Hyped/ cautiously optimistic about House of the Dragon Season 2. Geek Girl featuring Emily Carey made me feel so seen. How did I just discover The Last Ship?
Spoiler warning.
The second season of House of the Dragon is almost upon us, and this blog is alive again. I did not at all intend for this blog to be all about House of the Dragon, but I write what I love, and I love House of the Dragon, flaws and all. Without getting too spoiler-y, here are a few things I am looking forward to House of the Dragon season 2.
(1) Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II. I am a card carrying member of Team Black, but my favourite character from Fire & Blood is Aegon II, not because he is a good guy (he's not), but because he is a tragic character. He did not even want to be King. Had it not been for the political games of the older characters that surround him, Aegon would have grown up to be just another privileged prince. Naturally, things changed the moment a crown was placed on his head, and for the first time in his life, he felt what it was like to be cheered on, to be adored by the mass. It was quite a change from his previous life of constantly being told off by his mother Queen Alicent and his grandfather Otto Hightower, and made to feel like he was not enough. No spoilers, but things will happen to Aegon in the second season that I imagine Tom Glynn-Carney will have a grand time portraying, and I am excited for the mostly Team Black Internet to see the humanity of the king who never wanted to be.
(2) The Robb Stark-ation of Prince Jacaerys Velaryon. We already saw glimpses of this in the first season, but the second season will, I expect, push Jace to the forefront of leadership in Team Black (with Daemon away and Rhaenyra mourning Luke's death). I saw some people comparing Jace to Jon Snow (the hair, the whole Targaryen prince thing), but I have always viewed Jace as more akin to Robb Stark. Like Robb, Jace was born knowing he would rule. Like Robb, Jace took his responsibility as heir seriously. Like Robb, Jace will be heavily involved in battle planning. In a world of mostly gray characters, Jace is unequivocally a good guy -- a good son, a good brother, a good prince who at such a young age will take on some very important diplomatic and military duties. What happens to good guys in Westeros? They live long, fulfilled lives, right? Right?
(3) Princess Rhaenys Targaryen as a dragon warrior. Princess Rhaenys held Meleys's fire in the first season of House of the Dragon; she fled rather than murder en masse the members of Team Green. There will be no holding back and no fleeing in season two as we are now in the actual dance of dragons. I am so looking forward to how the show will interpret the Battle at Rook's Rest (don't Google this if you don't want spoilers). Eve Best beautifully portrays Princess Rhaenys with quiet wisdom and dignity, she is going to crush that scene so so much.
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"Because sometimes I feel like I’m made wrong. Um, or... or rather not wrong just definitely different like I’m not made for here and I’m just constantly searching for somewhere safe, somewhere…"
"Snowy, where the other polar bears are."
"Yeah. I don’t know how to find the other polar bears and it’s exhausting and scary and I just feel like I’m wandering around on my own."
"You’re not on your own. But I know some days can be more challenging than others."
Yes, Geek Girl is about a teenage girl who became a model, and it is filled with very human, vulnerable moments, but my absolute favourite scene is the one between Harriet and Toby. Though both neurodivergent, in some ways, Toby was even more of a social outcast than Harriet (who at least had Nat in her corner), so that Harriet's attempt to explain how she felt and Toby's compassionate understanding though it was clear the conversation was not easy for him moved me to tears. Yet, Geek Girl is the most joyful show I've seen in recent memory. As someone who has always felt like my mind is limiting my potential outside of its own colourful boundaries, to see characters throw themselves at life despite feeling different was almost healing.
I am writing this over a week after having seen Geek Girl, and I have watched a lot of shows in between so my memory is not exactly fresh; as much as I would like to write more, I am going to leave it here. If you haven't seen Geek Girl, go watch it. It is one of the best new shows on TV, and I really hope it would gain a larger following than it has now.
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This story about navy ships that stayed at sea trying to dodge Covid-19 was only at the periphery of my mind back in 2020 when I along with the rest of my family were just trying to survive the early days of the virus. Back then, I had not even heard of the show The Last Ship. I didn’t know anything about it at all when I decided to play it a couple of weeks ago; what followed was a full week of binge watching this show about a single ship that survived while a global pandemic wiped out about 80% of the world’s population.
Is it a great show? No. Is it a binge-able show? Absolutely. The first season, in particular, I would recommend watching because of its eerie similarities to what happened years later, when an actual global pandemic hit the world. Whilst the crew of the Nathan James found in themselves reserves of strength and determination to do right by the world, elsewhere, people remained people – the power hungry, the corrupt, the morally bankrupt. Season 1’s search for a cure was also a fight to have a world that was worth saving.
I wasn’t really looking for a love story in The Last Ship, but I think the show could have leaned in more toward the tension between Captain Tom Chandler (Eric Dane) and Dr. Rachel Scott (Rhona Mitra) especially in the second season. They certainly could have given Rhona Mitra more to do. Part of my disappointment may stem from my memory of Rhona Mitra and Luke Mably’s married vampires living in the suburbs in The Gates (no, seriously, here’s a YouTube video featuring them); the show was cancelled after just 13 episodes and they had few scenes together, but they were packed with emotion.
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Another weekend, and as I am still recovering from my last health issue, I didn't really make plans. As for whether I will be covering House of the Dragon this season, I will definitely make an effort to post content, I just cannot commit to writing full recaps (though this is my hope). To everyone who still visits this site despite me popping in and out, thank you. I appreciate you so much. Till next time!
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