This week's 70-minute episode has a lot to break down. The fallout from the gruesome death at the end of last week's episode is felt across Westeros.

Takeaways From This Week

• The acting and dialogue in House of the Dragon are better than Game of Thrones so far.
• The episode sets up the eventual conflict between the two sides.
• The character dynamics and performances are strong.
• The episode explores the consequences of the murder of King Aegon's heir.
• The episode hints at the importance of certain characters and their future roles. Frustration with the decisions made by certain characters
• Discussion of the fight between the twins

Episode Breakdown

• Episode Title: Rhaenyra the Cruel
• Synopsis: Both Alicent and Rhenera are facing the consequences of the murder of King Ageon's heir
• Director: Clare Kilber
• Writer: Sara Hess
• Cast: Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Matthew Needham, Sonoya Mizuno, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, Phia Saban, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Jefferson Hall, Kurt Egyiawan

Hosts:

• Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladil
• Ashley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobley

South of King’s Landing Credits:

• Intro & Outro Music: Curse of the Scarab by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
• South of King’s Landing Art: Cherie Henriques
• Summary Show Notes: Created by Riverside.FM AI Integration
• Support Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion

Welcome back to South of King's Landing, where we're discussing each episode of House of the Dragon, week by week, and it's all kicking off with this intense series premiere!

Takeaways From This Week

• The new opening sequence sets the tone for the season and provides a glimpse into the history and current events of House of the Dragon.
• The Starks are portrayed as the morally right side, but their alliance with the blacks challenges this perception.
• The dragons are visually impressive and play a significant role in the story.
• The Hightower group's actions and hypocrisy highlight the moral ambiguity of the characters.
• King Aegon's childish behavior and his desire to kill everyone demonstrate the show's attempt to balance good and evil. The humor in House of the Dragon adds an enjoyable element to the show
• The motives of certain characters, such as Otto Hightower and Alison Hightower, are unclear
• The final scene of the episode creates tension and anticipation for future episodes
• The sound design in House of the Dragon is effective in creating a visceral reaction

Episode Breakdown

• Episode Title: A Son For A Son
• Synopsis: As Alicent grows concerned by Aegon's Small Council, Rhaenyra arrives at a fateful decision.
• Director: Alan Taylor
• Writer: Ryan J. Condal, Ti Mikkel
• Cast: Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Matthew Needham, Sonoya Mizuno, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, Phia Saban, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Jefferson Hall, Kurt Egyiawan

Hosts:

• Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladil
• Ashley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobley

South of King’s Landing Credits:

• Intro & Outro Music: Curse of the Scarab by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
• South of King’s Landing Art: Cherie Henriques
• Summary Show Notes: Created by Riverside.FM AI Integration
• Support Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion

The season finale of House of the Dragon officially starts the Dance of the Dragons.

Hosts: Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladil Ashley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobley

The Black Queen While mourning a tragic loss, Rhaenyra tries to hold the realm together, and Daemon prepares for war. Director: Greg Yaitanes Writer: Ryan J. Condal Cast: Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Harry Collett, Ewan Mitchell, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Bijan Daneshmand, Phil Daniels, Elliot Grihault

Intro & Outro Music: Curse of the Scarab by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

South of King’s Landing Art: Cherie Henriques

Support Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion

Do heads roll in the penultimate episode of House of the Dragon Season 1? Do dragons fight? The most shocking thing but be what’s right in front of our faces.

Hosts: Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladil Ashley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobley

The Green Council While Alicent enlists Cole and Aemond to track down Aegon, Otto gathers the great houses of Westeros to affirm their allegiance. Director: Claire Kilner Writer: Sara Hess Cast: Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Fabien Frankel, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Graham McTavish, Matthew Needham, Jefferson Hall, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, Phia Saban

Intro & Outro Music: Curse of the Scarab by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

South of King’s Landing Art: Cherie Henriques

Support Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion

Dylan & Ashley discuss the penultimate episode and why Ash thinks a dragon fight is to begin soon.

Hosts: Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladil Ashley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobley

The Lord of the Tides Six years later. With the Driftmark succession suddenly critical, Rhaenyra attempts to strike a bargain with Rhaenys. Director: Geeta Vasant Patel Writer: Ryan J. Condal, Eileen Shim Cast: Geeta Vasant Patel Wri: Ryan J. Condal, Eileen Shim Cast: Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Fabien Frankel, Matthew Needham, Gavin Spokes, Ryan Cor

Intro & Outro Music: Curse of the Scarab by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

South of King’s Landing Art: Cherie Henriques

Support Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion

Team Rhaenyra vs Team Alicent.

Hosts: Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladil Ashley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobley

Driftmark As the families gather on Driftmark for a funeral, Viserys calls for an end to infighting and Alicent demands justice. Director: Miguel Sapochnik Writer: Ryan J. Condal, Kevin Lau Cast: Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine, Matt Smith Fabien Frankel, Matthew Needham, Gavin Spokes, Ryan Cor

Intro & Outro Music: Curse of the Scarab by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

South of King’s Landing Art: Cherie Henriques

Support Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion

We jump ahead ten years to a cast of new leads and many problems for Rhaenyra in King’s Landing as Alicent looks to prove she’s in charge.

Hosts: Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladil Ashley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobley

The Princess and the Queen Ten years later. Rhaenyra navigates Alicent's continued speculation about her children, while Daemon and Laena weigh an offer in Pentos Director: Miguel Sapochnik Writer: Ryan J. Condal, Sara Hess Cast: Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Fabien Frankel, Matthew Needham, Gavin Spokes, Ryan Cor

Intro & Outro Music: Curse of the Scarab by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

South of King’s Landing Art: Cherie Henriques

Support Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion

In Milly Alcock and Emily Carey’s final appearance, Rhaenyra prepares to marry her cousin, Ser Criston Cole tries to deal with the guilt of his actions and we reckon they should just cut off Viserys’ arm at this point.

Hosts: Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladil Ashley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobley

Episode Title Daemon visits his wife in the Vale. Viserys and Rhaenyra broker agreements with the Valeryons. Alicent seeks the truth about the princess Director: Claire Kilner Writer: Charmaine DeGraté Cast: Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey, Graham McTavish, Matthew Needham, Jefferson Hall, Gavin Spokes, David Horovitch, Ryan Corr, Theo Nate, Rachel Redford

Intro & Outro Music: Curse of the Scarab by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

South of King’s Landing Art: Cherie Henriques

Support Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion