"The crown cannot stay strong if the House of the Dragon remains divided. Set aside your grievances, if not for the sake of the crown, then for the sake of this old man who loves you all so dearly.”
@@jav744 Rhaenyra's death is much less sad to me. It's unfortunate, sure. However this scene shows the way things could have been - the things Viserys wanted and would never have. A unison of family. Of the dynasty that would cease to continue after his death. The things that could have been avoided on both sides. Everyone seemed happy in this moment. Rhaenyra's death is less sad because it's expected, there's no bittersweet moment or loss of what could have been.
@@jav744rhaenyras death is tragic, but I feel like the happier moments in the show (like this scene) are the saddest, because we know for the rest of the show, none of these characters are going to have a moment like this again.
I feel that Otto's presence in this scene is another stroke of genius. Here we can see him for the first time as a family man, momentarily without ulterior motives. The way he proudly congratulates Helaena when she takes a jab at Aegon during her toast or how he claps during the dance and jokes with his daughter (even though he clearly dislikes her acknowledge of Rhaenyra being the next in line). Furthermore, the fact that he has been invited to a Targaryen family gathering despite the fact that Viserys has been aware of his past maneuverings to get Aegon on the throne speaks volumes of the personal respect the king has for him. He will probably do many heinous things on the war to come, but for a moment we caught a glimpse of the man his children and grandchildren may know. The man who loved his wife enough to never get remarried despite the fact that, given his position as the hand of the king and as a Hightower, he could probably have had a very advantageous match.
I don't think Otto's ulterior motives are indicative of him being a bad person. Everyone at court has ulterior motives. Westeros is an inherently competitive society that in no way pities the loser. Ambition is common seed. Despite this, I don't think Otto is above prioritizing the realm. He's plainly stated his main reason for not wishing Rhaenyra on the throne is because he believes it would spark conflict. After catching Rhaenyra and Daemon together, he confirmed the observations were true before privately relaying them to the king, when he rather easily could've made a scandal of it. Which surely would've ignited conflict and ended in some degree of violence. Hightower is grey, but so is everyone on the show.
The dinner scene is a masterclass of melancholy in simplicity. Viserys watching the children in one last dance. The last fleeting moment of bliss. Then the passing. For something so uneventfully peaceful, it was one of the most foreboding, emotive & viscerally filmed deaths I've seen. In the book Viserys also doses off to the great beyond peacefully, after telling stories to grandkids. The man who was most dissimilar to Aegon the Conqueror in life ended up being most similar to the Conqueror in death.
@@artbarge713 It wasn't, really. Aegon however saw it as such because he's very possessive of his wife, eventhough he doesn't really love her and f*cks other women behind her back. For him, Jace, a bastard, dancing with HIS Heleana, was like a kuck in the balls - a 'f*ck you' to his pride and ego. In his eyes, Jace was flirting with HIS wife and insulting him in front of his brother, his mother and worst of all - his father ! Jace didn't do anything wrong, from an objective and collective viewpoint, but in Aegons eyes, he became the definition of a wife-stealer right then and there !
@@artbarge713 It wasnt entirely in good faith. Aegon insulted Jacaerys' betrothed implying he didn't know how to have sex, so Jacaerys asked Helaena to dance because she is his wife, as basically a jab back at him.
I don’t cry much but this really got me. All Viserys ever wanted was his family and friends together and happy. Seeing the poor man smile when he finally sees them all laughing together and at peace made me sob. Just a beautiful scene
@@remmond3769 He was a dying man begging his family to stand together if for nothing else for the love they held for him. And this fleeting moment of comradery for their Friend Father Brother Grandfather and King was compelling and atleast hopeful for the King to look upon.
@@remmond3769 i think he was upset because of how much he missed Aemma. See how he stares at his ring right after watching a boy and a girl dance together. It's just tragic. I do think he found peace in this fleeting moment.
I know what you mean between the music the camera work and paddy incredible proformance under all that makeup, the sincerity of the scene a man seeing his family come together and smile one last time Its incredibly moving, it's been a long time iv shed a tear but I'll adit it got me 😪
Irc it was a blooper they decided to keep in. Rhys was making Olivia laugh on set. You can even see her mouth "Stop, you're making me laugh". I'm really glad they decided to include it because it goes along way in humanising Otto and shows how his relationship with his daughter wasn't always cold or manipulative.
I think the reason this scene resonates with so many is because we all know what happens to most families after their grandparents pass away. It’s hard to keep a family together, even here and now. My grandfather was a very good man, and while he was alive we would all gather for Easter and Christmas. I would be united with Uncles, Aunts and Cousins who I had not seen since the last. Since his passing I have not seen many of them at all. Part of that is my doing. This scene really hit me because of that. Amazing how this show can bring that out of me in just over a minute of screen time. Brought me to tears. Also, Paddy was robbed,
Yeahhhhhh many of us go through this in real life just as well... Sometimes the family get along and sometimes they don't... It was indeed a touching scene and it makes you look into the future of your own family...
THIS. My granny of 96 just passed a year ago last week and YEARS before we were like “let’s promise whenever granny goes, that won’t change anything” smh my huge extended family split and had four different thanksgivings dinners a few months later
I think we can all agree that if Paddy doesn't get every award for this performance the entertainment industry is doomed. Never thought a dude just watching his family at dinner could make me emotional but the writing and acting for Viserys was so powerful.
stfu, there was nothing "powerful" about his acting. He played a weak character, and 20 side actors from GoT did a better job then this guy. If anything deserves an award in this clip, its the fucking music department.
In another timeline, this is the dinner after Helaena and Jace was betrothed. They then lived happily ever after. Aegon can just drink and chill while Aemond went with Daemon on a killing spree through the Stepstones and conquer Dorne afterwards. The end.
Rhaenyra would need to at least legitimize her children for that to work. Otherwise even if Aegon her brother didn't challenge her now her son with Daemon, Aegon would do it.
Dorne wont be easy to conquer even for aemond and Daemon. Even the first Aegon himself failed to beat dorne. But an uncle/nephew killing spree through the stepstones actually sounds badass! Daemon and Aemond tearing it up on caraxes and Vhagar
@@diegonatan6301 ehh idk whenever the king has bastards no one cares but when she did it everyone cared. They are her sons so they do not need to be legitimate but maybe someone should of dyed their hair lol.
I think is actually cute how Alicent and Viserys were holding hands. She may never loved him in a romantic way, but she definitely loved him as a partner. And let's not forget how she took care of him for years when she didn't really had to
The bittersweetness and melancholy that sets in after 0:22 is indescribable...the music, Paddy Considines acting and the writing of such a complex character make this scene absolutely perfect. I watch the scene over and over again and it moves me deeply. It is probably the most human moment in this series and maybe even in the whole GOT-Universe!
Yes, I love that shift. The fact that the melody changes from the ambient happy music to this melancholic tune that only we can hear to represent Viserys's sadness is genius. Very emotional.
Easily one of the best and most powerful scenes in the franchise, paddy’s performance in this is the best in the entire GoT franchise and Ramin’s score here was just so perfect and helped elevate the scene, so much emotion in the performance writing and score. This scene and his speech from earlier as well and his throne room entrance will go down as iconic GoT moments. I’ve never cried watching any tv show in my life but this really got me and had me tearing up, just a truly masterful scene and Paddy better win the Emmy for this scene, acting doesn’t get better than his performance in this episode.
0:56 I'm so glad that the last he saw of his family, it was them being happy together. It's all he ever really wanted. Seven hells, this episode brought me to tears.
Even Otto conniving as he is gave Viserys his old friend this one boon it was sweet that for all the hate they hold for eachother they all loved Viserys
it's almost as if seeing his family together convinced him that it will all be fine once he passes. as if the strain between both families is slowly healing, and he can pass in peace knowing that they'll be happy and thrive. it's such a sad scene for the viewer, cause immediately after he leaves it goes to shit. at least he died believing in a happy ending, rather than seeing the horrors that were about to befall the House of Dragons.
This scene is gonna be even more hauntingly devastating when revisiting it on the future knowing that this was, truly, the last time we seen them all together and mostly happy.
My grandfather passed away recently from cancer. In this episode Paddy Considine reminded me very much of his last days.. His facial expressions, his look, his pain, his weak and tired voice his skinny body.. everything! This man deserves every award for this episode!
00:15 possibly the best use of ost since attack on Titan, the way it seamlessy changes from the music troupes jolly waltz in the background to a heart wrenching ballad in the foreground using the soundtrack, amazing stuff
The writers are geniuses as they played with our feelings. We all know that being Visery at this very moment is what we want before our deaths; to be surrounded by happy family members and to have one last chance to say goodbye. That's an emmy right there.
I gotta say, this is the best scene to me in all Hotd and got so far. Its not a red wedding or a cersei using wildfire, but this scene brings way more emotions out of me personally
@@tibz7634 the actor from viserys did imo a great job. He made the scene special together with the music. It reminds me of my old gran before she did pass away. Last time at the dinner ...
All this joy and happiness, immediately followed by the bloodiest war Westeros ever saw. It's probably the saddest scene in the series because of this.
I like how they highlighted Jace and Heleana's dance in this scene. The whole image of this scene is a "what if" moment of peace; the marriage of those two is a "what if" that would have saved all the bloodshed and been as amicable of a marriage as you can get in this universe. But....nah. war time.
Rewatched season 1. Viserys is a bad king. Yes, he's able to keep the kingdom in "relative" peace throughout his reign. He also has the "relative" support of lords. However, he lacks in his duties because he loves his family. He on a MULTIPLE occasions could have prevented the future civil war had he ruled against his daughter, sons, grandsons, wife, father in law or brother. He's a poor king, but a great father and family man considering what he had to work with. He was meant to be a fat country lord. He does everything he can to avoid hostility, refuses to give up on his family regardless of their actions and on multiple occasions weakens the realm so he can strengthen his relationships. Which honestly is great story telling. This final scene is all he ever really wanted. He wanted his family to be around him in harmony. It's really sad that his love for his family was the catalyst for its destruction.
One of the most tragic scene i’v ever seen, considering what will happen next… Such a shame, they could have been invincible together. This theme is a master piece❤️
This has got to be my favorite scene in all the Game of Thrones Series, just the music and the acting without words evokes so many feelings, it’s amazing.
What breaks my heart about this scene is because from Viserys's perspective, it's the only time he gets to see his family actually get along for once before he leaves this world and it brings him a small moment of relief. Even though there's no place for happiness or joy in the Game of Thrones universe, you can appreciate the little moments of wholesomeness like what happens here.
To me this scene brings back memories of my grandmother. She survived the WW2 and did everything to ensure that her grandchildren lived well, at the time of this scene in the series i felt respect for Viserys and compassion, he feels that time is running out and clings to any opportunity to give something good for his family. We live the life path together with Viserys until his last breath, we see that he is not an ideal father but he is a good man and tries to achieve justice. An incredible episode and an incredible performance by Paddy Considine.
I love the fact that even with all the troubles and pain, Alicent never left his side and was always worried about him, she knows he was never a bad man to her and even tho she didn't love him, she was loyal and kind to him even till the last moment. She will be a snake, no doubt, but till that moment we saw all her goodness towards Viserys at every moment of the show and i'm glad he will not see what will happen to his family and how painfull she is going to be to his daughter because of a misunderstanding
This and his throne room entrance are 2 of the best moments in the entire GoT franchise, shoutout Ramin for just incredible music in those 2 scenes as well. Lastly Paddy’s performance in this episode for me is the best in any single GoT episode, absolute fuckin masterclass and it’ll be such a shame if he doesn’t win an Emmy for it, shit was so powerful.
This is what great writing can do and the music only elevates it. Viserys is so clearly elated and relieved to have them all together. Eating at a dinner table has never felt so uplifting. Mastery.
His reaction at 0:55 is very moving to me. It's like he's embracing his near death and praying that this peaceful and joyful moment represent the future of his house.
The music is just so damn good. I think good music in a scene like this is what most conveys the emotion of a scene. The Last Kingdom was great adding music to the sadder somber moments, as was Vikings when Ragnar was going through all his mental shit. Great stuff
This is one of the saddest moments, for someone who read the book and knew what was to come. Viserys believed that they had begun to mend the rift, that his family could be happy and whole. Love the little clap that Otto does as the kids dance. 0:15
GoT was too long ago but I know that I cried here the most than any other scene in GoT. Reminds me of my dad. My dad is still alive, but I bet he just wants to see all of my family together and be happy right in front of him.
Yeah this scene got to me as well. All Viserys wanted was to see his entire family together, united, happy. He got to see that before he passed away. That smile he has when he sees Haelena and Jacerys dancing is incredible. Paddy Considine deserves an award for his portrayal as Viserys imo.
This was one of the best scenes in TV history. The music was absolutely perfect and the feel of the camera was spot on. It was just perfect cinematography, perfect acting, a perfect musical score, all in one scene.
Though we all now what will happen, it's nice to have a glimpse of what could have been. I think we all enjoyed seeing Viserys happy at the sight of his family getting along. Despite his flaws, he was a kind and caring man, and he deserved this moment before the end. Great scene, great soundtrack.
This is a scene that made me cry. A happy family or so we thought, they will bring fire and blood to the kingdoms and viseryes could not see that how his family is torn apart
At least Viserys died thinking things had finally gotten better between the family. A small respite from his anguish and probably why he was finally able to let go and die with some peace.
No he did not. He realised the dance of dragons when they were dancing at the dinner table. He just had this brief peaceful moment, he knew this would not last. He is not dumb.
I was trying to find the music for this exact moment on the OST and couldn't - now I realise it's the song "An Impossible Choice" - Aemma and Viserys' theme. They've reused it during this scene. And that breaks my heart again!
I think in this moment Viserys realized that he had won the only war that mattered to him in all his life. I think he finally was ready to die, knowing that he had saved his family, which is all that mattered to him. Probably one of the best acting performances I’ve ever seen. This man deserves every award that he is nominated for masterpiece.
This scene is so good, Viserys moving his face around to see with his one eye if everything is going well, and all around him there is happiness, Rhaenyra laughing, Otto clapping, his wife caring for him and Jace and Halaena (symbolizing the two branches of the family) dancing together, his brief smile to the tought that everything would be fine is so wholesome and tragic.
Yup, Otto look like he was relieve because of the reconcilation between his daughter and the Princess and might even get him to remain as Hand of the Queen. Otto's earlier mistakes was not supporting fully the Princess and just try to gain her favor as Hand of the Queen.
@Buddhistsocialist Aemond was the only one attacked and no one was trying to clown him. Only one being clowned on was Aegon because he fired the first shots
Viserys surrounded by the two he loves deeply, her eldest daughter Rhaenyra on one side, Alicent holding his hand on the other, watching his other younger daughter Helaena dancing with his grandson Jacaerys is making him finally at peace.
Have you ever had a moment in your life that you were so happy, so at peace with your world that you wish it would never end? This was that moment for King Viserys. Despite being in terrible pain and weak as a dry leaf right now, he wishes that this moment would last forever.
This scene moves me a lot, not only because of the moment itself, but also because it brings me a sad and happy memory. Unfortunately, my favorite uncle passed away in 2019. However, I spent the last weekend with him, along with my brothers and grandmother. He didn't have any children, so he loved seeing his nephews. Two days later he died. Although I miss him, I take comfort in the fact that he was gone very happily.
After this episode finished I sobd for a good 10mins & thought abt my old man who died off illness remember our family just like this scene sitting round our table having dinner & him just watching us all having fun it was his last memory off us all & died 2 days later 😢....paddy considine is a rare talent what a moving & powerful performance he gave 💙 👏
This is just too sad for King Viserys and from what I see the way he watches Jace and Haelena dance kinda reminds him of his youthful days with his wife Aemma the love of his life. 😔
This song played in my head during a huge family gathering of my own, and everything fell apart afterwards due to some events, but that's okay. It's beautifully haunting
0:26 I cant tell if King Viserys here is taking a sigh of pain, or a sigh of relief that his family feels united and loving again... regardless, amazing.
I keep hearing how Viserys was a bad king, but honestly where’s that coming from? He hesitates to make decisions, good! cuz he always looks to multiple advisors and when it doesn’t pan out he admits his fault. He’s not quick to War, he’s weary of his own families vices but never kills them or puts them out of reach for it. Other highborns didn’t particularly hate or love Viserys, he’s impartial, awesome. Even Near death he pushes through and the dude already lost an arm and one eye
"To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour" I think viserys is experiencing William Blake's poem in this scene. Of all the hardships and struggles he endured in his life, he was rewarded with one small, blink and you'll miss it moment of pure love, heaven, and eternity before he died. He was truly one of the most human characters I've seen in cinema
