HOUSE OF THE DRAGON

[houseofthedragon]

Extended trainer here:

I am so excited for this!!! Anyone else???!!!

HOTD will be premiering on the 21st Aug (22nd Aug for U.K.)

@plicks Daemon's wife was the one he said was uglier than a sheep in the first episode. It turned out she wasn't and she was given the line about him preferring to fuck sheep to remind us who she was. I wondered how an unarmed ,man dressed like the woman in the Scottish Widows advert managed to overpower a skilled hunter with a dagger on a big horse but never mind. I'm just glad we saw her however briefly. I thought she was going to be like Maris where everyone in Frasier talks about her though she's never seen. At least that was intentionally funny.

When she was beaten to death (off camera) I thought House of Dragons was at last picking up but it returned to its leisurely plod with exposition by characters to explain plot holes.

That clunky bit where two wedding guests I probably should be able to identify but can't, explained the significance of Alicent's green dress, for instance.That was the worst.

The baffling character somersaults where Eve Best (I can't remember her character's name or those of her children and know Steve Toussaint only as the Sea Snake) now cares about her children when a couple of episodes back she was happy to give her 11-year-old daughter to a 50-year-old man because she wouldn't have to have perfunctory dynasty-making sex with him until she was 14. And Alicent turning from a meek royal sperm receptacle to a Mama Bear after a touching farewell chat with the dad who gave her away as a brood filly too..

How did Ser Criston turn from a sulky wet whining about being used as a sex object into the sort of guest who really does spoil the wedding reception? And what did the Knight of the Kisses (I remembered that one) do that was so wrong? Ser Criston is Daario Naharis but without the personality.

The dancing had me humming David Bowie's Golden Years like the party with Heath Ledger in The Knight's Tale. Though nothing like the Red Wedding, the wedding had a nicely building air of menace. But then it turned into a scrum where you couldn't see what was gong on.

I've started so I'll finish because I keep hoping it will get better. I stuck with Dexter but that was good for at least four series before it went downhill.

I wondered how an unarmed ,man dressed like the woman in the Scottish Widows advert managed to overpower a skilled hunter with a dagger on a big horse but never mind

I think she was more scared of his dragon that must have been somewhere in the vicinity. That's why she goes for her bow which spooks the horse and then she falls off. I agree it was done quite clumsily though.

The baffling character somersaults where Eve Best (I can't remember her character's name or those of her children and know Steve Toussaint only as the Sea Snake) now cares about her children when a couple of episodes back she was happy to give her 11-year-old daughter to a 50-year-old man because she wouldn't have to have perfunctory dynasty-making sex with him until she was 14. And Alicent turning from a meek royal sperm receptacle to a Mama Bear after a touching farewell chat with the dad who gave her away as a brood filly too..

Rhaenys was never "happy" to marry little Laena to the King: that was made quite clear. She's going along with her husband's ambition but against her better judgement because she understands the risks better. And in Laenor's case that's exacerbated because she believes so strongly that Rhaenyra can never be queen without a disastrous war.

I can well believe that Alicent is meek until she genuinely believes that her children's lives are at risk.

Looks like they’ve turned Ser Larys into a hybrid of Littlefinger and Varys 🙄
It’s getting on my wick now.
Roll on The walking dead

I've been excitedly reading about the Jon Snow sequel, a lot of people are hoping it retcons season 8 and ends GOT properly. I've also heard rumours that there'll be a storyline that Dany was taken to Braavos by Drogon to be resurrected by a Red Priestess. I would poop my pants with excitement if that was the case but apparently Emilia Clarke has said she isn't coming back to GOT...

Finally, it starts.

I’m sad about Daemon’s wife - she looked so interesting. And it’s hard for me to acknowledge him as truly evil, so that was difficult.

Really liked the contrast between the epic scale of the Red Wedding and this - a tiny jolt of emotion that just left everyone crying.

Still lacking any wit in the dialogue though.

It's just too bloody dark! It's hard enough with everyone having the same goddamn name, but when you can't see anyone. It becomes even more frustrating.

I've been kind of enjoying it so far but I find that the lack of variety of the houses and characters are making it quite a dull show for me, at least when compared to GOT. I really liked the variety of the houses before, and the vast differences between them (eg starks compared to say the boltons.) I'm already sick of rhaynera's pinched little face!

And I also miss the humour and standout characters of GOT such as all the Starks, littlefinger, varys, jamie, tyrion, the hound etc (and don't forget ramsay and cersei!) who all brought so much life and colour to the show before.

Unfortunately, there are no standout colourful characters in HOTD for me, at least not yet. Not a big fan of any of them so far but I actually think Alicent might become more interesting now that she knows about rhaynera's secret, as I don't know which way she'll turn (I haven't read the books). This makes it a tiny bit more GOT-ish to me.

I also watch with subtitles as I find it helps to catch people's names better, but it's annoying when they speak in targaryen as the translated text on screen is tiny and barely readable, and then gets covered by the subtitles anyway! I don't know if this is my TV doing it or Now TV but I hope they change it in the future.

Please will someone explain why Ser Cristin stabbed Laenor's lover. I thought it was quite a good arrangement given that she was never going to marry him

I think it was because he made snarky (but true) remarks about each of them carrying on their affairs with Rhaenerys and Laenor after the marriage. He seemed to phrase it as if Criston were nothing but a toy boy rather than her 'true love'.

I think it was just that CC's self-disgust about breaking his vows had driven him to breaking point. He'd soiled his white cloak, the only thing of value he'd ever possessed. If he'd done it for True Love then that might be a story he could console himself with. But Rhaenyra makes it obvious that it wasn't that at all. Joffrey's jokey "we side-pieces should stick together" and the feeling that his disgrace was widely known was the last straw.

Remember that he had already resigned himself to the death penalty, and knew that castration, humiliation and torture were likely fates.

I thought it was something along those lines but he was obviously so unrealistic and poor old lover boy didn't deserve that.

GRR Martin has said in interviews that he based the world of GOT very much on the War of the Roses - so basically 15th century England (but with added dragons and magic). Much of what now shocks us in GOT was commonplace in medieval times.

As I recall, William the Conqueror deliberately had his little granddaughters blinded. King John hung innocent hostages at Nottingham Castle, some were only young children. Girls were regularly married at 12 or 13 - Henry Tudor's mother was only 13 when she gave birth to him. King John imprisoned Maude de Braose with her eldest son in an oubilette leaving them to starve. When their bodies were removed it was clear that Maude de Braose had turned cannibal.

Horrific, terrible times.

Yes absolutely based on this time period, however the Daemon killing his wife story seemed to me to sound very similar to an incident in Elizabeth I’s time when one of her “favourites” and rumoured lover, Robert Dudley’s wife was found mysteriously dead at the foot of her stairs with her neck broken. It looked so dodgy that Elizabeth banished him from court. Everyone suspected him but there were no witnesses.

Game of Thrones is heavily based on Wars of the Roses, but House of the Dragon is more influenced by The Anarchy: the wars between Stephen and Matilda.

Henry I's only legitimate son was unfortunately drowned in the White Ship Disaster (don't drink and sail, kids) and after his second marriage to a teenager failed to produce a replacement he called together all the barons and made them swear allegiance to his daughter Matilda as his heir, in defiance of their reluctance to countenance a female monarch.

Spoiler alert: it didn't all go smoothly.

Oh that’s really interesting thank you for posting this. I’m hoping that GRR Martin didn’t follow the story about Matilda etc exactly though otherwise I’ll know what’s going to happen ! 😃

Yes, Dudley was very strongly suspected of having had Amy killed in order that he might be free to marry Elizabeth. Not very clever of him considering that all the suspicion meant he became the one man she could never marry.

Yes definitely! I am not sure Elizabeth would have married anyway as I think she had been put off after watching her father and what happened to her mother and his other wives. But I think it she was going to marry anyone it would have been Dudley.

I didn't realise GRR Martin had based Fire & Blood on The Anarchy, that's interesting. I've just finished reading The White Ship by Charles Spencer - can highly recommend.

I do believe that Elizabeth truly loved Dudley (I suspect he loved her crown). I remember that after he died she locked herself away for days and refused to see anyone.

So tedious.

It's great knowing stuff from stuff from history and reading books. I do both. But this is a television programme. You shouldn't have to do your homework in order to find it (a) coherent and (b) not boring.

Did anyone understand the last few scenes (at Rhaenyra's wedding)?

I sort of get why Ser Criston killed Laeonor's boyfriend. He has a strict religious /moral code which he already feels guilty for violating by sleeping with the Princess and breaking his vow. Hence his silly confession to Allicent. And he is in love with Rhaenyra, but she rejected his plea to run away with him and accepted a marriage of convenience. So he probably feels disgusted with all of them and was lashing out. Plus if he's religious he probably thinks homosexuality is sinful etc.

BUT who were all those other people who rushed in and started fighting? It looked like they were trying to start a coup or something. Queen Allicent's lot from wherever she comes from? But in that case, why does everything go back to normal in the scene where they're actually married, Allicent standing with the others? I don't understaaand!

And was that the King dropping dead right near the end?

And did I hear Rhaenyra asking Daemon to take her away near the end? So she's really in love with him? Ser Criston was just a toyboy to her? If so, why didn't Daemon take her? He is single now after conveniently murdering his wife.

Can anyone shed light? I thought it was confusing, but probably I'm just being thick.

@Pemba these are all the questions I have! So if you're thick then so am I. Hopefully someone will be along to answer.

At the beginning of the fighting scene there was a lot of confusion. Nobody knew what was happening, who was attacked.
People were sent in to save the princess, becauseit felt lie Daemon attacked her. The Hand sent his son, Harwin, to literally carry Rhaenyra out from the melee.
The Kingsguard rushed there to see what was happening with Ser Criston. And I any myers of the Royal family are in danger.
The Velaryons rushed there to protect their own, also to stop Laenor from making a scene.
The rest just probably likes a good brawl.

Yes, it was Viserys collapsing.

Rhaenyra and Daemon are meant to be very similar in the show. I thought she was just teasing her to see how far he would go for power. But Daemon, so far, never openly rebelled against his brother. He is all bark.