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.)

I read the non-burning as being related to the conversation Rhaenys had with Alicent in her room at the Red Keep. It seemed like the first time they'd spoken frankly together one-to-one, and Rhaenys had more respect for Alicent after it. ('You are wiser than I gave you credit for').

She saw Alicent throw herself in front of Aegon to protect him and maybe that sparked some mercy in her. She is a mother trying to do the best for her son, after all.

Also, kinslaying is considered one of the worst possible crimes in Westeros so it likely wouldn;'t have gone very well for Rhaenys if she'd burnt the whole family. i read it as a show of strength, a warning and a reminder that she could have burned them all alive but chose not to.

As a PP said, keeping herself out of the immediate conflict.

I think I will read Fire and Blood when this is done. Am I right in thinking there is only one volume? ( That can't be right, can it?)

@LobeliaBaggins As far as I'm aware it's just one book, but it's written like a history text book (so not a novel like the ASOIAF books). It's written from the perspective of 'Maesters' and others who were there to observe events (or not as the case may be), eg the court jester.

Does it cover the same event from different perspectives or does the story progress with different people recalling different events that progress with time.

I've been away from this thread because I've been back and rewatched all the episodes again - with family tree by my side.

For those struggling but really wanting to get with it, I highly recommend it. Because I had more of an idea what was happening (ish), I could focus a bit more on who was who.

The pacing and dialogue felt more natural this second time around and I started to care a little bit more. Got to notice little things I missed before (like Alicent letting Larys Stong wank off while looking at her feet ).

Here's another quick photo from the book, showing how it deals with contested versions of events.

It feels like I'm repeating myself, but it's the easiest way to show how it reads, and I can't be arsed to type it out.

Fire and Blood is 700-odd pages long in my copy, and takes us from Aegon's Conquest of Westeros to way after the Dance of the Dragons, but ends with over a century still to go before Dany. The events of House of the Dragon start at about page 350 and so far we're at around page 450 I think. There is intended to be another volume apparently.

It's very different in pacing from ASOIAF, which has weather, descriptions of landscape, interior monologues, chunks of dialogue. So far each page of text is taking about four times as much screen time as a page of Game of Thrones.

Thanks @WinterIsComingKnitFaster and @MindatWork. That's very helpful. Bit drier than ASOIAF then.

I’ve ordered it. I can’t wait!

last episode this weekend. It should be a good one! Hopefully, there will be lots of dragons.

Beware - the last episode has been leaked. So if you want to avoid spoilers, be extra careful the next couple of days. I inadvertently saw a clip of a major scene/spoiler while scrolling TikTok earlier today.

Thank you for the warning!! I'll be extra careful.

DH isn't interested so it's been my lovely Sunday night 'me time' watching HotD on my own. I'd be devastated if it was spoiled for me.

“The pacing and dialogue felt more natural this second time around and I started to care a little bit more. Got to notice little things I missed before (like Alicent letting Larys Stong wank off while looking at her feet Shock).”

@GottaGetOutofDairy I wasn’t sure if Alicent knew he had a foot fetish when she took off her shoes and stockings in front of him and was less sure whether she knew he was banging one out ! You think she did know and that’s why she turned away?

Oh she definitely knew and it was clearly not the first time it had happened. If I remember it properly, he said he knew something and implied he wanted something in exchange for telling and she sighed and took off her shoes...and then that repeated again and he put his hand down his pants. So I definitely took it that it was a mutual exchange 🤪

She's quite clearly been paying him in foot fetish wanks for important information!

I thought the scene was really well shot. The first time I watched it, I thought Alicent was upset and angry at everything that had happened and Larys was a close friend, but the second time I could see that all the sighing and looks were about Larys. He repulses her but she still feels that she needs him.

Its definitely not the first time because you can see he hints at information, then gives a look, then she sighs and pulls off her stockings. It’s obviously been going on for a long time.

Oh yes, the foot fetish thing has indeed been going on a long time. It’s just another reminder of how Alicent has to do things for men all the time, even though she doesn’t want to. There is even the parallel where she says ‘the hour is late’, which is the same thing she would say when Viserys would call her to his bed chamber. Mary’s is a creep who gets off on the idea that Alicent is pure.

Yup. The first time I watched it, it kind of went over my head that she knew and was using this as a way to pay for information.

I only 'got it' when I watched everything through a 2nd time. She definately knew.

I think it is a reminder of how she always has to do things for men. But it also made me think of her a hypocrit - perhaps having gone too far down a wrong path.

She was angry at Rhaenyra when her sexual activity and subsequent gossip caused The Hand to lose his post. Long after he's been reinstated we find her paying for gossip with a form of sex.

She's quite a sad character, really. Someone who comes tantilisingly close to being a good person and would likely find happiness that way. But each time, makes a poor call and twists the circumstance so that she is wrong and hurt by it.

I've never read any of the book(s?) but I wonder if this theme continues and working her children up to war is going to hurt her even more. You win or you die, of course. And winning can be as bad as dying.

“She's quite clearly been paying him in foot fetish wanks for important information!”

@TheRookie lmao 🤣

Does anyone know what time it normally appears on Sky? We normally watch on catch up during the week but would like to watch as soon as possible to avoid spoilers?

@Ihaveaskedyouthrice 2am Monday morning on Sky Atlantic. Same time as shown in US

Yeah avoid reddit, spoilers from the leaked episode all over the shop 🙄

Thanks so much.

@Ihaveaskedyouthrice unless you are prepared to stay up perhaps record it and watch asap.

Last week episode 9 didn't appear until lunchtime on Sky and so pretty hard to avoid spoilers.

That’s shit!

It appears right after it airs on Now TV.

The bit where Alicent wants to take one of the children's eyes was horrendous!

Is it 3am then for those watching on Now TV in the UK?