House of the Dragon S1E02 Explained
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Images and video from Game of Thrones used under fair use.
Images from The World of Ice and Fire used with permission from Random House.
Valyria art by Ted Nasmith: www.tednasmith.com/
Aegon I, Alysanne by Magali Villeneuve: www.magali-villeneuve.com
Visenya and Rhaenys by Amok: / amokanet
Aemon, Baelon, Alyssa by riotarttherite: / riotarttherite
Maegelle, Daella by Sofia Golovanova: www.artstation.com/jdwis
Vaegon, Saera, Viserra, Gael by warp-speed: / warp-speed
Vhagar by John McCambridge: www.artstation.com/john_mccam...
Maegor with wives by chillyravenart: www.deviantart.com/chillyrave...
Mushroom by Rossy Does Drawings: / rossysculpts
References & further reading:
Joanna Lannister on child brides in Westeros: joannalannister.tumblr.com/po...
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0:00 Opening sequence
3:06 Crabfeeder
4:36 Rhaenyra
6:34 Valyria
8:29 Alicent
11:31 The Hand
13:06 Laena
16:00 Daemon
20:20 Decisions
23:01 Second sons
#HotD
Get a free audiobook with an Audible trial: www.audible.com/asx Weekly House of the Dragon livestreams every Sunday at ~10:15pm Eastern Time -- then an Explained video later in the week!
can you PLEASE stop CONSTANTLY comparing EVERY SINGLE SCENE of hot D to something in game of thrones, its so unwatchable
in a early version of this episode that got leaked Laena was 10 not 12. also in the books the small council much bigger... another youtuber said alicent was 15-16 not 14. also the war against the tri was support by house hightower and the king by money
I wish you would respond to my email… 😬
If it wasn't for you. I wouldn't understand what was going on in HOT D. Thank you for your work and you get my likes!!
Wonderful analysis of the opening. Thank you.
"I will speak of my brother as I wish. You will not." I love it.
True brothers
I like the complexity of it. Daemon is a dick but he's not black and white evil, he goes against his brother but he still loves him
@@seancrossey466 It's not even that, it is about the respect. The guy from a lesser house just came to him, asking him to low-key betray his brother, while showing zero respect for the institution of the king (that Daemon also wants), family connection, while being a duplicitous snake. It's like, you want to defy the king? Fine, but don't you dare disrespect him in front of me, worm. Know your place. Yes, Daemon is a complex character and he has feelings for his brother, naturally. But he understands the importance of hierarchy and respect for a position. If he allows a lowly noble to slander a king like that, what's to prevent him tomorrow to do the same when Daemon takes the crown that he wants? That is why he said that he, a prince and an heir (by tradition) can talk about his brother (the king) as he wishes - but a butthurt noble who's plotting sedition, could not. He should know his place, or if he keeps poking his head above his position, someone might just cut it to size. It is an extremely important aspect of a feudal society that Westeros is. It is even stronger than family bonds. People did not have much problem in that time taking over from their family, but they were really careful not to downgrade the position they are taking in the process. Stupid politicians do it today - they decide to go for a position, then shit all over the person currently holding it, and when they get to hold it they wonder why they don't command any respect and authority. No shit Sherlock, you just spend your entire campaign obliterating the authority of a position/institution, what did you expect?! That is why taking down a man holding a position is a hard thing. It is extremely hard to take it without damaging it. Daemon knows it. And if there is ONE THING that the usurper king needs when overtaking the old, it is the strength and the integrity of the title of a king. Which is also why Otto Hightower says in the first episode that he could have Baratheon's tongue for what he said. Man can be replaced, but the position he holds MUST NOT be downgraded and insulted.
@@Wustenfuchs109 dang great analysis!
Right, a rare moment of Viserys being authoritative. Seems like a pretty good guy but too weak to be a good king.
Crabfeeder looks like he's staging a production called the Phantom of the Seashore.
lol
Now I have to imagine a Duet between Corlys Valerion and Crabfeeder.
In depths he sang to me In water he came That voice which calls to me And speaks my name And do I dream again? For now I find The phantom of the Seashore is here Inside my Stepstones Swim once again with me Our strange duet My power over you Grows stronger yet And though you turn from me To glance behind The phantom of the Seashore is there Inside your Stepstones Those who have seen your face Draw back in fear I am the mask you wear It′s me they hear Your claws and your skittering In one combined The phantom of the Seashore is there Inside your Stepstones Is that the phantom of the Seashore? Beware the phantom of the Seashore In all your fantasies You always knew That crab and mystery Were both in you And in this labrinth Where night is blind The phantom of the Seashore is there Inside your Stepstones Swim, my angel of the sea
@@c0nn3 I like the cut of your jib Conne.
@@c0nn3 I picture you as Walt's underground lab assistant from breaking bad.
"Maybe he wants a wife who supports his dorky hobbies." That hit me hard.
yeah 💔.
may us dorky men worldwide all one day be granted the blessing of a love and romance with a woman who doesn't spurn our dorky ways.
As the comedian Adam Hills said "Men aren't that picky. All I want is a woman who wants to kiss me and has a favourite episode of The Simpsons"
What man doesn’t? :)
I love how Martin and the showrunners weave the real world history into their works - that second son thing was a big deal in medieval Europe and impacted many interesting events.
I think they’re referring to the general experience of a son who is not the eldest son in a family feeling the need to prove and establish themselves
Yo I love your channel!
More than proving themselves - second sons almost never inherited the demesne of the father, so they had to engage in other activities, such as going to crusades, becoming mercenaries, joining the knightly orders, becoming monks/religious figures and even becoming businessmen. In many cases, second sons were supporting the kings in their struggle against the feudal lords, as that allowed the second sons to find positions in the court.
Everyone reacts in disgust, but that whole "really young girls marrying much older men" thing was also very much a thing in medieval Europe... and China... and Japan... and really anywhere where Feudalism was the law of the land. People need to brush up on their history, methinks.
Second sons always wanted some form of political
Something I picked up on was that Viserys seems to be being portrayed as more assimilated into Andal culture than Valyrian. This is contrasted by his brother and daughter. First example is when the model dragon is broken while taking to Alicent, he says “seven hells,” an Andal curse, instead of swearing in Valyrian. This is contrasted that he was talking to her about old Valyria just before. I think this is meant to show how his interest in his heritage is mostly academic or a hobby, but he doesn’t really consider himself one of them. Second is his dinner with Rhaenyra is spoken entirely in common, while her private conversations with Daemon are always in Valyrian. Considering they are both shown to be fluent in both languages, using common must be a conscious choice that he is making. I think that they are using him as an example of the crossroads of old and new, Valyrian and Westrosi, with Rhaenyra and Alicent possible cultural paths the family will have to choose after him. I’m sure there are a few more examples I’m missed and I’m looking forward to seeing more.
Viserys thinks dragons are dangerous and sides with Hightower. He is not so much manipulated into it as consciously allying himself with the people he rules rather than cultivating an exclusive Targaryen or Valyrian position, as Velaryon wants to build. That's also why he sits with Strong and asks for his opinion. He wants to make him feel included as much as hear what he has to say.
Parts of the Dance was also a clash between those who supported the cultural "innovations" pushed by hardcore Valyrians like Daemon (Targaryen divine rights of changing laws as they wish, incest, polygamy, being above all laws, and so absolute monarchy), and those instead who defended Westeros traditions and tried to gradually fully absorbs the targs in their culture. Baelor the blessed, a fanatic religious Targaryen that rejected incest and destroyed most of the remaining Valyrian artifacts of the household as pagan idols, can be considered one of the most successfull example of a "westerosized" Targaryen.
Totally, i had the same feeling, you put it into words, 👏
Brilliant breakdown
@@TheUrobolos I would include Daeron II, Maekar, and Aegon V in the 'most Westerosi' of the Targs. All outside marriages too: Martell, Dayne, and Blackwood
Laena asking about Vhagar before her memorized marriage proposal is 10/10
Yes! I thought that was perfect. There is this awkward walk and talk that the king has to perform, and the kid immediately goes "ooooh you rode on Balerion! How exciting, tell me everything about it!" And it also shows the tragedy of Viserys who seems to shiver at the sheer memory of it - this guy does not want power.
@@patryklewandowski2099 i mean i will feel embarrased if I have to explain to a 12 yr old that he only got to ride Balerion 3 times around King’s Landing even though he meant to go to Dragonstone
@@goguma46 after that horrible time Baelerion returned to Valyria can you blamed him for not wanting to go far away again?
Balerion, the black dread lived in the dragonpit. But, they say Vhagar is too big for the dragonpit?! I don’t get it.
@@NikhilAditya25 Its possible that the Dragonpit was redesigned at some point to house the increasing number of dragons. Balerion's 'room' may have been turned into four smaller 'rooms', or maybe he slept outside in the courtyard.
I think Otto was planning to fail at bringing the egg and blame Daemon more. It's the same with "the heir for a day" event. Daemon did say those words but not in the way Otto described it. In Dragonstone, if Daemon did attack Otto and his crew, it will put more strain between Daemon and Viserys.
I agree with you 100%. When Daemon asked where his brother was he lied saying he wouldn’t stoop so low to come, and the lord commander looked at him like “bro I was there and it didn’t go down like that”
He was pretty much was ready to sacrifice himself to start a war
We never saw how he ssid it
If Daemon wanted the throne he’d just fly Caraxes over to the Redkeep and take it. Otto knows this. They brought dragon tamers incase they had to bypass Caraxes but I think he knew Daemon wouldn’t do anything.
@@joshuaadams6565 That would be stupid. Rhaenys and Rhaenrya would fight Caraxes and Daemon and win. Also, the entire realm would reject Daemon.
I like to think Vhagar is sitting on a beach somewhere, wearing sunglasses and a big floppy hat, sipping on a bloody mary (with real blood) and reminiscing about the good 'ol days, when she and Balerion used to barbecue knights while conquering Westeros....
I like that the dragons are being much more explored beyond giant killing machines. Dany's three dragons had very little to distinguish them except that Daegon was the one she rode.
You know what’s sad? Lots of younger dragons during this time could very well be Vhagar's descendants, ones later on in the show she would kill
14:26 "The old she-dragon has retired to some place on the east coast, as many older women do" SCREAMING, THEY LET VHAGAR RETIRE TO FLORIDA, GOOD FOR HER
"Florida Woman eats Whole Sheep"
She made a retirement resort, call it Vhagar-a-Lago
This is the moment Vhagar became Kim Wexler.
@@VictorIV0310 Wouldn't mind riding both
@@spamquisition4046 Vhagar: "roars" Translation: "I'm going to build a wall, and make the Wildlings pay for it!"
I don’t look at it as Damon thinking about killing her, I think it was more about him thinking “damn good for her, she got me”. I don’t think Damon was anticipating her arrival
You know that they're going to hook up later when she's already mature, right?
@@higherpurpose1212 What is it about this post that makes you think he wants to know about unrelated spoilers?
Nah, on a great hotd podcast a great observation was made that deamon actually wanted rhaneyra to show up. That he was testing her. I very much recommend the pod its the best hotd pod out there with amazing insight. Its called all bangers.
Exactly !
Daemon definitely loves her but I could see it crossing his mind "If I kill her and manage to get away...the throne could be mine..." but then his "wisdom" took over and realized all that would do is ensure the only way that would end with him on the throne is if he literally took it by conquering King's Landing, which he definitely did not have the man/dragon power to do. Daemon seems very much in the Jamie Lanister role right now as a petulant spoiled royal who will have a heroic arch...let's hope they don't completely screw it up in the final season like they did Jaime.
It's pretty cool symbolically that the Velaryons use a seahorse as their sigil. Seahorses are in the same family as seadragons, and in some eastern cultures and myths, seahorses are seen as relatives of dragons - baby dragons sometimes resemble seahorses, and the Japanese word for seahorse is "tatsu-no-otoshigo", which literally translates as "dragon's bastard child." By using a seahorse as their sigil, the Velaryons are saying they too, are dragons, but they are dragons of the sea, not of the sky. It also fits their ambitions to constantly marry into House Targaryen, a constant reminder that they aren't REAL dragons, but have the potential to become dragons through marriage and conquest.
Notice how after the altercation in Dragonstone Rhaenyra stops using the Valyrian necklace that Daemon gave her
Curious how she speaks valyrian only to her uncle and not to her father or the others...
@@luca7069 Valyrian is the langrage of "private conversations" since most people don't know it. I think Daemon is far more comfortable speaking Valyrian than The Common Tongue
@@luca7069 no she spoke the language with the dragon keepers
Woulda been nice if after the Council scene, she was in her bedroom and rips the necklace off of her or something to make that even more explicit to the audience 🤷🏻♂️
@@Longshanks1690 Nope we dont need that kind of cringe scene.
First of all, THANK YOU for explaining the opening. I'm sure I would have eventually found out its meaning, but you explained it wonderfully! Secondly, I think everyone should remember that Daemon lost both his parents when he was very very young (his mother soon after his birth, and his father not long after that). Maybe he sees Viserys as more of a parent than a brother. Could explain the desperate attention seeking, and him acting like a first son who should inherit from his "father" (Viserys). Just a thought.
This is a great way of looking at their relationship. I think you're right 🤔😊
I like this idea. Pretty realistic
Totally!!!!
I quite agree with you
"It's like he's playing with a lego model of magic nazi german" has got to be one of my favorite lines from this channel ever
this actually annoyed me because i see more of a comparaison between valyria and rome, as both were great empires that spanned centuries and inspired different successor states to take their legacy, despite being quite bad (conquest, slavery, oligarchy)
Lmfao
So ironic to hear an american say such a thing
@@Jpodre98 I doubt Alt Shift is American base on his accent, probably English. Brazilian.
I mean they pretty much have that anyways, with the Death Star and Star Destroyer sets.
I loved the confrotation between Daemon and Otto because it really explains their world, at the end of the day it doesn't matter how smart, manipulative or audacious you are (like Otto) in the face of the raw power from dragons that the Targaryen's possess, it really makes you feel like they are invulnerable with them. This is a huge contrast to what we see in Game of Thrones, where in an era without dragons, the Mad targaryen king saw the consequences of his actions.
There's also a very practical reason to not send Rhaenyra on dragonback, since the last time a dragon was sent to solve a military issue without infantry support it resulted in the death of the dragon and it's rider, Queen Rhaenys. Edit: I'm talking about the conflict in the stepstones, not the issue with Daemon stealing the egg.
Yeah but if you're talking about with Daemon she knows he won't hurt her which is why she confronted him so closely.
That wasn’t the last time. Vermithor and Silverwing flew to Oldtown to threaten the faith of the seven. They used 6 dragons at the wall to fight off wildlings and used 3 dragons to set the fleets of Dorne on fire… Meraxes was a one off. Meraxes and Rhaenys were also the instigators and actually rained fire down on Dorne. Rhaenyra was only suggesting a display of power.
@@SaneMillennial i think he was talking about fighting the crabfeeder and his triarchy
@@joshuaadams6565 It's been a year since I last read Fire and Blood, so I can't remember this event at the Wall with six dragons. When did that happen? Cheers
@Глеб Сальманов >mfw when you make a rebuttal to an argument that hasn't been made Omegalul
My favourite part of the episode was Caraxes the spicy noodle and his weird squeak roar. It was equal parts adorable and terrifying. Caraxes confirmed for best boy of HOTD
le heckin best boiiii Go back to reddit
Bestest of boys
PepeLaugh oh no no no oooooh no no no
Spicy long neck Lizzy boi
now I ll forever think of him as spicy noodle, and I love it
Otto Hightower is another character worth mentioning in a discussion about second sons. Otto's older brother is lord of Oldtown and head of House Hightower, so Otto's also in a position where it's up to his own political machinations to gain power and influence. He's certainly been busy doing so.
He did mention him
The blood is shown running downhill. That's because it's the gravity of the situation. 😁
Lol
Theory: The small council marbles are meant to be protection against faceless men infiltrating the council. Even if their face is stolen, the unique marble they each have likely wouldn’t be taken by the faceless man so it acts as an ID card for each member. That’s why they’re all different colors and none of them are that important looking or extravagant. That also why the first thing they do when they sit down is place their marble into the holder. It seems the council knew about the faceless men back then, so it makes sense they’d put some sort of security in place. Other people have probably already suggested this. Don’t know if the book mentioned it.
I didn’t even consider this. But it makes total sense.
Nice one. I don't remember anything like that from the books though.
IIRC the marbles are kept on the table in the council room, and each member takes theirs to their spot when they sit down. That would protect much better against faceless men because they would probably take all their victim’s clothing & possessions on their person when taking their face, to best impersonate them. If they walked into council and saw everyone with marbles in front of them, they’d just go “oh, that’s what this is for,” and pull it out. Having the marbles selected in the room each time is a better protection because it’s a tiny point of knowledge that only councilors would know the correct answer to.
@@alisaurus4224 Whether or not they carry them around or keep them in the room, they definitely have some sort of security purpose. It’s hard to believe they’re just symbolic.
@@James-kv3ll agreed
I thought that Otto’s chain is the maester links he earned at the Citadel. We must remember that he was one of the smartest men of his time and being a second son could totally of had the time to get some studying done in his youth and earned some links.
I think you're thinking of Lyonel strong. Master of laws. He earned six links.✌️🇺🇸
Could be he studied at the Citadel. I hope they'd clarify it if that *were* the case, otherwise him rolling around with a Maesters chain would be a bit confusing.
I would suppose all Hightower heirs get a first class education in both the citadel and with the faith.
Dragonstone shots were so amazing. At first I was like, why is it so misty all of the sudden it didn't look like this in GoT? Than I realized it's an active volcanic island and this is how volcanic area should've looked in the first place. it also gave it eerie mystical vibe and cinematography was stunning! And I really love dragon design in this show It looks like each has more unique design and personality and more vibrant colors! And what about that sound effect when Caraxes roars 👀 It was so fantastic! I've heard many people say it was too squeaky but I think it fits dragon perfect. Most times in the past the roar they used for dragon was more generic like it could come form any mammal predator..but I think this sound would fit lizard like creature much more.
To me the roar sounded twisted, just like Daemon is, and I loved it! 😁
I read somewhere that they wanted Caraxes to sound like he had a deviated septum, which explains the offkey honk that accompanies his roar
I remember thinking that for such a frightening and dangerous creature, his roar is very cute. Not complaining, I liked it.
@@anndruh they nailed that part for sure
Maybe Dragonstone stopped being active when the Targaryens lost power
So far pleasantly surprised with how good the show is. Slow burn political intrigue just like early GOT. Great to have more ASX content too!
Hahaha you'll be surprised a second time when the show comes to an end 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@dann5480 Aegon II (in season 4 of HotD): You know I actually really like my half-sister
I love the long shot which shows Ceraxes is twice as big as Syrax, a dragon almost as big as Dany’s dragons 😵💫 Vhagar is gonna be *massive*
And the battle between Caraxes and Vhagar will be even better if they actually do it right. Also have not read the Fire and Blood, is Aemond still riding her in the new story?
@@bohellan6227 pretty sure that Aemond has been casted, in one of the season trailers we also see a valyrian man with an eyepatch (my guess is aemond) so i'm guessing he still hets Vhagar
@@bohellan6227 To be book-accurate, he'd still end up with Vhagar, after Vhagar's next (next up in the show) rider's death.
Balerion, the black dread lived in the dragonpit. But, they say Vhagar is too big for the dragonpit?! I don’t get it.
@@bohellan6227 Yup, Aemond 1 eye is gonna be a badass character! Excited to see him in HotD🔥
My favorite part of GOT/HOTD is the episode analysis!
Gods I'd missed analyses like these. Just recently watched ASX cover season 8 and he sounded so defeated 😂 at least he has some meat to chew on and little hidden Easter eggs to give us
I love the sound of the dragons in this episode. Caraxes sound like a hellish dolphin, real cool.
"It's like he's playing with a lego model of magic nazi Germany" Such a way with words
@Batrick Pateman Try harder to get it
@Batrick Pateman he explains it pretty well in the video, maybe watch that part again
Bouncer: "Welcome to the Salty Spitoon, how tough are you?" Ryam Redwyne: "How tough am I? I died of natural causes." Bouncer: "Yeah, so?" Ryma Redwyne: "In a story written by GRRM". Bouncer: "Right this way, sorry to keep you waiting."
Lord Gyles is next in line, coughing his lungs out
The small council: Daemon holds Dragonstone with several thousand soldiers and a dragon. It would take an army to stop him and get the egg. Otto: I don't need an army, I need twenty good men.
I’m convinced that it was homage to ramseys famous knight ser twentygoodman
He was probably planning to fail, and return with the news that Daemon was even more in active revolt. Probably didn't expect Daemon to be bold enough to pull a dragon on them, though. Arrogant AF.
I don’t think he was planning on Daemon fighting back. I think the crown has been so complacent with his nonsense, that Otto expected a show of any kind of force to be enough to get him to acquiesce
@@LordOfTamarac to be fair I don't think Otto expected any fight at all. This was clearly another attention grab from Daemon and the only reason he didn't want the King to go was because then Daemon's ploy would have worked. On the other hand he probably knows Daemon enough that he wouldn't murder the Hand of the King, and 2 members of the Kingsguard over a dragonegg. I don't believe anyone was in any real danger unless Caraxes went Rogue and offed the delegation on it's own, but there is not really a way to prepare against that. With that said I don't think it was complacency Otto seemed perfectly aware of what was happening, to the point he tried to send his own dragon reinforcement away. And he has not seemed suicidal
@@joinjohn834 It's ser Twenty of House Goodmen.
Without these videos, even after watching the episodes multiple times, I would never have known/caught 90% of what you covered. Thank you!
Cap
We're blessed to get these incredible analyses from Alt Shift X each week again. That description of the opening credits was masterful. Thanks for putting in the work!
Thanks for explaining the intro theme, it’s a bit too fast and dark to even understand what i should be paying attention to
Yeah it could've been done better, but I think it's really fun to watch once you know what it is.
Love how you explained the opening of the show, cause I was trying to find out what it meant. Went through Jeremy Jahns & AngryJoe's reviews to find an answer but got nothing until you finally released HOTD Ep2 Explained! Thank you!
I mean of course those surface-level lore-unaware standard reviewers would not know the signifigance and meaning of the intro.
Viserys’ wife criteria: be able to have a son, show interest in my Warhammer miniatures.
I didn’t even realise the intro was literally symbols of the bloodlines, that makes it even better
My expectation weren’t as low as Rings Of Power, but I’ll admit I’m pleasantly surprised so far
I was also pleasantly surprised. I was still angry and spiteful after the original series and wanted to put those feelings on this series too. I had no plans to watch it at all until one of the channels I watch on YT gave me the thumbs up.
ROP is embarrassing
@@Hero_Of_Old I tried to watch it but I couldn't even get my attention span to hold on to it. It seemed like a teen fantasy drama. Bad. I'm someone who enjoyed Tge Hobbit movies more than anything.
They did make house Velaryon black for no reason
And corlys’ actor is great
It's so refreshing to have a video with this quality with no soundtrack at all. Thank you for these ASX!
I really like the new opening sequence. It has a lot of symbolism packed in that requires knowledge and deep analysis.
Shift broke this down when other content creators were complaining how it felt rushed and confusing I had no idea what it all meant till now. It's really well done
Think the music should have been different though
Curious how Rhaenyria speaks valyrian with the dragon keepers and her uncle, but never with her father...this, the throne cutting him, not having a dragon to ride, even him breaking the little stone dragon while with Alicent...dropping a LOT of hints of how the king is not a true dragon?
Hightower is my favorite character so far. After that I like Tackleberry, Mahoney, Jones, Lassard and Kim Cattrall, obviously.
This just made my day 🤣🤣🤣🥂🥂🥂
Viserys sending envoys to Pentos and Volantis reminds me of when Joffrey proposed the creation of a royal army in Game of Thrones. It shows part of why Westeros is so stagnant because even when someone suggests a better, modern way for something to be done, the feudal expectations and/or logistics stand in the way of that system being implemented
The visual censors Shift uses in this video are the real knights of the realm. Bravo chaps. Proud of you.
I'm really enjoying HotD so far. I thought I'd lost all interest in GoT after Season 8, but HotD has taken what was great about GoT and matured it into something that deserves to be watched and appreciated. The cast, script, set and CGI are all top notch.
Crazy what having competent and passionate writers and the author of the books behind you does. I hope DnD are seething at all the praise hot dick is getting and people looking at their later seasons in retrospect realising even more so what a shit show it was.
also its not post the diaster d&d brought upon us so you can repress that
As long as they don't get the services of Dumb and Dumber Weiss and Benioff again esp. now the Miguel Sapochnik has resigned, this will be a great show, much better than Season 8 ending!
I lost all interest in discussing GoT when S6 started. The junk was so obviously contrived to shake morons that there was no point left analysing it. HotD has reverted this decision and quality is back where it was before.
I think caraxes having a long ass neck like that helps him in battle. In episode 3 he seems to be able to lower his head to ground level and wipe out enemies. Kind of different from the usual angle of fire we see from the dragons.
So glad that your videos come out at the end of the week. Keeps your breakdown fresh in my mind come Sunday.
If I remember correctly, in the books Crabfeeder nailed his captives so that they drowned in the upcoming tide and their remains were eaten by the crabs, hence the nickname.
"Though to be fair, it is Danarys and Cersei who torched the realm, not the men." lol love it
The war of the five kings did that too, though, and none of it was about women. Rhaenys just believes what she wants to.
Absolutely genius - as always!! Thank you so much for explaining the new show intro - your ability to analyze minutiae is spectacular. I just thought it was a river of blood running through the Red Keep, since a lot of blood will run during the series. Your explanation is so much better! And thanks for clarifying that the Crabfeeder has greyscale.
Pretty interesting about dragons being created by humans rather than being discovered, wonder what the books say may make for a good video
Pretty interesting that the Chinese don't make claims about the dragons (or just about anything in the world, esp. the seas around Asia) since they always do the dragon dance in China town.
There's a lot of videos of this kind of stuff.
These videos explain the theory from the books: kzhead.info/sun/ipl6lZixrXd-pX0/bejne.html
you can tell Alt Shift X is enjoying making videos again about Game of thrones
When you listen to the intro, it is not the full song. When we see the full song we may see more, such as later generations that appear for the dance of dragons and also Daemon somewhere.
You should make a video discussing the theories about the origins of dragons, i personally believe they're a magical crossbreed of Firewyrms(basically fire breathing giant lizards) and sothoriosi wyverns(fireless flying lizards)
Such a good, slow episode. There’s the beginnings of a great show here. I hope it continues to build and delivers. We are in desperate need of a win right now, we being the fantasy community.
As long as they don't get the services of Dumb and Dumber Weiss and Benioff again esp. now that Miguel Sapochnik has resigned and they need great writers to replace him. This will be a great show, much better than Season 8 ending, just keep Weiss and Benioff out of it!
@@higherpurpose1212 Why is the Sapochnik bad? Was he responsible for the writing of the later seasons as well?
@@pg1448 Your comprehension needs further enhancement. No one said Miguel is bad, in fact he's better than Dumb and Dumber combined! I just highlighted the fact that he resigned and no one should look in the direction of Dumb and Dumber ever again should they need to find a new show runner!
@@higherpurpose1212 re·sign /rəˈzīn/ verb past tense: resigned; past participle: resigned 1. voluntarily leave a job or other position. "he resigned from the company in protest of the treatment of his co-workers" I think his reading comprehension is just fine.
@@abasslinelow and you're another one. Miguel 'resigned', not 're-sign(ed)', get it? HE LEFT! NOT JOINED! HE QUIT!, sigh... 'resigned' -1 : to give up one's office or position : quit. 2 : to accept something as inevitable : submit.
Crab feeder has me hyped
🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀 CRAAAB FEEDER, CRAAAB FEEDER! WALKS AMONG CRABS, FEEDS THEM PEOPLE! CRAAAB FEEDER, CRAAAB FEEDER! 🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀
Please make your opinion part better again. How do you think they translated the books into the series and what makes sense, what doesn’t. That’s always been a very entertaining part
Thank you for explaining the intro cause I legit couldn’t follow it. Idk if it’s just a long week of preparing for the school year but I legit was like wtf is happening
I swear to god having these videos back is the best thing ever. Brings me back to the good old times of watching game of thrones and eagerly waiting for an alt shift x video a few days later. Feels amazing to experience it again 😊
You make the best video essays on Sci-fantasy explanations! I'm so glad I can enjoy them again applied to the ASOIAF world. It might be a copyright nightmare, but if you ever published a book of your GoT/ASOIAF charts I'd be so down to buy it.
I love how Otto manipulates vs all the famous ones we know & loved from GoT lol. He's playing more at the kings emotions than anything else.
I've missed your breakdowns so much. I'm happy to see you doing GOT videos again
The line about Vhagar retiring to the East Coast as many old ladies do had me wheezing. Excellent content as always Shift!
I love how an hour of episode a week gives hours of awesome thought provoking content on KZhead from great lore hounds like you! Loving all the content!
Love love love these explained videos, I absolutely enjoy your little quips and you tying in quotes from the actors themselves when it comes to their characters and certain relationships, and ugh that connection between Visery's "I am your king" and Tywin's statement from GOT, wow I totally missed that!
Best day of the week second to the actual episode. I love watching these for a really nice recap and to see things that I missed. Thank you!
Ned was a second son. He was never really prepared to rule and that got him killed. Jon and Bran are second sons, as well. Jon is a second son twice over, in a way. He's actually Rhaegar's second son and is officially Ned's second biological son, albeit believed ot be bastard. Bran is Ned's actual second son AND his second LEGITIMATE son.
Robb was a firstborn son and he also died.
Ned was a great Northern ruler, but wasn't built for Southron politics
Bran was a second (non-bastard) son and he became king.
@@rayeya3138 No, he didn't
I always found it amusing that Viserys can talk about the glory of Valyria at its height but when it comes to Balerion, he’s all tight lipped and even says their a power that men should have trifled with. Honestly Viserys seems like that one guy in the family that talks heavily about action and living up to his ancestors but falls short, and when it comes to actual action he’s all hesitant and indecisive. Like how he tells Rhaenyra they need to be ready to face anyone who may challenge them yet doesn’t see how shady Otto is and is soft on his brother, Daemon.
these are by far my fav HOTD episode recaps on youtube. keep it up, please!
It always amazes me how clear you explain everything and yet so easy to understand. Kudos to you!
I don't think daemon is considering killing rhaenyra, I think he's getting a measure of her and thinks maybe she could be a good ruler so gives her the win and egg
Hmmm, maybe, but we see later he def still plans on becoming king. It would be naive to think the thought didn't cross his mind of literally eliminating the heir. I don't think it was his love for her that stopped him but the realization that at this point, he can't take King's Landing by force even if he would be the un-crowned heir. Viserys could just name Rhaenys his heir then.
Or he just thinks: that woman is hot, I should totally marry her someday.
@@szbszig he definitely does but in that scene specifically I feel like it was an acceptance of respect
@@mattm7798 Im sure everyone has different interpretations but I think based on the scenes he's had, he genuinely loves his brother and has affection for his niece. I think he was more impressed that Rhaenyra was calling him out. SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS he also supports her later and "teams up" with her to oppose the hightowers power and not just to be the sole ruler
The brilliance of this channel just goes to show how he answered every question in the imediate q+a and expanded on those answers with every masterpiece we watch here
Your breakdowns are always spot on and delightfully detailed, really liked the explanation for the intro - I had no idea
TY so much for doing these! There is so much nuance and backstory(i.e. the intro) it's easy to miss it. Also, alot of the times it takes a while to remember the names of all these new characters so specifically calling them out in writing helps alot!
I just want to comment on the amazingly beautiful faces that those lore artwork pieces always have. Like that thumbnail of Alysanne Targaryen. That is a really good drawing of a true to life beautiful female face. I'm so impressed with that artist.
Fun fact, the word "sept" means seven in French. A seven-faced god worshipped in a building called seven.
Probably intentional, seeing as septs are also built with seven sides.
@@CollinBuckman - I do not doubt it. George Martin may be a gardner, but an intentional one.
Oh man, that is so awesome you add the time stamps for the audio books.
Really glad you decided to make an additional video beyond the livestreams. As always great content👍
you are making me fall in love with all GRRM. Greast content, keep it up.
Before I found your channel, I had a small penis, no girlfriend, and no will to live. None of those things have changed, but I love your channel.
Another excellent video. Your videos are priceless for me as I watch them shortly before watching the following episode of the show, thereby simultaneously refreshing my memory and deepening my understanding of the previous episodes. Thanks a lot for all the work. Cheers.
ASX discussing Thrones week by week as it comes out... it's been so many years I forgot what a pleasure it is. Thanks for your vids Shifty
This is like a nice recap for tomorrow's episode. Thanks, Alt Shift X.
I love the design of Craghas crabfeeder!, it reminds me at the villain/monster of the movie "Creep" of 2004.
Thank the gods for AltShiftX, and his videos! Cause I had no clue what was going on in that intro sequence.
So insane you have 1.5 mil subs now. So happy for you my dude. Great content like always
Great breakdown, Corlys and Daemon’s team-up got me hyped🤧😎!!!
When tha shit goes down, ya better get ready!
Rhaenyra' is right in demanding that a member of the Kingsguard should have seen battle. No one knows how a soldier will react in combat, and there are plenty of real world examples where a new soldier freezes on the battlefield. It would be catastrophic if during an attack on the king's life, the knight closest to him panicked and froze.
"Vhagar has retired to the coast as many old ladies do" HAHA! I love that. Great stuff as always.
I love how "egg theft" was pronounced like the worst sin possible. ;3
Love your breakdown and analysis and the snark.
This is the best channel on KZhead. Great stuff
I watch several breakdowns after each episode and yours are always the most detailed
I love how highly professional your videos are.
As of this episode, my new nickname for Caraxes is "SqueakyBoi" 😄. Don't get me wrong, I love how they made his model and his voice unique, AND I love what they went with.....but I still got a little bit of a chuckle when I heard him, lol. Can't wait to see more of muh Squeakyboi 😋.
Caraxes is a freak himself among dragons. His long neck is very unusual for his kind, and from a biological POV, a long neck would produce a high pitched voice. I love this small detail.
Feeding someone to crabs seems like both a terrifying and inefficient way to kill someone. All you have to do is thrash around a bit and they’ll scurry away.
Yeah but you got to shuffle for a while. With no sleep, food or drink
Maybe the crabs of HOTD ain't afraid of a little thrashing around
Fed many people to crabs have you?
This world has dragons, wyverns and basilisks. The crabs are probably OP.
Good job they're not mudcrabs from TES
The text and images help so Much. Also no jokes straight to the point. These videos are excellent
This is why I watch every episodes of hotd since it came out. I want to watch your videos about this series and imagine them and i like hearing how you narrate the story with your deep voice.
Dude your channel is the fucking best. Introduced me to Raised by Wolves and got me to read a song of ice and fire as well as Dunk & Egg and Fire & Blood.
Mint video. The intro explanation was much appreciated
17:58 wow, totally forgot about that quote from Tywin. Poetic