Another Sunday, another new episode of House of the Dragon, another installment of Take the Black, our bi-weekly chat show. On Sunday nights, we recap, review and analyze everything about HBO's Game of Thrones prequel show. This week, we get the pleasure of picking over "Smallfolk," a strong new episode that pushes the plot forward, deepens the characters, and makes us laugh and cry and fear. We talk all about it below. Watch!
Specifically, we loved the riot scene in King's Landing and how it brought together several elements the show had been setting up for several episodes now. We loved how the show explored characters like Alicent, Rhaenyra, Mysaria and Larys Strong and gave them new depths. We loved that minor characters like Hugh Hammer and Addam of Hull were finally coming into their own. We loved the subplot where Rhaenyra tried to get her Kingsguard knight to mount a dragon and it ended up flash-frying him. There was a lot to love!
We do have critiques, though, mostly concerning Daemon Targaryen's continued stay in the crumbling castle of Harrenhal, which has been boring and frustrating us for a while. For fans of Fire & Blood, we also grouse a bit about what's been cut from George R.R. Martin's book. But overall, we think thought this episode was a big step up for the season!
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We break down each new episode of House of the Dragon right after it airs every Sunday night on the WinterIsComing YouTube and Facebook channels. Join us! There's only two more episodes left before the wait for season 3 begins.
We also meet every Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. CST in those same places to talk about sci-fi, fantasy, movies, books and TV. So there's plenty of opportunity to hang out!
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