Thinking out loud for a quick second here...I think every week I'll write a recap on the latest "House of the Dragon" episode and if I publish anything else within the week it'll be bonus content on something else and completely independent. I'm not some diehard who cosplay's as Jon Snow on the weekend, hell I've never even read the books. I just find the series entertaining so if you're a normie like me I think you'll appreciate this.
Okay, moving on.
SO. MANY. THOUGHTS.
To start: can we pump the fucking breaks for a second on the time jumping?! Three episodes in we've gone from skipping ahead months to now 2 years with the birth of Prince Aegon which sounds like the name of an ointment that will be discovered in the future that his father Viserys will wish he had. Seriously, the lesions on his hands are getting worse and maggots ain't doing the trick, brah.
I have to get my main gripe with the series out of the way now because it directly correlates to the time jumping. It's too much, too soon. Storylines are crammed down our throats. Character development? Pfffffft. Am I enjoying it so far? Sure. But after being (mostly) spoiled by "Game of Thrones" (GOT) with a deliberate slow bleed, it's nearly impossible not to notice the change of pace.
Don't treat me like Tyrion Lannister treats his company at a whore house, take your time with me.
Speaking of Lannisters, they're back. And Jason Lannister is feeling particularly thirsty for the hand of Princess Rhaenyra who could not be any more disinterested; leaving him on read before riding off on a horse accompanied by her security as she runs off to the woods and ultimately takes her frustration out on Pumbaa from "Lion King."
I got blood in my hair but don't call me blood hair.
BTW, she's 100% going to end up falling in love with her assigned security detail and that timeline has only been sped up by the scene in which King Viserys not only tells her that she needs to marry but the suitor will be of her choosing BUT he also gives her word that she will take over the throne and he will not usurp her for her brother, Prince Aegon. The future implications are oh so heavy here.
We call this foreshadowing, folks.
Speaking of King Viserys, he delivered a line that I am going to use to the point of annoyance every time I am hungover after a night of utilizing his nearly-crippled hand for the sake of lifting a heavy chalice to his mouth, sipping wine more times than I could count.
"The gods have punished me for my indulgences."
**Chef's kiss**
Viserys is a troubled man. He chose not to strengthen the kingdom and did a hard pivot to marrying his daughter's bestie then immediately proceeded to knock her up to produce an heir that is only causing more strife within the family.
And then there's his brother.
Daemon Targaryen has entered the chat.
While Viserys is getting wine drunk and Rhaenyra is glamping, Daemon is off at the beaches of Normandy fighting Crabfeeder with an under-sized crew. In a shocking move, Viserys is like "alright, I'll help you out" which only fuels Daemon's hatred/pettiness towards his brother and he goes on an all-out rampage to win the damn thing himself. Without a helmet, nonetheless! I wasn't even allowed to ride a bike when I was a kid without a helmet, who does this guy think he is?!
All that aside, I'm kind of team Daemon (#TeamDaemon), the guy just gets shit done while his brother, blemishes and all, seems to make every wrong decision when faced with a direction in which to take and spends his time banging his daughter's ex-BFF and getting hammered.
So, to sum it up. Viserys is troubled and now has a son who is 2 years old, the "rightful" heir. Rhaenyra is rightfully pissed and wants to run away from home. Daemon is so stubborn he would rather single-handedly take on an entire army than accept his brother's help. Oh, and there are dragons doing dragon shit. Not bad.
Overall, I'm happy. It's great having this world back in our lives again and yes, I find it entertaining. But let's not hold "House of the Dragon" up to the standards we did GOT because it's not even in the same realm.
Pun intended.
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