Thanks to our SPONSORS for this episode: Factor: Head to factormeals.com/castofkings50 and use code castofkings50 to get 50% off your first box plus 20% off your next month. GhostBed: Visit GhostBed.com/castofkings to save 50%, plus free (and fast) shipping right to your door. If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to check out Decoding TV's other podcasts: Decoding TV Decoding Reality In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen and Kim Renfro dive into the reaction of House of the Dragon seaso...
Aug 12, 2024•2 hr 39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Thanks to our sponsor this week, GhostBed: Visit GhostBed.com/castofkings and use the code CASTOFKINGS to save 50% off your purchase sitewide. Tune in next week for a season 2 post-mortem, with reactions to your feedback and thoughts! Email us at acastofkings@gmail.com for a chance to be included. In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen, Jessie Earl, and Kim Renfro dive into House of the Dragon’s eighth episode, “The Queen Who Ever Was.” Why did this episode make us say “Huh” at the end o...
Aug 05, 2024•2 hr 58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Thanks to our SPONSOR for this episode: BetterHelp: Visit BetterHelp.com/castofkings today to get 10% off your first month. In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen and Kim Renfro dive into House of the Dragon’s seventh episode, “The Red Sowing.” What kind of occupational safety standards exist in the world of Westeros? What do we make of Rhaenyra’s seeming nod towards religious fanaticism? Is Oscar Tully the most badass character on House of the Dragon ? Is the Daemon storyline actually g...
Jul 29, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Thanks to our sponsor for this week's episode: GHOSTBED: Visit GhostBed.com/castofkings and use the code CASTOFKINGS to save 50% off your purchase sitewide. Become a paid member at DecodingTV.com to get bonus episodes. In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen, Jessie Earl, and Kim Renfro dive into House of the Dragon’s sixth episode, “Smallfolk.” This week, Team Black and Team Green experience some difficulties with their respective plans. What did we think of Rhaenyra’s big gambit at King...
Jul 22, 2024•2 hr 47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Thanks to our sponsor for this episode: Factor - Head to factormeals.com/castofkings50 and use code castofkings50 to get 50% off your first box plus 20% off your next month while your subscription is active. In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen, Jessie Earl, and Kim Renfro dive into House of the Dragon’s fifth episode, “Regent.” This week deals with the sprawling aftermath of the events of last week’s battle. What were the storylines and moments that resonated the most? How do Alicent ...
Jul 15, 2024•2 hr 36 min•Transcript available on Metacast To get bonus episodes all season, become a paid subscriber at decodingtv.com . In this bonus episode for A Cast of Kings, David Chen, Jessie Earl, and Kim Renfro discuss which elements from House of the Dragon episode 3 were changed from the book. Why does the show keep increasing the stakes of characters’ actions beyond what they intend? How propaganda-driven is Fire and Blood anyway? And what is the net effect of this on the story being told in the show? Listen to hear us discuss all these que...
Jul 12, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Thanks to our sponsors this episode: GhostBed: Visit Ghostbed.com/castofkings and use code CASTOFKINGS to save 50% off your purchase sitewide. Betterhelp: Visit BetterHelp.com/castofkings today to get 10% off your first month. To support this podcast and get ad-free eps and bonus eps, become a paid member at decodingtv.com . In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen, Jessie Earl, and Kim Renfro dive into House of the Dragon’s fourth episode, “The Red Dragon and the Gold.” This week was an a...
Jul 08, 2024•2 hr 30 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen, Jessie Earl, and Kim Renfro dive into House of the Dragon’s third episode, “The Burning Mill.” In this episode, the war begins to spiral out of control. What did we think of how the show depicts this? Also: Rhaenyra makes some big moves. What did we make of her daring gambit at the end of the episode? And what’s Daemon up to these days, anyway? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more! Links: Email us at acastofkings(AT)gmail(DOT)com ...
Jul 01, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen, Jessie Earl, and Kim Renfro dive into House of the Dragon’s second episode, "Rhaenyra the Cruel." How is Aegon’s character shaping up this season? Are Otto’s reaction shots going to be the source of amazing gifs and memes? What do we think about how the show is introducing us to the smallfolk? And what exactly happened in the battle between Erryk and Arryk, anyway? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more! Links: Email us at acastofki...
Jun 24, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Transcript available on Metacast To get bonus episodes all season, become a paid subscriber at decodingtv.com . David, Jessie, and Kim discuss some of the ways 'House of the Dragon's' season premiere changed the book. In this bonus episode for A Cast of Kings, David Chen, Jessie Earl, and Kim Renfro, discuss the saga of Blood and Cheese and how the season premiere of House of the Dragon changed certain elements from the book. What did we make of the changes? Did they make things more or less effective? And is the show still in ...
Jun 21, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/castofkings today to get 10% off your first month. Help keep podcasts like A Cast of Kings going by becoming a paid member at DecodingTV.com . A Cast of Kings is back to cover season 2 of House of the Dragon! In this episode, David Chen, Jessie Earl, and Kim Renfro dive into House of the Dragon’s season 2 premiere, "A Son for a Son." This episode shows us the immediate aftermath of the events from season 1's finale. Will Aegon be a be...
Jun 17, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Transcript available on Metacast We are less than two months away from the premiere of House of the Dragon season 2, which is scheduled to hit Max on June 16th. In this bonus episode of A Cast of Kings, David and Kim Renfro welcome Jessie Earl to the podcast and discuss the plan for the year. Then, it’s time to run down all the recent Thrones- related. What do we think about the prospect of The Tales of Dunk and Egg as a new series? Were we disappointed to hear that the Jon Snow spin-off has been shelved? And what was our react...
Apr 19, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Big news: Kim Renfro and David Chen will be recapping Succession for its 4th and final season! In this special season 4 preview episode for Decoding TV, we discuss: Why is it we love Succession so much? Where we left off with each of the Roy characters at the end of season 3 Jesse Armstrong’s comments on why he wanted to end the show Where we think season 4 will wrap up Where we want to see each of the Roys end up The biggest jettisoned plotlines from earlier on in the show And much more! To get...
Mar 22, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Over on the Decoding TV podcast, David Chen, Joy, and Kim Renfro recorded a bonus episode discussing season 1 of Netflix's 1899 . In this excerpt we discussed our overall thoughts on the show. Later, we dive into our thoughts on the production design, each character's arc, and the unexpected ending to season 1. This clip contains the NON-SPOILER parts of our conversation. To listen to our full spoiler chat, go here . Find Decoding TV on Apple Podcasts or wherever your podcasts are found....
Dec 23, 2022•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast David Chen and Kim Renfro are back! In this bonus episode, Kim Renfro describes her experiences attending the Game of Thrones Official Fan Convention (the first officially licensed fan convention!). Which panels did she see and what did she learn about the current and future state of Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon ? Listen to find out! Links: Subscribe to this podcast on YouTube Follow A Cast of Kings on Tiktok Find Kim’s work at Insider...
Dec 16, 2022•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Subscribe to the Decoding TV podcast and hear us cover shows like The White Lotus, Andor, and many more! In this A Cast of Kings bonus episode, David Chen and Kim Renfro reflect on the first season of House of the Dragon . What questions remain unanswered? What themes stick out the most? And what was it like to make a podcast about it all? Listen to find out. Programming note: Kim and I plan to do other bonus episodes throughout the year as Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon news breaks. Keep i...
Nov 02, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hey folks, it's David Chen here. The second season of The White Lotus will debut on October 30 on HBO and run for 7 episodes, and I’m thrilled to share that the Decoding TV podcast will be recapping and reviewing each episode. Furthermore, I’m excited to announce that my co-host will be Roxana Hadadi , a TV critic at Vulture.com and one of my favorite writers on the internet today. In this Decoding TV bonus ep, we discuss season 1 of The White Lotus , with a particular focus on its finale. Where...
Oct 27, 2022•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast Help keep podcasts like A Cast of Kings going by becoming a paid member at DecodingTV.com ! In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen and Kim Renfro dive into House of the Dragon’s season 1 finale, “The Black Queen.” Rhaenyra learns of what went down at King’s Landing next week, prompting her and Daemon to take immediate action. But can Rhaenyra prevent tragedy from befalling the kingdom, as well as her family? Where is this show going with all the references to the ASOIAF prophecy? What’s ...
Oct 25, 2022•2 hr 43 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen and Kim Renfro dive into House of the Dragon’s ninth episode, “The Green Council.” Major events leave the Small Council divided on how to proceed. But who will have the upper hand? Should Aegon really be king or is Aemond really better prepared? Why is Ser Criston able to just do WTF he wants with no consequences? Will Alicent ever realize the grave error that she’s made? And what’s Larys’s whole deal anyway? Listen to hear our thoughts! Thanks to o...
Oct 18, 2022•2 hr 48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Support this podcast by becoming a paid member at DecodingTV.com ! In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen and Kim Renfro dive into House of the Dragon’s eighth episode, “The Lord of the Tides.” It’s the end of the line for Viserys as his whole family converges on King’s Landing to have one last extremely civil debate about the true line of succession. What’s going on with the disparate aging of the characters in the show? What is the dynamic between Rhaenyra and Alicent? Are we really go...
Oct 11, 2022•2 hr 35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Hellmouth Weirdos! Your favorite Morbid hosts Ash and Alaina are branching out from true crime and heading to Sunnydale for the ultimate Buffy the Vampire Slayer Rewatch podcast! Alaina is a Buffy superfan and Ash has never watched a single episode, so whether you’re Team Angel, Team Spike, or have no clue who those people are…they’ve got you covered! Join them each week as they slay their way through the series, episode by episode, re-watching, and watching for the very first tim...
Oct 04, 2022•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Support this podcast and get ad-free episodes and bonus episodes by becoming a paid member at DecodingTV.com ! In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen and Kim Renfro dive into House of the Dragon’s seventh episode, “Driftmark.” In this episode, a sudden death in the family brings disparate folks together from across the kingdom and introduces new tensions. How might the resulting conflicts reverberate through the rest of the show? Listen to hear our speculations and analyses. Thanks to ou...
Oct 03, 2022•2 hr 33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Support this podcast by becoming a paid member at DecodingTV.com ! In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen and Kim Renfro dive into House of the Dragon’s sixth episode, “The Princess and the Queen.” In this episode we jump forward 10 years in time to find that Daemon is much more mellow, Larys is much more sketchy, Alicent is much more intense about protecting her children, and Rhaenyra just wants to GTFO. But does it all work as a TV show? Listen to find out. Thanks to our sponsor this w...
Sep 27, 2022•2 hr 51 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is a preview of a bonus episode where Kim Renfro and David Chen discuss this show's use of time jumps. To get the rest of this episode, other bonus episodes, and ad-free episodes of the podcast, consider supporting this show by becoming a paid member at DecodingTV.com ! Links: Subscribe to this show on YouTube Follow this podcast on Tiktok Follow David Chen on Twitter Follow Kim Renfro on Twitter...
Sep 23, 2022•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Support this podcast by becoming a paid member at DecodingTV.com! In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen and Kim Renfro dive into House of the Dragon’s fifth episode, “We Light The Way.” Does this episode give Lady Royce fans what they want? What is the sexual equivalent of roasted duck? Will it ever be a good idea to go to a wedding in Westeros? Listen to find out! Thanks to our sponsor this week, HelloFresh. Go to Hellofresh.com/kings65 and use code "kings65" to get 65% plus free shipp...
Sep 20, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is a preview of a bonus episode where Kim Renfro and David Chen discuss this show's use of time jumps. To get the rest of this episode, other bonus episodes, and ad-free episodes of the podcast, consider supporting this show by becoming a paid member at DecodingTV.com ! Links: Subscribe to this show on YouTube Follow this podcast on Tiktok Follow David Chen on Twitter...
Sep 15, 2022•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Who is most worthy of Rhaenyra’s hand in marriage? How does House of the Dragon resemble Aladdin? Will we ever be able to look at Paddy Considine in the same way again? Listen to find out! Links: Thanks to our sponsor this episode, Manscaped! Get 20% Off and free shipping with the code CASTOFKINGS at Manscaped.com . For quality written content about House of the Dragon and many other shows, check out the Episodic Medium newsletter. The Decoding TV podcast is covering She-Hulk and Rings of Power....
Sep 13, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Support this podcast and get ad-free/bonus episodes by becoming a member at DecodingTV.com In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen and Kim Renfro dive into House of the Dragon’s third episode, “Second of His Name.” This week another massive time jump resets the status quo. What are the positives and negatives of these time jumps from a storytelling perspective? Why is Viserys so indecisive about who is heir should be? What are the parallels between Rhaenyra and Danny from Game of Thrones ...
Sep 06, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Support this podcast and get ad-free/bonus episodes by becoming a member at DecodingTV.com In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen and Kim Renfro dive into House of the Dragon’s second episode, “The Rogue Prince.” How questionable are Daemon and Viserys’s decisions? What’s up with this new opening credits sequence? What on earth is happening with Mysaria’s accent? Listen and find out! Links: The Decoding TV podcast will cover Rings of Power. Subscribe to the free podcast here! Check out t...
Aug 30, 2022•1 hr 29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Kim and I are trying something different today: We’re doing a Twitter Space that’s going to have our immediate and live reaction to this week’s episode of House of the Dragon, in advance of our fully refined recap tomorrow. If you don’t know what Twitter Spaces are, they’re basically live audio rooms on Twitter where people can have a conversation while others listen in. Of note: the audio is going to rougher than a usual podcast, and our thoughts are also a bit more raw. But this is really for ...
Aug 29, 2022•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
