tea & rum 

A couple of days ago I received a very nice message on Tumblr about the latest episode of tea & rum. Here it is:

This is what I wrote back:

“I am so happy to hear it! I pondered your question throughout the day and that is what I think:

Aemond is a man accustomed to total self-control. He monitors his every thought and every feeling. That is why he may have some deep and gloomy introspection in Season 3 (in addition to analyzing what is happening and his role on all this military chessboard). Anyway, I hope they will give him such scenes. However, taking into account the ending of Season 2, Aemond will be in great despair. Will he make mistakes on the rebound of that powerful feeling? Hard to tell. Aemond keeps in mind what price his impulsiveness at Storm's End had cost him. I think his destructive rage will be extremely cold in Season 3, and his despair will probably have brilliantly conceived consequences. But. Whatever he will think, whatever he will feel, whatever conclusions he will come to during any self-analysis, he will have no doubt about the path he has chosen. The path of destruction and descent into darkness is the only possible path for him now. It is the road with no return. He can afford to regret, but he cannot afford to doubt. I think he may go down the road of: you call me a monster? i'll show you a monster.

I really like the way this was put in a new interview with Ewan Mitchell:

That sums up how I feel about the upcoming season pretty well. Although, to be honest, I was surprised Aemond was called a villain. Not because he is not – he is, – but because I never thought of Aemond that way. I always thought of him as a broken heart, an open wound, an injured animal in a trap, which bleeds and therefore is dangerous.

What role will Alys Rivers play in Aemond's fate in the show? I don't know, but it will be interesting to see their interaction. Perhaps, she will be Aemond's brightly burning torch in the pitch-dark night of his life. Perhaps, she will be the flame in which he will burn like a moth. Perhaps, she will be his final step into darkness. Who can tell?

My heartfelt gratitude to you for your message! It made me a very happy person! To tell the truth, I was starting to give up and the last few weeks I was kind of desponding about whether I should continue to make the podcast because I felt no one else needs it except me, but your words have breathed new life into me! My mum says: if at least one person in a thousand years liked what you do, then everything was not in vain. Now I know that such a person exists, and I can continue to develop my little enterprise with new strength. Thank you so much! 💖

P. S. By the way, the next episode of my podcast will also be about Aemond.” 

That's about it! I recommend reading this article with the new interview in full, it's very interesting, and there are also great photos of Ewan Mitchell *wink*.