I literally CHEERED alone in my dorm room when I saw laenor at the end of the episode. I was so confused as to how rhae could be so okay with killing him off, but in reality she was gifting him the life he always wanted! ugh SO GOOD
"I should have been there." -Laenor "Those could be our House words." - Rhaenyra Favorite line of the whole episode! Tell it like it is girl! Would fit great on merchandise lol
Personally, the funeral scene was my favorite. There was barely any dialogue during that and all the players were in one place. You could literally feel the rising tensions. Even the cloudy and windy weather added to that. It was a very well directed scene.
This episode had me at the edge of my seat the whole time! You could feel how thick the tension was from the beginning, and when it finally exploded, it was horrifying to witness but riveting nonetheless. After all the madness that occurred and how dark this episode got, Laenor and Qarl escaping was the glimpse of hope we desperately needed.
this episode was such a rollercoaster of emotions. i was attacked on all fronts but the closing shot of Laenor made me sigh such relief!! I am so happy for him
The Laenor death isn't technically a change from the book. the books is an historical one with an unreliable narrator. With the way things happened in the show, everyone still thinks Laenor actually died and that's exactly what history books written by Maesters in the future will tell.
@@fembrucewayne1904 We don’t actually know how the dragon bond works scientifically. If the Dragon believes he is dead or if he is so far away from the dragon the bond can be separated? It’s never clarified so technically it doesn’t break any rules of the established universe
It was clear that the plan was to have Laenor and Qarl moved to a place where they can be as what they are, as stated by Daemon. It was an incredible twist!
I think Daemon giggled to shift the attention Corlys' brother speech was bringing towards Rheanyra to him instead. While he was saying it, the way the scene was directed made it feel like Rhaenyra and her boys were the elephant in the room.
If you look at the subtitles he’s laughing when they’re talking about blood, pure blood and how it must never thing. I think it probably struck him as totally bizarre.
I think that’s a valid way of looking at it. The way I saw it was Daemon finding it funny just how messed up the whole family is now. He was always the one looked down upon as the black sheep of the family. The outcast, but now he sees they are all as fucked up as he is.
@@roadjcat nah some fans do care about the poor guard just like the poor goat slaughtered for the dragon training ... but I think if we dive deep into it, the guard would've wanted Laenor to be happy & glad he died for some greater purpose, but personally sad he had to die so unexpectedly without even saying goodbye to his loved ones & spending his last moments doing something he loved instead of in agony, pain, confusion, despair. There is always a lot of sacrifice... and in future seasons it will be just the beginning of the 1,000s, or even 10,000s (I never read the books, idk) that will die in the dance of the dragons.
freaking loved this episode. I was so relieved that Laenor survived. he was a nice guy who lost so much too. legit, he didn't deserve to die and i was so glad they didn't kill him. I also loved Aemon riding Vhagar. one of the coolest scenes in the whole show
@@equos5060 the books were all based on the knowledge the maisters had. They didn't know what really happened to laynor, the series just shows us the real truth. Laynor also survived in the book, we just never knew the whole truth.
Whoa, he didn't laugh at his wife's funeral, he was laughing at the sneak dissing the "priest" was aiming at Rhynaera and at the irony of the disrespectfulness it was to do so at that moment. Basically holding up a mirror at the priest.
This episode was the final push that made me on team Rheanyra. I was always hesitant to decide which character I wanted to win the "game of thrones", but I really am rooting for Rheanyra and Daemon now.
I like the idea that the book the show is based on is the "authorised and official history" of House Targaryen. While the show HOTD is what and how it actually happened. Much like real life, sometimes real life gets overshadowed by historical licence and the prejudice of who records it.
Can we appreciate the Daenery’s songs being played with a little remix? Sooo good! And omg I am glad Leanor is alive and him and Rhaenyra and Daemon planned this lol
first of all i much appreciate the breakdown being here 2 min after i finished to watch the episode! It's like a chat with friends just after the episode was done, as me and my friends used to do watch alongs for GOT. Man i think it is hard to root for any of the people in the show, i believe none of them is really bad, but they are playing the Game of Thrones and the situation is bad for everyone. This is peak medieval court power struggle (plus dragons) and i LOVE it!
That last scene was very powerful. Death is the only way to be free of the Game of Thrones, and Laenor's 'death' not only set him free from GOT but it set HIM free. Truly beautiful
This. Show. Is. Amazing. I’m both enjoying the show and I’m Team Black. I’m actually afraid for Laenor to return. They’d kill him. Just let him be happy somewhere else.
@@sparrow6880 he may return but not how people think but in keeping with the book Laenor is dead from this point on as in his current identity but he can still appear as a different person He could return with a new Identity his rumored bastard Addam who rides Seasmoke. It's heavily suggested that Laenor has trouble sleeping with women so it could make sense that Seasmokes new rider is in fact Laenor who returns. Addam looking just like Laenor would also quiet rumors from the Velaryons about his true identity 😂 And also explains why Corlys easily accepts him , he would recognise his son. It makes sense Laenor would have lived his life a bit and perhaps now ready to take on his duty as heir of Driftmark.
I have to disagree with your opinion on the dragon claiming. Was one of the girls supposed to claim the dragon during their mother's funeral, or directly after? That's pretty cold blooded, and ruthless to claim a dragon the same night as the riders funeral.
Thank you for saying this. It has been infuriating how dark this series is (a habit of nowadays, see The Batman or Euphoria). There are entire scenes where the screen is pitch black, & I’m just trying to decipher what’s going on with the volume cranked up
This past weeks Rings of Power episode was a great example that scenes can be shot in the dark but still visible... Its a shame when they don't light episodes properly 😔 HotD is sooooo good but they need to take note of Rings Of Powers latest episode and fix these so dark scenes.
@@ashleythomas5545 they should make a trade, ROP teach HOTD how to shoot night scenes, and HOTD teach ROP how to have a good script...between the two I prefer a good story to follow with good acting...in that Rings of Power leaves a lot of Wish.
The change from the books was an excellent choice and I'm glad they made it for the show. As for my allegiance, I'm on team Rhaenyra/Daemon. And that's mostly thanks to the exquisite job Milly Alcock did in establishing the character of Rhaenyra early on.
I think Daemon and Rhaenyra NOT being fan favorites actually makes it all the more fun in choosing between the greens and blacks. I feel like having one side is kind of boring. Before the big reveal at the end, I was like, "Okay cool they're making me turn green" but then nah. I like being wishy-washy with the sides.
But it would've felt too out of character for Rhaenyra to do something so horrible to her husband, their relationship might not be the best but killing him to satisfy her desires just doesn't feel right, at least not for this version of the character (haven't read the book). I still feel that having ser Criston kill Joffrey in ep5 was way too extreme, doing it again to make the blacks more "grey" wouldn't have been worth it imo.
I think it was pretty obvious that Laenor wasn’t going to die when Daemon killed that other guy. It was part of the plan from the beginning. The Hightowers are power hungry and Alicent’s alliance to Larys Strong is vile. Great breakdown video.
*DAEMON:* _"We could not marry unless Laenor were dead."_ *RHAENYRA:* _"I know."_ *DAEMON:* _"Let them whisper...We will know the truth of it, and our enemies won't."_ *RHAENYRA:* _"They will fear what else we might be capable of."_ *_"EACH OF US IS CAPABLE OF DEPRAVITY. And more than you would believe."_* - Daemon Targaryen
Exactly and Daemon killing the innocent was a great touch it shows Daemon has no moral compass but he is still loyal to those he likes which pretty much describes his character completely
My heart sank when I thought she was gonna set him up to be killed. I was sooo freaking happy to see him alive at the end. Such a happy ending for this series.
I personally found the twist with Laenor to be really cheap and kinda of a copout. It definitely feels like the show wants us to root for the Blacks as the heroes and the Greens as the evil side of the civil war, when in reality they're both kinda assholes
It wasn’t cheap. It was just something other than the nihilism which has infected this show from the start. And it surprised because it deviated from the book. It was brilliant.
@@zenla1033 How can it "infect" the story when it is the main premise? It's the bleakest piece of history within the world of the story. I wish they stuck to that.
extremely dark cinematography I could barely see, and an extremely dark episode, but essentially a great episode. A lot of steeler scenes I must say, it's getting better and better.
Laenor living isn’t really a change from the book. Fire & Blood is an in world history book and history will say that Laenor was murdered by Qarl Correy. Even in Fire & Blood there’s some mystery as to Laenor’s murder. Also, the only thing the twist revealed is the person Rhaenyra and Daemon plotted to murder was someone the audience doesn’t have attachment to. That might win them points in the court of public opinion but it’s not like their hands are exactly clean lol
Daem0n is a killer as what Epis0de 1 sh0wed. He killed and mutilated a bunch 0f pe0ple they suspected 0f being criminals. He is n0t a saint. H0wever, he will defend his family at all c0st.
Targaryens have a little immunity to fire, but not completely. That is an invention of the show. Hm, I'm a book reader. This Laenor twist could work if [POSSIBLE MAJOR SPOILER] ... .... ..... ...... Daemon and Rhynara's youngest son, Viserys ends up lost in Essos. Maybe Laenor looks after young Viserys and helps him get home.
I loved this episode but what I want to know is when the queen attacked the princess who was the gaurds actually suppose to be protecting and defending because they did nothing! The didn't grab nobody or nothing! I feel like if I was a king, my gaurds couldn't just stand around while my wife attacks my blood daughter!
Everyone in A Song of Ice and Fire has a doom fate and suffers awful things... To think that only a community is being targeted seems like victimisation
Right! Just go to show that they don’t want to be treated equally they want to be “special”. Like what the saying says “You give them an inch and they’ll take a mile”.
I think it has more to do with having gay characters be introduced only to be killed almost immediatly and on top of that having their sexuality being their defining feature. Joffrey was an example of this, and so was Loras on the original show.
@@tomasmaniago5832 Characters are introduced and killed off in GoT, its not exclusive to gays. People should just be clear about what they really want, which is gay main characters that are major players. Well they probably shouldn't look for that in this universe, but to say its an attack on the community is irresponsible. The men are mainly important because they reproduce and further bloodlines, which you dont get with gay characters
@@tiniestavenger6329 going by that logic, Tyrion shouldn't had been a main character because "realistically" little people were not given a chance to live in that time period. Same thing with Brienne being a woman knight. Just because a character doesn't fit the mold of what's "realistic" for the setting doesn't mean that they should be excluded from the story. And I'm not even expecting Laenor to be anywhere near as important to this show as Tyrion and Brienne were for GoT. But I think is perfectly reasonable for people to be upset if they see a pattern, and they criticize it.
This is the exact downfall of the original series not sticking to the source material. Just to please a few fans. Everyone should know by now that no one is spared on this show whatever they identify with. They should just watch Rings of power if they want to be pleased as a casual viewer
I wouldn’t say it’s a change from the books. The book is written from different perspectives as almost a history lesson. So maybe it was always the truth that he lived
When I thought they killed off another character of colour, I thought we were getting the the typical Hollywood bias of making characters of colour beta to make white male characters seem cooler. I’m glad Laenor survived but if he just disappears from the story then what is the point. Corolys’ family are meant to be the most powerful family but they are they are taking constant Ls and it is starting to annoy me because being the only family of colour in the show it is giving me Finn in the Force Awakens vibes where they feel the have to make the characters of colour very beta as not to overshadow the white characters.
Everyone must remember that the books are from the perspective of the maesters who lived during that time and don’t have all the facts leading up to certain events. GRRM is using the show as this is what actually happened during that time.
Why is it offensive to kill Laenor? He didn't die because he was gay but because he was married to Rhaeyna nothing to do with being gay. We won't see Laenor anymore anyway because he Is meant to be dead. So it doesn't really matter if he died or not. Same as Joffrey. He didn't die for being gay but for blackmailing and upsetting Cole.
Thank you!! My thoughts exactly, why does it always have to be seen as a commentary on their sexual orientation. Can't we just enjoy the show without people trying to turn this into social commentary
It’s more to do with the trope of gay characters never having a good ending, either because they die or live unhappy lives. So it’s a matter of representation of LGBT in media more than explicit homophobia in the story.
House of the Dragon just keeps getting better and better. The twist at the end was so great. Seeing as GRRM is closely involved I would think they got his approval to change this from the book or maybe he wanted it changed. Either way, it was very welcomed.
And thus Raenyra took his uncle husband and adopted the daughters from her dead cousin/ sister in law hoping to make many son cousins. Targaryans are just confusing and messed up in many ways.
This was the best episode! Loved the Vhagar claiming scenes-amazing! Aemond was brave but is a Green Savage, lol! Loved the Laenor actor and happily shocked at the twist! But I am a book reader and wonder about what is going to happen to Seasmoke? That dragon has a role in the DotD for sure and he would follow Laenor according to the dragonriding rules as laid out thus far. No bonding with a dragonseed or is Laenor coming back with Seasmoke during the Dance? It would be hard for me to believe that he would let his family be imperiled without coming back to kick butt on Seasmoke! I am team GOT, cause Greens and Blacks are really horrible forreal!
honestly, the choice of cast was BRILLIANT, I already forgot about the previous actresses (I mean of course their acting is too good to be forgotten, but the transition was really smooth and stunning).
It's a heartless thing to do to his parents though. This character is such a tool to show the showrunner's good will, he's strong today, weak tomorrow, he cares today, runs tomorrow. Whatever.
Yes, when you get past the happiness that he is alive, it's a terrible thing to do. Dae/Rae and Daemon and his lover conspired to get him out of Westeros and thier way but they killed an innocent man to do it and let Laenor's parents think he was dead.
I read the book and so I knew Laenor died. In the story it’s not definitive how it happened. I was hoping they wouldn’t go the Daemon route because he respected Laenor, and in essence, he was his family. I think even he was shocked when Rhaenerya hinted at it. There were spy photos of Laenor rowing but I really never put 2&2 together. Matt said in an interview there was a great twist in this episode, and I was very happy to see it.
I wouldn't say Laenor surviving is a change from the books. The books are written by a maester from the Citadel who hasn't witnessed any of the events that happen in the show. Everyone besides Rhaenyra, Daemon, Qarl and Laenor thinks Qarl killed Laenor, so that's how history will remember it, hence why it's like that in the books. I would put it more as an addition rather than a change
The reason Daemon laughed during the eulogy was because Aemond was clearly speaking about Rhaenyras sons being bastards, so he diverged attention to him to spare the boys
I'm sorry I disagree with u, the bottom line is this is a show!!!! A fantasy show!!!!! Black, white, gay, green, red does it matter??? This is not real life. Other than that love your breakdowns and love the show.
“I’ll fluff your pillow for you now…” “It’s too late!” 😂 Such a great show. I had to pause the ‘trail’ scene so many times. The tension. The TENSION! Excellent writing. I was very happy to see Laenor alive at the end. It wasn’t needed, for me. But a pleasant surprise.
This show is not supposed to play to your societal problems over there in the land of the free. Stop demanding things from this show and the works of an author. Who do you think you are.
wtf? why is there any reason to criticize the depictions of the death scenes? They were perfect and delivered exactly what they needed. And tbh - why is anyone "angry" that ppl with specific tastes get killed? - that what "equal rights" are - everybody can die. And especially because they dont die because of their sexual taste, but what their position in the game is. but maybe that is a specific US "problem" - none of the German viewers I talked to even mentioned that - and some of them are in the lgbqt+ community. On the episode itself ... who could expect that several ppl talking on a funeral for 20+ minutes can be so exciting. :)
So grace just forgot about all the men who were gruesomely murdered in the first episode? And all the men being executed by the crab feeder? Lol typical.
I literally CHEERED alone in my dorm room when I saw laenor at the end of the episode. I was so confused as to how rhae could be so okay with killing him off, but in reality she was gifting him the life he always wanted! ugh SO GOOD
You’re an Equity and Social Justice Major am I right?
@@daynejoseph2366 And you're a jobless incel, am I right?
@@daynejoseph2366 you watch Fox News religiously am I right?
@@daynejoseph2366 why are you bringing politics into this?
@@anniesmith5739 that was good. I liked that. 😂
"I should have been there." -Laenor
"Those could be our House words." - Rhaenyra
Favorite line of the whole episode! Tell it like it is girl! Would fit great on merchandise lol
The Vhagar scene was amazing!
Still needs more dragons. Rhaenyra doesn't spend any time at all with her dragon.
If I could actually only really saw it!
@@flashgordon6510 would be awesome if they had a flashback with Milly and the dragon
@@flashgordon6510 You'll get your dragon fights in season 2.
100% agree. I just with the rider wasn’t team Green🙍🏻♂️
Personally, the funeral scene was my favorite. There was barely any dialogue during that and all the players were in one place. You could literally feel the rising tensions. Even the cloudy and windy weather added to that. It was a very well directed scene.
This episode had me at the edge of my seat the whole time! You could feel how thick the tension was from the beginning, and when it finally exploded, it was horrifying to witness but riveting nonetheless. After all the madness that occurred and how dark this episode got, Laenor and Qarl escaping was the glimpse of hope we desperately needed.
this episode was such a rollercoaster of emotions. i was attacked on all fronts but the closing shot of Laenor made me sigh such relief!! I am so happy for him
The Laenor death isn't technically a change from the book. the books is an historical one with an unreliable narrator. With the way things happened in the show, everyone still thinks Laenor actually died and that's exactly what history books written by Maesters in the future will tell.
You can say that about young griff. The actual aegon!
It's a change that breaks canon laenor can literally not just leave, he has a telepathic connection with a dragon
@@fembrucewayne1904 ohh this thing... hmmm😶 Maybe he can give it to Laena's daughter?
@@fembrucewayne1904 We don’t actually know how the dragon bond works scientifically. If the Dragon believes he is dead or if he is so far away from the dragon the bond can be separated? It’s never clarified so technically it doesn’t break any rules of the established universe
@@1297skypred stupid
In the books his death is a mystery other than Qarl being suspect. I love the reality so much more!!!! Live free Laenor!
*Innocent guard that was killed to thrown in the fire* - Am I a joke to you?
@@Unknown024 yeah actually since it was an inconsequential character
It was clear that the plan was to have Laenor and Qarl moved to a place where they can be as what they are, as stated by Daemon. It was an incredible twist!
The best line was "I lost an eye but gained a dragon"!
Bro is a walking Black Air Force 1. Love him.
I loved how Daemon was chilling on the sidelines when everything hit the fan, but moved in when Rhaenyra was in danger and blocked Cole.
I would love to see Daemon chop Sir Criston Coles head off ..... Can't stand Sir Cole .... He is a sucker .
@@lordgodspeed1539 agreed! I want him to get killed more than any other character
Aegon: "we know, everyone knows." I didn't think he had it in him, kept his cool as Viserys demanded the answer and got more than he bargain for
I think Daemon giggled to shift the attention Corlys' brother speech was bringing towards Rheanyra to him instead. While he was saying it, the way the scene was directed made it feel like Rhaenyra and her boys were the elephant in the room.
My exact thoughts. He was doing it to shift attention. They probably should have had him give the guy a dirty look afterwards though to drive it home.
I like this interpretation!
If you look at the subtitles he’s laughing when they’re talking about blood, pure blood and how it must never thing. I think it probably struck him as totally bizarre.
@@vanessalore9942 hey I think this is good take. I mean it is leaning in too much on my seed marries my seed, keeps wu-tang money all in the family
I think that’s a valid way of looking at it. The way I saw it was Daemon finding it funny just how messed up the whole family is now. He was always the one looked down upon as the black sheep of the family. The outcast, but now he sees they are all as fucked up as he is.
I'm glad Laenor got to sail off into the sunset. RIP to the random guard who ended up in the fireplace though lol
Yeah I guess we don't care about him????
@@roadjcat We really don't lol. Our morals are fragile.
@@roadjcat as long as the Gays win, no one cares.
@@roadjcat
That random guard was a raper.
@@roadjcat nah some fans do care about the poor guard just like the poor goat slaughtered for the dragon training ... but I think if we dive deep into it, the guard would've wanted Laenor to be happy & glad he died for some greater purpose, but personally sad he had to die so unexpectedly without even saying goodbye to his loved ones & spending his last moments doing something he loved instead of in agony, pain, confusion, despair.
There is always a lot of sacrifice... and in future seasons it will be just the beginning of the 1,000s, or even 10,000s (I never read the books, idk) that will die in the dance of the dragons.
freaking loved this episode. I was so relieved that Laenor survived. he was a nice guy who lost so much too. legit, he didn't deserve to die and i was so glad they didn't kill him. I also loved Aemon riding Vhagar. one of the coolest scenes in the whole show
Yup, that was fantastic.
@@equos5060 yeah I agree. This feels a lot more toothless.
@@equos5060 the books were all based on the knowledge the maisters had. They didn't know what really happened to laynor, the series just shows us the real truth. Laynor also survived in the book, we just never knew the whole truth.
I think Daemon’s laughter was to distract. It’s a pretty Daemon thing to do, but as usual I think his actions are very calculated.
Whoa, he didn't laugh at his wife's funeral, he was laughing at the sneak dissing the "priest" was aiming at Rhynaera and at the irony of the disrespectfulness it was to do so at that moment. Basically holding up a mirror at the priest.
This episode was the final push that made me on team Rheanyra. I was always hesitant to decide which character I wanted to win the "game of thrones", but I really am rooting for Rheanyra and Daemon now.
Can you explain why people are rooting for them?
@@coolhive2941 they're less evil
@@deepakpurti LOL
I like the idea that the book the show is based on is the "authorised and official history" of House Targaryen. While the show HOTD is what and how it actually happened. Much like real life, sometimes real life gets overshadowed by historical licence and the prejudice of who records it.
Yes yes yes yes this, the books are from the perspective of people but what really happened is what we see in the show
"History is written by the victor. History is full of liars." -John Price, Call of Duty MW2
You forgot to mention that Viserys is kindda losing it already, he called Alicent “Aemma” 😂😂 which made me so happy. But I think he’s dying soon
Can we appreciate the Daenery’s songs being played with a little remix? Sooo good! And omg I am glad Leanor is alive and him and Rhaenyra and Daemon planned this lol
they got me… they got me 😂😭
Laenor is lucky because he gets to leave the whole mess behind lol
first of all i much appreciate the breakdown being here 2 min after i finished to watch the episode! It's like a chat with friends just after the episode was done, as me and my friends used to do watch alongs for GOT. Man i think it is hard to root for any of the people in the show, i believe none of them is really bad, but they are playing the Game of Thrones and the situation is bad for everyone. This is peak medieval court power struggle (plus dragons) and i LOVE it!
Also, only GOT can make us cheer out loud when incest finally happens. I'm not even sorry :))
@@mirunaelenabarti
Ha ha good point 😆👍😆
@@mirunaelenabarti I'm fine with it within the context of the show but I really hope Rhaenyra doesn't call Daemon "uncle" anymore.
As a gay man I didn't give a fuck about Jeffrey's dead, THIS IS GAME OF THRONES
Conversely I’m straight - but also find the kill-the-gays trope tiresome. So now what?
Can gay people not die in tv shows? I'm confused.
@@Dan-qi4ix well they seem to be conveniently dieing more than straight people it seems.
I agree that you’re confused. You work at it hard enough.
@@zenla1033 But not as hard as you trying to virtue signal.
The princes and Princesses fight was my favorite scene
That last scene was very powerful. Death is the only way to be free of the Game of Thrones, and Laenor's 'death' not only set him free from GOT but it set HIM free. Truly beautiful
The Vahgar scene was amazing! For some reason it reminded me of Prisoner of Azkaban ...when Harry rides Buckbeak for the first time.
I thought the same thing too!!
I totally had this seems very Harry Potter vibes lol
And the castle looks like Hogwarts vibes watching it.
Vhagar and Aemond scene gave me chills. It was raw and majestic! I cant believe how rude Aegon is to his sister. I wish we’d seen more of her.
Haelena the dreamer. I suspect we will be listening closely to what she is saying while everyone in the show ignores her
That was a top 10 Game of Thrones episode.
agree
This. Show. Is. Amazing.
I’m both enjoying the show and I’m Team Black.
I’m actually afraid for Laenor to return. They’d kill him. Just let him be happy somewhere else.
He won’t I guess because in books he’s dead also he finally has his happy ending
@@sparrow6880 he may return but not how people think but in keeping with the book
Laenor is dead from this point on as in his current identity but he can still appear as a different person
He could return with a new Identity his rumored bastard Addam who rides Seasmoke.
It's heavily suggested that Laenor has trouble sleeping with women so it could make sense that Seasmokes new rider is in fact Laenor who returns.
Addam looking just like Laenor would also quiet rumors from the Velaryons about his true identity 😂
And also explains why Corlys easily accepts him , he would recognise his son.
It makes sense
Laenor would have lived his life a bit and perhaps now ready to take on his duty as heir of Driftmark.
@@shippendales8543 in books corlys velaryon was rumoured to be adam’s father and laenor was official father
I have to disagree with your opinion on the dragon claiming. Was one of the girls supposed to claim the dragon during their mother's funeral, or directly after? That's pretty cold blooded, and ruthless to claim a dragon the same night as the riders funeral.
That's definitely gonna be revisited later in the series. I can't wait for that showdown...
@@adrianrussell7769 nah as per books the dragon was still his til the end
Laena's casket hadn't even sunk and Daemon was out bonin 🤦🏾♂️😮
That man is a straight psycho 😂he didnt even stand by the side of his daughters when they were mourning.
People seem to think that the wedding was a few months later
I could care less about Laenor. Much better seeing Rhyaneris and Daemon getting together.
Same XD
They are both evil and power thirsty though
@@ronburgundy3172 so is everyone one else playing the game of thrones. He probably just enjoy their chemistry on screen.
Incest is great amirite
Grace, the reach to say that gays are targeted on this show is ridiculous.
This episode is WAAAAAAYY too dark. Previous episodes are already dark even when it's supposed to be daytime, but this one takes the cake
Thank you for saying this. It has been infuriating how dark this series is (a habit of nowadays, see The Batman or Euphoria). There are entire scenes where the screen is pitch black, & I’m just trying to decipher what’s going on with the volume cranked up
what didnt help is it was in 720p , how the F a show is filmed in 720p in 2022 ,smh
This past weeks Rings of Power episode was a great example that scenes can be shot in the dark but still visible... Its a shame when they don't light episodes properly 😔 HotD is sooooo good but they need to take note of Rings Of Powers latest episode and fix these so dark scenes.
@@rodgod82 *cuz humans naturally see on 720, that's why 4k looks unnatural...
@@ashleythomas5545 they should make a trade, ROP teach HOTD how to shoot night scenes, and HOTD teach ROP how to have a good script...between the two I prefer a good story to follow with good acting...in that Rings of Power leaves a lot of Wish.
The change from the books was an excellent choice and I'm glad they made it for the show. As for my allegiance, I'm on team Rhaenyra/Daemon. And that's mostly thanks to the exquisite job Milly Alcock did in establishing the character of Rhaenyra early on.
Literally solidified my respect for the series, story line, production, creativity, etc!!! Obsessed!!!
I think Daemon and Rhaenyra NOT being fan favorites actually makes it all the more fun in choosing between the greens and blacks. I feel like having one side is kind of boring. Before the big reveal at the end, I was like, "Okay cool they're making me turn green" but then nah. I like being wishy-washy with the sides.
I fully agree.
But it would've felt too out of character for Rhaenyra to do something so horrible to her husband, their relationship might not be the best but killing him to satisfy her desires just doesn't feel right, at least not for this version of the character (haven't read the book). I still feel that having ser Criston kill Joffrey in ep5 was way too extreme, doing it again to make the blacks more "grey" wouldn't have been worth it imo.
I think it was pretty obvious that Laenor wasn’t going to die when Daemon killed that other guy. It was part of the plan from the beginning. The Hightowers are power hungry and Alicent’s alliance to Larys Strong is vile. Great breakdown video.
I'll never side with incest and a person who kills his own wife just because...😂
They’re definitely fan favorites…..
In Cole’s defense; when Alicent screams “you’re loyal to me” he reminds her it’s as her “protector” only.
*DAEMON:* _"We could not marry unless Laenor were dead."_
*RHAENYRA:* _"I know."_
*DAEMON:* _"Let them whisper...We will know the truth of it, and our enemies won't."_
*RHAENYRA:* _"They will fear what else we might be capable of."_
*_"EACH OF US IS CAPABLE OF DEPRAVITY. And more than you would believe."_* - Daemon Targaryen
Such great dialogue
Laenor returning with an alias one day would be cool. Can imagine Rhaenys pulling a Mrs. Bennet saying "Have you no consideration for my poor nerves?"
Laenor and Daemon relationship should not also be overlooked. The one dude who stood up for him and is a true warrior in Daemon's eye
Exactly and Daemon killing the innocent was a great touch it shows Daemon has no moral compass but he is still loyal to those he likes which pretty much describes his character completely
Anybody else turning up that brightness to watch some of these scenes ?
Yep tried it and didn't help lol
After this episode, I'm team Rhaenyra 100%. Although I'm really enjoying both characters and can see both sides.
I’m actually the opposite which is interesting. If Criston Cole wasn’t on Alicents team, I would be fully team green at the moment
@@noirnoel I'm sorry but how?? She tried to take out a child's eye.
@@alexlazzerly3677 your acting like Rhaenyra wouldn't have done the same thing if one of her sons had lost an eye.
My heart sank when I thought she was gonna set him up to be killed. I was sooo freaking happy to see him alive at the end. Such a happy ending for this series.
A happy ending for all except the servant that was murdered like a sacrificial lamb
That was amazing! It felt like the real game of thrones! They doing a great job!
5:37 why exactly? I don't think anyone is bothered by that if it doesn't add to the story
I personally found the twist with Laenor to be really cheap and kinda of a copout. It definitely feels like the show wants us to root for the Blacks as the heroes and the Greens as the evil side of the civil war, when in reality they're both kinda assholes
It wasn’t cheap. It was just something other than the nihilism which has infected this show from the start.
And it surprised because it deviated from the book. It was brilliant.
Yeah I wish they let us decide who to root for instead of directing us towards the blacks
@@zenla1033 How can it "infect" the story when it is the main premise? It's the bleakest piece of history within the world of the story. I wish they stuck to that.
Well they still killed a innocent person to pose as laenor so I wouldn’t say they are hero’s
Didn’t they kill an innocent 😇 person? Or do you not care lol
Corlys' wife is called *Rhaenys,* not Rhanerys.
I loved it. I was about to cry but then the episode ended and I started grinning. Masterfully done.
You need your meds.
Man. Rhaenyra and Daemon moved on pretty quick. Really sad that Daemon hasn’t matured from his feeling towards his brother. Real shame.
Such a relief!! So happy for him! I hope he finds happiness!
They should have killed him, because this world isnt about happy endings. But everything else was so good that km not even mad
extremely dark cinematography I could barely see, and an extremely dark episode, but essentially a great episode. A lot of steeler scenes I must say, it's getting better and better.
Laenor living isn’t really a change from the book. Fire & Blood is an in world history book and history will say that Laenor was murdered by Qarl Correy. Even in Fire & Blood there’s some mystery as to Laenor’s murder.
Also, the only thing the twist revealed is the person Rhaenyra and Daemon plotted to murder was someone the audience doesn’t have attachment to. That might win them points in the court of public opinion but it’s not like their hands are exactly clean lol
I agree! They are showing us what happened in the books. Same with like when Daemon killed his first wife
It IS a change. In the books, Laenor is really dead since his dragon binds with someone else. This can’t happen while Laenor lives.
@@LostHope84 So you really think the show won't do anything with Dreamfyre??
Daem0n is a killer as what Epis0de 1 sh0wed. He killed and mutilated a bunch 0f pe0ple they suspected 0f being criminals. He is n0t a saint. H0wever, he will defend his family at all c0st.
Targaryens have a little immunity to fire, but not completely. That is an invention of the show.
Hm, I'm a book reader. This Laenor twist could work if [POSSIBLE MAJOR SPOILER]
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Daemon and Rhynara's youngest son, Viserys ends up lost in Essos. Maybe Laenor looks after young Viserys and helps him get home.
Finally a RUclipsr who is non biased and said that aemond deserved to take the dragon
I loved this episode but what I want to know is when the queen attacked the princess who was the gaurds actually suppose to be protecting and defending because they did nothing! The didn't grab nobody or nothing! I feel like if I was a king, my gaurds couldn't just stand around while my wife attacks my blood daughter!
You don't just jump in when somebody is pulling a blade on someone else like that. One of them could have been killed of the kingsguard intervened.
I think m0st 0f the kingsguards are green.
Everyone in A Song of Ice and Fire has a doom fate and suffers awful things... To think that only a community is being targeted seems like victimisation
Its ridiculous. Especially coming from a group that wants to be treated like everyone else. GoT doesn't discriminate
Right! Just go to show that they don’t want to be treated equally they want to be “special”. Like what the saying says “You give them an inch and they’ll take a mile”.
I think it has more to do with having gay characters be introduced only to be killed almost immediatly and on top of that having their sexuality being their defining feature. Joffrey was an example of this, and so was Loras on the original show.
@@tomasmaniago5832 Characters are introduced and killed off in GoT, its not exclusive to gays. People should just be clear about what they really want, which is gay main characters that are major players. Well they probably shouldn't look for that in this universe, but to say its an attack on the community is irresponsible. The men are mainly important because they reproduce and further bloodlines, which you dont get with gay characters
@@tiniestavenger6329 going by that logic, Tyrion shouldn't had been a main character because "realistically" little people were not given a chance to live in that time period. Same thing with Brienne being a woman knight. Just because a character doesn't fit the mold of what's "realistic" for the setting doesn't mean that they should be excluded from the story. And I'm not even expecting Laenor to be anywhere near as important to this show as Tyrion and Brienne were for GoT. But I think is perfectly reasonable for people to be upset if they see a pattern, and they criticize it.
Doesn't almost eveyone die a gruesome death in the GOT shows not just a group of ppl Isn't that what GOT is known for?
I loved that they didn’t kill Laenor but honestly I don’t think most fans feel the same about the bury your gays thing
Many of the gay one’s clearly do. You do understand that several of the actors playing these roles are gay, don’t you?
@@zenla1033 hey don’t shoot the messenger! A lot of fans don’t care 🤷🏾♂️
This is the exact downfall of the original series not sticking to the source material. Just to please a few fans. Everyone should know by now that no one is spared on this show whatever they identify with. They should just watch Rings of power if they want to be pleased as a casual viewer
I wouldn’t say it’s a change from the books. The book is written from different perspectives as almost a history lesson. So maybe it was always the truth that he lived
Exactly. The maester writing the "history" wouldn't know he was actually alive.
When I thought they killed off another character of colour, I thought we were getting the the typical Hollywood bias of making characters of colour beta to make white male characters seem cooler. I’m glad Laenor survived but if he just disappears from the story then what is the point. Corolys’ family are meant to be the most powerful family but they are they are taking constant Ls and it is starting to annoy me because being the only family of colour in the show it is giving me Finn in the Force Awakens vibes where they feel the have to make the characters of colour very beta as not to overshadow the white characters.
Grace is so glad laenor lived while killing an innocent loyal soldier to die. What swell guys daemon and laenor are so stunning so brave.
Please stop. Literally everyone dies on GoT. Part of representation is death on GoT. See Ned Stark.
I just screamed when you called Aegon and Aedmon “hateful d#%*” I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!
Everyone must remember that the books are from the perspective of the maesters who lived during that time and don’t have all the facts leading up to certain events.
GRRM is using the show as this is what actually happened during that time.
Loved the twist! Moment of silence for the person who took Laenor's place though...
Shame is an innocent guy always have to die for the people in high places to rise
@@ronburgundy3172 its life
Yes. We are reminded only occasionally in the world of Westeros that the "commoners " die so these nobles and royalty can play the GOT.
@@LeeBeeDeeTree51 sad but true
@@LeeBeeDeeTree51 what concerns me is that none of the audience of the show seems to care about the dead of an innocent person lol That's messedu p
I can't believe I'm saying this but Aemond is probably my favorite character on this show.
Laenor. I was HAPPY AS HELL to see him on the boat. This is coming from a book reader
this show is peak television and this episode prove it even further.
Why is it offensive to kill Laenor? He didn't die because he was gay but because he was married to Rhaeyna nothing to do with being gay. We won't see Laenor anymore anyway because he Is meant to be dead. So it doesn't really matter if he died or not. Same as Joffrey. He didn't die for being gay but for blackmailing and upsetting Cole.
Seriously, people are ridiculous. Wait til they see what happens to their favourites...
Thank you!! My thoughts exactly, why does it always have to be seen as a commentary on their sexual orientation. Can't we just enjoy the show without people trying to turn this into social commentary
It’s more to do with the trope of gay characters never having a good ending, either because they die or live unhappy lives. So it’s a matter of representation of LGBT in media more than explicit homophobia in the story.
This was SUCH a good episode!
House of the Dragon just keeps getting better and better. The twist at the end was so great. Seeing as GRRM is closely involved I would think they got his approval to change this from the book or maybe he wanted it changed. Either way, it was very welcomed.
it's not a change, the point of F&b is it's a history book written by people who don't know the real truth, like regular history
The books literally says he could be alive but nobody knows…
Best episode so far according to me!!!
And thus Raenyra took his uncle husband and adopted the daughters from her dead cousin/ sister in law hoping to make many son cousins. Targaryans are just confusing and messed up in many ways.
I went from hating Rheana and loving her all within 60 seconds
What an amazing episode!
This show keeps on getting better and better!
This was the best episode! Loved the Vhagar claiming scenes-amazing! Aemond was brave but is a Green Savage, lol! Loved the Laenor actor and happily shocked at the twist! But I am a book reader and wonder about what is going to happen to Seasmoke? That dragon has a role in the DotD for sure and he would follow Laenor according to the dragonriding rules as laid out thus far. No bonding with a dragonseed or is Laenor coming back with Seasmoke during the Dance? It would be hard for me to believe that he would let his family be imperiled without coming back to kick butt on Seasmoke! I am team GOT, cause Greens and Blacks are really horrible forreal!
honestly, the choice of cast was BRILLIANT, I already forgot about the previous actresses (I mean of course their acting is too good to be forgotten, but the transition was really smooth and stunning).
Amazing ensemble all around
It's a heartless thing to do to his parents though. This character is such a tool to show the showrunner's good will, he's strong today, weak tomorrow, he cares today, runs tomorrow. Whatever.
Yes, when you get past the happiness that he is alive, it's a terrible thing to do. Dae/Rae and Daemon and his lover conspired to get him out of Westeros and thier way but they killed an innocent man to do it and let Laenor's parents think he was dead.
I read the book and so I knew Laenor died. In the story it’s not definitive how it happened. I was hoping they wouldn’t go the Daemon route because he respected Laenor, and in essence, he was his family. I think even he was shocked when Rhaenerya hinted at it. There were spy photos of Laenor rowing but I really never put 2&2 together.
Matt said in an interview there was a great twist in this episode, and I was very happy to see it.
This show is very good reminder that good series finds audience as writing shines through .
Unlike Rings of Fan Fiction ....
I wouldn't say Laenor surviving is a change from the books. The books are written by a maester from the Citadel who hasn't witnessed any of the events that happen in the show. Everyone besides Rhaenyra, Daemon, Qarl and Laenor thinks Qarl killed Laenor, so that's how history will remember it, hence why it's like that in the books. I would put it more as an addition rather than a change
I wonder what will happen to Laenor's dragon. Will Seasmoke accept a new rider even though Laenor is still alive?
How that plays out with what happens in the book will be interesting.
@@kevinstfort I actually think we will see Laenor again 😉
The reason Daemon laughed during the eulogy was because Aemond was clearly speaking about Rhaenyras sons being bastards, so he diverged attention to him to spare the boys
Vaem0nd. C0rly's br0ther is a c*nt. I think he's jeal0us 0f C0rly and may g0 Green.
I was about to jump on team green when I thought they were plotting Laenor 's murder. The final shot of seeing him alive made me so happy.
“It was so Laena” We barely knew her! I would’ve preferred to see her claim Vhaegar.
This series is something.
People need to chill…EVERYONE dies is Game of Thrones/HOTD
I just realized, John McMillan looks like Cory Booker
I'm sorry I disagree with u, the bottom line is this is a show!!!! A fantasy show!!!!!
Black, white, gay, green, red does it matter??? This is not real life.
Other than that love your breakdowns and love the show.
“I’ll fluff your pillow for you now…”
“It’s too late!” 😂
Such a great show. I had to pause the ‘trail’ scene so many times. The tension. The TENSION! Excellent writing.
I was very happy to see Laenor alive at the end. It wasn’t needed, for me. But a pleasant surprise.
This show is not supposed to play to your societal problems over there in the land of the free. Stop demanding things from this show and the works of an author. Who do you think you are.
wtf? why is there any reason to criticize the depictions of the death scenes? They were perfect and delivered exactly what they needed. And tbh - why is anyone "angry" that ppl with specific tastes get killed? - that what "equal rights" are - everybody can die. And especially because they dont die because of their sexual taste, but what their position in the game is.
but maybe that is a specific US "problem" - none of the German viewers I talked to even mentioned that - and some of them are in the lgbqt+ community.
On the episode itself ... who could expect that several ppl talking on a funeral for 20+ minutes can be so exciting. :)
Best episode yet and what a great twist. Appointment television for certain.
I'm shocked by how much l love this show. Hope Leonor has a great life! Very deserved.
So grace just forgot about all the men who were gruesomely murdered in the first episode? And all the men being executed by the crab feeder? Lol typical.
Happy for Laenor, but what about Seasmoke, his dragon?
Good question
will have to get over the ex jajajja