#rani liveblogs game of thrones

[thewingedwolf]

On the one hand I think s8 of GOT was very badly written ESPECIALLY wrt Dany not doing jack shit last season and then packing 3 seasons worth of backsliding morality into like 4 episodes, which completely monopolized screen time and shafted every other character’s story arc in the process. BUT on the other I’m just not sure how you could watch Dickon Tarly’s eyes fill with tears as he realizes he’s about to be burned alive, and his father sadly reaches out to grasp his son’s hand to calm him before they are burned to nothing, all while Dany stands there with a smirk and not think “hmmm, maybe she is going down the wrong fucking road right now”

[atopvisenyashill]

it’s actually insane that in the show, when Arya & Sandor kill Polliver and Raff, it’s this big moment of Heroic Violence, where Arya says Lommy’s last words as she runs needle through Polliver’s neck, and you get that ~bad ass~ scene of her holding the coin with blood on her hands and saying “valar morghulis” in that “calm, cool, collected killer” voice

and meanwhile, in the books, it’s this awful moment where her anger, grief, trauma, and fear all collide and she’s just screaming and stabbing a dead man over and over until the Hound pulls her off. And then it’s hours of her taking care of the Hound, of realizing she’s feeling something akin to sympathy and fondness for Sandor, the guilt of not being able to recall Micah’s face, the pain that Sansa may be dead and Arya is now the last Stark, as she whispers valar morghulis and stomps out any and all sympathy she may feel for Sandor and decides to leave him to die.

Like they really. Just completely missed the point of that scene huh.

[thewingedwolf]

rewatching hotd & i wonder just a bit - i never made the connection that viserys may have let them attempt to save Aemma if she hadn’t said that she didn’t want to have anymore kids. i think that moment, the moment he realized that his final chance at a boy may die and his wife will refuse to have another, is the moment she becomes disposable to him.

and of course - it’s not worth it. the theoretical boy will never be worth the life of the living, breathing partner he has who loves and trusts him enough to clearly state that she is tired of mourning her babies. even if little baelor had lived, he would have been just as fucked as Aegon II was; raised by a father who resents his very existence because it is a reminder of the ways in which he failed as a husband to Aemma and a father to Rhaenyra. Aemma’s life was a precious thing that was not worth being traded for a boy that only existed in theory; she knew it, Rhaenyra knew it, shit even Daemon seemed to understand to a certain point that making the decision to murder a wife on the off chance it will save a son is a cruel decision for a husband to make, and that the decision should rest in the hands of the mother carrying the child (rip Rhea Royce tho, but that’s a different convo). But Viserys is so stuck in his dreams, so convinced that only a son will unite the realm that he sacrifices Aemma and the gods give him jack shit in return because Aemma’s life was worth more than what her womb was capable of conceiving, and Viserys only realized this after he had her ripped open.

And interestingly enough, because he still refuses to act decisively enough, still stuck with his head in his Dreams, he is sort of right and brings about the fall of the dragons through his continued inaction; because he doesn’t smooth things over with the sons he resents for not being Aemma’s, or pave the way properly for Rhaenyra to inherit, his death rips apart the realm. But all of that, all of it starts with poor Aemma - Aemma who decides she has had enough of her body being a graveyard and Aemma who is promptly murdered for it.

[thewingedwolf]

Also okay, I really like Aemond so far but the way he tried to act like he was hot shit for beating up a bunch of six year olds only for said six year olds to hand him his ass And his eye is so fucking funny

[thewingedwolf]

Also I’m a targ hater so I can’t be too mad but also everyone calling Rhaenyra the Cersei of the show is wrong, it’s Alicent who experiences powerlessness due to patriarchy only to turn around and leverage her privileges within the oppressive patriarchal system to fuck over other women. I think she’s interesting but like Cersei, I hate her fucking guts.

[thewingedwolf]

“Aegon called his dream ‘A Song of Ice and Fire.’ This secret, it’s been passed from king to heir since Aegon’s time. And now you must promise to keep it. And to carry it. Promise me, Rhaenyra. Promise me.”

A lot has been said about this so i won’t reiterate. i will say that what stood out to me was the darkness of the scene, and of course Ramin’s wailing dragon strings in the background playing just as Rickon Stark pledges his loyalty. Knowing Cregan will honor his house’s word and stand with the blacks, knowing Jon will be born (whatever the exact context of how they get there is) of a Targaryen and Stark - a little bit of a musical and visual nod, almost, to what comes next. Ramin, I would die for you lmao. But on rewatch, what immediately came to mind during this scene was Ned and Lyanna.

“He could hear her still at times. Promise me, she had cried, in a room that smelled of blood and roses. Promise me, Ned. The fever had taken her strength and her voice had been faint as a whisper, but when he gave her his word, the fear had gone out of his sister's eyes. Ned remembered the way she had smiled then, how tightly her fingers had clutched his as she gave up her hold on life, the rose petals spilling from her palm, dead and black. After that he remembered nothing.

Ned’s grief being this monster that still consumes his every thought even now 14 ish years after Lyanna has died just gets me. I think why I am so fond of Ned and Lyanna is bc GRRM really understands the sort of heavy beast that losing a sibling is, and he writes it very well.

But - GRRM had a big hand in the pilot right? A man as obsessively detailed as him would surely notice he’s phrased this “Promise me (beloved relative), promise me.” pattern considering how often Ned’s promise to Lyanna is echoed throughout the first book. But maybe not! It’s not like he hasn’t had some continuity errors before right, and the show and the books Will be different, tho we don’t know in what exact ways yet. EXCEPT THEN WHEN ROBERT IS DYING:

“Serve the boar at my funeral feast,” Robert rasped. “Apple in its mouth, skin seared crisp. Eat the bastard. Don’t care if you choke on him. Promise me, Ned.”

“I promise.” Promise me, Ned, Lyanna’s voice echoed.

“The girl,” the king said. “Daenerys. Let her live. If you can, if it . . . not too late . . . talk to them . . . Varys, Littlefinger . . . don’t let them kill her. And help my son, Ned. Make him be . . . better than me.” He winced. “Gods have mercy.”

the parallel stuck in my head. Viserys, grieving and alone and afraid, making Rhaenyra promise to always understand that the long night is coming and they must be ready. Ned, grieving and alone and afraid, first promising something to Lyanna, then promising to protect a Targaryen child and Robert’s son. Clearly, there is the parallel here that Lyanna likely asked Ned to protect her own targ baby, and that parallel is definitely there for that reason at least. But we all wonder what exactly Rhaegar said to convince Lyanna to leave everything she knew behind to escape a betrothal that makes her feel trapped…only to run off with a married man and become literally trapped in the Tower of Joy. But we know Rhaegar knew at least a bit of the song of ice and fire, in whatever way it exists in the books (seems likely Aegon did have a Dream, considering GRRM’s hand in the pilot, the Targaryen propensity for prophetic dreams, and a bunch of other little clues that seem to point towards Aegon conquering the realm for a reason not solely related to power. but also, it’s not canon until it’s canon so i’m aware there’s a chance this prophecy plays out differently in the books). But i’m reminded of what Aemon knew of the prophecy and his own relationship with Rhaegar:

"No one ever looked for a girl," he said. "It was a prince that was promised, not a princess. Rhaegar, I thought . . . the smoke was from the fire that devoured Summerhall on the day of his birth, the salt from the tears shed for those who died. He shared my belief when he was young, but later he became persuaded that it was his own son who fulfilled the prophecy, for a comet had been seen above King's Landing on the night Aegon was conceived, and Rhaegar was certain the bleeding star had to be a comet. What fools we were, who thought ourselves so wise! The error crept in from the translation. Dragons are neither male nor female, Barth saw the truth of that, but now one and now the other, as changeable as flame. The language misled us all for a thousand years.

“Barth saw the truth…the language misled us all” clearly Aemon is talking of more than just him and Rhaegar shooting the shit when he includes Septon Barth and a general “us.” He’s discussing knowledge that was known and passed down by someone for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.

And Dany’s dream of her brother Rhaegar sitting with Elia after Aegon has born:

"He has a song," the man replied. "He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire." He looked up when he said it and his eyes met Dany's, and it seemed as if he saw her standing there beyond the door. "There must be one more," he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say. "The dragon has three heads." He went to the window seat, picked up a harp, and ran his fingers lightly over its silvery strings. Sweet sadness filled the room as man and wife and babe faded like the morning mist, only the music lingering behind to speed her on her way.

Obviously that prophetic line (if it exists in the book in the same or a similar way) is broken at some point. Maybe it’s the dance of the dragons, maybe it’s the sudden death of nearly all the Targaryens at the Tragedy of Summerhall, maybe it’s Robert’s Rebellion.

What’s clear is that Aemon knew about the prophecy despite never being an officially named heir, only asked to be one at a few points, while Daemon and Aegon II (in the show) are never told of the prophecy because Viserys never considered either a real heir. What’s clear is whatever it is Aemon and Rhaegar knew, it was not something that was passed onto Dany. And also clear is that Rhaegar had no issues running his mouth about this song of ice and fire, because Aemon knows, and Dany sees him discuss it briefly with Elia, while the show makes a point to have Viserys discuss his Dream of Aegon II being crowned as Rhaenys escapes on Meleys, but not bring up Aegon the Conquerer’s Dream until he’s completely alone with Rhaenyra and naming her as his heir.

But “Promise me, Rhaenyra, promise me” in a dark room filled with candles said after Aemma is murdered in the birthing bed, and “Promise me, Ned, promise me” alone in the Tower of Joy in a room that smells of blood and roses just as Lyanna is dying after something leads her to her too early death in a birthing bed.

…so what if Rhaegar told Lyanna at least a little? Telling the terrified 15/16 year old that she’s been chosen to have a baby that will help to unite the realm and save it from the Long Night, something Lyanna knows is a very dangerous threat because she’s of the North, that he’ll take care of her, of the baby, that her fate is something so much bigger than marrying her brother’s slutty best friend and being his miserable, lonely wife. Does Lyanna attempt to say something to Ned as she’s dying or has she stopped believing after the murders of her father and brother, the deaths of Rhaegar, Elia, and baby Aegon and Rhaenys? Does it slip her mind, in her fear of her own impending death and the threat to her son? Maybe, maybe do Lyanna’s last words give a hint that will lead to Jon or Bran or Sam or Dany or whoever the hell piecing together the entire prophecy? Or am i going absolutely crazy waiting for the winds of winter which will probably never be released anyway lmao

[thewingedwolf]

starting up my re-listen and like - robert is so dumb but so is stannis lmao. all three baratheon boys are dumb as shit, the fact that they all made it to adulthood speaks to how determined cressen was to take care of them, and how much he loved them.

robert gives dragonstone, typically a holding and title given to the targaryen heir, to stannis; clearly he’s trying to tell stannis that he considers stannis his heir until he has his own kids. except clearly he never spells this out for stannis, who assumes it’s a sleight. robert doesn’t force stannis to do too much at court, likely picking up on the fact that stannis would fucking hate court, but once again, stannis takes this as an insult. same for renly - robert gives the prince’s seat to stannis but the lord’s seat to renly, and lets the much more personable renly have a blast at court, and asks Ned to be hand bc Ned is significantly better with people & also has a slew of heirs, while stannis decides to fuck off ti dragonstone instead of seeing this as an opportunity to gain more allies when he knows damn well no one likes him. meanwhile renly gets handed a very easy seat to rule that is significantly more wealthy, nepotism baby-s his way into the court through robert And through loras/the tyrells, and becomes convinced ruling must be easy, completely ignoring how miserable being king has made robert. just a bunch of dumb asses and those bitches house is about to go extiiiiiiinct lmao

[thewingedwolf]

I would once again like to give Ramin Djawadi all the flowers for understanding the emotional beats of the show so well. He elevates the writing and helps showcase the actors with his music in such a gorgeous way. The way the dragon theme ramps up to almost frame the all black of Daemon and Rhaenyra as they walk towards the bright red fire, and then the music grows to surrounds Rhaenyra’s face as she turns in anger and grief and crescendos with her.

Rhaenyra can no longer be the girl princess after the loss of Luke. The dragon theme rises up with her for a reason, the only color the white of her hair and the red of the fire behind her, no sound except Ramin’s eerie, screeching refrain we’ve heard so many times - you’re a dragon. be the dragon.

[thewingedwolf]

Rhaenyra didn’t kill Laenor, she just had him escape with his boyfriend to free her up to marry Daemon, they really are the best besties, they both always just wanted the other to be happy I’m

[thewingedwolf]

The first part of the season started so good! But this ten year time skip is exactly what later seasons of Game of Thrones suffered from which is informing us of important plot points, having important conversations only be implied, and skipping the entire beginning of a storyline just so they can show us the Big Damn Moment as soon as possible. Disappointing as hell.

Also light your fucking shows HBO I have no idea wtf is going on bc there’s one light and it’s 50 miles away from the set!

[thewingedwolf]

aemond being unable to stop being a bitch until he kills his teenage cousin, throwing the entire realm into one of the most violent wars it will ever see completely on accident just because he can’t stop picking fights with people half his age, after he spent the whole last episode bitching about how he’d be a better king bc he’s less awful and violent and more studied and religious is SUCH A TARGARYEN BITCH MOVE LMAO

[thewingedwolf]

HOUSE WESTERLING REPRESENT ITS HONOR NOT HONORS BITCHES. HOW DARE THESE GREEN FUCKS COMMAND THE LORD COMMANDER TO GO BUTCHER BABIES.

And the AUDACITY TO COVER UP AEGON GOING ON A LIL RAPE SPREE IN THE CITY. MY GOD I HATE THESE PEOPLE

[thewingedwolf]

Why does the actor who plays Aegon look like he’s barely reached puberty and the actor who plays Aemond look like he’s got a full time job and a 401k

[thewingedwolf]

Me for literally the last decade of my life: Fuck the Targaryens all my homies hate the Targaryens

Me in the year 2022 watching Viserys use what little life he has left in an attempt to protect his daughter, stumbling stubbornly up the steps of the throne, only to be helped the last bit by his wayward brother who has only ever wanted power to protect their family, now staring down the foe of old age and disease and realizing this is the first enemy he cannot kill:

[thewingedwolf]

The only valid green is Aemond actually, he’s just a horrifically maladjusted nerd who wants to ride a dragon, and also, when Dany’s dragon riding theme music played as he rode across the sea on Vhagar made me so fucking emotional. And the way he steps up to stop the fight and try to calm everyone down afterwards, and that baller ass line.

Same reason I love the starklings tbh - at its core there is this special bond between a child and an animal, something instinctive and beautiful and pure. And just like the original show, these pure bonds are co-opted by the political leanings of others, and turns these kids and these animals into weapons and monsters, and it’s so tragic and so, so interesting.

[thewingedwolf]

My full opinion on house of the dragon is that every single man of the kingsguard is a little bitch. there are no exceptions to this.

Cole? Bitch. Jaime? Bitch. Barristan? Bitch. Aemon the Dragonknight who cried while listening to Queen Naerys get raped instead of doing something about it? B I T C H.