While the Amazon's Rings of Power seems to fall for being a generic fantasy, the fandom is showing their love HBO's well crafted Martin tale. It's clear to me that they have thought out their concepts, read what people have said, and given GRRM's tale a room to breath.
I was scared on Svalbard's 15-year jump, so seeing the IMDB's title shot was from the wedding I felt relieved, because after this the time shift should be more sensible. Maybe even logical.
Lady Rhae and Cousin the gamekeeper. Both are wearing a very functional hunting armour. I loved seeing Scottish Highlands rolling by as she rode the hills. And then a slam, "Husband," Lady Rhae addressed the Cruel Prince appearing on the road.
Man, is he a sailor? Does he have a wife in every harbour?
"What brings you to the Vale?" Nothing good, I guessed. Then she dropped the bomb, "Or have you at last come to consummate our marriage? I mean the Vale's sheep might be willing... even if I'm not."
Denied by wifey and denied by wife number 1. It's almost as if they see him as a bad sausage, even though he's one of the most handsome devils in the realm. I loved that there were no words, nothing but a wink of smile, after he'd done the deed and left the Lady in gods hands. But it doesn't speak in volumes that the death was his original intent. It's just clear after he walks away that the Cruel Prince is in fact psychotic.
The Old King, the Young Queen and the Knight. There is definitely no dragon riding for Viz if he cannot keep the contents of his stomach inside on a wavy sea. It wasn't even super stormy day when they were crossing the Narrow Sea to reach the High Tide.
None of them could have guessed the reception that was waiting for them at the keep. I can't call it a castle because it certainly didn't look like one. But seeing the Old King's long face on no welcome ceremonies just tickled me.
However, it was a chilling moment, when the two heads of the Major Houses met in the throne room. I thought that they were going to clash before Lord Corlys bent the knee. As a good twist it made me tickle that Lord Corlys though there was only bad news as he delivered the Lady Rhae's fate to the Old King before Viz was able to say the "Marriage" word.
I laughed when Corlys popped, "How the succession is going to be handled?"
Man, the Old King kept his mouth shut about Maester's tea, and said, "Rhaenyra is my heir. Upon my death, my throne and my titles will pass to her. She and Ser Leanor's firstborn child, regardless of gender, will inherit the Iron Throne from her."
I didn't really get all the fuss around the naming of the baby other than as a pissing contest, when Lord Corlys had already accepted the marriage, and you could see it on his face. But Viz had to one-up and voice, "Dragons will rule the Seven Kingdoms for the next hundred years, just as they did the last."
It was an acceptable compromise.
I wonder if the Old Gods were weeping because the Old Man HighTower were wearing black and spitting hateful messages to his own daughter, the Queen? He was so full of hatred that he saw Rhae being evil and putting Alicent kids to chop, then being able to swallow his pride and wish her goodbye.
Does the black cloak mean that Ser Otto will become a Raven and accepts the Wall as his new home?
Or were the Tree weeping because the Queen met the real snake in the guise of Lord Larys in garden, as if the veil of darkness has suddenly been removed? He had no problems on letting the Queen know about the deliverance of Maester's tea. In fact, he wanted her to know and in my mind the weeping therefore suggested the gods were unhappy to go down into a trap of hatred, and Lord Larys being the Kingmaker instead of Ser Otto HighTower.
The Young Queen and Ser Leanor. That scene is so romantic and then it was funny when it went so quickly from food habits to "Accepting our duty to the realm, and when it's done each of us dine as we'll see fit."
I knew that she wasn't going to let Ser Cristos to slip away from her fingers. The boy was quick to accept the deal. After all he had got himself a real princess. Daddy was happy and so was King's cousin, Corlys' wife. Seeing her happy in her place as another union of the same kind of marriage was about to set place just solidified that all was happening as they'd planned.
Were Valyrians direct descended from the First Men? Did the Targ's made a deal with the dragons and that's why there is connection between the man and the royal beasts?
All Lord Corlys were able to see was justice, while the Lady of Velaryians were suggested that Prince Aegon would challenge the Young Queen. It surprised me that they were happy that the boy wouldn't be to ascending as the king.
Then they showed that the boy were batting in the sausage league. Man, this is all so perfect. Ser Cristos banging the Queen and Leanor being the Macho Man.
"You'll need a sworn protector," Ser Leanor's struck out the plan.
Man, I can see why this episode got above the 9. All that saucy drama, lol.
Back at the Narrow Sea, Ser Cristos finally opened up, told her about his longing and then let out the frog, "I've heard you say so many times that you loath a lot of your position, that you will be married off to your father's whim with no thought given to the yearning of your own heart, and now the day comes. Ser Leanor is a good man, but you did not choose him!"
"It's true," the princess was able to utter.
"If there were another path..." Man, Ser Cristor the Brave. Man, literally in the shining armour, saying those word... that bravery really shined when he suggested that Rhae would do a runner with her and escape through Essos to wherever.
He really wasn't on the same page with the Young Queen. Not really, and I blame man chromosome's for that. But then again, he was always a man of few words, and wisdom wasn't part of the choices, when he got selected as the Royal bodyguard. That got skipped for that chilled face.
"I am the Crown, Ser Criston," Rhae said, with tears in her eyes. "Or I will be, I may chafe at my duties, but do you think that I'd choose infamy in exchange for bushes of oranges or a ship to Asshai!?!"
If only Ser Cristos would have kept that frog inside. Instead, he got the "It's my duty..." talk and no hanky panky.
The Knight in Shining Armour couldn't take deal, instead another frog slipped out, "So you want me to be your whore???" and then to go on with his oath speech. I felt so ashamed on Ser Cristos behalf. The boy has no brains inside his helmet.
Rhae told him the whole plan and he couldn't take it. I was surprised that Rhae didn't call her dragon and shout out: "Dracarys," and held a contest for the next protector.
The death of the Old King. The deal is done and so the Seven had no need for him any longer and therefore Viz was on his way to become one of the statued ancestral tomes under the Red Keep.
The Queen weren't at all concerned on seeing the scene, instead she was worried that Rhae had been unfaithful with Ser Cristos. And the Knight couldn't deny. Not after it became to clear to Mr Poo-for-brains understood the Queen tumbling through the question.
It came out like another frog.
I loved that the Queen let the Knight leave with his sin. A wise choice, while the Old King in his death chair, were questioning had he been "a good king," and "a worthy of being the carrier of the Aegon legacy?" Except it wasn't the moment, as the King pulled through to be at his best for Rhea's wedding ceremonies.
Jason Lannister and his talent with his mouth is battling with Ser Cristos on who can slip out the biggest frog. Maybe it's something that is common with us, men.
Next one had matured approach as Ser Gerold first congratulated and then slipped in the official business with regard to the loss of Lady Rhae Royce, before the Cruel Prince arrived in the wake of the Sausage Prince announcing "My Bethrowed," at the front of the whole Royal Court.
His grin was chilling the whole tradition that tried to start before the Queen arrived in her poison greed dress to congratulate the King and the Couple. Then he could it as, "Start of the Second Age of Dragons," and finally voice the news about the ascension of the crown. As if he couldn't abdicate before...
While the Couple were putting the show, the Lovers weren't able but thrown in daggers through their gazes. What can't be, can't be. However what became was Cruel Prince taking what was his, when Ser Gerold couldn't keep his mouth shut. And so the Vale was lost to Daemon.
All at front of Old King's eyes, and he couldn't do nuffin. Especially when Daemon went to Rhae, and she suggested a massacre in the wedding and then flying off to DragonStone as his wife. The Knight wasn't even calculated into that wish... she was all Cruel Prince's, if he so wished.
Except it wasn't Deamon but the Ser Cristos offing Sausage Prince's lover at front of the whole Royal Court. In the result, the Old King couldn't take it but passed away through brain haemorrhage, and Rhae got wedded at in the empty hall, while the Queen denied Ser Cristos a seppuku.
What an episode. Royal drama. Including the ugly stuff. No wonder why it got over 9.