Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: HBO Max

  • ‘House of the Dragon’ – Best & Worst of ‘The Black Queen’

    ‘House of the Dragon’ – Best & Worst of ‘The Black Queen’

    “Dreams didn’t make us kings. Dragons did.“

    These words, uttered by Matt Smith‘s Prince/Prince Consort Daemon Targaryen in a moment of raging spousal abuse, really set the tone for an unexpectedly intense season finale. House of the Dragon returned for another hour on HBO last night, it’s last of the year, and somehow managed to up the dramatic ante on a show that’s been pretty consistently melodramatic for ten-straight episodes. Titled The Black Queen, in reference to Emma D’Arcy‘s Princess/Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, the finale stands as the series’ official boiling-over point in the conflict between members of the Targaryen family.

    With Tom Glynn-Carney‘s Aegon II Targaryen crowned King of the Seven Kingdoms against the proper line of succession, Rhaenyra and her supporters – known as the “Blacks” – must devise a game plan to win back the Realm. Unfortunately, as is often the case in Westeros, nothing really plays out all that smoothly. While Rhaenyra hopes to find a peaceful transition between rulers, Daemon goes rogue and begins plotting a full-scale war. Elliot Grihault‘s Prince Lucerys Targaryen and his brother Jacaerys (played by Harry Collett) head north in search of allies among the Starks and Baratheons, but a surprise confrontation with Ewan Mitchell‘s Prince Aemond Targaryen puts a major damper on Rhaenyra’s rallying cry.

    In the only bit of good news, Steve Toussaint‘s Lord Corlys Valaryon is revealed to have survived his wounds. He and his much-smarter wife, Eve Best‘s Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, pledge their dragons and their navy to the Black Queen, setting up an action-packed second season with tensions high and hearts broken. As per usual, it’s a lot to break down. Luckily for the folks at home, Murphy’s Multiverse has already determined the best and worst moments that occur in The Black Queen.

    BEST – Deaths in the Family

    House of the Dragon‘s first season finale begins and ends with the deaths of Rhaenyra’s children. Both moments are fairly impactful in terms of viewing experience, but it’s Emma D’Arcy‘s performance in reaction that solidifies The Black Queen as one of the series’ best installments yet. At the top of the hour, Rhaenyra is informed rather abruptly by Rhaenys that her father has finally passed and that Aegon has been chosen to succeed him – in what could be considered a coup on the part of Olivia Cooke’s Queen Alicent Hightower. This shocks the pregnant, would-be Queen into a premature stillbirth, which she delivers on her own – standing up – before walking away to initiate her rightful rule of the Seven Kingdoms. It’s exactly as impressive as it sounds, and an incredibly powerful sequence that likely made it hard for fans to keep their jaws from dropping. The grace and capability with which Rhaenyra handles the situation is eye-opening and sufficiently proves she has the temperament to lead that Aegon does not.

    As if that wasn’t enough trauma for poor Rhaenyra, the hour concludes with the loss of a beloved son. Prince Lucerys travels to Storm’s End in an effort to sway Roger Evans’ Lord Borros Baratheon to his mother’s side, but when he arrives, he finds an uncooperative, and surprisingly rude, Borros has already aligned with Aegon at the behest of the latter’s brother, Aemond. The kindly Lucerys tries to leave peacefully on his dragon, Arax, but is pursued by his violently vengeful uncle in a gorgeous – *ahem* – dance of the dragons in the dark skies over Storm’s End. As beautiful and awe-inducing as the moment is, it also results in Aemond losing control over his dragon, Vhagar, with the beast killing both Lucerys and Arax in a shocking clamp of its teeth.

    Stylistically, the ending is one of the best to come out of the entire Game of Thrones franchise. Storm’s End and the lightning-filled clouds above it appear to be out of a 1980’s-style Jim Henson film, a la The Dark Crystal, and the visual effects on the dragons and their duel are stunning. There’s a lot to love. However, it’s the minutes following Lucerys’ death that resonate the most. Aemond, for the first time, seems to show some sort of compassion, and the look on Rhaenyra’s face when she learns of what happened can only mean one thing – The Black Queen now has a pretty good reason to be a little less reasonable. Perfect set-up for a second season.

    WORST – Otto Hightower Being Himself

    Truthfully, there wasn’t much to hate in The Black Queen. The episode sped along at an insane pace and was chock-full of buzz-worthy scenes. However, there was one moment that felt truly infuriating as a viewer, and that was the only one involving a Hightower. Rhys Ifans‘, as good as he is, continues to be one of the most obnoxiously vile characters on the show, with his Otto – Hand of the King – arriving in Dragonstone in an attempt to make Rhaenyra and Daemon swear fealty to their new King. Obviously, they do not, and Otto is forced to make several snide remarks before leaving ominously with the promise of death floating in the air. The best part of his brief appearance in the finale was when Rhaenyra removed his symbol of the Hand and tossed it off a bridge. Hopefully, he never gets it back.

    All 10 episodes of House of the Dragon are now streaming on HBO Max. A second season is unlikely to stream until 2024 or later.

  • ‘Dune: The Sisterhood’ Adds Five Cast Members

    ‘Dune: The Sisterhood’ Adds Five Cast Members

    Fear not, Dune believers, it would appear The Sisterhood is still on track to come alive at HBO. The prequel series, set 10,000 years before the events of Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 sci-fi epic, has added five new performers to its cast. Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Faoileann Cunningham, Aoife Hinds and Chloe Lea have joined the production as series regulars, alongside previously announced stars Emily Watson, Shirley Henderson, and Indira Varma.

    Based on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson‘s novel Sisterhood of Dune, the show, titled Dune: The Sisterhood, follows the sisters of the Harkonnen family as they deal with forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit. Watson and Henderson will play the titular siblings, while Varma portrays Empress Natalya – a formidable royal who united thousands of worlds via a marriage to the Emperor Corrino. Boussnina is set to play Princess Ynez, an independent young woman dealing with the pressures of her responsibility as heir to the Golden Lion Throne. Additionally, Brune-Franklin will play Mikaela, “a strong-willed Fremen woman who serves the royal family while longing for a home planet she’s never known.”

    Cunningham, Hinds, and Lea will help fill out the members of the Sisterhood School. Sister Jen (Cunningham) is a fierce and unpredictable acolyte in training who appears to be emotionally closed off. Sister Emeline (Hinds) is a zealous acolyte descended from a long line of martyrs, who continues to be fervently religious in her training. Finally, Lila (Lea) is the youngest acolyte at the Sisterhood School who is mature well beyond her years.

    Dune: The Sisterhood is being produced by Villeneuve, Herbert and Legendary Television, alongside Jon Spaihts, Scott Z. Burns, Matthew King, John Cameron, and Cait Collins. Diane Ademu-John will serve as creator, writer, and co-showrunner, with Johan Renck directing the pilot episode. There is currently no release date.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Heroes’ Star Cast As ‘Doom Patrol’ Villain

    ‘Heroes’ Star Cast As ‘Doom Patrol’ Villain

    It would appear Doom Patrol has found another baddie for its upcoming fourth season. According to a recent report from TVLine, former Heroes star Sendhil Ramamurthy has been cast in a recurring role as the villain ‘Mr. 104.’ The character, who will appear throughout Season 4, is being described as a “charming and mysterious man of many elements.” This will be the second time Ramamurthy portrays a DC Comics antagonist, following a stint as Ramsey Rosso, a.k.a. Bloodwork, on the sixth season of The CW’s The Flash. The actor won’t be pulling double duty, however, as that character was written off the show by the end of the season.

    Mr. 104, while relatively obscure, does have some basis in the comics. Initially known as Mr. 103, the villain is a genius biochemist named Jonathan Dubrovny, who possesses the ability to transform his body – or parts of it – into any element he would like. He uses this power to commit crimes and eventually becomes a foe of the titular superhero team. This power set certainly matches the “man of many elements” portion of his television bio, and will likely not be a problem for the typically-quirky Doom Patrol to adapt.

    Ramamurthy joins a cast that includes Brendan Fraser, Diane Guerrero, Joivan Wade, Matt Bomer, and April Bowlby. He won’t be the only new addition this season, as Twin Peaks veteran Madeline Zima takes on the role of comic character Space Case. Doom Patrol Season 4 will begin airing on HBO Max on December 8th.

    Source: TV Line.

  • ‘House of the Dragon’-Episode 9 Recap

    ‘House of the Dragon’-Episode 9 Recap

    The penultimate episode of House of the Dragon did its best to match Game of Thrones‘ Episode 9s, let’s check into how they are preparing for the season finale.

    The Green Council

    After the initial discovery of Viserys’s death, the Hightowers quickly corraled anyone who would know about it, in order to keep things quiet while they did their scheming. Alicent told the council about her interpretation of Viserys’s last words, which she believed to mean that he wished that his son Aegon to succeed him as king. Stop naming your kids Aegon, please. Get creative.

    This was all the justification that the rest of the council needed, as it became clear that Otto and company have been planning to usurp the throne without Alicent’s knowledge. This knowledge seemed to paint her in an innocent light and not the mastermind of these plans. The only two to oppose the seizing of the throne were the Master of Coin, Lord Beesbury, and the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Harrold Westerling. Beesbury got his head caved in by our favorite guy, Criston Cole, for speaking out, but Westerling was let go after he tossed his white cloak off.

    The Search for King Aegon II

    Now, you can’t exactly place a new king on the throne without the king, so where was Aegon? Two search parties were sent out. One by Otto, led by the twins Erryk and Arryk Cargyll of the Kingsguard, and one by Alicent, led by Cole and Aemond. The race for Aegon was a little cloudy, but the root cause is that Otto will try to convince Aegon that Rhaenyra and her family must die in order for him to keep the throne while Alicent would try to offer mercy.

    After a romp through the bowels of Flea Bottom where Aegon spends a lot of time, we got a look at one of his bastards, as well as the child fighting pits that Aegon reportedly frequents. All this to prove that Aegon is a scumbag whereas Aemond studied the blade. Aegon was fiinally found being held captive by Mysaria, who was flexing her status as the true power of King’s Landing. She gave up Aegon’s location to Otto after negotiating the end of child fighting pits in Flea Bottom: a true hero to the smallfolk.

    Mysaria was ratted out by Larys the clubfoot, who shockingly has a fetish for normal-looking feet. In exchange for getting a look at Alicent’s piggies, he promised that Mysaria will die, and the information being fed to Otto through her will also end.

    After being freed from captivity, Aegon felt that he wasn’t truly worthy of the crown, being spurned by his father for Rhaenyra, as well as being a general screw-up in his family’s eyes. Only when he learned from Alicent that Viserys “wanted” him to ascend did we get the full Joffrey look in his eyes when he was toying with Aegon the Conqueror’s dagger. Alicent’s pleas to give Rhaenyra mercy fell on deaf ears as well. The smallfolk cheering for Aegon II had him puffing his chest out, until Helaena’s dragon dream from the last episode came to fruition.

    The Beast Beneath the Boards

    It turns out that Rhaenys and her dragon, Meleys, were the beast beneath the boards. Moments after Aegon was crowned, Meleys burst out of the floor of the dragon pit, killing and injuring a couple hundred/thousand smallfolk before giving the Greens a death stare. This fell really flat for me. Rhaenys knew that this act would lead to war, because she knew that Rhaenyra would not sit idly by while her half-brother steals her birthright. Her act of mercy to the royal family was pure plot armor, and had vibes of the later seasons of Game of Thrones. She had no problem with demolishing the smallfolk to get in a stare-down with Alicent, and then chose to fly away without royal bloodshed, to avoid being a kinslayer. Killing a couple hundred commoners, no problem, but if you choose to kill a distant third cousin, you’re DAMNED to eternity.

    I’m still convinced there is another beast between the boards, but that is likely being pushed to season 2. The rats will have a part to play, I guarantee it.

    Things to Come

    The Black council was omitted from this episode, but they’ll be taking over for most of the season finale. Rhaenys and Erryk Cargyll will be delivering the bad news, and we’ll get to see the reactions. Surely Rhaenyra and Daemon will handle things in a mature matter, right?

    This coming episode will not only see the Black Council’s planning but also the gathering of allies and dragons as well. We’ll finally see Storm’s End, where the Baratheons will have to decide which side to join, whether it be the Greens or the Blacks. No spoilers, but this meeting on Storm’s End will set the tone for the entire war in the seasons to come.

  • ‘Watchmen’ Creator Alan Moore Disowns HBO Series

    ‘Watchmen’ Creator Alan Moore Disowns HBO Series

    It’s been nearly three years since Watchmen, HBO’s acclaimed sequel to the original graphic novel, finished its run. Created by Lost veteran Damon Lindelof, the live-action series took place 34 years after the events Alan Moore’s seminal masterpiece, and served to explore similar themes as the 1986 classic in the modern world. Since its release, Moore has remained mostly quiet about the continuation of his world. The creative has a long history of disliking adaptations of his work, and in a recent interview with GQ, he revealed that HBO’s Watchmen did nothing to change this.

    As a disclaimer, Moore confirmed that he has not actually seen the series, which starred Regina King in the lead role. He explained:

    I would be the last person to want to sit through any adaptations of my work. From what I’ve heard of them, it would be enormously punishing. It would be torturous, and for no very good reason.

    Alan Moore

    According to Moore, showrunner Lindelof sent him a letter during the show’s production in which he stated – “Dear Mr. Moore, I am one of the bastards currently destroying ‘Watchmen.’” The comment was possibly in reference to the aforementioned idea that Moore does not like seeing his writing adapted, but even if it was made in jest, it didn’t sit well with the V For Vendetta creator. He claimed that the letter resulted in him telling Lindelof and the folks at Warner Bros. not to contact him again:

    That wasn’t the best opener. It went on through a lot of, what seemed to me to be, neurotic rambling. ‘Can you at least tell us how to pronounce “Ozymandias”? I got back with a very abrupt and probably hostile reply telling him that I’d thought that Warner Bros. were aware that they, nor any of their employees, shouldn’t contact me again for any reason.

    Alan Moore

    Moore elaborated to GQ that he was upset by Watchmen using his characters and concepts to tell its own story, and that he wanted to disown the series so it wouldn’t be associated with him in the minds of viewers:

    I explained that I had disowned the work in question, and partly that was because the film industry and the comics industry seemed to have created things that had nothing to do with my work, but which would be associated with it in the public mind. I said, ‘Look, this is embarrassing to me. I don’t want anything to do with you or your show. Please don’t bother me again.’

    Alan Moore

    HBO’s Watchmen had a heavy focus on white supremacy in the United States, something that wasn’t present in Moore’s comics. The writer continued to explain that he was mortified by the show’s success, worried that it may come to replace his work as the definitive version of Watchmen going forward, despite – in his words – not fully representing the message of the franchise:

    When I saw the television industry awards that the ‘Watchmen’ television show had apparently won, I thought, ‘Oh, god, perhaps a large part of the public, this is what they think “Watchmen” was?’ They think that it was a dark, gritty, dystopian superhero franchise that was something to do with white supremacism,” Moore said. “Did they not understand ‘Watchmen’? ‘Watchmen’ was nearly 40 years ago and was relatively simple in comparison with a lot of my later work. What are the chances that they broadly understood anything since? This tends to make me feel less than fond of those works. They mean a bit less in my heart.

    Alan Moore

    HBO’s Watchmen is currently available in full on HBO Max, while Moore’s graphic novel can be found online or in comic stores around the globe.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘House of the Dragon’ – Best & Worst of “The Green Council”

    ‘House of the Dragon’ – Best & Worst of “The Green Council”

    It may be Rhaenyra’s birthright, but it’s starting to feel like Alicent’s kingdom. In the latest episode of HBO’s House of the Dragon, titled The Green Council, Olivia Cooke’s Queen Hightower takes a grain of salt and runs with it. Following a crucial error made by her husband on his deathbed, Alicent feels justified in placing their son, Tom Glynn-Carney’s Aegon II Targaryen, on the Iron Throne. Backed by her father, Rhys Ifans’ Otto Hightower – Hand of the King – and a network of deceptive councilmen, Alicent goes on the offensive to support Aegon and discredit her one-time friend. Unfortunately, the would-be Lord of the Seven Kingdoms is nowhere to be found, and the hunt for his Grace gives Eve Best’s Princess Rhaenrys Targaryen just enough time to mount a rather bold counter-attack. With secrets revealed and the dark underbelly of Flea Bottom becoming a genuine problem for the crown, the Dance of the Dragons has only truly just begun.

    There is more than enough political action to dig through this week, as House of the Dragon takes a deep dive into House Hightower and their many allies. Not even mentioned above – Fabien Frankel’s psychopathic Ser Criston Cole makes a return to prominence when Graham McTavish’s noble Ser Harrold Westerling steps down as Lord Commander of the King’s Guard, Ewan Mitchell’s strong-chinned Prince Aemond proves he may be the best Targaryen brother, and countless innocent civilians are either killed or made to be prisoners because the Royal Family can’t get themselves together. It’s a whole bunch of drama, but nothing Murphy’s Multiverse can’t sort into distinctive categories. With that being said, it’s time to discuss the best and worst moments of The Green Council.

    (Eve) BEST – The Beast Beneath the Boards

    Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO Eve Best HBO House of the Dragon Season 1 – Episode 9

    Last week, Phia Saban’s Princess Helaena Targaryen gave a frightful premonition to her mother that she should beware “the beast beneath the boards”. It was a wildly cryptic comment that seemed to hint Helaena could see the future, and in The Green Council, fans learn that may be exactly the case. Just as Aegon is crowned King, and starts to get a terrifyingly real feel for power, Rhaenrys bursts through the ceremony on the back of her dragon to let the “Greens” know that Targaryen blood is not burned so easily. It’s a moment that the entire season has been building up to, and it does not disappoint. Best’s performance is incredible, both regal and commanding, and the sweet sweet feeling of watching the duplicitous Hightowers quiver in fear before someone they’ve treated so poorly is enough payoff to hold fans over for at least another year.

    Best also delivers in an earlier scene between her Princess and the newly-empowered Queen, in which the former flexes decades of personal trauma in a conversation Alicent should have known not to have. This moment alone probably would have put Rhaenrys in contention for this episode’s most valuable player, even before she went crashing through walls on the dragon’s back to cement her status as The Queen Who Should Have Been. Either way, her title no longer matters, because she’s earned a new one entirely. First Princess, then an almost Queen, and now – the Beast Beneath the Boards.

    WORST – A Child Fight Club and The Lord of the Feet

    The Green Council pulled back the curtain on quite a bit of the dirty secrets hiding in Westeros’ darkest corners. As such, it was difficult to pick just one as the worst the episode had to offer. As the hour began, it seemed Ser Cole was still a lock for House of the Dragon’s most obnoxious inhabitant, but things changed quickly when Aegon went missing. During the search for his Royal Highness, it’s revealed that King’s Landing is home to an underground fight club where children without homes are forced to sharpen both their teeth and nails before fighting each other to the presumed death. It’s a disgusting scene to watch play out, and anyone who says they didn’t flinch each time one kid landed a claw on another is probably lying. Even worse, it’s implied that some of the children involved are the bastards of Aegon himself, carelessly sleeping his way through the city and leaving his own blood to rot. It’s not a long sequence, but its larger implications are enough to put it at the top of the “worst” list in an episode filled with some pretty bad stuff.

    Also, one would be remiss to write about the downsides of this episode and not mention Matthew Needham’s Lord Larys Strong. In a particularly uncomfortable few minutes, the dastardly know-it-all forces the Queen to show him her feet in exchange for important information. It is yet another example of female objectification in Westeros, as even the Queen herself must use her body to get what she wants. The grotesqueness of this doesn’t need that much further explanation, but the fact it feels like this foot fetish might be a recurring thing on House of the Dragon means it needed to get a shout so it would never have to be discussed again. Really, just icky.

  • ‘House of the Dragon’-Episode 8 Recap

    ‘House of the Dragon’-Episode 8 Recap

    Throughout the first season of HBO Max’s House of the Dragon, Viserys has been the buffer between the two factions of his house, headed by Alicent and Rhaenyra, respectively. Each of them knows that they can’t make any moves while Viserys still rules. While Alicent and Otto have been tiptoeing about up until Episode 8, Viserys had grown very weak and has given the keys to both of them to run his kingdom. About 6 years of time have passed between Episode 7 and this one. Time to get into some lore.

    Viserys

    This is the dying King’s finest hour. Viserys talked with Daemon in an earlier episode about how he felt he’d never been tested as a king, and how he wished he could prove his mettle. He did that in this episode, rising to the occasion to save his daughter and grandsons from losing Luke’s inheritance and legitimacy. His walk up to the throne is a top 5 scene from the Game of Thrones franchise, taking all of his effort, and only accepting help from Daemon in his climb. According to the director, the crown falling from his head and Daemon placing it back onto Viserys was unscripted, and it made the moment all the more powerful.

    The events of that scene were forced by Vaemond Velaryon, Corlys’s brother, trying to go around Viserys and Rhaenyra, straight to Otto and Alicent to secure his claim, reasoning that Luke is not a true Velaryon and has no right to Driftmark. Vaemond got taken out at the knees when Rhaenys, the matriarch of the Velaryons, put her chips in with Rhaenyra, agreeing in front of the court to marry Jace and Luke to her granddaughters, Baela and Rhaena. This sent Vaemond into a rage to call out that the boys are bastards and their mother is a whore. Viserys warned that anyone who questioned Jace’s and Luke’s parentage would get their tongues ripped out; however, Daemon took matters into his own hands, slicing half of his head off with Dark Sister, but he let him keep his tongue.

    With his family all under one roof for the first time in 6 years, Viserys hosted a dinner with all of them, where there were toasts all around and everyone was playing nice, with Alicent even telling Rhaenyra that she will make a fine queen. That seemed to indicate that the matter of succession was over. Yeah, in Viserys’s dreams. I am happy that in Viserys’s last moments before he was carted off, there was a small smile seeing his family happy all together. Even for all of his faults, he deserved a better family than the vultures he had. His last, muttered words were “My love,” pretty obviously in memory of his first wife, Aemma.

    It’s shown very explicitly that both Rhaenyra and Alicent have some differing parental styles. Rhaenyra is supportive in Jace’s learning of High Valyrian, and there has been no signs of mental or physical abuse towards her sons. Also, we got our first sighting of Aegon the Younger and Viserys, which are Daemon’s and Rhaenyra’s sons. There’s no denying that they are Targaryens with that platinum hair, and it’s great that Viserys got to see them before he died.

    The Children

    Speaking of Viserys’ terrible family, Alicent was shown to be abusive to Aegon, and this episode showed that it had been well deserved since he sexually assaulted one of the handmaidens and dismissed it as “Just a bit of fun.” But what did Alicent do? She covered it up, paying the girl and giving her moon tea to eliminate any chances of an unwanted pregnancy. She followed up by then slapping Aegon in the face and saying he’s no son of hers. Problem solved, put a band-aid on it!

    I noted that Alicent finally ceded to Rhaenyra and admitted to her being the next queen, but the seeds had already been sowed in Aegon and Aemond’s minds that they were above Jace and Luke, and deserved the inheritance. Aegon repeatedly asked Jace’s bethrothed, Baela, if she wanted to sleep with him right in front of everyone. Even after that, Jace raised a toast to Aegon and Aemond, hoping they could become friends as they once were. Aemond had a pig placed in front of him, a reference to when Aegon, Jace and Luke dressed up a pig as a dragon for Aemond. This really really pissed him off when Luke is seen to be laughing at him, so in retaliation he raises a toast, calling Jace Luke and Joffrey “Handsome, smart, brave….. and STRONG.” This sent the Blacks into a fury, only stopping when Daemon stood between Aemond and Jace and stared him down, sending him away with his tail between his legs. Aemond is trying so hard to be Daemon, but as of now, there is only one Daemon. There’s a showdown coming for those two in future seasons. Alicent and Rhaenyra have a touching moment after, where Alicent wants Rhaenyra to stay in King’s Landing. They’ve finally put their differences aside and want to be close again. If only.

    The Power of Prophecy

    Throughout all of this series, people have been driven by prophecy. The all-encompassing prophecy is The Song of Ice and Fire, which includes The Prince that was Promised as the messiah figure. If you watched Game of Thrones or read the series, you know there have been many, many people who believe that they were the chosen one, and each time war has broken out. Rhaegar’s belief that he or his children were the Prince, led to Robert’s Rebellion and the destruction of the Targaryens. Stannis’s belief that he was the Prince, led to the War of the Five Kings, and the destruction of the Baratheons. And finally, both Jon and Daenerys were led to believe they were the ones, and while they destroyed the White Walkers, it also led to thousands of people’s deaths. The question is always asked, is the prophecy always meant to come true, or is it the people’s actions after learning of it?

    House of the Dragon continues, or sets (?), this tread with Viserys unknowingly having fed this information to Alicent while delirious and moments from dying. He talked of Aegon the Conqueror’s dream and that this prophecy will save the kingdom, which Alicent took to mean that her son Aegon would be the one to save the realm. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back as Alicent believed she had no choice but to stand against Rhaenyra, fulfilling Viserys’s last wishes. The Westerosi version of telephone where it sent hundreds of thousands to their deaths.

    Things to Come

    With Viserys dead, there is now nothing to stand between the Greens and Blacks, and both of them feel they have the right to rule. Episode 9, if my predictions are correct, will send both sides into a full-scale war. While Aegon is the elder, Aemond will be the martial leader of the Greens, versus Daemon on the Blacks.

    A very small part of this episode showed that there are twin Kingsguards, Arryk and Erryk Cargyle. Their parents are absolute trolls naming them. This will come into play if the series follows the book, because one of these twins will be with Rhaenyra on Dragonstone, and the other with Alicent in King’s Landing.

    We also saw Mysaria again, who has contacts in the Red Keep that are keeping tabs on the royal family for her. She keeps popping up for small appearances, so she still has a part to play in the Dance.

    Also returning are more Helaena Dragon Dreams! During dinner, she muttered to herself, “Beware the beast below the boards.” As with most of her other dreams in this season, this was meant to be taken literally. If you watched Game of Thrones, you know that there are tunnels underneath the Red Keep where people can travel in secret throughout the castle. Tyrion, with help from Varys, used these to sneak into his father Tywin’s chambers to kill him. In that time, it was basically only Varys that knew these passageways, because the knowledge had been lost in time. In House of the Dragon, there are many people who know these tunnels, because they use men instead of cats as rat catchers. They’re not doing a very good job it seems, as there are rats seen throughout a lot of different episodes. What are they hinting toward? Wait and see.

  • Indira Varma Joins ‘Dune: The Sisterhood’

    Indira Varma Joins ‘Dune: The Sisterhood’

    Game Of Thrones and Obi-Wan actress Indira Varma has joined the cast of Dune: The Sisterhood. The news was first revealed by Deadline with the outlet noting she’s set to portray Empress Natalya, who is described as “a formidable royal who united thousands of worlds in her marriage to Emperor Corrino.” The actress will join the previously announced Emily Watson and Shirley Henderson.

    The Sisterhood takes place 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides and focuses on the Harkonnen sisters as they “combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit.”

    Varma can next be seen in the Apple TV+ anthology series Extrapolations. She’s also set to star in next year’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One. She recently starred as Tala Durith in the Disney+ series, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Other credits to Varma’s name include the animated series The Legend of Vox Machina and the Prime Video series Carnival Row.

    Diane Ademu-John (The Haunting of Bly Manor) serves as the creator, writer, co-showrunner and executive producer for Dune: The Sisterhood. She’ll work with Alison Schapker (Lost) who also serves as co-showrunner and executive producer. Johan Renck (Chernobyl) is set to direct the pilot episode and will also serve as an executive producer. Denis Villeneuve (Dune) is also executive producing with Jon Spaihts, Scott Z. Burns, Matthew King, John Cameron, Cait Collins and author Brian Herbert.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Brendan Fraser Describes ‘Batgirl’ as the “Antithesis” of the Usual Green Screen Superhero Films

    Brendan Fraser Describes ‘Batgirl’ as the “Antithesis” of the Usual Green Screen Superhero Films

    Brendan Fraser has seen quite the glow-up since his return to acting with Doom Patrol. It opened up many avenues moving forward, and not only is he in the Oscar-contender The Whale but was also going to take on a more villainous role in the DC Extended Universe. Sadly, that was cut short when Warner Bros. suddenly decided it wanted a tax break rather than make at least some money off of the latest DC entry.

    It’s no wonder that it’ll leave a bitter taste in anyone, especially everyone involved with the production as Blue Beetle got to continue production while an almost finished film was completely scrapped. It definitely left some scars on everyone involved including Fraser, who opened up about the issue of this project falling apart while praising Leslie Grace‘s “fantastic” performance.

    It’s tragic. It doesn’t engender trust among filmmakers and the studio. Leslie Grace was fantastic. She’s a dynamo — just a spot-on performer. Everything we shot was real and exciting and just the antithesis of doing a straightforward digital, all-green-screen thing. They ran firetrucks around downtown Glasgow at 3 in the morning, and they had flamethrowers. It was a big-budget movie, but one that was just stripped down to the essentials.

    Brendan Fraser

    It’s truly a shame that they couldn’t bring this big-budget film to HBO Max or even the silver screen. While the streaming development does keep some projects from releasing in theaters, but it at least we were able to see a vision come to life. Yet, Batgirl seems unlikely to ever see the light of day and we can only theorize what the project was like based on the leaked set footage and teases by those involved with the project.

    Source: Variety

  • Paddy Considine Reveals What Killed King Viserys

    Paddy Considine Reveals What Killed King Viserys

    With the conclusion of the eighth episode of House of the Dragon came the conclusion of a season-long journey toward death for one of the series’ main characters. After a long and gradual decline in health over the first season, King Viserys I Targaryen died in his sleep in the final moments of Sunday’s latest episode. In an interview, actor Paddy Considine gave some insight into the cause of the suffering and death for the now-deceased King of Westeros.

    He’s actually suffering from a form of leprosy. His body is deteriorating, his bones are deteriorating. He is not actually old. He’s still a young man in there. He’s just, unfortunately, got this thing that’s taken over his body. It becomes a metaphor for being king, and the stress and strain that it puts on you, and what it does to you physically, what it does to you mentally.

    Paddy Considine

    This shouldn’t really come as a surprise to viewers based on the telltale signs of Viserys’ body gradually falling apart as the season progressed. It was certainly noticeable in this past episode in which the king had to wear a golden mask to hide the fact he had lost an eye due to the disease. Considine’s physical performance in struggling with leprosy and his overall portrayal of the character should place the actor high in award consideration in 2023.

    Ultimately, the death of Viserys is the gateway for the civil war brewing amongst the Targaryen family. The conflict between Rhaenyra Targaryan and Alicent Hightower has been the main storyline of House of the Dragon to this point and while this episode left the two characters at potentially the closest they’ve been since the premiere, the feelings of resentment have been passed down to their children which makes the upcoming boiling point all the more inevitable. With two episodes remaining, it certainly will be interesting where the status quo stands heading into the future of the series with the Dance of the Dragons.

    Source: Comicbook.com