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For all the complaints people have about the writing, I think one thing HOTD consistently nails is the acting. The cast has elevated so many scenes beyond what was on the page.

Who are your favorite and least favorite casting choices so far?

Personally, my favorites are Ewan Mitchell as Aemond — S1 Aemond was genuinely one of the highlights of the show for me. He actually pulled me into HOTD after I kept seeing edits of him on social media. Can’t wait to see what he does in season 3.

I also love Steve Toussaint as Corlys, and TGC as Aegon has been incredible.

Least favorite for me is probably Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria. And while Olivia Cooke is an amazing actress, sometimes it’s hard for me to buy her as the mother of Aegon, Aemond, and Helaena lol.

At the end of Season 2, Daemon has no idea that Rhaenyra has successfully recruited three new dragonriders (Addam, Hugh, and Ulf). So his reaction when he finally finds out should be interesting.

Looking at the new Season 3 teaser, I think his initial reaction will be mostly positive. The way he’s hyping Rhaenyra up:

You now have the power no man has ever wielded. You will have an empire unassailable, Rhaenyra. And our children will rule it forever and a day.

makes it clear he’s fully bought into her cause and sees massive dragon power as the key to victory. He’ll probably view the dragonseeds as useful weapons to crush the Greens faster. More dragons = more fire and blood.

But… there’s the other side of him.

Daemon is extremely proud of his Valyrian blood and Targaryen exceptionalism. Remember in Season 1 when he said:

Dreams didn’t make us kings. Dragons did.

Even though that line might not fully apply anymore (since by the end of Season 2 he seems fully on board with prophecies and dreams), I still expect him to see lowborn bastards like Hugh and Ulf claiming Vermithor and Silverwing as beneath them. He’ll likely view them the same way Jace did — unreliable, potential threats.

So while he would probably support Rhaenyra’s decisions on the surface, it’s going to create a really interesting internal conflict with his arrogance. And imagine Ulf claiming to be Baelon’s son in front of him and calling him half-brother.... that’s going to bruise his ego massively.

Also curious if this would play any role in the later arc of the dragonseeds in Tumbleton.

I was a huge Alicent fan in Season 1. She was easily my favorite character to watch.

But Season 2 was a massive letdown. She ate up so much screentime that could’ve gone to the younger generation — especially the dysfunctional dynamics between Aegon, Aemond, Helaena. Instead we got her wandering around looking sad, having repetitive conversations, and her entire arc basically built toward betraying/sacrificing her family for her own freedom. By the end it felt like her story had reached its natural conclusion.

Now I’m genuinely confused how they’re going to justify her as a major player in Season 3. She’s no longer aligned with the Greens. What meaningful role does she even have left in the Dance? I’m really not excited about watching hours of Alicent screentime again when there are so many other characters (on both sides) who desperately need development.

(Only positive thing I’ll say is Olivia Cooke continues to kill it — the acting is never the problem.)