House of the Dragon | Season 2 Episode 1 Review (SPOILERS) 

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“They weren’t low life enough” “Did they have to kick the dog?” Maybe some book readers had unrealistic expectations considering the scene went well in the context of the show.

BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN 🎶

Technically going after Aemond is strategically one of the smartest things to do… Both sides have admitted that he is the greens strongest warrior and is riding the most dangerous dragon. Taking him out first would definitely turn the tide.

Tbh, I THINK they didnt do that scene the way it was written because they would need to traumatize 2 very young child actors, dragging them out of bed and shit, how do you even start planning that scene knowing theres gonna be a very young kid playing? The young actors of the twins could barely stay still

I haven’t read the books so for me the ending scene was shocking and disturbing. I was like “No way these guys are gonna kill Aemond so wtf is going to happen” and then the realization is horrifying. The whole scene felt very tense the way it was shot cause I had no idea what would happen. I think the actual murder scene was disturbing and brutal enough as it was - like you can definitely hear everything. I didn’t feel like I needed to see more of that

“THEY WERE BOYS!!!!!!!!”

we are so back

I think knowing what was going to happen in Blood And Cheese definitely changes your opinion on it. I did not know what was going to happen, along with the 4 other people in the room while watching and we were all so tense and left in shock after we watched it. Saying it wasn’t tense enough is like saying a math question was hard enough when you already knew the answer

As someone who hasnt read Fire and Blood, i think that the ending was pretty visceral. While the book passage clearly is even more violent, for the general audience I think its great. Remembering how many people were saying that the death of Aemma was too brutal

Woah, you wanted to see that final scene? The sound of the blade slicing isn't visceral enough? Yeah, I watch with the caps on and it actually says, "blade slicing." Who had the job of creating the sound of all mothers' nightmares?

can't believe people want to see a child brutally killed, like why. the scene was messed up enough

About Blood and Cheese scenes, as someone who has never read the source material, i really think it was suspenseful and gripping. It’s definitely not gonna be effective if you already know what’s gonna happen, but for the average viewer i guess it was a satisfying moment within the show. The music, the longer takes, the amazing sets and acting, everything contributed for quite an atmosphere of tension

It may be 90 degrees in Texas but I'm always down for some soup

YES BEEN PRAYING YALL WOULD BE BACK 😭

I highly doubt you can actually shot a scene like that of killing a little child in front of other little child. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be allowed. Keep in mind those child actors must be no more than 5 years old.

Let’s go nerd soup is back!

My favorite time is upon us, nerdsoup reviews

Love that yall are back talking thrones but really…”the child murder was better in the books” should’ve been on my bingo card but it wasn’t. I think we can give grace for something that’s easier to convey in written form versus in a visual medium

I’m confused over the B&C uproar. Maelor isn’t in the show. Helena has a boy and a girl. The mission was to kill the son. What would be the point of having to make her choose if there’s only 1 son? she would have had to choose the girl in order for the trick to be played and kill the son instead. If she chose the boy, then they would have killed the girl? Blood and Cheese would have botched the mission and wouldn’t have gotten paid. Helena still made a choice by pointing out her son, and the lack of 2 sons makes it hard to replicate anyway

I honestly and truly don't understand book reader's severe disappointment with the Blood & Cheese scene. The scene was visceral, it's driving the main plot to the same exact points. The change doesn't significantly impact the plot nor any of its characters and matches the show. Helaena revealing her son to his murderers is STILL incredibly tragic and is STILL going to drive her mad. It's fine to be disappointed but the discourse is ridiculous imo. Folks are acting as though Maelor has a significant piece later in the story. This change is being treated as Bruce Wayne somehow still becoming Batman even though his parents lived. It's not nearly as egregious as when Carl Grimes was killed off for no good reason in The Walking Dead show. At what point do folks just admit that they're just complaining about every single change just because it's different and not because it actually spells anything significantly different for the plot or its characters? Honestly looking for anyone to explain it to me.

Where the second half of the shogun review y’all really left us hanging @nerdsoup

The show specialises in careful cutaways from Daemon; with rock in hand in The Vale, at the afterparty when he was reported as toasting, 'Heir for a day' - we never heard Daemon say it, and here when he's asked by Cheese, "What if we can't find him?". All creating uncertainty in the viewer's mind. We don't know how Daemon replied. Did he reply "Then find another son"? We simply don't know.

Not gonna lie. I checked out your page yesterday morning to see if this was here😊

To me that last scene hit just as hard as the book except its a punch to the head and not the gut. I love the change of making one of her kids a girl and her choosing to not lie to save her son- because every other character in this show would have lied to save the boy. But Helaena tells true because thats literally what she does, it might not make sense to anyone else but her prophecies come true. And I like the symbolism of her picking the girl to live bc she must know that had it been Alicent, she wouldn't have picked Helaena, no one ever seems to care about Helaena, its always Ageon this or Aemond that, yet imagine if anyone took the time to listen to Helaena? Her gift is powerful and no one even bothers to just listen. Her telling the truth to protect the girl is like her protecting herself and I love it. And honestly idc how good a child actor is, I dont want them to be slayed on screen. Helaena will still have to face an internal battle bc she did what was right for her not the realm and she will be scrutinised by Ageon for it for sure

atrocious takes about the last scene... sh*t made me tear up fam

Honestly I get almost more excited for new Nerd Soup episodes covering GoT content than the GoT content itself.

Formerly known as Beau? I haven’t been here in a while.

I found you guys on my first time watching GOT I stayed along because of your deep cut movie talk, but right now it feels like Jordan coming back to basketball after your season playing baseball I’m ready for my weekly dragon soup

I disagree with you very much on using familiar music. I wish the Star Wars shows would do this.

Been waiting for this review for 2 years pls make more THRONES Content

I had enough of that book readers vs show watchers bs in the first show lol

Freakin' Daemon, just pouring gas on an already growing fire...

You didn’t think Helena’s reaction was good? Wtf were you guys honestly watching. Her eyes are unbelievably expressive and this type of reaction was set up by how she reacted to vaemond’s death Truly y’all have become those annoying book readers that whine about everything

Helena is a dreamer possibly on the spectrum. Doesn't like touching , strangers, disruption of schedules etc. strangers

Did yall literally wanna see a child's head sawed off? I totally disagree and the scene worked for me and just hearing what was happening was enough to affect me

I dont think TV audiences would be able to handle the Blood and Cheese scene as it was in the books. Reading it was devastating enough, never mind the visuals.

idk but as a non-book reader that last scene was pretty jarring and well done

Y’all really gotta let go of the “in the books” shit. I learned all the theories and lore through ya’ll but I’m not expecting the show to replicate or exceed what’s in the books. Is that what you’re expecting?

5:36 “No tension? No suspense?” What?! I found that whole sequence so intense. I knew they wouldn’t kill Aemond. But I knew something was going to happen.

I just don't know what people expected, how do you film something like that with traumatizing the child actors? Even people on team Green wanted Healana to fly at blood and cheese like Cat, she isn't Cat. I think she was actively having a vision during that showed if she fought they would all die, she chose to keep one child alive.

Definitely agree with Aron’s point about Aegon’s characterization in season 1 - I think it would’ve been cool to see him struggle with the pressures of war and ruling a kingdom without the whole sexual deviant/excessive amount of bastards thing ~ I mean I definitely get what they’re going for but I think the actor comes off so much more genuine in those warmer more human moments when he’s interacting with the common folk and his son. lol I think he comes off more as a drunken party boy- - but not like a full blown dead beat rapist guy that we saw in season 1 😂

Missed you guys!

The last scene was done very well, book readers need to chill out. Just because it’s not going according to every little detail of the book doesn’t mean that it didn’t deliver.

I think the thing I don’t appreciate about the show is how some of the big moments tend to be accidents or not the intended action, like Luke being killed or alicent misunderstanding what the king said and now the jaherys being killed because they couldn’t find aemond, they don’t feel as weighted as they do in the books because everything is much more intentional or perceived as intentional in the book.

WE ARE SO BACK

So glad you are back, I thought the podcast ended... This is so exciting!

0:18 “Ruben formally known as Beau Oliver” 👀🤯 Beau isn’t Beau?🤷‍♂️ WTF is happening? Who’s who? What’s what? The world is crumbling around me…..

I thought Aegon destroying the model of old valyria , that his father spent his life building was a great metaphor. The stablity + peace King Viserys spent his life trying to maintain, being destroyed in an instant by the actions of his family. Also the model of old valyria being the legacy of house targaryen being in the process of being torn apart.

I want Aemond Targaryen.

Underwhelmed at the final scene? Ok... Like... What exactly did you want them to show?

How tf did that scene not hit for yall?? Everyone I've heard from that watched it were shocked

So Maelor was never cast so I figured blood and cheese would be different than the book. I wasn’t disappointed but I get what Aaron is saying.

I haven't read the book yet and I thought the scene was fine. and Helena's reaction seemed fitting - overwhelmed. Though, I didn't really even get that those 2 were Blood and Cheese... just cos he ate a piece of cheese i didn't know that was his name until I watched a recap

as someone who has only seen the show I have to say i completely disagreewith blood and cheese. I bet it was done better in the books but it was still a great scene in my opinion ( not "great" beacuase a child died but the scene itself). I think most non book readers would agree that the scene hit.

WE'RE BACK BABY

“That wasn’t a moment for her to be weird”

I’ve been waiting for you guys to do this review for 2 long years, thank you for coming back

I just hate that they made it seem like the black queen wanted Aemond dead and not the kid so when cheese kills the kid it wasn’t because of Rhaenyra. It was because of miscommunication because Rhaenyra wouldn’t dare to kill a kid. She’s good not evil.

The fact tha tshe offered her necklace makes it more devastating - she is so innocent

To be honest, between Otto's plotting, Alicent's envy, Aemond's kinslaying and Criston being insufferable, I still really don't understand the decision to make Aegon so terrible. In this episode he was more of the character I pictured him as from the book material. It'd have played much better into the Black vs Green marketing too.

I appreciate that y'all are giving your own opinions and aren't parroting the praise others have been giving to this episode, even though I disagree with practically every one of your takes. Admittedly, I didn't the source material for HotD so my expectations are sure to be different than those that have, but personally I don't think I'd enjoy reading a gruesome and cruel description of child murder, it's traumatic enough on it's own without having to get into a nonsensical level of tortuous sadism. The show's version seems at least plausible whereas the book, not so much. Also, Blood and Cheese seem about as dumb as they should be, that is to say, no more and no less than the average person who lives in this world would almost invariably be in this world given the complete lack of attention and regard they receive from those in power. I appreciate that the showrunners seem to have put a lot of thought into each character, it definitely feels, to me, like GRRM has had a much bigger role behind the scenes than he did in the latter seasons of GoT at least.

The problem with the Blood and Cheese scene is filming it without traumatizing the child actors. You can't do it the way it's written in the book. Generally, you guys seem to be missing the point of what the showrunners are doing. The book is a history with conflicting sources. We don't know which sources "correct." It's not supposed to be the same as the book. It's not supposed to be the same as GOT. People are expecting the shocking scenes now to the point that they aren't shocking anymore.

It would have been way over the top for TV. No way someone wouldnt scream and 500 guards come in and just stop it. The threatening to sexually assault the kid to the mother would come off as them being vulgar for the sake of it. It wouldve been comical. Agree on Heleana's part, could've added some suspense to her fleeing instead of just going to her mom.

The GOT music for the beginning of HOD is 🔥 I can’t understanding anyone hating on it.

Non book reader here, I felt like the baby murder scene hit pretty hard watching it. I was shocked and unsettled by it happening. Although the way it unfolded was very odd. I thought to myself, “If those were my babies, the first thing I’d do is say KILL ME.” For as many horrible things GOT showed on screen, this wouldn’t have been any more shocking to see unfold on screen. After hearing how it happens in the books, that would have been a much better direction.

Every time I see Queen Rhaenyra riding her Dragon, all I think of is Lisa Simpson after falling into the water in the Krusty amusement park water ride. "I AM THE LIZARD QUEEN " Lmfao 😂.

We are so back ❤️🗣️✨

Pick up your mojo boys! Very flat review here with 90% trashing one scene. What was originally shot was apparently rejected by HBO and then reshot. I found it fine

Still crying about the GOT ending - 10 years later … bffr

I think Heleana under reacts because she already knows what’s going to happen because she’s a seer. I also think she offers the necklace (and Blood takes it) because maybe he will try and sell it and it helps catch him (she sees this happening too).

I think the actor who played Aegon was great. He was almost my favorite character after episode one.

Been 2 years since I’ve heard you boys. Good to have you back.

Unpopular opinion but I believe the scene when the son dies is pretty tbrutel. The child's cry and his head being sawed off with a dull knife is gut-wrenching. We need to remember that the book was told by third party me and also the fact of the Queen remembering those visions. You can tell by the terror and realization in her Eyes.

That final scene? I can understand any disappointment that the show didn’t wring maximum horror from the scene, but I don’t know how you get little kids to act terrified unless you’re actually terrifying them. Having three little kids effectively panicked and terrified would create an uproar, I think. It wouldn’t be convincing enough without genuinely traumatising the child actors, so I think that’s the main reason the writers pulled their punches this time. Also, maybe to stop people abandoning Team Black in disgust.

The boys are back in thrones town

Helaena makes more sense if you realize they're portraying her on the spectrum. That's why her reactions are muted

Never read the books but the child being killed still didn’t hit me that hard. Whereas Shireen’s death destroyed me. The mother seemingly barely caring, the goofy villains and no real panic from any party just didn’t have that big of an impact on me.

It’s clear that the writers haven’t read the source material and only relay on foot notes to not stray off track

15:58 Air-Bud except spelled *HEIR-BUD* 😂

I figured Damon wanted the rulers child for justice for taking a rulers child. If aemon was his main target that gives him somewhat of a redeemable quality

Thank you guys for taking your time and doing these podcasts 🫶🏿

I didn't read the books, and I was disturbed in the Blood and Cheese scene but I do agree with you guys that if they had made it more horrid it would've scored points with team green. That was a good opportunity they let pass

Damn, I missed this fucking banter between you two ❤😂. Everything was spot on.

When I read the books, I got the impression that magic and magical beings were all tied together, so with the loss of the dragons as a species that there were fewer ice zombies and fewer giants and whatnot. The abandonment of the duties and prestige of manning The Wall was sort of a natural consequence of there being fewer attacks from Others and Wights.

I have read fire and blood up until Jaherys' reign and stopped when I heard house of the Dragon season 1 was coming. I have had some stuff spoiled, but not the kid murder scene and let me tell you, just the memory of the sound makes my stomach turn. And Helena reacts in shock, like so many people actually would, especially one that's neurodivergent, she goes into shock and shuts down. She knows screaming will get her daughter and probably herself killed. The haunting moment of cheese sadly saying "no she's telling true" is interesting to me. And fire and blood is an unreliable history written by people who weren't there, who are speculating, who elaborate the gory and scandalous details.

Glad that you are back! Hope that you’re also gonna do episodes on the boys

THE BOYS ARE BACK

I have been SEARCHING for this since Sunday - so happy to be back! ❤

My toxic trait is wanting this show to end for the House of the Dragon Revisited series

The boys are back 💖

The biggest problem i have is how these showrunners insist on spoonfeeding the plot points to the mindless masses....like maybe have some mysteries or keep things ambiguous and let the audience have theories or figure it out themselves...GoT started out with the whole who killed Jon Arryn and payed it off later...like maybe Blood and cheese were hired by Larys because he was jealous, or by the maesters to speed the war along, or let us just assume it was Daemon instead of having that stupid scene where he smuggles his way into kingslanding ( he was way to important to the war effort to risk going there) and if he was ballsy enough to go that far, why not just do the job himself (he knows the secret tunnels) instead of hiring those blubbering baffoons

You’re back! Been waiting for this

Yeah, even HOTD/GOT can't show a child being beheaded. I think the sound effects were bad enough, but I do agree, I wish they would've done the "pick one" book plot, "your momma wants you dead", etc- cuz that's harsh. They're still gonna get the boost to the Greens, Rhaenyra the Cruel, but you HAVE to admit this shit is 10000000x better than GOT. And I cried when the Stark theme played in the beginning, still gets me in the feels EVERY. TIME.

Welcome back to the world of Westeros reviews, boys. ✊🏿 Only slight detraction I have with your review was the impact of the "son for a son" scene. I've read F&B, and it hit in a different way than reading it. Blood & Cheese aren't Boltons or Greyjoys, just a couple of smallfolk grunts paid to do a deed. Remembering that F&B is written by folks after the fact who weren't present at those moments, so (supposed) quotes from them are only gonna come from what people *think* they said in that room. As for Helaena's reaction, it felt fitting for a dragon dreamer neuro-divergent woman who, if she didn't fully see the situation coming with her "I'm afraid of rats" prediction, she definitely saw the vibes and was clearly in shock.

The blood and cheese scene was good enough. Nobody wants to see child murder on tv. They could have cut the scene and I’d be happy with the point of it.

They’re back, been waiting for this day

I think they did a good job with Blood and Cheese. Knowing it was coming I didn’t expect it to hit me the way it did. The sounds were horrific enough for me. The people I know who didn’t read the book were horrified. A lot more death to come in this show.

I'm not a book reader, but I personally liked how Helaena was portrayed in that scene. She's gonna stay a weird one even in the worst of moments because that's how she is. Even Blood was expecting her to do the "normal" thing and not give up her son so easily. She basically just froze and kinda disassociated. When she did act, it was as rationally as she could - offering her necklace, picking up her daughter and getting the hell outta there

Happy to see you guys succeed. It has been like three years