Reacting to House of Dragons Season 2: Episode 4

In this episode, we're diving into the action filled episode 4 of House of Dragons Season 2. Plus, Jaime talks Zenless Zone Zero and his impressions.

Transcript

tanomsak
I started recording. Are you ready?

00:05.85
Jaime G
Yes, sir.

00:06.96
tanomsak
All right. Hi, folks. Welcome back to Good to Game Radio. I'm here again with Jaime. Jaime, what's going on?

00:15.03
Jaime G
Hey, good afternoon. Always a pleasure to be back. ah Looking forward to today's conversations because I know what's in store for everyone.

00:23.79
tanomsak
Yeah, that's great it's crazy. It's already been two weeks since our last opportunity to get together. I mean, time flies.

00:31.85
Jaime G
Well, we also had the 4th of July break or in between, so we had a nice long weekend. We should all be rested up and have a lot of things to to either game, binge, watch, movies, et cetera.

00:44.13
tanomsak
Yep. Now, gaming wise, it's been a pretty very dry summer, like there's not a lot out there. Gamey wise, television wise, I've been watching the Acculite and I've been watching House of the dry house of Dragons. So those are the two shows I've been watching. They're both on totally opposite ends of the spectrum um in terms of quality and you know their theme. But I mean, I'm getting a lot of enjoyment out of out of one of the series anyway. And that one was House of the Dragons.

01:21.73
tanomsak
and Last time we talked about House of Dragons. I think you were in the middle of the episode not before continue. This is a spoiler. So you haven't seen any House of Dragon episodes. We will be getting to some spoiler territory. But so I'll give you a minute to like, you know, go find something else to do or whatever. But we are going to be dipping into some spoiler conversations when it comes to House of the Dragon.

01:47.13
Jaime G
Yeah, and much and much like the show, you don't know where this conversation is going to go.

01:52.79
tanomsak
ah Right. um So last time we talked that you were right before the whole twins were Sir Christian Cole had told his the one of the twins that in order to get his honor back, his family's honor, that he had to do a special mission, secret mission.

02:16.05
Jaime G
Yes.

02:16.80
tanomsak
So.

02:17.28
Jaime G
Yes. He had to go and infiltrate ah King's Landing. No. Was that King's Landing or Castle Rock or Dragonstone?

02:26.73
tanomsak
Dragonstone.

02:28.48
Jaime G
Okay. Yeah. He had to go and infiltrate Dragonstone and try to basically pay back.

02:36.70
tanomsak
Assassinate.

02:37.42
Jaime G
Yeah. Eye for an eye against the Queen.

02:39.71
tanomsak
Mm hmm. Right.

02:41.22
Jaime G
Yes.

02:43.07
tanomsak
I'll tell you, sir, Christian Cole is one sleazy dude. How he can count a memory. he first appeared in season one he was so honorable yeah and

02:55.55
Jaime G
he said when He was a likable character and and he had he was kind of like somebody that you could say, hey, this this guy just wants to do the right thing.

03:09.07
tanomsak
um he is he is

03:14.25
tanomsak
as far as a character, he's done a great job of making him not making himself not likeable. But yeah, he he tried the oh, nobody will believe the whole twin switcharoo and we can we can attempt an assassination.

03:36.59
tanomsak
Similar to, you know, another show that I'm not talking about at this moment, but the ah the twin, the twin thing. Didn't work out, but anyway, since then, you know, there's been an episode in between, but, uh, I want to talk about last night's episode, episode four.

03:44.97
Jaime G
the twin thing. Yeah.

03:52.62
tanomsak
And I really, I was, I'm used to, I know, like, uh, you, you never saw the original Game of Thrones series, right?

04:01.59
Jaime G
Nope.

04:02.47
tanomsak
okay

04:02.92
Jaime G
That's what it's really the big appeal to me is that I'm coming into this this prequel with a fresh set of eyes i have no idea what happens in the future and i don't necessarily know if it would have ruined anything for me at this point but this is my this is my first you know foray into the game of thrones universe

04:28.58
tanomsak
Which is awesome, right, because you're not, you know, you don't have a a history that could, you know, maybe taint your view on this show. But kind of a ah thing that both series have in common is the fact that it's political intrigue, it's political political machinations, right? people maneuvering to gain leverage and gain power, to backstab somebody or whatever, and somebody's always got something up their sleeve.

05:09.09
tanomsak
both those So both series have that in common. Another thing that they had in common, up until last night's episode, for the first couple of seasons of the original Game of Thrones, um they were always hinting at a battle, conflict, right? Something big is was gonna happen. And you were always,

05:26.89
Jaime G
Oh, the it's getting cold or something.

05:30.01
tanomsak
You're right, you're always waiting for like huge armies to clash with each other, right? Like, oh, they're, the two armies are maneuvering and they're basically in the same spot. They're going to fight, you know, they're lined up. And there will always be some, either it didn't happen or it happened off screen and you would see the results, right? The, the the typical, I think in episode three, The episode actually led with a scene like that where you had the two house.

05:59.35
Jaime G
at the beginning where you had the two that were arguing over where the stones that divided the territories were.

06:07.49
tanomsak
Right.

06:08.21
Jaime G
And and then like next scene dudes on the floor with like an axe or something through his neck.

06:12.59
tanomsak
Right. So you saw the aftermath. Right. So that that's typical to Game of Thrones original series.

06:15.25
Jaime G
You're right.

06:19.84
tanomsak
Right. You you get a point of conflict and then, oh, we're about to see them, you know, battle. And then, yeah, they would be a battle, but it would be off screen in.

06:32.68
Jaime G
that That is what they call saving money.

06:36.80
tanomsak
Right. You know, so.

06:42.62
tanomsak
Up until last night's episode, for the most part, um the shows have been similar in that in that vein. like You're not getting huge battles and stuff. You might see a dragon here and there fly around, but you didn't ever see it in the first series until months later. But you never saw battles. and House of Dragons was kind of going the same way, going the same way. Oh, Christian Cole's army, which you never saw the army, right? yeah They're just going through the countryside and they're moving pieces on the map. You know, and like, oh, he's here and he's got more people and they're attacking here and they're attacking there, but you never actually saw any, again, in this episode open the same way.

07:26.71
tanomsak
the castle has already been captured and they're executing the lord of the of the of the castle because he doesn't want to bend a knee to to Aegon so again a battle that takes place off screen but episode four really surprised me last night because at the end It wasn't off screen. It was full on screen. And it was an epic battle, which totally caught me off guard. Like, wait, what? We never see this.

08:03.16
Jaime G
I had no idea. I actually thought that this was common. I was thinking, Oh, here's another battle. I've never, I mean, I never saw the first series, but I thought that everything that you're just telling me is, is 100% news to me.

08:19.99
tanomsak
Right. So, yeah. So rewatch it. ah take It taken in because it's the fact that you got a battle of that scale. I mean, as far as the guys fighting and stuff, it wasn't that you didn't see a whole lot of stuff there, but the the dragons battling spoiler, you know, like. The battle in the sky was where was that really? where the real action was. And you can tell they they spend a lot of money on that 25 minute battle sequence. oh And it was very, I mean, I was super satisfied. I was super happy. that And I've seen many, many

09:08.23
tanomsak
ah House of Dragons reactions and stuff and you know people Labeling with a 10 of 10 as far as the episode is just because there was some dramatic stuff that happened Yeah,

09:17.14
Jaime G
I agree. I, I saw an outlet IGN. I, I've said, I i read agent and they're saying that this episode was a masterpiece.

09:28.26
tanomsak
yeah I mean there was actually a point I as as despicable and unlikable as the king Aegon is. I actually felt sorry for the guy. I really did feel sorry for him when his mother sewed him. Look, we don't expect anything out of you. Nothing. Just do nothing. Like if you were in his position, you're the king.

10:00.53
tanomsak
And basically you've just been told you're an idiot and not to stay out of the way because you, you just. Just, you're just a face that the people that know what they're doing, do it like.

10:13.35
Jaime G
i I mean, I get it as a human being, you kind of, that hurts because he was under the impression that he counted or he was relevant.

10:24.55
tanomsak
Right.

10:24.90
Jaime G
And maybe as a political symbol, he was, but in terms of all the planning and all the, I guess, all the events that transpire to make sure that they ensure

10:39.57
Jaime G
Loyalty, they in ensure victory, they ensure like everything that they need. I mean, you remember a couple episodes back when people were like, hey, I need my flocks to survive for the winter.

10:50.33
tanomsak
Right, yeah.

10:50.07
Jaime G
And he was like, oh yeah, yeah, that's cool. And everyone's like, no, you numb nut.

10:56.94
tanomsak
Yeah, he was just he was getting in the way, he was making things more difficult for his small council.

11:05.02
tanomsak
but

11:05.21
Jaime G
But i can I can kind of relate to that. I mean, it it's like, to be told you're irrelevant. It's like, what? I mean, it doesn't matter if you're, in real life, if somebody tells you that, it's like, man, that hurts.

11:23.13
tanomsak
Yeah. So his actions, what he did is so believable. Right.

11:29.28
Jaime G
Agree. Agree.

11:30.57
tanomsak
This, this is, this, this is, this is great writing.

11:30.43
Jaime G
I mean, he, he, he wanted to become relevant.

11:36.04
tanomsak
This is what I'm talking about when I'm talking about a nu great writing. You make your characters actions. What they do is believable. Right. The fact that he got, he was drunk. He just...

11:54.09
Jaime G
wait but they they never this is what's not believable to me did nobody ever say hey friends don't let friends drink and drive dragons drunk that was a dumb idea

12:07.36
tanomsak
Hey, he's the king, man. did You didn't see anybody else. The fact that he replaced all the king's guard with his drinking buddies, that was um because anybody that would have stopped him,

12:20.20
Jaime G
ah

12:23.80
tanomsak
They were, they weren't there. There was nobody there to stop him from doing something.

12:25.52
Jaime G
He surrounded himself by yes people.

12:28.20
tanomsak
Right. he He did. So there's nobody to stop him. And none of those people in the dragon pit that brought it, they're not going to tell the king. He can't go fly his dragon. Like there was nobody from the council around, you know, his mother had already he left. Like nobody was watching the king. Like, except for, I mean, even his drunk guardsmen were, where were they at? I have no idea. Like, but. He fact was, he's like, I'm gonna go do this. Totally believable.

13:01.94
tanomsak
And I mean, he did look pretty good flying out on his dragon. and Right up until he ran into the Reneese and her dragon.

13:07.37
Jaime G
Sure, OK.

13:11.21
Jaime G
Yeah, yeah.

13:12.36
tanomsak
And then both of them ran into Aemon. That was a cool scene. That was a cool scene. When, cause I knew when they, when the battle, when Christian Cole rolled up and...

13:24.44
Jaime G
When he was like selling town like, hey, throw the signals out.

13:28.63
tanomsak
Yeah, but he was like, oh, we're gonna attack in broad daylight. And the other guy's like, this is idiocy. Like, their dragon stone is right across the bay.

13:35.39
Jaime G
Yeah. I didn't see it coming though.

13:38.60
tanomsak
They can see us.

13:38.80
Jaime G
Yeah. Yeah. I did it. I mean, if you were going to say, I expected there to be a dragon, they're waiting. I didn't see it coming.

13:48.86
tanomsak
right you Yeah, so when they attacked, I'm like, why would he do that? Like, why? Why launch an attack when it's so obvious?

13:57.83
Jaime G
Exactly. And this is like somebody who is.

13:59.10
tanomsak
And you're setting yourself up for an attack from a dragon.

14:01.68
Jaime G
Exactly. and And as I was watching this episode too, I was thinking like, well, that's the first thing that, that, that he just completely is going to mess up in. Like I'm, I'm here as the viewer and you know, and then they show the opposite ah opposite team kind of planning and saying, okay, we shall take the dragons to the war of men or something.

14:12.55
tanomsak
Right.

14:23.77
Jaime G
And I'm thinking, yeah, these guys are toast, right?

14:27.69
tanomsak
Yeah. Now this is what Chris, I mean, Cole has it. He knows Renira, right? From being around her as she you know grew up, basically. um he He was counting on her showing up. she He knew like, oh, if I attack this little place right across from Dragonstone, she's going to come out. I guarantee you he was counting on her to show up.

15:03.55
Jaime G
but But plot twist, the moment that they start throwing the the the arrows to kind of signal, they guard to come out. And this is and at this time, the king is showing up in his dragon.

15:19.16
tanomsak
Yeah, he threw a wrench into it by showing up.

15:20.14
Jaime G
He's. He he right away is like, I just messed up and and like and you could tell like, keep on throwing the signals, right?

15:30.89
tanomsak
Yeah.

15:30.74
Jaime G
um It's that was believable to me.

15:32.84
tanomsak
But yeah.

15:34.08
Jaime G
Like that moment of like, I messed up.

15:38.87
tanomsak
Yeah, and it was so cool, like when they when they were shooting the arrows to give the signal and then the guys, the horns were blowing the horns like that, that was they are was a distance away, right? He wasn't just sitting right there next to where the battle was.

15:54.12
Jaime G
Well, everyone would have seen him.

15:55.48
tanomsak
You right. He was a distance away and. He was like lying in the tall grass, right? He's like, I mean, he's green or whatever color it is. He was well hidden. And then he, when he started moving, it's like, Oh yeah. Amen's there. It's an ambush. It's all planned out and.

16:16.90
Jaime G
Which I, never again, I never saw coming. I mean, I agree. This episode was really well-structured where I never saw that coming at all. Even though they heavily hinted at, Hey, so you and Cole are talking behind my back. What is it that you're scheming and blah, blah, blah. And then it's like, Oh, light bulb.

16:38.51
tanomsak
right ah Right.

16:38.61
Jaime G
That's what they were talking about.

16:40.79
tanomsak
And so, like I said, in the original series, you don't get that you don't get episodes like this, not too often. um But later on in the series, you know, midway through the series, like season in the season four, um And then some other seasons, you get big battles and you get big momentum swings. You know, that great stuff happens. So many epic moments happen. But to get this in episode four of season two, and this felt more like something that would be in like the ending episode or the ultimate episode of the season.

17:22.78
Jaime G
but This is this is like a season finale cliffhanger.

17:27.83
tanomsak
Right, yes. I mean, I was totally caught off guard. I'm like, what? We don't get something like this. And it was beautiful. It was a beautiful episode. Beautiful.

17:39.76
Jaime G
there There was there was two things I want to point out on top of everything you said, which I completely agree. Um, I was kind of upset with this episode because they didn't follow a major thread That was laid out in episode three and maybe they did follow up on this and and I just didn't catch it Uh, because I you know at the end of episode three, I mean we're talking about episode four you must have seen three already is The queen alice basically now realizes that her

18:16.45
Jaime G
argument to say, this is why my son should be king. It's kind of maybe imply that she gets it, that she messed up. It was a mistake. Right. And, and, and, and, that and she does make a comment in episode three, like it's too late.

18:29.49
tanomsak
Right.

18:34.06
Jaime G
I can't really do anything about it now. Um, but in this episode, they kind of like completely glanced over all of that. Like it's a like, if they would have never said that.

18:43.86
tanomsak
Well, i don't think I don't think that they really glanced over it. It was like in the scene where it was right after she took the concoction because ah she was apparently pregnant with Cole's baby.

18:57.25
Jaime G
It's hinted at that she's pregnant, yes.

18:59.39
tanomsak
Yes, so um I think this was in season one. They did this to where the Meister had something that would create abortion, right? uh, aboard the baby. So she took that, she took that. And then this other sleazy guy, um, one, the cane with the cane, he came in there and he started sniffing around. Right. And he was like, Oh, I didn't realize you were interested in the histories. Right. So he's like, she's got books all over the place. She's trying to find evidence of what Renier was talking about.

19:38.45
Jaime G
we're Right, right, right. But I think I think it's it kind of I kind of was hoping that there were going to be there's going to be a lot more and and maybe just maybe. The point that you and I were just talking about where she's telling the king you're really irrelevant. Might have been I'm hoping maybe there was like some connection to that or tie into that where where she's where she's kind of like like hey, maybe this is a way that I can get you to back off from this.

19:59.77
tanomsak
It could be. Yeah, yeah it could be.

20:08.37
tanomsak
ah she I mean, yeah she may be coming to the conclusion.

20:08.44
Jaime G
I don't know.

20:12.01
tanomsak
I don't think she'll come all the way like to that conclusion unless she finds evidence of this prophecy, which I don't think is she's going to find evidence of the prophecy because it was an oral history passed down from the king to the prince and each line, right?

20:19.29
Jaime G
I don't think she is because it wasn't this like something that was passed on from the. Yes, yes. And so nobody other than somebody of the royal bloodline who is going to be an heir should know this.

20:36.45
tanomsak
Right. Which, I mean, well, even if I knew that this was a thing would, would be the symbol that the signal that this is the true air. Right. But since nobody knows that that's what happens, nobody knows.

20:47.67
Jaime G
but at the But at the same time, if nobody else knows this, how can somebody just not come up, make up a wild claim and be like, well, if only the real bloodline knows this, you're not in the end club.

21:00.70
tanomsak
ah Right. I mean, that's true. I don't think she's fully bought. Reneira's story ah about it.

21:09.51
Jaime G
Yeah.

21:09.90
tanomsak
She's looking, she's looking to see.

21:12.57
Jaime G
She's looking for this, but at the same time, again, I think maybe that that conversation between mom mother and son might have had some implication or some impact because of that. Because if I don't know, I feel like before she would have been like, but you're the king. You should be doing this. You should be doing that. And now it was just like, stay out of this.

21:36.41
tanomsak
Well, it's like she she makes the comment that all those men earned those positions, right?

21:36.43
Jaime G
Implied.

21:46.47
tanomsak
That she that she ruled King's Landing while King Viserys was on his deathbed. She was the ruler and that Otto, the hand, has been the hand for three different Targaryens. And then all these men on the council have earned their positions. And ah they've done so much to put him ah in that seat. Like he's done nothing to deserve that seat. Absolutely nothing.

22:18.02
tanomsak
All he's done is drink and, and throw tantrums. You know, that's all he's done.

22:26.77
Jaime G
But yeah.

22:27.26
tanomsak
Like, and and I think some of the Reneeras said in episode three was like about

22:36.89
tanomsak
Did Viserys ever say anything about Aegon being king ever before? When everybody knew, he constantly said that she was the heir, that Rhaenyra was. He was always saying it. So then i was then to all of a sudden, oh, I changed my mind.

22:52.90
Jaime G
Yeah, yep.

22:57.78
tanomsak
Like, any intelligent person would go, yeah, that doesn't add up. And you look at him, you look at Agon and how he behaves, like there's nothing there to make me believe that Viserys would have said he's the king, other than he's a guy, he's a male.

23:04.44
Jaime G
I. Right, right.

23:17.13
Jaime G
But going forward, Aegon honestly is a character that. I mean, the the teaser for the next for next week's episode makes it pretty clear that he's still alive for the time being.

23:32.15
tanomsak
Is he?

23:33.05
Jaime G
Yes, he is. Have you seen the teaser?

23:35.69
tanomsak
Have you seen him? We've seen a box.

23:40.46
Jaime G
Yeah.

23:41.43
tanomsak
This supposedly has a gun in it. We've seen.

23:46.87
tanomsak
ah People around the bed.

23:50.36
Jaime G
But shock faces.

23:51.17
tanomsak
Supposedly. But but you never saw him, right?

23:55.10
Jaime G
No. All right, but let's assume.

23:56.65
tanomsak
Now he got he got shot right in the face with a blast of a dragon fire.

24:02.07
Jaime G
Yes. And crash landed a dragon.

24:06.34
tanomsak
Right? And we never saw him at the scene. We saw his body in the armor. Right?

24:12.23
Jaime G
Yes. Yeah.

24:13.97
tanomsak
But we didn't see his face.

24:17.26
Jaime G
Well, what I was going to say is that this character to me moving forward has. What is there for him? He um in a very terrible way, lost. his heir to the throne. His brother is very well implied is out to get him because that way the the brother is the next in line i I'm assuming. ah His mother basically just told him you're irrelevant. His body is at this point, but from what you just pointed out destroyed. What is he what is he got going on? Now if if if he stays alive?

24:58.66
tanomsak
OK, it's not what he has going on. It is what the council, the Queen Mother, what they have going on, right? So remember, and I think they said in the preview for episode five that King Aegon, he slayed the dragon.

25:15.20
Jaime G
that he slayed, yeah, he slayed the dragon.

25:17.96
tanomsak
And they were bringing the dragon head through the city. And they were going, the king killed the dragon, right?

25:20.79
Jaime G
Right.

25:24.01
tanomsak
We know the king didn't kill the dragon. um

25:29.40
tanomsak
So what happens if the king is dead, right?

25:34.61
tanomsak
we

25:34.47
Jaime G
He's a symbol.

25:36.23
tanomsak
it's it its yeah Theoretically he goes to Aemon, but does it because Rhaenyra still has claim on it. Like it's like.

25:48.97
Jaime G
I think Renira is completely out of the loop in the political sense now. I mean, she's been ousted and, and the whole thing is, I hate to say it is because she's a woman where they would try to move this from a a male successor to the next.

26:03.91
tanomsak
Right. ah So why not make aiming? Because aiming is more capable. We know aiming is more capable.

26:10.52
Jaime G
yeah If anything, I agree with that. Yes.

26:13.91
tanomsak
um So why wouldn't they want aiming?

26:20.49
Jaime G
Maybe they don't like kings with a patch?

26:23.76
tanomsak
Maybe. I mean, Damon, when he's at Heron Hall, when he's having a meeting with the

26:31.83
tanomsak
Acting Lord of the Riverlands. The kid, right?

26:34.19
Jaime G
You mean that kid?

26:34.94
tanomsak
The teenager?

26:35.67
Jaime G
Yeah.

26:36.06
tanomsak
Yeah, the kid. And he's asking him, where's your Lord? And he's like, oh, my grandsire, he's in bed. He can't talk. He can't think. All he can do is receive water and a just enough to sustain him.

26:50.66
Jaime G
and and just enough to sustain him.

26:54.13
tanomsak
And he's like, why don't you do us all a favor and put a pillow over his face, and then you make a decision? And he's like, that's not how we do things in the Riverlands. Like, what in that situation, what do you do? Like, really? It's like, I know the kid is, I mean, He's honorable.

27:13.72
tanomsak
But surely he can act in his Lord's name, right? Surely, if the Lord is not capable. So in this in this situation, the the kid refuses to act. So you're stuck. Like you have in the two houses that are battling out brackens and was it Blackwater's?

27:34.26
Jaime G
Uh, yeah, I think as black waters, black towers.

27:35.51
tanomsak
Yeah. Yeah, they they're supposed to be allies. so Both those houses are under the Lord of the Riverlands. So there's no Lord strong enough to keep both those houses in a check. When one has declared for one king and the other has declared for the queen, like like they should be both declaring for whatever the Riverlands Lord is declaring for, right? so

28:05.95
tanomsak
Yeah, that that situation is totally like, okay, you have a total vacuum at leadership. So the the people in King's Landing, you're going to have the same thing, right? Like if the King is incapacitated, but he's still alive. Like how's Aegon?

28:28.37
Jaime G
maybe Maybe that's the significance of that scene.

28:33.05
tanomsak
Right.

28:32.77
Jaime G
That now somebody will come up and grab a pillow and be like, I mean, the the, the, the brother was about to just, you know, deliver that finishing blow.

28:36.56
tanomsak
Right. Well, you know, they're not going to, <unk> it's not going to worry them. They have no honor in King's Landing. So my brother was going to finish him off. Yeah.

28:47.79
Jaime G
And it if it wasn't because Kristen came in and he was like, dude, what?

28:56.23
tanomsak
Right.

28:56.05
Jaime G
I, I, But there's another thread, and i'm going to I want to get your opinion on it. This is the second thing I want to talk about. Apparently, one of the reasons why this episode was like so well-received and so well-heralded, again, I don't know this, but apparently in the first Game of Thrones seasons, they basically had a fast travel system where it's like, hey, let's go from point A to point B. Next scene, you're in point B, right?

29:25.42
tanomsak
Mm hmm.

29:26.42
Jaime G
Whereas in this one, they're like, they brought it back. The fact that Renira left. for Kings Landing and then you could see in the in the midst of it it's like well first you you see her traveling by a boat walking in the middle you know they showed it that it was like hard to get in and make it there but when in the scene before she's I guess introduced this last episode everyone's fighting between them and they make several comments like the Queen has been gone for a long time and we're here just arguing and bla bla blah blah blah

30:00.33
Jaime G
And then she comes she she comes in and she saves the day in Kumbaya. But the fact is that people, who I was reading some reviews where people are saying like, they moved away in the later part of the first run of the show to be like, Hey, we're going to go somewhere. Boom. You're there. Like nothing, nothing in between happened. Everyone's still fine and peachy. And here they they they kind of hint at like, There is impact when this person's gone for so long.

30:31.46
tanomsak
Right. Well, I mean, there is a fast travel system.

30:35.44
Jaime G
Oh, sure, of course.

30:35.94
tanomsak
Okay. Christian Cole's army, he had a fast travel system for his whole army. Like they basically made a big loop. And not and did not get noticed, by the way, when they showed up at the castle right across the the way from Dragonstone. So until they showed up. So the girl that's on the dragon supposed to be keeping an eye on him. Nice job.

31:02.53
tanomsak
how a whole army can move from one battle site all the way around and not get detected.

31:05.14
Jaime G
Without being detected. Yeah, right.

31:08.11
tanomsak
I'm like, surely.

31:09.97
Jaime G
Well, no, they they explained it, Tony.

31:11.06
tanomsak
It would have taken, it should have taken weeks and weeks for them to maneuver through the woods or like.

31:15.12
Jaime G
They, they explained it really well. They, they said it's because they just do it at nighttime.

31:19.98
tanomsak
Yeah, right.

31:22.81
tanomsak
You ever tried walking through the woods and the not in the dark?

31:24.12
Jaime G
With, with a bunch of like flares and like things lit up to light up the way and and they're undetectable.

31:32.26
tanomsak
Yeah.

31:35.80
tanomsak
Right. I didn't find it. but it's It's interesting. Like Cole's army is like 1500 guys, right? Like the army sizes, I guess during this timeframe of the realm, they're not very big. When we get into the other game of throwing the series, they're big. They're thousands and thousands and thousands like 15, 30, I think it was 1.80,000 depending on whose army you were talking about.

32:08.03
tanomsak
I mean, even one was like over a hundred thousand. So big difference in, so that going back to early episode, like, uh, when, uh, Jaehaerys, the other son goes to the wall and gets to 2008 old retired guys, 2000 that's a lot.

32:27.78
Jaime G
Yeah, old dudes, white beards. Yeah.

32:33.06
tanomsak
I'm like, when he first said I got 2000, I'm like, 2000, what's that gonna do? That's nothing. But when you're talking about Cole's army only being 1500, I mean, that's not a lot. I mean, even the river ah the riverlands should be able to produce, like in the original series, ah

32:53.70
tanomsak
each, like a lot of the houses could muster like 10,000 per house.

32:59.38
Jaime G
Yeah, but but but then the regular series is the future right? They all of these all of the survivors have had a chance to have offsprings and their offspring had offspring so Yeah, man.

33:03.77
tanomsak
Yeah.

33:09.25
tanomsak
Like rabbits.

33:10.60
Jaime G
Yeah, it makes sense.

33:11.58
tanomsak
It was interesting.

33:12.18
Jaime G
Give it a couple generations and it's overpopulated Now because ah they they they're they're they're different they lay eggs and

33:14.28
tanomsak
Mm hmm. Yeah. But there were no dragons probably going around burning them all, too.

33:26.10
tanomsak
Yeah. um

33:29.96
tanomsak
So, yeah, I mean, it was great. It was great episode last night, so I'm looking forward.

33:33.16
Jaime G
it It really was.

33:33.83
tanomsak
to

33:34.00
Jaime G
I know that I've said a couple silly things here and there just to keep the conversation going, but I really did like it. I mean, at one point I was in bed and I'm watching this and my wife's next to me reading a book. And I think it was where Veigar comes up and basically snatches the neck of the other dragon.

33:53.77
tanomsak
Yeah.

33:53.92
Jaime G
And at that point I knew that Renice is, Renice, whatever, that she's gone. And I did pull up, I did kind of like come up in bed and I was like, no. And my wife kind of liked over like, she

34:09.69
tanomsak
She was one of the better characters. She's going to be a hard character to replace.

34:12.14
Jaime G
was, she was, she was likable and she was trustworthy. You know, that she wasn't, she had no political agenda.

34:21.64
Jaime G
It's one of the better characters that they took off.

34:21.99
tanomsak
Yeah, I mean, because she know she she had chosen she had chosen her side, which meant pretty much signing her death warrant.

34:28.63
Jaime G
Exactly.

34:30.67
tanomsak
But she chose the side who she believed was in the

34:34.84
Jaime G
So, so yeah all in all, I mean, I only share this to say this episode had so many good things going on, Fred. And I think it's going to be hard to top off kind of like the narrative and the events that unfolded in this episode. Cause to your point, there was a war. There was no fast travel except for Kristen's army. There was a major death. Right. And again, It's too many things were well executed in this one episode that I think it's going to be hard to pull off something. And quite frankly, I kind of, I'm kind of not digging this whole, Damon's going crazy, starts to see a witch kind of subplot, but let's see how that evolves.

35:21.73
tanomsak
Right. I mean, the guy was kind of wacky. Anyway, I mean, he's he's such a unpredictable character. He's he's I mean, so when yeah what's predictable is that he's going to do what he thinks favors or favors himself.

35:29.66
Jaime G
He's a sleazeball, man. All everything that's happening is because of him.

35:41.15
Jaime G
If you remember, when we were talking about ah the first season, there was a one point I said, hey, I really like the fact that ah this season started off with a contest as somebody of this unlikable character. And towards the end, he was likable. And now i'm I'm seeing this like path of, I know I'm going to hate this character in the next in an episode or two.

36:07.01
tanomsak
Right.

36:06.97
Jaime G
I mean, I actually already, I mean, when in the previous episode, Reneira was like, you are using me to achieve your own political agenda. I was thinking she nailed it. She nailed it. You you should just kick this guy out to the curb.

36:22.87
tanomsak
Yeah. dad he Yeah, that's.

36:23.71
Jaime G
And the fact that he shows up to Handhold and he's like, You will address me as your grace. I was like, what?

36:34.79
tanomsak
That's ah

36:38.13
tanomsak
Yeah, he's he can't be trusted. I know he's raising this army, but who's it raising it for?

36:42.75
Jaime G
Himself.

36:44.98
tanomsak
Like I'm like, I think he's just going to like, stay out of the way and let things play out. And then yeah.

36:53.20
Jaime G
He's he's going to come in for to try to make a kill at the end.

36:58.14
tanomsak
And then I want to come in while they're preoccupied, preoccupied with each other. And then, you know, whoever's left standing, that's who I'm going to, kill off.

37:11.82
tanomsak
So I don't know.

37:12.14
Jaime G
Yes, sir.

37:13.44
tanomsak
Yeah, but they they are alluding to a big confrontation between him and Aiman though, because he's he was following. This vision of Aiman through the castle.

37:24.86
Jaime G
Yeah.

37:26.45
tanomsak
So.

37:26.91
Jaime G
Yeah, well, it's because they haven't killed.

37:28.27
tanomsak
Which.

37:30.61
Jaime G
um The younger son, Erenira.

37:34.24
tanomsak
Mm hmm.

37:34.98
Jaime G
Right. And he is kind of perceived as as the larger threat that I mean. He sent the two guys to specifically get him.

37:48.04
tanomsak
Yeah.

37:48.47
Jaime G
so So I think in his eyes, he's the guy he has to take out before he can move on with the next phase of his, I guess, whatever he's trying to accomplish.

37:57.01
tanomsak
Yeah. So I'm interested to see, I think I saw in a preview where like, uh, the girl that is now on Renier is, uh, staff, basically counsel the I'm going to say counsel, but. The ah white worm, the white worm girl, like.

38:16.56
Jaime G
The inner circle, whatever. Yeah. Yeah.

38:22.10
tanomsak
She seems to be playing has a big part to play in the next episode. So.

38:28.84
Jaime G
Let's wait and see.

38:30.37
tanomsak
Yeah. All right, so moving on from. House of Dragons. What else we got going on?

38:40.67
Jaime G
Hey, so there was a little, little game that was released about a week ago. It was actually released on the 4th of July on consoles. It, it has had multiple betas. And from what I understand, they were always tweaking this game. This game earlier, I told you, Hey, have you played triple Z and you're like, like sleeping triple Z's.

39:06.10
tanomsak
Yeah.

39:05.96
Jaime G
Yes.

39:07.88
tanomsak
A game about sleeping?

39:07.72
Jaime G
so so no yeah this game is actually called zenless zone zero so triple z for short it's made by the hoyo verse which made ginshin impact and that other game what was the name of you said yes and this is a type of game that's called a gacha and you know what a gacha game is

39:09.07
tanomsak
no

39:18.88
tanomsak
No. Honkai's Star Rail? Mm-hmm.

39:34.26
tanomsak
Yeah. Well, they get you to buy more, so buy stuff all the time.

39:37.47
Jaime G
They got, they get you, right?

39:39.85
tanomsak
Yeah.

39:40.27
Jaime G
Um, so, but anyway, I sent you, I just, just fair one right before we started recording, I sent Tony a video and I said, check this out because I want to talk about this in a second. And that short one minute and 20 second video.

39:57.32
tanomsak
Hmm.

39:58.54
Jaime G
What can you just tell me from what you see? I mean, don't narrate the video, but what do you think? Is this a low budget game? Does it look like people know what they're doing?

40:08.22
tanomsak
Well, if that is a scene from within the game itself, I mean, that was a high quality animated cut scene, I felt. I mean, interesting. I mean, there was a lot of effort put into that that that scene, the main character that they call it, you know, a cat character or whatever. Weird, you know, without a meowing, it was ah it's a it was a human girl. with like cat-like motions and she's meowing and doing some weirdly weird body animations and stuff.

40:45.52
Jaime G
Okay, but ah you you kind of hit you kind of hit a couple threads that I wanted to talk about.

40:47.39
tanomsak
It was like, you know, sexualized animations and stuff.

40:53.52
Jaime G
First off, this game was developed. These guys make games that are optimized for iOS or like mobile phones or tablets. But and I got into this game because I saw that it was brand new. It was released on PlayStation 5. Uh, for you to play, although I know that there's a bunch of in-game microtransactions that you can do. I said, let's give it, let's give it a whirl. I am like so blown away, Tony, by how much production level, but high quality stuff they're developing. Like you said that the animation looks really well done. That is.

41:34.81
Jaime G
but one of like many, many, many animations that are in the game. Everything is like really well acted. The characters are all like very diverse and have like a lot of personality. You just indicated that this one looks like a cat. There's there's a robot gunslinger. His name's Billy Kidd, not Billy the Kid, Billy Kidd.

41:58.06
tanomsak
Yeah.

41:59.09
Jaime G
And there's like so many characters called agents that you're trying to unlock. So as you're playing the main game, you but you're basically given agents for different parts of the of the game so you can trial them and complete parts of the main narrative. So they kind of tease you. They're like, hey, you can play for this with this character for the next act. um But in order to really own a character and, you know, change your team formation and put whatever whichever one you want, you kind of have to unlock this character.

42:32.04
Jaime G
And you can't buy it by the characters. You have to actually buy in game currency or find or achieve or collect or whatever. To go to basically a slot machine and say, give me one ticket or give me 10 tickets and see what you unlock. Um. And they actually give you like, like stats. It's like, okay, you're going to get a guaranteed a rank prize in 10 attempts. You're going to get a guaranteed S Rec prize in 80 attempts.

43:06.53
Jaime G
So they they kind of, there's like so many little things to kind of get you hooked on these things again.

43:12.57
tanomsak
Right.

43:13.78
Jaime G
um And it's got like, it's got so many good things again. game development quality of animation is really really high i mean this looks better than some movies that studios are putting out like full-length films it really looks better um it's got cutscenes it's got like comic panels it's got and they're all voice narrated there's there's there's actually

43:45.42
Jaime G
um Selections that you can do as to how your character responds to certain things to kind of like drive the the that dialogue in different directions ah It's got like some interesting mini games where it's not always like hey Transverse from point A to point B and you know fend off waves of enemies. I mean there is that but there's also a Mode where it's called the hollow exploration where you're going from like point a to point b but not Transversing like a map but you're actually going through like these tiles of televisions where you can unlock tiles to obtain rewards You can go and fight characters fight bosses Finds hidden paths.

44:28.65
Jaime G
It's actually kind of interesting that they're that they kind of built this in in such a way where it just works um Then

44:36.61
tanomsak
Right.

44:39.09
Jaime G
ah It's got, when you are actually in combat, you're, you're always choosing three agents and the.

44:51.67
Jaime G
The fluidity of the battle system at first, it just it's too much. It's like really fast. And you're like, what's going on? Why is this happening after you spend maybe like 30 minutes on it? It's it's really it it has depth, which is the crazy part. It's it's a mobile game like that's so well done. It's got this interesting combat system where um You have to manage like when you're transitioning your agent to the next one because they get buffs. You can do chains and sequences. Everything's super flashy. Every single time that you beat a ah ah um a wave of it of enemies or a boss, your character always like you get this like big letters that say wipe out in the middle of the screen. Like it just looks super flashy. And your character always ends up in in like this

45:44.67
Jaime G
mid really awesome looking pose whenever they did they they complete a wave it just everything is just like let me do this some more um really

45:56.74
tanomsak
yeah They've perfected that formula. I mean, I played, what was their original game? but daughter and My daughter and her friends all played it. It'll spin out for a few years now. It was the original one. I think from the same company before they went on to Honkai Storio. What was it?

46:17.53
Jaime G
Genshin Impact?

46:19.18
tanomsak
Genshin Impact. Man, that's got like a million active players.

46:22.87
Jaime G
Right.

46:24.85
tanomsak
Yeah, I played that. I played that on PC. I played it on my mobile phone for a little bit.

46:31.20
Jaime G
Well, that's that's the thing. these These started coming up for mobile, like iOS, Android. ah

46:35.92
tanomsak
Yeah.

46:36.61
Jaime G
and And, but again, they've kind of, this is their third major release and three, in maybe four, or three or four years. I mean, and these, and again, I have decided I'm going to play this game for a week and then I'm going to walk away because all, you can see all the seeds of how this can get really addictive really fast.

46:57.28
tanomsak
oh yeah

46:57.30
Jaime G
And I've said, I've said, I'm not going to drop any real currency on this.

46:57.94
tanomsak
i mean one

47:01.11
Jaime G
I'm not going to put any money on this. It's free to play. But again, it is such a really, really good game. And it gives you like so many things to do. Again, you can go in battle. You can go and train. You can go and do side quests to get, again, get in-game currency so that you can try to unlock new characters. It even has this thing like the Persona games where like throughout the day, you can decide to go in deep in relationship with characters so that they can unlock new abilities.

47:22.42
tanomsak
Oh, yeah. I mean, one.

47:31.85
Jaime G
I i was i was floored.

47:34.24
tanomsak
Yeah, they got this formula down, man.

47:34.93
Jaime G
to really, I think so, but exactly.

47:37.34
tanomsak
That's why it's called a gotcha game. gotcha

47:41.07
Jaime G
that's what's That's why it's called a gacha game. But i was I was like so floored to see that a game that was, like I'm guessing it was envisioned to be an immobile platform.

47:52.34
tanomsak
Yeah.

47:53.43
Jaime G
They can get something that looks in play and plays and is as interesting as this is.

47:59.48
tanomsak
yeah

47:59.34
Jaime G
So I'm only going to play this for a week and then I'm going to walk away because I know it can suck you in.

48:09.09
tanomsak
Yeah, you'll be spending $400 like, uh, one of my daughter's friends.

48:08.84
Jaime G
ah

48:13.94
Jaime G
No, I'm I'm I'm literally again, I mean, the only reason I'm going to do this for seven days is because every day that you log in, you get like a log in bonus.

48:15.17
tanomsak
Yeah.

48:25.74
Jaime G
But after seven days, that's maybe they're gonna do some other prize or something.

48:30.55
tanomsak
I mean, can you earn, can you just by playing?

48:30.96
Jaime G
hi

48:34.52
tanomsak
earn the currency you need to to um buy these tickets.

48:36.40
Jaime G
Yes.

48:38.25
tanomsak
It's just going to take you a very long time, right?

48:38.32
Jaime G
Yes. At a staggeringly slow pace, but you can.

48:44.26
tanomsak
okay see

48:44.67
Jaime G
But, it but, but again, but there's like, there's, there's so many different currencies. Like if you want to try to get the currency to unlock new agents, you have to go and do these types of tasks. If you want to get the currency. That allows you to buy a new course for your character. You have to do these tasks. If you want to get like, there's, there's these like little companions that look like bunnies that are called bang booze. If you want to get a different bang boo, go this, get this currency. It it it is meant to suck you in and not let you have a life.

49:18.82
tanomsak
Right. I'm playing a couple of games like that.

49:22.91
Jaime G
for For all the good things that this game has going on for it.

49:23.56
tanomsak
Wasn't, uh, wasn't it good.

49:26.45
Jaime G
I, I caution parents and teenagers to be aware that this game is trying to suck you in and keep you there.

49:35.82
tanomsak
Oh yeah. Yeah.

49:39.06
Jaime G
You should try it.

49:46.14
tanomsak
Right.

49:47.66
Jaime G
and And I haven't unlocked it this far, man, but there's like even multiplayer elements. Um, ah Yeah, man, it's, it's, again, it's, it's, it's worth a shot. Try it out. Again, be, be mature enough to say, this is where I'm dropping off.

50:04.44
tanomsak
Right.

50:04.55
Jaime G
That's, that's all I'm saying.

50:10.58
tanomsak
All right. What else is new?

50:12.84
Jaime G
Um, the other thing I want to bring up is that for those that that are in the general Tennessee area, there is a tournament that, that is hosted every year by an organization. Ah, man, what is the name of the organization that actually, that actually sponsors this? I think it's like an internet broadband organization, but they, they host a tournament that's called F2Con. Um, And it's called, uh, gaming on a gig.

50:45.26
Jaime G
And I think this was hosted by like some type of internet provider to show that they can bring, um, yeah, it's, it's called, it's CD light band. Um, hey and it's, it's a smaller venue.

50:57.50
tanomsak
you

50:57.90
Jaime G
I went to it last year. It wasn't not packed, not like, uh, our old friends from like kumite used to get, uh, i Thought it was fun. I like to support ah Events such as this one and I also when I'm there I like to also buy stuff from the vendors because these are just people who are trying to you know Make you know get some money go to attend go to these events at attend. It's it's fun um The event is gonna happen from September the 6th through the 8th so it it is gonna it is a Friday Saturday Sunday thing and There's actually

51:34.19
Jaime G
A pot, a total pot of $10,000. So if you're a player that plays guilty gear, strive, street fighter, six Tekken eight.

51:37.53
tanomsak
Oh wow. That's a pretty good pot.

51:42.85
Jaime G
It is right. I mean, this is a combined because there's different prizes for sure. Like street fighter is definitely going to get some more, um, than, than others.

51:48.95
tanomsak
Yeah.

51:54.05
Jaime G
Actually here it is. Street fighter is going to get, uh, fork, 4k Tekken 4k guilty gear, strive 1k. And then Ultimate Marvel marvelble versus Capcom and Granblue, Fantasy is going to get $500 each. Still, um this is only if you sign up to play the main events. ah Last year I went, I played casuals against a lot of players, a lot of good players, and ran a lot of sets. So this year I'm going to go in there and rock my good-to-game leverless keyboard.

52:30.01
tanomsak
Mm hmm.

52:30.85
Jaime G
ah People are going to be amazed at that one for sure. I'm just going to win just because of awesomeness. um But it's it's actually good. I'm thinking it's going to be fun. I mean, I won't be there the three days. I'll definitely be there one. But if again, if you're in the general Nashville area, um check it out. ah This is actually ah in Clarksville, Tennessee. ah By the way, we are not paid to promote this where at might this is just our own opinions. It's fun.

53:03.74
Jaime G
and just come out and you know enjoy and make this a good time for those casual gamers and for those new gamers that are trying to discover events like this. And as I like to say is that you can't complain that there's no events like this if when there are events, you don't go and support them.

53:22.17
tanomsak
right which there aren't a lot of events like this so this might be the only one you have actually a chance to go to if you're you can't travel you know this might be the one one in that area for I don't know a while there might be other ones I just never hear what game are you gonna be playing

53:23.29
Jaime G
Right?

53:29.32
Jaime G
Yes. Right.

53:37.24
Jaime G
Uh-huh. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So I will be there. I'll probably be rocking a get to game radio shirt and the fight pad. Um, okay. So I'm still trying to get used to like playing leverless and I've been playing street fighter six again, just to get used, get the hang of it. But, but I think I'm probably just going to be running casuals. It's more fun. You can talk to people, uh, when you're gaming and determine and you're not trying to make friends, you're trying to like crush the other person. So last year I went and I just played casuals, talked, met a couple of people, had fun with them. um I might just do the same thing again.

54:20.10
tanomsak
So you don't do like the toe to toe staring at each other's face. I will break you.

54:25.89
Jaime G
if If you're that kind of guy, I guess.

54:31.47
tanomsak
yeah

54:32.92
Jaime G
to the theme son of living in America in the background.

54:38.90
tanomsak
Right.

54:39.36
Jaime G
Yeah, no, I don't know, man.

54:43.65
Jaime G
ah Yeah, but, uh, you know, open invite.

54:44.39
tanomsak
Cool.

54:47.39
Jaime G
Let us know if you're, if you're, are going to make it out there. Uh, we'd love, we'd love to see some of the people that are going to be supporting the event who come from the go to game radio family and, you know, hope to see it's somebody there.

55:00.63
tanomsak
Cool. Awesome. oh like If I have the opportunity, I'm looking to go in, but like I said, my 30-year anniversary is that week. so You know, might be a little difficult.

55:15.81
Jaime G
yeah I know.

55:18.66
tanomsak
Oh, there won't be a 31 year anniversary. I'll just say.

55:25.08
Jaime G
No, if it's that if it's to that point, miss it.

55:26.04
tanomsak
All right, cool. Well, it was a great episode this week, diving into some House of the Dragon. um Can't wait to do more of those episodes. I really like that show. Vance is supposed to be joining us next week for our next episode, where we're going to dive into some acolyte and see what to advance.

55:53.44
Jaime G
Dive is the is probably not the right word, but I'm

55:55.89
tanomsak
As I say, I know he loves the Star Wars Disney Plus show, so we'll see. We'll see what the if it measures up to.

56:04.32
Jaime G
I don't know if he's liking this one as much as he's has the other ones Okay

56:04.88
tanomsak
and

56:09.74
tanomsak
Well, I mean, I haven't, I haven't had a chance to talk to him. He hasn't been, a you know, at work. So we'll see. Uh, we'll see what he says. I'm interested. I'm interested. All right. Thanks again for joining us here on good to game radio and, uh, we'll catch you next up episode. Thanks.

56:28.66
Jaime G
Okay, have a good one.