Let’s just assume the time jump to aged Rhaenyra and Aegon has to happen first before Viserys dies. He’s falling apart for sure, though

So ignoring the last page of dimish frustration, what is this illness? Have they explained it at all? His fingers, his arm, his back, his coughing, his bloody nose. Now he collapses.

And he just carries on being king like this? Gross.

yeah they've done a piss poor job explaining his failing health

Do the maesters even know what is going on with him?

Didn't seem like it.

they're searching all the medical texts at the Citadel

That younger maester had a new idea, why not try it?

If I’ve learned anything in all my years working menial entry level jobs it is don’t show any initiative. You’ll be upstaging the manager and he’ll make your life hell for it after. And then steal your ideas and pass them off as his own.

It’s probably tetanus

I have a photo of King Viserys I's murderer:

Spoiler: show

that's a silly looking thing; must be from another show

You’re right, let’s melt it symbolically.

The fact that Laenor's new paramour's name is Carl (Qarl) is hilarious to me for some reason.

Vhagar is massive

I got over the cast changes quickly BUT I think they’re rushing. Finishing the season with the younger cast would’ve felt right to me although I recognize you need some “big bang” events as punctuation each season that doing so may not have allowed for. Seeing the rift develop between Rhaenyra and Alicent and Daemon and Viserys should feel more tragic than it does—especially when you know where this is all headed if you read the book. These rifts need to serve as the foundation for the rest of the series and the ultimate downfall of the Targaryens. It doesn’t quite work as well if you don’t spend enough time experiencing the “good times” when their bonds were strong.

Vhagar is awesome.

Seems like Larys as master machinator came out of nowhere. Again, not enough time spent developing this.

Seeing Laena die by dragicide should pack more of an emotional punch that it does. Again, not enough time spent getting to know her robs us of that.

I've always loved your write-ups going back to Lost, and I'm glad you are keeping up with this.

Totally agree on all points except the younger cast bit. I was really glad to get Addison Rhae off the screen she was just irritating. The time jump though necessary at some point, my wife was like 'why are they still so upset about things that happened a decade ago, hasn't anything happened since?', they kind lost that world building. The relationship between Rhaenyra and the head of the city guards in particular felt out of left field. Could have built that into something creepy by making allusions to him being a stand-in for Daemon like Rhaenyra is trying to relive that night.

BTW, how old is Daemon suppose to be? 40s?

It's difficult to tell how old anyone is supposed to be because of how the timeline differs between the show and the books. But going just by the books, Harwin died in 120 AC, when Rhaenyra was 23 and Daemon was 39. But I think the show wants us to view Daemon as a bit younger and Rhaenyra as a bit older. 25 and 35 or so.

Larys did kinda come out of nowhere, but he was there subtly: the hunt episode where he is limping around the women gossiping in the tent and then he’s the one that fractured Alicent’s trust of Rhaenyra in the Godswood. He’s another in a long line of overlooked people that use people thinking their physical detriments make them harmless a la Tyrion

There's a theory floating around that he's a greenseer who's skinchanging into all the rats we see to gather intel around the Red Keep.