The Awakening Movie Was So Impactful, But Its Strongest Aspects Were Its Subtleties.

I feel like this season of House of The Dragon is going to be utterly ruthless in it's approach.

As always, the intricacies never fail to take my breath away...

Last season, the opening showed blood on rock... rock that does not stain. But this time, we see blood tainting canvas, likely to leave deep gashes that won't be washed over, won't signify beginning anew.

This is further seen in how the last shot we saw of Rhaenyra was with her back facing the fire and darkness in her eyes. Yet, here we see in in the same room with a map of the seven kingdoms... alit with fire, demanding Aemond's life and walking out without a word.

Fire in all it's duality is clearly seen when alicent lights a candle for Viserys parallel to Luke's pyre being burned and finally as she wished to quell her guilt, lighting a candle for Luke, only for it to cut to Rhaenyra being obscured by flames, signifying that this stain isn't going to be washed off, it's not a rope that's frayed, but one that's cut.

And finally, Helena saying beware of the rats but not knowing who it is... Alys, who betrays information or her, who betrays herself.

In all its glory, there are four fronts that are going to impact the game moving forward:

Alicent's desire for victory, and whether she sees it in sleeping with Crison Cole, or allowing her soul absolvement from guilt by making peace between her and the blacks (Rhaenyra).

Otto's thrist for violence and who he deems (un)worthy enough to sacrifice.

Rhaenyra's vengeance, and which wing will forever be grounded next.

And Daemon's venerence towards Rhaenyra and who he's willing to betray for it.

HotD episode 10 was a masterpiece, one I both adored and hated. The entire episode felt like a dream of being chased yet having the feeling of not being able to run at all.

There were so many things I wish to highlight. But first, the ironies:

The cruel irony of how everyone had to lose something to attain the crown. While Viserys lost his body, Rhaenyra lost her child (and recieved the crown in front of the pyre)

The way that Daemon ignored Rhaenyra's gut-wrenching calls to him but was the first to bend the knee, fulfilling his role as her ally but failing as her companion.

The fact most predominantly shown was how without the dragons... Targaryens are nothing. To think that the Dance of Dragons began because of a Dragon refusing the command of their rider.

The way Rhaenyra, even through her pain, made it a priority to inform her sons of what had happened in order to save them the pain.

There were also so many parallels in this episode.

Both Daemon and Corlys refusing to acknowledge that they weren't the only ones who have lost a child (completely sidetracking the sentiments of their spouses to have their overdramatic diva moments).

Rhaenyra stripping Otto of his pin, the same way her father did.

Daemon crowning Rhaenyra, the same way he put the crown on his brother's head.

And finally, Rhaenyra receiving the crown standing in front of the burning pyre of her child facing away from it, and in the end... recieving the news of Luke's death standing alone, facing refusal of her claim as a ruler in front of a fire, looking towards it rather than away, thus disregarding her desire to not be a queen of the ashes... now she wishes to set it ablaze herself.

All in all, it was a fitting end to season one and I can't wait to see how season two turns out.

(I have not read the books and all my interpretations are based solely on the show)

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Me, everytime I see Gabriel Agreste on screen:

Transmission left me in such a daze that I had to make a second post about it!

The fact that Adrien was okay with throwing his own pictures in the trash because he wanted to respect her wishes but couldn't tolerate Marinette saying bad things about her own self.

While I have nothing against either Alya or Zoe having the miraculous... wasn't the whole point of the Kwami of luck/destruction that their holders must complete one another??? HOW CAN THEY JUST BE GIVEN TO RANDOM PEOPLE?? (I can be super off mark with this)

I LOVED the parenting parallels throughout the episode

Natalie recognized Adrien's distress and acted as a MOM in her own right and even warned Gabriel to not use his son for once.

The scene when Tom and Sabine just slowly shut the trapdoor upon realizing that their daughter needs to have this moment.

And then we see Gabriel... who not just saw his son's sorrow as an opportunity twice but also manipulated him into wearing the Alliance ring (God, I hate his so freaking much)

(Look at his creepy smile. GET HIM AWAY FROM ADRIEN ASAP)

And finally, WHY DOES GABRIEL'S ALLIANCE LOOK LIKE EMILIE IN A WEDDING DRESS???? This man is SICK.

My other mlb rants:

Emotion l Illusion l Perfection l Protection l Elation l Passion l Transmission (Part 1) l

The Demiurge of Destiny

The silence seeps out of the earth and into her bones.

The darkness creeps, it creeps close and into her soul.

She stands still, unyielding but nonetheless alone.

Her strength comes from those who live down below.

Living in an idyllic fantasy, free from any woe.

As she lifts with her petite hand, the shield to palisade,

The mephistophelian misery that obscures their fate.

She receives no recognition, for in history she has never been portrayed.

She adorns no gowns, no ornaments present in her locks that cascade.

Yet, her eyes they hide behind the vizard as she attends the ephemeral masquerade.

To watch her principles, to keep them safe.

The fires burn bright inside the ostentatious room.

Yet, in her veins, the cold blood morbidly looms.

She makes herself unobtrusive to the human eye.

As she stares at the cacodemon, its flesh charred and dry.

They battle fierce and they battle fast.

Each time they clash, one of them nearly falling apart.

Both fought the other trying to outlast.

The hellion sneers and questions her act, it taunts her, it taunts the people behind her back.

'You fight for them? These people there?

Who burnt your home without care?

Who turned the forests dark with despair?

Who'd agonize in the hurt ne'er?'

She inhales closing the apertures of sight,

Her heart in agony, her mind in plight.

Yet, her body stands, it stands to defend,

Staring at the demon she wills to rend.

'It matters not what my heart decides,

It matters not if the rivers run dry.

Gods are gods till the men decide.

And for these men, I shall lay down my life.'

The night dawns as she enters her hearthstone.

Blood trickles from her side as she suppresses a groan.

Shadows that loom chilling her down to the bone.

Fatigued and weary as she looks at the moon that shone.

She fights her battles, she sits on her throne.

She looks after the humans like they're young saplings she had sown.

She looks out to the horizon and into the unknown.

Shield in her hands, protecting on her own.

I just finished watching Pretension, and it was phenomenal. While the episode soothed many of my worries, it also left me with so many questions. Yet there were things that were undeniable.

There was only one thing that the episode outlined crystal clear... CHOICE or the lack of it.

Gabriel promises Tomoe that he will regain control of Adrien... which is why it hurts when Adrien is unable to stand by Marinette's side as it's the first time he realizes that something is wrong. It's not that he is scared of betraying his father... it's that his body won't listen to him.

The fact that Gabriel literally offered Marinette the equivalent of an 'envelope of cash in exchange for leaving my son'.

Felix's words about sentibeings really broke me...but they held power, they truly reflected the oppression faced by him, Kagami, and Adrien... if you brink life into the world, you owe them a certain responsibility.

What truly horrified me were the ironies of the whole thing...

The way Gabriel gives Tomoe the ability to grant herself the power of choice only to take the very same away from her daughter...The way both Tomoe and Gabriel were shown to have a choice while Kagami and Adrien and even Felix weren't... as if they were less than living beings.

And finally, the way Gabriel said that he dictates what people buy.

The one thing I LOVED was Marinette standing up to our local uncooked prawn (gabe)

My other mlb rants:

Passion l Emotion l Perfection l Illusion l Transmission pt1 l Transmission pt2 l Protection

"To nurture is to grow, and to grow is to conquer."

The following poem is a tribute to my parents, who have worked to the bone for my sister and I, who have loved us and made us capable enough to make our decisions, making us the people we are today...

Mid-day Memories

Like sentenials they stand, like palisades they preserve,

No wound the barbarous realm causes them, they deserve.

They fight for our rights, for my sister and I,

They fight for our future, so that no-one can deny.

She sits through the ephemeral daylight hours, she sits deep in thought,

Worrying for our battles, many gray hair which have brought.

Like gentle whispers of gales that thread the mellow fields,

Her hands, they soothe the cracks that materialize at the confidence we refuse to yield.

The path he voyages invites many a foe,

To heal he journeys, to dispel all woe.

Like the midnight moon, he stays awake,

Enduring all the afflictions for our sake.

Like the wolves that howl at the plenilune,

He plays for us his sweetest tune.

They sit alongside till our sorrows fade,

Stories they spin together to distract, endlessly cascade.

Sings tirelessly each note the way a nightingale,

They mould us for the world, guide us in the way for the sightless, the brail.

As a recent Feligami, and over all Rare-Pair shipper, these new potential ships absolutely destroy me. . .

Lukloe

Lukagami

Feligami

Why don't you kill me already?

Emotion absolutely blew me away! I have always loved Felix's character because of how multidimensional it was and this episode completely proved my point.

Felix genuinely loving Adrien and wanting to set him free and honestly breaking down when he realized that he may have hurt Marinette was so painful to watch... I really wanted to give him the biggest hug.

I did not expect to LOVE the Kagami/Felix dynamic as much as I did but i still think that now isnt the time for it and that it has too many red flags for now. I WOULD support it if Felix refuses to make decisions on behalf of Kagami and instead encourages her to be more confident in her own.

But there were things I absolutely adored and which can really form the base to grow their relationship.

Felix's extremely destroyed look after noticing the ring on Kagami's finger.

Felix calling Kagami 'his queen' which is something I TOTALLY see becoming a thing.

Her saying he has become more of the person she wanted him to be AAAHHHHH!!

Him teasing Kagami for being jealous but also part worried if he overstepped by kissing her hand (couple behavior 101)

Couples who fight together, stay together>>>>>> (yes, it's a friendly spar. No, It's not up for a debate)

HotD episode 4 was marvelous, it once again denoted the importance of symbolism, no matter how subte it cues and in doing so, kept my attention solely on the screen for its entire duration.

This episode has left me with a bunch of thoughts and speculations to be made:

We start with the image on Rhaenyra toying with the necklace gifted to her by daemon, even during the tour to select her suitor which set the stage for the rest of the episode quite splendidly.

The scene which took my breath away was actually the one in the courtroom, right when Daemon enters while Rhaenyra stands in the crowd. We see Daemon moving towards the throne in plain sight while Rhaenyra walks towards it in the crowd (making her approach out of the public eye), but in the end, they share a frame and move together. This, once again illuminates the subtle imagery and symbolism.

Daemon clearly showed Rhaenyra the play as a test of her tenacity and determination (you can't change my mind) but at the same time, I think he wanted her to actually open her eyes to observe the realm and not follow Viserys' stead to become a ruler blind to what occurs around him.

I somehow feel that the scene in which Daemon withdraws from Rhaenyra is a great insight to what he's feeling at the moment. It somehow starts as disbelief, verging on regret and later manifests as anger?? Following it, the scene where Daemon asks for Rhaenyra's hand (with a dagger to his throat, commendably) reminds comedically of bridgertons I have to marry you to protect your virtue.

I loved how Viserys didn't spare Otto any agony and embarrassment, and made him spell each bit of the rumor, (painstakingly so).

And, him calling Otto out for spying. Although, it was funny how Viserys called Otto's schemes 'obvious' while failing to notice them for the past 4 years. The bit where Viserys takes away the pin was GLORIOUS.

(I can rewatch this scene a billion times)

The PARALLELS throughout the episode were amazing!

The first one we observe is that while intimacy with Viserys is clearly a means for Allicent to survive despite it making her feel lifeless, (and helpless, all the same). We see Rhaenyra seeking Daemon's touch as it seemingly makes her feel alive and in control of her life.

This also throws light on the subject of free will, while the conversation between Alicent and Rhaenyra already established how Rhaenyra was privileged to receive a choice regarding who shall win her hand, Alicent wasn't. We see the same yet again, when Rhaenyra approaches sir Criston.

Another parallel this episode draws is an ironic one where Viserys tells Rhaenyra to let go of her desires and choose duty while he was the one who refused to marry Leana Valarion in order to marry Alicent. Which highlights the disparity between the genders, once again.

(I have not read any of the books and all these are based solely on my interpretation of the show.)

HotD episode 9 was bewildering. Being the first episode solely about the greens, I was apprehensive regarding how it'll be carried by the audience... in one word? Powerful.

What truly made the episode were certain quotes which blew my mind.

"We do not rule, but we may guide the men that do."

"And yet you toil in your service to men... you desire not to be free but to make a window in the wall of your prison."

The words which truly sparked the desire to break free in Alicent. Free from the clutches of her father, free to make her own decisions.

We see this particularly during the coronation when:

Alicent is the one on screen, between the swords when the words 'A new king' are spoken.

Alicent stands between Meleys and Aegon. A dragon facing another desiring equal standing. Two queens who never were facing each other.

"It is our fate, I think, to crave always what is given to another. "

Helena's words overlapping with Alicent's meeting with the lords to establish Aegon on the throne. And in the end Alicent and Aemond craving it for themselves.

And finally "There is no power but what people allow you to take."

Mysaria's words left me gaping. It truly embodied the entire scenario of power is temporary being highlighted in the episode.

I believe that we might also compare these words to Aemond's condition as he too is not able to take anything apart from what is handed to him.

(I have not read the books and all my interpretations are based solely on the show.)

How far can a person bend before they break and how long can the broken be wielded before they turn double edged?

This season was so devastatingly beautiful, but ironically, the metaphorical crown wouldn't be heavy if the gemstones didn't dig into the head of the wearer.

Sometimes, the line between mercy and cruelty can be thin.

The reason WHY Claudia resonates so deeply with Aaravos' story is because it's a mirror that she finds herself in. She IS the daughter in the story but not the one who pays the price. No, that was paid by her father... her father, who was brave enough to do what Aaravos couldn't. What's heartbreaking is that she doesn't even realize what she's discarding is the same thing Viren chose to embrace in death; his humanity.

The loss portrayed was so unsettling...

To even the loss we felt as the audience, seeing what made Viren who he was... his own son, to seeing what he made himself and the loss of what could've been and how his death proved the one thing we didn't want him to show... him having a human heart. And that's what this show did magnificently... it made this audience root for people against our will.

From the unfinished story of the lovers forever frozen in time to the mournful ballad rayla sang to console the stormbringer.

The only thing left to see is how these weapons charecters are to be utilized.

How callum will embrace his darkness and if Rayla will be able to kill him if need be. Or if promises will not be the only things to be broken next time.