Well here’s a bunch more new characters in bad wigs!

There were several midwives and servants attending to Aemma. Assuming Viserys didn’t come out and tell his family exactly what happened, servants talk and gossip spreads quickly. Remember, the Valarians are cousins to the Targaryens and were at Kings Landing for the tourney when Aemma died. So they would have heard…

They were paying attention. That’s why they said that.

I liked this episode, the plotting and family drama was fantastic. But I really wish we could have had more time inbetween setting up the characters, especially Laena and Harwin.

Laena is basically a footnote in the book, like Daemon’s first wife, as well as Ser Harwin. That’s probably why they were basically written out without much characterization.

Not to mention the insult of offering up a bastard (one whose existence breaks as many rules as this one’s does, at that) as a good match for a princess.

because everyone knows it’s an illegitimate heir, it was to Rhaenyra’s benefit to put the rumours to rest by marrying him back into the bloodline.

At this point most of the Small Council knows (or suspects) that Rhaenyra’s children are bastards, so they’re probably not eager for this match which could give her oldest an even stronger claim on the Iron Throne.

I don’t know if we’re supposed to be on her side, but I do think we’re to understand how she went from this very naive girl to someone who will slowly lose her humanity to protect her children. Whatever horrible things are to come, she would never have done horrible things if she hadn’t been forced to marry into the…

We all know this guy has:

Emma D’Arcy still felt in the same vein of Milly’s performance. She seems a little sanded down from the young Rhaenyra we know, which makes sense. I’m sure the spark will return once Daemon is back (who somehow got younger).

Why?  All of Allicent’s children have that perfect hair, and they’re only half-Targaryen too.

In the book, everyone does such nasty stuff that you’re just left hoping they all die.

Elon Musk?

Whatever, incel.

Or crossover with Squid Game. The sole survivor gets to be Bond.

I’m eye-rolling at the fact that you’re so committed to calling me an incel despite the fact that I already explicitly said fuck the incel community. And frankly, no, the reason people hated Daniel Craig is not for the reasons they hate Halle Bailey. The Right can hide behind ridiculous rationales for hating black…

Are you really that much out of the loop about what “incel” means these days

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being involuntarily celibate. I think at one point or another, we’ve all been celibate involuntarily, if only for a short period of time. I’m sure JFK sometimes wished he could be having sex instead of sitting through a cabinet meeting, for example.

1) The media wet their pants when a blonde (and craggly-looing) Bond was announced. It was a very unpopular decision, until people saw the movie, and then everyone shut up.