Did anyone else have trouble following (HOTD 1x06)?
What exactly was going on after that timeskip? I mean, it’s a little disorienting, being dropped right in the middle of things, especially with the abrupt change of actors and all the parts were still moving. But I got used to it, I guess. The factions being pretty much baked into the cake by this point helped to some degree though. Anyway, the review:
- I was pretty sure it was Rhaenerya giving birth in the opening scene, but I wasn’t 100% about it until a little bit later. But it is very interesting watching her grow into her role and how well she’s learned to play the game, like when she tries to negotiate a marriage alliance with Alicent’s branch of the family, unlike her descendant, who embodied the when-all-you-have-is-a-hammer mindset
- Again, it took me a little bit to catch on with so many new players, but while the description applies to the vast majority of human beings ever to live, the fact that you had three separate Targaryen boys being born dark-haired and dark-eyed...should have tipped me off pretty quickly that there was some Jaime x Cersei shit going on there
- And speaking of new(ish) families and (semi) consensual cuckoldry: Laenor, my brother in the Seven, your marriage is a political alliance and Rhaenerya is literally your beard. And she’s doing damn near all the work while you decide to name your new son after your dead boyfriend. Of course she’s gonna be a little cross with you!
- After saving Ser Downbad from committing sudoku (Criston’s sword was at his abdomen, that’s what he was doing) a decade ago, my girl Alicent has her hands full, to say the very least. Kids being awful to each other is kind of in the job description and Aegon growing up...to be a spoiled rich kid, even by spoiled rich kid standards, isn’t exactly surprising. And pulling her very best Catelyn Stark routine to save as much of her family as possible, telling Aegon to treat this like his life is at stake (which it is), start taking his duties seriously and stop wanking out the window
- And after all he’s been through, it’s actually nice to get to watch Viserys getting to spend his twilight years as the doting, benevolent familial patriarch he’s always wanted to be. That said, it also makes his see-no-evil-hear-no-evil-speak-no-evil stance on Rhaenerya’s sons make more sense, but definitely increases his wife’s headaches substantially. But knowing this author and source material, alas, this can’t last
- And speaking of...unconventional patriarchs, probably the most interesting change is (especially with that intro to him we got) is seeing Daemon being...well, a dad. And from what we’ve seen a pretty attentive one too. Again, it’s not terribly surprising giving some statements and actions he made before, but it’s interesting because he’s not Chaotic Good/Neutral/Evil, Daemon is pure chaos. He’s like a human tornado, but instead of cars and construction material, you’re never exactly sure whether he’s going to be throwing fire and blood, shit or sage, fatherly wisdom, or even all three at once
- But like I said, this (relatively) peaceful state of affairs can’t last, as bastardry among Westrosi nobles (not unlike real life) is serious fucking business. And if it involves a disputed line of succession? I don’t care what system you have or when it is, times like that become an absolute feeding frenzy
- Since I knew they were pretty intelligent in this universe (just in a different way than humans) and they are bonded to one rider, I had my doubts as to whether it was possible, but suicide-by-dragon, is in fact, possible here
- And as we have seen, things like the (attempted) child murder of Bran or kinslaying here, are on the table to keep these dirty secrets from getting out. I’m sitting there like “bro, you orchestrated the horrible deaths of your brother and father by fire. That’s some (ahem) cold-blooded shit right there. I thought you were cool!”
