#and yeah at least daemon owns that he did blood and cheese

[navree]

"Who was really behind blood and cheese?"

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLuRCbUQ/

In this video on TikTok, the creator claims that Daemon couldn't possibly be behind blood and cheese because he's not a "schemer." 🙄

Oh yeah I saw people talking about that on Twitter and it's dumb as Hell. Like, for one, no Otto's not going to do it because killing one of only two heirs to the throne and driving his granddaughter to madness to the point where she can't create any more is much more of a problem than any good PR would be a solution. Just because Otto decided to capitalize on a grotesque situation as best he could doesn't mean he orchestrated it. Not to mention, Otto's canon characterization, as expressed not only in the show but also behind the scenes by the writers and Rhys himself, is as someone who loves his family. His problem is that he's not good at verbalizing it (Rhys said something to the effect of Otto not having the language available to tell Alicent "I love you and I'm scared for you" even if that's how he feels) which doesn't allow it to be verbally expressed, and he also values power and advancement too much. So he places it over the love he has for his family, chiefly Alicent, who he clearly adores as his child, and it causes him to grievously hurt his family in spite of his love for them, like setting up Alicent to be groomed and sold off into marriage to Viserys despite the damage it will cause.

And yeah, Daemon isn't a schemer, but you know what he is? Violent. Violent and cruel and uncaring towards the suffering of others. Show Daemon isn't a schemer, but he is someone who bashed his wife's head in because he wanted to murder her for the crime of him not liking her. Show Daemon isn't a schemer, but he did fabricate an entire plot that could have resulted in Mysaria being killed without even taking her wants and needs into consideration. Show Daemon isn't a schemer, but he is the kind of man who takes teenage girls to brothels to ruin them and then leaves them there with their clothes off at the mercy of rapists and murderers and no way to get back home. Show Daemon isn't a schemer, but he is a father who neglects his older children and shows no care or concern for their wellbeing or emotional needs. Show Daemon isn't a schemer, but he is someone who giggles at his wife's funeral in front of her family and responds to his brother's attempt at conciliation with personal insults. Show Daemon isn't a schemer, but he is a husband who put hands on his wife and throttled her when she hit on a sore nerve and he wanted to lash out. Daemon's involvement in Blood and Cheese doesn't require scheming. It requires him having contacts in King's Landing, which is likely given his time living there, and it involves his propensity for significant violence against anyone he wants it done to and his disregard towards early anyone who isn't himself. So him hiring people to kill a child and telling them to be as merciless as possible about it? Yeah, that tracks with Daemon as he's portrayed on this show. That tracks really well.

Anyway funny how Team Black stans were all about 'and we'll support them in their war crimes era!' about Daemyra but now that the war crimes are approaching and we're about to watch baby murder and threatening to rape a child and mentally torturing Helaena and Alicent on an HD screen, now there's theories that make no sense. Blood and Cheese is, at minimum, Daemon's fault, not anyone on Team Black, and it's high time his fans at least follow his own lead and own it.

[electricprincess96]

Ep 2 of Season 2 of HOTD was.... disjointed. It felt like just as I was getting into a scene it changed.

Once again we are robbed of girl dad Daemon Targaryen because the show seems to believe he is not allowed to have even one redeeming quality. Baela Targaryen of all people having daddy issues is just wild to me I'm sorry but who are these characters cause they aren't the Daemon and Baela I know. And yes I know Fire and Blood is not a reliable narrator but when all the sources in that book seem to agree that Daemon for all his many faults was at least a decent father to Baela (if not both his daughters) then I don't see why that can't be adapted in the show. Daemon can be all the other horrible things that he is but removing this one trait from him making him so much less interesting.

I don't like how.... weak Rhaenyra seems to be. Also she can't seem to decide if she's sad, vengeful, level headed. Like I do not have a grasp of who this Rhaenyra is the way I did in Season 1.

I see everyone in Team Black minus Jace have already forgotten Luke. 10/11 days of mourning is all you get my sweet boy.

Otto Hightower was the star of this episode (and honestly i liked him in the last one too). Like yes is this whole entire situation almost entirely his fault? Yes. But it was fun watching him realise his family are all idiots and he's unable to control their stupidity. Like Otto was one second away from sailing to Dragonstone and begging Rhaenyra to be Queen that's how much Aegon and Alicent annoyed the crap out of him in this episode. Unfortunately I wouldn't be surprised of we don't see much or any of him for the rest of the season and dare I say that's kinds sad. The collective IQ in the Red Keep has plummeted.

Aegon's pain and mourning was believable and very well portrayed. The issue is they really want me to feel bad for Aegon but these are the same writers that made him a rapist, child molester and fan of watching children fighting in pits (some of them his own bastard children) so like..... I would feel sympathy for him except you've made him a colossal piece of shit and no I won't forget.

Helaena has been able to portray a lot of emotions despite the script giving her very little to do. I thought the funeral scene would be more than it was honestly. Aegon not even speaking to her on the staircase was cold but I think fit the characters well.

Crispy Cole.... if hypocrisy had a face. Him gaslighting Sir Arryk into going to try and kill Rhaenyra to cover up COLE'S mistake of not doing his job cause he was too busy doing Alicent was oh so scummy. Also do we really need to keep ending episodes on Cole and Alicent fucking?

.... I won't talk too much about the Daemon and Rhaenyra scene cause I just don't think it was very good. Like these two can absolutely fight after what Daemon did with Blood and Cheese but it felt like the writer of this episode wanted to retcon their entire relationship into being "oh she never really believed in him or trusted him" which makes the whole scheme last season to get Laenor out the way and allow her to marry Daemon seem really fucking stupid right now and makes Rhaenyra seem incapable of making good decisions regarding her allies if she claims she never even trusted her own King Consort. Like Rhaenyra KNEW who Daemon was before all this, her acting like she didn't somewhat sign up for this when she chose to marry him is dumb. I don't want perfect angel Rhaenyra who does no wrong, Rhaenyra is a Targaryen but she's lacking the fire recently. Like yeah she shouldn't be happy about this but to act like she doesn't hold some responsibility is nonsense. Making both Lucerys' death and now Jaehaeyr's deaths down to "accidents" or miscommunications is merely robbing so many characters of agency in a desire to make them sympathetic and marketable.

But yeah I didn't really like this episode, maybe upon rewatches I'll appreciate it more but overall it wasn't great. Neither ep1 or ep2 have really reached the heights of Season 1 for me so far.