House of the Dragon: The Rogue Prince   Books Included 
August 28, 2022 7:14 PM - Season 1, Episode 2 - Subscribe

The great game continues as Rhaenyra, Daemon, and Corlys test boundaries.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (37 comments total)
 
They just...reused the theme!
posted by kittens for breakfast at 7:17 PM on August 28, 2022 [8 favorites]


The GoT theme was an interesting choice! It's familiarity hit a nice note for me, especially considering all the politics going on to claim the Iron throne.

Poor Corlys, he was getting absolutely nowhere. His ambition is high, but his cleverness remains low if he's trying to remain a house a power. Sure, he has his treasons, but trying to forge an alliance with Daemon is such a blatantly terrible move. Because even if it succeeds and Daemon becomes king, the very first thing he'd do is kill Corlys. And who could blame him?!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:33 PM on August 28, 2022 [3 favorites]


Like Homer Simpson in donut Hell, I feel like I would be extremely vexing to the crab feeder and his troops. Three months chained on that beach and not only am I still alive, I’ve somehow gained thirty pounds.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 7:46 PM on August 28, 2022 [10 favorites]


You can also mark me down as jealous of the king’s collection of Warhammer Fantasy miniatures.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 7:49 PM on August 28, 2022 [6 favorites]


Viserys is a slow, plodding, prudent leader, and no one in this universe has time for that. If Corlys could wait for Rhaenyra to take power, it'd be game on for both of them, but neither of them has anything like that kind of patience. (I get the feeling they wouldn't have to wait very long, but no one realizes Viserys is literally falling apart -- yet.)

Daemon's petty power move kinda won me over, and I can see why his style would appeal to Corlys. Frankly, it didn't not appeal to me. God knows I've seen enough inaction and leaders with feet of clay in a time of crisis to last me a lifetime. Political frustration is more relatable to me in 2022 than I would ever have dreamed it could be. In the midst of chaos and uncertainty, is a leader like Viserys a calming, reassuring figure, or a maddeningly placid one? The answer may just depend on whether you have anything to lose, I guess.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 7:50 PM on August 28, 2022 [4 favorites]


Viserys's model fully reminds me of Ben Horne's civil war models in Twin Peaks
posted by JDHarper at 8:02 PM on August 28, 2022 [4 favorites]


One of the more interesting writing choices to me is the "show, don't tell" approach to Otto's scheme to have Alicent seduce Viserys. If this were the first show, there would have been a scene of Otto explicitly describing his plan because D&D didn't trust their viewers to figure things out otherwise (or a scene afterwards in which the plotters celebrate, for things they really did want to be a surprise, like the Red Wedding or blowing up the sept). But the writing for this show seems to be much more willing to make the viewer read between the lines.
posted by gsteff at 8:49 PM on August 28, 2022 [6 favorites]


I do really appreciate the crabs eating the wounded scene.

The whole zong thing is about appeasing the crabs not to eat the drowned.
posted by porpoise at 9:42 PM on August 28, 2022 [2 favorites]


Viserys dismissing of Rhaenyra feels emotionally dissonant to me, especially after his investing his faith in her in the last episode.

Kind of wish there was a longer emotional beat in the small council that clearly signaled his opinion of her changing. I saw that it was there, but it happened too fast for me.
posted by ishmael at 10:12 PM on August 28, 2022


Did no one who attended the announcement of the betrothal wonder why Alicent had been invited to the meeting prior to her being named Viserys’s intended?
posted by Parasite Unseen at 10:37 PM on August 28, 2022 [5 favorites]


Did no one who attended the announcement of the betrothal wonder why Alicent had been invited to the meeting prior to her being named Viserys’s intended?

Probably, but as Rhaenyra's closest friend and no doubt some people were on Otto's side, they didn't wonder too deeply.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:03 AM on August 29, 2022 [1 favorite]


Viserys is the kind of the king that would make Cersei Lannister howl with rage. He would have been better off as a historian, working in Oldtown. He has no skills at reading the room or people. Corlys is an ass and Daemon is a real danger. He could have mollified both. Instead, he is igniting a civil war.
posted by Ber at 10:39 AM on August 29, 2022 [1 favorite]


Still not clear as to what Viserys' ailment is. Early signs of dragonscale, perhaps?

The Crab Feeder also seems to have a skin ailment of some kind.
posted by ishmael at 10:44 AM on August 29, 2022 [1 favorite]


Viserys' ailment is being a weak man on the Iron Throne. When he sits on it, he inadvertently cuts himself since he lacks the strength / self control to avoid it.

They haven't explicitly made that connection yet. May be another example of re-introducing subtlety and intrigue to the shows writing style (as gsteff pointed out above)
posted by Hume at 11:25 AM on August 29, 2022 [1 favorite]


The dragon scene was delightful. Caraxes is a very good (and very long) boy. I am excited for more dragons in the future, even if they're going to be concentrated into bursts of high-budget awesomeness.
posted by confluency at 12:39 PM on August 29, 2022 [1 favorite]


concentrated into bursts of high-budget awesomeness.

When Rhaenyra suggested using dragons to take the Stepstones, I swear I could see David Zaslav in the background mouthing the words "NO! NO!".
posted by 1970s Antihero at 12:49 PM on August 29, 2022 [2 favorites]


Also, what was Otto's plan for handling Daemon on Dragonstone, exactly? Just yell at Daemon until Caraxes burns Otto and the Kingsguard to a crisp?
posted by ishmael at 1:49 PM on August 29, 2022 [4 favorites]




The dragon scene was delightful. Caraxes is a very good (and very long) boy. I am excited for more dragons in the future, even if they're going to be concentrated into bursts of high-budget awesomeness.

I for one appreciated the cloud-wrapped entrance of She Who Shall Not Take Shit. Gorgeous work, animators, top hole.
posted by coriolisdave at 5:41 PM on August 29, 2022 [3 favorites]


Anyone else finding this show terribly dull? It feels so slow and lifeless; everyone talks in whispers and only Matt Smith seems to be having any fun.
posted by octothorpe at 6:13 PM on August 29, 2022 [4 favorites]


Favorite scenes:

1) Rhaenyra and Rhaenys talking about succession and whether Westeros will ever accept a queen. Felt very real if anyone has ever been on either side of a conversation between women of different generations about what it's really like to be a woman in [the workplace/a family/society].

2) Dragonstone showdown, mostly the part between Rhaenyra and Daemon and the part with the dragons. Otherwise yeah, what was Otto's plan? If Rhaenyra hadn't shown up, it would have been a disaster.

The conversations otherwise felt really awkward and mostly boring. I wonder if we've progressed enough as a society that showing actual attraction between Viserys and Alicent is just too icky and the actors couldn't go there. Viserys isn't good at being king but the actor seems just has something about him that makes me want to like him in spite of all the wooden dialogue and poor decisions. Otherwise bleh, so much talking about how he has to remarry and ugh, the potential brides are literal children and by the way, the crabs are eating people and maybe we should do something??
posted by j.r at 10:20 PM on August 29, 2022 [3 favorites]


I wonder if we've progressed enough as a society that showing actual attraction between Viserys and Alicent

Given the obvious chemistry they're showing between Rhaenyra and Daemon (that necklace scene, for eg) I think the answer is, regretfully, lolno
posted by coriolisdave at 10:30 PM on August 29, 2022


Oh damn, you're right.
posted by j.r at 10:33 PM on August 29, 2022


I wonder if we've progressed enough as a society that showing actual attraction between Viserys and Alicent is just too icky and the actors couldn't go there.

More likely they’re just portraying that Alicent isn’t particularly attracted to her girlfriend’s father and Viserys is still grieving the wife for whose death he (quite rightly) blames himself. It seems like the only person who wants this marriage to happen is Otto and he’s convinced the participants they need to go along with it for the stable continuance of the realm (and he might not even be wrong or lying about this).

Martin’s built an entire career on refuting the notion that feudal society can be just or progressive if the right person winds up on the throne; what we’re seeing with Alicent and Viserys is two people making a choice that neither of them wants to make because, well, that’s the job.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 11:21 PM on August 29, 2022 [8 favorites]


Viserys' ailment is being a weak man on the Iron Throne. When he sits on it, he inadvertently cuts himself since he lacks the strength / self control to avoid it.

Metaphorically, yeah. It's clear his injuries are from the Iron Throne, but the problem is that they don't heal. I presume Viserys is diabetic or something, but no one knows that, because, like, science.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 5:25 AM on August 30, 2022 [2 favorites]


The conversations otherwise felt really awkward and mostly boring. I wonder if we've progressed enough as a society that showing actual attraction between Viserys and Alicent is just too icky and the actors couldn't go there. Viserys isn't good at being king but the actor seems just has something about him that makes me want to like him in spite of all the wooden dialogue and poor decisions.

I think his decision about Alicent is less about actual attraction (gone unshown) and more about a difficult decision. Viserys is fond of his daughter and knows that her being his heir puts her in a lot of danger (though this is heavily informed by sexism too). He knows he's dying so he can't marry Corlys's very young daughter. If he wants to protect his daughter and secure his line, he has to have more children fast.

So, he's got to make the politically unwise marriage, alienate an important ally (all because he doesn't really believe his daughter can sit on the Iron Throne and that appears to be what the show is about right now). Overall I think the show is doing a good job of showing Viserys stuck between a rock and a hard place and only having bad decisions available to him.
posted by entropone at 5:36 AM on August 30, 2022 [5 favorites]


Viserys' ailment is being a weak man on the Iron Throne.

GOT also got a lot of mileage from similar themes with Ned Stark - decent men in positions of power who didn't quite understand the extent to which other people's bloodlust and willingness to topple the board would affect the situation.
posted by entropone at 5:37 AM on August 30, 2022


It's clear his injuries are from the Iron Throne, but the problem is that they don't heal. I presume Viserys is diabetic or something,

While Martin’s works do a lot of deconstruction of standard fantasy tropes, I haven’t read the source material for this particular series. That said, the “wound that does not heal” is a well-known idea in a lot of traditional fantasy and mythology.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:33 AM on August 30, 2022


Speaking of the Iron Throne, one detail that I appreciate is how different the throne looks in HotD vs. GoT. The earlier version of the throne is obviously much closer to the purported "forged of 1000 swords" than the older version from GoT. Presumably at some point they decided that having a deadly obstacle course surrounding 3/4 of the monarch's chair wasn't optimal feng shui.
posted by Saxon Kane at 9:10 AM on August 30, 2022 [3 favorites]


I think his decision about Alicent is less about actual attraction (gone unshown) and more about a difficult decision.

I think it was about Viserys' vanity and feeling impotent and boxed in on multiple levels. Corlys came on strong, Daemon is off being Daemon, which respects the King, everyone is telling Viserys that he has to remarry (even though he's named his heir), and people want to tell him who he has to marry.

He definitely was feeling his kingly oats and decided to "F y'all" I'm making my own decision, no doubt attended by his kind and sensitive friend, Otto. Who just happens to have an older girl that's available, and she's been listening and enjoying his company so well, not making any demands, and her father is the the King's hand, who's just been so helpful and kind to him, and if those two houses merge their lines, the King's house will be the most obviously powerful one, unlike the ever bold Corlys.

Yes, Viserys fucked up badly here, he was played. No one in that room should been surprised by his decision, but that the fact that Corlys was (and quite possibly the only one) means the King did a shit job of managing his allies. But isn't that Otto's job? Yes it is, interesting that he didn't work to bring Corlys on board to the King's decision, who would have thought.

Sadly, this narrative arc doesn't speak well of the show. A lot of the drama took place off screen, what with the King and Otta discussing his decision on how to marry, manipulations and scheming by Otto, etc etc. Instead we got cheap spectacle that was fairly rote in its drama. Hopefully they do better in the future!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:14 AM on August 30, 2022 [2 favorites]


Rhaenyra and Rhaenys talking about succession and whether Westeros will ever accept a queen. Felt very real if anyone has ever been on either side of a conversation between women of different generations about what it's really like to be a woman in [the workplace/a family/society].

How so? My experience with generational perspectives does not support any hard and fast generalizations.
posted by elkevelvet at 9:47 AM on August 30, 2022


How so? My experience with generational perspectives does not support any hard and fast generalizations.

I can only speak to my own personal experience. I know I started adulthood feeling optimistic about how sexism wasn't so prevalent now, all the companies were saying the right things about how they want diversity, and all the older women who talked about how bad it was to be a woman in my industry were talking about how things used to be rather than how they were becoming. Or maybe I'd be the exception or whatever. And now I've seen the stories of harassment getting handled poorly from execs on down, directly seen me or my female coworkers get talked over in meetings, passed over for promotions, penalized for taking maternity leave, spending too much time on diversity efforts with no reward, and have to either be exceptional and fight for everything (lean in!) or they eventually leave like I did. Not to mention how the US treats women who aspire to political power and the curtailing of women's bodily autonomy.

To tie it back to the show, I've moved from Rhaenyra's 15-year-old perspective to Rhaenys's adult one. I haven't had a conversation like theirs exactly, and if a younger woman wanted my advice I'd go about it differently, but it resonated.
posted by j.r at 11:03 AM on August 30, 2022 [9 favorites]


That is interesting, thanks.

I spend more time with women 65+ or older, and the brief visits with my (much younger) nieces makes me very worried about things. It does not always look like things are getting better. Though, one of the more positive things from what I can tell is that my older niece seems to prefer the company of other women, romantic or otherwise, and mostly that seems prudent to me.

I am hoping to see more interactions between Rhaenyra and Rhaenys.
posted by elkevelvet at 11:17 AM on August 30, 2022


Did anyone else get attraction vibes between Rhaenyra and Alicent in the first episode that may have contributed to the former's reaction to the king's choice in the 2nd?
posted by Selena777 at 7:26 AM on September 3, 2022 [3 favorites]


Did anyone else get attraction vibes between Rhaenyra and Alicent in the first episode that may have contributed to the former's reaction to the king's choice in the 2nd?

Yeah, I wasn't sure if they were going with "friends from childhood so comfortable being very physically familiar" or "romantic attraction in a society where that's frowned on so maybe not explicitly expressed".

In the middle of watching the episode I commented that the thing that struck me as missing in this show vs. even the first few episodes of the first series is the humor - Ned Starks' deadpan interactions with King Robert, Tyrion's interactions with...well, with everyone. Jaime's light-and-dark snarkiness to Cersei. There's a leaden quality to HoD, by comparison.

Seconds after I said that it opened onto Viserys chatting awkwardly with his 12-year-old potential fiancee and I have to say that that was Ianucci-level dark comedy, right there.
posted by AdamCSnider at 7:34 PM on September 3, 2022 [5 favorites]


Did anyone else get attraction vibes between Rhaenyra and Alicent in the first episode that may have contributed to the former's reaction to the king's choice in the 2nd?

Yeah, I wasn't sure if they were going with "friends from childhood so comfortable being very physically familiar" or "romantic attraction in a society where that's frowned on so maybe not explicitly expressed".


Yeah, I definitely picked up a vibe.. also feel it's a coming stronger from R than A.
posted by coriolisdave at 5:51 PM on September 4, 2022 [1 favorite]


the titles were like a simpsons parody of the GoT titles. BLOOD LINES WITH REAL BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD CGI BLOOOD BLOOOOOD
posted by lalochezia at 6:27 PM on September 8, 2022 [1 favorite]


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