#Because Tom named Larys and Daemon

[bietrofastimoff23]

eve: "i think i'd like to see larys and jace [as a ship]".

my first reaction: EVE WTF??????? my delayed reaction: well, this is a strong choice.

[ai-megurine]

HOTD S2 episode 2 "Rhaenyra the Cruel" reaction

• This OST! Djamin Rawadi is a god

• Can we appreciate Aegon's friends? Staying with him despite the state of madness he's in and closing the door to make sure he has some privacy

• oh so that shot of Aemond was him realising that he was the target!!!!

• I'm sorry I'm not that sympathetic to Alicent's tears? I just wish we could see more of Helaena grieving. I love the dress though

• ALICENT B&C IS NOT ABOUT YOU

• Otto shut up.

• Get Tom an Emmy, an Oscar and every single award in the world. His "what?" of disbelief to Otto stuck with me, dunno why

• In love with Larys' entrance. No one notices him until he speaks, he's in the background. Perfectly suits him

• "Bitch Queen of bastards" lmfao

• Love that the Council is shutting up and just letting Aegon rant. They're all scared of him in a way

• Who knew I'd ever be happy to see Larys?

• "I'll kill him myself" feed him to Sunfyre pls. Or Shrykos

• Aegon losing it every time Otto speaks is such a mood

• Jasper Wylde has a lign! Who knew.

• "We know our enemy!" with the little hand thingy was funny, I'm sorry

• Tyland!!

• "you're already seen as weak" oh fuck you Otto

• Why would anyone think that Rhaenys committing mass murder means Rhaenyra should be Queen???

• Aegon "my little son's body" broke me.

• Alicent calling Aegon "my darling" was sweeter than I thought.

• oh so Helaena can be a spectacle but not you??

• HELAENA MY LOVE

• LET ME HUG YOU

• DAEMON WHEN I CATCH YOU

• BALERION HIMSELF COULDN'T PROTECT YOU

• Oh my lord she's holding Jaehaerys' clothes 😭😭😭

• She's grief personified I can't breathe

• Phia is an angel

• THE TEAR ON HER CHEEK

• AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH the "I don't want them closer I don't know them" breaks me. She's my angel, I will fight the world for you

• ALICENT WHO CARES YOU'RE BANGING COLE. IT HASN'T BEEN 24 HOURS SINCE JAEHAERYS DIED

• "This is for my boy" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

• The toy horse 😭😭😭😭

• The music is so good

• (when did they have the time to make all the uniforms and banners??? Sewing ladies have been doing overtime)

• Blood IMMEDIATELY giving up all the information was low-key funny but it really showcases who he is. A big bully who uses his strength to hurt people weaker than hip (women and children) but the second he's caught? He folds like a coward.

• Lmfao Larys' face. Even he was like "damn dude I didn't even start"

• Who the fuck is the herald? I thought Otto would be the one doing this

• OH MY GOD THEY SEWED THE HEAD BACK?????

• ANGEL, BABY, I LOVE YOU

• DAEMON I WILL KILL YOU MYSELF

• The little circlet on his bead 😭😭😭😭

• why barn owls on the shroud? I mean it's Helaena and she's flawless so I like it anyway

• So the death of Jaehaerys has FINALLY been acknowledged as kinslaying as well

• Blood's face when he understands that Aegon is coming and that it's going to be painful

• Noooooo, I wanted more pain for Blood

• Oh no my girl being so overwhelmed. She's in pain 😭😭😭

• Oh Rhaenyra's reaction to B&C

• I mean why wouldn't they accuse you? Like? Bestie? Who would it profit to kill Aegon's heir?

• Is Daemon actually smirking???? This man istg

• Rhaenys immediately knew, this woman is too good for these people

• Rhaenyra's realisation

• "Killing it"??? IT???? WOMAN.

• DON'T YOU FUCKING LAUGH. If you felt any ounce of remorse, you would be screaming in rage about it

• "you have wounded me" BESTIE A CHILD DIED WE DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR STANDING

• JFC the way she reacted when he broke that glass!!! She's obviously scared, it's definitely not the first time.

• Emma the actor that you are. Rhaenyra looks ready to rip Daemon's head with her bare teeth (which she should do, it would be iconic)

• You are a monster dude

• Oooh that silence

• "because of your virtue" hshshsjsj

• Bestie Viserys named Rhaenyra heir out of grief and guilt

• "You're pathetic" is so iconic, love it

• Baela exists! That coat is atrocious though

• So no risking Jace but Baela is fair game huh? Bitch (and I don't even like Baela). Good scene though

• Behold, Daemon runs away from his family

• HELAENA STILL DOESN'T HAVE A GUARD???? WHAT???? AEGON HAS TWO HE COULD SPARE ONE

• Oh god her and Aegon. Grieving, broken, but unable to connect. I feel like she wanted to reach out in the stairs, but he runs away because he's on the verge of breaking down and be can't have that in public.

• The nodding???

• NOOO THE BED

• I mean, I know it's better but

• Oh god the mattress covered in blood

• The juxtaposition with Rhaenyra being with her son is heartbreaking. The way she realises that this is what Helaena lost, that Jaehaerys was that age

• ALICENT STOP THINKING ABOUT YOU BANGING COLE NO ONE CARES

• Also Cole should be guarding Helaena and Jaehaera

• The religious trauma of consensual sex

• I wished the Alicole storyline would take less screen though, I mean good for them but that mess of a relationship shouldn't overshadow Helaegon's doomism and greek tragedy right now

• Cole needs to stop beefing with the rest of the world, Arryk isn't responsible for it

• Love Arryk for calling out Cole

• LMFAO THE OTHER KINGSUARDS NOPPING OUT. Valid ngl

• YOU'RE MAD SER. Love him

• Cole's hypocrisy is a delight. He's a terrible person, but he's so interesting

• Why don't they use poison though

• Laenor being mentioned? Neat. Him teaching the boys about fishing and Sea Shanty is pretty fun

• Damn that scene is actually good!! A shame I couldn't care less about Baela and Rhaena

• Oh so that's the famous brothel scene?

• Aemond's mummy issues on fill display 🙏🏻

• I love the relationship between him and the madame ngl. Like I know he pays her for it but her gentleness with him seems to be at least partially genuine. Her facial expression when he doesn't look at her are pretty telling

• Hugh Hammer the return! Fuck if I care but hey, I'm not against them developing the Dragonseeds. I wish Nettles was around too. I guess Hugh will join TB after his family's death? Or he'll be a spy for TG? Dunno

• So we know Baela ends up with Alyn, and he looks so much bigger and older than her 😭 Like it makes sense but DAMN

• I genuinely cannot begin to care about Corlys to save my life

• WAIT RHAENYRA DIDN'T KNOW WHO MYSARIA WAS???? THIS IS SO FUCKING FUNNY

• Mysaria being a good character wasn't on my bingo card but I don't dislike it

• Seasmoke following Addam around like a lost puppy is so funny to me. Also his sounds are so cute. I guess Laenor died off screen?

• The focus on the smallfolk is great. It reminds me of Varys' quote about the smallfolk always being the one to suffers.

• Cheese didn't suffer enough and I wish that dog a very nice "find a better owner"

• "Oh, I had them hanged" is so fucking funny.

• Otto is right, though. Like, this was a terrible idea.

• Ooooh mentioning Jaehaerys was a dumb move. You should Aegon isn't going to be rational about it

• Aegon, you can show strength by, you know, USING YOUR DRAGON. Honestly a public execution of Blood would have been better

• Otto's "wtf" face is so funny. I love him. Tom and Rhys are carrying this entire episode. Phia too, but she's less present

• Otto, do you REALLY think Aegon gives a single fuck about Viserys???

• Otto being fired for upteenth time is so funny. This man files for unemployment every three weeks

• Otto's last act of defiance was great

• Yeah, Mysaria isn't exiting the show

• Oh, that's how she'll stay

• Elinda Massey exists!

• I'm glad they didn't make Rhaenyra fight Arryk like some believed. It makes much more sense for her to be genuinely scared for her life. Like, Arryk is a grown ass man in armour and literally one of the best knights of his time

• They deserved better

• Otto unknowingly dissing his daughter's bf right in front of her was peak irony.

• "Petty revenge"? A FOUR YEAR OLD CHILD WAS DECAPITATED

• FUCK YOU ALICENT. Your son isn't "valuable", he's YOUR SON

• DAERON MENTION!!!!!!!! VICTORY!!!!!!!!

• The generational trauma of zero communication 🙏🏻

• Aegon sobbing and breaking down

• Nooooooooooo

• My love

• Let me hug you

• He's so beautiful

• A fallen angel

• CRISTON LEGIT SITTING ON HER BED WAS SO FUNNY LIKE WHAT

• HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WAITING

• ALSO WHO IS GUARDING HELAENA

Conclusion :

Tom is a god, Phia is an angel, I will start a cult for Ramin Djawadi. The acting in general was top notch, but Tom and Phia have ascended to god-like.

Helaegon's doomism and Greek tragedy will be my death, I love them your honour.

The focus on the smallfolk was very good, and I hope they do it for both sides.

[darklinaforever]

Having enjoyed characters who have committed their fair share of depraved shit, the reason why I don't like the Green kids isn't that they are evil but because they are just so unremarkable. It is not a mistake on GRRM's part because he excels in writing flawed characters.Be it those who appear good, the morally gray ones or those who are outright villains. F&B has characters who evoke strong feelings of repulsion and dread along with fascination; Alicent's children, however, don't count among them.

Aegon II: Lecherous, lazy hedonist who cares for none save himself and displays extreme cruelty. To be fair, he does commit some heinous acts of villainy but cannot stand as an impactful character on his own.

Compared to him, Aegon "the Unworthy" IV comes across as a terrifying and hateful villain who went overboard with screwing his own family for funsies. This is a character who disgusts me to the bone but I would also like to understand how his mind works.

Aemond "One Eye": Dollar store Maegor who exists to be the charismatic Daemon's foil. Except he has none of the force of a nature aura that Maegor possessed as a figure whose shadow haunted his family for ages.

Daeron: Commits war crimes and dies in a tent

I believe Alicent's children were always meant to not stand out because, at the end of the day, they are all meant to be extensions of her. They are manifestations of her greed and cruelty who leave a trail of destruction and tragedy in their wake. And it makes sense because Alicent is one of the only two genuinely interesting characters from Team Green in the book with the other being Larys. She is a fleshed out villain and the entirety of Team Green represent her fight for the throne against Rhaenyra and exist for that purpose. This is why none of her kids have distinct personalities for it just doesn't matter. Book!Alicent, mind you. Not the horrendous OC that bears her name on the show.

The Greens on the show, despite all the changes they made, aren't that extraordinary either but Aegon and Otto are fun to watch because of Tom and Rhys' talent. The fandom, however, adores an Aegon and Aemond who don't exist either in the book or show but only in their fanon interpretations.

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

🦋's Post show thoughtsssss

Superb Acting, as usual

Thankful for our Helaena sighting, no matter how short. My heart went out to her when they got mobbed, my poor girl😭

Aemond serving cunt, I kinda giggled when in that first scene at the beginning hehehe

Honestly I really wanted that scene with Aegon to show him saying something along the lines of he loves him in his own twisted way, blah blah, some loyalty or remorse or something. But god forbid we have the greens actually liking each other.

I'm actually looking forward to Otto coming back, tbh, like him or not the man was a powerhouse- Aemond knows what's up (not always)

DAERON MENTIONNNNNN

Gwyane really said yea girl ya'll kinda fucked up in this place ngl, thank god I wasn't raised here lol

I may not have been Viserys's biggest fan, however, to see Paddy again was surprisingly welcome.

Alys slayed, I can't wait for her and Aemond to meet, I'm gnawing at the bars of my enclosure for this to happen.

I really wanted to see a fallout of the mobbing with Alicent and Helaena, particularly with Aemond, to see some kind of regret of something in him, but again, god forbid they give Aemond some level of complexity. Only thanks to Ewan's skill as an actor do we get any depth, but we get not one shit from Ryan Condal.

Poor Aegon, honestly.

Even though I'm tired of Daemon at Harrenhall, I really hope that the direction it's gonna take is him getting to the point where he's back to being the ultra loyal uncle-husband, SEND HIM HOME TO HIS WIFE, DAMMIT

Now, the Mysaria and Rhaenyra kiss. I know this could potentially be divisive amongst fans, however.....it was hot. I'm sorry, but....it was hot. I kinda wanted more, this is way better than seeing Alicent and Crispy. I felt the chemistry between them but I rlly thought they would leave it ambiguous. Again, not a fan of this overarching narrative of Rhaenyra being this holy blessed chosen one, and the greens are all one dimensional assholes who hate each other, but- that was hot. Give us them scissoring next episode k thanks.

Despite the general issues, I am curious for next episode.

Excited to see your thoughts (can't believe there's only two more episodes) I'll miss these post show asks but alas we shall find more things to discourse over <3

One of my highlights of the week is you coming to my asks after the episode has aired. I can't believe that after this one we only get to do our thought dumps twice more! :(

Here are mine!

I have to get this out of the way first, because it was my absolute favourite part and I cannot stop thinking about it; Rhaenyra and Mysaria!

I've had a feeling something like that would happen from their very first encounter, all of their interactions just feel very charged. It was hot AF and I hope we get more of that. Such an interesting dynamic.

Aemond had a little more screen time this episode and, as usual, Ewan slayed. He ran that small council meeting like a fucking drill sergeant and seeing him all hot tempered and mean was...UGH.

I think Aemond's reasoning for dismissing Alicent from the small council was similar to Criston's for not wanting to name her as Regent - he wants to keep her out of harm's way and protect her from the horrible decisions they are going to have to make moving forward.

The way he set Larys up was so fucking good, and I am frothing for the return of Otto. I just know he is going to deliver some absolutely incredible lines next episode.

The exchange between Aegon and Aemond at Aegon's bedside was so well acted by both Tom and Ewan - Aegon's fear and Aemond's unsubtle threat of "this is the version of what happened and you better not tell anyone otherwise" - I do think it's stereotypical sibling rivalry, but the context makes it so much darker.

Aegon and Larys's exchange was amazing too - Larys just laying it out there, basically saying "you are going to look deformed and people will judge you for it" - so powerful, and yet so sad to see Aegon's realisation that he's changed forever.

I have a huge gripe with the writers for what they have done with Sylvi. Yes, her relationship with Aemond was purely transactional, and it has now ended, however, Aemond has been vulnerable with her, spoken to her of things he's not told anyone, so he wouldn't take kindly to the untruths she's spreading around Flea Bottom. I think he would have her killed, not just for treason, but out of fear of what she might tell people about him. However, Michelle Bonnard isn't going to appear again this season, so that is yet another gaping plothole created by the writers.

I'm so bored of Daemon's story arc. Alys is the only part of it holding my interest. It's heavily implied that she had a hand in killing Grover Tully, and I am wondering if she did that to actually help Daemon, or if she has another agenda. Is she going to work with Daemon to help cross Aemond, or does she simply want to take them both down because of their callous attitude towards small folk? I am genuinely excited about her character and storyline.

Cute as it was that Seasmoke claimed Addam, it is yet another glaring oversight from the writers - give us some indication of what's happened to Laenor! Should we just assume he's dead?!

It was cool to see the groundwork being laid for Sheepstealer, though I am still annoyed they gave Nettles' storyline to Rhaena.

Anyway, overall, I really enjoyed this episode. I think this one and episode four have been my favourites so far!

[lemonhemlock]

"Because it seems that the showrunners don't care about nuanced adaption but more motivated by their personal feelings about certain characters. It's clearly they dislike Aegon/Daemon/Larys/Viserys don't care about Helaena/Daeron/Rhaenys/Laena/Rhaena/Baela this why these characters have been either made much worse than their book counterparts or are non existing/ underdeveloped as hell. While they clearly like Aemond, Alicent and Rhaenyra that's why they have been made much better than their book counterparts. And if i remember correctly Daeron was supposed to be cut out from the show and this is the reason why no body mentioned him at all not even his mother and his dutiful and honourable personality was given to Aemond, who was objectively the most similar character to Ramsay/Joffery. Now i am not saying that they shouldn't sympathize with Alicent. What i mean by all of this is given Aegon/Larys/Daemon (and the rest of the characters I've mentioned) nuanced interpretations can coexist with their interpretation of Aemond and Alicent." Okay expecting all characters to be the same as in book is plain naive. Even I after reading Asoiaf didn't expect the show to be better than books and I was right because GoT did many characters different than in books (Cersei, Jaime, Tyrion, Euron, Stannis, Tyrells and Martells in general were done terribly compared to books, Littlefinger in books is totally different and much more smart than in show, Varys in the books is also not the same as from the books, Tywin is more terrible in books than in the show) and when it comes to GoT they have actual povs from books, what could go wrong in adapting these books to show? While hotd is a show based on a book that are told by different people and none of them witnessed what exactly happen and yet some people are whining why it's different? They developed Alicent and Rhaenyra because they are there for 10 episodes. Aemond/Aegon/Rhaena/Baela will have more screen time in season 2. That's why Tom himself said that just because Aegon is shown in certain way in 2 episodes in season 1 doesn't mean he is totally not worth rooting for. We don't know what he will do in 2 season, so we still have plenty of time to root for him, especially after b&c happen. He will be there almost until the end of show so I doubt he will spend all of time rap*** maids and we will see him in different light because he will go through much pain after being burned by Meleys and death of his sons and brothers. At the end, all he will have would be Alicent. We just have to wait and not be mad at the show for ruining certain characters when it's just the beginning of the show and they will all change after war begins. As for Daeron, George himself said he regrets he wasn't in the show, but there was no time for him in 1 season and he will appear in 2 season which is understandable because there were only 10 episodes and it's impossible to develop every character in 10 episodes. We know Rhaenyra, Alicent, Daemon, Otto, Criston and Aemond motivations. In 2 season other characters will have their time to shine, including Aegon. Part 4

While hotd is a show based on a book that are told by different people and none of them witnessed what exactly happen and yet some people are whining why it's different?

they're not whining it's different, necessarily, they're whining it's disproportionately biased towards rhaenyra. the changes performed weren't neutral. the tenets of medieval common law during feudalism were not properly laid out (although otto attempts to do so in "second of his name"). stannis, asoiaf's resident legalist, specifically calls rhaenyra a traitor and a usurper, yet hotd frames aegon as the usurper. people parrot back the "king's word is law" argument and think they're harvey specter from suits. king stephen and the nobles who supported him send their regards, i guess.

That's why Tom himself said that just because Aegon is shown in certain way in 2 episodes in season 1 doesn't mean he is totally not worth rooting for

to be fair, what is tom supposed to say? he's stuck between a rock and a hard place here. "no, don't root for me, aegon is trash, only send me hatemail"

[eyeswideshutttt]

so it’s time to make some conclusions about house of the dragon after season 1 finale.

top 10 episodes in my opinion:

1. episode 5 “we light the way” (that was peak hotd, from thriller mini-film with daemon and his wife to tragedy with wedding, love affairs and murder. and then we have dangerous truths, schemes and the change and downfall of some characters because of them (alicent’s change because of accidental (criston) and intentional (larys) truth she’s been told and criston’s downfall because of his wounded ego and honour), and the end of rhaenyra’s youth, the realisation of her fate, the regrets and bitterness. just chief’s kiss).

2. episode 10 “the black queen” (it was a great finale, despite spoiling myself with many things i still enjoyed it, it was very monumental grand ending of a season with epic scenes and with a well crafted set up for future events, the whole episode felt very dark and with a sense of tragedy).

3. episode 4 “king of the narrow sea”(something about that episode felt so unique and fresh, i loved the looseness, the free spirit, the fire daemon brought in rhaenyra. the not so innocent and fortnight rhaenyra when she confronted alicent and her father about daemon (and it also was perfectly directed, especially i’m in love with scene of rhaenyra following daemon in the throne room at the beginning).

4. episode 8 “the lord of the tides” (viserys and his love for rhaenyra made this episode, the most emotional and peaceful one, the domestic vibes were well balanced with powerful scenes such as daemon cutting vaemond’s head and aemond’s hilarious and brilliant toast. oh god and the music was devastatingly beautiful).

5. episode 3 “second of his name” (once again a well balanced storytelling: the peaceful start that gains its pace slowly but strongly. i loved the quietness of the powerful scenes that hit you with a force by brilliant directing and acting).

6. episode 1 “the heirs of the dragon” (the beginning, that made me instantly caught up in that universe, the funeral scene is still one of my favourites, made me fell in love with rhaenyra. overall strong start).

7. episode 6 “the princess and the queen” (the first episode after a big time jump and one of main actors’ changes that actually made you used to them real quick because you almost instantly recognise the already beloved characters although the changes of a characters were also noticeable and palpable, i also liked that it was a very eventful episode with many wtf moments).

8. episode 7 “driftmark” (this episode was also very eventful and wtf moments were also present and overall it was a fantastic episode but it was the first time something felt off to me watching hotd. i don’t even know what it was i couldn’t tell).

9. episode 9 “the green council” (it is tied with episode 7 i would say. i liked that we were able to see greens’ perspective and what was happening from their point of view it was a clever choice to make audience feel conflicted. also the whole sequence of looking for aegon was fantastic and the final scene with coronation and rhaenys’s entrance was one of the coolest in the whole show but some plot felt tedious).

10. episode 2 “the rogue prince” (actually i really love this episode that scene alone with rhaenyra and rhaenys is one of the greatest in the whole show, i was in awe how well written and acted it was).

let’s put top 10 characters here as well:

1. rhaenyra

2. daemon

3. aemond

4. rhaenys

5. viserys

6. alicent

7. jace/luke (i love them equally idc)

8. aegon

9. otto

10. larys

and also top 10 performances because why not:

1. paddy considine

2. matt smith

3. milly alcock

4. emma d’arcy (actually they are tied with milly)

5. olivia cooke

6. rhys ifans

7. eve best

8. ewan mitchell

9. tom glynn-carney

10. emily carey