#vhagar

Nothing in HOTD follows consistent logic.

To be honest, this episode was a total cringe-fest. I’m glad to see its low rating reflects my own thoughts, proving that audiences aren't buying into this episode either.

What do we get this time? Once again, men are portrayed strictly as abusers. Once again, Team Green is shown as nothing but a collection of vile and unworthy individuals. Honestly, haven't the writers grown tired of this yet? It’s time to come up with something more original than this broken record. Every episode relies on constant violence against women, making it completely unwatchable. It’s frustrating to see the same narrative beaten to death. It’s also bizarre that all the monsters and abusers belong solely to the Greens. This feels like a deliberate attempt to manipulate the audience into seeing a black-and-white, good-versus-evil conflict.

Then there’s Ormund in the bathtub… Good Lord, what a complete disaster. What was the point of this scene other than showing off his abs? Is it supposed to be a callback to Daenerys’s bathtub scene? Conducting business while bathing seems utterly idiotic. Thank you, Ormund, for at least not doing it on the toilet. I used to give you credit for outsmarting Rhaenyra and Daemon like absolute fools, but you earn zero respect from me in this episode.

Alicent, as always, is talking utter nonsense. You wonder what happened to your sons, Alicent? Perhaps it's a reflection of how you and Viserys raised them? Perhaps it's a consequence of the war you and Rhaenyra waged? Or perhaps it’s because Rhaenyra and Daemon never even viewed them as family or human?

Rhaenyra claims she would have spared Daeron. Right, because we all remember her standing over a sleeping, fake Daeron, fully prepared to murder him. Her idea of "mercy" is a life sentence at the Wall with absolutely no future. At that point, wouldn’t immediate death be preferable? If anyone belongs at the Night’s Watch for their crimes, it’s Rhaenyra herself - and she might as well take Daemon and Alicent with her.

The scene between Aegon and Sunfyre was incredibly touching. It’s such a shame that Rhaenys mutilated Aegon and his dragon… Oh, wait, my mistake - the writers had Aemond do it instead. Heaven forbid Team Black ever does anything wrong; it seems all their book crimes are automatically reassigned to the Greens. On a side note, it’s clear from this scene that the dragon has recovered. It appears that when on the brink of death, dragons can slip into a comatose state, channeling all their bodily resources into regeneration.

Alys Rivers is, as always, a pathological liar, and she bears a striking resemblance to Larys. Honestly, I have no idea why Vhagar didn't just burn and eat her on the spot. It makes no sense-unless she is actively hiding Aemond on the Isle of Faces, where Vhagar reportedly flew, which would also explain why Criston seems utterly incapable of conducting a proper search of the castle.

Meanwhile, Gwayne remains the only genuinely likeable Hightower, which feels incredibly suspicious. There are rumors they might make him Rhaena's future husband, which is probably why the writers are sparing him from the absolute character assassination they've inflicted on the rest of his family.

Since when did Rhaenyra convince herself that Viserys maintained some kind of balance? The man was utterly incapable of uniting his own family, let alone resolving the succession crisis once his new children were born. He was a weak king who allowed others to rule in his stead.

Meanwhile, Daemon apparently can’t even command his own dragon anymore. Caraxes literally had to send him to deal with Sheepstealer using a sword. The dragon clearly wants him dead. Why bother using your brain, right, Daemon? Why command your dragon to flush out whoever is hiding in that cave with fire without risking your own skin? In Game of Thrones, a blunder like that would have gotten him killed instantly.

I genuinely feel sorry for Rhaena in this scene, no one deserves a father like Daemon. Does he even remember he has daughters, or does he only care about Aegon and Viserys? It’s no surprise Rhaena abandoned them. She likely feels they replaced her and Baela - which is exactly what happened, considering how quickly Daemon married Rhaenyra and started a new family. Rhaena’s character arc shares a lot of striking parallels with Aemond's.

I cannot emphasize this enough: the older generation is entirely to blame for the Dance of the Dragons, each bearing equal responsibility - Viserys, Otto, Daemon, Rhaenyra, Alicent, Rhaenys, and Corlys. As the saying goes, 'the revolution devours its children.' The children of Alicent, Rhaenyra, and Laena are nothing more than cannon fodder sacrificed for their parents' reckless ambitions.

Naturally, Daemon resorts to his usual habit of murdering someone innocent and completely uninvolved. But of course, the show won't give us the graphic details, heaven forbid the audience gets too uncomfortable and stops rooting for him.

I see so much of young Aemond in Daeron. They definitely share that same melancholic, sorrowful gaze. To be honest, this is not the Daeron I envisioned while reading Fire & Blood. I previously assumed that compared to his siblings, Daeron would be the least traumatized child. However, I was clearly wrong - at least based on what we are seeing in the show.

It is deeply tragic that Aegon, Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron have absolutely no safe haven. They belong to no one. Their Targaryen relatives despise them and dismiss them as mere Hightowers. Meanwhile, their Hightower relatives look down on them and view them strictly as Targaryens. Their mother raised them as weapons only to abandon them, while their father ignored them entirely. They have no place in this world, and it is heartbreaking.

I absolutely loved that Helaena didn't allow her mother to touch her stomach. I think she is beginning to realize that Alicent is no longer her ally - especially given her loyalty to Rhaenyra - and she is genuinely fearing for her baby's safety. I’ve read the leaks regarding the child’s paternity, but I won’t get into that here, perhaps I’ll save it for another post. However, I despised the judgmental look Alicent gave Helaena. What's the matter, Alicent? Did your brilliant master plan fail? Are you going to sell out this infant to your precious queen as well?

I absolutely loved the scene between Daeron and Tessarion. This poor guy has literally no one in his corner to protect him except for his dragon. Meanwhile, Ormund is deeply irritating, and I can clearly see how much he resembles Daemon. They are essentially two sides of the same coin: Daemon, who harbors a pathological hatred for the Hightowers, and Ormund, who feels the exact same contempt for the Targaryens.

It's also fascinating - and deeply telling - how both Alicent and Ormund refer to dragons as mere 'beasts.' It is incredibly condescending. I would have to see a scene featuring Daeron, Aemond, and Aegon together. I just hope that the leaks surrounding Daeron's ultimate fate turn out to be completely false 😢