Features

In Defense of Aegon Targaryen, Second of his Name

Posted on by Patrick Sponaugle

Viserys HOTD 1x08

In the eighth episode of House of the Dragon – “Lord of the Tides” – King Viserys Targaryen died of his long-standing illnesses (or whatever was going on with that poor guy), following an eventful family dinner where the king begged his family to reconcile. To reconcile if not for the realm, but for him.

With the king’s passing, the previously stable political environment in Westeros was poised to plunge into a totally normal peaceful transition of power. After all, Viserys had clearly and publicly established his daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen as his heir, and so she should simply take in hand the reins of power and guide the realm, serviceably.

Or mayhaps, there would be the political chaos that had been long predicted.

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Interview

House of the Dragon Post-Mortem of “The Lord of the Tides”

Posted on by Vanessa Kennedy

King's Landing Red Keep Quarters, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), 1x08 (2)

Tensions were high on last night’s “The Lord of the Tides” as the legitimacy of Rhaenyra’s children was once again called into question, and as Viserys made one final attempt to mend the division in his house during an awkward family dinner. With only two episodes left in the season, the drama and conflict is sure to reach new heights before the finale. Let’s not lose our heads like Vaemond just yet though – it’s time to check out today’s interviews and videos!

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Recap Roundup

House of the Dragon Review/Recap Roundup Season 1 Episode 8 – The Lord of the Tides

Posted on by David Rosenblatt

paddy-considine

We’re entering the home stretch of House of the Dragon season 1, as we barrel full sped ahead into episode 8! Remember me? It’s me from just last week! Unlike last week, you can physically see me this time, in extremely vivid color, so there’s no excuse for missing out on this week’s review/recap roundup. Every week, for each new episode of HOTD, I’ll be deconstructing the multitude of reviews out there, boiling them down to one short summary sentence that will perfectly encapsulate what the original author was saying, no questions asked…and by that I mean that I will deconstruct whole essays down to one sentence apiece, often quoting them verbatim.

What I will do is attempt to summarize the original review as best I can, and if my tease whets your appetite for their style of review, you are encouraged to head over to their site and let them know…after of course letting us know your thoughts in the comments below. At the bottom, I will summarize my review of the reviewers’ reviews.

All squared? Jolly good, let’s dive in.

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Recap/Review

House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 8 “The Lord of the Tides” Recap

Posted on by Sue the Fury

olivia-cooke-emma-d-arcy_0

Listen, as far as Westerosi family dinners go- this was far from the worst. I’ve had meals back home in Worcester that were more unpleasant and aggressive. I’m just saying.

Spoiler Note: This recap and the comments section may contain mild spoilers from George R.R. Martin’s novels and Westeros histories, whether or not that material has appeared on the show yet. If you have not read the books and wish to remain completely Unsullied, we encourage you to check out our non-book-reader recap by Oz of Thrones!

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Open Chat

House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 8 The Lord of the Tides – Open Chat

Posted on by Sue the Fury

King's Landing Red Keep Throne Room, Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy), Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell), Luke Velaryon (Elliot Grihault), Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), 1x08 (1)

With a bit of a mind flip
You’re into the time slip
And nothing can ever be the same…
Let’s do the Time Warp agaaaaain!

Episode title: “The Lord of the Tides”
Written by Eileen Shim
Directed by Geeta V. Patel
Runtime: 67 minutes
Content Warnings: TV-MA: Adult Content, Adult Language, Graphic Violence, Nudity
Episode 8 Video Preview
Episode 8 Preview Photos

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Features

Winners, Losers, and Otto, Oh My

Posted on by Patrick Sponaugle

Driftmark, Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), 1x07 (1)

Cersei Lannister: When you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die, there is no middle ground.

Otto Hightower: We play an ugly game. And now for the first time, I see that you have the determination to win it.

 In House of the Dragon‘s seventh episode – “Driftmark” – Otto Hightower referenced the common conceit that the contest for power and influence was a kind of high-stakes game. Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones had asserted to Ned Stark that the game often had two outcomes: victory or death, with little else in-between.

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Humor/Recap

Drift-tweets: A House of the Dragon Twitter Recap

Posted on by Sue the Fury

john-macmillan-arty-froushan

Better late than never!

(That’s what Laenor will say when he returns in season 3, right?) Anyhoo, between real life obligations and some other stuff going on, our weekly House of the Dragon Twitter recap was a little delayed this week- my apologies! Here it is, in all its funeral/wedding/kiddie rumble glory. This week on Twitter when discussing “Driftmark,” people mostly went bonkers for the youngster shenanigans. And of course, love or hate a character, people have very…very strong opinions. Alright, onto the fun stuff.

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News

A Storm of Hate: the Problem with Linda Antonsson, Elio García and George R.R. Martin

Posted on by Sue the Fury

Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), Lyonel Strong (Gavin Spokes), Lyman Beesbury (Bill Paterson), Small Council

Yesterday, mainstream fandom finally caught wind of what many of us have known in Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire world for a decade: that Linda Antonsson and Elio García are racist, with the former particularly vicious in her attacks on diversity and fellow fans. Who are these people? Why does it matter? They’re married ASOIAF wiki runners, Westeros.org owners, and occasional George R.R. Martin co-authors/fact-checkers, often referred to in tandem as Elio and Linda or Linda and Elio or Lindaaaaaa and Ran. (Whatever floats your boat.) Most fandom criticism has been aimed at Antonsson because of her vitriol and her habit of antagonizing fans, but García has supported his partner and publicly voiced agreement with her offensive opinions on many occasions. And it matters what they say and do because unfortunately, they have Martin’s ear and it looks like they have a hand in the future of Westeros content.

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