Overanalyzing House of the Dragon, Part 1: Bias and the Death of Prince Aemon 

"Be prepared for a long ride" BUCKLE UP

I wouldn't expect anything less!

As am I.

We have as much info as Catelyn does at this point, though

@@PuddingAtheist You're not wrong, but I'm just gonna assume R+L=J is true in the books at this point. I'd be really shocked if it isn't.

@@t_ylr Yeah me too.

Catelyn was completely justified in her fear of Jon.

No, she was not right to fear Jon. It was her humiliation of "...Ned brought his bastard to Winterfel and called him son for all to see" that drove her JEALOUSY of Jon, and later her fear that he would turn on his brothers and sisters(an unfounded fear as Jon was a baby). That's Direct from Cat's pov. Her cruel treatment of Jon was no secret to anyone at Winterfel. Calling him by his name for the 1st time when he's 14? What did she call him before that moment? BASTARD would be my guess. She has a distinct disdain for bastards and and folk lower born than she is. It's all throughout her pov chapters and other's pov when she is there. It began when she was a child playing with Lysa & Peter. Her memories of that time prove it. Cat was so notorious for treating Jon so horribly, that the first thing Robb asked Jon after his heartwenching goodbye to Bran was, "Did you see Bran?", when Jon says yes, he then asks with concern on his eyes " My mother?", and because Jon was no one for her to fear (had she opened her heart and let go of her jealousy and prejudices((get to know Jon)) she would have known that), he lies to Robb to save face for Cat in Robb's eyes and answers, "She was very gracious". Even though she was nothing but vitriol to him when he said his goodbyes to Bran. No. There are no excuses for her. She was following her own prejudices. Her opening lines are about how little she thinks of Northerners and their ways and their Gods. She's a typical conniving, prejudiced Westerossi Sothron Lady. Imho. Can you tell I don't her lol

We are feasting

Stop I can only get so hard🤣

🤘😹

Let’s be honest there’ll also be things not written in the lines we analyse too

@@Ravi9A It's okay. You will not be the first, nor the last to wank to Preston's analysis and theories. Have at it, bro.

With his simpering smile (as one character, probably Ned or Tyrion) put it

@@hopedixon2133 I bear you no ill will, he said with a wry smile.

@@psevdhome "Indeed." Varys laid a soft hand on the queen's sleeve. "You have a mother's heart, and I know His Grace loves his little sweetling." I found the simpering smile description, it's earlier in this ACOK chapter. And it's Tyrion...should have known, Ned Stark ain't using words that big lol. RIP

@@hopedixon2133 I do love that level of detail. Like how different characters interact completely differently. Varys acts to Cersei as if she is the only one that he is honest with, to trick her into thinking that he's not up to anything more. She's honestly stupid enough to believe she knows all, so he lets her think that. Varys does the same to Tyrion, except he sees that Tyrion knows he's up to more, but Varys confuses him regarding what that is, so that even though Tyrion mistrusts Varys, he can't do anything until he finds out what exactly. Varys even says that Tyrion could not "get rid" if him. It's where the famous mer-man theory comes from. Tyrion threatens to throw him into the sea and Varys just shrugs and says, "you would be disappointed with the result I'm afraid".

@@psevdhome Sorry, I totally meant to reply back earlier because I love this idea of Lord Varys, the Sea Spider! I guess I never really considered it but he certainly seems like a skinchanger of some type to me. I do want to linger a moment on Varys...he NEVER gets enough attention. Cersei does know that she cannot trust Varys completely (she confesses this to either Tyrion or Jaime) so to me, I interpret this as Varys has betrayed Cersei in some way personally as in telling on of her secret's...my guess is he is the one who told the Small Council that Cersei bore her brother's bastards, thus apparently launching our story with Jon Arryn's investigation and death. I'm pretty sure Preston gathered that Littlefinger was the probable instigator but I would never doubt Varys. Who knows for sure, but that would be my guess. I also think quite a bit about the relationship of Varys and Illyrio Mopatis; are they really the business partners and friends as they presented to be? I accept their friendship as youths but I think deep down, both men are not truly loyal to anyone but themselves. I don't say this as a criticism but they obviously prioritize their well-being and status at the cost of others. As much as Varys claims he does it "for the realm"...nah bish, you do it so you can remain affluent to rearrange who you have in power. He told Tyrion he would absolutely lie to save his own skin, and I believe him. So two men such as this...can they really rely on each other? At some point, the urge to sell out the other or bring down the other would be immense I am sure, and unless I just cannot read these men, I do see their fate headed there...or has already been there but we are unaware. Varys is so good at disguising (*cough*skinchanger*cough) that he can fool almost everyone and Illyrio wears more rings (AKA allegiances) than Tom Brady (or so I assume from Superb Owl wins). This are all signs pointing to "I am not team player"...or at least how it could be interpreted. I will say, one strike against the mer-man theory is the supposed stink; Varys does not stink...or if he does, he is able to hide it to a considerable agree. Granted, he does stink when he visits Ned in the Black Cells but later he gets lilac- scent (Tyrion?) descriptions so he must be well-stocked if mer-men really do stink, as good ol Dick Crabbe said. God, what a magnificent character. I mourned his death with Brienne. P.S. For Women's History Month, our librarian is collecting "empowering" photos of us ladies at the school, and because I am a total jackass, I am going to photoshop my face onto Varys body and put, "(Em)Power resides where (wo)Men believe it resides, no more and no less" just so I can be Varys in a school poster. I already cosplayed as Ser Brynden Rivers for this year's yearbook so why not??

How is this a Hightower plot is just some Randy’s from myr i. Hate how preston doesn’t go into the myrish bloodbath or this guys getting kicked out or how weird is that Tarth fell so quickly aka tarth may have been incompetent

That was The World of Ice and Fire, written by Maester Yandel. Not Fire and Blood.

@@michaelhenry3234 I thought WoIaF was for young King Tommen?

@@kerrychristensen7204 The framing of the book is that it was written for Robert, then Robert died, then it was hastily dedicated to Joffrey, then Joffrey died, and so it passed to Tommen. There's a place in the book where Yandel dedicates it to his king, but both Robert and Joffrey's names are crossed out and replaced with Tommen's.

@@michaelhenry3234 Oh! That's interesting! I listened to an audiobook version, so I missed out on that detail completely. Thanks for sharing!

@@J.lind_2012 Feanor is an amazing character, i wish he had his own book and on his sons

@@J.lind_2012 troll

@@J.lind_2012 lmao, you’re the one irrationally angry at a book

@@J.lind_2012 Irrational hatred of British people and anything they’ve created? Based as fuck

@@J.lind_2012 he died before he could, his son did the best to honor, complete and publish his work. There's a lot of investigation and linguistic work behind it. If you want to rant like a teenager for not finding the cultural richness in the book go ahead, don't be angry, no one stops you to do so.

Well, yes, it's kinda fascinating that Targaryens somehow managed to rule for another 150 years after that without dragons. What's even more fascinating: Targaryen rule after losing dragons kinda was even more peaceful. They even managed to finish their Conquest after losing dragons!

@@iliaponomarev1624 Prior to the Dance, Targaryens had ridable dragons, a superweapon no other kingdom in Westeros could effectively combat save Dorne. After the Conquest, having dragons meant Targaryens could rule as absolute monarchs and god help any rebels cause they'd get the business end of the dragons. After the Dance, the Targaryens had to change tactics: they lost their superweapon, so they had to hold things together through diplomacy. Now the Great Houses had legitimate clout in questioning the former absolute monarchs, with the realm becoming far more decentralized. The power of the crown was no longer absolute so yes, I think it fair to say the Dance was the beginning of the end for the Targaryen dynasty which has been completely usurped in the main story.

I do wonder what that entails to make it an accomplishment, taming a dragon that is older and more powerful. I am not saying it isn't at all, I just am unclear on what dragonriders really DO to bind a dragon to them. From Preston's analysis, he believes that genetics has a great deal to do with that ability, and I concur with that as well. It probably is a lot like warging; an individual has the special X or two but the gene still needs to be activated somehow. Preston's idea is trauma (think all the Stark kids obviously lol), close proximity to the animal, and telepathy. Why do dragons choose who they chose beyond those requirements? Why do they choose anyone at all? We know the intelligence of ravens, crows, and wolves because they are real creatures for us but dragons? They are portrayed across the board from simple and primal to god-like across literature, so who knows? Like I said, you may totally be right that it is an accomplishment (and it makes sense why humans perceive it that way) but is it that or as Professor McGonagall would say, "...sheer, dumb luck"? Lol it could always be both.

@@hopedixon2133 Even if it is just luck, I think there's a good chance it would be perceived as an accomplishment, or at least as something worthy of particular note. It's been a while since I've read this stuff, so I'm not sure, but there might have been other examples in which taming the most powerful dragon alive was considered worthy of note (possibly when Aemond tamed Vhagar?). It could very well just be something that makes sense to me but has no clear cut evidence. Although, if Baelon does have the exceptionally "strong" genes or telepathy needed to tame Vhagar it might make the Oldtown conspiracy to make him or his descendants king a double-edged sword: he's preferable to his pro-Velaryon brother but he could bring with him strong dragon genes. But this is a whole other complicated matter, it's unclear where this Oldtown conspiracy theory is going exactly.

I haven't read the book in a while either but I believe it was Septon Barth doing the veiled threats when he was trying to retrieve the dragon eggs that were stolen. I think that the Braavosi threatened him back with using the Faceless Men as well which is why I'm hesitant to definitively say that Braavos tried to wipe out dragons.

I have a theory that you actually only have 2 sides. Fire and Ice not being those 2 sides. The people don't all know what they are fighting against, they are being played like puppets to dance for the 2 sides. Grrm said we won't see gods but I feel like the children and rhllor followers are the 2 sides. I don't know how he'll work it but Braavos will be on the side of the children and the old gods. Mel will end up leading the fiery hand to fight against the children. I don't know where Dany and Jon end up on this scale but I was high when I came up with it and usually spot on when high.

The War of 5 Kings was a prelude to Planetos War One, a proxy battle mainly between Braavos, the North and the Rhoynish (all sorcerous) against more retrograde Free Cities like Pentos and Volantis and the slave-mercenary industrial complex and toxic Andal patriarchy. Dany will die as she lived, as a pawn in larger schemes. Sansa's blood through Aegon might inherit the throne, after much is settled, though that throne might be in Harrenhal and Bran the White or whomever might jump into them anyway.

I wondered this as well. The argument against is that the faceless men probably could have ended the Targaryan line. If this is true why did some Targaryans survive?

@@patrickdematosribeiro1845 so the economy of braavos entirely depends on trade, and they probably figured that creating a power vacuum with all the targaryens dead would lead to a lot of war à la the seven kingdoms before the targaryens. They probably figured that a dragonless targaryen dynasty could ensure stability so that trade can go on and the iron bank can continue lending and collecting loans

Same. "He Lights the Way"

To me it’s kind of bullshit. Sure, some maesters have their agendas, but saying than the “maester conspiracy “ as in, the idea that all or most worked on such a thing is even 50% legit is dubious at best.

@@fandemusique4693 Lol I mean that's fine, I don't think it's 100% in ASOIAF but that's what I find most endearing. The author is trying to trick and surprise me, but that only makes me speculate more. Knowing these things about GRRM's writing style is why Preston makes so much sense; they're out there because George is out there. And it's suspicious that the Hightowers are so absent from the story despite historically being far more influential...they still have the power and scope to do if they wish, they have many resources. Even if you don't think they want to kill Targaryens, Maesters definitely routinely spy on their lords and manipulate them for either their own agendas or presumably the Citadel's. But ya, I get if someone doesn't believe it, but I like this theory.

@@hopedixon2133 the modern Hightower in asoiaf are supporters of the Tyrell, the House Tyrell is at the peak of it's power, and the Hightower and Redwyne are it's main supporters.

@@fandemusique4693 I know that...but they aren't in the story as in our POV characters rarely interact with ANY of them...I can only think of Alerie Hightower, and her description is so basic. We have no insights into their house dynamic like we do Tyrell...we even have more on Redwynes. But Hightowers and Velaryons remain elusive, and we wonder where their allegiances will end up, especially since they are the main houses behind the Blacks and Greens with the Targaryens. A lack of detail can point to possible revelations in the future in this story.

It did miss a lot of it. Some of it was still in it. However, the show turned out overall good with a few bad scenes sprinkled in.

I'm hoping that the writers learned their lesson, after having seen D&D become the most hated men in the history of television (at least since Bill Cosby), and will do their damn jobs and write from the book!

@@neuralmute The hate is overblown, is not their fault the books are incomplete. After watching WOT and the LOTR teaser, there are more stupid showrunners running around with completed source material..

I don't think what happened with got will happen in hotd. We know the character arcs and plot points. The story is itself an act of political intrigue. Both political drama and battles needs to coexist for a civil war to work.

@@ianvera4299 yeah but you shouldn't really make excuses for their gross incompetence. Look how they butchered the Dorne plot. They had everything to make an ending that made a bit of sense, yet they still failed in that aspect. They lacked oversight, so the writing suffered. Hotd has multiple writers working together. Hopefully, bad ideas would be filtered out due to checks and balances.

@@ianvera4299 That's no excuse. There are people here on RU-vid who could have written a better ending to GOT than D&D did. They got lazy.

Would be hilarious if he was really a braindead doormat all along

Lol. I love your phrasing of "Oldtown doormat" but you know it is possible the answer is more complex than that...it could even be both. Let's consider one example from Preston's own wheelhouse; Sansa and Littlefinger Once Sansa transforms into Alayne Baelish in the Vale, Myranda Royce is intent on learning her secrets. She obviously thinks Sansa and Littlefinger are in a relationship, most likely sexual, but their relationship is not that easy to describe. I'm sure Littlefinger wants it to be sexual (ew) but I don't think he really cares about the well-being of Sansa like her mother or father would, she is still a tool to him, a pawn. She has been pretty oblivious to his manipulation of her, and is grateful that he saved her from Joffrey. I don't think she realizes still in the released TWOW chapter that she is his pawn BUT she does know he is a great manipulator of others. She saw him push her aunt to her death...but he also saved her literal life from the crazy bitch. She isn't (hopefully) attracted to him in a sexual way but she feels like she owes him probably and can't refuse when he kisses her on the lips. God, he's such a pedophile, and GRRM has SO many of them, I hate it lol. My point is that both feel conflicting feelings for each other; Littlefinger wants Sansa (ugh) but he's also using her in his struggle for whatever he wants, which is...unknown (probably power) lol but also feels somewhat protective of her simply because she favors Cat (god I hope he dies). And Sansa feels obligation to him for saving her from both Joffrey and Lysa, keeping her "safe" (she's highborn so she's been taught to rely on men to take care and protect her), he flatters her (GROSS), and he does appear (to her) to be giving her all she deserves and more. She still thinks she's going to live a fairy tale life after all that has happened to her...poor Sansa, she's so wrong probably. GRRM loves the heart in conflict...so my guess was perhaps Septon Barth was both a spy and friend of King Jaehaerys. Maybe he was supposed to kill Jaehaerys even, but I think he would refuse, but still passed on his secrets to the Faith. Think of how Varys' may genuinely like Tyrion but he still sells him out to Cersei and Tywin because he had to appear useful, or so he says. I'm really not so sure about Grand Maester Elysar; he was apparently sharp-tongued and opinionated (sounds like Haldon Halfmaester lol) but he too could have felt the same way, who knows. It is completely possible these men felt many different, opposing thoughts about each other, especially at different points or events in life. You can never really know what others may think...unless you're telepathic lol.

No one fears to tread on an Oldtown doormat but it conceals worms which people don't really fear to tread on either. There is no practical difference.

If there isn't a scene with Septon Barth going to use the privy and Alyssa sticks her head out of the toilet and goes "Guess I shoulda taken that left turn at Albuquerque" then regretfully I must decline this invitation. Ice and Fire needs more Bugs Bunny

Make your own characters, you owe it to yourself.

Me likely 👍🏽👍🏽

I wanna see it. 🤣🤣🤣

If there was only a way to do a show on the whole story line from start to finish and how it’s supposed to be done , we will never get to see about the blackfyre rebellion or when the andols came or how the house Dane got it’s start ! I’m in love with everything from letter one to the last period

He meant Aemon couldn't be trusted because he would take the study of magic seriously and potentially try to bring back the dragons. Marwyn has that same motive.

Alternatively, he could also be claiming that he is OF the same blood as Aemon...a Targaryen. I mean we have NO idea who this Marwyn really is, and in a world where people probably can use telekinesis to change their entire appearance, I can't rule out anything based on they way they look. I mean, if the glass candle is "magic", he seems to have one lit, so he may have powers ESPECIALLY if he believes he does. "Power resides where men believe it resides, no more and no less." I still think it would be fucking hilarious if a glass candle was a lamp and a light bulb because they'd rediscovered electricity lol but probably not.

Not really. The only connection that he was attempting to establish was that they are both untrustworthy to the citadel. It's for similar reasons. Aemon was a Targaryen, while Marwyn is a conspiracy theorist and an actual mage who wants to bring dragons back. In other words, they are both on the side of the dragons.

@@dustingaethje1332 being on the side of the dragons could just mean he is biding his time until he could get a dragon, everyone else Wants to be kind in this series, why not him?

It's coming home

God, me too. "Theon is of course both hideous and stinky." "Stannis is one weird, lying, sketchy dude." "Arianne is nothing like Doran; she's not clever and she's not cautious." "Arya offered herself sexually to the lords of Westeros." So many gems.

Yep there is overanalyasis of Silmarillion and it's bias against Sons of Feanor and people who are ok with them like Fingon - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GiSklpgBG3s.html and

Nah I disagree even though Martin liked to showcase these huge conspiracies and magical elements at the end of the day his stories are usually about the individual characters and their human emotions. That’s why anticlimactically I think the person who ultimately lead to the death of the dragons was Aegon III himself.

No it’s not. Did you even watch Prestons series on TTB? Bran can’t change events before his conception as that risks leading to him not being born

@@williamjuul981 Who needs to be born if you can just time travel?

Nine if it happened it’s all just a fever dream in the mind of the blue eyed giant makumbo Let’s not forget that George had a story named fevre dream and there are dream sending hive mind fungi in men of grey water station And when in a fever you may be constipated, and what do you eat when constipated? Bran! Yeah I just went full Preston 🤣

@@mrnotimeman396 If he isn’t born then he can’t time travel though

@@williamjuul981 Since when you time travel you are just a consciousness in the weirwood net you don't need to be born to be there you just have to be there.

NO! *You're* breathtaking!

Preston has a series on it, it's old but still good. It's called Dragonless Ambitions if you haven't heard of it

yeah LOL its gonna be amusing to see how they explain to the audience whose who in HofD, and all the ways they're related to everyone else. I hope they don't go the lazy route and have a voiceover narrator, or really wooden dialogue like "Hello Daemon, my uncle / brother-in-law-in-law / first cousin once removed / husband." At least when Margaery marries 3 times, we're following the story slowly season-to-season, so while it may look confusing on a diagram, we can keep the relationships straight. There's too many marriages here, and they all happen way before the war. And the names... Jacaerys, Jaehaerys, Jaehaera; Viserys and Viserys; Aegon and Aegon; Aemond and Vaemond; Daemon and Daeron; Rhaenys, Rhaenyra, Rhaena, Rhea; Helaena, Laena, Laenor... I guess it forces the writers to make all the characters distinct and unique beyond "the one whose name starts with 'R'"?

@@Mj_Jetson Definitely gonna be tough to adapt, the writers are going to be walking a thin line between making good television and not straying too far from George's source material, lest they piss off the fans too much. I just have a tough time seeing a world where it ends up being good, but I hope they prove me wrong. At least we know the battle above the God's Eye will be dope, even George sort of gave up on the whole "historical account" shtick when writing it for the sake of entertainment.

Hey children could have simply taken the Targ. Name

That's not how it works. The king would be the consort and as such his family name wouldn't continue through him.

@@maliziosoeperverso1697 Rhaeny's children have the Velariyon name and even Rhaenera who did become queen, her oldest 3 children were Velariyons.

@@Rodiacreed And if one of them became king, he would have taken the Targaryen name. You can't just replace a dynasty via marriage. The royal house of the UK is still the House of Windsor after the queen dies, not Mountbatten.

@@maliziosoeperverso1697 That is not the case in ASOIAF. Daemon Blackfyre retained his bastard name after coronation by his followers despite having both Targaryen parents since he is a bastard. A Velaryon will remain as such as well. Jaehaerys wanted to ensure the 3 headed dragon remain flying over Kingslanding and that the king's name will be Targaryen for generations to come. Nothing wrong with that.

How when prince daemon was also a dragon rider was alive and well then?

@@jeffreym8503 I've found it unclear when Daemon 1st mounted Caraxes, iirc no mention of it when he summoned swords to back Viserys in GC101. In any event he wouldn't have been near as proficient as Rhaenys

@@bram_412 well just going off of the point in time you mentioned in your initial comment by the time laena claimed Vhagar as her dragon daemon was most certainly a dragon rider

I think he briefly addressed that question in his Dragonless Ambitions series. His take was that the oldtown forces want a monopoly on magic and prophecy and it's interpretation. However, that's an old series and he's likely changed his perspective since, so who's to say