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TV & Film

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 acastofkings@gmail.com



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  • 20 episodes
  • Updated Tuesday
  • Explicit

Episodes20

Newest first
  • Tuesday · 1 hr 46 min

    'House of the Dragon' S3E07 - The Dragon in Winter

    Jessie and Kim discuss the penultimate episode of season 3 of House of the Dragon. In this episode of A Cast of Kings, Kim Renfro and Jessie Earl talk about the seventh episode of season 3 of House of the Dragon, “The Dragon in Winter". Is Alys messing with Ameond’s head as his mother arrives at Harrenhal? Does Aegon face his fate? And did sheepstealer truly do anything wrong? 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 - https://www.youtube.com/@decodingtv Follow us on Tiktok - http://tiktok.com/@acastofkings Buy Kim Renfro’s book about Game of Thrones - https://parents.simonandschuster.com/9781982116415 Follow this podcast on Instagram - http://instagram.com/decodingtv Follow this podcast on Tiktok - http://tiktok.com/@decodingtv Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything - http://www.decodingeverything.com/

  • July 7 · 1 hr 43 min

    'House of the Dragon' S3E03 - Rhaenyra Triumphant

    Jessie and Kim discuss the third episode of season 3 of House of the Dragon. In this episode of A Cast of Kings, Jessie and Kim discuss the third episode of season 3 of House of the Dragon. Does Rhaenyra take to the throne? How does the show handle Game of Thrones’ first real bottle episode? What is Rhaenyra’s creative solution to her rat problem? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more! Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more! Read Brooke Obie’s piece here. 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 Follow Jessie Gender on YouTube Follow this podcast on Instagram Follow this podcast on Tiktok Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything

  • July 2 · 36 min

    Bonus Ep: How "Queen’s Landing" Changed From the Books

    To get bonus episodes all season, become a paid subscriber at decodingtv.com. In this bonus episode for A Cast of Kings, Jessie Earl and Kim Renfro discuss which elements from House of the Dragon season 3 episode 2, “Queen’s Landing,” were changed from the book. How have they changed the story of Nettles? What was different about how Rhaenyra took back King’s Landing? And how did Otto Hightower originally show back 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 Follow Jessie Gender on YouTube Follow this podcast on Instagram Follow this podcast on Tiktok Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything

  • June 29 · 1 hr 39 min

    'House of the Dragon' S3E02 - Queen’s Landing

    Jessie and Kim discuss the second episode of season 3 of House of the Dragon. In this episode of A Cast of Kings, Kim Renfro and Jessie Earl dive into the second episode of season 3 of House of the Dragon, Queen’s Landing. Does Alicent’s scheming with Rhenerya actually pay off? How did Rhenerya react to his son’s death and the betrayal of her Queensguard? And what did we think of the aftermath of the Battle of the Gullet for the Sea Snake and his family? 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 Follow Jessie Gender on YouTube Follow this podcast on Instagram Follow this podcast on Tiktok Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything

  • June 22 · 1 hr 41 min

    'House of the Dragon' S3E01 - Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood

    A Cast of Kings co-hosts Jessie Earl and Kim Renfro take in the season 3 premiere of 'House of the Dragon', titled "Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood". 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 Follow Jessie Gender on YouTube Follow this podcast on Instagram Follow this podcast on Tiktok Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything #thehouseofthedragon #gameofthrones #hbomax

  • May 31 · 22 min

    Bonus Ep: Reacting to the Final HOTD Trailer (Plus: A Change in Lineup for the Podcast)

    David, Jessie, and Kim react to the final trailer for the third season of 'House of the Dragon.' Plus: David shares an announcement about the next season of the podcast. Links: Email us at decodingtv(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

  • February 23 · 1 hr 6 min

    'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' S1E06 - The Morrow

    In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen and Kim Renfro dive into the sixth episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. How did we feel about the way this season wrapped up? How was A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms inspired by Furious 7? And what were our thoughts on the new House of the Dragon teaser? 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 Follow this podcast on Instagram Follow this podcast on Tiktok Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything

  • February 16 · 1 hr 28 min

    '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: 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 Follow this podcast on Instagram Follow this podcast on Tiktok Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything

  • February 6 · 59 min

    '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: 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 Follow this podcast on Instagram Follow this podcast on Tiktok Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything

  • February 2 · 1 hr 3 min

    '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: 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 Follow this podcast on Instagram Follow this podcast on Tiktok Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything

  • January 26 · 48 min

    '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: 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 Follow this podcast on Instagram Follow this podcast on Tiktok Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything

  • January 19 · 1 hr 11 min

    '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

  • Oct 9, 2025 · 18 min

    Bonus 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: Check out Jessie Earl’s YouTube channel Subscribe to this podcast on YouTube Follow this podcast on Instagram Follow this podcast on Tiktok Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything Follow David on Instagram Follow David on Tiktok

  • Aug 12, 2024 · 1 hr 38 min

    House 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. 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 season 2. 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

  • Aug 5, 2024 · 1 hr 57 min

    House of the Dragon S2E08 - The Queen Who Ever Was

    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 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

  • Jul 29, 2024 · 1 hr 28 min

    House of the Dragon S2E07 - The Red Sowing

    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 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