Then they don't show the gruesome beating of Blood in the jail cell, just a cut right as the king is loading up whereas in the old show I felt they would've shown it to some degree, or the aftermath of him wailing on Blood in anger and covered in blood from the damage he caused, as he walks out then meets eye to eye with his queen, I thought it would've been more impactful and more in line with what we've seen in the past. Aegon even says he's not weak, and he wants to rule with an iron fist, but yet they deny him these things, have him destroy Viserys' mock city of Valyria in a childish "I'M THE KING!" tantrum where it all just doesn't land. Then in the behind the scenes stuff at the end of the episode the actor says that his look to the queen as they pass on the stairs is a sign that those two are the only ones that understand what the other is going through, and I'm sitting there like.... I guess but that's not what I read into it. Then you got Aemond who is just sitting there at a pleasure house saying no to sex and just wanting to be coddled.

I'd have to look up how it happens in the books, but allowing Erryk/Arryk to win then immediately seppuku himself, like IMMEDIATELY, made little sense. I'd almost think having the infiltrator win, realize what he'd done, see the looks of all the faces around him, know he's surrounded, that he killed his brother and came no closer to killing the queen, realize Cole was a dick to expect that out of him, and then off himself would've been better. Or have the good Erryk win, get taken away screaming to get medical attention, then do the deed to start the show next week out of guilt.

Cole's become a complete **** boi but that half assed plan almost worked

Do we actually know which Cargyll won? I assumed it was Erryk. The only small change I'd have made is him killing himself because he knew that there was no way the court could've trusted him. So he takes the 'noble' course and offs himself so as to allow his queen to rest easily. As I interpreted it, he did it because he let Arryk get close to finishing the job. A change of heart from Arryk didn't make sense there - he'd have just finished the job. Arryk was a true believer or he'd have never ended up in that situation to begin with.

Alicent: "I have sinned!"

Otto: "I do not wish to hear of it."

I think they are really playing up the fact that Cole is really just a hot dude who can fight, who got elevated far beyond what he had been prepared for, because the Crown Princess thought he was hot and elevated him far beyond his station/preparation.

This is not a man who grew up being schooled in war and politics and tactics.

His whole turn with Arryk was him trying to process his guilt over HIS failing and instead externalizing it on an underlying. Classic middle manager move.

He done ****ed up and blamed it on someone else.

We know from the source material that they both perished in their fight/duel, but seeing it play out in that manner was unexpected and intriguing.

I think Erryk committing sepuku was a combo of the grief he was feeling at having killed his brother and doing what he thought was the right thing.

He was a vulnerability that almost led to the death of the queen for whom he sacrificed everything.

Best episode for this character so far, by far. Fantastic performance.

Him finally losing it and reading his grandson the riot act and being dismissed as Hand in response was just a fantastic scene.

I particularly enjoyed his small statements about Viserys. He sees the value the dead king provided - might be the only person who does by the time this is all over.

I still ****ing hate him, though.

Olivia Cooke and Emma D'Arcy are doing such excellent jobs displaying the depth of these characters, the difficulties they're weighing and the balances they are trying to find.

I love that these characters are so multi-dimensional.

Neither is all right. Neither is all wrong. And that's kind of the point...

I think they are really playing up the fact that Cole is really just a hot dude who can fight, who got elevated far beyond what he had been prepared for, because the Crown Princess thought he was hot and elevated him far beyond his station/preparation.

This is not a man who grew up being schooled in war and politics and tactics.

His whole turn with Arryk was him trying to process his guilt over HIS failing and instead externalizing it on an underlying. Classic middle manager move.

He done ****ed up and blamed it on someone else.

Hopefully we see him die by the hand of the Winter Wolves and not some heroic act that kills him. He doesn't deserve a good death.