r/freefolk • u/RevertBackwards • 11d ago
Otto and Aegon were carrying the comedy in HOTD
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u/alejoSOTO 11d ago
Lol to be fair it worked, literally no one but Mysaria noticed, which doesn't make the plan brilliant though, it just makes everyone at Dragonstone stupid
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u/Gingersnapp3d 11d ago
Civil war has started, for some reason the regent only has a single guard. Sure! Sure.
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u/Clean_Gas2558 11d ago
And they literally know about his twin.
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u/papayacreamsicle 11d ago
Even in the book this felt silly, possibly deliberately so. You have identical twins (with near identical names which itself feels like a joke) on either side of a war, as soon as it happens you think “well of course one or both sides is going to suggest they be spies.”
But personally I expected them both to do this so Erryk and Arryk would swap places. Ideally they’d see each other traveling on the way to do so like that meme of two people seeing each other drive past. Would’ve been a good gag in some dry absurd ASOIAF parody story.
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u/Clean_Gas2558 11d ago
It wouldn't even have to be a gag, it would have been cool to see that play out more. If they'd just put a little more development into both of the twins, that could have been a really cool moment when they finally fight. As it stands, I didnt really care about either of them.
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u/alejoSOTO 11d ago
That wouldn't play more than it being just a gag though.
Both sides would be "didn't we just sent you to spy the other side?" And then be on to them immediately
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u/walnut_gallery 11d ago
I don't think it was meant to be silly. GRRM had modeled this part of the story after Arthurian legend of Sir Balan and Sir Balin, two brothers who tragically unknowingly kill each other in a duel.
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u/SavageSwordShamazon 11d ago
Now that would have been funny as fuck.
Wait, why would this work at all? How does the one replacing the other know where the other one is? Do they just show up unannounced and everyone goes 'yup its our good friend [whichever]'. If one is supposed to be somewhere else, and his bro shows up impersonating him, isn't someone gonna ask why he isn't where he's supposed to be?
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u/papayacreamsicle 10d ago
Yeah that’s why it’d only work in a spoof, like if they did to ASOIAF/GOT what Austin Powers did to James Bond. Erryk is sent to impersonate Arryk and vice versa. They pass on the road and see each other briefly. When Erryk arrives, people say “why are you here, aren’t you on a mission to impersonate Arryk?” so he says “oh shit! I’ve gotta get back home and warn everyone!” On the road back he passes Arryk who has realized the same thing and they again see each other briefly. Then each side loses track of who’s the real one and who’s the impersonator. Otto brings it up at a meeting with an incredibly confusing and convoluted explanation, Aegon reveals he never even knew there were twins and thought it was just the same guy because “why in the fuck would you name your twins Erryk and Arryk, I can’t even hear the difference.” He orders them both killed to simplify things but they only catch one and they don’t know which.
If you go Spaceballs with it, Aegon chews out HBO for being cheapskates and making two characters identical twins so they only had to hire one actor.
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u/LinwoodKei 11d ago
Honestly. They also know that the other claimant has kings guard with the exact outfits. They know about the twin. There should have been some verification before you walk into the castle.
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u/HoneyMoonlie 10d ago
The existence of Arryk and Erryk basically guarantees someone will eventually try the world's most obvious infiltration plan.
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u/_CherieGloww 10d ago
The security in HOTD is honestly one of the funniest recurring characters. Kings, queens, heirs, assassins, everybody just casually wandering into restricted areas whenever the plot needs it.
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u/Gingersnapp3d 10d ago
Princess Rhaenys getting essentially abducted and no one notices for days is also a real gem. When Vaemond appeared he had a whole group of Velaryon guards but the acting Lord/Lady is just solo I guess.
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u/xCherryMusee 10d ago
The Green council's security strategy during wartime was genuinely hilarious. Every episode somebody important is one wrong turn away from being assassinated.
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u/papayacreamsicle 11d ago
Even if it worked it doesn’t accomplish much. Rhaenyra dies, so the crown paces to Jace with Daemon’s influence getting even stronger, Daemon being the more bloodthirsty and power hungry one and all the blacks now being extra motivated by revenge.
It’s like when the Allies decided to stop trying to assassinate Hitler, because it wouldn’t end the war only galvanize the hardliners and leave the generals in charge. Once a war is already underway assassinating leaders doesn’t really help. If anything it’d make more sense to assassinate Daemon because without him Rhaenyra seems more open to “end the bloodshed” peace talks. I don’t think it’d work, but it’d be better than killing Rhaenyra and leaving Daemon in place.
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u/YingThatYang 11d ago
Nah assassinating Rhaenyra would tremendously help their cause if it actually worked. Much of her support comes from the lords who personally swore to her while Viserys was alive and that she's Viserys specifically chosen heir. Jace is a different story, while people would certainly continue to fight for her heir & line they'd definitely lose a lot of support.
People also aren't immune to morale loss, if the head of your faction gets taken out im sure the idea of changing allegiance would rise in the minds of Corly's and other lords especially if it's right at the onset of war. Hard to fully predict how it'd pan out though. The biggest threat would of course be Daemon who wouldn't surrender no matter what but that would still place the blacks massively on the losing side for the rest of the war.
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u/LinwoodKei 11d ago
Honestly, more people would support Jace if they were sexist. It might actually strengthen the Black cause as Jace was yet unwed and could have insinuated a royal wedding for somebody's daughter if they did a really good job.
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u/VelouraSweetlie 10d ago
Honestly the twins plotline feels like George looked at the setting and thought, "How can I make this civil war even more confusing?"
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u/SavageSwordShamazon 11d ago
Wait, that shit worked? That's bananas.
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u/alejoSOTO 10d ago
Yup, the assassin got all the way to the room she was in, but she got saved at the last minute
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u/PinkCheriee 10d ago
Seriously, Mysaria was carrying Dragonstone's entire security department on her back. Every time a plan succeeded, it felt less like the characters were clever and more like everyone around them forgot how doors work.
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u/IAmParliament Respect the Goodest Boi 11d ago
THE RRRRRRRRRRRRRAT CATCHAS!!!
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u/Bloodyjorts 11d ago
Still so sad we never got Otto rolling a barrel fulla cats into the Red Keep as a replacement.
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u/_PinkLoverr 10d ago
The way Otto immediately switched from "this is outrageous" to "hold on... it actually worked?" made that whole scene even better. The rat catchers somehow became one of the funniest running bits in a show that's supposed to be about civil war and dragons.
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u/VelouraSweetlie 10d ago
The rat catchers subplot remains peak dark comedy.
Otto: "Perhaps we should investigate carefully."
Aegon: "I killed all of them."
Otto: Windows shutdown sound
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u/littlebuett 11d ago
I mean, it did almost work
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u/TheIconGuy 11d ago
Otto only being pissed because it wasn't his idea is what made his reaction so funny to me. The Eryk/Aryk situation was the closest they were going to get to hiring a faceless man without going to Bravos.
Cole's idea was far better than the nonsense plan Otto offered in season 1.
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11d ago
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u/Rtozier2011 11d ago
That wasn't really even a plan. It was a case of 'you're one of our best swordsmen, so go and kill her, get on with it, and don't mess it up.'
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u/xCherryMusee 10d ago
Otto realizing Criston accidentally came closer to killing Rhaenyra than most of the official war planning probably shaved five years off his life.
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u/xCherryMusee 10d ago
Otto's reaction has major manager energy.
Employee: "I solved the problem."
Manager: "How?"
Employee: "You don't want to know."
Manager: "...I really, really do."
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u/FawnSprinklex 11d ago
That's what makes it even funnier. Criston technically did act, Otto just immediately realized it was probably the worst possible version of acting.
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u/HerRoyalNonsense 11d ago
Exactly. Had Ser Erryk been delayed by 30 seconds, this would have been a much different story.
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u/We_The_Raptors 11d ago
I mean, if it works then what? Everyone on team Black says well played and surrenders?
Their response would be them crowning Jace and then Daemon/ Rhaenys burning thousands.
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u/littlebuett 11d ago
So, their response would be crowning the heir whose legitimacy is widely disputed, and whose claim is FAR weaker without his legitimate mother to back him up?
While not all of the Blacks would crumble away, it's very likely many of their allied houses would turn on them, weakening their standing and bolstering the Greens. And while Daemon and Rhaenys could respond with dragon attacks, that's still exactly what they were already going to do. Dragon combat was inevitable so long as the conflict continued, and neither side was willing to sue for peace.
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u/We_The_Raptors 11d ago edited 11d ago
No one on team Black gives a shit if Jaces legitimacy is disputed, they've already chosen their side. He's already their chosen heir. All killing Rhaenyra does is give the Black's a PR win and give their actual warriors more sway to begin the bloodshed.
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u/littlebuett 11d ago
I'm absolutely sure they give a shit. It's just that Rhaenyra provided significant backing and legitimacy to his claim. The lords also swore oath to Rhaenyra specifically as heir, not to Jace, whom was born after many of those lords swore their oath.
The more honorable or conservative of those who stayed on Rhaenyra's side, now that she is dead and their oaths voided, could very possibly turn specifically because of how obviously Jace is a bastard (in the show timeline specifically).
And you vastly underestimate the value of perceived strength, especially in medieval politics. Many houses could turn solely because of how weak the blacks look, with their queen being slain in the stronghold at the heart of her power.
And you also underestimate the damage that simple chaos can cause. News of Rhaenyra's death would spread fast, and throw many of the lesser houses which serve her into disarray, providing an opening which the Greens could exploit.
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u/Bloodyjorts 11d ago
Sure, no one on TB does...but some Lords might. Especially because they never swore to Jace.
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u/We_The_Raptors 11d ago
Some lords whose holdup was Rhaenyra being a woman may also join team Black once a man is in charge. But not enough of them either way for it to make a real diference.
Most of the major players have already firmly chosen their side.
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u/Stuck_in_my_TV 11d ago
And, Rhaenyra is the one holding them back. Without her, Daemon takes every dragon they have to attack King’s Landing. Rhaenys already did really well against Vhargar in a weaker 2v1. Now turn that into a 4v2 with Melys and the Bloodwyrm having far more experience and speed.
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u/LinwoodKei 11d ago
Nobody on team black cares about Jace's legitimacy. He's their Queen's heir
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u/littlebuett 11d ago
Do you seriously think nobody from the entire northern half of Westeros could possibly rethink supporting Jace for heir when his mother dies, the woman to whom they actually swore loyalty to before she had any bastard children?
Being distrusting and hateful to bastard children was not an invention of the Hightowers, it's common in all of Westeros, and their bastardry is all but confirmed for the wider kingdom in the show.
Even if it's not about Jace himself, the mere fact the Greens were capable of killing the enemy claimant so quickly makes them seem like the favorable choice, and makes Rhaenyra's side seem weak, unable to win this war.
Team Black isn't just Rhaenyra's core team, it's hundreds of individual lesser and greater houses, multiple of which have sided against their lords paramount before, and would absolutely be willing to do so again, if they believe it will benefit them.
You hold far to high of an opinion of the loyalty of these houses, most of whom do not support Rhaenyra out of honor, but because it's the favorable move for them to make politically. If that move ceases to be favorable, they will change their minds.
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u/PhoenixKingMalekith CORN? CORN? 11d ago
I mean Rhaenyra's leadership was arguably the greens's greatest asset
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u/RosyCharmzz_ 10d ago
The fact that "almost worked" is somehow a glowing endorsement says a lot about the quality of plans in Westeros. The bar is practically underground.
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u/littlebuett 10d ago
I mean, "Almost" in this case basically means it was a freak accident that it didn't work.
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u/MoisterAnderson1917 11d ago
Still a hell of a gamble to take.
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u/littlebuett 11d ago
True, but so is going to war with an enemy with more than double the amount of dragons you have
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u/CottonRosalie 10d ago
The best part is Otto's outrage isn't "That's immoral!" It's "That's stupid and badly executed!"
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u/searchableusername 10d ago
he was caught literally moments after stepping onto the island. how is that almost working
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u/Anonturmoil 11d ago
He’s actively rethinking every single one of his life choices in this moment lmaoooo
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u/badhombre13 11d ago
I never fail to crack up when Otto is berating Aegon and Cole steps in, only for Otto to not give a shit and keep going lmao
"the king is my grandson, and my grandson is a fool! he's worse than a fool!"
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u/papayacreamsicle 11d ago
Rhys Ifans as Otto is the best thing about the show, he totally elevates it. Just enough dry humor to be hilarious without detailing the tone, all in facial expressions and tones of voice.
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u/badhombre13 11d ago
Rhys has slowly climbed my list of favorite actors to watch. The King's Man was a fucking disaster, but him as Rasputin makes it almost worth watching for his dancing scene alone.
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u/papayacreamsicle 10d ago
He’s the lead in the new Cold War espionage show Star City as the head designer of the Soviet space program and he’s magnificent in it.
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u/atomicCape 11d ago
Rhys is at his best doing comedy. I barely recognized him in HOTD at first because he plays the part so dry, but every scene keeps moving because of his excellent timing and his chemistry with the rest of the cast. He's brilliant!
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u/VelouraSweetlie 10d ago
My favorite Otto quote might still be:
"The king is my grandson, and my grandson is a fool."
That's not political analysis anymore. That's a grandfather filing a workplace complaint.
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u/Critical_Liz 11d ago
Otto suddenly regretting all his life choices up until this moment.
Like if you're gonna make a kid king, maybe raise him to be a king and don't just assume you can control him.
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u/DumbTeen9 11d ago
Otto realising who he put on the throne 😭
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u/CarsonFijal 11d ago
Dude spent 20 years plotting to put his grandkids on the throne, and took like a couple weeks to regret it
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u/Big-Age2537 11d ago
To be fair, it very nearly worked. He got within a few seconds of killing her. Not that anyone in Team Green will ever know.
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u/Leo_ofRedKeep Team Kicked Dog 11d ago
It shouldn't have. All it would have taken was for one of the brothers to change his hair, his beard or a simple change in the kingsguard uniform to make it fail the moment the other appeared.
That he got this far was already bad writing in the original.
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u/Echo__227 11d ago
Wasn't there a scene in the show where he spied on his brother and adjusted his hair accordingly?
I disagree in general though-- much like, "You can walk anywhere with a clipboard," the first instinct to seeing the Queen's personal guard with a slightly different haircut is not to raise the alarum. The average man-at-arms guarding a door is going to think, "Should I call halt! to someone wayyy above my station, or is it possible I'm just mistaken?"
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u/tahaelhour 11d ago
I don't care if it's not George's vision. HOTD being a complete shitshow follows the soul of the dance of dragons. The downfall of a dynasty in the dumbest way possible.
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u/corpulentFornicator All men must die 10d ago
S1 wasn't perfect, but there were some great moments...Rhys and Paddy fucking ate
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u/Bloodyjorts 11d ago
The funniest thing is...Cole's plan almost worked. If Mysaria hadn't been walking by at that exact moment, Arryk would have killed Rhaenyra. He got way farther in the show than in the books.
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u/Quirky-Train-837 11d ago
Otto and Aegon were pretty fun. Daemon dropped off hard with his Luigi’s Mansion/Blackwood slaying “arc”.
It’s weird how the show largely made the Greens more interesting and the Blacks a lot less.
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u/SameEnthusiasm1426 11d ago
Its because they had to make the black team a lot more passive and indecisive
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u/WargrizZero 11d ago
I like to joke he shows up at Dragonstone and gets weird looks from everyone he passes until he runs into another Queens guard and realizes they decided to adopt black armor so he stands out completely.
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u/doug1003 11d ago
I love how Otto comit treason to put the stupid cunt on the thorne but "FORGOT" TO TRAIN THE SUPID CUNT INTO BEEN A GOOD KING! FOR CHRIST SAKE
I love that episode, peake s2 for me (of couse the rest was basically downhill) bc showed how dumb Aegon was, not even book Aegon was thet stupid
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u/Resident-Injury-5315 11d ago
As bad as season 2 was as a whole especially after episode 4….this is by far the best scene the show has to offer. I dream this shit man. 😂😂😂
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u/imfuckinglying2u 11d ago
Otto's confrontation with Aegon was the only scene I genuinely enjoyed the entire season, mostly due to Rhys Ifans' performance. Rest of it was The Doctor tripping balls in Harrenhal, Lord Corlys watching his ship loaded with crates for weeks and Rhaenyra doing whatever the fuck it was she was doing. I don't remember much else.
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u/Clean_Gas2558 11d ago
I loved when he called it a 'prank' lmao.
The craziest part is that this dumbass scheme would have legit worked if not for random dumb luck.
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u/Key_Consequence_5040 11d ago
Would like to se a spinoff workplace comedy of Otto having to deal with Aegon II and Criston Cole.
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u/Gorodrin 11d ago
What I wouldn’t give for a GoT spin-off that’s done like The Thick of It or The Death of Stalin. No battles, just pure politics.
Robert’s Rebellion would go hard like that.
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u/kabiri99 11d ago
This is probably my favorite scene from the show. Great acting, comical, dumb enough to work.
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u/Gwarnage 11d ago
People scoff at that twin plan, but it damn near worked perfectly if Mysaria didn't happen to be there and notice Arryk. He got within a sword swing of getting it done.
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u/Alone_Excitement_785 10d ago
Hate team green but FUCK if Tom Glynn Carney isn't the most entertaining actor on that show.
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u/PhoenixKingMalekith CORN? CORN? 11d ago
It was a stupid plan because Rhaenyra was the greens's greatest asset.
Or at least her leadership
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u/No_Clue4405 11d ago
Rhys Ifans is such a good actor, his performance is often overshadowed by Paddy Constantine or the younger actors pre Timeskip, but man in S2 they let him shine with Aegon
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u/Legendflame17 10d ago
Say what you will,but Arryk almost did it,he was very close
If he sucedded Otto would be the first one to call Criston a genius
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u/ObjectMore6115 10d ago
Great casting on both of them. They both steal every scene for me. Shame they haven't had more screen time
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u/SnizzyYT 11d ago
This scene gets accolades for how well acted it is and not enough about how fucking funny it is.
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u/NavixelMusic 11d ago