u/TheSothoryosWolf

TGC's Aegon is ridiculously charming and sympathetic. He plays the character with a level of emotional vulnerability and charisma that it's almost a crime. We don't see more of the character as the reluctant, but determined claimant. Out of all of season 3 he only got collectively close to 40 minutes out of eight episodes. Despite trying to make him seem like a villain in the first two seasons, even the episodes with the ridiculous bastard baby fight club and servant assault subplots that went nowhere, Aegon never fails to be endearing, likable, and he plays a tragic protagonist so damn well to the point that when they're trying to villainize him, it just feels out of place. There's so much to explore with the character yet after three seasons, I still feel like we've gotten the bare minimum of Aegon which is a shame because TGC plays the character so well.

On the flipside, Emma is fucking phenomenal when they are allowed to play Rhaenyra as manipulative, ruthless, and outwardly entitled. Rhaenyra at the end of S3 had imo Emma's best acting all season that felt like it belonged with the character. I wish we got to see more of this all the way back in season one. I wish we got this from the second the time started post Milly. For the longest time ever since Emma took over I've personally had trouble connecting the younger version of Rhaenyra with the older, it was like the character had some form of factory reset but the S3 finale felt like a natural progression of what felt like Rhaenyra always should have been as Emma. It feels misogynistic and sexist that instead of being allowed to be the strikingly bold and and hot blooded Rhaenyra George wrote down originally in the Princess and the queen, it took three seasons just to finally get what we should have been relatively from the beginning.

I don't trust the show to stick the landing, but if there's one thing, I am looking forward to it's being able to see TGC and Emma finally act together in the same room interact with each other.

I've never been a big fan of house Targaryen. I don't hate them, but I find most of them rather boring. It's why when initially fire and blood was released I really wasn't too concerned to read it but I find the Tatgtowers conceptually so interesting, and by extension I find house Hightower incredibly interesting.

Even within the show, whenever someone from house Hightower comes on screen or I see the Targtowers I'm always compelled to pay attention and see where their story is going to go. I'm even more excited to read the winds of winter and see the role house Hightower plays in it and I was excited to see the house mentioned in a knight of the seven kingdoms.

I don't care about Jace/Sara shippers but out of all the random things the show has that didn't exist in the book or was only rumored from mushroom to exist (for TG slander of course) - it would've been interesting to see Sara Snow in the show, especially for developing Jace as a character.

Not in a shipping way and I would be fine if the two never had any romantic connection, not like it matters since Baela moved on before his body was even cold, but showing Jace that it would've been possible to for him to be acknowledged as a bastard and still have a life, have his own identity and most importantly, not be insecure about the circumstances of his birth.

It would also help setup his later resentment at Rhaenyra STILL lying about him being a bastard, even though it was obvious to everyone, including himself. As it stands the North is just a random field trip for Jace where he learns nothing, doesn't grow, and faces no challenges.

I remember when even saying that you were a fan of Aegon would get you called every horrific name in the book but now it seems like even the most casual fan loves the character now.

I'm curious if HBO we'll try to capitalize on this even if it's merely insisting that Aegon becomes a bigger part of the marketing and more screen time. Maybe even a POV episode

None of these characters act out of their own self interest. Every bit of dialogue they say is either contradictory or meaningless.

Corlys: rightfully is angry about Alyn and Addam refusing to be legitimized, it's clear there's no way to do it through Rhaenyra. There's not a single reason for him to still stay loyal if he wants to protect his own family and make sure they can prosper. What does he do? Refuses to switch sides even under torture. The only reason he still loyal is because the story needs him to be loyal. Not because his character would be. They've also have him randomly captured and now without a finger.

Alyn: his literal only loyalty is to his blood, he's denied the chance to be a legitimized, isn't getting paid, and he and his brother are essentially being used as slaves. But once again, undying loyalty to the queen who literally will not lift a finger for him. He literally has no personality. A plank of wood.

Baela: this character makes absolutely no sense. Jace hasn't even been dead for that long and she's already starting a relationship with Alyn, which mind you got zero set up or development. Addam was who I thought they were going with, but I guess that's the one thing in the book they do care about. She's another one that doesn't have any personality to speak of.

Addam: another character with no agency above this one I actually feel bad for. I don't really understand what was the point of making him have a seemingly romantic moment with Baela just to have her rejected him for his brother. With how much the show still has to cover and so many main plots, not getting covered, seems like a waste of time.

Rhaena: I don't think anyone needs to have this redundant and humiliating arc reiterated. Nettles and Rhaena deserve better than a butcher.

The velaryons we never the most compelling characters in the book imo, especially Daenaera Velaryon who materializes out of thin air after the poor Jaehaera Targaryen was randomly murdered (Rip the entire point of Aegon III and Jaehaera being the only survivors of the rival claimants... at least until somehow viserys II returns). But the shell makes these characters frustrating to watch.

None of them have any agency, half of them don't have a personality, and all of them seem to just exist to be Rhaenyra's cannon fodder but the story can't think of any reason to justify their alliance beyond "their loyal" despite the Corlys being even more prideful and ambitious than Otto ever was.

(Wish the edit had Helaena in it tho)

Rhaenyra is not, and never will be Daenerys. She's not trying to break the wheel. The more the writers keep pushing this narrative the more everyone is bored with the character. I've seen people who have been team black fans since day one jumping ship because they are absolutely bored with the whining, the crying, and the ineffectual writing of Rhaenyra.

It's a shame because Emma would definitely nail Maegor with teats. I wish the writers would let them do it. I wish the writers would lean more into the fact that it's not Alicent who is like Cersei, its Rhaenyra. Book Rhaenyra it is so much like a precursor to Cersei and there's so much more you can do with that.

Instead, they keep trying to force this weird overly sympathetic, never had fault narrative that makes the character look unintentionally incompetent and boring. I'm bored whenever Rhaenyra on screen and I feel bad at this point for Emma working with absolutely nothing but staled bread

I saw this edit on TikTok and it made me happy. The silver hair, the golden scales. As it should be.

I wish Tom got writers and directors that deserved him because he elevates Aegon in ways Mark Addy elevated Bobby B from book to screen

For those who know the source material, he was supposed to be in Kings Landing when Rhaenyra took it but three episodes and he's still MIA. Are they still going to do what they did to him in the book? How and why is he even going to go back to Kings Landing at this point knowing it's fully compromised? Is he going to meet up with Aegon? Was he taken out of Kings Landing by the writers because they realize there was no way they could spin Rhaenyra doing what she did to him as a good thing?