode
I think Viserys with Daemon as hand, would've been an effective combo. I think Daemon understands that kings do need to be hardcore sometimes, but V could be the one to reign him in.
It may have made him a better king. Otto is a brown noser who makes it easy for Viserys. Daemon would have pushed his buttons as an equal much like Ned did with Rob.
23:11 “Maybe this dream was misinterpreted” it sure was. By David Benioff and D.B. Weiss
Well tbf it' s not their fault Martin still hasn't gotten around to delivering the book ending.
@matenzo he 100% told them a blanket ending and they put together the puzzle albeit while dipping each piece in shit before hand and squishing them together
@matenzo that specifically is not their fault, everything else I do blame them for though.
Agreed
They didn't misinterpret anything, they intentionally butchered it for internet clout points from feminists. Even a low iq person can do a simple math that a hero born from ice and fire or two heroes one ice and another fire would come together and save the world... It could have been kept simple unlike the books just so easily. But d&d decided to give it to a little ninja girl coz yk you slay girl
Arya defeating the night king was so deeply upsetting at the time and still is to me.
It's not just upsetting, it's flat and boring. It's as if the show runners wrote down random plot developments, put them into a hat and picked at random for how the show developed season 7 and on.
@Gandalf The Grey Completely agree. Season 7 and 8 were abysmal. All of a sudden the white walkers weren't relevant (we never saw them fight again after hardhome as I'm sure you know), and the wights became brain dead zombies
@Adam Burgess I recently finished the series. I watched it all in about a week. I knew ahead of time that most people hated season 8 but it still didn't prepare me for the disaster. After the Bells episode I felt like I just wanted it to end but it dragged on torturously like nails on a black board.
@Gandalf The Grey I have a memory of my friend who watched it this year. And moments after the night king was killed he messaged me like what is this. And the bells moment, don't even get me started. You should've stopped at the end of season 6 or heck even 5 lol
@Adam Burgess I'm a fanatic for finding out why something I love turned so horribly wrong. There's a video that confirms that Dany going mad was not planned from the beginning, and that it was a back stabbing trick that D&D used on Clarke to further their career. Hold on I'll see if I can attach the link...
It feels good that these Game Of Thrones videos are coming out again.
Emma Darcy narrating the opening scene at harenhall is so haunting especially the quote “for he knew the cold truth the only thing that could tear down the house of the dragon was itself” chilling. 👏
I think it was interesting that when extreme violence broke out at the tourney, no one lifted a finger to stop it. They all just looked on in feigned disdain, but obvious entertainment. Contrast that with Robert stopping that shit himself.
I really enjoy this type of content, providing additional information on the world without any spoilers.
My favourite part of GOT was the weekly discussions, so this is really nostalgic and very welcomed.
This. Every time someone complains about HBO not dropping the entire season at the same time, I feel rage lol. Dropping the entire season at the same time is fine for stupid, simple shows, but GOT fare needs to be dissected. Otherwise, what's the point?! It would leech away half the fun.
@Zee Half the fun are all the theories and speculations for me.
Same here
@Zee agreed but I loved binging Dark bc it required rewatches and even more discussion lol
Well said. Just the fact that it's ongoing at all, with things to speculate at, look forward to. I've missed it all a great deal.
The city he modeled was the capital of Old Valyria, if memory serves. He mentions creating the model by reading other's account in books and scrolls.
I hope in the books that the Others are something that cannot be stopped with force. I have a whole thing on what I think should have happened, basically Crasters last son, Little Sam, would need to be sacrificed to stop them, since that was the whole deal with him to beginning with, marked as a sacrifice. But also maybe Jon and Danny, after killing Cersei and Jamie, are informed of their lineages by Bran, and through Bran make a deal with the Others (like a translator) to have children, and to give up their sons to the Others, in order to save the world as the last royal blood line that's "pure blood" alive that could do so. Summer and Winter last so long probably because the time between sons being made, and then new people "taking up the mantle" and stopping the long night over the course of 120 years and more up until Craster is murdered, and doesn't get tell anyone what the deal is with him and his daughter wives, so winter comes. You might think "why did the Others start killing/advancing before hand?" prophetic dreams, or like how bran can "green see" maybe the Others can see the future (just not 100% clarity) I think the Others knew their "Prince" would be taken, what they didn't know is that Sam would have Dragon Glass from digging a piss pit, and underestimated Sam's bravery by only sending 1 Other to get the baby. Once past the wall, the Pact was null, and the Prince that is promised moves south.
Great breakdown as usual. The reveal of the conditions of the prophesy made me extremely happy because it dismantles the later D&D interpretation without the input of GRRM. I really believe that's intentional on George's part. It also sets up the unification of Dany & Jon to unite the Realm and fulfil the prophesy.
LOL Dany is 100% burning the city in the books too! It will just be better set up and make sense. If you think Jon and Dany get married and unite the kingdom, you don't know GRRMs style at all. GRRM HATES that generic fantasy crap
I fully agree.
@ben1ben2ben1 If that is seriously Martin's ending to the series then what a dumpster fire. The "generic fantasy crap" is the Lord of the Rings, the generator of all modern fantasy. If that really is Martin's ending to the series then he destroys the characters with no positive resolutiom just like D&D did. People that think life is a veil of tears are sad people.
@Gandalf The Grey I'm pretty sure it will end with a more reasonable way than the show did.
But dany burning down the city, Bran being King and Jon Killing Dany are 3 things that Martin himself confirmed is going to be in the books
Maybe Dany had to burn the NK with dragon fire first, and then Arya could stab him with the blade. And maybe Jon yelled a special secret spell at the dragon. So Targs were definitely necessary.
Excellent commentary. Even better than the episode!
It's going to be really interesting to see the "real version" of events since the book fire and blood gives a few different perspectives and it's unknown who tells the truth. Personally I liked mushroom I hope he appears in the TV series
same same same. just finished the book, and I keep wondering whose version of events will be portrayed in the show, Mushroom's is the messiest, and would obviously make for better drama... But at the same time some of his 'testimony' feels too ridiculous to be true... But who knows...
Everyone would be forking everyone if they did Mushroom’s version 🤣🤣
@rrrraquel I thought Mushroom 's version was fuckin hilarious 🤣🤣🤣
@rrrraquel the truth is usually somewhere in the middle, and everyone bends the stories based on personal interest
They’ve said there will be a Mushroom cameo/easter egg at some point, but he won’t appear beyond that. Which sort of makes sense - he’s probably not a great fit for a serious TV show really, and he’s not really important to the plot.
It’s interesting, in the kings dream he said his son would be born with a crown. His child was “breach born” which is why they did a c-section. When a child is born as a breach the head comes first instead of the feat which is called crowning. Kind of a cool little detail showing the miss interpretation of prophecy’s
If the Iron Throne was so dangerous to unfit rulers, you'd argue that Jeoffrey should have been impaled by it : (
I really liked the idea of the Targaryens knowing about the impending Long Night, but it was hard not to roll my eyes at seeing Viserys with that dagger knowing how GoT ended.
His family is the saviour before they decided to “ invert of some scrap the expectation” Jon was the one set up to kill the night king. And Dany was basically queen of everywhere besides kings landing
I think when GRRM adds the dream of aegon he was relating it to the books not to the GOT show, so maybe the ending of the books will be corresponding to that dream
It's never a good sign when an Arryn dies right out the gate is it
Does that mean Robin Arryn will die in Jon Snow sequel
@Astromamut We can only hope for so much 😞🙏🏻
@spider Robin Arryin is a stud
@Astromamut They allowed Robin to grow up in the show but in the books Littlefinger would definitely get rid of him to make way for Sansa's fiance. He's already increasing the dosage of his meds. Of course if they'd make a sequel for the GOT show, this wouldn't happen.
@Nunya Biznes I think that will be Littlefinger's downfall because that's his bastard therefore kinslaying
I love the way how the video is made, constantly looking back at GOT and drawing parallels. For those people who haven't watched the main show, this might push them to watch it. Nice.
I didn't know that GRRM himself suggested the dragon dream of Aegon. That makes it a lot more palatable. I wish that was more widely known.
Ser Cole didn’t cheat. He never yielded. Daemon did the medieval equivalent of dropping the ball at the 1 as you run into the end zone
At 21:31 when you're talking about how Viserys is saying "promise me" like how Lyanna said to Ned, i wanted to add that also Bran had a dream where his mom Catelyn had told him not to climb anymore and shouted "promise me" multiple times on s3 e4
Sansa was praying on presumably the stump of a weirwood in Kings Landing. I saw a great theory that since this is before Baelor the Blessed, Kings Landing actually did have a Weirwood and then when Baelor became king, he had it cut down.
Makes perfect sense to me
Just one point - I actually feel like Daemon's introduced sat on the iron throne shows his massive disregard for it as a symbol. Throughout the story he shows a huge LACK of desire for the throne for himself. Power is great, but the responsibility he doesn't seem to want. He wants to support his brother and be a famous nuisance to everyone else - and he's so much more interesting for it.
Not necessarily. Sitting on the Throne doesn't automatically equate to disregarding, not respecting, or not desiring becoming King. It is way too early to say he's not ambitious enough to take the Throne if given a reason. He is undoubtedly loyal to his brother. But that does not, in any way, mean he doesn't want the throne or respect its symbolism.
I think he desires power and respect above all else, but yeah he seems to not care one bit about the responsibility of ruling a kingdom. He's a lot like Robert Baratheon, who cared far more about the fight and war for the throne than he ever did for the throne itself.
@The Humanity there is no where near enough evidence to say he doesn't care about ruling. Rather the opposite. It was made a VERY big deal that he considers himself the heir. It was made very clear that disinheriting Daemon is going to cause a LOT of problems.
I really liked the episode, but there was one element that jar'd me out the narrative for 10minutes or more, it was so dumb to me. But no one is noticing it. However you mentioning Daemons behaviour comes closest so let me write it out here.
Doesn't anyone have a problem with how Daemon cheated in the joust? I mean he pretty much stopped just short of skewering his opponents horse with the lance? and he did it in such obvious purposeful fashion? Lets set aside for the moment how EXPENSIVE trained warhorses were in medieval times, how are there no consequences for that reckless and obviously unchivalrous cheating?
If there are no consequences for such reckless action that could EASILY result in the DEATH of noble families SONS (which they LOVE and strive to have above all), why would any of them joust? why would any of them bother showing up for a contest of "skill" if reckless cheating is allowed? why would they even bother to accept ANY of a cheaters challenges. And when they refuse to joust (because the cheater might be the prince-heir against whom they DARE not counter cheat of protect themselves), it would be a massive stain on the cheaters reputation, because their actions and station would force other nobles sons to decline to joust.
I really don't see that behaviour of Daemon as possible. Joust etiquette would have long ago weeded out that sort of behaviour with significant consequences, and the nobility would react accordingly. But here, they all seem deranged, clapping for the cheating, and even Rhaenyra saying "well played uncle"?? its delusional. I don't see it EVER being possible that a nobility-social hierarchy would tolerate that behaviour. They should have all been shocked and appalled. And Hightower should have been showing great displeasure toward the king if the King did not publically condemn the action, etc, etc.
I think he did want the throne., he did conquer the Stepstones and styled himself King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea
Alt Shift X is a legend for making these!! Been a huge fan since GoT season 6
I know these are old but I really appreciate your way of looking at the show and the books separately and together to provide a more well rounded analysis of the lore. Your ancestor may have been a maester.
The most interesting thing about the "heir for a day" speech is that we never see Daemon give it. Daemon himself describes it as "mourning in his own way", nor does he look particularly happy at the start of his speech and while he's not exactly a good man, he does genuinely care about his family. We only hear Otto's version of it and Otto is not exactly a fan of Daemon's.
So for all we know, Daemon did mockingly call Baelon the "heir for a day" while toasting his own ascension. Or he simply gave a bitter summation of the events that resulted in the deaths of his sister-in-law and baby nephew ("Viserys forced Aemma to have a son and all it got him was an heir for a day") and Otto deliberately left out context to make Daemon look worse. Seeing what kind of people both men are, either one is possible and I like the fact it's left to interpretation.
I'm rereading the book right now and I'm really curious as to what they go through this season and where it ends. They have a lot of years to cover before they get to the dance and Rhaeynra being the same age as Allicent throws an interesting twist into their eventual bitter rivalry.
Alt Shift X is my favorite way of learning about the GoT universe.. Thank you for being a legend, still making these in depth videos.
I found it interesting when Alicent comforted Viserys and told him something along the lines of “when my mother died everyone spoke to me in riddles, all I wanted was for someone to say they were sorry it happened to me”. Before Viserys tells Rhaenyra that he is making her heir, which was their first private in screen interaction after Aemma died, he speaks to her in riddles. Too bad he didn’t take Alicent’s advice. I wonder if that will be a reoccurring thing in HoD.
I feel like that stretch of dialogue he had was necessary though 100%. He explains the Targaryen burden of prophecy to her clearly.
I thought it was a really sweet scene, but I didn't realise what happens later 😯
Not really the same thing tho
I don’t think that was the point of the scene but Viserys not listening to Alicent is recurring theme that will come to bite him in the ass eventually.
@BirdHead True though Viserys not listening to Alicent is a thing that happens a lot and will become a problem.
If you pay close atteention at 25:33 you can see that rhaenyra's necklace has carvings off all the great houses Tully, Lanister, Arryn.
I don't know if Daemon is meant to enjoy violence as much as he is creating a public image. I mean, I think he probably *does* enjoy violence, but it seems like he really does feel like he's protecting his family's power.
Dare I say this is better than Game of Thrones? At the very least it is off to a stronger start. These first two episodes are straight FIRE!
The whole season was lit! I'm completely hooked!!!
Two corrections. First the choice that Viserys had during the birth was to attempt to save the baby or lose both. Aemma was going to die regardless, but there was a slight possibility that they could save her son.
Second is in regards to the joust. I am taking reference from real historical events, since we don't know much about the jousts and tournaments in GoT. The "rules" were not necessarily standardized early on. In fact, the early tourneys were just mock battles, where contestants would be divided between two groups (or armies) and then they would start a melee. However, some tournaments had more rules than others. The rules (or lack thereof) were determined by the one sanctioning or organizing the tournament and the rules varied from tournament to tournament. So until we know what the rules are in regards to GoT tourneys it is safe to say that Daemon tripping the horse and the killings you mentioned were in fact allowed by the rules.
The idea of a dragon daycare is somehow absolutely hilarious to me.
Loved it. The one things I couldn't quite believe was the knights killing each other during the tourney. Everything around these series/this world and ESPECIALLY this episode stresses the importance of having heirs. There's no way any of these families would be ok with their young men bashing each other's skulls in a tournament.
No one was okay with it but those things still happen.
The overbearing violence of the tourney serves to show how king Viserys is losing control of the realm before his very eyes, but he's too busy occupying himself with getting an heir to notice it.
Knights aren’t always in the family themselves but are sworn to the Houses
I mean those tournaments happend in real life, I think they were a French king who was killed during one of these tournament
The prophecy came true. They needed Daenaerys' dragons and her army to defeat the white walkers and their army, and both she and Jon Snow had Targaeryan blood... Arya was also instrumental, but she wouldn't have gotten through without the rest.
Wait, am I crazy? I could've swore there was a weirwood tree and a forest at the Red Keep in the books. I remember it being where Sansa would hang out and then meeting with the knight that tries to sneak her out.
Yeah in the books the Red Keep has a godswood, but not a weirwood
@Alt Shift X thanks for clearing that up & thank you so much for your reviews. Your channel is consistently excellent.
this video is absolutely insane. so much depth and knowledge
The juxtaposition between the death of aemma and the tournament is interesting as I noticed that the field is shaped like a vulva. There is bloodshed and daemon falls and rises back up as she is trying to give birth to the new heir. I thought it was an interesting choice.
I would love to see a behind the scenes of how you prep, research, record, and edit these videos. The process seems IMMENSE. Amazing work as always ASX!
I 2nd the motion. Does X have it all memorized & at the tip of his tongue? Or is he human and must take recourse to research of musty tomes of ASOIAF before composing his impressive videos?
I’m very curious how Alicent being of an age with Rhaenyra will effect things. The idea of a man being married to his daughter’s childhood friend is a new kind of disturbing even by this universe’s standards.
By modern television standards she may be sleeping with rhaenyra as well regardless of what happens in the book (I haven't read it ).
oh buddy it gets worse
@Nobody you have no idea 😂
@Nobody yeah they definitely seemed coded more than just platonic although girls are usually allowed more leeway on their relationships.. They can call each other girlfriend, hold hands, be touchy feely with each other..
I found it more odd how both of them are portrayed as empathetic, so like Jamie and Cercei will we end up watching a really twisted relationship also be a functional one for a time. Alicent is actually likeable in the show from the pilot so you wonder
About the Rogar and Alyssa affair, having a son was not actually issue there, since Alyssa had already previously (and succesfully) delivered Boremund to Rogar, giving him an unexpected heir. Rather, the birth that killed her was birthing their daughter, Jocelyn, was purely of matter of maybe losing the kid or certainly losing both. In some chronicles, it is even recorded that Alyssa gave her consent to the matter, though this is unlikely given how much milk of the poppy she was pumped with at the moment. Rogar was also literally drunk with grief at the moment and was forced to make a decision by Jaehaerys, and was not at all eager to choose between the two outcomes. Rogar was an ass in many ways throughout his life, but Alyssa's death was not a result of his callousness, but rather his unfounded optimism due to Boremund's birth.
I like to think that Viserys wasn't chosen because he was a man, but because the other lords knew he would be easily manipulated
The necklace Rhaenyra wears has the Martell sigil on it, you can see it when we see her from the back. So I wonder if in the show Dorne isn't already a part of the Seven Kingdoms. It could explain why Criston Cole being Dornish isn't made out to be a bigger deal by anyone who sees his face at the tourney.
Storms End and Kings Landing have a Weiwood Garden. It is mentioned in the Sansa POVs and the Goodswood of Storms End is burned by Stannis in the name of The Lord of Light. It is mentioned by Varys in the Small Council.
I think Aegons dream was added to the show to tell fans that the GOT ending isn't what GRRM inteded or is planning for the books
Did you notice how Daemon was uncut by the Iron Throne whereas Viserys is cut by it, especially in the scene where he chooses (kinda) Otto over Daemon? The Iron Throne accepts Daemon but rejects Viserys
Nice call, Poppet!
Daemon was probably sitting on it for a couple minutes, I think the symbolism is meant for the rulers themselves who sit on it all day making decisions & reigning over court. If they're not careful while making their decisions, it mirrors them not being careful sitting on the throne itself. Daemon would be a ruler a lot like Robert Baratheon - it's never mentioned Robert got cut by the throne, but it's also common knowledge he never sat on it much at all or attended his own council meetings. It's also pretty clear Robert was a terrible King as well who allowed a Civil War to erupt after his death as well due to his own ignorance & negligence.
@The Humanity Was the civil war really Robert's fault though? Yeah he wasn't a great king but he managed to keep the realm in relative peace for 20 years except one rebellion. I guess you could say he could have produced sons better or raised Joffrey better but with cersei there that wasn't really gonna happen. Robert pretty much left the only man he trusted in charge and couldn't really do anything else
@Sarwat Arannya I think it was indirectly his fault, yes. He allowed an illegitimate heir to be named his successor despite the signs that the children were not of his blood. We see in this show just how much a problematic succession can doom the realm, divide the ruling houses and lead to fighting all throughout the 7 kingdoms. Never mind the fact that the Lannisters and Starks were in open conflict & skirmishes around the time of Roberts death and his only action to mend an oncoming war was to tell Ned to "make up with the yellow-haired shits".
He also indirectly killed his friend Ned Stark as well by drawing him into the throne's politics and making him Hand at a dangerous time, in a position Stark was ill-suited for given his honest and up-front nature. He also ignored Ned's advice and pleas to address the Lannisters seriously, as they were, at the time, plotting to take over the realm entirely both through Tywin's influence and Cersei's illegitimate heirs, who were beholden to the Lannister House & were openly hostile towards all of Robert's closest allies, especially in Robert's Rebellion. It's true Robert never did anything to directly kick start the Civil War, but he was King at the time and had all the power. Not doing anything in his position is just as bad or sometimes worse than directly causing it yourself.
I have a feeling that we are being pushed to like Otto and fear Daemon, but Daemon will be the good guy, he has no interest on the throne and would not kill Rhaenyra over it
One might say Aegon thought that in order to protect the world from devastation he needed to unite all people within the nation. Maybe even denounce the evils of truth and love and extend his reach to the stars above...
With the brief reference to The Phantom Menace, I'd like to remind everyone that the GOT finale aired 20 years *to the day* of one of the most disappointing entries in a fantasy series that ever occurred.
It's like poetry. It rhymes.
The Phantom Menace is a million times better than the last seasons of GOT
So glad these videos are back. Only thing I missed is a comparison to Ned finding Jaime on the throne and Rhaenyra finding Deamon on it. Seems like there's something there.
The episodes are getting better and better (waiting for episode 6 today yeah)
Did anyone else get romantic vibes from Rhaenyra towards Alicent? There were several moments that felt like Rhaenyra was flirting and Alicent liked it but wasn't going to encourage it.
Didn't Rhaenyra have a line about enjoying her current position (in Alicent's lap)
Immediately made me think of Hamlet and "That's a fair thought to lie between maids' legs."
@JackCade She did! I had already been thinking she seemed flirty and then she said that and my little bisexual heart got so excited.
Your videos are gold. Glad to see you back! Honestly the Best Review of youtube, your knowledge and editing ls amazing. Keep the good work coming! Cant wait to see episode 2 review
Your explanations are perfect. I like them even better then the actual HBO show. Thanks!
Im really happy you're back with these video's on HOTD , You always provide a good overview of whats going on and point out the small details I and others may have missed And even if we haven't its a nice summary of the episode.