House of the Dragon Season 2 continues to keep us on our toes. Here are my thoughts on the Season 2: Episode 4 shocker! #HouseOfTheDragonSeason2 #HouseOfTheDragon
Also it’s not the witch who’s doing all that. That castle is cursed! In game of thrones it is explained that all the death, and connection to the face trees has made that castle cursed. So a lot of weird shit happens there.
This show shows you exactly why most countries got rid of their monarchies. The idea of someone ruling just because their daddy or mommy did is an insanely stupid idea. Democracy ain't perfect, but it's way better than what we had before.
While Aegon is indeed a fool, I couldn't help but feel bad for him in this episode. Alicent inherited her father's cold parenting style. But while Alicent learnt to be dutiful, Aegon just begun acting out. Even when Alicent and Otto were maneuvering to make him king, they did not prepare him for the role. This episode made it clear (to Aegon as well as the audience), that both Alicent and Otto were going to be the actual rulers of the kingdom. In comparison, Rhaenyra is shown to be a great mother, raising her children with love while instilling strength, wisdom and honour while training them to succeed her when the time came.
Rhaenys murdered a bunch of innocent commoners at Aegon's coronation in S1's finale when she burst through the floor on her dragon. She was evil with no regard for human life. She deserved her end.
@Karlach_ those commoners were only murdered cause they were rounded up to watch a couple take place before their eyes. If Rhaenys was a true monster and vile person she woulda slipped into that classic targaryen madness and lit up that entire room as the gold cloaks shut them in to get roasted.
That's true. Dragon's are canonically magical creatures in the GoT universe and the bond between them and their rider is magical as well. Every dragon that dies removes another small amount of magic from the world. It's the same as when the First Men committed genocide on the Children of the Forest when humans first landed on the continent from the Old World in the West.
Exactly this is why this war is so messed up since after this war the dragons never reach this level of power and it was all because of a family dispute.
Olivia Cooke said in an interview that they would all spin those balls while filming the counsel scenes, and then they started incorporating it in the scenes, lol.
@KaidenKnox11 oh stop, those small folk were fictional fodder and a showrunner decision besides. Rhaenys and the red queen are what it means to be blood of the dragon. If she ruled, there would have been no dance at all.
Yeah, although those in the castle and outside of it were fighting one another, what makes the Dance of the Dragons such a profoundly deadly conflict is all the collateral damage on the ground while the dragon lords fight their family war in the skies above. Apt metaphor for how the smallfolk are the ones who suffer in these conflicts between those are metaphorically (and in this case literally) above them. You can easily imagine what would have happened had this dragon battle happened above a big city like King's Landing or Oldtown.
@@syedalirizwan-ok7qmit’s definitely why rhaenyera was so goddam hesitant to use dragons and for that I don’t blame her she knew how dangerous it was viserys knew it every other king knew it except for some stupid reason the greens didn’t they are literally the power of their house what happens when they no longer have them which is something Otto nor Alicent ever gave a damn to think about it.
Like that it was a mix of Smoke and Blood when Sunfyre was Falling above the Soldiers, with how Hot the Blood was I'm guessing will actually get to See the Lake Boiling with Dragon Blood when that Battle happens
@@danial8989 Good point, explains the explosion. Also crisps Rhaenys' corpse and stays true to the book in that manner. Good eye my man. EDIT: I know it's DD nonsense but when Viserion gets hit by Night King's spear there's also fire exploding from his chest.
@@Blaz_-te2ku thnks but I have been spoiled everything about hotd just an hour ago . Fuck ytb comment section reddit is best place in this regard for discussions of ep without spoilers of whole book .
The bond of Sunfyre was really shown when free-falling Sf tried to rotate his body (and land with that open-wounded stomach) so Aegon wouldn't get crushed. Plus he curled his body at the end around Aegon. Sheesh well played.
Really reminds me of the ending to How to Train Your Dragon with Hiccup and Toothless. That scene in HotD really felt like an homage to that movie so I was sure that Aegon was still alive.
Rhaenys death actually made me cry. It was so well built up from her getting on Maelys to the end of the battle. They did show the dragon's intelligence and their bond so well. The moment she decided to turn back i knew it was gonna happen but it still hit so hard for me thanks to the way they executed all of it.
i thought it was overdone. i knew right from the beginning when she said she'd go that she'd die. the setup was obvious to me, and i found her sacrifice pointless. also there were 2 dragons against 1 (and one of them being the biggest dragon), and she had no backup. it was too obvious and the odds were just against her.
@@extrasoap4881 Yeah it was obvious from the get go in hindsight but it still struck a nerve for me for the reasons I listed above. I think her continuing to fight, knowing she wouldn't win, is part of what works so well. Her sacrifice means more in the grand scheme of things than her inflicting some damage and retreating, at least that's my theory
@@thatoneweirdbish6364 perhaps it would rally the blacks emotionally, but strategically, i see it as throwing away two very valuable assets (a seasoned dragon and a voice of reason at the council). to defend a small castle and... i duno. sacrifices need to mean something, and hers was an empty one to me. i'm not saying she shouldn't have gone into battle btw - taking on Sunfyre was a good move, because she could have killed the King. but not knowing when to retreat and turning back to attack V when the odds are stacked against you is stupid.
@extrasoap4881 I knew too, I think a lot of us knew whoever went was going to die along with their dragon. It's the execution which I found fantastic. Great ep!
I just don’t understand why she basically sacrificed her life for nothing. Why did she no longer care about her life? Was it really worth giving for Rhaenyra, a queen she barely believed in.
Pretty cool how smoke came out of Sunfyre when his chest got scratched. And then the blood pouring out being boiling hot and burning the soldiers beneath. Such awesome details.
It is funny how Vaghar, despite being the most MASSIVE dragon of the series, moves and flies as quietly as a couple of eels through butter, and she keeps landing devastating sneak attacks from behind (or under) other dragons... It seems like Granny Vaghar decided to multiclass as a rogue in her youth...
@@howdyusaMeleys's right eye singed by Vahgars' first fire breath, however in the books it's more logical; Sunfyre and Vaghar two teamed Meleys. But the way they made Vaghar a surprise attacker is like such a good thing, since no one expects a big dragon being stealthy.
Ngl that's one of the things that I think make the least sense in the show Caraxes being stealthy? Absolutely. Smaller dragons like Vermax or Moondancer,100%. But freaking 150 year old,slow,massive af Vhagar,not buying it.
I actually loved that they changed it up a bit she could have flown back to dragonstone after aegon fell but she chose to stay and fight and defend Rook's nest, that was the reason she was there in the first place and Cole's army was still there and still attacking
Yeah, it almost seemed to me like Rhaenys wanted to sacrifice herself. Like she thought her death would solidify the Blacks or focus Rhaenyra's mind fully on the fight. There were a couple moments before and during the battle where Rhaenys seemed to be preparing herself for her "fate".
@@seanbinkley7363 I can certainly see this, but there is a huge clash between the Rhaenys who is willing to fight Vhagar for a small castle (knowing she will probably lose) and the Rhaenys who advocated for peace and not unleashing the dragons. What exactly is she sacrificing herself for? If she wants the swiftest end possible, she could have burned Aegon in season 1 If she wants the smallfolk to not sufferluring Vhagar away or just leaving are better options, as Vhagar is there for her Maybe there is something I'm not seeing, or Rhaenys has multiple personalities.
@@rakshithanand8262 I think Rhaenys actually changed her mind just this episode, when it became clear that a peaceful resolution wasn't gonna happen. It fits, imho, well with her character to do what she seems necessary. That includes sacrificing herself to get an edge in a war that's at this point inevitable. Purely speculation ofc.
Book Rhaenys also had the chance to fly back but didn't.... _With a glad cry and a crack of her whip, she turned Meleys toward the foe._ -writings of Gyldayn, about Rhaenys Targaryen in the battle of Rook's Rest
@@thatoneweirdbish6364 Possible, but this invites the question- what advantage did she buy? She could have left after Aegon was downed and thus lost nothing whilst preserving herself as a valuable asset for them Black. Staying and fighting Vhagar was likely to end in her loss; as is, she died and the castle fell, so she didn’t change the outcome of the siege. Maybe there is a good explanation. Hopefully they’ll show it off next week.
It was interesting how the show portrayed Rhaenys choice to go to the battle as a kind of deliberate sacrifice. It could be viewed that by turning back to fight Vhagar/Aemond 1 v1 that she knew she was going to most likely die but she was banking on her death solidifying the Blacks and spurning them on to take the fight on more fully. You can view her death as a way to solidify support behind Rhaenyra.
duno, i found it a pointless sacrifice. like deliberately trying to down a fighter jet that outclasses yours. i've never understood throwing assets like that away
@@danix4883 she was defending a castle, perhaps, but to what end? i just plain don't get the point of it. there's no strategy. it wasn't like she hadn't gotten away, too - she turned back
@@extrasoap4881 Exactly, the castle wasn't even that important in the grand scheme of the war, she had already taken out Aegon and Sunfyre, thats good enough if you ask me, why turn back when you know you have no chance against Vhagar, just very dumb decision all around. She could've also quickly gone back to dragon stone, gotten another dragon rider or whatever army they have and take King's Landing since Vhagar and the army were busy at the battle
Shoutout to that part of the episode when Rhaenyra smirks and says that her caution has been mistaken for weakness, and just when you think she's finally gonna say something badass like "Release the kraken!" she follows up with " I will go" I had the same exact same reaction as Jacaerys, which made me laugh more than it should have, I must admit.
I KNOW!!! OH MY GOD THIS PART. after she said she was being underestimated, i thought she would unleash some grand plan, but then she pulls an Aegon herself and i was just confused af. at least Aegon had the excuse of being the late king and was never groomed for battle strategy, but coming from R, it was such a joke i yelled HUH?!
People will never admit this but Rhaenyra is a terrible leader and has no idea what she is doing. Cole legit outsmarted her and the entire war council. Did none of them sit there and think "Hmm Cole usually marches under the cover of trees and attacks at night to avoid our dragons, but now, suddenly, he is attacking in broad daylight and also attacking a castle that is very close to dragon stone, why is that?" WELLL maybe because he wants to attract your dragons idiots. I'm sorry but Rheanyra and all of them are very stupid
Yes, her caution has been weakness, it’s why she keeps losing. Daemon was her only solid ally making serious moves for her, and she chased him out. Had he been there, they would have beaten Vaghar. Caraxes has stacked more bodies than Meleys, together they could have won.
Jeremy, they showed Meleys' intelligence with how she attacked Sunfyre and Vhagar. She opened up by swiping her claws for Sunfyre's soft underbelly. Meleys tried it again with Vhagar but she knew better and caught/kept Meleys claw. That's what made them spiral down to the ground in dragonfire. Then Vhagar used the same sneaky move she did to kill Jace and his dragon at the end of season 1.
@extrasoap4881 In the books it's clear how dangerous any battle with any dragon is for a dragon and their rider. Any time dragons meet in combat it means death for one of them, guaranteed. I can only think of one exception. They don't last long, they're in the air so there's a lot that can go wrong and they're so big that if they do fall out of the air, even if it's controlled, it will cause them serious harm and probably kill the rider. So there's really only time to develop or use one trick, if it worked once you're gonna keep using it because taking the time to try something new will probably get you killed.
Black Council: “Hey uh…this is a war now, can we do something?” Rhaenyra: “Lol bye fam gonna meet with my childhood friend at her house for the weekend.” Jace: “Mom WTF?”
@@danix4883 Yes, because killing potentially tens of thousands of her own subjects in a war she didn't do everything in her power to prevent is the mark of a good ruler...
@@Eatos_17 How will that happen now though I wonder. Because the show counterpart doesn't seem like the book one in the least. Maybe the character will get blackmailed or something.
I love the setup for why Rhaenys went to Rook’s Rest and in turn- why she stayed after the trap had been sprung. Green Dragon or not, there had to be a response to Cole’s campaign and without an army the Blacks had to send a dragon. So the fight was never about beating Sunfyre and then escaping, despite that being the smarter move for her and her dragon. Rhaenys knew she had to stay to show the realm that the Blacks would defend their supporters. Also, she won that first round with Aemond! I’d count a knockdown on the largest dragon in the world a win. If only she could have gotten away
Really good point, I didn’t think of that. The entire time I was just thinking “leave! You don’t have to be the hero!” But this makes a lot of sense, also because she probably felt she had nothing to lose anymore
This is exactly why all that build up is so important. I've seen so many people go "NOW I understand why they were so against using the dragons." It's essentially the same dilemma as going nuclear. Is the surefire victory worth the human cost? You wouldn't care about these people without that build up. Poor Meleys and Sunfyre. When she looked back at her rider, it just felt like she had so much regret in not being able to save them both from Vhagar. "To her credit, Rhaenys didn't flee." I had always thought Rhaenys was set upon by both brothers, that Aegon was in on it. But I really like this change.
Exactly. Having dragons fighting 247 would cheapen the impact when dragons actually fight as a viewer. Also they're incredibly valuable war assets that shouldn't be risked so lightly.
@LouSassol69er this is essentially what Aegon failed to understand. And that's why he and Sunfyre got folded so badly by Meleys. Sunfyre is essentially a baby in dragon years. Poor thing had no chance. 😢
One thing I noticed that I really liked was whenever Vhaegar’s on screen you could see her wings had all these little holes in them. It’s something that I think happens to moths and bats etc as they get old. It’s really not an important detail, but it’s good to see the creative team put that kind of effort into their work.
I feel like Rhaenys wanted to die. She thinks her son is dead, her daughter is definitely dead, and she knows her husband cheated on her. At that point, she was just tired. I guess she figured " if i stay and take out Vhagar, i win. If I stay and get killed, i get to die a warriors death."
Thanks for this, makes me feel better about that sacrifice now. Also I totally didn’t catch that the Alyn guy is Corlys’ bastard son, now I understand what she meant by “I know who he is”.
@@thewarlock539 It would've been a massive victory for the Greens if Aegon didn't pull up. Instead of just the Blacks losing their second biggest dragon, now the Greens almost lost their king and Sunfyre is basically useless for a while.
Kinda wish you do a longer review of each EP or whole season, cause ngl your simple format is entertaining. Also Jeremy "if i look like a ghouls, apologiese" and then there me staring at a Clone of keanu Reeves "dunno whut you talking about but apology accepted but unecesaary to begin with"
They hyped the girl on girl crushing then dumped the girl. ...then paraded man flesh in front of them. Leslie Headlamp is Dark Helmet getting kinky with his action figures.
Rhaenyra is a terrible leader, she can't take action, knows nothing of how to fight a war, literally she has done nothing to strengthen her side, Cole is actually an intelligent strategist who has been winning castles and developed a brilliant plan
One part of the episode i liked that you didn't bring up was Daemon telling the young Tully lordling to just kill his grandpappy already and give him an army.
The Actress who plays Alicent Hightower said in an interview that when they would film scenes on the Small Council, to waste the time, they would all spin the little balls around the ring to see whose would spin the longest. Aegon's spin during one take made it into the show for this episode. LUL
Hopefully the slow attention span people will stop complaining bout there being no big battles/dragon battles with proper character development and buildup akin to the OG GOT, season has been fire. R.I.P. to the Queen that should’ve been 💯
Sorry but thats the second sneak attack in this series from Vhagar that kills. I give her that for the first instance in that dark thunderstorm between clouds, but on broad daylight while basically beeing mid-fight? Theres some source material and seemingly Q&A stuff from producers and writers and they say Vhagar has a wingspan of 150m (~490ft) and a nose-to-tail of 90m (295ft). How the fuck is that giant moving building able to "sneak" out of every possible range to perform a perfectly (say, ass pull) timed vertical charge FROM BENEATH! Not from above but from beneath a wide cliff with no way to hide? Some say Rhaenys was just tired but all in all the scene does not tick the right spots.
I definitely feel the dragon love and totally felt it went Meyles's light in her eyes went out, but damn theyre atomic bombs for medieval fantasy... some pets gotta be put down when they bite people....
I like how the battle shows how when you bring Dragons into the battle, it doesn't matter if the Dragon is on your side, they will take out people on both sides because fire does not discriminate.
With the threat of Vhagar always there, I would’ve sent as many dragons as possible. You got three fighting dragons with riders available at your disposal. Send them all. If the queen wants to go even better. It would take one single pass to destroy your enemies in formation, then return home. You can’t hope to win a 1on1 battle against the largest dragon
too many eggs in one basket for my liking. i prefer to set a trap and set up extra large scorpions and keep my dragons for backup than show my hand so early. also, was wildfire invented yet?
@@extrasoap4881 they’re right across the bay, echelon formation, single pass, rain fire, return home. I would have that throne before they can send a single raven out of the keep.
The one thing I can’t stand in this show is that as great as dragon riders are they can’t seem to ever see the largest dragon until it’s too late. “I’ll just fly over that giant area over there, there’s no way he could be hiding there.” Also how can a dragon that big move that incredibly fast
When Cole was told that the defenses would be low in the night by Allicent's brother-thats when Aemond landed further in the forest and mostly away from sight. Plus Vhagar is basically in Camo laying in the forest, so it makes it hard to spot from ground level while your fighting to defend your home.
ye they for some reason made vaghar just as fast as every other dragon even though he's hella old and huge and Rhaeny's dragon is known as the fastest dragon alive
Not gonna lie, that was a good trick by the Greens. I thought the same plan to attack with a dragon, only to realize they were anticipating that. My only tini tiny question is, how the fuck did this godzilla dragon hide from everyone?!?!?! You're telling me nobody on the Blacks were keeping an eye put for the biggest nuclear weapon in Westeros?!?!
@extrasoap4881 I understand that, but I thought they had dragons patrolling the area. They knew Criston Cole army and his victories, as well their marching upon Rooks Rest. I'm just still baffled how they let that ginormous dragon slip past them. I won't fault them, as you said, they don't have radios, but team black is slipping badly.
@@IMXLegedaryBard I actually will fault them, they don't need walkie talkies to know a trap is being set. If anyone on that war council was actually intelligent, they would sit there and think "hm Cole usually marches under trees and attacks at night to avoid our dragons, but now, suddenly, he is attacking a castle close to dragon stone in broad daylight, why is that?" The obvious answer would be because he wants to attract your dragons, because he most likely set a trap
I like how the show didn't lean into Cole being a complete buffoon. Actually quite the opposite, he's been quite capable. I'm not sure I understand Rhaenys motivation to go back to defend the keep. I feel like, given the circumstances, losing the keep is inevitable with Vhagar in play and she's already had significant victories. She: 1. Severely wounded/incapacitated Sunfyre 2. Severely wounded/incapacitated Aegon 3. Helped deplete Coles forces 4. Wounded Vhagar a bit ...and she has the option to retreat after knowing all this. Sure, you lose the keep but the war can't be won after just one battle and surely having another dragon is more important for the war effort than losing this small keep. Also, shes a reasoning and trusted voice on the council. Idk. Someone help me understand?
The first time in a while that I've fully been enraptured in a scene (the ending battle). Thank you to the Acolyte for lowering my expectations super far so that this was an even harder hitting banger!
@@ba2724 and Rhaenys. She was my favorite character!! And yeah I did a Gladiator video for HS latin class using cardboard swords that was more entertaining than The Acolyte!
You know what they used to say, if you don't see the d/e/a/th of a character on screen, preferably more explicit, it means they are not "rip". But this time I hope so lol.
@@goochipoochie still dumb imhom they could have done it differently, but it works i guess They made Rhaenis and Meleys look stupid tho, if you're going away from a big dragon, what's the point on staying that low and no carying about the only blind spot there is... I personally would have prefered them dying while tangled with Vhagar like i the fight they draw This flying godzilla can kill other dragons only with sneak attacks? Whut
Aegon is alive but he’s in a coma, he is permanently disfigured from the burns and he will become a milk of the poppy addict to cope with the constant pain.
@@colonelclank2422 he’ll eventually be able to walk but then during a dragon duel he falls and shatters his legs this time he’ll permanently need a cane.
I absolutely love the entire story of the conflict in HOTD being an allegory to conflict between two nucelar armed nations, with the dragons being the nukes. The rational voices in both sides understand the truly devastating power they can unleash, and how a war between dragons is basically Mutually Assured Destruction, yet the warhawks still push for this. I think this was seen with the Battle of Rook's Rest and the utter and complete chaos a dragon battle unleashes, and how Cole gets a small taste of the armageddon these dragons (i.e Nukes) unleash. It couldn't be a more relevant allegory to the situation our current world is facing, and the tensions boiling at the highest parts of our goverments.
That final look that Rhaeny's dragon gave her before it died broke my heart. I feel so bad for it and Sunfyre. Neither of those dragons deserved to die. Humans suck. 💔
