onmyoddyknocky

[onmyoddyknocky]

watsonian: alyssa looks stereotypically targaryen bc she died when daemon was young so he doesn’t have a grasp on who she was other than the idealized idea of a true blooded valyrian princess

doylist: alyssa looks stereotypically targaryen bc first and foremost this is an hbo project intent on appealing the the maximum amount of people and too this point in the show canon every targaryen except jon snow has had silver hair and it’s easy cinematic language that incest is happening

[onmyoddyknocky]

Also Daemon saying "then I'll be dead, and none of this will be my problem" like yes, double suicide by dragon we're coming!! Why face the consequences of your actions, when you can just groom one last teenager and go die in a lake

[onmyoddyknocky]

Also, what's up with the show continuing to push the "women don't actually want power and positions for themselves" narrative. I think Baela should get to be excited and tempted by the prospect of claiming legacy through her mother

[onmyoddyknocky]

I wonder if Cole leaving Alicents bed chamber at dawn is a rule she made or one he made for himself? Like was it his rule to make sure after he served her in more ways then one at night he leaves at dawn to regulate himself back into the role of her sworn shield? Or did she naked it as a show of having power over him as his "queen".

[onmyoddyknocky]

The council scene was hilarious but also so sad. Alicent unsubtly demands help from Larys, the first real ally she made in King's Landing, the only one to tell her the truth (Rhaenyra mention 1). A man who also assaults her for a little power thrill on a semi-regular basis, but still, he was on her side. Yes, he bragged about killing people to her face knowing how much she hated it, but he was killing people for her. Now he’s denying her in front of the whole council, demeaning her almost, making her look like an irrational woman who just doesn’t understand the politics of men. And of course, he takes the opportunity to bounce the question right back to Criston!

Criston Cole, someone with whom Alicent, until recent events, shared something most akin to a real friendship. Their relationship started with him divulging the truth about his sex life (Rhaenyra mention 2), and it ended when she began to take part in said sex life. But still, there was for a moment some camaraderie left. He was the father who stepped up even though he should have definitely stepped down to her unwanted kids. He helped her convince Aegon that one time, and ok, it might not be much, but it’s honest work! Still, he was her sworn knight, her guard dog, and now he’s abandoning her too! Her evil goblin boys who have been doing evil things in her name, are now fighting her for custody of her two sons, and she’s losing Badly.

[onmyoddyknocky]

Daemon trying to do local Riverlands politics (who all don't really give a shit about him) while he's being psychosexually tortured by the entity of Harrenhal and Alys (which seems to be one and the same) is all I could have ever wanted from this show

[onmyoddyknocky]

I know the Alyssa x Daemon scene is controversial, but the scenery and different cuts were gorgeous. The close up of the wandering Hands, the heavy breath, Daemon going down on her. It was definitely filmed in the female gaze. No forceful thrusting motions, no presenting nudity. I love it

[onmyoddyknocky]

When I found out House of the Dragon had randomly cast acclaimed Shakespearean actor, Sir Simon Russell Beale in season 2 to play Larys' great-uncle Simon Strong, of all people, I was perplexed given the character's role in the book is basically just to quickly surrender Harrenhal to Daemon, disappear from the narrative, and then die.

But despite only having a few lines in three episodes so far, I can honestly say his addition is the best part of the whole season.

It reminds me of when Game of Thrones brought in Jim Broadbent to play Archmaester Ebrose for four episodes in season 7 just so Samwell had someone to talk to at the Citadel (only for us to then never see him again).

[onmyoddyknocky]

The Team Green PR guy calling Meleys the 'traitor dragon' has medieval people putting animals on trial energy. Sir, that is an animal.

That said, when they showed that food shortages have hit King's Landing and Hugh Hammer was staring at the dragon head like that while saying 'meat' ... I thought the story was about to take another dark turn.

[onmyoddyknocky]

Not Alys watching Daemon's dreams and then he switches to P*rnhub 💀

The way she was judging his browsing history the next day ....

When will this doofus figure out he should stop sleeping on the weirwood bed?!

[onmyoddyknocky]

it's Thought D. what's Thought D? Thoughts on HotD. season 2 episode 5 of house of the dragon. what did i think? if you keep reading, you'll find out

parading the dragon's head through the street really doesn't send the message you think it's going to send. but we'll have to wait for the Shepherd to demonstrate that, i think (i won't explain further, if you didn't read the book you'll just have to wait)

surely they could have gotten Aegon to the Red Keep by some means other than sticking him in the procession behind Melys' head

they're really not being shy about showing Aegon's wounds, are they?

kind of odd for Daemon to threaten to kill the Brackens and then not do it. everyone knows you don't make a threat you're unwilling to actually follow through

Rhaenyra, you simply must get a better small council

i like the fact that we're getting a decent amount of Baela - Jace interaction. their relationship is never really described at all in the book

i also appreciate that Jace is doing things

who could have predicted that the Freys would be ambitious and opportunistic? a plot twist for the ages

the leopards are eating Alicent's face

Hugh's hair stands out in the crowd shots like he's a goddamn anime protagonist and i'm here for it

i wouldn't have guessed that Aemma Arryn would start showing up in Daemon's visions. but if the visions are anything to go by, it looks like Daemon does his duty so good on him for that

Lady Jeyne, i look forward to barely seeing you until after the war has already ended

why is Daemon chopping wood? why is he doing that himself?

i get that Harrenhal is too understaffed to be anything but pretty casual when it comes to etiquette, but why is Alys allowed to interact with the king consort like that?

yes, Rhaenyra, get that man out of there!

Rhaenyra has made the unfortunate mistake of hoping to emulate Visenya. what she doesn't yet realize is that hoping to emulate Visenya in any way is the quickest and surest way to get all of history to conspire against you (see: Maegor, Rhaena, Rhaenys, Daemon, Rhaenyra)

i think Jace and Rhaenyra may be overstating the breadth of the Targaryen lineage a bit. they haven't really been in Westeros for that long at this point (the distance between Rhaenyra and Aegon the Conqueror is 5 generations). combine that with their tendency to marry within the family and i don't actually think there are that many houses with Targaryen blood at this point

that being said, i'm curious to see how they pivot the idea introduced here - tracking down legitimate Targaryen descendants in other houses - into the one from the books which they've been seeding (haha) with the introduction of characters like Hugh, Ulf, and Alyn - searching for illegitimate Targaryen descendants

really enjoyed this episode, been mostly enjoying this season, looking forward to next week

[onmyoddyknocky]

Ok i really liked this last episode (hate that shows don’t show the title of the episode at all on the credits anymore)

Seems they listened to me about the lack of ceremony lol. I liked seeing the maidservants stop as they carried the king’s body in front of them, and alicent reminding criston he needs her leave to speak her name.

Sadly short of Alys content. Also im glad they’re finally following up on the bastards’ relevance (that theme was dragging a bit), i like that it was prince Jaecaerys’s idea, im starting to really like him

[onmyoddyknocky]

Thoughts on House of teh Dragon 2x05

So much Jace in this episode. Finally!

Jace and Baela have my whole heart. I love them ❤️

Finally Rhaena!! Do you think she saw a dragon in the trailer for the next episode?

Also, she tried to claim the dragons on the dragonmont but never succeded... 😢

Corlys only now wanting to name one of his granddaughters as his heir... I remember what you said about Rhaena!

I love Baela. Her talking with Rhaenyra. And to Corlys. She is her parents' daughter

Daemon's hallucinations. Who was the blond woman? His mother? Aemma (idk if I remember her face properly)

Laena again!! 🩵

Mysaria telling and knowing Aegon's dirty secrets (Dyana)

Aegon saying 'mummy' 💔🥺

Did they parade Meleys to hide that Aegon was in the litter? To drive their attention away?

Alicent seeing the dagger on Aemond!!

Helaena seeing Aegon being brought in and her at the end with Aemond

Come talk about the episode in my ask!

[onmyoddyknocky]

Aemond: Someone will have to rule in his stead

Also Aemond: How convenient it is then that I, the second son, and next in line for the throne, have studied history and philosophy, and trained with the sword, and ride the largest dragon in the world, and am perfectly suited to rule

[onmyoddyknocky]

alicent not even knowing how to touch her own children, gently caressing her own son's cheek and then snatching her hand back like it was burned, followed by aegons half comatose "mummy" god these hightowers are going to KILL ME

[onmyoddyknocky]

the side of aegon’s face getting all jacked up like viserys’s is some psychological torture saw trap level shit to put alicent through. your firstborn son by the man who married you when you were fifteen and put his rot inside of you and made you give birth to it is beginning to decay. he looks just like his father.

[onmyoddyknocky]

I really like that we’re seeing the random cruelty both Daemon and Aegon ii have visited upon people since s1 has real and preswnt consequences rather than it just being entirely for shock value. Daemon is being psychologically tortured at Harrenhal as well as suddenly unable to control people with fear and finding that he has no other way to interact with people he considers beneath him, and Aegon being burned by the brother he bullied as well as one of his victims (Dyana) quietly working against him with Mysaria and Hugh about to turn against him for lack of payment. Its really adds to the story when people on the receiving end of all this bullshit react and react badly even if they’re not otherwise important to the plot