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@@ducksauce9187 and if Rhaenyra becomes queen the murderous Daemon becomes king consort... Also the Greens seem more interested in the well-being of the small folk. That doesnt mean Aegon isnt a piece of sht but it seems the lesser of two evils to me
Blood and cheese did listen to daemon instruction, the rat catcher asks daemon what if we couldn't find aemond and we see daemon's face but not his answer, later blood says he said "a son for a son" meaning killing the young prince was the plan B if they couldn't find aemond.
I'm so upset that people are interrupting the cut off as him telling them about Aegon and Helaena's kids. Blood literally had no idea what was going on when he came in to Helaena at knife point. Why would he need it spelled out to him by Cheese if Daemon had given them instructions to go for Jahearys.
Tom is doing some great character acting. When Aegon is holding court and listening to petitions, he plays with his fingers and starts picking at them when he gets nervous, just like Alicent.
Another little familial trait but between Rhaenyra and Aegon is they both play with their marble piece. In season 1, Rhaenyra is quietly fiddling with hers during a council meeting. Aegon just outright spins and plays with his.
Well tbf they were under the impression that since they have vhagar & lots of time had passed then, they were probably too fearful to retaliate. So that false sense of security & the fact that it was a very carefully orchestrated plan of attack, I doubt any of them couldve seen it coming.
@@judigemini178You are so leaping... They are at war, rhanerya has just lost a son and is known for punishing Aegon "an eye for an eye" last time her son was hurt, so they would expect them to try and assassinate in retaliation.
Fun fact: That is now the THIRD time Blind Wave have looked up the definition of the word ‘magnanimous’ in their reactions. The first time was in season 1 of Vikings when the earl says it to Ragnar. The second was in season 3 of Legend of Korra when the earth queen says it to Zaheer. Yes, I have a weird memory.
Fun fact: Syrax is mother to Vermax, Arrax and Tyraxes (the dragons of Rhaenyra's 3 oldest sons) so when Rhaenyra is mourning over the remains on the beach, Syrax is grieving the loss of her offspring as well. So damn sad.
@@fakecubedMost animals can smell if another animal is their offspring or not, it’s what stops a lot of males from killing their own children. I assume dragons can do the same.
Also, dragons and riders have a psychic bond. We've seen, time and again, that the dragon can feel what their rider feels. So Syrax is feeling Rhaenyra's grief and pain in that moment.
Right? To show how he is a nobody to all the royalty and he can be everywhere simply because he catches rats, no one gives him 1 glance back or a suspicious eye, he is almost invisible to them.
I caught that so slowly, and Haelena mentions rats also... Only when Daemon was speaking with the Rat Catcher I was like "OMG CHEESE! BLOOD & CHEESE" Then I got instantly upset at the tragic scene that was coming 😅
There are no guards coz Crispin Cole is meant to be on guard on that floor but is busy with Alicent and the rest of the guards are in the Throne room watching Aegon getting sloshed
@@rexibhazoboa7097 he’s the lord commander of the kingsguard. He should probably be at Aemon’s side but he’s always been Alicent’s lapdog so I’m sure they weaseled him into position next to her instead.
@@rexibhazoboa7097 gold cloaks and kingsguard arent the same thing. The big guy sneaking in was a gold cloak. they are like the police of the city and theres hundreds of them, Its the same "army" Daemon had command of in episode 1 of season 1 if you remember. (thats why the big guy said "lord commander?" when he saw Daemon at the gates at first. Criston is Lord commander of the kings guard which is 7 knight sworn to protect the royal family. Either Criston shouldve been guarding Haleana by himself or he shouldve designated 1 or 2 of the 4 kings guard in the throne room guarding drunk Aegon and his friends to do it.
Exactly! And because of that she latches on to Criston and Larys but it makes her feel so dirty and shameful about what she's doing, tbh I actually feel sorry for her. Olivia Cooke's performance is amazing.
I loved her also realising she has no privacy and is trapped with Larys, after he replaced all of the staff with his own lackeys... she scrubs so hard but cannot feel clean.
@@2ndlegend125 she hated being his caretaker but it must be so complex for her because he was still a source of kindness and safety for her. and now that's gone
What I don't get about her character is why she doesn't even attempt to intervene when she knows what is going to happen. She has the biggest upper hand ever and yeah sure she's mentally tortured kind of like bran but at least bran stepped up when it was important, so if you're lucky enough to know sth like that is going to happen to your child, wouldn't you do everything you can to save him or any other person you care about?At least I would, idgaf about any consequences. Sorry if I rambled.
@@judigemini178 She's like Raven from the "That's So Raven" sitcom i believe. She has foresight to what is going to happen, tries to change the outcome but ends up making no difference or causing it herself. (I believe she pointed at her son because she knew they would think he is lying, but Cheese saw through her plan, hence why she glanced at him shockingly. That moment confirmed to her that she cannot change the outcome of what she sees). The only difference between Raven's vision and hers is that Helaena's is less clear and up for interpretation. Add that to her bad communication skills.
@@rexibhazoboa7097 why couldn't she have done it the old fashioned way and just packed up her & her kids and made a run for it?Sorry I'm just finding it so hard to just accept someone would just be there like a sitting duck instead of terrified out of their mind enough to do sth to save their kid, no matter the outcome. You've got to at least try the best you can if you have first hand knowledge like that. The actress that plays her says she has a stronger intuitive inclination that's how it works, idk about the that's so raven comparison because one can also interpret it as she just acquiesced to her child's fate & her being unable to change the outcome, idk what has been confirmed to be the canon in the show.
How did so many miss the “son for a son” line? Or the cut after they ask Daemon what to do if they can’t find Aemond? Do they think he just said “never mind, at least you tried”? I don’t get it! 😂
I don't get why people think b and c got the instructions wrong. B was only confused with c holding Helaena at knife point bc he doesn't know who she is, but once cheese explains he's on board immediately. A son for a son. That's the answer Daemon gives when the ask what if they can't find Aemond. And that IS classic daemon. He doesn't care who, he just wants revenge, just like in the books, he promised to avenge luke for rhaenyra and got b and c to let Helaena choose which of her two sons to die bc either way they were killing a son. Even if they deviate from the books, it's understandable that Matt Smith's Daemon would go this route too. He'd want the bloodshed and mayhem that will obvi follow. B and c did exactly what they were told.
Alicent was the first to suggest an eye for an eye. Doing so would turn the whole world blind. Nowe we get the longical extention of son for a son, and we see what that will get the world.
I mean I totally get alicent wanting Luke's eye and Rhaenyra wanting Aemond's death cause they are mother's protecting their sons and wanting vengeance against the guilty party even most of the cast justified alicent's behaviour in Driftmark she was crazy but ngl I would lose my shit too in her position same with Rhaenyra after Luke's death! but what did Jahaerys do?!? the kid doesn't even know there is a succession battle.. Jahaerys was totally innocent literally one of the most innocent characters in the show
@@dabhyun1133 Unfortunately, by association, everyone on the opposite sides are enemies to each other. Poor Jahaerys didn't do anything but he died for being Aegon the usurper's son.
@@sickleweed3270 Arya threw a rock at Nymeria back in season 1. To get rid of her. Cheese needed his dog to leave because there wasnt any point to bring the dog to the Royal quarters with him. Just say you didnt understand what you watched before shouting complains.
why do literally zero reactors realize that blood and cheese did NOT mess up daemons orders?????? sorry but do people really not understand the implication of "what if we cant find aemond?" *smile..... cut away* like it isnt rocket science
@@rexibhazoboa7097 It cracks me up when i see people saying Daemon is goin to be furious with blood and cheese. Do they not remember season 1? Daemon is a menace especially when he has his murder hoody on. His divorce attorney is a freaking rock!
Regardless of whether or not Daemon told them to go after a child if they couldn't find Aemond, they DIDN'T FRIGGIN LOOK. They found an empty room, then found a maid, then found the kids. They didn't try very hard.
In the books Blood&Cheese is much different. First off, Aemond is never mentioned to be the target, and Rhaenyra is not the one to incite the mission. Daemon sends Rhaenyra a letter from Harrenhal (in the books he is already there) that says- “An eye for an eye, a son for a son. Lucerys will be avenged”. B&C sneak into the Tower of the Hand, which is not guarded as heavily as Maegor’s Holdfast-where Aemond was-and they head for Alicent’s chambers, who was getting ready for bed (Criston and her are not a thing in the book). Helaena and her three children (Jaehaerys, Jaehaera, and Maelor, who was not present in the show version) were on the way for their nightly visit to Alicent. When they get there, they find Alicent tied to the bed and her bedmaid strangled. Blood bars the door and Cheese takes Maelor and tells Helaena to choose which son of hers will die. Helaena pleads that they kill her instead but they refuse, siting- “An eye for an eye, a son for a son. A wife is not a son.” Cheese tells her that if she does not choose then Blood will grape her daughter and they will kill everyone in the room. Eventually, Helaena chooses Maelor, her younger son. Maybe it was because she thought he would be too young to understand , or perhaps it was because the elder boy, Jaehaerys, was Aegon’s first born and heir. Cheese holds Maelor up and whispers to him- “You hear that, little one, your momma wants you dead”. Then, in one clean motion, Blood strikes of the older boys-Jaehaerys’s-head, and the two take off with it. When the guards finally burst through the door, they find Helaena grasping her son’s headless body to her, mad with grief. So yeah, Blood&Cheese is much more tame in the show.
You could argue Rhaenyra never incited a mission. It's a declaration of a desire for revenge, grief-stricken and (most probably exhausted from flying for days in search of proof). It is still Daemon's interpretation on his queen's behalf, and he was likely going to act on something either way. Early in the episode he was ready to storm king's landing front and center were it not for Rhaenys. The fact that Mysaria ended up within his grasp and Rhaenyra's declaration, it ends up being a believable list of ingredients to bake an assassination attempt pie. Maelor isn't in the show, does he have a bigger role to play down the line in the books? I'm curious as to what gets affected without his presence, much like the omission/combination of other characters kind of fucked over the original Game of Thrones run in the later seasons.
The show has the best argument to this: the book is told by two unreliable narrators. Eric said that when gay dude lived last season and no one would have knew to retell that story.
I'm actually starting to suspect that GRRM doesn't know how to write more than one story. There are a ton of repeated things between these two timelines.
Also Stark knows that if the gray beards don’t go south now that winter is here they would most likely die from starvation because they wouldn’t have enough to feed them. So Ranerya is doing him a favor and the gray beards are favor.
B&C didn't mess up as badly as you think. Daemon wanted Aemond dead, but Cheese knew this might be impossible and he asked Daemon "what do we do if we can't find him". In the castle, Blood repeats multiple times that Daemon said he wanted "a son for a son" (which we don't see him say so it has to have been said after Cheese's question). The implication is clear: Plan A, kill Aemond, Plan B, make them hurt. B&C enacted Plan B
@@vanessalore9942 Daemon definitely told them something. I'm not saying he called for Jahaerys to be killed specifically, but the show made a point of having Cheese ask what to do if they couldn't find Aemond, and Blood later echoes the "son for a son line". I doubt Daemon said "oh, if you can't find him, then just give up and go home. I don't care."
I pointed out what magnanimous means to blind wave years ago, during either Korra or Vikings (I can't remember which came first, lol) and then they had to look it up again when either Korra or Vikings brought up the word again (they were only weeks apart) so I commented that they had already looked up the definition. Lol On a different show I can't remember (was it Agents of Shield?) the word came up again and they had to look it up (again) and Eric brought up my comment from previous reactions. So when the word came up in HotD, I thought, "surely not". Lo and behold... It happened again. 😂
3:50 thats House Gardener Calvin, they were the Kings of the Reach before the Conquest, and the Tyrells (who were their stewards) took over their lands once they (The Gardeners) all died in the Field of Fire. They were slightly older than the Starks, because Garth Greenhand was the first High-King of the First Men and brought them to Westeros.
I can't even say i'm Team Green because i think the throne belongs to Rhaenyra, but literally all my favourite characters are on the Green side😂 i can't help that they're all so interesting to watch
I knew something bad was going to happen, I just didn't expect to hear the struggling sounds of a child whimpering followed by the visceral sound of steel ripping through bone and sinew. I definitely went into my sons room and gave him a big kiss after watching that scene. Woof.
Sad fact: Syrax is mother to Vermax, Arrax and Tyraxes (the dragons of Rhaenyra's 3 oldest sons) so when Rhaenyra is mourning over the remains on the beach, Syrax is grieving the loss of her baby as well. 💔🥺
@@sickleweed3270 Larys says he's replaced the staff, one of his spies makes Blood, then there's no one around that Helaena can scream for even if she could is very interesting
@@Warriorten10 I was thinking the servants weren't around because Larys probably told them to go away when Alicent and Criston were getting it on, the lack of guards were odder...but Adam's probably right, maybe the ones in the throne room with Aegon were the only ones they had in addition to whatever ones Criston sent away on his own for privacy.
i'm thrown that you guys didn't read the cutaway from daemon after "what do we do if we can't find him [aemond]", & blood talking about a son for a son, as revealing that killing aegons son was daemons order. i prefer team green- i think they have more colourful personalities and have been developed more strongly, even though i do love corlys.
To Eric's point: S2E1 of GOT ended with Joffrey's order to have all of Robert Baratheon's suspected bastards publicly assassinated, including the newborn baby (Barra) in Baelish's brothel.
This - plus the remaining Kings Guard were in the Throne room with Aegon and his buddies, probably because Cole ordered them there so he could bone Alicent without them seeing him coming and going from his room
Ah, cause I wondered why blood didn't even recognize who helaena was ...but still, she's the queen and not recognizable, like don't they let her outside or sth?
this episode mentions my favorite character from this time period, dalton greyjoy! a legend to the ironborn, he was rowing at 5 and reaving at 10. at 15 he earned his moniker the red kraken when he came out of a fight after avenging his uncles death covered in a dozen wounds. he is 16 at the time of the war. he also wields a valyrian steel longsword called nightfall that he took off of a corsair. i don't think we'll see him this season as he wasn't revealed casting wise, but he'll definitely be here by season 3!!
I keep seeing American people not knowing what "Magnanimous" means, thanks to the reaction videos for this episode ppl are posting. Is it truly that unheard of a word, guys? Not hating, just curious!
The hypocrisy of Cristin and Alicent hating Rhaenyra bc of her sleeping with him (Alicent) and not committing to marriage afterwards (Cristin) and acting like their morals were unscrupulous, only for them to do the EXACT same time?? It's too good Also genuinely surprised by Aegon at least attempting to be a good king! But we all know he's decided to get love from the common folk, since he's never gotten it from his parents. Rip to his kid 🙏🏽
@@ЗуриКадиева In the books they do say he was liked by the smallfolk. So seeing Aegon trying to aid them with their issues helps build that reputation. Also I think they went too far the other way last season by verifying every nasty rumor about him and ruining his coronation.
Rha wanted Aemond, Daemon wanted any son for a son. He didn’t care at that point. They did listen to instructions, it’s a shame people have no thinking skills and need spoon fed information(referring to the comments)
The guy who pulled Corlys from the sea, Alyn, is played by Abubakar Salim. You may recognise his voice from Assassins Creed Origins (Egyptian one) He voices Bayak!
Daemon lost a few points and Aegon gained a few for his genuine effort to try and help the small folk who came to his court (also for trolling the Lannister master of coin)
The part of the throne scene with paying the smiths: while I agree that they should be paid and well, in business it is never wise to pay in full ahead of time for a service. It is smarter to either pay half or to pay a percent as a downpayment to allow the person to purchase supplies etc. So while it looked like Aegon did something good, it unfortunately highlighted his ignorance in business dealings. It made him look like he would easily be taken advantage of if Otto wasn't there. The Greens confuse me. They knew they were going to place Aegon on the throne. I know he was a difficult kid but come on now did they give him no training at all? He's making mistakes left and right and the kind he shouldn't be making too. I blame his mother. Maybe less scolding and more ensuring he was prepared. Afterall, Jace certainly seems like he knows what he's doing and seems well versed in diplomacy too. Why didn't the Greens at least ensure Aegon knew not to blurt out secret battle plans at court?
He literally took Vhagar, a whole war dragon after Luke and Arrax, both of them children. Yeah no, it wasn't an accident. He's fully to be blamed for their deaths
About "blood and cheese" the book is written by three people who have the agenda of exaggerating and amplifying various characters and events. George approved everything the show shows so that's probably how it happened.
Wish they would have done it like in book. :/ Adaption or no. They should have learned how pivotal and important specific events are to be done exactly right. Blood and Cheese was one of them.
I feel sorry for Aegon II. Because of his overrated brother Aemond his young son is now dead. He's trying to be a good ruler but his grandfather controls him.
Plausible deniability: Daemon didn’t SAY to kill jahereys directly just like Aeamond didn’t MEAN to kill Lucerys…so now no-one can blame daemon directly AND throw blood and cheese under the bus for “fu*king up” if it comes to that.
It was never about Aemond he wanted twins from the beginning notice how B&Ch new there is a boy and girl and boy was target in book it is much better and darker because she chooses between 2 sons and they threaten to rape daughter and kill them if she won't choose and it all happen in Alicent's place she is tied while it happen and is forced to look how her daughter is forced to choose
Aemond pointing out that war began when they usurped the throne, not when he killed Luke. He may love his mother but his respect is dwindling and he’s a lot more shrewd than people want to acknowledge. The sound design made it so much worse. No guards because Cole didn’t want witnesses.
They did what they were told. When he asked daemon “what happens if we can’t find Aemond” the camera cuts to daemon with a smirk on his face the the scene cuts away. Meant to imply that Daemon gave them a plan B.
After rewatching the episode and considering the title of the episode, A Son For A Son, I'm almost 100% sure it means the sons are the DIRECT sons of the one's on the respective thrones ...Rhaenera lost Luke so Daemon wants them to take out Aegon's son IF they can't find/take out Aemond ...thoughts?!!
I finally figured out the issue I have with this show. Its all misunderstandings. Aemond didnt want to kill his cousin. Rhaenyra didnt want Helaenas kid to die. Like come on. These are supposed to be horrible people, but the show just portrays them as well meaning (or at least not overly malicious) idiots. What do you mean, Alicent is sending an apology letter to Rhaenyra for the death of her son?
Exactly, they're removing the teeth from most (if not all) of the characters. I can appreciate that they tried to add more depth to some characters that were fairly flat in F&B, but broadly almost all the characters are passive and things are happening TO them. It's like the writer's definition of "morally grey" is "good people who do bad things by accident". And a lot of what the writers say they want to do, they end up doing the opposite?? It's like they're all writing in separate rooms without communicating with eachother... I've kinda come to terms with this not being High Brow television like early GoT was and now im just enjoying the melodrama and action for what it is, a fun romp through dragon fantasy land.
I know some people were disappointed with blood and cheese, however, I realized that there was no way you could’ve done that scene with a three-year-old (Maelor) and six year old actors (the twins) without traumatizing that child. I would prefer them to not be traumatized, even if it means that the scene goes differently than what I would prefer.
Yeah I was a bit underwhelmed but I do think the show's version still achieves the same ramifications. In fact I prefer the show's version when it comes to Alicent because I feel it offers character depth than the book version. Also I think people just overhyped Blood and Cheese in general. Yes, it is gratuitously gruesome but that's really the extent of it. I feel bad for the people involved but there just simply isn't a strong enough emotional thread for it to linger with me. It's hardly like the Red Wedding or even Oberyn's death where it felt like a series-defining moment.
HBO gave us the PG-13 Blood and Cheese. Perhaps the harsher book version wasn’t necessary if this episode had enough viewers mad at Cheese kicking a dog.
I'm fine with them not showing an actual beheading, God knows no one wants to see a child die like that. What i didn't like was the removal of Maelor and Helaena's choice which is easily the most fucked up part of the whole ordeal
@@osirex5495 I always thought people who said that miss the point of why the Red Wedding was such a big deal. Sure the brutality of it is why it went viral but the scene sticks with you because of the people involved. They killed off two main characters who we had been following and rooting for since the pilot episode. Yes Blood and Cheese in the book matches that brutality but it's severely lacking the emotional impact for it to be a standout moment for the series. There are several other events in the Dance I found to be a lot more emotionally impactful than Blood and Cheese, simply because I was more invested in the characters involved.
I read on twitter that it was because they didn’t want to traumatize the kid actors. I feel like that’s a good enough excuse. Plus, the sounds were enough.
Guys Daemond smiled at them when they asked what to do if they don't see Aemond as well as Blood and Cheese outright say "A son for a son". They did exactly as they were told why does everyone keep ignoring these things?
