I think Matt Smith is a great actor who portrays rage well. When he talks, he speaks intimately (not necessarily romantically or sexually) making it seem like we're close to him.
As someone who knows what happens during the dance of dragons i really dont like his character. Matt smith on the other hand makes it so easy to watch him without getting bored :3
It speaks to the character building they've done that I legitimately couldn't tell if Daemon was actually going to surrender just to spite his brother or if he had some plan going forward.
Not so much forget, but don't know. I haven't seen read the book and am trying to stay away from spoilers, so I didn't realize all these episodes are just a set up. Especially since GoT was such a slow burn...
I thought Viserys saw himself in the stag: something pinned down and constantly pulled into different directions, by people who insist that it is "regal enough". I'm getting the sense he doesn't want to be king anymore than the stag wanted to be hunted. The fact that the history books attribute schemes to Alicent which were in fact schemed by others is also a nod to ancient Roman historiography, where it was a common trope to blame the wives of emperors and other powerful nobles for all the unmanly intrigue taking place, so as not to directly offend powerful men.
I'm surprised at how much I love Viserys as a character. He really wants to make everyone happy and just ends up making no one happy, not even himself.
Same! From the fire and blood book and even from the show trailers, I could not have cared less about this dude, just another random king. But Paddy is killing it and he might be my favorite character portrayal in the show.
Kinda like "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished". King Viserys tries so hard to provide for everybody but the result(s) always turn out worse then anybody could've foreseen. I'm sure it really twists the knife every time.
Viserys being the last rider of Balerion gives me the lotr vibe of the modern men being "Lesser sons of greater sires" that he feels like he's less his targaryen ancestors
"Kings built tombs more splendid than the houses of the living and counted the names of their descent dearer than the names of their sons. Childless lords sat in aged halls musing on heraldry or in high cold towers asking questions of the stars. And so the kingdom of Gondor sank into ruin, the line of kings failed"
I thought Ep3 really made the show go from good to outstanding. One thing I love is that the show doesn’t have “bad guys”. You can see the events that are leading to the Dragon Boogie but everyone has well thought out rational reasons for their position. I think Daemon is so likeable, aside from Matt Smith, is because he’s *violent* as hell, but he’s bold, principled, and doing everything he’s doing because he legitimately loves his brother despite his grievances. He built an army because he treats his men well and leads from the front. A lot about him is admirable.
I love Daemon, he’s such a petulant child. He’s definitely not a good person, but I think the reason we love him is because his motivations are so sympathetic. Everybody is out here to play the game of thrones and win, but Daemon more than anything wants his brother’s approval and love. He wants Viscerys to tell him that he did a good job and that he was useful and not an immense fuck up for once in his life. He was moved around from position to position in the small council because he did such a poor job of it and his brother sent him away once he pushed too far. I think we’ve all had moments when we realized that we pushed too far and we regret it. He is correct when he says that the one thing that he can do that Otto cannot is care about Viscerys and not attempt to manipulate him. Also Matt Smith is incredibly charismatic and good looking.
Something I wonder about is whether Daemon really got moved from post to post because he was incompetent. Wouldn't it make sense that Otto thought him to be too competent therefor had him moved around, all the while making Viserys think it was due to incompetency? Afterall the last thing Otto needs is the king's brother and heir apparent being competent and potentially even taking his place as hand or endangering future ambitions of him. For example take the city watch, Daemon was actually very competent in starting to weed out the 'smelly' bad lawless parts of kings landing, something that before was apparently left to fester, yet it was told to the king as being actually really bad. Sure the way he went about it was pretty ruthless, but sometimes that is necessary, and this likely was also made so bad as to serve as a deterence for other (future) criminals. This is not too dissimilar to some leaders putting a town that resisted to the torch, killing every person inside, while being mercyfull to those immediately surrendering with the result that other towns and cities just opened their gates and surrendered immediately without loss of life. Sure, the war in the stepstones didn't go great, but that was more due to the nature of the guerrilla war (similar to how Dorne fend off the Targaryens) and the limited resources Daemon had to his disposal, give him the resources of the realm and that war might have been over in a few weeks.
@@MDP1702 I like your thinking and the source material is from an unreliable narrator. But, I think Daemon did fail, or did a mediocre job while he was master of laws and master of coin, because it simply makes sense. Daemon is an impatient character, eager to get the results he wants with whatever means. He is known to frequent gambling dens and whorehouses of Kings Landing. He is a boots on the ground character, and those two roles he was first assigned to, isn't suited to him. Source Material suggests that Otto wanted to remove him immediately from the council but Viserys, due to brotherly love, refused. So he got shifted around and he found a job fitting to his calling by being the captain of the guard. And he does a spectacular job of it too. That's when I think Otto actually felt threatened and due to Viserys' aversion to violence, he played that exact card. One other thing that is interesting to me is Daemon chose stepstones, he could've went over to Essos to be a mercenary with a dragon, and make bank with it. But no, he chose to go to the stepstones, the closest place to the Realm that isn't part of it (Except Dorne but yeaaah.) And in the books after Crabfeeder, he stays there and it turns into this mercenary free-for-all war and Daemon spends most of it fighting. I hope they show it in the series, because he becomes the most experienced commander in Westeros due to that. And Viserys actually sends him cash for all of it, as always, trying to keep everyone happy by keeping Daemon away and thinking he gives Daemon what he wants. And again, he is wrong. Anyway some random thoughts your way, like your thinking, but I disagree.
Not a good person? Protecting kingdom, killing murderers and rapists? Daemon protects family. Not sure how he is not good. He just states the obvious, his brother was not good king.
I think part of why we like Daemon is because he shows us his vulnerability. I think it'd be different if he were a Euron (book) type where there's absolutely nothing redeemable to him.
On Daemon's likability, he's like the Heel to Viserys' Face, that he takes things to edge of acceptance, but then doesn't step anymore further, like he's cruel to criminals, but it's placing an iron grip to make the city safer, he steals the dragon egg, but gives it back with hardly any resistance, he does not great things but we can see where he comes from on it, we may not like the actions, but we like the rebellious heart it shows. This quote from The Rogue Prince sums up Daemon really well: "Over the centuries, House Targaryen has produced both great men and monsters. Prince Daemon was both. In his day there was not a man so admired, so beloved, and so reviled in all Westeros. He was made of light and darkness in equal parts. To some he was a hero, to others the blackest of villains."
I think the reason why Daemon is so likable because he's extremely driven. He has arguably done the worst things thus far but his energy and strong personality is fun to watch. It's not hard to find someone like that compelling. And for me personally as a middle child I feel a kinship with his frustrations and motivation in his life.
While I totally agree, I think Matt Smith's performance brings all of that out brilliantly too, only actors of his calibre could make this mad targaryen likeable and I am glad they chose him.
There is one scene where Raenyra is telling the jester to sing for her and Alicent tells him to leave. When Raenyra orders him to stay as an order by the Princess, Alicent tells him to leave as an order by the Queen, pulling rank. It's a small scene, but it shows how Alicent is willing to exercise her power to override the Princess of Dragonstone and hier to the throne. This may portend what is to come.
@@traumer9622 I like how Glidus put it in his review, that when she first asked the lutist to go, she didn't use any authority- so was more or less ignored- & when she *does* it's like she kind of felt like she _had_ to do it, because Rhaenyra seemed utterly unwilling to engage with her for anything less than hard-stamped authority- even if it just serves to make her angrier...
My interpretation of the crab feeder battle was that it actually wasn't planned. I think he really intended to solo Crab Feeder. (He probably thought Mr Feeder would meet his white flag personally rather than a lackey and when that didn't work its was all Daemon being Daemon in full suicidal glory) Corlys and the army showing up was essentially them trying to save thier prince and make the most of the action hes forced them into (like when John Snow broke formation at the battle of the bastards). I cant really see Coryls agreeing to a plan where his benefactor solos for 15 minutes and this would explain why they were kinda late. Also would explain why we dont see Daemons dragon.
I absolutely LOVED all the scenes at the hunt/hunting camp. The politicking, the symbolism, the introduction of characters who are going to be important in the future. And I agree with you that Paddy Considine's acting as Viserys is absolutely stellar. I her a lot of people say Matt Smith is carrying this show and he IS great as Daemon. But this episode I think Paddy outdid even him
I’m telling ya, this second channel is where it’s at! Obviously the main channel is GOAT’d, but I do love how comfortable and casual and seemingly at ease Tim can be here while presenting his initial opinions and observations. The content is still polished, too. Oh, and Daemon is a masterclass of “nuanced writing plus layered acting equals character gold”. Your breakdown of Viserys is incredible. He is, indeed, surrounded by bold characters who are capable of and even inclined to take aggressive actions. But somehow… This passive, half-hearted king, eager to please all and doomed to disappoint many, is in a way the only thing keeping the realm from descending into a series of really *BOLD ACTIONS* and tragedy. Like you said, I wonder what’ll happen when he’s gone…
The CrabFeeder fight is just a whim I think. Deamon decides to go do a fake out and CrabFeeder didn't send the whole army if you rewatch he only sent out a few at a time for a while until he figured Deamons dragon wasn't coming I'm assuming. So Deamon made this big decision on his own I think and the rest of his men had to catch up. That's why he almost got killed towards the end. (Don't come at me for misspelling the names)
Daemon nearly beating the messenger to death because he didn’t want Viserys’ help in taking the Stepstones and felt he’d be robbed of the honour of doing it himself is the most “little brother” thing that has ever been put on screen. 🤣 And more than that, the characterisation of him in that sequence was fantastic as it was all done without a single word; you get that he is ruthless, passionate, bold, reckless, bloodthirsty and above all determined to prove himself just from his actions alone. It’s brilliant character writing, even if he did go into that battle wearing his strongest plot armour lol, but I’m willing to let that slide.
Daemon, to me, perfectly embodies the primary qualities of dragons. He's fiery and aggressive, but loyal to his family in his own way. I wouldn't want to actually interact with Daemon, just like I'd be terrified to be near a real dragon if they actually existed, but man are they cool to read about / watch
I think part of the reason why i'm rooting for Daemon is that you feel like his family genuinely matters, and he is trying to do the right thing (ep 1 & 2 at any rate). But he hasn't got the basis of trust, he's expecting them to call him violent and disobedient. So what does he do he ramps up the violence and disobedience, because that'll show them. It seems to me similar to a negative behaviour called testing, Where people deliberately show the ugliest side of themselves to 'test' people's friendships and trust. It's really interesting and there's a lot going on like projecting out our worst views of ourselves, how the person understands trust etc etc. My reading so far is that the Targaryen's have kinda been played. If King Viserys had worked with his brother a bit more then he would of had a firmer base to not be so manipulated by Otto Hightower's ambition, but he didn't and now all Daemon's energy is just this directionless destructive force. My guess is that people sympathise with that directionless destructive force, and the sheer pointlessness of it all.
0:38 "My girlfriend was kinda like .." My good Sir, art thou not betrothed and would therefore refer to your future lady wife as your 'fiancé'?! Imagine the scandal if the court heard of your fauxpas!
My favourite part of the episode had to be the contrast between how Viserys and Rhaenyra dealt with the stags, which are established as symbolic of royalty and the throne. Viserys has his stag captured by others and dragged to him, he barely has any control over the situation and simply has to act how he is bade because that’s how he feels as king. He feared Balerion because dragons symbolise power and, at his core, Viserys is a man afraid of power thrust into a position he was not ready for. And even at the one task he was meant to do, he screws it up and needs two thrusts to kill the stag. It wasn’t quite as miserable a performance as Theon’s butchery of Rodrick Cassel’s death in S2 of GOT, but you can clearly see that he does not feel comfortable with the role he’s been thrust into by his society. This is emphasised even more by the fact that everyone around him claps for him, as if to reassure him that he did the right thing when everyone knows that it was wrong to watch, much like Viserys’ reign. And even then, the colour of the stag is important as Viserys was promised a white stag much like a young Viserys was promised a great reign like his grandfather Jaehaerys, but the reality was much more disappointing. The stag was not weak, but it was not exceptional either. Rhaenyra, by contrast, is the one who witnessed the white stag, the symbol of royalty, and what’s more important is that she saw it alone, only she and Criston know that it was there because that’s so informative of her character. Despite no one believing in her, as they wouldn’t believe her if she claimed she saw the stag, she doesn’t need them to know. The portent of this symbol was meant for her and her alone, as it was to reassure her that she has the future and it doesn’t matter if everyone knows it or not. Likewise, the fact that she chose to let the stag go is so important because she rejected the role that her society would have imposed upon her, she chose a different path and chose a different way than what had been imposed on Viserys with everyone watching him. This message was laid with so much important symbolism that we will come back to look on in hindsight with a much different light.
I think Daemon is likeable because of his relationship with Rhaenyra. If she trusts him, we are predispositioned to like him because of her. That's my theory at least
wished they showed more arrows hitting him but bounce off his armour -- that's why he wears armour (& show us the danger of running into the fight-otherwise why has no one tried it before or why won’t any one try their again later in the story besides plot armour?)
That's the one thing I wished for aswell. When barely any of the arrows actually hit him, it stretches the suspension of disbelief to an unnecessary level, when you could just show him wearing his actual plate armor instead of the half plate he's wearing - and, more importantly, show said armor ACTUALLY DOING ITS JOB until some arrows coincidentally hit some gaps, and get literally the exact same scene, just better. We literally have historical records of knights in full plate armor being described as porcupines and not flinching because well, until the invention of firearms, plate made you basically fucking invincible.
But he wanted to appear as if he's surrendering,and wearing full plate armour would give his true intentions away. Also I've read a few comments of archers who said it's actually pretty realistic that they would miss this often, because it's apparently incredibly hard to hit a moving single target from this distance.
@@traumer9622 following your comment, yes hitting a single moving target from the top of a cliff presumably in some stiff wind (its a beach) is pretty tough even for a really good archer. These kind of archers are barely trained, they're taught to pull the string and aim high so that with enough arrows into a thick enough enemy army some of them will hit. Elven archers arent real and have given fantasy archers unrealistic expectations
@@drVarulv I said the exact same thing to someone else who brought this up, yeah. I’m actually pretty impressed at seeing something not treating archery like medieval sniper rifles. Trying to hit a moving target with an arrow from hundreds of metres away on a fairly windy day, the best you can hope for is a sort of medieval spray-and-pray.
I think the reason Daemon worked as bait was because they believed that if he was on the ground, the dragon couldn't possibly be in the sky. They came out because they felt safe in home territory with the "only" dragon rider under their control.
I think it is more due to the dragon not coming out even when Daemon is clearly in a life threatening situation, first facing several groups of men (who were sent out instead of the army just in case), then being showered by arrows, ... Eventually the army is send out because no dragon appeared and because Daemon just kept killing/defeating the men send after him.
Crab feeder was watching the skies for the dragon, and upon seeing Daemon being wounded but no dragon turned up or cried out in shared pain so was not nearby. Sent out his forces to finish him quickly. But while caraxes was big and red, the velryaon dragon was small, quick and the stealthy in the clouds
As far as the symbolism/foreshadowing goes, I really like that bit where Harwin is holding the brown stag saying "he may be white Your Grace, but he's a big lad." Since he's Rhaenyra's first baby daddy, it makes sense.
A couple of my friends who have only seen the original show said they felt the show was going too slowly and they didn’t know where it was headed. I told them the end of season 1 is most likely going to be the start of a war in the same way that GoT started, but I didn’t give them any details beyond that. This definitely helped them put the pieces together so they can follow along more easily, since they know that this season is mostly going to be explaining who’s who and what their motivations and alliances are.
I think Daemon is likeable for any number of reasons, there is that hint of playfulness in him at times which offsets the harshness of his actions from time to time, he is feuding with his brother but at the same time he obviously respects and at least in the beginning of this season cares for Viserys and Rhaenyra. He tries to carve his own path and while his methods are not "good" per sé we see people set in their contrary opinion of him, while others are being manipulated against him. The way he dealt with the situation in episode 2 of listening in to the council calling him all kinds of things was impactful and relatable, while still being a typical rude and ill-advised Daemon thing to do. Rejecting his brother's help in this latest episode I read as both a refusal to concede the win to Viserys, and as a way to claim this chance to build himself up in the eyes of his brother (and perhaps other people as well). Plus, Matt Smith has charisma pouring off him. He's got a spark in his eyes, paired with that "aw-shucks" smile that's hard not to like.
I think Daemon is as popular as he is because he is one of the few characters who fits the archetypical fantasy hero mold. he has a dragon, a personal army and he is an adept fighter and strategist in his own right. he is like Rhaegar Targayrean fused with Robert Boratheon. He is the ultimate competent underdog. Not to mention Matt Smith OWNS every scene he is in.
personally, i think that daemon is so likeable because his goals (thus far) are a lot more relatable, justifiable and human to the audience. anyone can relate to someone seeking approval from a loved one (which imo daemon has often expressed towards viserys) while other motives are far harder to empathize with. daemon, to me, is more of a "when you're bad, be bad for an understandle reason" type of guy
Really enjoying the more relaxed and in-depth analysis of the show on this channel! I am a huge ASOIAF nerd and consumed all the books multiple times, and watch a lot of channels dedicated solely to that’s world. But I’m really enjoying watching channels like these discuss and digest the show. Oh and the part Tim was referencing when Daemon beat down a messenger in the books is when a guy told him about his brother having his son as shown in episode one.
There's an instance of her calling him Viserys in the last episode, that felt really significant. She's still awkward four years in, yes, but she is definitely trying
14:10 It’s because it’s our boy Matt. It really is. Not because he’s the Doctor, but for the same reason as he was chosen for that role back in the day. He’s just likeable in everything he does. He just is!
What I understand about Daemon bait is the fact that he is a dragon rider and the leader of the opposing army so taking him out will be an enormous advantage
I really love seeing you more relaxed. Call me biased, but this video was also more engaging that the first two-- to me, a person who has not read the books, nor follows the franchise actually. But this time I find it easier to pay attention to what you were saying and find it interesting! I am pretty much going to follow the show by your re-caps. (Part of is that I am not going to by confused by what I am seeing and what I am missing by not reading the books.)
Uhhh, everyone. Literally everyone would have thought that. There has been a grand total of one good fantasy show besides HotD, and it was only about 60% good.
You're kidding me, your saying this now?! No other time in history has seen so much money and creative energy put into serialised Fantasy, 10 yrs ago no one could of even imagined Arcane, The Mandalorian, Sandman, The Witcher, The Rings of Power, Shadows and Bone, The Wheel of Time, Kenobi, Loki... etc etc etc. Yes there have been misses and there is a lot that the industry is learning, but can u pause for the time of a RUclips ad break and notice how fast those lessons are being learned? What exactly are you looking for? Because if it's well written fantasy stories there are literally thousands and dozens of contemporary indie authors that could use your support, and if it's acting there have been handfuls this year already and we're barely into September (Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Batman, The Northman etc etc.) You whinge because it's the laziest way to pretend like you have a personality, rather than constructively engaging with a piece of art and actually seeing all the talent that's on show. Everything from costume to set design for the shows and films mentioned have been phenomenal and the messages have been real and there to be engaged with. Or as GoT put it: "Your lips are moving and you're complaining about something. That's whinging. This one's been killed six times. You don't hear him whinging about it."
@@LightsOnTrees you know, you could have made the exact same point without sounding so condescending. At that, claiming someone on the Internet that you never met has no personality is rude and based on nothing else than a RUclips comment. If you want to start a discussion, that's fine but be civil.
I think an interesting aspect to HOTD that's worth noting is that we really want it to be good. In later GoT fans saw something they love have its potential squandered, but because it was something they loved so the fandom still watched it. I think that spirit influences this show as people are watching because they have a love for stuff that made GoT great, or what made the source material great. I honestly don't mind the issues because I'm giving this show a long leash, and very much enjoying when it does well. This does seem to be a legitimate way of making a good story- using people's love for a world to your advantage, and delivering something they enjoy.
I love these videos - please keep them coming! I think what impressed me most about the episode was how Matt Smith delivered an exceptional performance without a single sentence.
Because he just wants his oniichan's attention. He's not evil, he's childish, and he does care about his family. That's what makes him likeable. And he can take a good roast too. Like ep2 Cole roasted him and he just said something like "nice one" and shrug it off.
Because for whatever reason people just can’t get enough of Matt Smith and his weird bean face. How his career continued on since the Morbius “Have Sex” Scene I’ll never know.
my problem with Paddy Considine is that I can't see him as anyone else but one of the cops from Hot Fuzz. I keep waiting for him to walk off screen and then poke his head back in.
On the topic of Viserys not being able to kill the deer first go; i thought it was interesting that when the white stag appears to rhaenyra and ser cristen moves to draw his sword she stops him. As well as the fact that when the bore attacked them earlier on she didnt hesiate to stab it (admittedly in a very high stress context). I'm still thinking it over but i felt like it distinguisged Rhaenyra in how and when she'll turn to violence, both in terms of her willingness to act and her ability to judge action's necessity. Or maybe i'm reading too much into it and that doesn't make sense to anyone else haha.
Thank you for this video because it has basically convinced me to keep watching the series. As someone who hasn't read the books, this episode (I've just watched it) felt like it had all the red flags of Series 7 GoT - fast travel suddenly being a thing, characters personalities shifting with no warning, everything happening very fast with little exploration. I was so excited at the end of Episode 2, ready to see emotional conversations between Alisent and Rhaenara and Viserys, how Viserys would cope mentally with replacing Emma and his turmoil and fear over Alisent being pregnant and having a son, how Corlys would navigate court and the small council whilst being in league with Daemon, a much more detailed exploration of the Crab Feeder. And we didn't get any of that. It felt like it just ignored it all and I was ready to give up on it. But your explanation has made me understand a bit more why they made those choices and therefore I am going to keep watching the show thanks to you.
i don't really understand why hiding in caves would help against dragon fire. I mean it was supposedly hot enought to melt stone so I would immagine that caves wouldn't provide enought protection. And at least you could melt all the entrences so that those who hid would die of hunger.
im that person who will watch season 1 to 4 of GOT many times in my life but never 5 to whatever again. So far i really love this new one, almost as much as 1-4 GOT but i hope they finish the new one after 4 seasons because i cant see it go on longer than that.
I think what the plan was was for Daemon to do an all or nothing attack. Giving himself up was just a diversion probably to get The troops set up. They knew if they killed the Crabfeeder they had the entire war. So that was Damon's Gambit I'll make it to that cave and I'll go in and kill him come hell or high water. Sea Smoke was cool to see.
@@philosophynerdlady yeah essentially. The only thing Daemon did was offer himself up as a diversion/assassin but without the Valyerians he would not have been as likely to succeed. And of course Sea Smoke. Cutting the head off of the snake was a good strategy especially after 2 years of attrition.
I do really love your analysis of the show. First is obvious that you really like the world of asoiaf and second you really make the comparison to the books from this fake history standpoint. Really getting into the biases that a medieval type scholar would have, the fact that this works really show Martin's skills and your (and the showruner's) ability to understanding it. I've watched others and how they cover the show, even asoiaf dedicated channels, but your videos are one of the best on this topic.
Excellent video! To those complaining about the "rushing" of the show and the time jumps, you may want to read the book Fire and Blood. The Dance of the Dragons has not started yet. As Tim said in the video, this is just setting things up.
I love the changes to the step stone stories daemon presenting the crown goes from a genuine thing to basically a way to leave the stepstones with not only armour and glory
The moment that you were unable to find in the book, of Daemon beating a messanger, is actually.... **spoilers for anyone who hasn't read the book**...... not Daemon but Aemond. When he is at Harrenhal he receives word that Daemon and Rhaenyra have taken King's Landing. He almost beats the messenger to death before Alice Rivers stops him.
Happy you're doing this on your second channel instead of not at all! I love your videos on this stuff. I learn so much! I think I'm rooting for Daemon because he is a foil against a group of people I kind of hate anyway lmao Like he's not a great man but he comes by it honestly 😂
The end battle scene kinda reminded me of stuff Obi-Wan and Anakin do in the Star Wars the Clone Wars media. In the movie and in the show Obi-Wan does a fake surrender to buy Anakin and Ashoka time to complete their missions. Anakin does it in the first and last seasons of the show to catch the enemy off guard and then attack them.
It's great that you started the video explaining the direction of the show. I'm watching with my mom, who's just a GOT watcher but not a fan or anything. And I'm here enjoying every detail while she is like "this is entertaining but I don't really get why". Oh, you'll see why quite soon I hope.
Also, the "reimagining" of the Stepstones War makes no sense as presented in the show, because the war as described in F&B is really the only way the conflict could have logically turned out. There is no way for Daemon to be losing a siege with Caraxes and Seasmoke, not even if he cannot storm the cavern complex, since all he needs to do is starve the enemy out and destroy any vessels which leave the safety of their (presumed) hidden coves. The reason why Daemon was struggling in canon was not taking the isles, but holding them, since Caraxes could only be in so many places at a time, he only had so many men to garrison the conquered islands and the Triarchy-Dornish alliance could attack from numerous directions at once, meaning Daemon had to constantly re-take and re-staff forts controlling the archipelago. In the show, there is no discernible reason why the Velaryons should be the ones who are running out of supplies faster, especially with their modest force.
Love the casual feel of this video. Look forward to hearing your take on the other episodes as they come out 😊 I adore this show so far and think it deserves a lot of praise
The White Stag does Not show for the party (Aegons Birthday) but it Does show for Rhaenyra; knowing how Martin thinks of these kinds of issues that *Will come up again later I'm positive. Probably alot of fighting will come up but the White Stag has already made it's decision.
You say this series leans more high fantasy and that the world is more magical than in Game of Thrones, but it has felt the opposite to me - GoT started with the White Walker setup and that season had a lot of supernatural stuff that only grew over the seasons. This show, so far, has only really had dragons and that is about it. Another nice analysis of an interesting episode. Thank you for continuing these, even if swapping channels.
The point about there being mroe magic and high fantasy themes in HOTD is probably due to the fact that the writers here 1) Listened to Geroge adn 2) Do not activley avoid dealing with the fantasy elements of Martins world the way Dumb and Dumber did.
I think it is rather unfair to refer to the showrunners of GoT as dumb and dumber, that totally glosses over the fact that they managed to make a series beloved by fantasy fans and non-fantasy fans for 6 seasons. Just because the end wasn't great. Of the many things that can be said about GoT, downplaying the fantasy elements in the first seasons probably wasn't the problem
I’m reading through the book right now and it does mention Daemon whipping a serving man who told him about King Viserys marriage to Lady Alicent. Maybe that was what you were thinking of. Page 361 in my version
I love the Dance of the Dragons, it was one of the more interesting wars mentioned in the books, and I am enjoying House of the Dragon. But I think HBO have kind of shot themselves in the foot by choosing it, there are a lot of timeskips left to come and a lot of important information that needs to be delivered before we even get close to the Dance. With the change of actors coming soon, I would not be surprised if a lot of people who either haven't read the book or don't know about how awesome the upcoming civil war is, drop the show. Either because of the change in actors or because of the constant timeskips, and even though Season 2 has been confirmed, if this goes poorly it might kill the show before it even gets off the ground.
They've already shown us Harrenhal, we know dragonfire can melt stone. It makes no sense for the Crabfeeder to have survived that long. Just simple fires at barred cave entrances would have smoked them out, then they should be easy picking for archers stationed at the only entrance left available. It's not like they're hidden, they know which cave systems they're hiding in.
It could be that Balerion was a more powerful dragon, or that the man-made walls of Harrenhal were more fragile than natural formations. What I was left wondering was why wouldn't they just spew fire into the caves, burning all the oxygen and turning the mountain into an oven?
@@Oxtocoatl13 yeah, sure, a fort is not quite the same as natural underground cave systems (and maybe Caraxes, Seasmoke and Meleys [if they also brought her] couldn't do what Balerion could do) sure I'll give them that. but yeah, like what I said. regular fires started at the mouth of cave entrances (which are then barred) will suffocate them until they die or are forced to come out i dont really mind this bit, i know the Crabfeeder is more like a plot device to built characters more than the conflict itself, but it breaks immersion which is unfortunate
I love the ASOIAF universe, history, lore, characters, everything. But sometimes it gets frustrating how nobody can work together. It's all family against family, brother against brother, sister against sister. It gets frustrating. I love how Daemon inspires fear and respect in his followers and sooo much hatred in his enemies. I can't hate him. haha
I have a theory that Vicarys is right and i believe that Otto is trying to get his Bloodline onto the Iron Throne and Snuff out Rhaenyra for the next Heir as a manipulation tactic to trust Otto that he has the best interest for but i think Vicarys and Rhaenyra are the victims among the council
Anyone complaining about the trebuchets being in front of the troops at the battle of the long night, who doesn’t question the battle plan here needs to get some consistency.
I really enjoyed this episode (spoilers ahead) The hunt was fantastic and full of metaphor!! I loved that, like as Viserys killed the tied up deer and the clapping after, SO UNCOMFY. I really liked his story line this episode. I didn't like how Rhaenyra just ran off for a while and she's just hanging out with her future hubby (i'm assuming this one since Viserys told her she can marry whoever she wants)
Would be a touch difficult for her to marry Sir Criston unfortunately, becoming king's guard is like taking the black of the night's watch, you aren't allowed to marry after you've taken your vows.
@@PsychologyandChillwMichi that is true, but there aren't exactly honourable discharges from the king's guard, being named to the king's guard is a crazy big honour in and of itself, being dismissed is a big deal, like Ser Barristan in GOT
Basically, all of this happened because Viserys wanted to be one of the great Targaryens and one of the dreamers but didn't have the guts to be actual Targaryen and take a second wife as was the tradition. Aemma didn't have to die because the burden of childbearing would not be all on her. Rhaenyra wouldn't lose her mother and Viserys the love of his life while the heir would be produced. I still think Rhaenyra is the best, even though i am sure they will pull a Daenerys with her....
Кино
Why is Daemon so likable? Is it just Matt Smith? Is it his wig?
~ Tim
Bruh
I think Matt Smith is a great actor who portrays rage well. When he talks, he speaks intimately (not necessarily romantically or sexually) making it seem like we're close to him.
As someone who knows what happens during the dance of dragons i really dont like his character. Matt smith on the other hand makes it so easy to watch him without getting bored :3
He's a psychologically mangled rebel without a cause lmfao
It's a matt smith thing
It speaks to the character building they've done that I legitimately couldn't tell if Daemon was actually going to surrender just to spite his brother or if he had some plan going forward.
Exactly!
If Robert's Rebellion has taught us anything. It's that Targaryens aren't the best at killing stags
BWAHAHA
Boars though........
Argilac disagrees.. Oh wait, he can't, he and his whole line is dead. Compliments of Rhaenys Targaryen.
@@Batuhanify Orys Baratheon took his daughter to wife
People are only upset about the time jumps because they forget we’re still in what is ostensibly a prologue. You explained it beautifully!
Not so much forget, but don't know. I haven't seen read the book and am trying to stay away from spoilers, so I didn't realize all these episodes are just a set up. Especially since GoT was such a slow burn...
I thought Viserys saw himself in the stag: something pinned down and constantly pulled into different directions, by people who insist that it is "regal enough". I'm getting the sense he doesn't want to be king anymore than the stag wanted to be hunted.
The fact that the history books attribute schemes to Alicent which were in fact schemed by others is also a nod to ancient Roman historiography, where it was a common trope to blame the wives of emperors and other powerful nobles for all the unmanly intrigue taking place, so as not to directly offend powerful men.
I'm surprised at how much I love Viserys as a character. He really wants to make everyone happy and just ends up making no one happy, not even himself.
Same! From the fire and blood book and even from the show trailers, I could not have cared less about this dude, just another random king. But Paddy is killing it and he might be my favorite character portrayal in the show.
Kinda like "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished". King Viserys tries so hard to provide for everybody but the result(s) always turn out worse then anybody could've foreseen. I'm sure it really twists the knife every time.
Viserys being the last rider of Balerion gives me the lotr vibe of the modern men being "Lesser sons of greater sires" that he feels like he's less his targaryen ancestors
The irony of this comment lol it has more Lotr vibes than rings of power
"Kings built tombs more splendid than the houses of the living and counted the names of their descent dearer than the names of their sons. Childless lords sat in aged halls musing on heraldry or in high cold towers asking questions of the stars. And so the kingdom of Gondor sank into ruin, the line of kings failed"
Killing the stag being the most uncomfortable scene so far?
Dude- the caesarian section!
I thought Ep3 really made the show go from good to outstanding. One thing I love is that the show doesn’t have “bad guys”. You can see the events that are leading to the Dragon Boogie but everyone has well thought out rational reasons for their position.
I think Daemon is so likeable, aside from Matt Smith, is because he’s *violent* as hell, but he’s bold, principled, and doing everything he’s doing because he legitimately loves his brother despite his grievances. He built an army because he treats his men well and leads from the front. A lot about him is admirable.
Tim, the CGI deer being speared was more uncomfortable for you then the LIVE C-Section murder of Aemma? Dude?!?😂😂
Jeezus right?
I love Daemon, he’s such a petulant child. He’s definitely not a good person, but I think the reason we love him is because his motivations are so sympathetic. Everybody is out here to play the game of thrones and win, but Daemon more than anything wants his brother’s approval and love. He wants Viscerys to tell him that he did a good job and that he was useful and not an immense fuck up for once in his life. He was moved around from position to position in the small council because he did such a poor job of it and his brother sent him away once he pushed too far. I think we’ve all had moments when we realized that we pushed too far and we regret it. He is correct when he says that the one thing that he can do that Otto cannot is care about Viscerys and not attempt to manipulate him.
Also Matt Smith is incredibly charismatic and good looking.
Something I wonder about is whether Daemon really got moved from post to post because he was incompetent. Wouldn't it make sense that Otto thought him to be too competent therefor had him moved around, all the while making Viserys think it was due to incompetency? Afterall the last thing Otto needs is the king's brother and heir apparent being competent and potentially even taking his place as hand or endangering future ambitions of him.
For example take the city watch, Daemon was actually very competent in starting to weed out the 'smelly' bad lawless parts of kings landing, something that before was apparently left to fester, yet it was told to the king as being actually really bad. Sure the way he went about it was pretty ruthless, but sometimes that is necessary, and this likely was also made so bad as to serve as a deterence for other (future) criminals. This is not too dissimilar to some leaders putting a town that resisted to the torch, killing every person inside, while being mercyfull to those immediately surrendering with the result that other towns and cities just opened their gates and surrendered immediately without loss of life.
Sure, the war in the stepstones didn't go great, but that was more due to the nature of the guerrilla war (similar to how Dorne fend off the Targaryens) and the limited resources Daemon had to his disposal, give him the resources of the realm and that war might have been over in a few weeks.
He looks like Handsome Squidward
@@MDP1702 I like your thinking and the source material is from an unreliable narrator. But, I think Daemon did fail, or did a mediocre job while he was master of laws and master of coin, because it simply makes sense. Daemon is an impatient character, eager to get the results he wants with whatever means. He is known to frequent gambling dens and whorehouses of Kings Landing. He is a boots on the ground character, and those two roles he was first assigned to, isn't suited to him. Source Material suggests that Otto wanted to remove him immediately from the council but Viserys, due to brotherly love, refused. So he got shifted around and he found a job fitting to his calling by being the captain of the guard. And he does a spectacular job of it too. That's when I think Otto actually felt threatened and due to Viserys' aversion to violence, he played that exact card.
One other thing that is interesting to me is Daemon chose stepstones, he could've went over to Essos to be a mercenary with a dragon, and make bank with it. But no, he chose to go to the stepstones, the closest place to the Realm that isn't part of it (Except Dorne but yeaaah.) And in the books after Crabfeeder, he stays there and it turns into this mercenary free-for-all war and Daemon spends most of it fighting. I hope they show it in the series, because he becomes the most experienced commander in Westeros due to that. And Viserys actually sends him cash for all of it, as always, trying to keep everyone happy by keeping Daemon away and thinking he gives Daemon what he wants. And again, he is wrong.
Anyway some random thoughts your way, like your thinking, but I disagree.
Not a good person? Protecting kingdom, killing murderers and rapists? Daemon protects family. Not sure how he is not good. He just states the obvious, his brother was not good king.
@@JosephHandibode he’s extremely selfish and some of the stuff he ends up doing wouldn’t classify him as good but I would no one near put him as evil
I think part of why we like Daemon is because he shows us his vulnerability. I think it'd be different if he were a Euron (book) type where there's absolutely nothing redeemable to him.
Euron is even less redeemable in the show
On Daemon's likability, he's like the Heel to Viserys' Face, that he takes things to edge of acceptance, but then doesn't step anymore further, like he's cruel to criminals, but it's placing an iron grip to make the city safer, he steals the dragon egg, but gives it back with hardly any resistance, he does not great things but we can see where he comes from on it, we may not like the actions, but we like the rebellious heart it shows.
This quote from The Rogue Prince sums up Daemon really well: "Over the centuries, House Targaryen has produced both great men and monsters. Prince Daemon was both. In his day there was not a man so admired, so beloved, and so reviled in all Westeros. He was made of light and darkness in equal parts. To some he was a hero, to others the blackest of villains."
I absolutely loved Rhaenyra's return to the camp, with the boar carcass. So satisfying, after she's been ignored and belittled throughout the episode.
I think the reason why Daemon is so likable because he's extremely driven. He has arguably done the worst things thus far but his energy and strong personality is fun to watch. It's not hard to find someone like that compelling.
And for me personally as a middle child I feel a kinship with his frustrations and motivation in his life.
While I totally agree, I think Matt Smith's performance brings all of that out brilliantly too, only actors of his calibre could make this mad targaryen likeable and I am glad they chose him.
There is one scene where Raenyra is telling the jester to sing for her and Alicent tells him to leave. When Raenyra orders him to stay as an order by the Princess, Alicent tells him to leave as an order by the Queen, pulling rank. It's a small scene, but it shows how Alicent is willing to exercise her power to override the Princess of Dragonstone and hier to the throne.
This may portend what is to come.
It’s such an excellent demonstration of their new dynamic and a microcosm of their rivalry going forward.
It also undermines her attempt to reconcile with Rhaenyra. By pulling rank she reminded her of the rift between them, even if unintended
@@traumer9622
I like how Glidus put it in his review, that when she first asked the lutist to go, she didn't use any authority- so was more or less ignored- & when she *does* it's like she kind of felt like she _had_ to do it, because Rhaenyra seemed utterly unwilling to engage with her for anything less than hard-stamped authority- even if it just serves to make her angrier...
My interpretation of the crab feeder battle was that it actually wasn't planned. I think he really intended to solo Crab Feeder. (He probably thought Mr Feeder would meet his white flag personally rather than a lackey and when that didn't work its was all Daemon being Daemon in full suicidal glory)
Corlys and the army showing up was essentially them trying to save thier prince and make the most of the action hes forced them into (like when John Snow broke formation at the battle of the bastards). I cant really see Coryls agreeing to a plan where his benefactor solos for 15 minutes and this would explain why they were kinda late. Also would explain why we dont see Daemons dragon.
You might also interpret that Daemon was intentionally trying to force Corlys hand with an army that was seemingly low on morale
I absolutely LOVED all the scenes at the hunt/hunting camp. The politicking, the symbolism, the introduction of characters who are going to be important in the future. And I agree with you that Paddy Considine's acting as Viserys is absolutely stellar. I her a lot of people say Matt Smith is carrying this show and he IS great as Daemon. But this episode I think Paddy outdid even him
I’m telling ya, this second channel is where it’s at! Obviously the main channel is GOAT’d, but I do love how comfortable and casual and seemingly at ease Tim can be here while presenting his initial opinions and observations. The content is still polished, too.
Oh, and Daemon is a masterclass of “nuanced writing plus layered acting equals character gold”.
Your breakdown of Viserys is incredible. He is, indeed, surrounded by bold characters who are capable of and even inclined to take aggressive actions. But somehow… This passive, half-hearted king, eager to please all and doomed to disappoint many, is in a way the only thing keeping the realm from descending into a series of really *BOLD ACTIONS* and tragedy. Like you said, I wonder what’ll happen when he’s gone…
The CrabFeeder fight is just a whim I think. Deamon decides to go do a fake out and CrabFeeder didn't send the whole army if you rewatch he only sent out a few at a time for a while until he figured Deamons dragon wasn't coming I'm assuming. So Deamon made this big decision on his own I think and the rest of his men had to catch up. That's why he almost got killed towards the end. (Don't come at me for misspelling the names)
Yes, Daimon did “shoot the messenger” in the book. But the message was announcing Viserys’ marriage to Alicent. It was kinda glossed over
Daemon nearly beating the messenger to death because he didn’t want Viserys’ help in taking the Stepstones and felt he’d be robbed of the honour of doing it himself is the most “little brother” thing that has ever been put on screen. 🤣
And more than that, the characterisation of him in that sequence was fantastic as it was all done without a single word; you get that he is ruthless, passionate, bold, reckless, bloodthirsty and above all determined to prove himself just from his actions alone. It’s brilliant character writing, even if he did go into that battle wearing his strongest plot armour lol, but I’m willing to let that slide.
Daemon, to me, perfectly embodies the primary qualities of dragons. He's fiery and aggressive, but loyal to his family in his own way. I wouldn't want to actually interact with Daemon, just like I'd be terrified to be near a real dragon if they actually existed, but man are they cool to read about / watch
I think part of the reason why i'm rooting for Daemon is that you feel like his family genuinely matters, and he is trying to do the right thing (ep 1 & 2 at any rate). But he hasn't got the basis of trust, he's expecting them to call him violent and disobedient. So what does he do he ramps up the violence and disobedience, because that'll show them.
It seems to me similar to a negative behaviour called testing, Where people deliberately show the ugliest side of themselves to 'test' people's friendships and trust. It's really interesting and there's a lot going on like projecting out our worst views of ourselves, how the person understands trust etc etc.
My reading so far is that the Targaryen's have kinda been played. If King Viserys had worked with his brother a bit more then he would of had a firmer base to not be so manipulated by Otto Hightower's ambition, but he didn't and now all Daemon's energy is just this directionless destructive force.
My guess is that people sympathise with that directionless destructive force, and the sheer pointlessness of it all.
In the books Daemon whips a messanger nearly to death who told him about his brother marrying Alicient. Maybe that was the part you are remembering.
0:38 "My girlfriend was kinda like .."
My good Sir, art thou not betrothed and would therefore refer to your future lady wife as your 'fiancé'?! Imagine the scandal if the court heard of your fauxpas!
My favourite part of the episode had to be the contrast between how Viserys and Rhaenyra dealt with the stags, which are established as symbolic of royalty and the throne.
Viserys has his stag captured by others and dragged to him, he barely has any control over the situation and simply has to act how he is bade because that’s how he feels as king. He feared Balerion because dragons symbolise power and, at his core, Viserys is a man afraid of power thrust into a position he was not ready for. And even at the one task he was meant to do, he screws it up and needs two thrusts to kill the stag. It wasn’t quite as miserable a performance as Theon’s butchery of Rodrick Cassel’s death in S2 of GOT, but you can clearly see that he does not feel comfortable with the role he’s been thrust into by his society. This is emphasised even more by the fact that everyone around him claps for him, as if to reassure him that he did the right thing when everyone knows that it was wrong to watch, much like Viserys’ reign. And even then, the colour of the stag is important as Viserys was promised a white stag much like a young Viserys was promised a great reign like his grandfather Jaehaerys, but the reality was much more disappointing. The stag was not weak, but it was not exceptional either.
Rhaenyra, by contrast, is the one who witnessed the white stag, the symbol of royalty, and what’s more important is that she saw it alone, only she and Criston know that it was there because that’s so informative of her character. Despite no one believing in her, as they wouldn’t believe her if she claimed she saw the stag, she doesn’t need them to know. The portent of this symbol was meant for her and her alone, as it was to reassure her that she has the future and it doesn’t matter if everyone knows it or not. Likewise, the fact that she chose to let the stag go is so important because she rejected the role that her society would have imposed upon her, she chose a different path and chose a different way than what had been imposed on Viserys with everyone watching him.
This message was laid with so much important symbolism that we will come back to look on in hindsight with a much different light.
I think Daemon is likeable because of his relationship with Rhaenyra. If she trusts him, we are predispositioned to like him because of her. That's my theory at least
rhaenyra is not a good person too
wished they showed more arrows hitting him but bounce off his armour -- that's why he wears armour (& show us the danger of running into the fight-otherwise why has no one tried it before or why won’t any one try their again later in the story besides plot armour?)
That's the one thing I wished for aswell. When barely any of the arrows actually hit him, it stretches the suspension of disbelief to an unnecessary level, when you could just show him wearing his actual plate armor instead of the half plate he's wearing - and, more importantly, show said armor ACTUALLY DOING ITS JOB until some arrows coincidentally hit some gaps, and get literally the exact same scene, just better. We literally have historical records of knights in full plate armor being described as porcupines and not flinching because well, until the invention of firearms, plate made you basically fucking invincible.
But he wanted to appear as if he's surrendering,and wearing full plate armour would give his true intentions away. Also I've read a few comments of archers who said it's actually pretty realistic that they would miss this often, because it's apparently incredibly hard to hit a moving single target from this distance.
@@traumer9622 following your comment, yes hitting a single moving target from the top of a cliff presumably in some stiff wind (its a beach) is pretty tough even for a really good archer. These kind of archers are barely trained, they're taught to pull the string and aim high so that with enough arrows into a thick enough enemy army some of them will hit.
Elven archers arent real and have given fantasy archers unrealistic expectations
@@drVarulv I said the exact same thing to someone else who brought this up, yeah. I’m actually pretty impressed at seeing something not treating archery like medieval sniper rifles.
Trying to hit a moving target with an arrow from hundreds of metres away on a fairly windy day, the best you can hope for is a sort of medieval spray-and-pray.
I think the reason Daemon worked as bait was because they believed that if he was on the ground, the dragon couldn't possibly be in the sky. They came out because they felt safe in home territory with the "only" dragon rider under their control.
I think it is more due to the dragon not coming out even when Daemon is clearly in a life threatening situation, first facing several groups of men (who were sent out instead of the army just in case), then being showered by arrows, ... Eventually the army is send out because no dragon appeared and because Daemon just kept killing/defeating the men send after him.
Crab feeder was watching the skies for the dragon, and upon seeing Daemon being wounded but no dragon turned up or cried out in shared pain so was not nearby. Sent out his forces to finish him quickly. But while caraxes was big and red, the velryaon dragon was small, quick and the stealthy in the clouds
As far as the symbolism/foreshadowing goes, I really like that bit where Harwin is holding the brown stag saying "he may be white Your Grace, but he's a big lad." Since he's Rhaenyra's first baby daddy, it makes sense.
A couple of my friends who have only seen the original show said they felt the show was going too slowly and they didn’t know where it was headed. I told them the end of season 1 is most likely going to be the start of a war in the same way that GoT started, but I didn’t give them any details beyond that. This definitely helped them put the pieces together so they can follow along more easily, since they know that this season is mostly going to be explaining who’s who and what their motivations and alliances are.
I think Daemon is likeable for any number of reasons, there is that hint of playfulness in him at times which offsets the harshness of his actions from time to time, he is feuding with his brother but at the same time he obviously respects and at least in the beginning of this season cares for Viserys and Rhaenyra. He tries to carve his own path and while his methods are not "good" per sé we see people set in their contrary opinion of him, while others are being manipulated against him. The way he dealt with the situation in episode 2 of listening in to the council calling him all kinds of things was impactful and relatable, while still being a typical rude and ill-advised Daemon thing to do. Rejecting his brother's help in this latest episode I read as both a refusal to concede the win to Viserys, and as a way to claim this chance to build himself up in the eyes of his brother (and perhaps other people as well). Plus, Matt Smith has charisma pouring off him. He's got a spark in his eyes, paired with that "aw-shucks" smile that's hard not to like.
This episode was A M A Z I N G. Harkened back to what I really loved about GoT. They're doing a surprisingly excellent job with this show.
Tim, Daemon has the messenger whipped when he learns of the birth of Aegon while he is practically confined to the vale with his "Bronze Bitch."
Heck yeah casual media analysis!
Daemon is a "literally me" character. I would love to hear your analysis on the phenomenon of "literally me" characters.
I think Daemon is as popular as he is because he is one of the few characters who fits the archetypical fantasy hero mold. he has a dragon, a personal army and he is an adept fighter and strategist in his own right. he is like Rhaegar Targayrean fused with Robert Boratheon. He is the ultimate competent underdog. Not to mention Matt Smith OWNS every scene he is in.
personally, i think that daemon is so likeable because his goals (thus far) are a lot more relatable, justifiable and human to the audience. anyone can relate to someone seeking approval from a loved one (which imo daemon has often expressed towards viserys) while other motives are far harder to empathize with. daemon, to me, is more of a "when you're bad, be bad for an understandle reason" type of guy
"I hope [Laenor] gets more screen time so we can see his acting chops"
Oh my sweet summer child...
Really enjoying the more relaxed and in-depth analysis of the show on this channel! I am a huge ASOIAF nerd and consumed all the books multiple times, and watch a lot of channels dedicated solely to that’s world. But I’m really enjoying watching channels like these discuss and digest the show. Oh and the part Tim was referencing when Daemon beat down a messenger in the books is when a guy told him about his brother having his son as shown in episode one.
Am I the only one who was disappointed we didn’t get a fight between the Crabfeeder and Daemon?
There's an instance of her calling him Viserys in the last episode, that felt really significant. She's still awkward four years in, yes, but she is definitely trying
14:10 It’s because it’s our boy Matt. It really is. Not because he’s the Doctor, but for the same reason as he was chosen for that role back in the day. He’s just likeable in everything he does. He just is!
I like to perceive Daemon as the next Homelander. 😁
OH NO HAHAHA
Who else waiting for the entire season to be aired so they can binge watch it!?😎
All the love from Mesopotamia🤟
I just came to say that the thumbnail is on point
What I understand about Daemon bait is the fact that he is a dragon rider and the leader of the opposing army so taking him out will be an enormous advantage
I really love seeing you more relaxed. Call me biased, but this video was also more engaging that the first two-- to me, a person who has not read the books, nor follows the franchise actually. But this time I find it easier to pay attention to what you were saying and find it interesting! I am pretty much going to follow the show by your re-caps. (Part of is that I am not going to by confused by what I am seeing and what I am missing by not reading the books.)
Gosh, who would have thought a well written fantasy show would become such a rare thing that we are all praising good acting and writing.
Uhhh, everyone. Literally everyone would have thought that. There has been a grand total of one good fantasy show besides HotD, and it was only about 60% good.
You're kidding me, your saying this now?! No other time in history has seen so much money and creative energy put into serialised Fantasy, 10 yrs ago no one could of even imagined Arcane, The Mandalorian, Sandman, The Witcher, The Rings of Power, Shadows and Bone, The Wheel of Time, Kenobi, Loki... etc etc etc.
Yes there have been misses and there is a lot that the industry is learning, but can u pause for the time of a RUclips ad break and notice how fast those lessons are being learned? What exactly are you looking for? Because if it's well written fantasy stories there are literally thousands and dozens of contemporary indie authors that could use your support, and if it's acting there have been handfuls this year already and we're barely into September (Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Batman, The Northman etc etc.)
You whinge because it's the laziest way to pretend like you have a personality, rather than constructively engaging with a piece of art and actually seeing all the talent that's on show. Everything from costume to set design for the shows and films mentioned have been phenomenal and the messages have been real and there to be engaged with. Or as GoT put it: "Your lips are moving and you're complaining about something. That's whinging. This one's been killed six times. You don't hear him whinging about it."
@@LightsOnTrees you know, you could have made the exact same point without sounding so condescending.
At that, claiming someone on the Internet that you never met has no personality is rude and based on nothing else than a RUclips comment.
If you want to start a discussion, that's fine but be civil.
I think an interesting aspect to HOTD that's worth noting is that we really want it to be good.
In later GoT fans saw something they love have its potential squandered, but because it was something they loved so the fandom still watched it. I think that spirit influences this show as people are watching because they have a love for stuff that made GoT great, or what made the source material great.
I honestly don't mind the issues because I'm giving this show a long leash, and very much enjoying when it does well. This does seem to be a legitimate way of making a good story- using people's love for a world to your advantage, and delivering something they enjoy.
I love these videos - please keep them coming! I think what impressed me most about the episode was how Matt Smith delivered an exceptional performance without a single sentence.
Because he just wants his oniichan's attention. He's not evil, he's childish, and he does care about his family. That's what makes him likeable.
And he can take a good roast too. Like ep2 Cole roasted him and he just said something like "nice one" and shrug it off.
Because for whatever reason people just can’t get enough of Matt Smith and his weird bean face. How his career continued on since the Morbius “Have Sex” Scene I’ll never know.
I'm just glad you at least acknowledged the shortcomings unlike all the other early reactions so far that just pretend they don't exist.
my problem with Paddy Considine is that I can't see him as anyone else but one of the cops from Hot Fuzz. I keep waiting for him to walk off screen and then poke his head back in.
“This is Westeros. Every Targaryen & their mums got dragons around here.”
“So who’s riding dragons?”
“Targaryens.”
“Targaryens’ Mums.”
On the topic of Viserys not being able to kill the deer first go; i thought it was interesting that when the white stag appears to rhaenyra and ser cristen moves to draw his sword she stops him. As well as the fact that when the bore attacked them earlier on she didnt hesiate to stab it (admittedly in a very high stress context). I'm still thinking it over but i felt like it distinguisged Rhaenyra in how and when she'll turn to violence, both in terms of her willingness to act and her ability to judge action's necessity. Or maybe i'm reading too much into it and that doesn't make sense to anyone else haha.
The stag scene was a bit uncomfy for me but nothing can ever top the C-section scene in episode 1. I was on the verge of tears.
Thank you for this video because it has basically convinced me to keep watching the series. As someone who hasn't read the books, this episode (I've just watched it) felt like it had all the red flags of Series 7 GoT - fast travel suddenly being a thing, characters personalities shifting with no warning, everything happening very fast with little exploration. I was so excited at the end of Episode 2, ready to see emotional conversations between Alisent and Rhaenara and Viserys, how Viserys would cope mentally with replacing Emma and his turmoil and fear over Alisent being pregnant and having a son, how Corlys would navigate court and the small council whilst being in league with Daemon, a much more detailed exploration of the Crab Feeder. And we didn't get any of that. It felt like it just ignored it all and I was ready to give up on it. But your explanation has made me understand a bit more why they made those choices and therefore I am going to keep watching the show thanks to you.
Kudos for highlighting Paddy Considine, his performance has lowkey been absolutely stellar.
i don't really understand why hiding in caves would help against dragon fire. I mean it was supposedly hot enought to melt stone so I would immagine that caves wouldn't provide enought protection. And at least you could melt all the entrences so that those who hid would die of hunger.
im that person who will watch season 1 to 4 of GOT many times in my life but never 5 to whatever again. So far i really love this new one, almost as much as 1-4 GOT but i hope they finish the new one after 4 seasons because i cant see it go on longer than that.
Love being able to come here after an episode to hear some great analysis
Daemon beats the messenger that tells him of the marrige between Viserys and Alicent in the book.
I think what the plan was was for Daemon to do an all or nothing attack. Giving himself up was just a diversion probably to get The troops set up. They knew if they killed the Crabfeeder they had the entire war. So that was Damon's Gambit I'll make it to that cave and I'll go in and kill him come hell or high water. Sea Smoke was cool to see.
Laenor Velaryon tells us all the plan before it happens.
@@philosophynerdlady yeah essentially. The only thing Daemon did was offer himself up as a diversion/assassin but without the Valyerians he would not have been as likely to succeed. And of course Sea Smoke. Cutting the head off of the snake was a good strategy especially after 2 years of attrition.
I do really love your analysis of the show.
First is obvious that you really like the world of asoiaf and second you really make the comparison to the books from this fake history standpoint. Really getting into the biases that a medieval type scholar would have, the fact that this works really show Martin's skills and your (and the showruner's) ability to understanding it.
I've watched others and how they cover the show, even asoiaf dedicated channels, but your videos are one of the best on this topic.
Excellent video!
To those complaining about the "rushing" of the show and the time jumps, you may want to read the book Fire and Blood. The Dance of the Dragons has not started yet. As Tim said in the video, this is just setting things up.
Didn't think anyone had any new insights on this episode. Well done, sir.
I love the changes to the step stone stories daemon presenting the crown goes from a genuine thing to basically a way to leave the stepstones with not only armour and glory
I really hope you keep making videos for HotD because I love the show and I love hearing you talk about it
The moment that you were unable to find in the book, of Daemon beating a messanger, is actually.... **spoilers for anyone who hasn't read the book**...... not Daemon but Aemond. When he is at Harrenhal he receives word that Daemon and Rhaenyra have taken King's Landing. He almost beats the messenger to death before Alice Rivers stops him.
Happy you're doing this on your second channel instead of not at all! I love your videos on this stuff. I learn so much! I think I'm rooting for Daemon because he is a foil against a group of people I kind of hate anyway lmao Like he's not a great man but he comes by it honestly 😂
The end battle scene kinda reminded me of stuff Obi-Wan and Anakin do in the Star Wars the Clone Wars media. In the movie and in the show Obi-Wan does a fake surrender to buy Anakin and Ashoka time to complete their missions. Anakin does it in the first and last seasons of the show to catch the enemy off guard and then attack them.
It's great that you started the video explaining the direction of the show. I'm watching with my mom, who's just a GOT watcher but not a fan or anything. And I'm here enjoying every detail while she is like "this is entertaining but I don't really get why". Oh, you'll see why quite soon I hope.
Also, the "reimagining" of the Stepstones War makes no sense as presented in the show, because the war as described in F&B is really the only way the conflict could have logically turned out. There is no way for Daemon to be losing a siege with Caraxes and Seasmoke, not even if he cannot storm the cavern complex, since all he needs to do is starve the enemy out and destroy any vessels which leave the safety of their (presumed) hidden coves. The reason why Daemon was struggling in canon was not taking the isles, but holding them, since Caraxes could only be in so many places at a time, he only had so many men to garrison the conquered islands and the Triarchy-Dornish alliance could attack from numerous directions at once, meaning Daemon had to constantly re-take and re-staff forts controlling the archipelago. In the show, there is no discernible reason why the Velaryons should be the ones who are running out of supplies faster, especially with their modest force.
The stag scene was the worst for you? Not the butchering of Aemma?
I'll have you know that your reviews convinced me to give the show a try and I'm glad for it. Thanks
Love the casual feel of this video. Look forward to hearing your take on the other episodes as they come out 😊 I adore this show so far and think it deserves a lot of praise
The White Stag does Not show for the party (Aegons Birthday) but it Does show for Rhaenyra; knowing how Martin thinks of these kinds of issues that *Will come up again later I'm positive. Probably alot of fighting will come up but the White Stag has already made it's decision.
I was already looking forward to your review, your thoughts on the show are always so interesting :)
You say this series leans more high fantasy and that the world is more magical than in Game of Thrones, but it has felt the opposite to me - GoT started with the White Walker setup and that season had a lot of supernatural stuff that only grew over the seasons. This show, so far, has only really had dragons and that is about it. Another nice analysis of an interesting episode. Thank you for continuing these, even if swapping channels.
Love this more relaxed format!
And I loved this episode, 9/10 for me! I am so excited for next week, especially after the promo trailer
Great review :) I absolutely loved this episode
The point about there being mroe magic and high fantasy themes in HOTD is probably due to the fact that the writers here 1) Listened to Geroge adn 2) Do not activley avoid dealing with the fantasy elements of Martins world the way Dumb and Dumber did.
I think it is rather unfair to refer to the showrunners of GoT as dumb and dumber, that totally glosses over the fact that they managed to make a series beloved by fantasy fans and non-fantasy fans for 6 seasons. Just because the end wasn't great. Of the many things that can be said about GoT, downplaying the fantasy elements in the first seasons probably wasn't the problem
Love the video , hope you enjoy the making of future ones
I’m reading through the book right now and it does mention Daemon whipping a serving man who told him about King Viserys marriage to Lady Alicent. Maybe that was what you were thinking of. Page 361 in my version
I love Matt Smith
I love the Dance of the Dragons, it was one of the more interesting wars mentioned in the books, and I am enjoying House of the Dragon.
But I think HBO have kind of shot themselves in the foot by choosing it, there are a lot of timeskips left to come and a lot of important information that needs to be delivered before we even get close to the Dance. With the change of actors coming soon, I would not be surprised if a lot of people who either haven't read the book or don't know about how awesome the upcoming civil war is, drop the show.
Either because of the change in actors or because of the constant timeskips, and even though Season 2 has been confirmed, if this goes poorly it might kill the show before it even gets off the ground.
I really enjoy your videos. The only "request" I have: please be careful with spoilers!
They've already shown us Harrenhal, we know dragonfire can melt stone. It makes no sense for the Crabfeeder to have survived that long. Just simple fires at barred cave entrances would have smoked them out, then they should be easy picking for archers stationed at the only entrance left available. It's not like they're hidden, they know which cave systems they're hiding in.
It could be that Balerion was a more powerful dragon, or that the man-made walls of Harrenhal were more fragile than natural formations. What I was left wondering was why wouldn't they just spew fire into the caves, burning all the oxygen and turning the mountain into an oven?
@@Oxtocoatl13 yeah, sure, a fort is not quite the same as natural underground cave systems (and maybe Caraxes, Seasmoke and Meleys [if they also brought her] couldn't do what Balerion could do) sure I'll give them that. but yeah, like what I said. regular fires started at the mouth of cave entrances (which are then barred) will suffocate them until they die or are forced to come out
i dont really mind this bit, i know the Crabfeeder is more like a plot device to built characters more than the conflict itself, but it breaks immersion which is unfortunate
I love the ASOIAF universe, history, lore, characters, everything. But sometimes it gets frustrating how nobody can work together. It's all family against family, brother against brother, sister against sister. It gets frustrating.
I love how Daemon inspires fear and respect in his followers and sooo much hatred in his enemies. I can't hate him. haha
I have a theory that Vicarys is right and i believe that Otto is trying to get his Bloodline onto the Iron Throne and Snuff out Rhaenyra for the next Heir as a manipulation tactic to trust Otto that he has the best interest for but i think Vicarys and Rhaenyra are the victims among the council
Great video.
Really nice video
i love this side channel :D
Anyone complaining about the trebuchets being in front of the troops at the battle of the long night, who doesn’t question the battle plan here needs to get some consistency.
I really enjoyed this episode (spoilers ahead)
The hunt was fantastic and full of metaphor!! I loved that, like as Viserys killed the tied up deer and the clapping after, SO UNCOMFY. I really liked his story line this episode.
I didn't like how Rhaenyra just ran off for a while and she's just hanging out with her future hubby (i'm assuming this one since Viserys told her she can marry whoever she wants)
Would be a touch difficult for her to marry Sir Criston unfortunately, becoming king's guard is like taking the black of the night's watch, you aren't allowed to marry after you've taken your vows.
@@elliotthartup4095 yeah but her father could have him discharged, no?
@@PsychologyandChillwMichi that is true, but there aren't exactly honourable discharges from the king's guard, being named to the king's guard is a crazy big honour in and of itself, being dismissed is a big deal, like Ser Barristan in GOT
Long live the King
it's bc caraxes is cute
Basically, all of this happened because Viserys wanted to be one of the great Targaryens and one of the dreamers but didn't have the guts to be actual Targaryen and take a second wife as was the tradition. Aemma didn't have to die because the burden of childbearing would not be all on her. Rhaenyra wouldn't lose her mother and Viserys the love of his life while the heir would be produced.
I still think Rhaenyra is the best, even though i am sure they will pull a Daenerys with her....