Cinepals - HOUSE OF THE DRAGON 2x1 Reaction & Review!

Episode Date: June 17, 2024

House of the Dragon has come back!  House Of The Dragon is the prequel to Game of Thrones. The story follows the House of Targaryen 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. Starring Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Emma D'arcy, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint and Eve Best. You can watch the cut down reaction to this movie (and many others) on our YouTube channel https://www.YouTube.com/@Cinepals and the full length reaction is available on our Patreon page https://www.Patreon.com/JabyKoay   SOCIAL MEDIA:  ~CINEPALS~ YouTube: @CinePals Insta: https://instagram.com/TheCinePals Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheCinePals   ~ACHARA~ Twitter & Instagram: @Acharakirk YouTube: @Achara

Senna. Pals. I won't. Amen Targary. We are finally here, House of the Dragon, season two, episode one. Very excited to get back into the adventures of House of the Dragon with you guys. Thanks so much for joining us. Here we go.

What's happened? So awkward, but who cares? They killed the boy. Wow. Oh, damn. I'm not okay after that. Right there at the end, there's you revealed that. She said, we're not doing this anymore.

I know. We all knew that. What's crazy about that is you didn't see anything, but you heard it, and that was really disturbing still. I mean, the idea is enough. Yeah, that really, I feel really, really upset. Like, I'm, like, genuinely, I'm just holding back tears right now, because that was, that was a lot, and you're right. They didn't show anything, but it was just, like, the sound effects.

because it's like, fine, okay, you kill the child, whatever. Do you have to, like, stab it so many times? Like, it's a pig or something? Do you know what I mean? Like, did you really have to do all of that? That was so horrible. But, I mean, it is in the world of Game of Thrones. So, you know, they do stuff.

That's really disturbing. I was actually really surprised by this episode. because, you know, you think about episode one of season one and how graphic it was. I was waiting with bated breath, not in a good way for that to happen. Yeah. Something like that visually.

But they got you mentally instead. And I thought that, like, it was very measured. It was very restrained all around this episode. The way it was shot, it felt like a real movie. You know, because one of the things we talked about during our review of Roadhouse, the remake, is how everything is designed to be second screenable now. so you can like watch it while you're doing your laundry.

This is not that show. No. This is not like that at all. It's like you have to pay attention. You have to be picking up on the details and the nuances. You have to connect it to the previous season and be informed. Otherwise you're going to be lost and it's not, you know what I mean? It's like it's not messing around.

And I really appreciate that we still get content like this that, you know, I don't feel like we deserve anymore. Someone said that about Mad Max of Furiosa, a Mad Max saga. And I was like, yeah, I get that. I forgot who said it. I think it was Chris Stuckman, who was like, wow, we still get movies like this. It's like it feels like we don't deserve this. And so I just really appreciate the way that this was done. It was so cinematic.

There was this moment when, I can't remember anybody's names, the queen who lost her son. Renera. Renara, when she enters the room, right, the war room. And she goes to the head of the table. Yeah. She enters the room and faces Damon, right? And so in my mind, they're just on a steady cam of some kind. And so the camera's just kind of following her and whatnot.

But then it keeps going and it goes over the table. And it's like, in my mind, I'm like, how the fuck did they shoot that? Like, that's immediately where my head goes. Because it's so, it's like you don't even notice how dope that is. It's so subtle. And it reminds me of the shot that actually made me want to be a director that Spielberg did in The Lost World. I'm not going to explain the shot, but there's a shot just like it in the Lost World. And it's like, it's so cool when someone does something that is so,

effortlessly beautiful and extremely challenging by the way and it goes right in on her face and you know exactly what's going on with her so it's simultaneously doing beautiful visual cinema and it's telling us a strong story at the same time well yeah it's showing us that it's deeply personal like she's in this space which is supposed to be for you know i guess politics war government whatever but the only thing she says is i want amen and that's it you know She's a grieving mother who wants revenge for her son's death. I'm having a little bit of a disconnect with Amon because at the end of season one, he looked like he had regret.

He looked like, oh, I messed up. And here it's the total opposite where he wants more, more blood. He's angry. And I'm like, what? I missed something there between the end of season one and this. Yeah. It would make sense in that moment. It's an oh shit moment.

It's an, oh, crap, I've gone too far. you know and then now it's like okay well my brother's king let me help my family maintain our hold over this for as long as I can because that's important to me and important to my family yeah he still looks dope he does he's got a swagger to him or something um and even that scene when his grandfather came in the room it's like I just notice how the acting is all very like restrained in a way that it's like so surprising because I guess I'm so used to think being bigger and louder, it's like the way he's speaking to his grandfather, the way they were, the way they were talking to each other. I wonder if the director had the note, do less, less,

less, you know, to the point that it feels like you're doing nothing. It's like the scene work was really strong. The first time I noticed it was around the jail scene, you know? Oh, yeah. The acting in this show is phenomenal. Like so many different layers, so many things going on at the same time, right and so you're right you have to pay attention to all of the micro expressions and the things that are being said without using words or using words but you've got to read the subtext you know I also really liked that scene with Reneira and her other son when he comes in and he's trying so hard to be a grown up you know and and relay the information of what allies he's managed to procure but then he starts breaking down and it's like oh my god like yeah of course you would your brother

just died he's not amen yeah he doesn't have that no he doesn't have that facade he's just a kid you know and he's like his brother died and he just he wants his mom it was such a beautiful scene to me i wouldn't even call it a facade i mean amin's just like he's sort of an alpha you know in that the way he carries himself his attitude i'm not that kind of dude where i'm just like blotting a fucking war and how we're going to destroy like i'm the kind of dude who's like oh man, I'd be wrecked, you know, over loss. And I would understand someone having empathy for the other side. Like, I get all that.

Makes me a little bit of a bitch. But like, you know what I mean? I am not a Leonidas. You know what I mean? Whereas Amon clearly is. It's like, we're on task. We're doing this. Well, also, he hasn't lost anyone, you know?

He lost an eye. Yeah, he's had some time to get over it. And I think he's doing just fine. Yeah. You know what I mean? But I think even if he lost someone, he would be akin to Doctor Who. Like, you know, the Damon? It's like, Damon's like...

They are very similar. Yeah. They're very impulsive. And, you know, they just, they want to get things done. Like Damon coming in there and being like, okay, well, let me get my gold cloaks on board and see what we can do. And then, okay, so we'll get the rat catcher. It's like, don't you know? Don't you know?

you sent some dummies to do some important work. They did something. Well, yeah, now they've made it worse. Yeah. They've killed Amon's heir. Oh, wait, no, egg on. He's egg on. Sorry, that's it.

We are going to war now. There's no stopping it. How is Amon going to process that? It's a big question I have. It's like, he clearly really, like, I don't know. I was going to say he clearly loves his son. I don't know, but he at least enjoyed him, you know. and he was important to him to the point that he brought him to a freaking war council

to have the child just distract everyone with it being a child. He's going to be really mad. Agon, I'm figuring him out. Like, I kind of, this has been a minute since I've seen season one, but I'm figuring him out again because, you know, on the one hand, he just seems kind of childish and foolish. But on the other hand, I'm like, I can't really, like you're saying he just wants to be liked and I get that.

But there's a small part of me that wonders, If he is trying to do what he thinks is the right move and he's being guided towards the opposite. One of the things you and I have talked about in other reactions is how oftentimes, like, bad is cultivated. It's nurture, you know? Sure. So there's that whole conversation of nature versus nurture. And I couldn't tell if that was a moment of nature versus nurture or, you know, it was a matter of he just wants to be liked. And grandfather's like, no, no, like, this is what we have to do.

I think for me, looking at his character, he seems immature and maybe a little narcissistic. And so I don't feel like his being nice to the farmer or to the blacksmith or anything like that comes from a place of genuine empathy and compassion. I think it comes from a place of, I want people to say that I'm a really great king, you know, and I want the people to like me. That's just my opinion. Fair, I guess. I mean, everyone wants to have a good legacy. It wasn't something as flippin as giving them cake. Yeah.

Like, it wasn't that. You know, he was just like, okay, well, clearly you need that and blah, blah, blah. But if he was really interested in being a good king, he would have paid attention while his father was alive maybe. You're right. You would have read books. You're right. You're right. You're right.

I'm wrong. No, you're right. Maybe both things are partially right. I don't know. I did really hate him in the moment at the conund. at the meeting when his son is playing, you know, with a little thing and he's like... He's being stupid. Who brings like a five-year-old to an important meeting? That made me hate him in that moment because it's like, oh, why don't you give him a horsey ride or

whatever? I'm like, dude, that's so humiliating. That's humiliating. Yeah. And once again, to me, that seems really short-sighted because you're belittling someone on your counsel, someone who you need to be on your side. It's short-sighted. It is. It's extremely short-sighted. I mean, they're doing such a great job of showing us who the characters are. He's not a great king. Maybe if he has good counsel, if he listens to the people around him and they're actually good, he could be a decent king, but I don't think so. Well, what was so interesting to me about that scene is that you have this dude who's working for the king,

and he's trying to be respectful to this baby because he doesn't want to lose his hand. He doesn't want to lose his head. Yeah. And he's got to play a little. and smile, even though this is stupid. Even though he wants to be like, go away, child. This is no place for you right now.

It isn't. I was feeling for him in that moment of just, like, trying his best to like, it's all good, it's all good. That's so helpful. Thank you. I thought that, I thought his acting was great. Anyway, across the board, great acting. I really enjoyed the filmmaking, the writing, et cetera, et cetera.

It's got me definitely excited to continue forward into episode two. Thanks so much. I'm Jabby Kauai. This is. Achara Kirk. Peace out.