History YMMV / HouseOfTheDragonS1E7Driftmark

** Criston Cole’s refusal to take out Luke’s eye. Did he really refuse because he only swore to be Alicent’s protector? Or was it a case of LoopholeAbuse? He had no qualms against the kids fighting each other and egging them on in the training yard. Alicent rather publicly claims that he’s sworn to ''her''. Given his resentment towards Rhaenyra and allegiance to Alicent, he may have done it in a less public scenario.

* ShippingGoggles: In the eye trial scene, the final ShotReverseShot overtly contrasts the trio of Rhaenyra, Luke, and Daemon with the trio of Alicent, Aemond, and Criston. Everyone can agree this is at least mother, son, and father-figure. To an Alicent/Criston shipper, it's specifically mother, son, and ''stepfather''.

** [[AmbiguousSituation If Laenor's escape was not part of her initial plan]], Rhaenyra crossed it when she suggested to Daemon to have him killed. And even if they did know, she still ordered a hit on a random man for the sake of their own desires, and let Rhaenys and Corlys think their last surviving child is dead. In addition she wants Aemond, a child who just lost an eye, tortured for information on whom told him her sons are bastards despite knowing perfectly well that they are.

** [[AmbiguousSituation If Laenor's escape was not part of her initial plan]], Rhaenyra crossed it when she suggested to Daemon to have him killed. And even if they did know, she still ordered a hit on a random man for the sake of their own desires, and let Rhaenys and Corlys think their last surviving child is dead.

* ShippingGoggles:
** Aemond says he would willingly marry Helaena. The point of this line could be a) Aemond is serious and dutiful and would make a better heir than Aegon, b) Aemond wishes he could protect Helaena from Aegon, or c) Aemond has a crush on Helaena.
--->'''Aegon:''' You marry her, then.\\
'''Aemond:''' I would perform my duty, if Mother had only betrothed us.
** In the eye trial scene, the final ShotReverseShot overtly contrasts the trio of Rhaenyra, Luke, and Daemon with the trio of Alicent, Aemond, and Criston. Everyone can agree this is at least mother, son, and father-figure. To an Alicent/Criston shipper, it's specifically mother, son, and ''stepfather''.

* {{Fanon}}: The Valyrian language has a vocative case, i.e. is the case that you use when addressing someone by name. So when talking about Vhagar in the third person, calling her Vhagar is grammatically correct. Yet when addressing her by name one ought to use the vocative case, ''Vagus''. Creator/DavidJPeterson [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/41199249/chapters/105725109 says]] he provided that translation but they neglected to use it. He approves of the following fan interpretation that patches it over, but holds that it's a happy accident, not intentional:

* MoralEventHorizon:
** Alicent arguably crosses it when she tries to order Ser Criston to ''cut Lucerys' eye out'' as retribution for Aemond losing an eye in their fight. When Viserys rejects this, ''she tries to do the deed herself'', only to be stopped by Rhaenyra.
** [[AmbiguousSituation If Laenor's escape was not part of her initial plan]], Rhaenyra crossed it when she suggested to Daemon to have him killed. And even if they did know, she still ordered a hit on a random man for the sake of their own desires, and let Rhaenys and Corlys think their last surviving child is dead.

** Was everyone in on the plan of Laenor faking his own death? Did Rhaenyra and Daemon actually intend to kill him, Qarl agreed to it, and then hatched the escape plan with Laenor behind their backs? Did it start out as a plan to actually kill Laenor, which Qarl turned into fake-it plan that Daemon and Rhaenyra then agreed to?
*** '''The case for it as Qarl's idea:''' If Rhaenyra really meant to kill Laenor, adjusting to the idea and feeling guilty about it is an in-universe reason to talk about it in a CrypticConversation way. If her plan is only to fake his death, what's the reason for the evasiveness? If she only meant that people had to ''think'' Laenor was dead, why not ''say that'', rather than agreeing to his death and then taking a DramaticPause to act troubled but resolved about it? Next, Daemon and Qarl's conversation. PoorCommunicationKills, so when hiring an assassin/death-faker that's a good time to be ''extremely clear'' with them about what exactly the assignment is. Daemon says what he wants, "A quick death, and witnesses," passes Qarl the gold, then ''turns to leave''--this isn't just an excerpt of a conversation, he's finished here. That would be the moment for Qarl to pull Daemon back and say, "Hey, could I interest you in a faked death instead?" to which Daemon could agree, and they could then carry out the plan together with Daemon playing a part by killing the stand-in.
*** '''The case for it as Rhaenyra and Daemon's idea:''' Most of what was said was a DoubleEntendre or ExactWords (e.g. a quick death and one witness was all that was needed). It's easy to think that Daemon and Rhaenyra's conversation was actually longer than the excerpts we saw. Daemon kills a random dark-skinned guard right at the beginning of the sequence, and we later see that as the body that's been thrown in the fire and disfigured to be unrecognizable in Laenor's clothes. So it makes sense that Daemon killing that man to take Laenor's place was a part of the plot. The killing of a servant in service of their political plot is also a better fit for Rhaenyra's mention of "tyranny". There's mentions by both Rhaenyra and Daemon of the sea as "an escape" and they talk about granting Laenor his freedom, i.e to escape to the sea. The following lines suggest they want their enemies to think they're worse than they actually are:
---->'''Rhaenyra:''' The realm will whisper that I was somehow responsible.\\
'''Daemon:''' Let them whisper. We will know the truth of it, and our enemies won't.\\
'''Rhaenyra:''' They will fear what else we might be capable of.

* {{Fanon}}: The Valyrian language has a vocative case, i.e. is the case that you use when addressing someone by name. So when talking about Vhagar in the third person, calling her Vhagar is grammatically correct. Yet when addressing her by name one ought to use the vocative case, ''Vagus''. Creator/DavidJPeterson [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/41199249/chapters/105725109 says]] he provided that translation but they neglected to use it. He approves of the following fan theory, but holds that it's fanon not canon:
-->'''Fan:''' Neither of his parents are really trying to instill his heritage in him. His knowledge of it is probably purely through his tutors. So to--in a really scary moment--forget the grammar rules that he knows only intellectually, not with the intuition of a native speaker? I think totally checks out. It's like Aemond is fumbling and messing up, but he's holding his ground and continues trying rather than giving up or running away. He doesn't really know what he's doing, but goddamnit he's ''trying''. I think the grammatical error really lines up with how he's characterized in that scene.\\

* ShippingGoggles: In the eye trial scene, the final ShotReverseShot overtly contrasts the trio of Rhaenyra, Luke, and Daemon with the trio of Alicent, Aemond, and Criston. Everyone can agree this is at least mother, son, and father-figure. To an Alicent/Criston shipper, it's specifically mother, son, and ''stepfather''.

---->'''Daemon:''' We will know the truth of it and our enemies won't.
---->'''Rhaenyra:''' They will fear what else we might be capable of.

*** '''The case for it as Qarl's idea:''' If Rhaenyra really meant to kill Laenor, adjusting to the idea and feeling guilty about it is an in-universe reason to talk about it in a CrypticConversation way. If her plan is only to fake his death, what's the reason for the evasiveness? If she only meant that people had to ''think'' Laenor was dead, why not ''say that'', rather than agreeing to his death and then taking a DramaticPause to act troubled but resolved about it? Next, with Daemon and Qarl, when hiring an assassin/death-faker that's a good time to be ''extremely clear'' with them about what exactly the assignment is. Daemon says what he wants, "A quick death, and witnesses," passes Qarl the gold, then ''turns to leave''--this isn't just an excerpt of a conversation, he's finished saying everything he meant to say. That would be the moment for Qarl to pull Daemon back and say, "Hey, could I interest you in a faked death instead?" to which Daemon could agree, and they could then carry out the plan together with Daemon playing a part by killing the stand-in.

** Was everyone in on the plan of Laenor faking his own death? Or did Rhaenyra and Daemon actually intend to kill him, Qarl agreed to it, and then hatched the escape plan with Laenor behind their backs?
*** '''The case for it as Qarl's idea:''' If Rhaenyra really meant to kill Laenor, adjusting to the idea and feeling guilty about it is an in-universe reason to talk it in a CrypticConversation way. If the plan is only to fake his death, what's the reason for the evasiveness then? If Rhaenyra really only meant that people had to ''think'' Laenor was dead then why not ''say that'', rather than agreeing to his death and then taking a DramaticPause to act troubled but resolved about it? Next, with Daemon and Qarl, when you're hiring an assassin/death-faker, that's a good time to be ''extremely clear'' with them about what exactly the assignment is. Daemon says what he wants "A quick death, and witnesses," passes Qarl the gold, then ''turns to leave''--this isn't just an excerpt of a conversation, he's said everything he meant to say and he's leaving now. That would be the moment for Qarl to pull Daemon back and say, "Hey, could I interest you in a faked death instead?" They could then carry out the plan together, with Daemon playing a part in it by killing the stand-in.
*** '''The case for it as Rhaenyra and Daemon's idea:''' Most of what was said was a DoubleEntendre or ExactWords (e.g. a quick death and one witness was all that was needed). It's easy to think that Daemon and Rhaenyra's conversation was actually longer than the excerpts we saw. Daemon kills a random dark-skinned guard right at the beginning of the sequence, and we later see that as the body that's been thrown in the fire and disfigured to be unrecognizable in Laenor's clothes. So it makes sense that Daemon killing that man to take Laenor's place was a part of the plot. The killing of a commoner in service of their political plot is also a better fit for Rhaenyra's mention of "tyranny". There's also mentions by both Rhaenyra and Daemon of the sea as "an escape" and they talk about granting Laenor his freedom, i.e to escape to the sea. The following lines also suggest they want their enemies to think they're worse than they actually are:

** Criston Cole’s refusal to take out Luke’s eye. Did he really refuse because he only swore to be Allicent’s protector? Or was it a case of LoopholeAbuse? He had no qualms against the kids fighting each other and egging them on in the training yard. Allicent rather publically claims that he’s sworn to her. Given his resentment towards Rhaenyra and allegiance to Allicent, he likely would have done it in a less public scenario.

** [[AmbiguousSituation If Laenor's escape was not part of their plan]], Rhaenyra crossed it when she suggested to Daemon to have him killed. And even if they did know, she still ordered a hit on a random man for the sake of their own desires.

*** '''The case for it as Qarl's idea:''' If Rhaenyra really meant to kill Laenor, adjusting to the idea and feeling guilty about it is an in-universe reason to talk it in a CrypticConversation way. If the plan is only to fake his death, what's the reason for the evasiveness then? If Rhaenyra really only meant that people had to ''think'' Laenor was dead then why not ''say that'', rather than agreeing to his death and then taking a DramaticPause to act troubled but resolved about it? Next, with Daemon and Qarl, when you're hiring an assassin/death-faker, that's a good time to be ''extremely clear'' with them about what exactly the assignment is. Daemon says what he wants "A quick death, and witnesses," passes Qarl the gold, then ''turns to leave''. That could be the moment for Qarl to pull Daemon back and say, "Hey, could I interest you in a faked death instead?" They could then hatch the plan together and Daemon could play a part in it by killing the stand-in.

** Alicent arguably crosses it when she tries to order Ser Criston to cut Lucerys' ''eye cut out'' as retribution for Aemond losing an eye in their fight. When Viserys rejects this, ''she tries to do the deed herself'', only to be stopped by Rhaenyra.

*** '''The case for it as Rhaenyra and Daemon's idea:''' Most of what was said was a DoubleEntendre or ExactWords (e.g. a quick death and one witness was all that was needed). It's easy to think that Daemon and Rhaenyra's conversation was actually longer than the excerpts we saw. Daemon kills a random dark-skinned guard right at the beginning of the sequence, and we later see that as the body that's been thrown in the fire and disfigured to be unrecognizable in Laenor's clothes. So it makes sense that Daemon killing that man to take Laenor's place was a part of the plot. There's also mentions by both Rhaenyra and Daemon of the sea as "an escape" and they talk about granting Laenor his freedom, i.e to escape to the sea. The following lines also suggest they want their enemies to think they're worse than they actually are:

** Alicent arguably crosses it when she tries to get Lucerys' ''eye cut out'' by Ser Criston as retribution for Aemond losing an eye in their fight. When Viserys rejects this, ''she tries to do the deed herself'', only to be stopped by Rhaenyra.

** Aemond was already JerkAss, but he's really no more culpable for the escalating brawl with his relatives than anyone else. However, it's clear that the altercation has left him an even darker and colder person.

** [[AmbiguousSituation If Laenor's escape was not part of their plan]], Rhaenyra crossed it when she agreed with Daemon to have him killed. And even if they did know, she still ordered a hit on a random man for the sake of their own desires.
* ShippingGoggles: In the eye-confrontation scene, the final ShotReverseShot overtly contrasts the trio of Rhaenyra, Luke, and Daemon with the trio of Alicent, Aemond, and Criston. Everyone can agree this is at least mother, son, and father-figure. To an Alicent/Criston shipper, it's specifically mother, son, and ''stepfather''.

*** '''The case for it as Qarl's idea:''' If Rhaenyra really meant to kill Laenor, adjusting to the idea and feeling guilty about is is an in-universe reason to talk it in a CrypticConversation way. If the plan is only to fake his death, what's the reason for the evasiveness then? If Rhaenyra really only meant that people had to ''think'' Laenor was dead then why not ''say that'', rather than agreeing to his death and then taking a DramaticPause to act troubled but resolved about it? Next, with Daemon and Qarl, when you're hiring an assassin/death-faker, that's a good time to be ''extremely clear'' with them about what exactly the assignment is. Daemon says what he wants "A quick death, and witnesses," passes Qarl the gold, then ''turns to leave''. That could be the moment for Qarl to pull Daemon back and say, "Hey, could I interest you in a faked death instead?" They could then hatch the plan together and Daemon could play a part in it by killing the stand-in.

*** The case for the idea that the "faking it" plot was Qarl's, not Daemon nor Rhaenyra's: If Rhaenyra really only meant that people had to ''think'' Laenor was dead, not that he actually needed to be dead, then why not ''say that'', rather than agreeing to his death and then taking a very long moment to act dramatically troubled but resolved about it? Next, with Daemon and Qarl, when you're hiring an assassin/death-faker, that's a good time to be ''extremely clear'' with them about what exactly the assignment is. Daemon says what he wants "A quick death, and witnesses," then passes Qarl the gold and ''turns to leave''. That then would be the moment for Qarl to pull him back and say, "Hey, could I interest you in a faked death instead?"
*** On the other hand, most of what was said was a DoubleEntendre or ExactWords (e.g. a quick death and one witness was all that was needed) -- and it's easy to think that both conversations were actually longer than the excerpts we saw. Daemon kills a random dark-skinned guard right at the beginning of the sequence, and we later see that as the body that's been thrown in the fire and disfigured to be unrecognizable in Laenor's clothes. So it makes sense that Daemon killed that man to take Laenor's place and was a part of the plot to start with. There's also mentions by both Rhaenyra and Daemon of the sea as "an escape" and they talk about granting Laenor his freedom, i.e to escape to the sea.
** Did Laenor go along with the plan willingly, or did he have to be pressured/threatened into it? His conversation with Rhaenyra shortly beforehand could go either way. He commits himself to supporting Rhaenyra and being a father to his children, which might suggest that he wouldn't be enthusiastic about abandoning them. But given his stated shame over failing Rhaenyra, he could be more willing than ever to do whatever is necessary to help their family survive the coming conflict, even if it meant faking his death.

*** The case for the idea that the "faking it" plot was Qarl's, ''possibly'' Daemon's, but not Rhaenyra's: If Rhaenyra really only meant that people had to ''think'' Laenor was dead, not that he actually needed to be dead, then why not ''say that'', rather than agreeing to his death and then taking a very long moment to act dramatically troubled but resolved about it? Next, with Daemon and Qarl, when you're hiring an assassin/death-faker, that's a good time to be ''extremely clear'' with them about what exactly the assignment is. Daemon says what he needs is "a quick death" (and that's ''not'' the guard since ''Daemon''--not Qarl--kills him).

** Aemond himself crosses the line when after being a total {{Jerkass}} to his cousins about Vhagar and getting into a violent fight with them, ''tries to murder Jace with a rock''.
** [[AmbiguousSituation If Laenor's escape was not part of their plan]], Rhaenyra crossed it when she agreed with Daemon to have him killed.
*** Even if they did know, she still ordered a hit on a random man for the sake of their own desires.

*** On the other hand, most of what was said was a DoubleEntendre or ExactWords (e.g. a quick death and one witness was all that was needed) -- and it's easy to think that both conversations were actually longer than the excerpts we saw. Daemon kills a random dark-skinned guard right at the beginning of the sequence and we later see that as the body that's been thrown in the fire and disfigured to be unrecognizable in Laenor's clothes. So it makes sense that Daemon killed that man to take Laenor's place and was a part of the plot to start with. There's also mentions by both Rhaenyra and Daemon of the sea as "an escape" and they talk about granting Laenor his freedom, i.e to escape to the sea.
** Did Laenor go along with the plan willingly, or did he have to be pressured/threatened into it? Near the end of the episode and just a short while before the plan is enacted, he has a sincere conversation with Rhaenyra where he recommits himself to their marriage and children; and would he really be ready to abandon his "sons", his nieces who had just lost their mother, his parents who just lost their daughter, and his ''dragon,'' and never see any of them again, just so he could be with Qarl?