I’m obviously late to this party, but I thought the decision by HBO - sorry, it’s “Max” now - to release separate trailers for each wing of the Fightin’ Targaryens was inspired. In a time of general political division - particularly in America - it makes sense to encourage people to take sides and fly their colours for their fictional sides too.
I’m a Libran, but even without the astrology guff, I’m indecisive AF. I generally like both Alicent and Rhaenyra as individuals, but unfortunately everyone around Alicent is either a total git, a psycho, or a foot fetishist, which leaves me leaning more towards the Blacks.
So I like the fact that the trailers centre both of these women, giving indications of both their convictions AND their insecurities - because it’s their friendship that paved the way for animosity and blood-letting that we shall shortly being enjoying/reviling.
Let’s take a look at the Greens:
I swear to the Old Gods and New I’m going to want to put my fist through my screen anytime Aegon turns up. This is no shade on actor Tom Glynn-Carney - in fact it might be a credit to him - but he has the most punchable face.
“We will prevail and bring forth peace,” we hear Otto Hightower intoning. “But you must accept that the path to victory now is one of violence.”
“Good,” Aegon replies, chewing the word thoroughly. “To war then!”
I don’t know what it is about Aegon, and Aemond to be honest, that makes them scream “King of the Incels” to me. They just give off “We’re pampered brats who’ve wanted for nothing and just want to start fights without any thought to the smallfolk we’ll end up killing along the way” vibes, and are the biggest reason I’m less inclined to support the Greens.
As for their mother - I’m a bit torn. As mentioned, Alicent isn’t abominable like her offspring, but her dictums in this trailer do make her seem at best pitiable and at worst self-serving woe-is-me narcissistic.
“All my life I’ve endeavoured to serve both my house and the realm,” she muses. “But somehow none of it matters.” She’s impotent in the face of her demon boys, but unlike Cersei Lannister, who was in a similar position (or WILL be, given this is a prequel), she doesn’t seem to be trying to express her power elsewhere. In this trailer anyway, Alicent seems to be either being solemn in prayer, pleading with the boys, or soaking herself in a bathtub hoping maybe to drown before someone’s dragons take the whole Red Keep out.
Elsewhere, I’m very interesting in who this young lass is, seen pulling her sword on some young lads in reddish/burgundy garb:
Given her mustard-yellow tunic and red sigil I thought at first she was a Baratheon, and it was only when I screenshotted the above that I realised it’s a pretty horsey. A cursory search for “Game of Thrones horse sigil” turned up House Bracken, and I didn’t want to read any further than that. Safe to say, I don’t really recall House Bracken in the OG GoT, so this could be interesting. I love a lass with a longsword, oo-er.
I’m also intrigued by this shot:
There’s definitely a THING with the ages of characters and their actors in this show. I’m pretty sure Stu and I joked about it being soap opera-like in the ageing-up of Rhaenyra and Alicent’s children. Sure, they started popping out babies at 16 or so, but it still feels weird seeing them walk around with “children” who look almost the same age. There’s a snippet in this trailer of Aemond saying his uncle Matt Daemon will be a worthy foe if he’s brave enough to face him, and frankly he seems far too self-possessed to be getting away with that, given he must be all of 16 or so.
Ser Criston, though, has remained Fabien Frankel since the beginning - he pledged first his love to Rhaenyra and then his loyalty to Alicent. But he’s barely changed in appearance, and even then that’s just the hair. It makes him seem like an ageless vampire when everyone around him has been reconfigured multiple times.
And now, let’s check out the Blacks:
The thing is, Matt Smith is probably the best actor in the House of the Dragon line-up. That’s not to shade anyone else, but the man is a master. When he delivers the following line…
“Our terms are very simple. Renounce the false key and bend the knee to the queen… or your house burns.”
…you believe him. You don’t think “he’s a good actor”. You believe Matt Smith will come to your house on dragonback and reduce you to ash. And that’s what I want. Both from the show, and in real life. Forget Bridgerton, this is the “I burn for you” I want from a man.
“I do both figurative AND literal burning.”
So am I more leaning towards Team Black because of the excellent actors?
I mean, Lord Corlys is looking fierce as well, telling Rhaenyra she needs to “Crush this beast from the head”; while Rhaenys, the Queen Who Never Was, is incredibly ominous as she intones “When the desire to kill and burn takes hold and reason is forgotten, you will not even remember what began the war in the first place.”
Plus one of their daughters is seen being bad-ass on a big-ass dragon, and of course Rhaenyra herself is looking suitably nervous as well as appropriately steely.
Or am I leaning towards Team Blacks because they’re the side more likely to have some HOT STARK ACTION?!
I mean, look at this glimpse of what appear to be Northmen walking along a snowy forest path, and then a midshot of two men approaching what very much looks like The Wall. As mentioned in my previous post about the full trailer, it would seem to be a Stark of some kind (Brandon Stark?) and the ALL NEW HOTNESS that is JACERYS.
I’m going to look like a right idiot if that’s NOT Prince Jace, but I honestly don’t know who else it could be, given that he was set to be flying north at the end of last season.
So there we go, kittens. First impressions of both sides in the Dance of Dragons. Have either of these swayed you one way or the other? Changed your mind about which team you’ll support? Or are you leaning more towards a Homer Simpson truism?
