Hell, they haven’t even kept up with what the other big houses think of any of this, hence the big info dump around the table in this episode. Which is particularly strange considering that 90+% of the coming civil war is fought by the huge combined armies of the various houses.

Aside from the tragedy of it all, that scene with the two dragons was awesome in a scary way, it was like Jaws but with dragons, perfect for Halloween.

This is the definition of a hot take.

The show has kept everything on such a personal level you don’t get a feel for the politics involved or the potential ramifications of certain things.

I’m curious, did they ever show how things netted out with Rhaenys and Corlys in the books? Because I found their convo on the show literally unbelievable. They quickly decide to back a couple that is responsible for the death of their brother and son, for all they know, while Corlys talks about spending time with his…

The show is DEFINITELY not impressing upon me any idea that open murder is frowned upon. Until I saw Aemond’s face full of regret, I assumed he fully intended to kill Luke. Like, it wasn’t even a question. If anything, the show seems to imply that this is a world where open murder is extremely common and can be…

But not the Strong boys! They should’ve been the most capable of all the characters. They have the Targaryen name but way less of the inbreeding, and their dad was won of the most physically fit people in the realm. Why are/were they such weenies?

Geternally, I loved the first season, but I do think that part of where it suffered was that the writers REALLY expected the viewers to have at minimum watched GOT and remembered/ internalized those social mores. Granted, GOT spent more time on the concept of Guest Right and kingslaying than kinslaying- Ramsay Bolton…

The Aemond-Luke situation sparking the war didn’t come out of nowhere - it was a long result of fully fleshed out bad decisions being made, and coming from the personalities of the people involved. Aemond and Luke are at odds because of the decisions their parents made, plus their own bad history and Aemond’s penchant…

The Royal dragon piece fetcher had his work cut out for him, I can tell you that much. 

Straight up murdering someone, especially kinslaying, is actually looked down upon and could turn houses against the murdering side. Rhaenyra didn’t think she had anything to worry about in sending her sons out as emissaries, who are protected by tradition.

To be fair, many of the major players are hopelessly inbred.

I think the problem isn’t having realistic depictions of labor. It’s more this is the what, 4th? 5th? graphic depiction of childbirth in 10 episodes of TV. At a certain point it just becomes torture porn.

“This discomfort I feel must somehow be morally wrong or harmful.”

I don’t think Aemond’s off the hook at all. And his last expression made it pretty clear he knew he’d just started a war.

Wasn’t broad daylight. They flew above the storm to fight, and no one would have been able to see the remains falling in the big storm.  As you say, they were probably fighting over the water, and who knows when/where the remains could have washed up.

I would generously like to see it that way, but Alicent also continues to seem outwardly appalled that everyone around her also wanted this and has been working behind the scenes to make it happen.

The complaint about the show’s graphic depiction of labor is strange. House of the Dragon, like Game of Thrones, is a show where a lot of violent things happen. Unlike Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon is to a significant extent a show about women. The central conflict on the show is between two women, with a third…

I’m sorry I just think it’s incredibly dumb how adult Rhaenyra was rightfully paranoid of threats to her heirs all season but during the greatest moment of political turmoil, she sent her kids off unchaperoned as if they didn’t have giant targets on their backs.

Spoiler alert:  Luke is alive and living in Vhagar’s stomach, Pinocchio style. We’ll see him again.