House of the Dragon | Season 2 Episode 5 Review (SPOILERS) 

Who up nerding they soup?

Cole getting PTSD after realizing how insignificant he is as a knight when dragons are involved

No graphics, still watch the screen

How good was Olivia Cookes' acting in that small council scene! When she is sitting there staring at Aemond and she is realizing what he did and what's happening. The horror in her eyes! Absolutely captivating

During the “Alicent screwed over“ shot I shouted at the screen “ you didn’t think the leopards would eat YOUR face did you?”

Jace glow up continues

Anyone else find it interesting, that Alicent ONLY asked Cole what happened on the battlefield, and didn't ask her own brother. I know Gwayne didn't know about the original plan, but he still witnessed the dragon fight.

FYI "long in the dying" does not mean dead

They are totally missing the point on Alicent's story. First, the close-up on her during the council meeting is to show her realizing she's losing all control and any chance to have a say on what's happening. She is done. The power she used to have was granted by Viserys, and Viserys is no longer there. She's losing power and basically she did to herself what she did first to Rhaenyra by taking part in usurping the iron throne. That's poetic justice, imho. Second, she fears Aemond because he didn't say to the Greens that Jake's death was because he lost control of Vhegar. If he did that, it would mean that he actually can't control his dragon and his standing and say would be put in doubt. He obviously lied to the Greens and told them he killed Jake on purpose. I thought that was pretty obvious...

Literally, as soon as you started talking about how they could have showed a small part of the violence against the Brackens, I started thinking about the massacre of Ollie’s village. Small moments like that really add to the realness of the world and I definitely think we could have used a few more show-don’t-tell scenes in this series from time to time. Still loving it all though! I personally don’t mind the slow psychological exploration of Daemon. I love dreams as a form of introspection in media. Can definitely understand the impatience for those sequences at this point, however.

Liam Cunningham is an Irish actor, but he plays Davos with a Geordie (Northern England) accent.

did beau ever explain his name change?

I threw my soup at the wall because I thought it was trying to scare me

im okay, just got home from work, it poured on the jobsite so im glad to be dry. thanks for asking man.

At least we can watch this amazing show as our country tears itself apart

A little pushback I’d offer: I’d argue that GRRM and D&D crafted a broader array of female characters, personality and political ambition. But when you go back and read the women depicted in a dance of dragons, you realize these women are presented not in their own voices, but painted by maesters and chroniclers who have their own biases and bigotries around female power and sovereignty. Where I think the HotD show runners are stronger than Game of Thrones, is how they are centering and grounding this story around both female subjugation and separatism (which is just a very fancy way to describe female misogyny and pink patriarchy). That being said, there are many ways and more to depict women in media, whether we’re talking about live action shows or literary heroines and villains. What I appreciate about hotd is that they explore how these systems of oppression infect and affect every aspect of our growth and development (is like Shakespeare it rhymes~). But that exploration allows for them to texture the ambiguity about recounting the past . . . which is a stranger to us. What do we really know about Rhaegar? How much did Aegon the Conqueror know about the prophecy? What brought the long night? We don’t know! But what George is always stay true to is it doesn’t matter about the past and the prophecies it breeds, it matters about what people do with the information they have or better yet the information they fabricate and facilitate to feed their own political games. I don’t think this show has hit all the marks, but I appreciate it. They’re leaning into some of the truer essence of A Song of Ice and Fire in way that we never saw in Game of Thrones.

Hopefully Rhaenerya and daemon are going to finally do something next episode

Surely an owner- less dog in a starving city is the first thing at the bottom of a bowl of brown. Surely.

Vhagar is just prime shaq

I literally check your page hourly for these - thanks!

22:54 guys says "Rhaenyra will answer this", not "FOR this", so I took it more like they're afraid of Rhaenyras retribution

Rhanerya has not been half the character since they switched actors imo. Not saying the acting is bad, far from it. They just haven't made her very interesting

Kinda tired of Daemon the dreamer tho. Is anyone else?

It's funny that you said the scene didn't feel real because one content creator said it seemed like a dream sequence.

Weird how no one has yet interacted with Alys except Daemon, what if she's not even really there?

We need a spin off of just Haelena as she goes through her day. Id watch it

The river lords part may have been a dream. They wouldn’t have known it was his idea for blood and cheese. Right?

I am taking the visions as a method for Daemon to understand Aemond more than Daemon himself. Aemond we know has mommy issues, is willing to kill his kin to take the throne. I just see it as a way to get Daemon into Aemond's head.

Which side team green or team black is like saying hey do you like all the bad guys and a mean idiot on the throne, Or... The compassionate well educated Queen who has a compassionate and well educated heir but has one questionable dude on her side--kinda. Daemon seems to be king of Harrenhal now lol.

For a season that only has 8 episodes and took 2 years to produce, there sure are a ton of filler scenes.

Jace served face alright

Would love to see a Criston Cole do a Michael Coreleone if he finds out Alicent took that moon tea silly on my part but would love to see it

Aemond is basically scar with white hair and a dragon

Maybe I’m dumb 🥴 but daemon asked that lord to do stuff that the crown can’t be caught doing so why would they do the bad things with the Targaryen banners up? In what way is that covert or going to be taken any other way?

How long do I have to be a patron before I can get my name on the thank board at the end 😅

because my self-loathing knows no bounds, I'm going to be that guy: Liam Cunningham is Irish, but in Game Of Thrones he's doing a Geordie accent. I have no idea why, but I've always loved it lol

They have to lock the gates and keep the small folk in kings landing, otherwise Rhaenyra would just burn it down since there would be no casualties.

Daemon just wants off the acid trip ride. He’s had his fill

I miss Otto 😢

It was a good episode, slower obviously, considering the amazing events of Ep.4. Pushed the story forward, but of course too many low vibrational people found the episode slow and boring.

"Boo Soup" I'm not okay, I'm terrified...😂

I thought the small council scene was less about Alicent feeling like she deserved it and more of her being scared of what may happen with Aemond on the throne because she knows her son.

I honestly thought that when Daemon had the Wink Wink talk with the Balckwood Lord, he meant for him to actually go and seduce the Bracken Lord.

Ironically this is the least nerdy House of the Dragon podcast out there 😂 I watch all of them and this one is the one I wait for to come out

i think alicent is really sympathetic tbh she is a horrible motger im not saying shes not but i can see what got her there and why she is doing what she is doing

Ngl I really miss the animation 😭 My adhd struggles to just listen

y unlisted

Daemon needs a co-signer

I agree in that they've made rhaenyratoo perfect and Alicent too passive. However, I just don't see It remaining that way for the entirety of the show. Does anyone else feel the same? I feel they are going to or are building to that point where Rhaenyra snaps and we start to see the fire.

Maybe we can get a revisit on King V's rule? No war, small folk eating good, pain in the ass petty family...2 out of 3.

Yo straight up, my boy G-Wayne always keeping it real. He always speak the truth like frfr

Ya know… I owe y’all an apology. I was critical of the “tone” in the pods lately but as the bs season has “progressed” and by that I just mean episodes are airing….. I get it!! They’re not giving anyone anything to get excited about. Clearly trying to stretch this show five seasons instead of having 3 of straight piff

Aemond is a kinslayer. It’s the worst crime to ever exist in Westeros. Kinda weird as people who read the books that you think that Aemond is just fine.

Great episode. Book readers ate good after this one

its not Harrenhal, the castle, that the Freys covet. its the incomes from the lands - the cashflow Larys Strong commands.

We were ready to support Rhaenyra’s war crimes this season, and she has yet to war crime.

I'm not here for the Alyssa Targaryen slander.

Someone on another channel said Kristen has post-traumatic stress dragon disorder.

British children do say 'mummy' (but not mommy)

Super good Review! And im like Beau crushing over Olivia and Fabien Frankel... 48:36 i didnt underst. "the nervous / Chill thing with Aaron" He hate Criston Cole or what? 🤔

I think the point of parading Meleys through the streets was to take the attention off Aegon’s body behind her.

Simon reminds me EXACTLY of Nathan Shelly from "Ted Lasso" 😂 he acts kinda timid and frail like him, and they even look similair 🤣

*Alfred Broome not Arthur

With them choosing not to reflect Helaena’s mental health decline in the show makes me think they’re going to make it a part of Aemond’s villain arc to kill her by throwing her off of a ledge and then have it be explained away by the maesters as suicide.

Im over team Black. Way to many Ls and war crimes. If im any team I'm Simon Strong. The "alright man, whatever" team

fucking love nerdsoup podcast. nerdsoup podcast by day all night!!

I thought that the smallfolk character reacting to meleys’ head shouted “rhaenrya will have an answer for this” Was meant to convey their disgust and that they want rhaenrya to clap back

Parading Meleys' plants the seeds for the small folk that dragons can be killed and foreshadows what's to come

Where is the Teddy?! Lol I love y'all though. The only reviewers I actually listen to completely

Media is already a plural. It is the plural of "medium" btw. Not important... only a fraction of people use media as a plural anymore anyway.

“It just feels so scripted” as if, as if the show id scripted. Literally all those scenes r great

Another powerful installment of the house of soup!

Why does he wear the eye patch? Wouldn't he want to show off the sapphire?

Watch the episode again with the perspective that only Damon is able to see Alice.

If feels good souping my nerd 😮‍💨😌

Yeah I think making Aegon a rapist was a mistake, especially if your marketing campaign is going to be like, “pick a side! Black or green?!”. Like hmm who do I possibly choose? Especially this season, Aegon has been the most entertaining of the bunch. I could have got behind him fuck it.

"I did not think they would be so eager to die." -Daemon 😆😆 I thought he had fried them. Is "do war crimes" the new way to say that crimes were committed?

Love me some nerd soup

Miss the graphics 😂

43:37 great pun

Average? What are you talking about? Best episode so far.

Jace is mewing!!!!

Not related but I miss the animation while u talk😂

I feel like Daemon keeps leaving things ambigeous not because he intends these horrible atrocities, but has such a terrible reputation that people keep interpreting his lines to be the worst thing possible. As such, Deamon was just telling Willem to get his member game up but Willem interpreted it as go absolutely tear the Brakons to shreds.

Wooo!!

vhagar=giannis they dont want that smoke lol

These taking longer and longer to come out.

Jace the face. Hes hot as hell. Be can jut out his chisled jaw as much as he wants. Mr glow up.

Alicent lost the Pick-Me-lympics!!!

i’m excited for this 🙃🙃

Nobody can bowl a potato quite like your mother!

Gave me a scare

Dragon soup!

Can't believe I'm saying this, but people need to chill-the-f-out about Aegon doing that you-know-what to those serving girls. If you think that ANYONE of any significance in Westeros gives two craps about that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale. This is not just the premodern world (where consent from females was required pretty much never, with very very few exceptions), it's the Freaking middle ages. Open a damn history book and look up how many `good` kings/princes/emperors either were totally faithful or suffered ANY consequences for non-consenting with someone in bed. The former is almost zero, and the latter as far as I can think of is LITERALLY zero. If you want to shudder, look up how most chinese `heavenly sovereigns` treated their wives and mistresses, let alone those they considered socially inferior. Spoiler alert, Aegon II would be in like the top 1 to 5 percent amongst them. And not as in worst, but among the best. He for example is kind enough to not murder any husband whose wive/daughter he fancies and then killing her and her remaining family once he gets bored with his fun and moves on. Yes. And That is one of the milder things that happened en masse. Look it up, I dare you. It's purely something they put in there to make Aegon less likeable to a modern audience, which is fine, but what to us looks like a done deal is very much not to the in-universe people in power. If ANY poll or review done to an audience of this show results in a 50-50 split support between black and green, there either should be a 95-5 split on screen in favour of the greens, given the patriarchy as it exists in-universe would be ridiculously tilted in favour of the male claimant, OR the group that produced that result better have their voting rights taken away immediately, since they've literally got a medieval sense of morality and gender roles, and are imho therefore a blight upon this Earth today. By making Aegon otherwise less hateable and giving him more redeeming qualities (again, nobody in-universe gives a damn about that you-know-what aspect to him besides the girl herself and her immediate family, who are beyond powerless), they've forced themselves to make Rhaenyra near-perfect to make it credible why half the realm would side with her over a male claimant. Which is fine, it works and it gives the audience a clear side to root for, rather than two utterly dispicable camps to root mostly against, but it does mean that it's gonna be a pretty damn depressing downward slope towars the end of the story, and many people are gonna be mightily unsatisfied with the final result of the dance, unless the writers have got the guts to drastically change that (though THAT would cause such an uproar from the book fans that I'm bascially certain it won't happen). It can still be wrapped up nicely, it'll just be more difficult and nihilistic, but we shall see. Can't say any more than that without going into spoilers.

Lol romance? There's no romance. She's torturing him. Everything she's going through is because of her. She actually becomes Aemonds side piece

Face off 😂😂

The huge mistake of making Meleys kill hundreds of commoners just got even bigger. The common folks should be cheering for the king slaying the dragon that killed their friends and relatives. Also really wish they hadn't made Aegon as cruel and vile that they did in S1. So the series hurts from previous mistakes but it continues to be really good. These setup episodes are necessary for the bigger payoffs and it's natural after a battle episode from last week.

Souppp

Idk why but these guys sound so hot to me. Anyways.

JD Vance, another far right extremist🤷🏻‍♂️