The Black Queen

Everything on this episode was perfect, in line with the Dance of the Dragons.

George Martin should be proud, the acting was stunning, from minute 1, specially the acting from Emma D Arcy. Of course we need more seasons as the Dance of the Dragons was an event with a lot of things happening but still I think the first season covered well almost all of them, the most important ones.

I enjoyed every episode and thanks for bringing Ramil as the composer, the music was epic as usual and for keeping the same music for the opening as it is very characteristic in the Game of Thrones world, a different one would be weird.

So the season finale is finally here !! I saw a lot of hate online and I don't think it's deserved

I did enjoy this ending, I don't think it is as strong as some of the other episodes and in my opinion would have been the perfect episode 9 not 10

I'm enjoying that Rhenerya for so much of this episode is the only one that has a cool head and doesn't just jump to war.

I did think it was a little slow at the start but nothing major to give out about. The episode did have its moments especially the ending of this episode I was SHOCKED. We get a nice little cliff hanger for S2 and I must say I'm quite excited to watch S2.

The writers are attempting to tell the "real" story compared to the ones written by biased maesters. It's inspired writing, though risky as hell as they can easily change the direction of the story from going skywards to diving into the god's eye in flames.

Its sad and tragic that The actual Dance of Dragons is actually caused by the Dragons and not Targaryens. In the book, Aemond kills poor Luke intentionally, but here he lost control of his dragon and looks totally perplexed over what havoc he has caused. Aemond is a meance but a calculating sociopath. I mean why should Aemond be a one dynamic character, just pure evil? I feel it adds more layers of depth to character and allows a lot more reactions and emotion to be shown. Especially to the outcome and direct response from this action. It's more compelling, to see that he went to far with his ego and now realizing what how he took it too far. So it made complete sense to show him already processing what he is going to tell them upon his return, especially when the negotiations are in place and there is yet for either side to hit the first bloody strike.

Also, the scene was to enforce what Viserys said earlier in the season that dragons can never truly be tamed and the fact they think they control the dragons is a mere illusion.

Another great example is of our Black Queen, Rhaenyra. Even though she has the right to the throne and even (literally) had the chance to crush Otto and declare war, she restrained herself and realized her role in the big picture: that is, to uphold her promise to her dear father and keep the realm in peace. She had done the same and avoided bloodshed earlier too when some years ago Daemon had stolen her Dragon's eggs (for attention seeking purposes ofcourse). This just heightens and elevates Rhaenyra's character.

In short, they're trying to humanize all the characters and show how the atrocities of history still happen even when people aren't caricatures of good and evil. It's being done to keep people on either green or red side. To make everything have a argument for both sides. They do very wrong things, feel guilt, but then surround themselves in armor of rightness and defend their own actions no matter how insane.

I would still consider myself a fan of "Game of Thrones" even if the final season fell short of the previous entries, so I was eager to watch another story set in that world. Though undeniably smaller, in terms of storytelling scope, and a little confusing in the earlier episodes, it eventually settles into strong series, worthy of its predecessor.

Having had an uneasy rise to power, King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) looks to stabilise the kingdom by naming his daughter Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock/Emma D'Arcy) as the heir to the Iron Throne, over his brother Daemon (Matt Smith). When his Queen dies in childbirth, his hand Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) manipulates his daughter, Alicent (Emily Carey/Olivia Cooke) into becoming her replacement. When she bares the King a son, the future of the Kingdom is again thrown into doubt as the Hightowers, and other elements opposed to a female ruler, scheme to cling to power.

One thing GOT did that HOTD doesn't do quite as well is explain the stakes early on. There is an undead army coming from the North and whomever is on the Iron Throne when they do will be key to defeating them. That also gave the series a wide scope, as anyone from numerous houses could theoretically have ended the show in power. Dragon has neither of these. The focus is who will be next when Viserys dies, which initially looks to be a ways away, but comes closer and closer with each time jump that the early episodes go through. Though the old houses are mentioned, it becomes increasingly apparent that this will be a Targaryen civil war.

The other problem in those early episodes is that there are a lot of similar looking people with white hair, some of which having similar sounding names, so I found it difficult to maintain who was who, particularly as several characters, especially the children, change actor several times as they get older.

It did all come good for me though, and the nuances of the story start to come to the forefront, little character moments and misunderstandings that become major plot points. The performances are excellent, particularly in this first run from Paddy Considine. The CGI work is really strong too, and the numerous Dragons look great.

Interesting to see where we go from here when the show returns in 2024, but it's off to a promising start.

House of the Dragon is back with its season finale "The Black Queen" and it's brilliant, it's cinema. The premise: While mourning a tragic loss, Rhaenyra tries to hold the realm together, and Daemon prepares for war. What follows is some brilliant drama and scenes that will stay in your mind, the writing and direction is superb, and well like I wrote before it's cinema. This is an episode of House of the Dragon, an episode of the Game of Thrones franchise, an episode you'll remember. The writing is superb and you see the passion, in each line of dialogue and in the overall writing, great writers are behind this show and season finale.

With the death of Viserys Targaryen two episodes ago and the ascension of Aegon II in the previous episode titled "The Green Council", for this episode we finally get to see Rhaenyra and Team Black who were absent except for Rhaenys "The Queen Who Never Was" Targaryen. This episode is full of brilliant acting, with people acting out all kind of emotions. If Emma D'Arcy doesn't get nominated for awards for her performance as Rhaenyra Targaryen, I don't know what they would be thinking, she's putting everything she got into this role, top notch performance. The other performance among my favorites are Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, it's just impressive and like D'Arcy's, it's award worthy. The supporting cast is all great, but Ewan Mitchell's performance as Aemond Targaryen continues to amaze me, they have a rising star in their midst.

"The Black Queen" was directed by Greg Yaitanes who's also producing House of the Dragon, I just have to say this, his direction and visual storytelling is perfect. Like it was in the other episodes he have directed, but this was his best, and possibly one of the season's best episodes. The cinematography too is brilliant and beyond perfect. Fabian Wagner is a genius, an artist. There's so many shots that are brilliantly shot and just stunning, from the camera angles to establishing those shots that lingers on our minds. Truly mesmerizing.

I wrote before how brilliant the writing is and I can't praise it enough, I think Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik along with George R. R Martin have done perfect job with creating the show, with the two former being show runners. Sara Hess wrote episode 1.10 "The Black Queen" and her work was brilliant, with Clare Kilner directing it and her work was too quite phenomenal. There's a Shakespearean quality to this show that makes every scene so interesting to watch, really giving the show a different feeling than it's predecessor and other shows. It feels much more serious and mature, more intelligent in a sense, than Game of Thrones. The characters are so richly drawn and the tension and conflict that's built up between them so compelling and complex. Despite the plethora of dragons, it is less fantastical for one thing. It's also more focused and less epic, with a smaller cast and a tighter focus. Episode 1.10 was brilliant, the whole production was superb and we even got to see a new set of Storm's End which have been referenced but never seen in both shows, it's the home of House Baratheon. The exterior like the interior was impressive and I can't wait to see more of it and everything else we'll see in Season 2. The Storm's End sequence was mesmerizing and truly brilliant. But let's talk about the musical score, Ramin Djawadi uses old musical cues like new ones, making sure that people won't forget how important the powerful and epic music is to the heart of the show, so powerful to our own hearts. I won't go into any details but that ending was spectacular and what a great setup for season 2 which will be arriving in 2024, Ryan Condal wrote a perfect season finale.