House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 2 BREAKDOWN - Game of Thrones Easter Eggs You Missed!

[00:00] Rea has finally taken her rightful place

[00:02] on the Iron Throne, but it might have

[00:03] just cost her the only thing she

[00:04] actually cares about. Welcome back,

[00:06] Screen Crush. I'm Ryan Ary, and this is

[00:08] all the Easter eggs, references, and

[00:09] little things you might have missed in

[00:10] season 3, episode 2 of House of the

[00:12] Dragon. We have some additions to the

[00:14] opening sequence this time around to

[00:15] commemorate the Battle of the Gullet.

[00:17] Last episode, Lowhar and Corus duel in a

[00:19] Valyrian ship, and we see blood seeping

[00:21] out from behind Lowhar, but not Corus.

[00:23] So, this reveals, even before the

[00:25] episode does, that Corus is still alive.

[00:27] Then we see the great tragedy of last

[00:29] episode with Jace dead in the water.

[00:31] This is the inciting incident that all

[00:33] of this season is going to be tied to.

[00:35] We begin the episode with a shot from

[00:37] the battle of the gauntlet from

[00:38] underwater. Now, the battle still rages

[00:40] overhead with a fiery projectile and

[00:42] then dragon flame visible from beneath

[00:44] the corpses in the water, but the

[00:45] muffled audio and lack of clarity don't

[00:47] place the importance on the action of

[00:49] the battle. Instead, this places the

[00:52] dead in the forefront. We'll highlight

[00:54] this again and again in this episode.

[00:56] This battle was not a victory. It was a

[00:58] tragedy. Blood seeps out from this body

[01:00] in the water and floods the camera's

[01:01] gaze. And only then can we see the full

[01:04] view of the battle. This is emphasizing

[01:06] how blood soaked all of these events are

[01:08] and the sheer scale of the violence that

[01:10] has just been committed. House of the

[01:12] Dragon often chooses not to show battles

[01:14] at all and instead just focuses on the

[01:16] aftermath like with the Battle of the

[01:18] Burning Mill or the battle at the Red

[01:19] Fork last episode. The glory of battle

[01:22] is not what this show is about. The show

[01:24] has stated over and over that war is the

[01:26] folly of the young, bloodthirsty men who

[01:29] have no idea what the horrors of battle

[01:31] are actually like.

[01:32] >> These nights are as green as summer

[01:33] grass. None have known real war.

[01:35] >> The action and fighting of these battles

[01:37] isn't the point of this show. It is

[01:39] about the violent scars they leave on

[01:40] Westeros and its people. Yeah, but it's

[01:42] also cheaper to have less battles,

[01:44] right? Fewer. And yeah, that's actually

[01:46] part of it, too. So, the dragon seeds

[01:48] have joined the fry. That's Hugh Hammer,

[01:49] Ulf the White, and Adam of Hall. All

[01:51] three are bastards with Valyrian blood.

[01:53] So, they were able to claim dragons last

[01:55] season. Hugh is the son of Sarah

[01:57] Targaryen, one of the children of

[01:59] Jiharis, the Consiliator. That's the old

[02:01] king we saw in the very first episode of

[02:02] this show. Now, Sarah was involved in a

[02:04] scandal and then sent to the faith.

[02:06] Basically, the Westeros version of being

[02:07] sent to a convent, but she escaped and

[02:09] crossed the Narrow Sea to work in a

[02:11] brothel. Hugh mentioned some of this

[02:13] last season.

[02:13] >> She used to tell me I was no different

[02:16] to her brother's boys, Osaris and Damon.

[02:19] Ulf is the son of Balon the Brave,

[02:21] another of Jiharis's kids. Balon's death

[02:23] was what caused the question of

[02:25] succession in the first place, which

[02:26] ended with Viserus being named heir to

[02:28] the throne. Finally, Adam of Hall is one

[02:30] of Corus' two bastard sons along with

[02:33] his brother Allen. In the book Fire and

[02:35] Blood, it's said that the two boys are

[02:36] Lighor Valyrian's bastard children.

[02:39] Lighor was Reneer's first husband and

[02:40] Corus and Raine's son. However, just

[02:43] like in the show, Lighor was widely

[02:45] known to be gay. Considering he didn't

[02:46] father children with his own wife, it

[02:48] seems unlikely he'd have two bastards

[02:50] with another woman. Instead, this is a

[02:51] cover up used to protect the honor of

[02:53] Corus. Now, in the book, the dragon

[02:55] seeds were present from the beginning of

[02:57] the Battle of the Gullet. But here, they

[02:58] just shown up for cleanup. Now, this

[03:00] show does one thing that I think is

[03:01] incredibly relatable. It continually

[03:04] allows its characters to make the wrong

[03:06] choices, especially when it comes to

[03:08] leadership positions, their jobs, and

[03:10] careers. Like if Damon had chosen to

[03:12] just be a better brother and not as

[03:13] ambitious, or if Aegon would have

[03:15] supported Rene's claim. The show is full

[03:17] of these giant what-ifs that all hinge

[03:19] on relatable character-based decisions

[03:21] that could have changed the course of

[03:23] their entire lives. Like, I'll give you

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[04:39] back to what I was saying. Baya is

[04:41] flying home to Dragonstone through her

[04:42] tears, clutching Jayce's body. The two

[04:44] of them have known each other since they

[04:46] were children. In season 1, Reira

[04:48] arranged marriages between her oldest

[04:50] sons, Jace and Luke, and Damon and

[04:52] Lena's children, Baya and Raina. Rea

[04:54] already lost her betro to this war, and

[04:56] now it's Baya's turn. It's Baya's grief

[04:58] that hammers home the tragedy of this

[05:00] loss of young love. Baya's grief is also

[05:03] mixed with shame. She knows she

[05:04] disobeyed Reneer to go along with

[05:06] Jayce's plan and that ended up getting

[05:08] him killed. Now, we mentioned it last

[05:10] episode, but this whole scenario was a

[05:11] mirror of season 2, episode 5, when Jace

[05:14] took off without permission to strike a

[05:16] deal with the phrase. He also consulted

[05:18] with Baya before he did that and she

[05:20] allowed it to happen.

[05:21] >> Don't tell her,

[05:23] not until I'm away.

[05:25] >> That was a huge success for Team Black,

[05:27] but it didn't go all smoothly the second

[05:29] time around. Sir Lawrence, the queen's

[05:31] guard who locked Reneer in her chambers,

[05:32] also sees how foolish his decision was

[05:34] when he sees Jace's body. The men around

[05:36] Rene were willing to rally behind Jace

[05:39] and ignore Rene's authority. But now

[05:41] they see that she was right to not let

[05:43] him go. This is also the Queen's guard

[05:44] who was tricked into leaving Reneer

[05:46] alone with Sir Eric when he attempted to

[05:48] assassinate her.

[05:49] >> I will stand this evening's duty.

[05:52] A few moments later,

[05:59] >> Lawrence really needs to learn to stop

[06:00] being talked into stuff. He asks, "The

[06:02] battle,"

[06:03] >> and Bao replies, "It's won."

[06:05] >> The somber music, dark tone, and misery

[06:07] on Baya's face make it entirely clear

[06:09] that this was a hollow victory. As

[06:11] Corass will say later,

[06:12] >> "This be victory. I hope I never see

[06:14] another."

[06:15] >> The second Reneer enters the room, you

[06:17] can also see on her face that she knows

[06:19] exactly what has happened. As always,

[06:21] Emma Darcy's performance is stellar. So

[06:24] much of Reneer's emotional journey is

[06:26] visible entirely from minute facial

[06:29] expressions. When Rene first says,

[06:31] >> "What have you done?"

[06:32] >> It seems like she's talking to Ba and

[06:34] Sir Lawrence. But then the tragedy

[06:35] becomes apparent. She is arguing with

[06:37] her dead son. This scene is just

[06:40] heart-wrenching. Rene has lost her

[06:42] firstborn son to the war and to his own

[06:44] recklessness, and all she can do is

[06:46] shout at his dead body. Sir Laurent

[06:48] offers her his sword since he knows that

[06:50] he must die for betraying his duties.

[06:52] Even if Jacece's plan had worked,

[06:53] Lauren's life would have been forfeit

[06:55] for locking Rene away. As Jace made

[06:57] clear last episode, your life

[07:01] for hers. The king's guard, or in this

[07:03] case, the Queen's Guard, have to be

[07:05] loyal to their ruler no matter what.

[07:07] That's why Jaime Lannister was known as

[07:08] the king's slayer in Game of Thrones.

[07:10] Even though the mad king was trying to

[07:11] slaughter half the city, Jaime was still

[07:13] considered a betrayer for killing him

[07:15] and breaking his oath. Tell me, if I

[07:17] stab the mad king in the belly instead

[07:19] of the back, would you admire me more?

[07:21] >> But Rene initially rejects Lawrence

[07:23] offer to die, saying,

[07:25] >> "And what good would that do?"

[07:26] >> Rene is exhausted with death. She is so

[07:29] overcome with grief that it all seems

[07:30] pointless to her now. But later in the

[07:32] episode, when she gets her fire back,

[07:34] she remembers her rage at Lauren's

[07:36] betrayal.

[07:36] >> Let Sir Lauren choose how he will die.

[07:38] >> Back at the gullet, some last vestigages

[07:41] of battle break out on the shore. Allan

[07:42] of Hall is in a small boat searching for

[07:44] his father Corus who we saw disappear

[07:46] into the water while fighting Lowhar

[07:48] last episode. And then we cut to the

[07:50] veil where Lady Jane Aaron is riding out

[07:52] of the Eerie. Now Lady Jane is also

[07:54] known as the maiden of the veil since

[07:56] she has never married. That's part of

[07:57] why she supports Rene's claim since her

[07:59] right to rule as a woman has also been

[08:01] challenged. Jane is also Rene's cousin

[08:04] since Rene's mother Ama was born in

[08:06] Aaron. Accounts differ on exactly why

[08:08] Jane never married, but many maesters

[08:10] believe that she would rather spend time

[08:11] with her roommate, Jezamine Redford.

[08:13] Happy Pride Month. The sigil for House

[08:15] Aaron bears a falcon and a moon, which

[08:17] is on the front of Jane's cloak. You can

[08:19] also see a moon pattern on Jane's

[08:21] dublet. She is wearing a silhouette much

[08:22] like future members of her house, Lysa

[08:24] and Robin Aaron from Game of Thrones

[08:26] with billowing sleeves meant to resemble

[08:28] bird wings. Unlike Liza, however, Jane

[08:30] wears a high popped collar and has broad

[08:32] shoulders built into her cloak,

[08:34] projecting strength rather than frailty.

[08:36] Rea turns to Lady Jane for help.

[08:38] Remember, Jane sheltered Raina last

[08:40] season, as well as Rene's two youngest

[08:42] sons, Aegon III and Viserus. But Jane

[08:44] and Raina never really got along.

[08:46] >> When your bread and shelter now depend

[08:47] on my pleasure.

[08:48] >> Raina says,

[08:49] >> "Sheepstealer was frightened.

[08:50] >> I don't care."

[08:51] >> As we discussed last episode, dragon

[08:53] riders imprint some of their emotions

[08:55] onto their dragons. Part of the reason

[08:57] sheep stealer was so distressed was

[08:58] because he was reading Raina's fear.

[09:01] Jane mentions

[09:01] >> you were supposed to be on a ship to

[09:03] Penthouse.

[09:04] >> When Reneer sent Rea and her sons away

[09:06] for their safety, she instructed Rea to

[09:08] write to Prince Reio and Pintos across

[09:10] the narrow sea. Prince Reio shelter

[09:12] Damon, Lena, and their daughters when

[09:13] they left Westeros to escape the

[09:15] politics of King's Landing. Rea didn't

[09:17] want to go back to Pintos, however,

[09:18] since she only has painful memories of

[09:20] that place. when my mother died.

[09:22] >> Lena wanted to return to Westeros before

[09:24] she died, but she never got the chance.

[09:26] And Rea was afraid of meeting the same

[09:28] fate, stuck far away from everything and

[09:30] everyone that she knows. Instead, at the

[09:32] end of last season, Rea snuck off to

[09:34] find Sheepstealer, leading to the

[09:36] disastrous events of last episode. Jane

[09:38] dismisses Rea until she says, "Do you

[09:40] want a dragon or not?" Part of Lady

[09:42] Jane's agreement with Rene was that Rene

[09:44] would send dragons to protect the veil.

[09:46] But Jane felt deceived because Rene sent

[09:49] two hatchlings instead of a full-grown

[09:51] dragon.

[09:51] >> Both still wet from the egg.

[09:53] >> The Eerie is a nearly invulnerable

[09:55] castle because of how treacherous it is

[09:56] to reach, except from the air, where a

[09:59] dragon could easily attack it. Through

[10:00] Raina, Jane can finally get what she

[10:02] wants, protection. Then we cut back to

[10:04] Damon's host of rivermen and the winter

[10:06] wolves who are singing a battle song

[10:08] surrounded by the heads of lions and

[10:10] Lannisters. Now, we didn't mention this

[10:11] last episode, but the Lannister army

[10:13] brings actual lions with them to war,

[10:15] which we saw last season and at the

[10:17] Battle of the Red Fork.

[10:18] >> So, what do the tallies bring fish into

[10:20] battle?

[10:20] >> Actually, according to Night of the

[10:22] Seven Kingdoms, kind of.

[10:25] Among the singers is Rody the Ruin, the

[10:26] leader of the Winter Wolves we met last

[10:28] episode, and he is played by the great

[10:30] Tommy Flanigan, who you might recognize

[10:32] from Sons of Anarchy and Braveheart. We

[10:34] also see Oscar Tully, Young Lee, Lord of

[10:36] the Riverlands, and Black Alley or

[10:38] Alisine Blackwood. She's a very big deal

[10:40] in the book. She is a talented archer

[10:42] and battle commander and we are very

[10:43] excited to see a lot more of her soon.

[10:45] Among the soldiers, there's a lot of

[10:46] familiar House Crest. House Tally is of

[10:49] course present as Oscar Tully's host is

[10:51] leading the Riverlands. The Tully

[10:52] soldiers also have shoulder armor that

[10:54] is shaped like fish scales which is a

[10:55] nod to their sigil. In the original Game

[10:57] of Thrones, Catelyn Stark was born a

[10:59] Tolly and her uncle the Blackfish was a

[11:01] fierce warrior. It seems like Oscar is a

[11:03] lot more like the Blackfish than

[11:05] Catelyn's brother Edmure.

[11:06] >> Bad rain. Bad rain. terrible rain.

[11:08] >> We also see soldiers wearing the sigil

[11:10] of House Mallister. Now, Jason Mallister

[11:12] is a character who pops up frequently in

[11:14] the Song of Ice and Fire books, and is

[11:16] an ally of the Starks. Behind Oscar

[11:18] Tully is a soldier of House Piper, whose

[11:20] seat is near Redfork, which is where the

[11:21] battle last episode took place. They are

[11:24] singing about the Battle of Lakeshore,

[11:25] also known as the Fishfeed, known as the

[11:28] bloodiest land battle in the Dance of

[11:29] Dragons. Similar to many other battles

[11:31] in the show, we are only seeing the

[11:33] aftermath, but the casualties were

[11:34] enormous. More than twothirds of the

[11:36] winter wolves died in this terrible

[11:38] battle as well as many nobles. But they

[11:40] destroyed the Lannister host. Where's a

[11:42] winter wolf? So the winter wolves

[11:44] basically in the north when the winter

[11:45] gets really bad, the old men go out in

[11:48] the winter to die. So these are

[11:50] basically old men who have already

[11:51] accepted that their deaths are

[11:53] inevitable and they fight for Reneer.

[11:55] And by the way, if you want to be a

[11:56] winter wolf, you can get our new winter

[11:58] wolf shirt at our merch store. I love

[12:00] this shirt and I want to show you this

[12:01] brand new shirt we're debuting today.

[12:03] This is the Dance of the Dragons tour

[12:05] shirt with dragons fighting on the front

[12:07] and on the back you can see all of the

[12:09] battles listed in this war. I love this

[12:11] shirt and I cannot wait to get one. We

[12:13] also have our brand new Duncan egg shirt

[12:15] and of course we have classics like

[12:16] Sery's Wine Mixer, Team Green and Team

[12:19] Black shirts, Sir Pounce on the Iron

[12:20] Throne and Hammer and Fury named after

[12:22] one of my favorite characters from the

[12:24] book, Hugh Hammer. And if you become a

[12:25] store member and just at our $5 tier you

[12:28] get an additional 15% off storewide.

[12:30] Links are below. Sir Simon Strong is

[12:32] introduced by a soldier of House

[12:34] Bracken. Now, the Brackens initially

[12:35] sided with Aegon last season, but Damon

[12:37] used their historical enemies, the

[12:39] Blackwoods, to bring them around to his

[12:41] side with blackmail and cruelty.

[12:42] >> There are things the crown itself must

[12:44] not be seen to do.

[12:46] >> That was a risky maneuver that turned

[12:47] the rest of the Riverlords, against

[12:49] Damon until Oscar Tully helped him sway

[12:51] them back towards Reneer. We can also

[12:53] see the Blackwood sigil here among the

[12:54] fighters. So, Simon Strong is the

[12:56] current Castellan of Harrenhal or the

[12:58] person overseeing the castle. He is

[12:59] Laris's strong great uncle, but unlike

[13:01] Laris, he's firmly on Reneer's side. He

[13:04] and his sons are all that remains of

[13:05] House Strong after Laris murdered his

[13:07] own father and brother in season 1.

[13:09] Harwin Strong, Laris's brother, was

[13:11] Reneer's lover and the father of her

[13:12] three bastard children, Jace, Luke, and

[13:14] Joffrey. Laris had him killed to take

[13:16] over the power of his house. And because

[13:18] Allison wanted vengeance for Reneer's

[13:20] adultery,

[13:20] >> I did not wish for this.

[13:22] >> Damon gets news of Jayce's death and

[13:24] responds the way he always does to news

[13:26] of grief and tragedy with action. He

[13:28] quickly dispatches his army on various

[13:30] missions, but you can see his stepson's

[13:32] death has really hit him hard. Alice

[13:34] talks with Damon and says what we're all

[13:36] thinking.

[13:37] >> I would thank you for your help, but I'm

[13:38] not sure yet what your purpose has been.

[13:40] >> Alice reminds him that it's because of

[13:41] her that the Rivermen have come to

[13:43] Reneer's side. In season 2, Damon was

[13:45] stuck because the lege lord of House

[13:47] Tully, Lord Grover, was slowly dying and

[13:49] unable to marshall his forces. Oscar

[13:51] couldn't take over and take action

[13:53] because his grandfather was still alive.

[13:55] Alice promised Damon that all he had to

[13:57] do was wait.

[13:58] >> In three days time, the winds will

[13:59] shift.

[14:00] >> She went to Riverrun herself to heal

[14:02] Lord Tully. And would you look at that?

[14:04] He was suddenly dead. And Damon got

[14:05] exactly what he needed. And this season,

[14:07] Alice has finally revealed what she

[14:09] wants out of all this.

[14:10] >> I want her.

[14:11] >> She says she's lived there all her long

[14:13] life. And different maesters have

[14:15] debated exactly how long that life is.

[14:17] According to some, she is the same age

[14:19] as Harwin and Laris and was the bastard

[14:21] daughter of their father. According to

[14:22] others, she is much, much older. Now, we

[14:25] think the show is actually going with

[14:26] that more mystical route that Alice is

[14:28] older than anyone knows. She says she

[14:30] has seen Harrenhal pass from hand to

[14:32] hand. House of the Dragon takes place

[14:34] around the year 130 AC or after

[14:36] conquest, but the last time Harrenhal

[14:38] passed to a different house was in 73 AC

[14:41] almost 60 years ago. Now, of course, she

[14:43] could be referring to it passing from

[14:44] Lionel to Simon Strong, but we suspect

[14:46] that she is much, much older than anyone

[14:49] realizes. This is partially why she

[14:50] feels like she has a right to the old

[14:52] decrepit castle. I've lived there all my

[14:55] long life and I've seen it given from

[14:57] hand to hand and yet none seem to

[14:59] cherish it. Why should it not come to

[15:01] me?

[15:02] >> Damon refuses to even consider this

[15:04] which infuriates Alice. There's also a

[15:06] parallel here to Ol from last episode.

[15:08] Ul is an idiot, but ultimately they want

[15:10] the same thing more than what Rene is

[15:12] willing to offer them. As she leaves,

[15:14] Alice says,

[15:15] >> "Do not come back here. Remember why I

[15:17] told you."

[15:18] >> And she is referring to what she said to

[15:20] Damon the very first time she met him.

[15:22] You will die in this place.

[15:23] >> Even though she's not happy with him for

[15:25] dismissing her, she still cares for him

[15:27] to some degree. Back at the gullet,

[15:28] Allan picks over the dead looking for

[15:30] his father. But this time, he's joined

[15:32] by Baya. Baya tells Allan that it was

[15:34] for Reneer's sake that Corass ignored

[15:36] them. Corass never acknowledged his two

[15:37] bastard sons, which Allen gave him hell

[15:39] for last season.

[15:41] >> Now you wish to suddenly to scatter the

[15:43] crumbs of your favor.

[15:44] >> Baya and Allan bond over their memories

[15:46] of Corass and their grief. And this is

[15:48] the first time these characters have

[15:49] actually met on screen. But we are

[15:51] looking forward to seeing more of them

[15:53] together throughout this season. Adam is

[15:55] also searching for Corass and the House

[15:56] Valyrian theme plays as we see him on

[15:59] Dragon Back. This is a little bit of

[16:01] foreshadowing that Corus will officially

[16:02] name his son's Valyrians in this

[16:04] episode. Semoke and Adam both spot

[16:06] Corus' white hair on the beach and fly

[16:08] down to rescue him. Even the dragon is

[16:10] also related to the Valyrian since Sea

[16:12] Smoke was Lenor Valyrian's dragon before

[16:14] he was Adams. We return to Laris and

[16:16] Aegon in the Raven Cart, now prisoners

[16:18] of the Blacks, after Laris revealed

[16:19] Aegon's identity last episode. And this

[16:22] line really made me laugh.

[16:23] >> You no longer ask for milk of the

[16:24] puppet.

[16:25] >> I'm not [ __ ] speaking to you.

[16:26] >> For all his many faults, Aegon has

[16:28] always been the funniest Targaryen.

[16:34] >> And now he and Laris are teamed up to

[16:36] deliver Westeros's best new standup

[16:38] routine.

[16:38] >> I was mistaken. I am surprised. Their

[16:40] wagon is being attacked by Tarashi

[16:42] soldiers, which you can tell from this

[16:44] guy's blue hair and beard. We saw the

[16:45] same styles when Tylen Lannister visited

[16:47] the Triarchy last season. Now, these are

[16:49] the remnants of the Triarchy forces from

[16:51] the Battle of the Gullet. Aegon has

[16:53] hated feeling powerless, so the first

[16:55] chance he gets, he claims a weapon, a

[16:56] snapped arrow from a dead body. Laris

[16:59] clubs this squire over the head with the

[17:00] Raven Cage, and Aegon puts that arrow to

[17:02] use.

[17:07] Laris wants to head to Duskondale, a

[17:08] port city, so that they can travel onto

[17:10] Dragonstone. And about a hundred years

[17:12] after the show, Donald of Duskandale in

[17:14] the Night of the Seven Kingdoms is a

[17:15] member of the King's Guard. We saw

[17:17] Kristen Cole sack Duskondale last season

[17:19] and kill its lord. So, the Greens do

[17:21] control that territory, but Aegon

[17:23] insists on traveling to Rook's rest.

[17:25] Now, Rook's rest was where Aegon fell

[17:27] from the sky during the battle, burned

[17:28] by his brother's dragon fire. It was

[17:30] also the last we saw of his dragon

[17:32] Sunfire. I left a mega garrison behind

[17:34] to protect it and the king's dragon.

[17:37] Sunfire was long in the dying. So,

[17:39] >> the show hasn't told us yet why Aegon

[17:41] wants to travel there, but book readers

[17:42] may have an idea. Back on the beach,

[17:44] Corus sits with his closest family, his

[17:46] two sons, Adam and Allen, and his

[17:48] granddaughter and former ward, Bale.

[17:50] Adam offers Corass his hand to stand

[17:52] since he has always been the more

[17:53] forgiving of the two brothers. Corass

[17:55] legitimizes Allen and Adam as Valyrians,

[17:58] which can be done with the permission of

[17:59] the king or queen. Bruce Bolton did the

[18:01] same thing with his bastard Ramsay in

[18:03] Game of Thrones. At the Red Keep,

[18:05] Allison watches Vaggar fly off towards

[18:06] Harrenhal. Her plans have worked so far,

[18:09] but there is still fear in her eyes.

[18:11] Even if everything goes exactly as she

[18:13] has designed, this is still a terrifying

[18:15] time for her. She's agreed to sacrifice

[18:17] her sons in exchange for her and

[18:18] Helena's freedom. She goes to find the

[18:20] commander of the Goldcloaks, Luther

[18:22] Largeant. Now, we haven't seen him

[18:23] before in the show, but there is a bit

[18:24] of history behind him in the book. When

[18:26] the Greens took control of King's

[18:27] Landing, they summoned all of the City

[18:29] Watchers captains and questioned them.

[18:31] Five of seven were deemed loyal to

[18:32] Aegon. And of those five, Luther Larent

[18:35] was named the new commander. Gane High

[18:37] Tower is Larent's second in command in

[18:39] Fire and Blood, but in the show, he

[18:40] seems to be playing a different role.

[18:42] Largent is also a loyalist to Damon in

[18:44] the books, turning against the Greens

[18:46] when the blacks take the city, as he

[18:47] does in this episode. And when he's

[18:48] called a turncloak, Larent says, "Damon

[18:51] gave us these cloaks, and they're gold

[18:52] no matter how you turn them." Damon has

[18:54] been able to use the gold cloaks to his

[18:56] advantage before since blood of blood

[18:58] and cheese was also loyal to him.

[18:59] Ironically, Damon was given his position

[19:01] as commander of the city watch by auto

[19:03] high to Tower as an attempt to remove

[19:05] Damon from the small council.

[19:07] >> Putting Damon in command of the city

[19:08] watch was your solution.

[19:10] >> Not a great plan.

[19:11] >> On Dragonstoneone, Damon returns and is

[19:12] greeted by Hugh Hammer and Ol. Now, Ol

[19:15] attempts a hug, calling Damon the rogue

[19:17] prince. This was the name of George R.

[19:19] Martin's novellet about Damon and

[19:20] Viserus as well as the name of season 1

[19:23] episode 2. Ol is Damon's half brother

[19:25] which might be why he acts so familiar

[19:27] but that doesn't win him any points with

[19:28] Damon who rips Hugh and Ult to pieces

[19:30] for abandoning their post near Harrenhal

[19:32] where they were waiting for Vaggar.

[19:34] Damon and Misaria have quite the history

[19:36] together. Now when they were younger,

[19:37] Misaria was a sex worker at a pleasure

[19:39] house and he was her customer. He then

[19:41] promised to protect her and took her to

[19:43] Dragonstone with him. But instead of

[19:45] keeping her safe, he told the realm that

[19:46] he was going to make her his second wife

[19:48] and that she was pregnant with his

[19:49] child. And neither of these things were

[19:50] true. As far as we know, Damon had no

[19:52] plans to marry her, and she revealed in

[19:54] season 2 that she cannot have children.

[19:56] >> I cannot bear children.

[19:59] >> He was just trying to make Vaserus mad

[20:00] after he was banished from King's

[20:02] Landing. Afterwards, Misaria left Damon

[20:04] after he put her in danger and

[20:05] accumulated power instead in King's

[20:07] Landing as a spy master called the White

[20:09] Worm.

[20:10] >> I think he will wish to hear what the

[20:11] White Worm can tell him. Misaria ends up

[20:14] helping the royals to find Aegon at the

[20:15] end of season 1 when he was trying to

[20:17] run from his responsibilities. All she

[20:19] wanted in return was for Otto High Tower

[20:21] to look out for the small fold.

[20:23] >> Remember, it was me who put him there.

[20:26] >> But instead, Loris torched her

[20:28] headquarters and left her fleeing across

[20:29] the narrow sea. Then in season 2, she

[20:31] was picked up as a stowaway and brought

[20:33] to Dragonstone. So, she made a deal with

[20:34] Damon, giving him information on King's

[20:36] Landing that he used to hire blood and

[20:38] cheese in exchange for her freedom. But

[20:40] instead of freeing her, Damon left. But

[20:42] Rene honored his word and let Misaria

[20:44] go. On her way out of Dragonstone,

[20:45] remember Misaria spotted Sir Eric

[20:47] arriving to kill Rene and she warned the

[20:49] Queen's Guard. After she saved Rea's

[20:51] life, the queen offered her a seat at

[20:53] her court. And since then, she's been a

[20:54] valuable ally for Rene and her cause.

[20:56] The two women have also become quite

[20:58] close in more ways than one. Happy

[21:00] Pride. In the books, Misaria or Lady

[21:02] Misery was an important character, but

[21:04] she was more Damon's paramore than

[21:06] Reneer. She did in fact become pregnant

[21:08] with his child at one point, but lost

[21:09] the baby. Misaria and Damon spar with

[21:11] each other and it's clear that they're

[21:13] both vying for Reneer's affections. They

[21:15] keep exchanging positions on the stairs

[21:16] as they argue, indicating the shifting

[21:18] balance of power between them that is

[21:20] continually changing. Finally, Misaria

[21:22] brings herself level with Damon, showing

[21:24] that she sees herself as his equal and

[21:26] will not lower herself in front of him.

[21:28] She finally says,

[21:29] >> "Not everything is about you, Damon."

[21:31] >> And this echoes what Helena said to him

[21:33] last season.

[21:34] >> "It's all a story,

[21:36] and you're but one part in it." Damon

[21:39] has had to learn time and time again

[21:40] that he is not the most important person

[21:42] in everyone's lives. Damon and Misaria

[21:44] seem to make an unspoken agreement to

[21:46] have a truce both sitting and discussing

[21:48] things frankly. Misaria asks if it's

[21:50] possible that there is truly still a

[21:52] bond between Allison and Reneer and

[21:54] Damon responds with that pain you

[21:57] >> with his knowing smirk. It seems to

[21:58] imply that Damon is somewhat aware of

[22:00] the romantic tension between Misaria and

[22:02] Reneer. Back at the Red Keep, Allison's

[22:04] sworn protector, Sir Rickard Thorne,

[22:06] confronts her about her actions, but she

[22:08] dismisses him. We saw Sir Rickard

[22:10] escorting Allison on her field trip to

[22:12] the Kingswood last season. You may also

[22:14] recognize the actor as Garp from the One

[22:16] Piece live action. I want these spiders

[22:18] taking a life.

[22:19] >> And we go quickly to Dragonstone where

[22:21] Damon tries to comfort Rene. Now Rene

[22:23] orders him to track down Sheepsteeler

[22:25] and his rider, which isn't going to be

[22:27] good for Damon once he realizes that the

[22:28] rogue dragon rider is in fact his own

[22:30] daughter. Rea mourns her part in this

[22:32] war, saying that this is because of her

[22:34] quest to the throne that her sons are

[22:36] dead. But Damon won't let her give up.

[22:37] Last season, Alice River showed him

[22:39] visions of Aegon's dream, the song of

[22:41] ice and fire. He now knows the truth

[22:43] that unifying the seven kingdoms is

[22:45] about more than Aegon versus Reira. It

[22:47] is about preventing the end of life in

[22:49] Westeros. He saw a vision of Daenerys

[22:51] and her dragons far in the future. Damon

[22:53] talks to Rea in High Valyriion, like

[22:55] when she was young, and they use the

[22:57] language to have private conversations.

[23:04] This prophecy is also a Targaryen secret

[23:06] and he speaks in Valyrian so he doesn't

[23:08] run the risk of being overheard. Last

[23:10] season we thought that when he saw a

[23:11] vision of Dany, he assumed it was Rene.

[23:13] But this speech makes it clear that he

[23:15] knew it was a different woman.

[23:23] >> But he believes that in order for that

[23:24] future to come to pass, Rene must be

[23:26] queen. In her chambers, Allison is

[23:28] gathering her things for a life on the

[23:30] run. She takes some jewelry, perhaps

[23:32] thinking it can be sold to help her and

[23:33] Helena survive, but she is stopped by

[23:35] Lord Jasper Wild, the master of laws on

[23:37] the small council. Jasper, as known as

[23:39] Iron Rod, for his strict attitudes on

[23:41] the law. Lord Jasper and Allison have

[23:44] clashed once before when she was

[23:45] horrified to discover that the Green

[23:47] Council had plotted to put Aegon on the

[23:49] throne without informing her. And

[23:50] >> yes,

[23:51] >> one more word and I'll have you removed

[23:52] from this chamber and sent to the wall.

[23:53] Jasper accuses Allison of snaking her

[23:55] way into power since she was a girl,

[23:57] which is a particularly nasty way of

[23:59] phrasing that she was married off to a

[24:01] man who was three times her age and then

[24:03] forced to have his children. At that

[24:04] point in her life, Allison was basically

[24:06] just Otto's political pond, that he

[24:08] maneuvered straight into Viserus. But

[24:10] Jasper makes it sound as though all of

[24:12] these events were Allison's doing.

[24:14] Jasper makes a sleazy reference to

[24:15] Allison's affair with Sir Kristen Cole

[24:17] last season. After Viserus's death, it

[24:19] was something of an open secret at court

[24:21] that Allison and Cole were sleeping

[24:22] together, but she broke it off with him

[24:24] after he refused to stand by her at the

[24:26] small council and instead elected Aeund

[24:28] as regent.

[24:29] >> Aemon is the next in line.

[24:31] >> Allison grabs a small turtle statueette

[24:32] and hits Jasper over the head with it

[24:34] when he attacks her. Now, turtles are

[24:36] significant not necessarily in Game of

[24:37] Thrones directly, but to its author,

[24:39] George RR Martin. He had pet turtles as

[24:41] a kid and he said he made up stories

[24:43] about them becoming kings and fighting

[24:45] in wars, which is where he claims the

[24:46] ideas for Game of Thrones originated

[24:48] from. Jasper says, "Plead with me."

[24:51] >> And with that, Allison has had enough.

[24:53] This is a momentous occasion for her

[24:55] character. For so long, she has used her

[24:57] body as a tool and an object. She has

[24:59] never had control over her own sexuality

[25:01] since she has been a victim of sexual

[25:03] violence all of her life. When Aean

[25:05] kissed her romantically last episode,

[25:07] she had no choice but to go along with

[25:09] it in spite of her horror because she

[25:11] needed to control him to save herself

[25:13] and her daughter. But here, finally, she

[25:15] fights back against Jasper, and

[25:16] symbolically, she's fighting the

[25:18] patriarchal system that has ruled her

[25:20] body and her life, and she fights

[25:22] viciously.

[25:23] >> Plead with me.

[25:25] >> House of the Dragon has shot its sex

[25:27] scenes very differently from Game of

[25:28] Thrones. This show tends to avoid

[25:30] showing its main actors bodies during

[25:32] intimate scenes, and the same goes here

[25:34] for this attempted assault. Game of

[25:35] Thrones received criticism for the

[25:37] sexualization of its many assault

[25:39] scenes, and this may be House of the

[25:40] Dragons answer to that critique. This

[25:42] scene is not at all filmed in a sexual

[25:44] light, but instead with a horrific tone.

[25:47] Jasper is interrupted by Maester Orws.

[25:50] He tries to implicate Allison in

[25:51] treasonous behavior. Instead, Orwh has

[25:54] him arrested. Now, Maester Orw has often

[25:56] been Allison's ally at court. He helped

[25:58] her reach Dragonstone to talk to Reneer

[26:00] last season, and he also made her moon

[26:02] tea, a form of birth control after her

[26:04] affair with Kristen Cole. Back on

[26:06] Dragonstone, Reira finally emerges from

[26:08] her chambers after Jayce's death. In

[26:10] Fire and Blood, the Maester writes that

[26:12] Jayce's death hardened her, burning away

[26:14] her fears, leaving only her anger and

[26:16] her hatred. This is immediately visible

[26:18] in her costumes. She's not wearing her

[26:20] Valyrian dress anymore, but instead

[26:22] armor and a sword. Rea is emerging as a

[26:25] woman of action. When she says,

[26:26] >> "I'm done with,"

[26:28] >> she walks away from the painted table as

[26:30] a visual metaphor. She's leaving behind

[26:32] strategy in favor of direct attack.

[26:34] Misaria gives Rea her crown, the one

[26:36] that once belonged to Jiharis the

[26:37] consiliator and her father, Viserus.

[26:39] Aegon II wore the crown of Aegon the

[26:41] Conqueror at his coronation. But in this

[26:43] moment, Rene has become far more

[26:45] conqueror than Consiliator. Misaria asks

[26:48] Rene to send for her in King's Landing

[26:50] and urges her to

[26:51] >> remember which one of us has been

[26:53] faithful. Misaria and Damon are Reira's

[26:55] two closest adviserss and they represent

[26:57] two different ideologies. Misaria

[26:59] represents the interests of the common

[27:01] folk and the belief in being a just and

[27:03] kind ruler. Damon represents fire and

[27:05] blood and burning everything down to

[27:07] rule over the ashes. In this moment,

[27:09] Rene is much more aligned with Damon

[27:11] than she is with Msaria. Damon's smirk

[27:13] at Msaria when he leaves shows that he's

[27:15] also aware that he has been chosen. Rene

[27:18] finally flies to King's Landing along

[27:20] with Damon, Hugh, and Ul. They fly over

[27:22] the debris from the battle of the

[27:23] gullet, showing that this is the tragedy

[27:25] and loss that is driving Rea to action.

[27:27] At the Red Keep, Helena is entertaining

[27:29] herself with the caterpillar and the

[27:31] leaves. She has always loved bugs ever

[27:32] since she was a little girl. She says,

[27:34] >> "This is strange. It isn't the season."

[27:37] >> Now, there are a few possible meanings

[27:38] of this since Helena's statements are

[27:40] often cryptic and layered in mystery.

[27:42] Helena has prophetic dreams and often

[27:43] foreshadows future events.

[27:45] >> You will have a dragon one day.

[27:47] >> You'll have to close an eye.

[27:49] >> Not the dragons, the rats. The queen is

[27:51] an enduring mystery, is she not?

[27:53] >> So, this could mean that the winter is

[27:55] coming early, perhaps talking about the

[27:57] arrival of the winter wolves, or even

[27:59] more momentous, it could mean that the

[28:00] Starks themselves are coming south.

[28:02] Helena also has a journal that she seems

[28:04] to be filling with notes on her insects.

[28:06] The butterfly is called Alisoni of Nth.

[28:08] Helena has written, "They are said to

[28:10] cause death to people around them while

[28:12] living, but so far I remain alive." Now,

[28:14] there are a few things to note here.

[28:16] First, Nth is an island in the summer

[28:18] sea where Missande was born in Game of

[28:20] Thrones. It's also known as the aisle of

[28:22] butterflies, and there is a fever known

[28:24] as butterfly fever. It is said to infect

[28:27] and kill anyone who isn't native to the

[28:29] island. This could be partially what

[28:31] Helena is writing about. Also, remember

[28:33] that she planned to run away with

[28:34] greyworm to this island.

[28:36] >> North, I'd like to see the beaches

[28:38] again.

[28:38] >> Then I will take you there.

[28:40] >> Second though is the name of the

[28:41] butterfly. We don't think it's a

[28:43] coincidence that its name, Alison, is so

[28:45] similar to Allison. This could

[28:47] foreshadow that Allison is deadly to

[28:49] those around her. Much like the

[28:50] butterfly, whether she wants it to

[28:52] happen or not, her life creates tragedy

[28:54] for everyone in her vicinity. Helena

[28:56] asks,

[28:56] >> "Will there be a battle?"

[28:58] >> She has always been the most innocent

[28:59] and peaceful of Allison's children in

[29:01] King's Landing and has never had the

[29:03] will to fight. Even when Aean tried to

[29:05] make her fight last season, Helena

[29:06] refused. Allison says,

[29:08] >> "You told me not many days ago that you

[29:11] were happier before you were queen."

[29:12] >> And we heard Helena say those words last

[29:14] season.

[29:14] >> "I was happier before I was queen."

[29:17] >> Not only does Allison feel great love

[29:18] for her daughter, but Allison can also

[29:20] relate to that sentiment. Allison was

[29:22] much, much happier when she was a girl

[29:24] before she married Viserus and became

[29:26] queen. She wants that freedom back, not

[29:28] only for herself, but for her daughter.

[29:30] Allison goes on to say,

[29:31] >> "You I may yet redeem."

[29:34] >> She's accepted Aegon and Aemon as a lost

[29:36] cause. her irredeemable children. But we

[29:38] think that Allison believes that there

[29:39] is some hope for herself if she can save

[29:42] just one of her kids from becoming a

[29:44] monster. Elena says,

[29:45] >> "I think I might like to keep chickens."

[29:48] >> Oh, Helena. We hope she gets her

[29:50] chickens someday, but it doesn't seem

[29:52] too likely.

[29:53] >> I wouldn't get your hopes up, farm,

[29:54] girl.

[29:55] >> Allison to Helena persuade the guards on

[29:56] top of the walls to stand down. And

[29:58] Helena adds,

[29:59] >> "Her sons were always kind." The last

[30:01] time the family met in peace, the

[30:03] evening before Viserus died, Jacece went

[30:05] out of his way to be kind to Helena and

[30:06] ask her to dance. These soldiers wear

[30:08] the Targaryen dragon, but in gold on

[30:10] green rather than red on black. And this

[30:12] is the personal sigil of Aegon II,

[30:15] adopted to reflect his gold dragon,

[30:16] Sunfire. In the forest, Vaggar flies

[30:18] overhead and brings some hope back to

[30:20] Kristen Cole. His soldiers cheer and we

[30:22] see the emblems of House Stokeworth and

[30:24] House Rosby, both from the Crownlands.

[30:26] Now, in the original series, Bronn ended

[30:27] up being betrod to Lawless of House

[30:29] Stokeworth. She's dimwitted. If I wanted

[30:32] wits, I'm out of you.

[30:33] >> Vaggar arrives at Harrenhal, burning

[30:34] what's left of Damon's host there. Damon

[30:36] and Amon are always put in parallel to

[30:38] each other as characters. And one of

[30:40] Damon's visions at Harrenhal last season

[30:42] even included himself dressed as Aemon.

[30:45] Now Aean burst into Sir Simon's dinner

[30:47] the way that Damon did when he took over

[30:49] Harrenhal. Unlike Damon though, Aean is

[30:51] not so inclined to show mercy. In both

[30:53] the book and the show, Aean demands that

[30:55] Sir Simon take up a sword to fight him.

[30:57] >> Draw your sword. In Fire and Blood,

[30:59] Aemon specifically says, "If you are

[31:01] innocent, the warrior will give you the

[31:03] strength to defeat me." But here in the

[31:04] show, it seems even more evident that

[31:06] Aemon just doesn't want to look like a

[31:08] coward striking down an unarmed man. But

[31:10] in the end, he decides he's okay with

[31:11] it.

[31:12] >> There's nothing to stop you.

[31:14] >> He kills off all of Sir Simon's sons as

[31:16] well. And in Fire and Blood, this event

[31:18] is the end of House Strong when Aemon

[31:21] executes every remaining member of the

[31:22] house. Harrenhal does not tend to bode

[31:24] well for the houses that live there.

[31:26] >> It's your new house. Say lovely.

[31:29] >> In this adaptation though, one of

[31:30] Simon's sons gets in a strike. And this

[31:32] is the perfect way for Aean to be

[31:34] injured at the hands of some random guy

[31:36] who has probably barely held a sword in

[31:38] his life. Aemon is too cocky, which is

[31:40] evident from the way he left Vaggar

[31:41] outside and took off his helm before

[31:43] facing these men. He believes that no

[31:45] one could touch him, but one lucky hit

[31:47] reminded him that he is still human.

[31:49] He's left cowering in front of Alice

[31:51] Rivers, begging for her help. The way he

[31:53] falls in front of her almost looks as

[31:55] though she may be exerting some kind of

[31:56] magical power over him, but it's equally

[31:58] possible that he's just bleeding out.

[32:00] And you can tell that Alice is enjoying

[32:02] this moment of power. She's so used to

[32:04] being subservient or overlooked. And now

[32:06] one of the most powerful people in the

[32:08] seven kingdoms is begging at her feet,

[32:10] and she can choose whether he lives or

[32:12] dies. Damon may regret his choice to

[32:14] dismiss her earlier in this episode.

[32:16] This war is giving power and authority

[32:18] to second sons, bastards, and common

[32:20] folk instead of enforcing the status

[32:22] quo. And this reflects the way that real

[32:24] life wars often realign societies.

[32:26] Dragons descend on King's Landing while

[32:27] Allison Helena and Helena's surviving

[32:29] daughter Jihira try to escape. Jiara is

[32:32] the twin of Jiharis, who blood and

[32:33] cheese murdered last season. The small

[32:35] folk cower beneath the might of the

[32:37] dragon. Hugh Hammer's wife, Cat, looks

[32:38] to the sky, seeing Vermathor and her

[32:40] husband fly far above her. two of Ol's

[32:42] old drinking buddies are staring up as

[32:44] well. And I wonder if they know that Ol

[32:46] is now a dragon rider. We also see

[32:47] Sylvie, the brothel madam that Amid was

[32:49] with in season 2. After a full season

[32:51] away, Reneova finally returns to the Red

[32:54] Keep. Now, King's Landing is not a

[32:56] particularly strategically important

[32:58] city for conquering Westeros, unlike

[33:00] Harrenhal, which is the largest castle

[33:02] in the Seven Kingdoms. However, from a

[33:03] place of appearance, having Rene

[33:05] actually sit the Iron Throne does

[33:07] wonders for her legitimacy. She now has

[33:10] the crown and the throne, and this will

[33:12] make her much harder to dismiss as a

[33:14] pretender. Damon fights his way through

[33:15] a courtyard that looks like the area

[33:17] that Cersei turned into the map room

[33:18] toward the end of Game of Thrones. Now,

[33:20] for the first time, Damon is showing

[33:22] true difference to Reneer, letting her

[33:24] walk in first into the throne room.

[33:26] After his visions at Harrenhal, he

[33:27] finally has accepted that he will not be

[33:29] king and that he needs to support her

[33:31] wholeheartedly. Allison's protector,

[33:33] Rickard, and the Greens fill the throne

[33:36] room to stop Damon and Rene. In rage,

[33:38] Rene draws her sword and the guards

[33:40] laugh at her.

[33:45] >> Now, here's a thing I haven't seen

[33:46] before. Even when she wears the

[33:48] masculine trappings of strength, she

[33:50] still isn't taken seriously. But Damon's

[33:52] loyalty with the gold cloaks wins yet

[33:54] again as Sir Luther Larent and his men

[33:56] come in to the duo's rescue. All of the

[33:58] guards throw down their swords except

[33:59] Sir Rickard, who is dragged away,

[34:01] presumably to his death. Damon in his

[34:03] gold cloak sweep through the halls. And

[34:05] this is a parallel to the very first

[34:07] episode of the show where he used his

[34:08] new city watch to violently cut down

[34:11] crime in King's Landing. After all these

[34:13] years, the power is his once again.

[34:15] Damon goes directly to Aegon's chambers,

[34:17] but of course, as we know, he has fled.

[34:19] >> In episode 1, Aemon accused Orw of being

[34:22] the agent of Aegon's escape, and now he

[34:24] gets the same from Damon. Instead, Orwh

[34:27] offers up Lord Jasper in his place.

[34:29] Allison and Helena are recognized by

[34:31] some of the small folk as they try to

[34:32] run, which, you know, makes sense. After

[34:34] Jiharis's murder, Otto made Allison and

[34:36] Helena ride in a funeral procession in

[34:38] order to blame Reira for the child's

[34:40] death. Because of this commodification

[34:42] of their grief, they can no longer be in

[34:44] hiding. Damon goes to the dungeons to

[34:46] seek out Lord Jasper and also frees all

[34:48] of Rene's loyal followers who have been

[34:50] imprisoned. There, he finds out that

[34:52] Laris, like any clever schemer, has been

[34:54] playing both sides. A gift for you from

[34:57] Lord Laris Strong.

[34:59] >> Last season, Aegon dismissed Otto High

[35:01] Tower as hand of the king after he

[35:03] dressed down Aegon for killing all the

[35:04] rat catchers and for generally being

[35:06] stupid.

[35:07] >> Instead of judgment, you display

[35:09] impetuousness AND DIMINISH US.

[35:12] >> ALLISON tried to reach out to her

[35:13] father, but was unable to get word to

[35:15] him. And at the end of last season, we

[35:16] saw Otto in a mysterious prison. Now the

[35:19] answer is clear. Laris somehow contrived

[35:21] to trap Otto before he ever left the Red

[35:23] Keep, keeping him under everyone's noses

[35:25] in the black cells. These are cells with

[35:27] no light that are reserved for high

[35:28] crimes. Ned Stark was kept in a black

[35:30] cell after Cersei had him arrested.

[35:32] Damon is gleeful to see Otto imprisoned,

[35:34] which is a good reminder that the two of

[35:36] them absolutely hate each other.

[35:38] >> If you're in want of a woman to warm

[35:40] your bed, your own lady wife passed

[35:43] recently.

[35:44] >> Are you so desperate for the king's

[35:45] attention that you've resorted to

[35:47] skullking about like a common cut? Nera

[35:49] greets Lord Merryweather and Lady Fel

[35:51] who have been freed from the dungeons

[35:52] after they refused to kneel to Aegon. We

[35:54] saw them being led away by guards in

[35:56] this very room in season 1. Damon drags

[35:58] Otto into the room. There is true hatred

[36:01] in Reneer's eyes. She has known Otto

[36:03] High Tower since she was a little girl,

[36:05] but in the end he plotted to overthrow

[36:07] her and have her killed just to put his

[36:09] own grandson on the throne. Otto is a

[36:11] complicated character and on some level

[36:13] I do believe that he thought that Rene

[36:15] on the throne would mean war in the

[36:16] realm. Reme succeeds him, war will

[36:19] follow. Do you understand?

[36:20] >> But at the same time, you can't deny his

[36:23] selfish motivations and evil actions. He

[36:25] was another second son who was set to

[36:27] inherit no castle or power, who instead

[36:30] contrived to make his family the seed of

[36:32] power in Westeros. And there's pain on

[36:34] Otto's face when he says,

[36:36] >> "I assume everyone else is dead."

[36:38] >> He's probably thinking of Allison in

[36:40] this moment. He may be a terrible

[36:42] father, but he does love his daughter.

[36:44] He has no way of knowing that Reneer's

[36:45] ascension is actually the result of

[36:47] Allison's actions, and he never will.

[36:50] Rene has not prepared to face Otto since

[36:53] she was stealing herself to kill Aegon.

[36:55] Damon then urges her on, serving as the

[36:57] devil on her shoulder, pushing her

[36:59] towards her worst, most violent

[37:00] instincts. He believes that she will not

[37:02] truly be seen as queen unless she shows

[37:04] the capability to do violence because

[37:07] all of Damon's own strengths always come

[37:09] from violence. Otto says,

[37:11] >> "If your father could see what it's come

[37:13] to,

[37:13] >> the nerve of this guy, right?" Rene

[37:15] misses her first strike, but hits the

[37:17] second. Unfortunately, not fulfilling

[37:19] Otto's last wish. Spare me at least from

[37:21] being hacked at.

[37:22] >> This is a horrible moment that reminds

[37:24] the audience that violence isn't

[37:26] elegant, but instead it's bloody and

[37:28] awful. Damon quickly dispatches Lord

[37:30] Jasper before he can finish his last

[37:32] words, but honestly, [ __ ] that guy.

[37:33] Damon says to Rene before she kills

[37:35] Otto,

[37:36] >> "In this moment, you will become queen."

[37:39] And the thing is, he ain't wrong. When

[37:41] she kills for the first time, she does

[37:43] become queen, but not the queen her

[37:45] father wanted her to be. She becomes a

[37:47] queen bathed in blood, which is why her

[37:49] steps are drenched in it as she finally

[37:51] makes her way to the Iron Throne. This

[37:53] shot of her stepping up to the throne,

[37:54] reflected in Otto's blood is just

[37:56] perfect. She finally has what she

[37:58] wanted. But was the price worth it?

[38:01] Because then in comes Allison. She and

[38:03] Helena were captured as they attempted

[38:04] to make their escape. And Allison is

[38:06] immediately confronted with her beheaded

[38:08] father. She had accepted that Rene would

[38:10] have to kill Aegon, but this is a death

[38:12] she was not prepared for. This may

[38:14] confirm Allison's worst fears that Rene

[38:16] will be just as bloodthirsty a ruler as

[38:18] her son was. And Rene, for her part, is

[38:20] stricken with horror and grief. Allison,

[38:22] her childhood friend, betrayed her sons

[38:25] to help Rene. And Rene turned around and

[38:27] murdered her dad. But Rene steals

[38:29] herself in the final seconds of the

[38:31] episode. What's been done is done. And

[38:33] now they're all going to have to live

[38:34] with it. Guys, huge shout out to Harriet

[38:36] Lingal Inright who wrote this video. You

[38:38] can find her links down below. And let

[38:39] us know what you thought about the

[38:40] episode. Were there any Easter eggs we

[38:41] missed? Let us know in the comments.

[38:42] We're on our free to join Discord

[38:44] server. You can find me on Substack. And

[38:45] if it's your first time here, please

[38:47] subscribe. Smash that bell for alerts

[38:48] for Screen Crush. I'm Ryan Ery.