Cersei is so divisive. I somehow agree with you, disagree with you, agree with the commenters who disagree with you, and disagree with the commenters who disagree with you (lol). For example, I completely agree that Cersei and Tywin are extremely similar in their intelligence, despicability, and determination, but I don't actually agree that Cersei is more hated. I consider them both villains and so the primary difference I see is the POV thing. It would feel equivalent if Cersei never got one or if Tywin had been given one throughout ASOS. I think the tendency to sympathize with Jaime and not Cersei is justified, as she has shown no progress in becoming a better person while he has. I think the tendency to sympathize with Tyrion and not Cersei is trained. Because we began the series watching Tyrion bond with Jon at the wall and enable Bran to ride a horse, we like him and it's easier to overlook bad things he does. The things we might have sympathized with Cersei for (e.g. Robert slapping her) are typically combined with her saying something mean/self-centered or witnessed by a character who already dislikes her, usually both (that slap, from Ned's POV). So much of what we see of Cersei in AGOT is from Ned's POV and he has an insane superiority complex, even when looking at other "good people." I like to think Tyrion's descending into the antagonist role while Jaime is climbing out and Cersei is there in the middle losing her mind. But I don't actually know the plans for Tyrion (or anyone), so I can't say if that's really GRRM's intent. Cersei's POV actually mimics Theon's the most as it stands because both characters were given POVs precisely when put into situations where they have too much power and feel completely demeaned and like they have something to prove and they spiral and their choices are terrible and "villainous" and they get themselves into positions in which they become the victims as a direct result of their own plotting. So while I don't think her arc is about redemption, I do think it has places to go other than More Evil. But I firmly agree that people don't criticize Tyrion nearly enough.
I guess my only criticism is that Aegon has the backing of the Golden Company. A mercenary company famously known for backing the BlackFyres. I dont see a world where the Golden Company elites, likely still in the know about their roots, would support a True born Targaryen. Narratively speaking, Blackfyres and Targaryens are still the same family, they share the same Dragon Riding gene needed to bond to dragons, and overall the only differentiating factor between them is their name. Rhaegal, Viserion, and Drogon all need riders. An I foresee George giving them those riders. I actually think the eventual conflict/ reunion between Dany and Faegon wont be as heartbreaking and bloody as we think as book dany is actually extremely melancholic that she is the last Targaryen. I dont think she will care that Griff is sitting on her throne, I think she would actually be very happy to find someone she can finally relate to. Similairly, when Jon is resurrected and his parentage is revealed. (I hope his name is Aemon), I think that will be the final piece for them before the wall goes down. Faegons arc will end by him being shot down and killed and his dragon resurrected as the same in the TV show
Great video! arrived via glidus v late sorry. they have a linguist working on payroll too unless peterson only does the conlang stuff but that would seem like quite an oversight. I think your analysis is mostly likely the reason for the variation, but I wondered with mysaria if they were going for a unique idiolect based on someone who either learned common tongue from a large variety of speakers or just hung around with a lot of speakers. I remember an english friend of mine who picked up accents easily lived in glasgow then melbourne AU and back to england and had an amazing accent
Viserys was a deeply tragic, flawed man who sabotaged everything. And I kinda like him that way, with complexity to his character. You can enjoy a character without liking everything about them. Or them even being a good person. This Viserys was much more complex and layered than the book Viserys. But the fandom shouldn't defend everything he does. Or any other character for that matter.
Daemon is one of the most glorified characters in the fandom. I love him as a character and think Matt Smith did a great job portraying him. But he's an @$$hole ... and that's okay, because we can still be invested in him. But let's appreciate him as the villain he is supposed to be, not justify every action he takes.
I think the way Criston is skewed and villainized not only in the fandom but by his depiction in the series is another way in which the team is biased against the Greens. They deviated heavily from the source material. They toned down the actions of the Blacks (making the death of the child by Daemon an accident, partially redeeming Daemon, rebranding Rhaenyra and Mysaria as heroes instead of villains, ) and mostly ramped UP the actions of the Greens and the way their actions are framed (Aegon wasn't a r*pist and didn't watch children fight for fun, Aemond would NEVER have burned or betrayed Aegon, Allicent would never have betrayed her family, etc). They act like Rhaenyra was the main character in Fire and Blood when she was actually just one player, a villain who went on to die unceremoniously. There was no main character, there was no "good faction" there was just a toxic family hungry for power pulling itself apart.
Rhaenyra consistently threw Allicent under the bus, wanted to have her child tortured, lied to her on her mother's grave, and never showed much support. I don't think Allicent owes default support to her just because she's a woman, especially since Rhaenyra married a dangerous man (Daemon) who was willing to order her grandchildren and children k*lled. If anyone failed other women in this scenario, it was Rhaenyra, a woman who disregarded the wellbeing of anyone other than herself. It's also important to note that while Rhaenyra was denied a leadership role because of gender, she still isn't necessarily a good leader and we don't have to support unqualified candidates solely on the basis of identity - even while I concede all identities should have equal opportunities in positions. The writers themselves were biased against Allicent. One openly said she was inspired by "women for Trump" which honestly could be said of Rhaenyra as well. If any GOT plotline explores internalized misogyny well, it was the High Septon and her sl*t-shaming crusade on behalf of religion. Or Cersei viewing other women as threats/letting them be harmed/lashing out at them because she couldn't control the way men treated her. This show ... couldn't cut it this way. If anything, it just pits women against each other in an anti-feminist way.
I’m going to have to disagree. George said Robert’s rebellion was based off the Trojan war. rhaegar is Paris. Lyanna is Helen of Troy. Robert is menelaus. Paris and Helen were in love and that love started a war. the same is said of rhaegar and lyanna.
Dreamfyre is ranked too high. She was killed by small folks. Seasmoke ought to be ranked higher he did took down Vermithor despite not surviving that battle. For a smaller dragon that one is pretty fierce. Sunfyre as well he killed Greyghost and moondancer despite being injured. Seasmoke and Sunfyre might be smaller but they are fierce. Sunfyre over Syrax (who was also taken down by a mob of small folks). And Seasmoke over Meleys…. She wasn’t as battle tested and had less of an impact.
Read F&B and watched HOTD, and I've come to the exact same conclusion. Despite the one-sided portrayal and bias in the TV show, the underlying argument is still valid. Thank you for this concise video.
Otto was probably the only righteous man in the entire dance of the dragons lmao. He gave Viserys a heir he so wished for for the small price of his blood being on the throne. He distanced him from Daemon the hotheaded who if you were him would 1000% see him as a hige threat to Viserys.
i believe that even if elia did agree that he could have a third child, to complete the three heads, she never would have agreed to it being a trueborn child of another highborn lady. it's exactly what we see in hotd, the mere THOUGHT of having a child with another highborn lady put rhaenyra on the backburner. and as we see, this only goes downhill. elia was politically savvy and knew she couldn't have another baby, and probably could have allowed for a legitimized bastard. but for the bastard to come from a stark??? absolutely not. she was sexually liberated, not stupid.
you should be ashamed of yourself for having a mind twisted enough to make you believe that a 14 year old child who is out there freeing slaves (because she was a slave herself) is actually a villain. disgusting video.
Y’all remember when Drogan refused to listen to daenyrs when she was bye the mud and stuff but in season 1 episode 6 of hotd it says dragons will listen to your every command
God every time Harry Lloyd’s face is on screen I get very conflicted horny feelings. Like Viserys is a freaking psychopath in the show, pitiable and cruel, irredeemable, and yet that FUCKING FACE😳like oh my god he is so beautiful as Viserys, and at this point I more so associate Harry Lloyd with his excellent narrations of the hedge knight series of books; he’s so charming and those books are such a delight to listen to, they really can bring me out of a slump when I’m feeling down because they’re like mini audio plays, and he does them beautifully. He’s a beautiful, beautiful man. Honestly when they showed Prince Rhaegar on GOT I was like 😐 That is not Prince Rhaegar, that’s “We have Rhaegar at home” compared to the gorgeous Harry Lloyd😂 I didn’t find him nearly as attractive, and they could have at least hidden the fact that they were clearly reusing Viserys’s wig😂 Sorry for leaving random thirst comments instead of reacting to your ideas; I really do love your videos. I’m just ovulating.
I'm being honest. When I was a young teenager of twelve back in the day watching Game of Thrones and being exposed to grown up shows. Sansa was my favorite character. Not because of the story but because I had the largest celebrity crush on Sophie Turner.
I don't agree that the current Targaryens in the story are carrying on the Targaryen legacy of power and individualism. Dany is a total subversion of that legacy. She fights slave masters and frees people from tyranny, the same sort of tyranny that the Targaryens built their name on. And I also don't think it's a given that Young Griff, whether he's the "real deal" or not, will automatically be a good ruler just because he was groomed for it. The people grooming him are Varys and Illyrio, who seem to be just as likely to do something good as they are to do something self-serving or short-sighted. Edit: what I think would actually be interesting is if Young Griff joined the coalition of people, along with Jon Snow and Dany, who are going to be fighting the white walkers. In which case, Dorne and House Martell could be the first kingdom to join in that fight against the real threat of the series.
While this is a fun theory that actually considers theme, fAegon has no real reason to be tied to House Martell’s main theme and House Targaryen’s theme being one of pure self destructive power is inaccurate. House Targaryen improved Westeros from a dozen consistently warring factions into a single often peaceful realm with many archaic laws like the Right to the First Night being struck down and significant advancements in transportation and trade being made. Furthermore, Dany and Jon still have to grapple with fAegon being potentially the true heir whether fAegon’s parentage claim is legitimate or not. There’s very little reason fAegon could be real, and plenty of textual evidence for Aegon being fake in contrast to evidence he is for real. PS we don’t actually know who Varys originally intended to replace Aerys, and spiriting away one of the King’s potential heirs vs finding your sister’s secret child in a desert or the king openly commanding his family be sent away are very different situations with much more achievable logistics. Varys is awesome, but ultimately still human
Something I hadn't realized about currency advisor Lord Lyman Beesbury. The thing is that, very blind to the probable danger that Daemon and the bastards of Rhaenyra represent, he seems like a dangerously blind or even malicious politician. Then I remembered the case of Saera Targaryen and her main lover Sir Braxton Beesbury whom Jaehaerys I killed with his own hands for disgracing his daughter. This Braxton was the Beesbury heir and since Lyman was a Lord, he concluded that he was Braxton's nephew or something, but what he discovered is revealing. Lord Lyman was born in 49 AD and on the other hand Braxton alias "sting" was born in 65, meaning that Lyman is 16 years older than Braxton, the latter specified that he was the heir and that he had younger brothers but Lord Lyman cannot be his brother. minor because he is 16 years old and the only link I can establish is! Lord Lyman is Braxton Beesbury's father! and actually recent of the Targaryens because Jaehaerys himself liquidated his son and heir. He probably wanted to put the worst Targaryens on the throne, which would be Rhaenyra, Jacaerys and Daemon because he knew they could destroy the work of Jaehaerys I (the murderer of his son Braxton) and destroy the Targaryens from within. All as revenge for the son that the Targaryen king killed. His blindness towards Rhaenyra was never real but he knows that it is disastrous for the Targaryens and he wants that catastrophe to exploit the Targaryens in the worst way.
I never understood why people said he wasn’t. He was with the right man connington and in the right situation. I believe he might sit the iron throne by the end of series.
Faegon being a Blackfyre makes the entire series' conflict s subplot of the real game of thrones between Blackfyre and Targaryen which is way way color than Faegon being real.
The rebuttals in the comments are all just "wow terrible take. uh NO. catelyn is a B-" because catelyn hate is just misogyny. Y'all are just mad that the boy king's mother is a POV instead of the boy king.
Garth Greenhand was the God Emperor on Earth and his first generation children (all the Age of Heroes legends which I believe to also be the Great Empire of the Dawn) were basically like Nephilim from the Bible when the Watchers came down from heaven and procreated with human women and created the nephilim. At least the first two gemstone emperors also happen be products of 1st generation Garth kids interbreeding. First we have the Pearl Emperor aka Bran the Builder, said to be the son of Brandon of the Bloody Blade and Rose of Red Lake (both 1st generation Garth kids). Pearl is most commonly a bluish-grey color and Starks have all the grey symbolism in the world including grey eyes. Eldric Stoneskin covers the starks grey stone symbolism perfectly here on yt. Pearl Emperor was said to be carried around on a pallenquin and theres a picture in TWOIAF book I believe that shows Bran the Builder being carried on a pallenquin. Pearl Emperor was said to have built the 5 forts of Essos. Bran the Builder is famous for building things of monumental proportions. Pearl Emperor lived for 1000 years. Remember the grey talk earlier? The Grey King lived for 1007 years. I think theyre all the same guy. Crippled greenseer king who ruled from the roots of his weirwood and eventually turned to stone cuz weirwoods turn to stone rather than rot. Next up: The Jade Empire. I believe the Jade Empire to be house Hightower. In my eyes, GRRM all but confirmed it himself. When he was interviewed about the episode in HOTD S1 where Alicent comes out in the green dress, GRRM explains that in times of war House Hightower turns the beacon flame at the top of their castle to a "jade-green". I think its safe to assume their house colors are Jade-Green after the Jade Emperor. They likely came from the East from the Jade Sea and may have even been the product of Garth and a woman from the holy isle of Leng (in the Jade Sea). Theres also the eastern legend about a band of heroes during the Long Night which included Nefarion. IIRC, Jade breaks down to two different classes and one of them is Nephrite. So you havr Hightower= Jade Empire= Nefarionm I believe the actual Jade Emperor to be Peremore the Twisted. He has the markings of a greenseer as he was born sickly with a "weathered arm and twisted back." Hes also credited for creating what would later become the maesters organization and likely had the citadel built. He had a thirst for knowledge of the dark arts just like Bloodraven. Also a product of 1st generation Garth kids Uthor of the High Tower and Maris the Maid. Maris is another name for the pagan idol The Morrigan. 3rd on this list is The Topaz Emperor aka The Winged Knight aka the precursor to House Arryn who flew on a falcon (likely greenseer who warged a falcon, maybe even a dragon). This is so obviously the first Arryn and is often conflated with Artys Arryn. The most common topaz is the light blue like what is found in the House Arryn blue falcon sigil. I think we have a symbolic description of the legendary Falcon Knight in the current story with Sweetrobin. A sickly boy with the signs of a greenseer sitting on a weirwood throne (stump). We dont know who built the Eeyrie but my money is on Bran the Builder. 1000 years is a long time to build some crazy castles. One last little fun tidbit: the name Arryn means "lightbringer." I dont have all the others mapped out 100% yet but my money is on Duran Godsgrief being the Onyx Emperor and Amethyst Empress being a Dayne and precursors to House Targaryen. I also like the theory that Bloodstone Emperor got his name from obsidian after becoming obsessed with a glass candle. Thats all I got. Sorry if its long but I think thats one of the best eplanations for this story.
She'll marry a Targaryen, true. Not the one many of us will expect. Sansa is not going to be some kind of unmarried virgin queen, lonely at the top as the only way to preserve her power. That’s not a win for female rulership, that’s a signal of the status quo actually Not Changing. Not going to happen. There will be no future pack if Sansa isn’t in an actual partnership. Jonsa's my OTP - and clearly GRRM'S OTP - for a damn good reason.
