Last week finally felt like a Game of Thrones show, but this week had a Westerosi Wedding, and it was awesome. One could argue that the first 4 episodes existed to build up this single episode, and I am not sure I would argue against it. Chris and Jim are here to help me answer some hard-hitting questions. We also have a companion podcast called Kenter At Your Own Risk with Chris and me going more in-depth with our analysis. As always, anything written in BOLD is from me.
1. Based on early interactions between Laenor and Rhaenyra, do you think that this marriage will survive the remainder of the series?
Chris: I think that the marriage will survive at least until one of the participants death, which may or may not be at the end of the series. I have to agree with both of you and say that there is no way Laenor doesn’t hold a grudge against Rhaenyra and/or Cristin Cole. (If they can add some Ju-On/The Grudge to this story, i’m all in.)
Jim: I believe this is an excellent opportunity to say that I was kind of right. I called Criston killing someone out of supposed jealousy due to his tryst with Rhaenyra. While I didn’t expect it to be Laenor’s male consort, my proclamation still seems accurate. Due to the death of Joffrey, I think Laenor will begin acting out, treating Rhaenyra as the reason for losing his lover, and challenging her hold on the throne eventually. So in short, no, it will not survive the rest of the series. (Yeah, I see no way that Laenor won’t, in some way, hold a grudge against Rhaen for what happened to his boy, Joffrey. Plus……drama.)
Kent: I think that despite all the chaos, this relationship lasts until Laenor’s death. I have no idea if he’s gonna die, but since anyone can die, it seems like a reasonable possibility. We know very little, but we can make some guesses. I think Alicent and Rhaen kill each other in the second to last episode of season 5. By the way, if that happens, just know that I will be bragging. So yeah, no chance in hell of this marriage surviving the remainder of this series.
2. Who was the bigger fool: Criston for admitting he had sex with Rhaenyra or Joffrey for telling Criston that he knew about the relationship?
Chris: Joffrey. For sure. Criston was stupid, but Joffrey was foolish. Cristin made stupid decisions throughout this episode. Joffrey realized that Criston was both “cuntstruck” and a warrior who beat Daemon’s ass, and didn’t bother to get an informed read on someone that he didn’t know, before threatening him. (Hewas the Knight of Kisses. I’m not sure how you earn that nickname, but I am guessing it wasn’t due to his wisdom.)
Jim: While it is easy to say Joeffry was the bigger fool because he paid a bigger price (by the way, gruesome demolishing of his face), it is Ser Criston, because he paid considerably more. He lost his love, because Rhaenyra will never look at him the same after both his proclamation to her, his position due to his acting out as such, and is now somehow indebted to Alicent, which was a power move by her. This alone, has made this a bit more interesting, especially because it was set up by Larys, and we don’t know yet why. (Alicent really has Criston by the balls, and the fact that he still has his balls is a moral victory for him.)
Kent: I hate when I ask a question and I don’t have a definitive answer. When I think of a fool, I think that they did something that they definitely knew better than to do. We don’t know Joffrey all that well. I wish we knew him better, but from what we know, I think it has to be Crispin. He told on himself, despite not being asked specifically about himself, and knowing the repercussions of it. I think it has to be Crispin, but I can’t fault you for simply saying: “Joffrey talked, he has no face and is dead. How is he not the choice?” Was Joffrey the original Faceless Man? Is Jaqen H’ghar a descendant of Joffrey’s?
3. All things considered, did Corlys and Rhaenys get everything they could have reasonably hoped for during the wedding negotiation? If they could have asked for one more thing, what would you have picked?
Chris: I agree, the only thing they could have asked for more would have been for Corlys to be named Hand. On the flipside we still don’t know if he is still Master of Coins, which could be (in his eyes) more powerful. (It is interesting how Master of Coin could be just as powerful/influential as Hand. Westerosi politics are fascinating.)
Jim: Short of either having Laenor be the true king rather than king consort, and any heir having their last name upon ascending to the throne, they got what they wanted. Neither of those two outcomes seemed at all attainable, so I think they got the best deal they could negotiate. The only thing they could/should have asked for, was for Corlys to be named the new hand upon Rhaenyra’s ascension to power, which could have made it more interesting still. (Yeah, he could have asked for the role of the Hand or whatever else. In hindsight, that was a really obvious answer that I didn’t remotely consider.)
Kent: I don’t think they could have negotiated a better deal. Viserys wouldn’t have allowed it, despite his poor health. They really got a sweet deal. IF they could have included something else in the deal, I can think of things. 1. Corlys demands that Alicent wears her hair like his for a full year. 2. If Viserys has another male, he would have to be named Corlys. 3. Daemon is forced into servitude under Corlys. All of these things could have provided some interesting TV.
4. Viserys is slowly dying before our eyes. Yet, he appears to still be alive after the time skip. When Viserys dies, will it be something simple like a murder or will they try to make it synonomous with what is happening in the Kingdom or perhaps within hsi family?
Chris: Well, dragonscale already exists, since the Crabfeeder had it. Viserys is going to make it to episode 8 or 9 I think, with what follows after setting the stage for season 2. The time jump is so large here that I think to kill him off and basically have to reintroduce half of the cast would be too much for one episode. (I agree with you that it would be too much for one episode. Which is why I say it is episode 7. If Vis lives beyond episode 7, I have a weird theory that he makes it to season 2. Vis’ character could still accomplish plenty. Maybe they realize it’s almost too obvious of a death.)
Jim: They keep teasing his death, and I assume the next episode is his last. I would love to see him murdered, and spread what I can only assume is dragonscale (or stonescale I can’t remember the name of the disease) to his murderer, furthering the infection. It would be very interesting if it was the origins of the disease, with Viserys and the murderer being patient zero. However, I feel he will die sickly as opposed to in blood. (I love anything with an explanation of a Patient Zero. This may feel a bit on the nose or out of place, but I highly recommend a film called Contracted. It is available via Tubi (Free with ads) or AMC Plus. I am just now realizing that I don’t have a review of this film on my website.)
Kent: As long as Willem Blackwood is alive, everyone is on notice. I genuinely think that they are gonna try to make the death all poetic in some way, tying in the future feuds and state of the kingdom, and blah blah blah. Soooo, I’m gonna predict that Alicent gets woke up at 3AM to serve Vis. The next morning, she tells Crispin to finish Vis off. Also, I was going to suggest that the blade used to kill Vis will carry the dragonscale disease and we’ll see someone else get it, and they will be accused of murdering the king. I really liked what Jim said though. But if you can then get a scapegoat, even better.
5. Daemon not only murders his “bronze bitch of a wife”, he makes a grand unexpected entrance to the ceremonies, tells Gerold that bronze cunts like him will be made accountable for slander, and then starts courting Lady Laena. What was your favorite Daemon moment of the episode?
Chris: Definitely the interaction with Gerrold. His snappy comeback about bronze cunts, so soon after Gerrold’s accusation was spot on. (I would like to see Daemon on Who’s Line Is It Anyway.)
Jim: I think the courting of Lady Laena is the most interesting for future plot lines, but I rather enjoyed his interaction with Gerold the most. I don’t know what would come of it, as I have the feeling they didn’t like each other to start with. However, if he does take the Vale as the only remaining heir, that has a lot of potential. (Does the moon door or whatever they had in Game of thrones in the Vale exist in this time? Imagine Daemon in that room. The possibilities are all delightful)
Kent: For me, it has to be courting of Lady Laena for one reason. While I watch every episode, I take notes for the podcast so that Chris doesn’t always make me look incompetent, I do that very well on my own. So allow me to share my exact notes of the ending of the conversation Daemon has with Gerold.
“Daemon plans to petition Lady Jeyne in the Eyrie. Gerold walks away defeated. Daemon should marry Laena. Make it happen!! Vis looks on annoyed. Still dancing.
Joffrey and Laenor are talking. Daemon approaches Laena. YES!”
I know this wasn’t necessarily my Gendry moment, but this was still pretty freakin’ sweet!
Bonus – Alicent is in dire need of allies, and Larys Strong happened to offer that in one of the best scenes in this episode. Is Larys the type of character that this series was sorely lacking? Do you foresee him being a big character moving forward, or just a side character that helps move the main characters forward?
Chris: Again, with hindsight, yes. As I told Kent on our last podcast covering this episode, Larys and Harl Strong are the two characters I want to know more about. (I assume that you meant Harwin and not Harl, but I assume incorrectly so often, that I am leaving it in there in case there is a Harl Strong. He should hangout with Willem Blackwood.)
Jim: While I don’t know how big of a role he will have, Larys is the type of character we were missing. Someone with limited time, but whose interactions are felt in multiple plot lines. His whisperings planted seeds of doubt, which affected the trust between Alicent and Rhaenyra, and led to Criston spilling his guts. That guilt then led to a murder, near suicidal, and now Criston being indebted to Alicent. All of this without telling us why he even did it!! That is what the series was lacking, and I’m so happy to see it. I will say, some of the best of the series as always, is in the betrayal gardens, just like South Park always told me. (I was actually gonna see if I could find a clip from South Park because that scene reminded me so much of South Park. Truly wonderful.)
Kent: This episode provided us with many things that were kinda missing, or being built up to. Larys was the hero that Westeros deserved and needed now. The show has plenty of big players now and heading into the time jump, but we were lacking some of those middle-tier players that help connect the dots for us. Maybe he becomes compelling enough to be a Varys or Littlefinger level of character. It’s too early to tell, but if I had to bet, I would put my money on Larys being one of the 5 most compelling characters by the end of season one. Not only is he fascinating, and manipulative, but he is the brother of Ser Harwin “Breakbones” Strong and the son of the Hand, Lyonel Strong. He is perfectly positioned to be involved in any number of scenarios.