Other Doctor Lives: House of the Dragon: Season 2, Episode 6 – “Smallfolk” (2024)

*Guest star spoilers, plus spoilers from episode 5.*

Great episode. Everything is coming to a head, and as we barrel towards the end of the season (already???), I’m excited to see where it all goes.

At the end of episode 5, Jace came to Rhaenyra with a new proposal: she has more dragons than she does dragonriders, so he suggests seeking out Valyrian blood that married into other houses generations ago. After studying Targaryen genealogies, she thinks she’s found a likely first candidate. In King’s Landing, the new prince regent refuses to be controlled, and at Harrenhal, Daemon reaches a critical point with both his kingly aspirations and his disturbing dreams.

I’m loving this dragonrider story. Ser Steffon Darklyn is one of Rhaenyra’s loyal knights. Previously, he caught my eye because he’s played by Anthony Flanagan, who I’ll always remember as Tony the police officer from Shameless. But this week, we learn that his line can be traced back to the Targaryens. The scene where he attempts to claim Seasmoke is so good, tense and exciting—it’s also neat to consider in the context of Daenerys and her dragons a couple hundred years later. And besides Ser Steffon, the episode dangles several other prospective dragonriders for us. There’s Raena, who nearly died in her first attempt to claim a dragon but is still haunted by it. There are Alyn and Addam, the lowborn illegitimate sons of Corlys Valaryon. And we can’t say for certain if he’s to be believed, but one of the smallfolk in King’s Landing purports to be Daemon’s half-brother. Bastards may not inherit titles, land, or crowns, but they could still carry the blood of the dragon. Who might emerge as an important player in the last two episodes?

Also, Rhaenyra has had it up to here with trifling men who talk over her. While she waits for the wheels to turn on a subtler plot of hers, she tells one of her more outspoken advisors, “It is my fault, I think, that you have forgotten to fear me.” Get his ass, Rhaenyra! And although she doesn’t know if Daemon is actively moving against her or just hasn’t succeeded in securing her a land army, she’s realized that she can’t rely on him. I really love her speech reflecting on their relationship, noting the qualities that both coveted in the other—qualities like Rhaenyra wanting to be a strong, reckless man like Daemon and Daemon desiring the love Viserys had for Rhaenyra. This is a great line: “He’s never been at peace. He wished to possess me but not to be possessed.”

No surprise, things are incredibly tense in King’s Landing under Aemond’s rule. Alicent’s chickens have been coming home to roost most of the season, but she really takes a hard hit in this episode. In another fantastic scene, Aemond undoes her in such a gentle yet menacing way. For all that he can be terrifying when he’s riding Vhagar, I like that he’s often so quiet in his one-on-one interactions with other characters. He rarely shouts or rages, but that doesn’t make him any less of a threat. There’s also a very interesting scene between Larys Strong and Aegon, who’s still clinging to life for now—it’s like a self-serving corollary to Tyrion empathizing with Bran after his accident.

Over on the Daemon side of things is where we get our big guest star, in the form of an old face reappearing in his dreams. This isn’t the first time it’s happened—Milly Alcock returned earlier in the season as a dream form of young Rhaenyra—but this time, it’s Paddy Considine Viserys! My beloved feckless king who wanted to do right by Rhaenyra and the realm but was too weak to offer either what they really needed. We don’t really get anything new from him here, because in Daemon’s dreams, he’s basically replaying old memories in this episode. So Viserys is sort of stuck in time, repeating scenes from the past. But it’s great to see Considine on the show again.

(Side note: I still can’t believe he wasn’t even nominated for an Emmy. I spent the fall of 2022 praying that he'd submit for Supporting Actor so he and Diego Luna would be in different categories, but then neither of them got nominated! Zero sense.)

But even though Viserys is going through the motions of past scenes, it’s still really effective for seeing Daemon’s reaction to him. Now, Daemon has obviously been unnerved by his dreams ever since he got to Harrenhal. They unsettle him at night and disorient him during the day. But to my eye, this is the first time we’ve seen him palpably upset by them. Matt Smith plays this fantastically well. As Viserys announces that he’s naming a new heir, Daemon’s reaction is merely an understated, “Don’t,” but Smith infuses that single word with so much feeling, his voice softly breaking as he says it. By the end of the scene, this dream has worked him into an actual panic, and he pounds on the door while begging to be let out.

This takes us directly into a scene with Ser Simon—like many of Daemon’s dreams, this one slides directly into waking with a sickening sort of lurch. In past episodes, Daemon has struggled to right his muddled head with as little notice as possible, trying to disguise his confusion. Now, though, he’s had it, and as he rounds on Ser Simon in his paranoia, Smith gives us absolutely All the Emotions. He’s fierce and threatening, he’s on the verge of tears with some lines, and there are moments where he breaks into laughter. So, so good! Smith gives us a wonderful portrait of a man who’s unraveling.

Big Neurodivergent Energy Films: 1-5

We’ve looked at a few Big Neurodivergent Energy TV shows, now how about some movies? Most of the films on today’s list are newer entries that I’ve watched in the last year, but they quickly joined the ranks of my favorites. 

 

Amélie

This was an early “grown-up” film that I really loved, so it makes sense that it has exceedingly autistic vibes. Arguably, every Jean-Pierre Jeunet film does, but this one does it in such an endearing, lovable way. From the narrator fastidiously detailing every character’s likes and dislikes (and obsessions,) to the painfully shy heroine concocting “stratagems” to connect with the man she likes, to Amélie’s deep-seated desire to help others/punish injustice combined with her intense need not to be perceived doing either, it just feels so lovingly autistic. Amazing!

 

The Little Mermaid

Yes, I’m specifically talking about the live-action adaptation here, although points can definitely be made for the animated version. While the neurodivergent coding may not be quite as deep-seated here as it is in some of the other films on this list, it was one of the first—maybe the first—I saw once I’d really started considering the possibility that I was autistic and ADHD. And Ariel and Eric both leapt off the screen for me. I love the tenor of their relationship, how it develops through their special interests and grows without the need for verbal communication on both sides. Seeing people online talk about how neurodivergent both of these characters are really helped crystalize my understanding of myself.

 

Nimona

Nimona is definitely an example where the film itself feels autistic/ADHD, not just the characters. I love the fast-paced humor and frenetic action combined with the emotional character drama and the found-family themes. I love Nimona’s explanation to Ballister about what shapeshifting feels like—the trans allegory is evident, of course, but I also see it as a commentary on masking and the importance of giving yourself permission to be “free.”

 

Nope

I love both OJ and Em, how their traits are so different from one another and clash so much, but how they both come through for each other the best they can. And I love how their respective traits end up helping them succeed—not in an “autism/ADHD is actually a superpower!” kind of way, but in a way that their particular situation dovetails so well with OJ’s special interest and Em’s penchant for collecting hobbies. Their respective autistic- and ADHD-coded traits can create challenges for them professionally and interpersonally, but when it comes to a UFO over their ranch, they lock in!

 

Polite Society

Oh my god, I love it so much. Ria’s hyperfocus and daydreaming, the way she infuses her life with the tension and drama of an action film, the general energy and humor and pacing and secondhand embarrassment. It’s so ADHD to me—I feel it in my bones.

Doctor Who: “Dot and Bubble” Spoilery Thoughts

*Exactly what it says on the tin. Spoilers within!*

After “Dot and Bubble” aired, the big question a lot of fans had for each other was, “When did you know?” When did you get what was really going on in Finetime? Because despite the giant slugs that were eating people and the murderous AI, this isn’t ultimately a story about monsters. It’s a story about the nastiest, most hateful parts of humanity.

I’ll admit that, my first time watching, I didn’t put it together until the end. I clocked a lot of Lindy’s hostility toward the Doctor, categorizing much of it as selfish brat behavior, and there were these little moments that snagged in my brain: scenes like Lindy not realizing at first that the Doctor is the same guy she blocked earlier because, “I thought you just looked the same,” or urging her friends to listen to the Doctor while promising, “He’s going to be so disciplined, I can’t wait!” I knew that these moments were something, something beyond a vapid young woman showing contempt for the man who’s trying to save her life, but I wasn’t sure what that something was. And yeah, that was dumb and myopic of me.

When it’s stated more overtly at the end, that their racism against the Doctor keeps them from accepting his further help, everything becomes glaringly obvious in retrospect. Lindy’s immediate displeased expression when he first pops up in her Bubble, the way she listens to Ruby but not him, her kneejerk belief that he must have caused the slugs somehow, “I don’t think he’s as stupid as he looks.” It’s hammered home further when we see Ricky September pull absolute Doctor moves with Lindy and it works—she’d be totally cool with a handsome, knowledgeable man swooping in to save and reassure her, just not this man. And of course, everyone in Finetime is white.

Now, at the end of the season, what really sticks with me is Ncuti Gatwa’s acting in the final scene. He’s rescued (some) of the people from the slugs, those he and Ruby have been able to convince to listen to them. They’re about to go out and “tame” the Wild Woods in the vein of their ancestors, but they’re all coddled brats who are hopelessly dependent on the technology that just tried to have them all killed. They won’t last two days in the wilderness. So the Doctor offers the TARDIS, saying he can take them somewhere safe.

That’s when Lindy says it: “We couldn’t travel with you. […] Because you, sir, are not one of us.” Other ugly words are thrown around, sneers that a box that’s bigger on the inside must be “voodoo” and warnings not to be “contaminated” from prolonged interaction with him. The Doctor pleads with them, but he also realizes the horrible truth that they are simply refusing to be saved by him.

And the Doctor’s reaction, my god! That penny drop moment, the stunned laughter followed by the scream of futile anguish followed by the silent tears. Fantastically played by Gatwa, and for me, it's a reaction that absolutely makes sense for this situation and this Doctor.

First of all, of course the Doctor wants to save these people and gets desperate when they won't let him. Of course he does—that's just who the Doctor is. We've seen them save vile, self-serving humans before, we've seen them offer Sycorax and Rachnoss and Daleks a last chance. No matter how these people have treated him or what they think of him, he still wants to be able to save them.

I keep thinking about how his laughter gives way to a scream. That's very fitting for this Doctor in particular. For all of Fourteen's "rehab," it's clear that Fifteen still has his issues, and for me, it comes through most clearly in the moments where he shouldn't be smiling. The way he briskly tells Ruby that Gallifrey is gone, the way he seems to shrug off not knowing whether Susan was killed with the rest of the Time Lords. It makes a lot of sense to me that he would laugh before he would scream.

Then too, there's the laughter being in part due to his surprise. The Doctor knows they've been Black before, because Thirteen met the Fugitive Doctor and saw the hints of their pre-One past in the Matrix, but he doesn't have those actual memories of the experience of being Black. He's not used to walking around in this skin, with this face. I'm sure he noticed how rude and distrustful Lindy was to him, but he didn't catch why. Not until the end. And it's so dumb and hateful and pointless and absurd, and she's going to die because of it, so in that very first moment, what can he do but laugh?

Finally, I want to give a shoutout to Millie Gibson, who does a beautiful job in that scene as well. As the Doctor screams, Ruby cries for him, wanting to comfort him but knowing she can't make it better. Ruby has a Black mom and grandma, so she’s undoubtedly seen this sort of thing before and knows how awful it is. (It makes me wonder, does Ruby clock it before the Doctor does? Does she realize much earlier why Lindy is treating him this way?) Gibson captures Ruby's reaction to a tee without drawing focus from Gatwa's powerhouse performance. All the flowers to both of them!