HOTD Episode 9 is Very Suspenseful 

I actually find Alicent's reaction to Viserys' death very in character. It's like people don't understand that she stood by him for more than a decade, and had children with him. Of course she probably would have chosen a different path for herself if she wasn't so influenced by her father, but come on. Alicent saw Viserys through all the stages of his sickness and helped him through it the best she could. She may not have loved him, but it seems presumptious to assume that she wouldn't feel sad about his death.

Whenever Ramin chooses the piano for the score, you know serious shit is going down

3:45 but didn't Rhaenyra say in ep 8 she's taking the kids home immediately and then she will return to King's Landing? That makes sense with the story of ep 9 being straight the next early morning after the "last supper" and last Viserys x Alicent scene. Also kind of makes sense that Rhaenys stayed the night and wanted to ride to driftmark in the morning.

Larys having a severe foot fettish is not something I ever expected to see in this show 😂

I think Meleys currently takes the cake for dragon design for me right now. She's such a menacing dragon, with as much character as her rider.

You can tell Aegon didn't want the crown he even mentioned Viserys had so many chances to name him king but he didn't. But the moment he turned around and saw all those people after him getting crowned. The moment all of those people started cheering he starts to embrace what power feels like. I think he will make rational decisions that will have dire consequences just like Joffrey. He will probably be influenced by Alicent and Otto a lot but i don't think he would be as cruel as Joffrey. But he will go a tad bit crazy on power and indulgence especially with the servent girls and drinking since i mean he is the king now. lol.

Them being twins and looking the same is a very very very significant plot point for second season. It is meant for the viewer and characters in the story to not be able to tell them apart.

The twins were in the books. Also, clever foreshadowing by the writers because in the previous episode Alicent mixed up the twins names earlier, then she mixed up Aegons at the end of the episode when Viserys was speaking to her about the prince that was promised.

The only upsetting thing to me is how shocked Alicent's bewilderment that Otto has been conspiring to put Aegon on the throne.

They could have had Aegon’s dragon behind the stage as a show of force for the ceremony and the 2 dragons have a stand off before rhaenys decides she doesn’t want to risk a dragon fight

without spoiling anything, Arryk and Erryk being twins plays a role plot wise in the future

Arryk and Erryk are in the book exactly they way they are here. That confusion you feel about telling them apart will pay off later. Trust. Also Rhaenys would have been a Kingslayer and a Kinslayer if she burned them. And everyone would have saw her do it. The common people don't know about the power struggle, they would have just saw Rhaenys burn their new king and his family, thus giving more power to the Hightowers in Oldtown to get more support to get Aegon's son Jahaerys on the throne. Just her proving she thinks before she acts. She really would have been a good queen.

Finally some appreciation for the somber start of the episode. That was so masterfully crafted to represent the dark times ahead, it even made me feel cold

Finding Aegon’s bastard was a pretty big deal

Heleana is so innocent in all this. So far she might be the purest of all the characters...which is not good in the Game of Thrones Universe...somebody please give this poor girl a hug and a dog.

After the dinner scene last episode Rhaenyra says something along the lines of taking the children back home to Dragonstone and returning on her dragon so i'm guessing she left right after to Dragonstone with Daemon and her kids

This review had me dying!! "Otto's feet are next" hahaha I love your videos so much

Is no one gonna talk about how badass the coronation was? The presentation along with the music just makes that scene so well done

The weird part about Rhaenys popping up out of the floor is that she's not wearing a helmet and should've gotten obliterated by the debris that's flying around everywhere lol. Well that and she casually just murdered like a thousand civilians but spares the greens who actually are her enemies. They definitely could've done that scene better, but it's by no means a show or episode ruiner.

Alot of people have been saying it doesn't make sense Rhaenys' dragon pushed its was up without any harm coming to Rhaenys. Which is fair. Bursting through stone and all the debris that comes down and she has no helmet or anything. Pretty silly.

I think this episode really cemented the idea of Alicent being a good person who was just caught up in the conditioning of her father. Her choice and adamant stand of not killing Rhaenyra and her children and actually crying over Viserys's death tells us that she hasn't truly lost her humanity yet. Also that scene with larys made me ache for her because it's so tragic how she thinks she needs to maintain Larys's "friendship" and is ready to pay whatever "price", even when she absolutely doesn't. It's her paranoia that was fed to her by her father that makes her think that there is a bigger threat and she needs to do whatever to combat it, which makes her seem like a villain, but this episode really humanised her and gave us a perfect "grey character". Though I am still Team Black, I have a shade more respect for Alicent's character now.

A heroic moment indeed, just like that time where Daenerys liberated King's Landing. Very heroic

I think it's weird that Alicent is so adamant about viserys final word when he was on deaths door, you think anything he says would need to be taken with a pile of salt. Everyone is aware that viserys wouldn't change his mind except for Alicent

That Hightower Theme mixing in with Aegon II for his coronation was nice

Otto's "as you wish" as Allicent leaves was so well done man HOLY

The council meeting made me cry, seeing Viscerys’ hopes for his succession and family being destroyed. Lord Beesbury’s death was the peak of that

That ending with the Dragon coming out of the ground was pretty ridiculous and seems like something that D&D would have done.

The queen who never was just dragon’d dozens of civilians and everyone cheered for her ._.

Aemond getting a lot of Screentime already makes the Episode good

Yeah the Rhaenys's scene was pretty confusing. But I think a sense of urgency could have worked better, like the kingsguard surrounding her or bolts getting ready to fire, it would have make more sense as she was ready to attack but have to flee for protection. The acting was a little off as well, I mean, I know the siblings (Aegon, Helaena and Aemond) have dragons on their own but even so, Otto, Cole and the others were not that shocked to be completely defenseless and exposed in front of Meleys, especially taken into account that by their understanding she is still locked inside her room, the expressions were not that realistic, with the exception of Alicent shielding Aegon and closing her eyes like accepting their fate. But overall I like the episode, the tension and atmosphere was great.

I know its hard to make decisions while making a big show but Rhaenis splatting a lot of people with her dragon takes aways the ''heroic'' out of the moment

I see it as Rhaenys wanting to avoid war. She didn’t want to be the first kinslayer

Need a supercut of HotD but it's just close ups of Harrold Westerling turning his head (as they have shown this throughout the season and not just this episode)

Noone will talk about the White Worm and Otto conversation?It was magnificent.. "There is no power but what the people allow you to take"

Larys gets off on having the most powerful woman in the realm degrade herself for him more than any body fetish, I believe

I swear if D&D wrote this episode SD will make 10 videos on it

Otto and Aegon are so similar to Tywin and Joffrey

Final scene was fan service, it was nonseless. We could see the most beautiful dragon in the realm, which is Sunfyre, instead of the final scene.

fuck i love the Lord Commander; a man of honour. I loved his facial expressions being like "wtf" "disgust" "disbelief"

This is what I've been saying! This episode felt like a white house political thriller with a "race against time" feel from start to finish suspense. The reddit fandom is going "S8 tier shIt, show ruined" & stan twitter going "yass queen! Rhaenys the best!". It's two conflicted groups as usual..but everybody hung up over Rhaenys. Regardless of what you felt about the gratuitous last 5 mins. I thought the rest of the episode was actually fantastic. I love nothing more than the political aspects of the series. When Otto was moving the chess pieces, Beesbury yelling..I was on the edge of my seat. Tom Glynn-Carney showed excellent range as Aegon. But unfortunately everything overshadowed by 5 mins of Rhaenys.

Aegon hides behind his mother when Raenys barges in. I think that says a lot about how he will rule as a king.

"Instead of making the eight, [Larys] wants to cream on all the most powerful feet in the realm" perfect characterisation 😂👌

Sunfyre should’ve been at the coronation, give Rhaenys some reason to leave

"everything you feel for me….as your queen." I can't handle that level of palpable sexual tension lol. Ironic cause in a way they are the cersei and jaime of this show lol. the last 3 mins aside,i thought this was an excellent episode. it felt like a white house political thriller with a "race against time" feel from start to finish suspense. When Otto was moving the chess pieces, Beesbury yelling..I was on the edge of my seat. I knew how good it was when it had reactors already coping for compeuppance lol. Tom Glynn-Carney showed excellent range as Aegon. But it got overshadowed by 3 mins of a Rhaenys "happy ending" lol. The crowning ceremony was a visual historygasm, finally befitting a king in got verse. The actors for Otto, Alicent, Aegon did a great job. And that "window in the wall of your prison" line is one of the best lines yet.

I feel like Rhaenys really couldn't kill them before Rhaenyra knows about the coup and can make a decision (fight or back down/agree to terms). Otherwise it'd be kinda weird for Rhaenyra to hear Rhaenys just burned Alicent, and Rhaenyra's half siblings alive. I also feel like it's Rhaenys making a statement, like "I COULD kill you now (insert something about carving a cake...or baking a cake I guess), but you DON'T get to imprison me or my dragon/You DON'T get to tell me who my family should pledge their loyalty to/question my word". As Alicent also stepped in front of Aegon, I feel like a mother protecting her son is not something Rhaenys is going to look at and easily go "Dracarys", especially given what happened to her own family. As an aside, I also don't think there's any particular reason why, especially in the storm of the coup, Rhaenys would really give a shit about the commoners of King's Landing (has she really even shown herself to be entirely morally virtuous before? I think in this moment it's a pragmatic choice to flee and tell Rhaenyra) I can agree that perhaps her entrance was a little bit SFX over the top (the fog and rubble didn't look too convincing to me) but I think the general premise and motivations make sense.

The thing about Rhaenys' action I find a lot of people miss out on is that, for the moment, that is the best decision she could've made. Given that all the smallfolk were surrounding and flooding the area, people would've died anyway. Had she left from one of the main exists, she probably would've been ambushed as I assume that dragons cannot just waltz out, so the place must be guarded. It seems like's bursting out of Meleys' specific holding area. She wasn't trying to kill people, but if she had to escape, some deaths were bound to happen. For her reasoning not to kill the Greens, its been made very clear this season that she didn't want to be involved in the game and simply wanted her family to be alive and safe, but as she said in the last episode, she's unfortunately too familiar with loss as of late. Both her children are dead, her husband seemingly near death, and his brother murdered. Its been made very clear that she doesnt agree with the political scheming and murdering of people, and is aware of the heavy cost of it, so naturally she would be reluctant to kill her kin because that is still her family and not to mention, unlike the later season of GoT, kinslaying is a pretty serious sin, and regicide isn't seen as a girlboss moment. Had she killed the king who had just been accepted by the people, it would not only weaken Rhaenyra's claim, but any other lords who were already unsure of her as a ruler would then just go against her. People would rebel. What's the point of getting rid of the opposition if all it does is create far more opposition? Lastly, I think Rhaenys was also letting Alicent in particular know that she doesn't intent to be a tool and nor will she stoop as low as they had in usurping what was clearly an already finalized succession to win. She doesn't need to. Sure, being the bigger person is seen as stupid for a lot of people because they think killing them will "end the war" but friendly reminder that there is no war yet that is recognized by the people and killing in broad daylight with multiple witnesses when there isnt even a war makes you seem like the bad guys. Nobody knows how manipulative the Greens have been, and Rhaenys doesn't need to go for low blows and trickery like them to let them know she has the higher ground. It's an act of defiance, of strength, and people are more likely to believe in the strength and fear of the person with the dragon, and not the so called King hiding behind his mother.

I'm just kinda gutted they had Rhaneys bursting a dragon through stone, and killing innocents. It undermines a lot of goodwill the showrunners have built up.

With Aegon, i think it has more to do with believing the people love him (like Geoffrey). He has wanted to be loved for so long, his disgusting sexual habits, are probably a cry for love, connection and satisfaction. But nobody loves him in return, resulting in the horrible act which befell the servant girl. His drinking habits, more of a want to escape from reality, culminating in him actually telling Aemond that he wants to leave to another continent. He is essentially the worst that can come out of having incredibly harsh parents, and to no small extent a level of abandonment. In this aspect the poem 'This be the verse' by Philip Larkin comes to mind.

'Cream on the most powerful feet in the world' Imagin If that is his actual goal

I'm so sad that they didn't showed Sunfyre, I've been waiting to see him since the show was announced, now I'll have to wait another two years to maybe see him! He is the King's dragon, the most beautiful dragon in the world, Aegon has the strongest dragon-rider bond in the Dance and what do we get? Almost nothing! Not even a single scene of him flying above the Dragonpit while Aegon is getting crowned. Instead we get Rhaenys having the most illogical fan service moment I have ever seen, and the only thing that we had of him was some distant shots from episode 6, Vermithor doesn't even have a rider in season 1, and we'll have a scene of him but none with Sunfyre, this is so frustrating!

I like to imagine Alicent having a sit-down with Rhaenyra, talking about his last moment... and mentioning a song, and Aegon... Then Rhae would be like "Oh wait, he must have meant that for me. The song is a prophecy by Aegon the Conqueror!" And then they'd see it was all a misunderstanding. Wishful thinking. It's a little too late for that. I wouldn't be surprised if they never see each other again.

The Rhaeneys scene at the end does not make sense but it will have massive consequences those who've read the book know what I'm talking about. It may look like a fan service but at the end of the day it does set up a lot of things like the destruction of the dragons pit by the small folks which will come full circle to Rhaeneys massacring the small folks here.

My take on Rhaenys’ actions is that a combination of things influenced her decision not to kill the greens, in particular Allicent. There is clearly a moment in her expression where she heavily considers speaking the dreaded word for Dragon Fire, but for the conversation she had with Allicent where she actually started understanding who she is at last and gaining som respect for the queen mother’s struggle. This combined with Allicent’s actions in sending Cole to protect Helaena while throwing herself in front of aegon without hesitation despite the fact that none of it would matter if Meyles unleashed on them. She saw Allicent put herself between her children and danger just as she would have if she could have, being a mother who had lost her children to ill circumstance is what I believe ultimately what swayed her from torching them. Meyles roaring in their faces served to impress upon them that in this moment they were powerless, there was nothing between them and certain annihilation and If they pursue this path they will not be offered mercy a second time. The greens forget that it is not men who rule this dynasty but dragons and aegon is no dragon. Only thing I might’ve banged would have been for Meyles to come of the floor a bit slower, maybe have the floor start cracking in the center a bit before she erupted from the stone so that he people in the sept would have some time to get clear. It doesn’t bother me too much seeing as there isn’t really any easy way for a sixty foot dragon to come out of the floor 🤷‍♂️

Good episode? Yeah. Great direction? Absolutely. Underwhelming compared to the book and full of bizarre changes and cuts? OH BOY

Personally I can agree with you on the final scene- having an external force be her reason to go away, or even her bursting out to retreat imediately, would've been better. I do also think that the scene doesn't outright ruin anything, but it's still noticeably weaker in terms of writing than the rest of the series has been.

I think the foot thing is an act. Larys might be after something else and the footplay might make Alicent think she's paying him back for his help and not worry herself with asking "why is this guy helping me."

I was blown away by the details in the coronation. It felt like watching Nicholas II being crowned in an Orthodox ceremony with all the hollow pomp & circumstance of a rotting system. It's what I'd always envisioned from a GoT coronation but never got. Tom Glynn-Carney was terrific in bringing out Aegon's fear, hesitation, pride & euphoria all at once. I'm glad they kept the much despised Criston putting the Conqueror's crown on Aegon II's head. The Kingmaker is born! What the show does really well is the details, down to locking up servants. Usually the passionate debates, the sense of treachery, the heartbreak are glossed over & we only see the regime change as a "fait accompli". This brings to life the mechanism that historically goes behind a palace coup, which I assume is as emotionally taxing for the people seizing power. That's why I liked agonized & conflicted Alicent more than her steadfast source counterpart. Feels more flesh & blood. She vacillates but her messianic fear for her children fates her to make a doomed gamble. *Jk when u only support our Green Lives Matter King for extermination of Strong Boys cause ur pro Valeryian blood supremacy.*

The end just made me throw my phone out the window The whole episode felt off for some reason but that end just annoyed me The single weirdest coup you'll ever see Stuff like this gets pulled in the congo

Not rooting for team green but god I love Otto and Alicent as characters. Otto is the perfect political schemer and he is able to disguise his own ambitions as being good for the realm extremely well. Alicent is really a super tragic character as she was groomed by Otto into the queen role and did not ask for any of this. Her motivations are purely doing what she thinks is traditionally right, and protecting her children. Also, if you look at Rhaenerya from her eyes its super easy to see that Rhaenerya is seemingly extremely reckless and dangerous, and she also resents her for being able to get away with that stuff solely because Viserys was her father.

I wonder if the showrunners aren't taking the wrong lessons from GoT. Criston Cole is a good example of a character they have turned from what could've been a very compelling contradiction into a 1 dimensional henchman. instead of crafting a well rounded character they remember the memes about Joffrey and applause moments when someone like Ramsay got his and they said "That's the sort of character we need"!

This show is just getting better and better

“He wants to cream on all the most powerful feet in Westeros” I almost died choking on my dinner 😂

Really hoping that they’ll keep this quality throughout the entire series. So far I am very impressed with season 1

This episode is easily one of the best episodes marred by three mins of a Rhaenys ending. The more I rewatch it the more I appreciate how good it is. It gives you that classic GoT political intrigue vibes. Otto with the ruthless purges, the suspense, the intensity, the chase for Aegon...has a crime noir vibe to it. it's finally the bad guys on top in HoTD, in classic GoT fashion! And that coronation ceremony! Hands down the best filmed coronation in Thrones universe and in TV in general. Definitely the most underrated episode because it got overshadowed by the Rhaenys thing.

Larys= Littlefinger+Varys As intelligent as Varys and as manipulative as Littlefinger. But his desire for feet will lead to his doom as Littlefinger's love for Catelyn led him to.

I think it would've worked to have a threat drive Rhaenys out, however that would've trampled over the idea that she chooses to spare them, imo. What I think the best solution would've been is to have given Rhaenys more development before this point and maybe something more with Alicent. Like maybe Rhaenys expresses her disgust at kinslaying at some point due to Maegor's rule or says she didn't start a war when Jahaerys died because "I don't want to be Maegor with teats." Just stuff to establish the idea that she would never kill family members and wouldn't want that reputation. And then maybe in this episode Otto could command Rhaenys be executed or something to take another dragon off the board and with the idea that one of Vaemond's children can be put in charge of House Velaryon afterwards. And then Alicent could be the one who saves her. So that when the moment comes when Rhaenys has to either kill Aegon AND Alicent or neither, that she can't get herself to kill the woman who saved her life only hours earlier.

That rhaenys scene was D&Desque. Pure spectacle

I like how when Ser Harold draws his sword and advances on Ser Cristen, Tyland is like: "Oh, am I in your way? Don't mind me, I'll just be on the other side of the room, behind Otto."

Can someone explain why were Alicent and Otto racing against each other to find Aegon? Aren't they on the same team? What could have happened if Otto got to him first?

•The opening music was a hybrid of the same instrumental from Winds of Winter, just with a different octave (becomes super noticeable when you first see Rhaenys in the chamber). • The adventure through Flea Bottom was an important factor for the series- it’ll come back into play in future seasons. • The feet- it’s a power move. She’s (one of) the most powerful people in the realm, as you said, so it’s putting her in a vulnerable place and allowing him to capture dominance over her. Also psychological with his foot and all. • Erryk and Arryk are right from the books- it’s just the writers being loyal to the source material. • The book isn’t accurate as it’s written by a fool/lore passed down. It’s accounts passed through the grapevine- so Rhaenys used the dragon (the beast beneath the boards) to show she is a dragon and can not be locked up. She spares them because A, it’s her family, and B, it’s not her fight. This is a moment for her to act. She couldn’t kill them after a public coronation and her dragon taking out a few dozen people. Makes sense and it’s good writing. It’s not reactive but rather smart and thought out for the set up of the story

Rhaena forgot 'dracarys' when all her enemies were conveniently standing close together in front of her dragon.

I think they should have Sunfyre at the coronation and force Rhaenys to retreat. It would have an impact in a few ways. The first is that it sets up the inevitable confrontation between the two dragons. The second is that it establishes the bond between Aegon and his dragon, because as much of a pos Aegon is, his bond with Sunfyre is one of his few redeeming traits.

I’ll admit, I’m surprised you enjoyed this penultimate episode. While not horrible, I felt this episode was *far and away the worst the season had to offer* and that’s due to a number of things, not the least of which is coming off the heels of what many consider to be the shows two best episodes. The biggest issue is that a lack of TRUE oppositional characters made this episode feel toothless. We had minor characters we’ve seen and heard here and there suffer consequences for dissenting, yes, such as Lord Beesbury and Lord Commander Westerling and that one lord at court, but none of them were of actual consequence, let’s be honest. The show runners decision to keep this episode contained to King’s Landing and make it a tense seizure of power and a claustrophobic experience for the audience sounds good on paper, but the episode came off meandering and half-baked. Aside from a decent conversation between the Queen Regent and the Queen That Never Was, we see no real insight into why anyone would applaud this coup and support a traditional male heir other than ‘we don’t break our oaths’. How about people hearing rumors about Aegon’s character and voicing their distaste or distrust of him to Alicent and Otto. What about people being fearful of the power of Team Black, who have the majority of the dragons? All throughout the episode, instead of genuine tension, I felt either curiosity or just apathy as we spent time following secondary characters like the kingsguard twins, or even primary characters like Cole/Aemond and Alicent/Otto engaging in a manufactured conflict in finding Aegon first and influencing him. Like… what?! Regardless of their differences, Otto and Alicent BOTH want Aegon on the throne. This isn’t really a conflict. Does finding him and talking to him first guarantee that he will blindly listen to and be beholden to that person? That he’ll just following along with whatever they advise in regards to Rhaneyra, the crown, etc, just because they got to him first? The show implies that it does, and that is just FUCKING SILLY. They’re also clearly trying to make Alicent more sympathetic, and it would work if she now didn’t come off as short sighted and frankly stupid. How did she NOT think any of this would happen once she told others about what she thought Viserys told her. And for a woman who loves propriety, her engaging in long-running services to Larys makes her seem like a blatant hypocrite hiding behind the thin shield that ‘she’s not having sex with him’ or some such lie. It’s where I can’t tell if it’s good writing, making someone so infuriatingly complex, or if it’s just inconsistent. The ending was also just… yeah. Why would they go that route instead of having Aegon ride Sunfyre around KL? Because, as Sapochnik pointed out, they wanted to have that big episode 9 moment. Ugh. Spectacle for the sake of spectacle is never a good thing even if they force it to lead to a later plot point in the story.

0:06 you know- sense you mentioned that parallel, I think it is an interesting comparison; one ends on a spectacle to create shock and clear the board off of several smart/complex/competent characters, the other has a shocking moment that illustrates character and has several layers and interpretations that help further deepen the way we look at these characters. The trial of the seven was another moment were DnD were making the world smaller then how it was, and while HotD's World doesn't exactly feel as big as GoT's, it doesn't feel like it's shrinking- rather growing at it's slower pace, and compensating with what does feel deep and rich: its characters and its unfolding history/events,

The last scene gave GOT s8 vibes. Hope they learn and don't repeat it again.

“Maybe Daemon has his suspicions, and has precautions in place for that event” Yeah, that’s why they left right after dinner

I always love the mystery and suspense aspect of this type of fantasy shows!!!

The best defense I've found for the Rhaenys scene is that it's supposed to show that both sides are illegitimate. The Greens just treated the smallfolk like cattle, corraling them into the Dragon pit and just expected them all to accept their new king without question. Meanwhile, Rhaenys (I know she's not 100% on the Blacks' side but lets be honest she's going to help them) just stomps all over them under the power of her dragon. It shows how the war will be fought with the Greens holding political power and the Blacks using Dragon power to fight and destroy each other. And while The Dance of The Dragon will hurt House Targaryen, the true victims of the civil war be the little people whom are forced into these power struggles and conflicts whenever the ruling class play their game of thrones.

I still can't otto Even with all the plotting against rhay Seeing him clapping that way is just cute

7:37 … likeable????

You didn't watch the bonuses in GoT?? I'm surprised! The Black were always supposed to be away, so the Green would crown Aegon. For me it's the Rhaenys decision to burst through half of the mob of K's L only to yell then yeet that's troublesome.

Watch for the beast beneath the floorboards... No one takes her seriously...when they should. I hope they expand upon her role and give heed to her visions. I like her character, but I don't know her name without having to look it up because they've pretty much kept her in the background as a minor character and everyone around her dismisses her as insane when in reality she's been cryptically correct quite often. And from what I understand, if the show stays true to the books...she's going to have a terribly tragic story. I don't want to spoil...but I think she's going to break the audience's heart. So I hope they really elevate her character in the show before that time of heartbreak comes.

Larys' foot thing was stupid and unneeded, and Rhaenys coming through the floor just felt dumb. EDIT: Thought I'd just add, what exactly is the point of the dragon pit if it's walls and ceiling can't contain dragons? And Rhaenys, on the back of her dragon, is apparently totally fine after being dragged up through the floor with all that debris around her.

I wish they just evacuated when rhaenys busted through the floor, then she could be looking for the Greens but decide to leave because her dragon was being attacked and she couldn’t find them.

The first opportunity to stop the dance was when Daemon asked his brother to be the hand of the king…. Last opportunity was Rhaenys just purifying the greens all at once with Melys. WELL next week it all begins!

“Precious little creature” 😂

I really hope you are going to do a video about the whole season once it's finished! 🙏

Beast beneath the boards is referring to much more than Meleys me thinks. It's basically referring to everything this episode and I think that's the point. It's referring to Aemond's ambitions for the throne. It's referring to Otto's brutal machinations behind his calm exterior. It's referring to Aegon's hidden depravity -- did you see the way Helaena recoiled when bowing to Aegon? It's referring to the White Worm's warning to Otto about how it's the people who ultimately enable them. As Larys said, Otto knew about the White Worm but allowed her to exist and essentially grow in the shadows. That was great writing. Our newly anointed king Aegon II was hiding beneath the "boards" too. Maybe we were looking at the wrong beast the whole time.

If only the actress who played rhaenys Was paid to say one more word All those dragons wouldn't have to die

I really don't see where the confusion could come from. Rhaenyra straight up said last episode that she would take her children back to Dragonstone and then come back on Syrax and they presumably leave right after that, which makes sense, because she wasn't supposed to be in King's Landing when Viserys died, she was supposed to be in Dragonstone, days away from giving birth to her sixth child. Besides, the Blacks being in KL would have been completely absurd. Such a major deviation from the books would force way too many plot points to play out differently than they did in the source material and it would leave the show writers to figure out how to handle those changes (and judging by the writing choices this episode that seems like it would be terrible for the quality of the story). As for Aegon, I really don't see how he's becomes relatable or sympathetic in any way, shape or form. The guy is a drunk that spends her time raping servants at the Red Keep and watching children fight/fathering bastards in flea bottom. He's neither smart, nor a fighter, nor is he politicaly savvy. His only redeeming quality seemed to be that he at least realised that he's not fit to rule, but the second he tastes the "love" of the people he clearly starts changing his tune. It isn't bad because that's exactly how he's supposed to be in the books, but I don't see how this episode makes him anything other than a completely unlikable oportunistic usurper. Lastly, Rhaenys' scene is just borderline season 8 levels of absurd writing, the whole of it. The dragons' lair below the pit connect with tunnels that exit on the hillside of Rhaenys' hill, this is not only mentioned in the books, but it has also been shown in the show too, so there is no logical reason to have Meleys break through the floor of the dragonpit, with Rhaenys somehow completely unscathed, and start killing hundreds of smallfolk for no reason other than cheap shock value. Meleys is supposed to be the swiftest of all the dragons alive at this moment, so it made perfect sense to scape through the tunnes and ride off asfast as possible while the masses where shoved into the pit to mindlessly clap for Aegon.

If we need the d-bag directors/showrunners to explain to us why Rhaenys didn't kill the greens, that is a failed/bad scene.

i LOVE this series as a history major, reading the book since it’s a history textbook written by people with biases all the characters seem to be greedy power hungry and lusting for power, but since this show is what really happened, seeing how each character is just a real person mistakes are made conflict was trying to be avoided of course there’s people who are power hungry and everything, but i love seeing this depiction of what really happened in a history book for real i’ve enjoyed this so much

The ending was definitely one of the weaker choices from the directors! It really wasn't necessary to change that from the books!

I had an idea on how the ending of this episode could've been fixed, if anyone actually reads this, give me feedback. First as mentioned by you, I would accelerate the pace of the chase for Aegon. I would also cut out Rhaenys being pushed to the sept. With the time saved, I would then add in the details of Rhaenys and Erik (I'm not even going to try to get his name right) breaking into the dragon pits. This could've allowed for Rhaenys to showcase her abilities, kept the suspense going, and would've allowed for two moral dilemmas: Erik has to kill a guard, possibly one he knows, to break into the pits, should he? and should Rhaenys then try to break into the sept with her dragon and roast the greens? Finally, in order to solve the problem of there being no reason for Rhaenys not to, you could have Aemond posted outside of the sept with his dragon. This would a) make practical sense as he would serve as a guard; b) serve as a symbolic demonstration of the Targaryen's authority; and c) make the question harder for Rhaenys, as to then get to the sept, she'd have to kill her daughter's dragon.

How Otto handles Larys will be a character defining moment for me. For all his scheming, I still think Otto truly cares for his daughter in a way Tywin didn't. I think he will have his own moment of fatherly loyalty and protection as he *handles* this guy who has terrorized his daughter for years now. Or he will turn a blind eye to it. Again, character defining moment.

Rhaenys simply wanted out of king's landing since like the beginning of this episode and actually asked of her dragon in one of dialogues. After being "imprisoned" and even threatened/manipulated by Alicent, it makes sense she wants to leave asap. And ofc, being a Targaryen, she'll leave on a dragon. About why she didn't kill the greens, it's most probably because they're not her enemies. Aegon stole Rhaenyra's throne, yes, but the same had been done to her years before. She has zero love for Rhaenyra and the blacks. So why'd she kill the greens? The dragon showdown was a pure power play on her part. "I am Rhaenys Velaryon with the red queen, dare capture me again and your family is our feast." Her intention wasn't to murder the greens, rather deter them, gain her pride back and gallop on Meyles.

Dude she has one of the most badass moments of all the characters in the source material, so this was just wow. I'm in awe over how easily people sweep this under the rug considering how detailed all the criticism of ROP has been. Cool scene, but damn I hated this choice....

I would love a video about just Otto when this is over with that little clap replayed several more times lol it is the cutest thing

Considering the massive hurdle that the writers have of having to make stuff up since this chapter in the books was so brief, this was a pretty good episode. Comparable to episodes 2 and 5, but not as good as the rest of the season.

I was really wanting to get the other pov, from the other camp. Alas, 30 mins in I was resolved to the fate of the writers tale. Riveting. It played to me, almost like a film and I really became immersed in the story. I enjoyed the episode profusely. Really found the journey of this coronation compelling. I wasn't sure where we were going to end up, if they were ever going to find the prince, the fate of the princess locked away, the fate of the white worm and the characters of king's landing in general particularly engaging and engrossing material. To completely satisfy me, I would the next episode wholly devoted to the other contenders. And with that, I'm off to the finale.