Bend the Knee: A Song of Ice and Fire Podcast

House of the Dragon Season 3 is finally here, and what a premiere it was.
Ser Matt jumped on immediately after watching the Season 3 premiere to share the raw, spoiler-filled reactions to one of the most epic episodes HBO has ever produced.
From the breathtaking Battle of the Gullet to shocking character moments, incredible dragon action, and what may be some of the best large-scale battles we’ve ever seen in the Game of Thrones universe, this episode absolutely delivered. For me, it’s an easy 10/10 and an unforgettable start to the season.
This is an immediate reaction episode, so expect first impressions, favorite moments, standout performances, and early predictions for what’s coming next.
Jimmy and I will be back later with our full in-depth review and breakdown, where we’ll analyze every major scene, compare the episode to Fire & Blood, discuss the biggest changes from the source material, and answer your questions.

⚠️ Full spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 1 throughout this episode.

If you enjoyed the discussion, be sure to subscribe to the Bend the Knee Podcast for weekly House of the Dragon coverage, A Song of Ice and Fire theories, lore deep dives, and everything happening in Westeros.
Jimmy: https://www.youtube.com/@ChattingWithNutts
Matt's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/supergainsbros
The reread will continue! Join the discussion: https://www.facebook.com/BendtheKneePodcast/
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Merrett Frey is approaching the ruins of Oldstones with the ransom for his half-brother's (Stevron Frey's) grandson Petyr Pimple. He is considering all the ill luck throughout his life, starting as a squire, where in a battle against the Kingswood Brotherhood he got hit on the head so hard he was unable to ever truly fight again, which left him unable to reach knighthood. His fatherhas always mocked him as "Merrett Muttonhead", and all he was good for during the Red Wedding was to drink the Greatjon under the table. 
Merrett recollects how his father ordered the massacre of the Starks at Edmure Tully’s wedding, but it was Lame Lothar and Roose Bolton who had masterminded the whole affair. He considers how things at the Twins will turn worse for him when his father dies, as Ryman stands to inherit, and his sons Edwyn and Black Walder after him. Merrett feels that if he could accomplish this task, maybe his luck would change for the better, considering that Petyr is Ser Ryman’s son. However, he has failed at everything in his life, including his role in keeping the Greatjon too drunk to fight. The man killed or maimed four men, and it took eight to finally get him in chains. 
When he reaches the site of King Tristifer’s sepulcher, he finds the outlaws who captured Petyr. They surround him and take the gold he carried for the ransom. Merrett demands to see Beric Dondarrion, but Lem and Tom inform him that the Lightning Lord was needed elsewhere. They lead him to the tree from which Petyr Pimple is hanging, and then Lem ties a noose around Merrett’s neck. Sick with fear after they have lied about the ransom and now mean to hang him, Merrett pleads that he had nothing to do with the Red Wedding, and that they have no witness. However, Tom Sevenstrings steps aside to reveal a woman with grey skin and a hideous scar across her neck, a woman Merrett knows to be dead, having seen his brothers slit her throat and dump her naked body in the river. Her eyes are terrible to behold: they see him, and they hate him. Lem tells him that she can’t speak, but she nods when Lem asks if Merrett was involved. Merrett opens his mouth to plead, but the noose chokes off his words.
Jimmy: https://www.youtube.com/@ChattingWithNutts
Matt's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/supergainsbros
The reread will continue! Join the discussion: https://www.facebook.com/BendtheKneePodcast/
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If you'd like to support the show, gain access to additional WESTEROS content, or LISTEN LIVE then hit us up at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bendtheknee
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At the Eyrie, Sansa awakens to find it snowing outside. She wanders outside and begins to sculpt a snow castle, slowly forming it into a replica of Winterfell. Littlefinger finds her in the garden and helps her finish the castle. He tells her she is even more beautiful than her mother was at her age, and then proceeds to kiss her. Sansa is shocked by Lord Baelish’s action, but for half a heartbeat she yields. She tries to make him stop and then young Robertapproaches interrupting them. Robert begins to destroy the snow castle with his ragged doll. Sansa reacts by grabbing the doll which causes it to tear in half. This in turn causes her cousin to begin shaking violently. Maester Colemon is called to bring the boy for a leeching, in an attempt to cure the fit. 
Sansa is brought before her aunt, but Lysa is not concerned about her son’s seizure, but rather Sansa kissing Petyr. Lysa accuses her of trying to seduce her husband, just like her mother had tried to "steal" Petyr from her. Lady Arryn then relates the story of how one night when they had all gotten drunk, Catelyn spurned Littlefinger, and Lysa had gone to his bed afterward to comfort him, even though he had called her Cat. Lysa continues to rant about how her father took their baby away from them, and then grabs Sansa and drags her before the Moon Door while calling for Marillion. Lysa pushes her closer and closer to the edge, until Littlefinger arrives and tells his new wife to release her. 
Lysa, bordering on insanity, reveals how she had persuaded Jon Arryn to get Littlefinger his first post, and how she had done as he said when Petyr told her to put the Tears of Lys in her husband’s wine. He also had her write the letter to her sister falsely naming the Lannisters as Jon Arryn’s murderers. Petyr promises never to leave her side again, and as she falls into his arms, he tells her he has only ever loved one woman... Cat. He then shoves her out the Moon Door. He calls for the guards, accusing Marillion of killing his wife…
Jimmy: https://www.youtube.com/@ChattingWithNutts
Matt's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/supergainsbros
The reread will continue! Join the discussion: https://www.facebook.com/BendtheKneePodcast/
***BTK UPDATES*** Subscribe to our YouTube Page: http://www.youtube.com/c/BendtheKnee
If you'd like to support the show, gain access to additional WESTEROS content, or LISTEN LIVE then hit us up at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bendtheknee
EMAIL: BTKcast@gmail.com 
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Jon practices swords in the yard with Iron Emmett, another brother of the Night's Watch. Emmett hits Jon hard and Jon is knocked into thoughts of Winterfell and his boyhood rivalry with Robb. Part of him always wanted to become Lord of Winterfell and resented that it was impossible for him. These feelings come up so strong that he beats Emmett mercilessly and has to be pulled off him. Jon goes to the bathhouse, and overhears Ser Alliserand Bowen Marsh mentioning that Lord Tywin sent a letter backing Janos Slynt’s rise to Lord Commander. They show it to Othell Yarwyck, seeking to have the First Builder withdraw and back Slynt. Jon is disturbed by the prospect of Slynt becoming Lord Commander, and goes off through the gate beyond the Wall. He is torn between his duties to the Watch, and the chance Stannis has given him to become Jon Stark, Lord of Winterfell. As he is considering that he has always wanted this, his thoughts change to a hunger for food. No, not food but prey - deer or elk. When he looks up, Ghostcomes padding over. He is overjoyed to see his old friend. 
Jon looks at the direwolf’s red eyes. Recalling what Melisandre said about there being no old gods, only the Lord of Light and the Other, Jon realizes that while Ghost's eyes are red, they are not like Melisandre’s. He has a weirwood’s eyes and belongs to the old gods. His mind made up, he attends the voting council for the first time. He is greeted with shouts of disapproval from Slynt and Thorne, learning that his name has been put forth as Lord Commander. Seeking to end the voting, Ser Alliser mentions that Othell Yarwyck has something to say, but the First Builder abandons their plotting, and withdraws in favor of Jon. When Sam and Clydas go to fetch the voting kettle, a large raven flies out and lands on Jon’s shoulder, cawing, "Snow. Snow." The Black Brothers are amazed when they realize the bird is Mormont's raven. Jon Snow wins the vote in a landslide victory and is named the 998th Lord Commander, but he must soon confront Stannis with the news.
Jimmy: https://www.youtube.com/@ChattingWithNutts
Matt's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/supergainsbros
The reread will continue! Join the discussion: https://www.facebook.com/BendtheKneePodcast/
***BTK UPDATES*** Subscribe to our YouTube Page: http://www.youtube.com/c/BendtheKnee
If you'd like to support the show, gain access to additional WESTEROS content, or LISTEN LIVE then hit us up at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bendtheknee
EMAIL: BTKcast@gmail.com 
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Ser Jimmy is out sick this week but it let Ser Matt finish a script he has been working on about Skagos in the Winds of Winter!
For this episode of Bend the Knee, we’re diving into one of the most mysterious and potentially important locations in all of A Song of Ice and Fire: Skagos. Known as the land of cannibals, unicorns, giant-blooded warriors, and ancient First Men traditions, Skagos has lingered on the edges of the story for years. But with Rickon Stark hidden there, Davos Seaworth sailing to retrieve him, and George R.R. Martin continuing to keep its secrets hidden, we explore why Skagos may be far more than just a remote island. Could it hold the future of House Stark? Why is Rickon’s storyline so different from the HBO adaptation? Could Benjen Stark still be alive and hiding among the stoneborn? And what role might dragonglass, ancient magic, and the old powers of the North play in the coming war against the Others? Join us as we break down the lore, the theories, and why Skagos may become one of the most important locations in The Winds of Winter.
Jimmy: https://www.youtube.com/@ChattingWithNutts
Matt's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/supergainsbros
The reread will continue! Join the discussion: https://www.facebook.com/BendtheKneePodcast/
***BTK UPDATES*** Subscribe to our YouTube Page: http://www.youtube.com/c/BendtheKnee
If you'd like to support the show, gain access to additional WESTEROS content, or LISTEN LIVE then hit us up at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bendtheknee
EMAIL: BTKcast@gmail.com 
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