dornad

Things I liked

• Matt Smith certainly looks like The Warrior himself (God/Aspect of the Seven). If HOTD becomes an antology series (post-dance of the dragons) I would not be mad if he played another Daemon...
• Speaking of Daemon, how ducking funny is his reaction to the Brackens saying, "go ahead - burn us". Mad respect for him to actually realize that THAT is the kind of soldiers he needs.
• Alys Rivers remains one of the breakout characters of this season.
• Trippy/Trippin'/Mystical Daemon >>>>> "Regular" Daemon
• Baela is a boss. Loved her conversation with grandpa Velaryon. Indeed, Rhaenys chose to go out like a dragonrider.
• 🤩 🤩 🤩 More Book-accurate Eyrie and (Frey) Crossing 🤩 🤩 🤩

Random Thoughts

• Parading Meleys' head around is definitely a bad idea. It's diminishing the mysticism that the dragons possess. This is also undoubtedly setting the stage for the <event from F&B>.
• That's a level of incest I was not prepared to see, Daemon.
• So far with Daemon: Brother issues, niece issues and are we adding Mommy issues ? Next Episode are we getting Baelon cameo ?
• Is the Valyrian armor "HOTD-Canon" for Aegon surviving Rook's Rest ?
• I'm not quite sure who Rhaenyra's handmaiden was seeing at the end.
• "What time is it" "The WOLF". Loved how that line could have a meta context, in addition of the actual in-universe meaning.
• I loved the proposal and extent of the Dragonseed plan for the Blacks. To me, it sounds more out-of-left-field and grandiose than the F&B version.
• Was this the first usage of "Aemond One-Eye" ?
• Good job, Otto. All that work to keep Daemon off the throne... only to end up with Daemon on the throne - just with the D moved to the end and a cool eye-patch.

Things I liked

• We got Rook's Rest.
• Even more young Rhaenyra! ~ Hi Milly!!!
• Daemon is getting a crash course into Spooky/Mystic Westeros.
• They spent all this time setting up Cole as a stone cold warrior.... Only to have him shellshocked at what a Dragon vs Dragon war really entails. "What have I unleashed"
• Alys Rivers for best new character of the season.
• I love how disorienting the mystic scenes at Harrenhal are.
• We have ~~Muppets~~ Tullys!
• Clever bit of foreshadowing (for the end of the episode) with Alicent dropping the 🐲 figure

Weird Things / Random Thoughts

• Doesn't appear they've added anything new this week to the opening credits. Still ends with the hanging of the ratcatchers.
• War isn't romanticized... we're getting the futility of war. I've read before that GRRM writes conflict from an anti-war point of view. Could not be clearer now.
• Was Aemond really going to double-dip into Kin-slaying ?
• Do we prefer HOTD's version of why Cole gains the Kingmaker moniker ? I think the book's version makes more sense; he is a much bigger player in F&B.
• Looks like we're getting no differences in post Rook's Rest Aegon from F&B.
• Well done HBO... I can't believe Criston Cole is likeable in this episode.
• Alicent’s actions in being a horrible mother again are devastating.

ROFL for Trump to not invest… that’s not a low bar. The bar is buried and no shovel would help.

Bush Gardens was/is awesome, how dare you 😂

For Drumpf, it’s more of a sequel to Action Park (NJ)

My question: does that indicate that weirwood is impervious to dragon fire?

I'm unsure. My theory is that Ryan Condal (and GRRM by extension) are hinting at the magical properties of weirwood and, more specifically, that it could harm dragons.

During Aegon's Conquest, Brandon Snow (Torrhen Stark's bastard brother) offered to cross the Trident alone at night, sneak into the Targaryen camp, and assassinate the dragons while they slept. So, at the very least, Brandon thought he had something powerful enough (and maybe fireproof—or at least resistant) to get the job done.

The connection to Weirwood might be in ADwD. In that book, one of the visions Bran has through the Winterfell heart tree is of "a pale, fierce, and dark-eyed young man" slicing three branches off the weirwood and shaping them into arrows. I've read before that this may be Brandon Snow, preparing Weirwood arrows to kill the three Targaryen dragons.

It seems that way (at least according to HBO)... in book lore, it is hinted that Danny's dragons are the eggs stolen during Jaehaerys' reign by Elissa Farman.

Ballsy.... she is learning from "chaos hoodie" Daemon.

Things I liked

• Intro updated! Jaehaerys and Rat-catchers shown. Luke's death no longer shown 😔
• Braken v Blackwood!
• Rhaenys keep speaking truths.
• "It's a big chair, made of swords" - Daemon cracks me up.
• Ulf is growing on me.
• I love how we were shown a gruesome after-battle in the Riverlands, and everyone is basically saying "That was a cheeky skirmish between the Brackens and Blackwoods"
• Loved seeing "little" Moondancer.
• It seems we're walking towards evil stepmother and Maegor with Teats after all/

Weird Things / Random Thoughts

• That was Bloody Ben, right ?
• Hull is everyone's favorite shit-talking uncle.
• That was Alys Rivers over a Harrenhal, right ?
• Did.... they make Aegon's posse from the previous episodes the new KG ?
• It's been a while since I read F&B, but I don't recall Daemon getting prophetic/dragon dreams.
• Wait... is the show implying that the curse of Harrenhall could be tied to the weirwoods ?
• The premise of the secret Sept meeting is ridiculous, but the scene itself was great.
• I am not buying "Seasmoke is acting out because it's bored" - I think this might be a sign that something happened to Laenor.
• I appreciate that the "misunderstanding" angle in HotD is being sidelined. While misunderstandings did play a role in the events leading up to this point, the conversation at the Sept makes it clear that Alicent knows Viserys didn't truly want Aegon to be king. At this stage, Alicent's actions are more about ignorance, greed, ambition, and other emotions that have entangled her and the rest of the characters deeply..

I loved Otto in this episode.

Slowly realizing that VizzyT was great.

Also Peak Otto:

“Daughter, as long as we are together we can work through any issue”

“I have sinned, dad”

“OMG y’all are the worst - that does it - leavin’ right now for Oldtown to hang with Daeron”

Things I liked

• New intro still rules. I may have to re-watch it, afaict it didn't change from a week ago.
• Laughin' out loud at Daemon smirking in his own corner while the Black Council was trying to figure out Blood & Cheese.
• The scene between Daemon and Rhaenyra was incredible.
• Seasmoke Sighting!
• Daeron Mentioned!
• The brother's duel

Weird Things / Random Thoughts

• The cut at Rhaenyra with Viserys/Aegon was odd... I thought that was a flashback of Aegon with Jaehaerys/Jaehaera.
• The Seasmoke scene... for a second there I thought that was John Macmillan (Laenor's actor)
• Tom Glynn-Carney is the early MVP and IMHO most improved actor of this season. I really hope they update all imagery of HotD to feature him vs Rhaenyra for S3 and beyond.
• Phia Saban (Helaena) is a masterclass at saying so much without words (or as few of them as possible).
• Shoutout to the twins, once the Cargyll duel started - I was on the edge of my seat - and unable to tell them apart.

Things I liked

• The new intro - IMHO it is much better than 3D Valyria model, but not as good as OG Planetos' map.
• Seeing the north, Winterfell and the Wall again
• Cregan Stark was better than I expected.
• Meeting new characters, a lot of time spent with this Alyn fella in the docks with Corlyn 😉
• Rhaenyra and Jacaerys mourning scene was the standout scene for me.
• Looks like they're using humor to humanize Aegon II.
• Seeing everyone over at r/asoiaf loose their mind over Blood and Cheese ROFL

Things that puzzled me.

• Torren knelled at the wall ?
• Cole x Alicent - IMHO it came out of nowhere.
• The pacing of Blood & Cheese and the fact that the final minutes of the episode was split into 3 scenes: Blood & Cheese, Helaena's random walking and finally her entering Alicent's chamber.

Random Thoughts

• So... is Maelor chillin' with Daeron (The Daring) over at Oldtown ?
• Change the intro as much as you like, every season if you will. As long as OG GoT theme song plays, it will never be skipped.
• I love that they are still leaving us with the idea that, just like F&B, some events are still not completely understood/shown. We never see Daemon give the explicit order to target - same as we never see Daemon explicitly say "Heir for a Day" back in S1.
• I really think that Rhaenyra will be furious at Daemon - not only because he single-handedly plunged everyone further into a MAD scenario, but Rhaenyra's side (probably) just lost the moral high ground.