Daemon does have a genuine soft spot for the smallfolk/commoners. He's more at ease with them than he is at court. He sees them as more genuine and more interesting.
Jaehaerys was an amazing king. He also had the most fairytale/stable romance in the dynasty's history. His time was a golden age that lasted even beyond him. We now get to watch his descendants fuck it all up.
@@morena6717 No, he made the right decision. Rhaenys could have been Queen. But when the Westerosi were given a vote, they overwhelmingly chose Viserys. Rhaenys' personal qualities set aside, she would never have been able to sit the throne easy with all the deeply chauvinist lords potentially undermining her and testing her. Civil war might have come to Westeros sooner with a Queen Rhaenys I on the Iron Throne.
those who steal, daemon chopped off their hands, those who raped, lost their genitalia, and murderers were beheaded. crazy scene, but easier to watch once i realized what was really happening
The amount of detail and lore they just packed in one Episode is crazy. I really, really enjoyed the Episode! Now, let us hope that it continues this way. Also, keep it up with the reactions because you guys have been the best over the years. 🐉⚔️👌
@@harryh.r.9082 i'll remind you that GRRM is involved as an executive producer of this show and they picked the showrunners that made the 2 best episodes to make HotD.
@@harryh.r.9082 Maybe Long Night 2: Winter Boogaloo will be worth it this time. Maybe it's the new showrunners' way of saying, "Alright guys, we know D&D fucked everything up on GOT, but we're gonna get it right this time on HOTD." At least I'm hoping they get it right.
You know, about the Iron Throne, in the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the Iron Throne is reportedly uncomfortable to sit upon due to the blades that radiate out from it, occasionally cutting the incumbent. The moral lesson Aegon intended for his heirs was that no ruler should ever sit upon the throne carelessly, just as they must not rule carelessly. The Iron Throne specifically contains the swords of those Aegon defeated in battle, but not of those who had surrendered honorably rather than give battle. As such, no swords from the North or the Vale of Arryn were included in the Iron Throne thanks to Torrhen Stark and Sharra Arryn.
Occasionally cut!? Lol the throne was described as having jagged and rusted edges everywhere. It wasn't crafted to be comfortable and I doubt its primary purpose is actually as a throne.
it was a pleasant surprise , i will say this the script in the first episode is better than the entire season 8 , this doesnt feel rushed . i think daemon targerian is going to steal the show bec. the actor who plays him is very talented
I’m just gonna assume that Daemon is going to end up being more complex than he seems. I feel like it would be very disingenuous to say that he doesn’t care for his brother and niece, I feel like this episode did a good job exemplifying that. But he’s also very impulsive and volatile. I think he’s a lot like Jaime. A really vile guy who has some redeemable qualities. I think he begrudgingly keeps his head down while wanting more respect than he gets. He decides not to stab that Dornish knight in the leg, when we saw another sore loser literally kill someone earlier in the tournament. I don’t know. He doesn’t come off as completely putrid. Another thing that’s interesting about him is that he said he wanted to be the hand of the king as opposed to the leader of the city watch, the position that would allow him to be more violent? But I guess being the hand does grant him more power so this is a weak point. All in All, I like Daemon.
Couldn’t have put it better. Fun fact GRR Martin has said his favorite character is Daemon Targaryen. :) Some small context on book Daemon below but zero spoilers on his story only explain him as a person below. In the books Daemon is very morally grey being both loved and hated and he loves his family. Also he pacified kings landing very successfully in the books. I hope they portray him correctly.
The Normies are famously bad at analyzing tv and books, lol. They have no sense of subtext, and half of them are woke warriors who only think through the lens of Foucault and the Situationists. For instance, if Daemon was a woman, they would be calling the character an icon.
Ok, so from someone still technically living in a country with a 'monarchy' AND having had some crown princesses (even in my lifetime), this is how it works (over here): The king has a daughter, she is the crown princess. She grows up and becomes queen. Then she marries some prince or duke or whatever from who cares....He becomes/stays prince, because he will never be allowed to be 'higher' than the born heir (the queen). TLDR: A reigning queen's husband is a prince. A reigning king's wife is a queen (no matter her background).
I'm so in love with Matt Smith's acting, I cannot describe it. And if I have to be honest he's the reason I recently binged all of Game of Thrones. I don't care if Daemon's mad, I'll be rooting for him because of Matt 😅🤣
I understand now what a Spartan tradition meant when it comed to women dying in childbirth. It is said that Spartans who die in war are buried with honors and tombstones as do women who die at childbirth because of their wars in the birthing bed. Queen Aemma's death was as visceral and brutal as any clash of knights as depicted in the Tourney scene. That is a masterclass in storytelling.
I love how true to the lore of the book this is. The events of The Dance of the Dragons is a very narratively rich part of Westerosi history and hopefully they stay true to its lore in the adaptation. It will be short and I hope they don't fluff it too much just to pad the seasons and keep the show running
I like the show so far too, minus the fact that Daemon is opposed to Rhaeneryas which is the opposite in the book, and I have to suspend my disbelief how Coryls doesn't look similar to any of of his imbred Targaryan relatives.
@@theawesomeman9821 this is the first episode only Daemon and Rhaenyra can vie as heirs lol. Corlys is from Valyria, but he's not a Targaryen. It's easy enough to assume that Summer Islanders married into Valyrian houses.
The Dance of the Dragons is such an extensive story that even HBO said it'd take 3-4 seasons to complete. Which I believe is perfect. 40 episodes to properly tell this story.
Hey guys, just wanna point out two things: Rhaenys Targeryen, the Queen Who Never Was, is actually Visery’s cousin, not his sister as was mentioned. She was the daughter of Visery’s father’s oldest brother who was first in line to the throne, so she had an even better claim than Viserys himself, which makes it even worse. Also the most famous “Dragon Dream” was that of Daenys the Dreamer, who had a dream about the Doom of Valyria and actually it was from her dream that Targaryens decided to leave Valyria and settle on Dragonstone. 12 years after the dream, Valyria was destroyed. The Velaryons were actually in Westeros (Driftmark) before the Targareyns moved there! Love your reactions by the way
Is a dragon dream just a Targ dreaming? I thought it was specifically dreaming about flying a dragon or actually being a dragon. Tyrion has dragon dreams. I know it's possible he's half Targ, but that's not 100%.
@@t.d.mcinturff1712 Aegon foresaw the threat of the White Walkers. Daenys dreamed about the Doom of Valyria. Viserys dreamed about having a son born with crown. Daenerys has dragon dreams preceding the birth of her three dragons. Sooo, that means Targ dreams were important, because they were more than just a dream. They dreamt about things and all of them happened
@@CarloRodriguez10 The Dany that saw the doom of Valyria was known to have prophetic dreams. That’s why her warning was taken seriously. Idk if other Targs had this ability that we’re aware of.
The concept that Aegon the Conqueror flew to Kings Landing and united the realm into one kingdom for a purpose other than power and to conquer the known world also starts to draw a parallel between him and Daenerys when she determined that she wanted to break the wheel of power.
That parallel involving the Long Night was made to tie the two shows; it does get mentioned in any book including Fire and Blood. Unless Martin is going to reveal the alternate motive of Aegon in future book, that is a show(s) only detail.
@@StrongHamr Kind of endorsed by GRRM himself though, who has said in interviews, as far back as 2018, that there were rumors that Aegon foresaw the return of the Others/White Walkers and conquered the Seven Kingdoms to be better prepared to face this threat by the time it comes real.
@@StrongHamr interesting. I haven't read the books, so I didn't know that. I wonder if it is a hidden concept so far, since Martin once again has a strong hand in the lore and writing for this series... Just something to ponder on.
Sadly she will be in only for a few episodes, and probably only for the first, since most of the season will be set a decade later with an older different actress playing the part.
@@carlossaraiva8213 Well almost 20 years are going to past..in the series so..it would have been difficult to film with such a young actress even if she's good...
Daemon wasnt killing just random people mostly criminals. In the books Kings landing was a den of thieves and lawlessnes at that time. After Maegor the cruel Jaehearys was laxer on the people and ruled peaceful for a long time. Viserys was neglecting alot too at this time. So when Daemon got the command of city watch he became one with the goldcloaks which was his close support in the city. They definetly cleaned up the streets.
Daemon & the city watch were absolutely just killing random people. They were literally picking and choosing who was or wasn’t guilty based on the only fact that they were peasants. It’s clear that they we’re just trying to make a point about their force of brutality.
@@anthonyml6997 they werent, as someone else pointed out daemon picked and trained commoners who lived in flea bottom all their lives to be apart of the city watch they knew who the criminals were. its not like they have csi, best criminals can hope for is trail by combat or to be hanged back then.
@@crystall.411it's definitely possible in that case for Goldcloaks to falsely accuse people who wronged them or that they just dislike. Like do you think Daemons going to personally validate every execution that his subordinates do? He has other things to do, like getting in pissing contests with hand, or spending his time with underage prostitutes wearing white wigs.
The city watch roundup scene was very targeted. Its a semi common tactic used throughout history to hinder and stem rampant lawlessness. This is more an extreme version but definitely has happened like that a few times. Police still do diluted versions before certain political changes or events. This ep makes me think they're gonna dive into a 'dark age' type of warefare and brutality...
Daemon is awesome! I mean there is a reason why he's G.R.R Martin's favorite Targaryen... "In his day there was not a man so admired, so beloved, and so reviled in all Westeros. He was made of light and darkness in equal parts. To some he was a hero, to others the blackest of villains" 🔥🖤
I got the vibes from Daemon and Rhenyra heavy. I get that Alicent has some feelings going on, she def had some subtle facial close-ups that were suspect
Okay I don’t know if anyone pointed this out but: The reason Targaryens are bonded to dragons is because back in Valyria the Targaryens and other dragon lords used blood magic to bond with dragons. The Targaryens weren’t the most powerful dragon lords either. Fast forward, Daenys the Dreamer then had a dragon dream about the doom of Valyria in which she convinced her father to leave and head to dragon stone. The doom happened about 10 years after the dream. Hope this was helpful!
Given Queen Aemma's history with childbirth, I bet Otto was keeping Prince Daemon away so he could foster hate between him and King Viserys, and by extension, his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra. He knew Daemon wanted to be Hand, but Otto wished to hold the position. That way, Otto could wait till Aemma died during childbirth, hopefully without a male hair. Then he could have his daughter, Alicent, seduce Viserys and marry into the royal family. He had Viserys name Rhaenyra Heir to the Throne just to buy time as he knew that as soon as Viserys got Alicent pregnant (if the seduction worked), Viserys would marry her in hopes of an male Heir. And if a living son was birthed by his daughter, his grandson would become the Heir by default. And Alicent is young enough that even if it wasn't male, Viserys would stay married and keep trying with Alicent. Calling it, setting Damon against Viserys and Rhaenyra, which I'm guessing is the plot of season 1, is all a part of Otto's plan to secure his family's position on the Throne.
Perfect casting in this show, got a good tempo and editing between the different situations. Nudity, violence and gore is still at the same level as GOT, and the writing so far is also pretty good. Looking forward to where this is going, especially Daemon's lore. 🔥
I'm pretty sure gold cloaks knew which people were criminals to punish. In GoT, Bronn executed all the "known thieves." I think gold cloaks and Daemon were going after these "known" criminals in the city. Not sure how corrupted judicial system of King's Landing actually works, but I'm guessing they have list of known criminals that just don't get punished ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I have never read the books so this is really new and fresh for me. I was skeptical in the first 10 mins but by the ending, I absolutely loved it! Matt Smith really hit it home!
Right we're talking about Otto who already feels shady claiming he got witness accounts who swear he did it. Some randos from a party?? We don't see it ourselves, he could've said it in a bittersweet tone for all we know, not smug or mockingly.
How far we’ve come. I remember tuning in when y’all had less then 10k subs for GoT reactions. Who’d have thought. Congrats on all of your continued success. Hopefully this series lives up to the hype of its predecessor
Ahhhh this brings back memories. Its sooo good seeing The Normies reacting to the OG Westeros content we all know and love. Feels like coming back home after a long trip. 😁 I loved the show btw. My favorite scene is between Viserys and Daemon just before he banishes him. The thing is, you can really tell how complex their characters and relationship is. Daemon does love his brother and is NOT WRONG about Ser Otto, but Ser Otto is not wrong about Daemon either. They are both second sons, both overshadowed by their elder brothers, both driven to make a name for themselves, and they are both ambitions in their own way. Its their rivalry and differences, and ultimately the ones between Alicent and Rhaenyra that we already see glimpses of, that will drive the story on. Cant wait to see how it goes.
Viserys and Daemon both married for political reasons into the Vale… Viserys‘s wife Aemma is an Arryn (her mother was a Targaryen though, their fathers younger sister) and Daemon‘s wife is a Royce; so they basically married into the number 1 and 2 families of the Vale! One could now speculate this was to secure the support of the Lords of the Vale against Rhaenys and Corlys who had the Baratheons and Stormlords on their side 🤔 Just a minor fact… Viserys isn‘t as „good“ as you believe… he got Aemma pregnant when she was just 13 (him being a couple of years older) which might have contributed to why she had so many complicated pregnancies and lost so many children
Viserys had been married for a decade to Aemma by the Great Council of 101, which is the same year his father Baelon died, so, no, it was not for securing the claim against Rhaenys at all.
@@targaryen7029 He was 16, she 11 in 92 when they got married! If we wanna throw around facts, than please the correct ones 😉 And I didn’t mean the fact that they got married at that age is problematic (that’s quite normal by medieval standards; but they usually didn‘t consulate the marriage till a couple of years later), but she had already a couple of miscarriages and a son that died as an infant till she got Rhaenyra in 97, which means she got pregnant first at least at 12, which even in these times/circumstances in problematic (perhaps not morally, but anatomically)! It surely wasn’t helpful for her health, add to that that she might have had problems genetically with pregnancies (look into her mother)
@@guruxara7994 He was 16, she 11 in 92 when they got married! If we wanna throw around facts, than please the correct ones 😉 For the rest, read my other answer
Daemon it's not evil to me. I think he is a tremendous complex character but he loves his family. Him and Rhaenyra are gonna look amazing as a power couple 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Loving his family and being complex does not exlude the capacity for evil. He is cool, skilled and likeable though so I guess bias can excuse mass murder and betrayal...
Wow there are two actors from my favorite show “Outlander” on the cast ♥️♥️♥️ I wish a big channel like you guys would watch that show and give it the hype it deserves
I legit am so mfing impressed that they packed this much into the episode to set this up. This was AMAZING. I think Otto is our new Baelish, and that Daemon, for however rash he is, is way more important to the well-being of the house than anyone else. The rest are sus as hell. I think this episode sets him up as the violent bad boy, but it’s a little bit of a red herring… I’ve got my eye on Rhaenys, she’s giving “speak softly and carry a big stick” vibes. Snakes in the grass everywhere duuuude, I’m excited for this. When Syrax flew out of the clouds and over king’s landing at the start I got actually misty. The nostalgia 🥹 and the nostalgia of watching with you guys, I found y’all originally through searching for reactions to battle of the bastards. It’s been a long ass time!
7:01 I couldn't help but think this is what King's Landing was supposed to be after Khaleesi her reign had settled in... And that statue would have been for Viserion... And than this would have been Khaleesi 6:47
“Breech” is when the baby is positioned feet first, instead of head first. Without passing the head first, getting the shoulders out becomes near-impossible.
About the night scene with the Gold Cloaks, if you read the book and understand how Daemon interacted with the people, the poorest of the poor, I’d argue he was dispensing justice. I can see how non-book readers will see the viciousness and inhumanity of it, but I can assure you justice was dispensed-think Batman leading his own squad to put down Gotham for the good of the people, type of justice. 😉
Man, some of y'all look quite different after 3 years. I didn't get into reaction videos until I watched The Red Wedding scene in 2016. All thanks to The Rains of Castamere.
Ya'll really questioning the power of the queen title hahaha, do you not realise the biggest monarchy in the world right now has the longest standing queen
I think this is my favorite out of all HOTD ep 1 reactions. Yall are talking about good key points and healthily discussing the show and characters' nuance.
the queens death was genuinely the first time in a movie or show that made me feel sick. My entire body clenched up. The acting was so good in the scene i got chills.
Viseyrs being cut by the Iron Throne is meant to be symbolic of the fact that ruling over the 7 Kingdoms is a *painful* experience: not a pleasant one.
My first time watching reactions, and my first channel, was The Normies Game of Thrones reactions. I've been just as excited for this show as I am for your reactions. I'm so happy!
Rana, u tight girl Edit "ooh that's the red one".. looking at the green dragon >.> ..think you colorblind bro. Edit2: he was maiming criminals.. e.e ..its like watching slow people watch a tv show. Its interesting up to a point.
it was a pleasant surprise , i will say this the script in the first episode is better than the entire season 8 , this doesnt feel rushed . i think daemon targerian is going to steal the show bec. the actor who plays him is very talented
Nobody has ever died in the UFC. I've been injured more playing basketball than my 13 years of martial arts. It's nothing like a pit fight ro the death getting an axe to the face. I see some people forgot the brutality of Game of Thrones.
Episode 1 was a pleasant surprise and faithfull to the books but i have a major issue all the actors are generic and the charachters they play are boring and bland except for matt smith who playes daemon they should have cast triple a hollywood actors.
Isn't Rhaenyra already 15 in the 1st episode? In the books, she was 8 when she was appointed heir. She wouldn't change much in 10-20 years if she starts at 15. Why hire two actresses while using the same actors for the male characters? Milly is 21 when this was filmed. I understand casting Emma because she does look like someone who had a few children while Milly looks too young. Paddy looks way older than being 28 as Viserys. In the books, he marries Alicent just a year later after Aemma died. Alicent was 18 at the time. Alicent is supposed to be 9 years older than Rhaenyra. I figure if Rhaenyra is 15 in Ep 1, Alicent could still be 18 or 24. I don't see it with the latter. Writers probably adjusted their ages for the show. Viserys is probably much older than 28. Then Alicent and Rhaenyra are much closer in age for the show. Most of my knowledge for this show comes from reading Wiki of Fire & Ice for each major character. Not from the books. I still like to keep myself clueless enough to be surprised from each episode. I'm starting to understand Daenerys getting killed off. We knew it wasn't going to end happily ever after with her nephew ruling by her side. It's Game of Thrones. Not a 90s Disney animated movie. Monarchy really does suck. Watch The Crown 👑. You get roles simply by birthright. Not because you actually qualify as a great ruler. Had Dany ruled, she basically has a nuclear weapon 🐲. It's like if Superman or Homelander wanted to rule our world. So I get it why Dany was killed off. Targs are just too powerful thanks to their dragons. I still didn't agree how it got there. She was kinda losing her mind before S8E5 (worst-rated GOT episode) but it still felt like she turned to evil too quickly without much explanation or build up. Still no excuses for bad writing and I was never a Dany fan. HOTD will end better thanks to original source being completed. Daemon Targaryen (AKA Rogue Prince) is going to be popular among the male viewers. He's GRRM's favorite. He's like a Gray Jedi or maybe worse than that. I hear in the books, they're all bad people. Even Rhaenyra. They're all ruthless and conniving. Don't be fooled by Olivia Cooke's good looks. Alicent is not a sweet character. So far, I like Daemon, Viserys, and Rhaenys. Mostly just Daemon. He's like a cowboy. Viserys seems like a good king. Hates conflict. The show's version doesn't seem like a pushover like in the books. Rhaenys ("The Queen Who Never Was") who narrates at the beginning seems like a strong female dragon rider and wise woman like Olenna Tyrell. I'll enjoy her more as the season progresses. I have no problem with a Black actor being cast as Lord Corlys, her husband. It is weird seeing blonde dreadlocks. But in GOT, many of the Black actors were pirates and sellsails like Salladhor Saan.
There was tons of hints of Daenerys final season events even in book 1 of the series. There was lots of foreshadowing. It was rushed and poorly done in the show but people saying she would never so that I have to believe either haven't read the books or were too emotionally attached to her character. She was absolutely ruthless to her opponents whenever she felt it was justified.
you guys were the first GOT reactors Ive watched and subscribed to……..way back when this channel just started out. This channel’s name was different back then. Good to see y’all back.
It did happen though. Without Daenerys and her dragons they wouldn’t have stood a chance against the Others. Also, the books aren’t finished so GRRM could definitely say fuck off to what they did on the show. Don’t take Game of Thrones ending as what actually happens at the end of ASOIAF. Though, at this rate we might never get an ending or it could actually happen the way the show predicted it. So far Daemon hasn’t shown me a reason to distrust him in regards to Viserys or Rhaenyra. I think he wanted the throne but mostly because it was just expected. PS. Otto was Luna Lovegood’s dad in Harry Potter lmao
I think Daemon saying that at the brothel would not have happened had his gold cloaks and sex worker girlfriend not fired everyone up and wanted a speech from him being the heir again. Daemon doesn’t seem to do anything small and doesn’t tend to think about consequences…but I do think he does care about his brother and niece and sees right through the hightowers’s bs. I think though Daemon did speak out of line and say some offensive things and did horrible things the moment he got power with the gold cloaks I don’t think he would have done anything to harm his brother or niece….but I’m not sure about now after he got exiled again. I think the Hightower’s are the Baelish of this story. The queen who never was seems a bit like Stannis or maybe even Daenerys in a way. And the new heir the daughter I’m guessing is going to end up being unhinged a bit later in the story. Because I don’t see any protagonist being worthy of rooting for in this story without some flaw.
Its ok Pat, everyone likes Daemon….it’s George’s favorite character. I’m glad u speak up for yourself and what you like and are unapologetic for it even when others try to explain to you why ur “wrong” or they think you’re “wrong”
I still don't understand why people thought this show would fail. There was literally no reason for that to happen. It's not even because of a new crew but it's because of the fact that they are adapting finished source material. The reason GoT was peak TV till season 4 was because of them sticking with the source material. The show then got ahead of the books and started deviating heavily. Since the plot here is already done, the show will easily excel in every way no matter how many seasons it will get.
Only the Targaryens could bring me back to this show. Especially after the bullshit of GOT. Dany deserved better. I'm still salty. But I'm here for house dragons.
