A Cast of Kings - A House of the Dragon Podcast
Decoding TV
Decoding TV Presents A Cast of Kings: A quasi-weekly discussion of the plots, themes and highlights of the HBO series "House of the Dragon." Your hosts Dave Chen (The Filmcast and The Tobolowsky Files) and Kim Renfro (entertainment reporter at Insider, author of The Unofficial Guide to Game of Thrones) will dish up both praise and criticism and will try not to sound too pompous if the book was better. Questions, comments, oaths of fealty? Email [email protected]
- 1 hour 28 minutes'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' S1E05 - In the Name of the Mother
In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen and Kim Renfro dive into the fifth episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
This episode has a massive portion that’s not from the books. What did we make of how it tied into the themes of the season? Were we convinced that that was really young Dunk we were looking at? Is this one of the greatest Game of Thrones-related episodes ever? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!
Links:
16 February 2026, 10:04 am - 59 minutes 28 seconds'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' S1E04 - Seven
In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen and Jessie Earl dive into the fourth episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Watch Jessie’s video essay about the show and subscribe to her YouTube channel.
Why did this episode have one of our favorite endings ever? Does this episode answer the question of whether Dunk was really knighted? And how does this show compare with the other shows in the Game of Thrones universe. Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!
Links:
6 February 2026, 12:33 pm - 1 hour 3 minutes'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' S1E03 - The Squire
In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen and Kim Renfro dive into the third episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Why has sports betting infiltrated Westeros? What did we make of the big reveal at the end of the episode? And how was it different than what was in the books? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!
Links:
2 February 2026, 9:21 pm - 48 minutes 48 seconds'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' S1E02 - Hard Salt Beef
In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen and Kim Renfro dive into the second episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
How well did this episode capture the details of Westerosi tournaments? How do we feel about Dunk and Egg’s evolving relationship? And are these guys gonna be able to survive this thing? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!
Links:
26 January 2026, 10:51 pm - 1 hour 11 minutes'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' S1E01 - The Hedge Knight
In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen, Jessie Earl, and Kim Renfro dive the series premiere of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
What did we think of the show overall? How did find the relationship between Dunk and Egg? Is the world of Westeros still interesting without the noblemen? And what was up with that poop scene? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!
Links:
- Email us at acastofkings(AT)gmail(DOT)com
- Read Kim Renfro's recap at Decodingtv.com
- Subscribe to Decoding TV on YouTube
- Follow us on Tiktok
- Buy Kim Renfro’s book about Game of Thrones
- Subscribe to Jessie Gender on YouTube
- Learn more about Jessie Earl’s movie, Identiteaze
- Follow this podcast on Instagram
- Follow this podcast on Tiktok
-
Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything
19 January 2026, 7:30 pm - 18 minutes 7 secondsBonus Ep: Reacting to the First Trailer for 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'In this bonus episode of A Cast of Kings, David and Jessie Earl discuss the first official trailer for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. What was our reaction to the trailer? What are we most looking forward to? And what do we think of the casting? Listen to hear us discuss these questions and more.
Links:9 October 2025, 12:59 pm - 1 hour 38 minutesHouse of the Dragon Season 2 Post-Mortem (Feat. Your Questions/Comments)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.
What were the ratings like for this season of House of the Dragon? Did HBO really cut two episodes from the second season in a way that negatively impacted the story? Did Ulf actually have one of the best arcs of season 2? sAren’t Targaryens supposed to be fireproof? Does House of the Dragon have a prophecy problem? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!
Links:- Email us at acastofkings(AT)gmail(DOT)com
- Subscribe to Decoding TV on YouTube
- Follow us on Tiktok
- Buy Kim Renfro's book about Game of Thrones
- Subscribe to Jessie Gender on YouTube
- Learn more about Jessie Earl's movie, Identiteaze
- Follow this podcast on Instagram
- Follow this podcast on Tiktok
- Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything
12 August 2024, 8:00 am - 1 hour 57 minutesHouse of the Dragon S2E08 - The Queen Who Ever WasThanks to our sponsor this week, GhostBed:
- Visit GhostBed.com/castofkings and use the code CASTOFKINGS to save 50% off your purchase sitewide.
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 of it? What did we think of Daemon’s storyline this season? Is it too easy for Rhaenyra and Alicent to see each other? Did we think this was a satisfying conclusion to Criston Cole’s storyline this season? And what did we think of this season as a whole? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!
Links:- Email us at acastofkings(AT)gmail(DOT)com
- Subscribe to Decoding TV on YouTube
- Follow us on Tiktok
- Buy Kim Renfro's book about Game of Thrones
- Subscribe to Jessie Gender on YouTube
- Learn more about Jessie Earl's movie, Identiteaze
- Follow this podcast on Instagram
- Follow this podcast on Tiktok
- Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything
5 August 2024, 12:34 pm - 1 hour 28 minutesHouse of the Dragon S2E07 - The Red SowingThanks 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 good this week? And do we have any idea how the season finale is going to wrap things up? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!
Links:- Email us at acastofkings(AT)gmail(DOT)com
- Subscribe to Decoding TV on YouTube
- Follow us on Tiktok
- Buy Kim Renfro's book about Game of Thrones
- Subscribe to Jessie Gender on YouTube
- Learn more about Jessie Earl's movie, Identiteaze
- Follow this podcast on Instagram
- Follow this podcast on Tiktok
- Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything
29 July 2024, 8:23 am - 1 hour 47 minutesHouse of the Dragon S2E06 - SmallfolkThanks 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’s Landing? What was up with the weird vibes between Aegon and Aemond this episode? And how did we react to that big surprise at the end of the episode? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!
Links:- Email us at acastofkings(AT)gmail(DOT)com
- Subscribe to Decoding TV on YouTube
- Follow us on Tiktok
- Buy Kim Renfro's book about Game of Thrones
- Subscribe to Jessie Gender on YouTube
- Learn more about Jessie Earl's movie, Identiteaze
- Follow this podcast on Instagram
- Follow this podcast on Tiktok
- Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything
22 July 2024, 12:36 pm - 1 hour 35 minutesHouse of the Dragon S2E05 - RegentThanks 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 and Rhaenyra’s plotlines mirror each other? Is Daemon’s storyline working for us at all? And why is George R. R. Martin so mad about the way dragons are depicted in this show? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!
Links:- Email us at acastofkings(AT)gmail(DOT)com
- Become a paid member at DecodingTV.com to get bonus episodes.
- Subscribe to Decoding TV on YouTube
- Follow us on Tiktok
- Buy Kim Renfro's book about Game of Thrones
- Subscribe to Jessie Gender on YouTube
- Learn more about Jessie Earl's movie, Identiteaze
15 July 2024, 3:50 pm - More Episodes? Get the App