Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Andrew

  • ‘House of the Dragon’ Season One Primer

    How we got to the Dance of Dragons

    Get ready for a wild ride. Obvious spoilers for both Game of Thrones and mild spoilers for House of the Dragon could pop up, but the idea is to help fans figure out where the series will be starting off and how it connects to GoT, beginning with the main cast.

    King Viserys Targeryen I

    Viserys I is the head and King of the Targaryen dynasty at this present stage, which is 130 AC (Aegon’s Conquest), so this is both 130 years after Aegon began his conquest of Westeros, and 169 years before the events of Game of Thrones, so unfortunately if you were looking for a cameo from any of the old cast, that is extremely unlikely.

    King Viserys I, being played by Paddy Considine. He’s a lazy, incompetent king who would love nothing more than to waste days away drinking and partying than ruling, which is why he delegates a lot of his work to the small council. He hates his children and family fighting, so they all put on a façade around him to make it seem like things are going smoothly.

    Rhaenyra Targeryen, The Realm’s Delight

    Rhaenyra, who will be the series lead, is being played by Emma D’Arcy, as well as young Rhaenyra being played by Milly Alcock. We’re getting flashbacks, people! Wouldn’t have minded a couple more of those in the last show! Rhaenyra is the first and oldest child of King Viserys, and has been named his heir since she was a small child. This went directly against how Viserys himself was crowned, but during the moment of naming Rhaenyra, there were no male claimants to oppose her, and the common folk loved her, so it went without issue. This lasted only a short time, however.

    Daemon Targaryen, The Rogue Prince

    Daemon is the younger brother to Viserys, and is everything that Viserys is not. He is a master swordsman who grew the King’s Landing City Watch into what it is today. He’s waged many wars in the eastern islands known as the Step Stones, wields the ancient Targaryen sword Dark Sister and is the all-around perfect anti-hero for this story. He’s been pissed off at Viserys about Rhaenyra jumping him in the line of succession since it happened, but keep watching the series to see how this unfolds.

    Alicent Hightower

    Rhaenyra was Viserys’ first and only child by his first marriage; however, Viserys did remarry a young woman named Alicent Hightower (who you haven’t been introduced to yet if you haven’t read the books, they rule Oldtown, where Sam went to study for 10 minutes and there was a giant lighthouse). Curiously enough, her father is the King’s Hand, Otto Hightower. This marriage resulted in 3 children, sons Aegon, Aemond, and a daughter, Helaena. Per IMDb, the children aren’t in many episodes, so we’ll omit summaries on them. Just keep in mind that Rhaenyra is what is standing in the way of Alicent’s children from the Iron Throne.

    Corlys Velaryon, the Sea Snake

    Corlys Velaryon is the Lord of the Tides, the name for the patriarch of the Velaryon dynasty, a Valyrian (very creative in naming these guys George) house that has been in Westeros longer than the Targaryens. While the Targaryens rule the sky, the Velaryons rule the seas. These two families have been allies ever since the Targaryens first came to Dragonstone, and it is staying that way in this part of the story.

    Corlys married Viserys’ sister, Rhaenys, and had a son and daughter, Laena and Laenor. Rhaenyra married Laenor and produced 3 sons, so the Velaryons will finally have their blood sitting on the Iron Throne. Or so Corlys and company thought. Laena also married Daemon, Viserys’ brother and had children as well.

    This brings us up to speed on the main players for House of the Dragon. Now let’s examine the different sides for the Dance of the Dragons, and where the series will likely begin.

    SPOILERS BELOW – SUCCESSION AS WELL AS THE GREENS AND THE BLACKS

    A Question of Succession

    If you remember the ending for Game of Thrones, you will remember that with Jon Snow being a Targaryen, the question of Daenerys’s claim to the throne came into play, with Jon being the last remaining son of the Heir to the Iron Throne, Rhaegar Targaryen, making his claim stronger than Dany’s. Dany is the younger sister to Rhaegar, and in Westerosi culture, the male will always be the better claimant to the throne or the House than a female. Does that make it right? Certainly not, but it seems that George RR Martin took a leaf out of another George’s pamphlet, this George being Lucas. The more you compare the Dance of the Dragons to A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones, the more similarities you find. “It’s like poetry. It rhymes.”

    As established, Dany and Jon are both claimants to the Iron Throne (In the books Aegon, Rhaegar’s firstborn, has “resurfaced” but we’ll ignore that) which causes a biiiiiit of a conflict. Now let’s paint the picture with the Dance of Dragons.

    King Viserys I, who himself was chosen to sit on the Iron Throne over a number of other claimants in a great council, in large part due to being male, had one daughter by his first marriage, Rhaenyra. Viserys did, however, remarry, a young woman named Alicent Hightower. This marriage resulted in 3 children, sons Aegon, Aemond, and a daughter Helaena. Confused yet? Just wait.

    Rhaenyra at a young age was named the Heir to the Iron Throne by her father and was received with cheers. Rhaenyra was nicknamed The Realm’s Delight and all the peasants loved her. One person, who did not love this, was Viserys’s brother, Prince Daemon, The Rogue Prince, played by Matt Smith. He was extraordinarily pissed off and actually left King’s Landing for a time. This question of inheritance came up a lot, especially with Viserys having other sons by way of Alicent.

    Rhaenyra’s children also raise some questions. She is married to Laenor Velaryon, with whom she has 3 sons. In the show, the Velaryons are Black, which in my opinion is a great way to show that the Rhaenyra’s children aren’t actually Laenor’s, but they are bastard boys who were fathered by Harwin Strong. In the book Fire and Blood, this is shown by the boys all having brown hair and facial features similar to Strong’s, which is in direct dispute to both Rhaenyra and Laenor having typical Valyrian blonde/silver hair. In the show it will be a lot more distinctive, being that the boys will have an completely different skin tone than Laenor.

    This question of legitimacy for the heirs of the Iron Throne will be great ammo for Alicent and her oldest son, Aegon’s claim to the throne. Alicent’s view is that the male always comes before the female, and true-born sons should be the ones to inherit the kingship. So, it will eventually come down to Rhaenyra vs Aegon.

    Alicent and Aegon’s faction were called the Greens, due to Alicent wearing a green dress at a great tournament celebrating her and Viserys’s 5th wedding anniversary. Rhaenyra wore the traditional Targaryen colors, black and red, coining her faction the Blacks. Let’s sort out the factions.

    The Blacks

    Queen Rhaenyra and her sons, Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey Valeryon

    Prince Daemon Targaryen

    Corlys Valeryon and his wife, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen

    The Greens

    Alicent Hightower and her father, Otto Hightower

    Aegon Targaryen, the claimant, and his brother, Aemond

    Criston Cole, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard

    What to expect in Season 1 of House of the Dragon

    So we’ve got the background, the sides, and some other key pieces of information. Now what should we expect in season 1, especially with a finished story already set?

    With Viserys appearing in all 10 episodes of Season 1, I wouldn’t expect Dragon fights just yet. Seaon 1 seems primed to sow a lot of seeds of resentment between the Greens and the Blacks, with Viserys trying to make both sides happy. There will be “Strong” hints towards Rhaenyra’s children’s legitimacy, and Daemon will be causing all sorts of ruckus either with the City Watch or with his brother. Rhaenyra and Daemon eventually do marry during the Dance, but I don’t think they’re together yet at the start of the show. Keep an eye out for them starting to fall for each other.

    With flashbacks set to play a role, expect to see the scene of Rhaenyra first being declared heir. The Great Council choosing Viserys as the king is incredibly likely, with his grandfather, King Jaehaerys being rumored to appear for one episode. This show should be taking its time unfurling all of these plots, especially with the backlash of rushing the last 2 seasons of Game of Thrones.

    All in all, it is VERY exciting to get back into Westeros with a finished product to go off of. Happy Dancing!

  • 2022 NFL Draft Drinking Game

    2022 NFL Draft Drinking Game

    Welcome to the 2022 NFL Draft Drinking Game! Below are a few predictions of how the draft tonight will go. Play at your own risk.

    1. Take a shot whenever a prospect is drafted and the analysts tell us the worst thing that’s happened to the prospect’s family.
      1. The 2020 draft was hyper focused on this. We had multiple “Get to Know” lists directly after the prospect was drafted, and one I remember the most was Tee Higgins, current Bengals receiver and Clemson standout. They listed his hometown, high school accolades, and that his mother fought drugs for 20 years. Why on Earth would you think that’s necessary to include? It’s this person’s biggest moment of their lives so far and you have to air out dirty laundry? Do better.
    2. Finish your drink if a running back is taken in the first round.
      1. DON’T TAKE RUNNING BACKS IN THE FIRST!!! I am going to list the number of First Round RBs that have won the Super Bowl with the team that drafted them in the last 20 years. Sony Michel (Patriots, 2018), Reggie Bush (2009), and Joseph Addai (Colts, 2006). And all 3 were quarterbacked by Hall of Famers. If you want a ring, do not take a first round running back.
    3. Take a drink if Bill Belichick trades back, finish your drink if he trades out of the First round altogether.
      1. Bill hates first rounders. He’s a late round specialist (See one Brady, Tom for evidence, or more recently, Michael Onwenu), and almost always finds a way to trade out of his current draft slot.
    4. Take a shot if a team trades into the top 8 and overreaches on a quarterback.
      1. I’m firmly of the opinion that there should be no quarterbacks taken in the first round this year. But some team (Watch for the Saints, Commanders, Seahawks or maybe even the Eagles) to trade up, likely for Malik Willis.
  • Kershaw Pulled: A Microcosm of What’s Wrong with the MLB

    Kershaw Pulled: A Microcosm of What’s Wrong with the MLB

    Clayton Kershaw, a bonafide Hall of Famer, in his first start of 2022, had thrown 80 pitches through 7 innings. And he was perfect. With it being this early in the year, and Kershaw having a short spring, Dave Roberts decided to pull Kershaw during what could have been his greatest game ever pitched. The second batter that Clayton’s relief pitcher saw hit a single.

    Clayton Kershaw is a world series champion, a Cy Young Winner, an MVP, and has a no-hitter to his name. The last stop on his way to the Hall was a perfect game, and Dave Roberts didn’t let him have that chance. We could have seen the 24th EVER perfecto today, but all we’ll have to talk about is what if. Kershaw’s individual achievement was ripped out of his hands, and there will likely be an analytics or precaution excuse as to why he was pulled…which leads me to my next point!

    There is a problem with Major League Basebal. It seems as though other sports are far and above more popular, both from a social media standpoint as well as star power. Opening Day, one of the best sports days of the year, felt like a dog days of Summer baseball gameday. Not counting the two games on MLB TV for Thursday’s opening day, the only nationally televised game was the Angels and Astros, played at 9:30pm eastern time, on ESPN 2. This game featured 3 of the best players in the league, and it was aired on ESPN 2. Jose Altuve, confirmed cheater and a shining example to people under 5’7″ everywhere, Mike Trout, the most talented hitter of our time, likely the least recognizable sports icon out there, and Shohei Ohtani, who is Babe Ruth (if he ever existed) reincarnate, a man who hits 100mph and 500 foot towering bombs with ease, was relegated to a 10pm slot on a secondary sports channel on the biggest regular season baseball day of the year. Between that, and the past few years of restricting baseball clips on social media, Rob Manfred seems as though he is hell bent on keeping baseball from being popular, and it begins with letting the players show out. Let them toss bats, let them celebrate, to hell with the unwritten rules, air them on primetime national tv, quit trying to change rules like banning shifts, and let them FINISH THE CHANCE FOR A PERFECT GAME.

  • History and Time Aren’t On Tom Brady’s Side as He Returns to the NFL

    History and Time Aren’t On Tom Brady’s Side as He Returns to the NFL

    Tom Brady is the greatest football player of all time. There’s no debating this, especially not now, after his 22nd season. Career highs in attempts (719), passing yards (5,316), and this season’s touchdowns (43) and completion percentage (67.5%) were only eclipsed by his 2007 MVP season.

    As great as he has been, his recently announced return doesn’t come with the promise of future greatness. In fact, Brady may be about to fall off a cliff due to a couple of key factors.

    Offensive Line


    While the Buccaneers just resigned Ryan Jensen, arguably the league’s top center, there are some questions regarding the offensive line. Ali Marpet just retired, and Alex Cappa is a free agent, so there are two holes on each hole alongside Jensen, and so far the solution has been to re-sign a backup guard. The Bucs have stars at Center and Right Tackle. Can they fit pieces in to plug at the other 3 positions to mesh well? We’ll find out.

    History doesn’t repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme


    Think back to 2009. Brett Favre is finally on a team that wasn’t green (nobody remembers his early Falcons days). It was a pretty striking image, seeing him in bright purple on the Vikings. Let’s use these years to compare to Brady’s Buc’s career, skipping the Jets because I, and the rest of history, would like to forget Favre’s Jets career. I listed out Brady’s accomplishments for his 2022 year, let’s list out some of Favre’s 2009 year. Career high in completion percentage (68.4%), QB rating (107.2), and top five in yardage (4,204) and touchdowns (33). Vikings were rolling with a young Adrian Peterson and a dominating Sydney Rice, with a Super Bowl well within their reach. Until that infamous cross body interception in the NFC Championship to the eventual Super Bowl champion Saints. If that throw doesn’t happen, maybe Favre beats Peyton two weeks later and he rides off into the sunset. The same could be said for Stafford’s late game heroics to Cooper Kupp. If Stafford doesn’t nail that throw to get them into field position and win, does Brady even think about unretiring with an 8th super bowl ring on his finger? I don’t think so. But he should look at every QB who has decided to put on the pads one last year, and the results don’t tend to be pretty.

    Tom Brady may have outsmarted Father Time all of these years, but Father Time is a hurricane. And Tom, at this point in his career and life, seems to be trying to hold back the tide with a broomstick.