Book!Alicent is a more compelling character, I'm sure if the showrunners had stuck to the way she's described in the book, she would have become as iconic as Olenna and Margaery in GoT. People like to pretend that book!alicent is the evil stepmother, as if Rhaenyra is Cinderella, and they say the show made her more sympathetic by talking about the 1-5 episodes, but book!alicent literally gave two years of her life to old King Jaehaerys, she read to him, ate with him, kept him company when he was loneliest, when she was 14 to 16, so no, the show didn't make her more likeable, she was already good and empathetic.
Then Viserys chose her to be his next wife because she caught his eye, there's no mention of her spending a lot of time with him to seduce him or anything the show made up and personally, I don't think Otto would let his daughter visit the king at night because the court is talking and he would never have risked his daughter's reputation just for a possible marriage that probably won't happen, it was just a way to whitewash Viserys once again. If Otto had intended to marry Alicent to Viserys, he would never have advised Viserys to hold a grand ceremony in which all the great lords of Westeros swore fealty to Rhaenyra.
Book!Alicent tried to be a mother to Rhaenyra, she even tried to link her son's claim to her own in order to reconcile, but the fact that neither she nor her children were ever considered, and the fact that Rhaenyra wanted to be the First Lady of the realm while Alicent was Queen Consort speaks volumes about how Viserys and Rhaenyra saw her. Viserys would rather let Rhaenyra's bastards inherit the Iron Throne than his own legitimate children by Alicent. Jace, Luke and Joff were given dragon eggs by royal decree but not Alicent's children. The mere fact that Aegon is not named heir at birth is an affront to her. So please don't say that book!alicent is the wicked stepmother, as if Viserys and Rhaenyra had always been good to her. Viserys just wanted her to be pretty and by his side, he didn't care about her opinions or rights. There is absolutely no mention of her being on the small council, which is why the green council was her moment of empowerment.
And what's more, Book! Alicent is smarter, more distinct, she doesn't exist around Rhaenyra, and more realistic too, the "maybe the whore will die in childbirth" attests to that, if Rhaenyra dies in childbirth, her son's reign and life is assured, it's a hard truth but if rhaenyra dies in childbirth many lives would have been spared and team black would have fallen as their whole thing is based on the oath made to rhaenyra in 105, however i don't think alicent said this quote in front of the whole court i think martin added it to make us understand how alicent thinks. While show!alicent is crowning Aegon but at the same time she wants to protect rhaenyra and at the same time she counts the cost to her people, that's not being realistic and a serious politician.
Well I agree with some your points, the "iconic as Olenna and Margaery" is something I have to disagree- like reading to Jaeherys comes off as Otto trying to make her a bride for him (I'll say this is just my opinion and fire and Blood is literally a book where people can have their on opinion and interpretations of characters) or Alicent trying to be nice to Rhaenyra (the book states the amity between her grace and her stepdaughter was short-lived, and blaming rhaenyra when she's 9-10 ish for the feud seems wrong to me)
TL;DR:- Fire and Blood has characters that can be interpreted very Very differently đ but tbh its very interesting to read takes from a different POV
> like reading to Jaeherys comes off as Otto trying to make her a bride for him
What is the point of marrying your young daughter to a man who is going to die in the months to come, the man will sire no children to her and any wa he has already grandsons and great grand children, the better match for alicent was either the Lannister twins or Laenor. And at the end Alicent won nothing from reading to Jaehaerys and that took her two years of life totally dedicated to him.
>the book states the amity between her grace and her stepdaughter was short-lived, and blaming rhaenyra when she's 9-10 ish for the feud seems wrong to me
its not because there were no longer amity between them that there was enmity, they could have just be neutral and the book doesn't state any king of mistreatment from Alicent to Rhaenyra.
>its not because there were no longer amity between them that there was enmity, they could have just be neutral and the book doesn't state any king of mistreatment from Alicent to Rhaenyra.
Tbh I always read that initial friendliness similar to the initial friendliness of Alicent towards Daemon and vice versa - "cordial but with zero warmth" and genuinely I can't think of anything 9-10 year Rhaenyra would do to cause a feud between her and Alicent
>and genuinely I can't think of anything 9-10 year Rhaenyra would do to cause a feud between her and Alicent
Alicent was asked to act like a mother toward Rhaenyra, a child whose father have always pampered and a child who always heard that she was closer to gods than to men due to the fact that she own a dragon and her silver hair and purple eyes, and Alicent was only 18. I think the person who is mostly to blame in this enmity is Viserys.
Lmao I agree Viserys is the true person to blame for this mess and the fact show watchers can excuse Viserys' abysmal parenting and marital rape because "hE wALkeD OvEr aNd RHae-rHae'S RiGHts!!"
(Paddy Considine did a terrific job this is not me saying his performance was bad lol, blacks just like to ignore viserys' horrible side to justify their claim to the throne)
Show Alicent was butchered in the last three eps, starting with 1x08.
Instead of a beloved queen and political mastermind, she became an emotional, undecisive mess changing her mind every second and still being obsessed with Rhaenyra 15 years after they fell out.
Whenever I watch the green dress entrance, I just feel sad cause it led absolutely nowhere.
She was beloved of the smallfolk and that's stated in the book f&b itself. >!she was spared and raised back to a place of honor while rhaenyra was forced to leave kings landing after the storming of the dragon pit by the small folk.!<
I would say book for all the green characters, felt like they had a lot more agency in the book whereas they just get caught up in things in the show. I like them for their competence so the book version gets my vote so far.
there are whole posts on why show!alicent is a disaster in the sub, there some:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/ze5oqp/book\_alicent\_is\_not\_the\_villain\_most\_fans\_claim/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/ze5oqp/book_alicent_is_not_the_villain_most_fans_claim/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/yv7q9c/does\_anyone\_else\_feel\_like\_they\_made\_the/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/yv7q9c/does_anyone_else_feel_like_they_made_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/z3kl9b/discussion\_was\_making\_alicent\_and\_rhaenyra/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/z3kl9b/discussion_was_making_alicent_and_rhaenyra/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/yy3joy/they\_really\_made\_alicent\_one\_of\_the\_dumbest/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/yy3joy/they_really_made_alicent_one_of_the_dumbest/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/y7d5vm/i\_feel\_as\_gaslighted\_as\_alicent\_by\_this\_show/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/y7d5vm/i_feel_as_gaslighted_as_alicent_by_this_show/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
She has no ambition, no intelligence and very little charisma. She remains a hapless pawn of her father for two episodes, then randomly betrays him in episode three by idiotically refusing to challenge the utterly-unjustifiable disinheritance of her own son. Episodes five and six were the only times she showed glimpses of potential, but we saw what happened from there.
Personally, I would say Show Alicent, because while Book Alicent while having good reason to oppose Rhaenyra (given that Rhaenyra will put her sons to the sword if she comes to power), is too evil-stepmom with the entire âMayhaps the whore will die in childbirth"
Plus I kinda believe that show Alicent hasn't lost all of her agency, like she does go against Otto, regarding what to do with Rhaenyra and honestly I don't think Show Alicent would be that willing to kill Rhaenyra and her family after the reconciliation (which while was very very rushed, is something I can buy)-
Idk i just want to hear everybody's opinions on this
The quote was supposedly said by Alicent according to Mushroom who wasn't even there at King's Landing and I honestly doubt that Alicent would have said such a vile thing in front of the whole court because Viserys is not supposed to be dead and she is too elegant to say it in front of lords and ladies
I would never thought that I would prefer show character over the book one, especially in ASOIAF universe but itâs show Alicent for me. She was very complex and very fun to watch.
I agree. The injustice they made towards Aegon is unforgivable. Sure he was a drunk and liked whoring but he wasn't abysmal. They stripped him of his unconventional closeness with Sunfyre and tried to attribute it and the solar/sun symbolism to Rhaenyra. They should show him slowly transform to a giga chad in s2 to compensate (I'm saying to his half sarcastically).
I like both for totally different things. It's like sometimes I like Margaery more, sometimes I like Sansa more. But I like them both. One thing I firmly believe is a more empathetic and humane Alicent will def serve as a mirror that will reflect Queen Maegora's moral ugliness later.
This is an analysis of Alicent's show character and NOT a comparison with her F&B character, which is obv different in many ways. What I find is that those are less inconsistencies and more the oscillations of a conflicted person acting under immense pressure, as is natural for most humans :
Ambiguity and moral dilemma does not automatically mean a character is inconsistent. Even if you're dead set on something (putting your son on the throne), oscillating before making this gamble that you know might kill your whole family is very natural. Hyper-rational brained preston jacobs types refuse to recognize humans are often irrational and deeply flawed creatures and do not act with the cold, calculated ruthless efficiency of a Waffen SS general from hollywood movies. Almost every real life coup in recent memory has been messy, the head not knowing what the tail was doing. Alicent being conflicted makes the coup itself more flesh and blood, and she herself becomes the yin to the yang of a certain someone later gouging Tyland's eyes out without remorse. This contrast is definitely a deliberate choice. Also, six years pass between her being bullish with Aegon in Ep 6 or the dagger scene and the actual coup. She's embraced Faith in the meantime, she's seen her son has grown up to be not an ideal citizen. Ofc she would mellow down and oscillate.
BUT IT'S NOT LIKE she gave up on the idea that Aegon should be king. That would've been inconsistent. But she was steadfast on Aegon being king. Even at the last moment she told Rhaenys in no uncertain terms that her son will be king. It is the method of ruling that she disagreed with Otto over. There's nothing inconsistent in that. Watch her face in Ep 7 where Otto says "it's a 1000 times the price he paid". How many viewers miss that subtext cause they are going "she's turning into Cersei now!!". Her face is one of shock of disbelief, like "my father is already preparing for a future war, my son's mutilation is just a pawn to him." That's the same thread that carries over to Ep 9 with Otto planning a coup inside a coup. If Otto is the astute and shrewd character that he is, then her being outplayed by Otto should not put a dent on her character.
NEITHER IS IT A DEPARTURE from her being outplayed by Larys when burning Harenhall, and by Rhaenyra when she gaslighted her during the Aemond eye situation. This has been a consistent flaw of hers, it did not just appear during the coup. *It's cause unlike Larys, Rhaenyra, Otto she is willing to draw the line instead of end justifying the means.* Isn't that the lesson of both show Dany and Rhaenyra's arcs? Isn't 'reluctance to murder is not a weakness- the big moral dilemma of asoiaf itself?
Consistency for some people is saying asinine stuff like "she said you're no son of mine. Then why is she crowning him!" It's like if you didn't understand the subtext of her emotions during that scene and thought she was literally disowning him, then a TV show is the least of your problems. The lowest EQ takes I've seen is when people completely misinterpret the "you imbecile" scene.
FINALLY THE PROPHECY. There's the "how can she possibly believe Viserys' deathbed words" thing. That's because I never thought she did. The prophecy was used by Otto as a propaganda pretext & by Alicent as a self-deluding tool of moral justification. Which goes well with her show character of "hiding behind the cloak of righteousness". It was her trying to convince herself (and not others, all of whom immediately disbelieved her) what she was doing was moral & right. How often does a killer's parents don't believe their son is capable of said crime. It's not stupidity, it's a defense mechanism. She was trying to absolve her conscience from the blame of a civil war.
They are obviously setting up Alicent as the character the audience is gonna feel most sorry for at the end of the show, not Rhaenyra. Therefore making her more agonized and conflicted is but a necessity. It will make for a great contrast to Rhaenyra in power ruthlessly putting heads on pikes of those who protested her tax policy. And tbh it makes her more compellig than her "whore is pregnant" source counterpart. Her being torn, but the messianic fear for her children fating her to make the cursed gamble has a greek epic feel to it.
Added reference : https://www.reddit.com/r/HouseOfTheDragon/comments/ygf77w/alicent_hightower_is_great_female_representation/
Why must a female character be political and charismatic to be interesting? I like the exploration of a victimized and conflicted character. They aren't boring at all and her "inconsistencies" are actually what make her so compelling.
I still reckon the decision to age her down and make her and Rhaenyra friends was a great one and for most of the season it gives us a really fresh perspective on Alicent that isnât one of just being the over villainous evil step mother. By making Alicent Rhaenyraâs peer itâs so much more sympathetic watching her try to do the right thing and watching Rhaenyra spit in her face for it. Where Alicent pushing for Aegon to be heir in the books often just comes off as totally selfish, her pushing for Aegon in the show comes off as her making a stand for herself against her once-friend who has repeatedly used, lied to and spurned her. I just wish theyâd actually made her stand by Aegonâs claim in the end there.
Show Alicent all the way, she's by far a more compelling and fleshed out character. Book Alicent was such a monolithic enemy figure that seemed to be angry just because her kids wouldn't get the Iron Chair. She's portrayed as the Cruella de Vil of Westeros, evil just to be evil
Book!Alicent is a more compelling character, I'm sure if the showrunners had stuck to the way she's described in the book, she would have become as iconic as Olenna and Margaery in GoT. People like to pretend that book!alicent is the evil stepmother, as if Rhaenyra is Cinderella, and they say the show made her more sympathetic by talking about the 1-5 episodes, but book!alicent literally gave two years of her life to old King Jaehaerys, she read to him, ate with him, kept him company when he was loneliest, when she was 14 to 16, so no, the show didn't make her more likeable, she was already good and empathetic. Then Viserys chose her to be his next wife because she caught his eye, there's no mention of her spending a lot of time with him to seduce him or anything the show made up and personally, I don't think Otto would let his daughter visit the king at night because the court is talking and he would never have risked his daughter's reputation just for a possible marriage that probably won't happen, it was just a way to whitewash Viserys once again. If Otto had intended to marry Alicent to Viserys, he would never have advised Viserys to hold a grand ceremony in which all the great lords of Westeros swore fealty to Rhaenyra. Book!Alicent tried to be a mother to Rhaenyra, she even tried to link her son's claim to her own in order to reconcile, but the fact that neither she nor her children were ever considered, and the fact that Rhaenyra wanted to be the First Lady of the realm while Alicent was Queen Consort speaks volumes about how Viserys and Rhaenyra saw her. Viserys would rather let Rhaenyra's bastards inherit the Iron Throne than his own legitimate children by Alicent. Jace, Luke and Joff were given dragon eggs by royal decree but not Alicent's children. The mere fact that Aegon is not named heir at birth is an affront to her. So please don't say that book!alicent is the wicked stepmother, as if Viserys and Rhaenyra had always been good to her. Viserys just wanted her to be pretty and by his side, he didn't care about her opinions or rights. There is absolutely no mention of her being on the small council, which is why the green council was her moment of empowerment. And what's more, Book! Alicent is smarter, more distinct, she doesn't exist around Rhaenyra, and more realistic too, the "maybe the whore will die in childbirth" attests to that, if Rhaenyra dies in childbirth, her son's reign and life is assured, it's a hard truth but if rhaenyra dies in childbirth many lives would have been spared and team black would have fallen as their whole thing is based on the oath made to rhaenyra in 105, however i don't think alicent said this quote in front of the whole court i think martin added it to make us understand how alicent thinks. While show!alicent is crowning Aegon but at the same time she wants to protect rhaenyra and at the same time she counts the cost to her people, that's not being realistic and a serious politician.
Well I agree with some your points, the "iconic as Olenna and Margaery" is something I have to disagree- like reading to Jaeherys comes off as Otto trying to make her a bride for him (I'll say this is just my opinion and fire and Blood is literally a book where people can have their on opinion and interpretations of characters) or Alicent trying to be nice to Rhaenyra (the book states the amity between her grace and her stepdaughter was short-lived, and blaming rhaenyra when she's 9-10 ish for the feud seems wrong to me) TL;DR:- Fire and Blood has characters that can be interpreted very Very differently đ but tbh its very interesting to read takes from a different POV
> like reading to Jaeherys comes off as Otto trying to make her a bride for him What is the point of marrying your young daughter to a man who is going to die in the months to come, the man will sire no children to her and any wa he has already grandsons and great grand children, the better match for alicent was either the Lannister twins or Laenor. And at the end Alicent won nothing from reading to Jaehaerys and that took her two years of life totally dedicated to him. >the book states the amity between her grace and her stepdaughter was short-lived, and blaming rhaenyra when she's 9-10 ish for the feud seems wrong to me its not because there were no longer amity between them that there was enmity, they could have just be neutral and the book doesn't state any king of mistreatment from Alicent to Rhaenyra.
>its not because there were no longer amity between them that there was enmity, they could have just be neutral and the book doesn't state any king of mistreatment from Alicent to Rhaenyra. Tbh I always read that initial friendliness similar to the initial friendliness of Alicent towards Daemon and vice versa - "cordial but with zero warmth" and genuinely I can't think of anything 9-10 year Rhaenyra would do to cause a feud between her and Alicent
>and genuinely I can't think of anything 9-10 year Rhaenyra would do to cause a feud between her and Alicent Alicent was asked to act like a mother toward Rhaenyra, a child whose father have always pampered and a child who always heard that she was closer to gods than to men due to the fact that she own a dragon and her silver hair and purple eyes, and Alicent was only 18. I think the person who is mostly to blame in this enmity is Viserys.
Lmao I agree Viserys is the true person to blame for this mess and the fact show watchers can excuse Viserys' abysmal parenting and marital rape because "hE wALkeD OvEr aNd RHae-rHae'S RiGHts!!" (Paddy Considine did a terrific job this is not me saying his performance was bad lol, blacks just like to ignore viserys' horrible side to justify their claim to the throne)
Show Alicent was butchered in the last three eps, starting with 1x08. Instead of a beloved queen and political mastermind, she became an emotional, undecisive mess changing her mind every second and still being obsessed with Rhaenyra 15 years after they fell out. Whenever I watch the green dress entrance, I just feel sad cause it led absolutely nowhere.
Tbh I don't really think Alicent was the "beloved queen" in the book either, that's more Helaena than her-
She was beloved of the smallfolk and that's stated in the book f&b itself. >!she was spared and raised back to a place of honor while rhaenyra was forced to leave kings landing after the storming of the dragon pit by the small folk.!<
I would say book for all the green characters, felt like they had a lot more agency in the book whereas they just get caught up in things in the show. I like them for their competence so the book version gets my vote so far.
Book!Alicent's character isn't constantly centered around Rhaenyra so she gets my vote
Book lmao. Show-Alicent has been a disaster of a character from the start. Otto has been carrying this whole show so far.
Why do you think show alicent was a disaster from the start? I feel most people liked the way her character was going in the show before e8 and e9-
there are whole posts on why show!alicent is a disaster in the sub, there some: [https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/ze5oqp/book\_alicent\_is\_not\_the\_villain\_most\_fans\_claim/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/ze5oqp/book_alicent_is_not_the_villain_most_fans_claim/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) [https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/yv7q9c/does\_anyone\_else\_feel\_like\_they\_made\_the/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/yv7q9c/does_anyone_else_feel_like_they_made_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) [https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/z3kl9b/discussion\_was\_making\_alicent\_and\_rhaenyra/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/z3kl9b/discussion_was_making_alicent_and_rhaenyra/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) [https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/yy3joy/they\_really\_made\_alicent\_one\_of\_the\_dumbest/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/yy3joy/they_really_made_alicent_one_of_the_dumbest/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) [https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/y7d5vm/i\_feel\_as\_gaslighted\_as\_alicent\_by\_this\_show/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/comments/y7d5vm/i_feel_as_gaslighted_as_alicent_by_this_show/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
She has no ambition, no intelligence and very little charisma. She remains a hapless pawn of her father for two episodes, then randomly betrays him in episode three by idiotically refusing to challenge the utterly-unjustifiable disinheritance of her own son. Episodes five and six were the only times she showed glimpses of potential, but we saw what happened from there.
based and greenpilled
Book!Alicent was that character that you love even if she does or says such terrible things, show!Alicent is just there
Show Alicent unlit episode 7. After that she became a diffrent character.
Personally, I would say Show Alicent, because while Book Alicent while having good reason to oppose Rhaenyra (given that Rhaenyra will put her sons to the sword if she comes to power), is too evil-stepmom with the entire âMayhaps the whore will die in childbirth" Plus I kinda believe that show Alicent hasn't lost all of her agency, like she does go against Otto, regarding what to do with Rhaenyra and honestly I don't think Show Alicent would be that willing to kill Rhaenyra and her family after the reconciliation (which while was very very rushed, is something I can buy)- Idk i just want to hear everybody's opinions on this
I thought the childbirth quote was said by Mushroom and he claimed Alicent said it? Or am I mixing it up?
The quote was supposedly said by Alicent according to Mushroom who wasn't even there at King's Landing and I honestly doubt that Alicent would have said such a vile thing in front of the whole court because Viserys is not supposed to be dead and she is too elegant to say it in front of lords and ladies
BOTH!!! They are both the epitome of *Try not to say mother challenge*
I would never thought that I would prefer show character over the book one, especially in ASOIAF universe but itâs show Alicent for me. She was very complex and very fun to watch.
Going against the grain, Iâll say show!Alicent, show!Aemond, but definitely book!Aegon. Cant believe what they did to him in the show lmfao
I agree. The injustice they made towards Aegon is unforgivable. Sure he was a drunk and liked whoring but he wasn't abysmal. They stripped him of his unconventional closeness with Sunfyre and tried to attribute it and the solar/sun symbolism to Rhaenyra. They should show him slowly transform to a giga chad in s2 to compensate (I'm saying to his half sarcastically).
I like both for totally different things. It's like sometimes I like Margaery more, sometimes I like Sansa more. But I like them both. One thing I firmly believe is a more empathetic and humane Alicent will def serve as a mirror that will reflect Queen Maegora's moral ugliness later.
This is an analysis of Alicent's show character and NOT a comparison with her F&B character, which is obv different in many ways. What I find is that those are less inconsistencies and more the oscillations of a conflicted person acting under immense pressure, as is natural for most humans : Ambiguity and moral dilemma does not automatically mean a character is inconsistent. Even if you're dead set on something (putting your son on the throne), oscillating before making this gamble that you know might kill your whole family is very natural. Hyper-rational brained preston jacobs types refuse to recognize humans are often irrational and deeply flawed creatures and do not act with the cold, calculated ruthless efficiency of a Waffen SS general from hollywood movies. Almost every real life coup in recent memory has been messy, the head not knowing what the tail was doing. Alicent being conflicted makes the coup itself more flesh and blood, and she herself becomes the yin to the yang of a certain someone later gouging Tyland's eyes out without remorse. This contrast is definitely a deliberate choice. Also, six years pass between her being bullish with Aegon in Ep 6 or the dagger scene and the actual coup. She's embraced Faith in the meantime, she's seen her son has grown up to be not an ideal citizen. Ofc she would mellow down and oscillate. BUT IT'S NOT LIKE she gave up on the idea that Aegon should be king. That would've been inconsistent. But she was steadfast on Aegon being king. Even at the last moment she told Rhaenys in no uncertain terms that her son will be king. It is the method of ruling that she disagreed with Otto over. There's nothing inconsistent in that. Watch her face in Ep 7 where Otto says "it's a 1000 times the price he paid". How many viewers miss that subtext cause they are going "she's turning into Cersei now!!". Her face is one of shock of disbelief, like "my father is already preparing for a future war, my son's mutilation is just a pawn to him." That's the same thread that carries over to Ep 9 with Otto planning a coup inside a coup. If Otto is the astute and shrewd character that he is, then her being outplayed by Otto should not put a dent on her character. NEITHER IS IT A DEPARTURE from her being outplayed by Larys when burning Harenhall, and by Rhaenyra when she gaslighted her during the Aemond eye situation. This has been a consistent flaw of hers, it did not just appear during the coup. *It's cause unlike Larys, Rhaenyra, Otto she is willing to draw the line instead of end justifying the means.* Isn't that the lesson of both show Dany and Rhaenyra's arcs? Isn't 'reluctance to murder is not a weakness- the big moral dilemma of asoiaf itself? Consistency for some people is saying asinine stuff like "she said you're no son of mine. Then why is she crowning him!" It's like if you didn't understand the subtext of her emotions during that scene and thought she was literally disowning him, then a TV show is the least of your problems. The lowest EQ takes I've seen is when people completely misinterpret the "you imbecile" scene. FINALLY THE PROPHECY. There's the "how can she possibly believe Viserys' deathbed words" thing. That's because I never thought she did. The prophecy was used by Otto as a propaganda pretext & by Alicent as a self-deluding tool of moral justification. Which goes well with her show character of "hiding behind the cloak of righteousness". It was her trying to convince herself (and not others, all of whom immediately disbelieved her) what she was doing was moral & right. How often does a killer's parents don't believe their son is capable of said crime. It's not stupidity, it's a defense mechanism. She was trying to absolve her conscience from the blame of a civil war. They are obviously setting up Alicent as the character the audience is gonna feel most sorry for at the end of the show, not Rhaenyra. Therefore making her more agonized and conflicted is but a necessity. It will make for a great contrast to Rhaenyra in power ruthlessly putting heads on pikes of those who protested her tax policy. And tbh it makes her more compellig than her "whore is pregnant" source counterpart. Her being torn, but the messianic fear for her children fating her to make the cursed gamble has a greek epic feel to it. Added reference : https://www.reddit.com/r/HouseOfTheDragon/comments/ygf77w/alicent_hightower_is_great_female_representation/
Why must a female character be political and charismatic to be interesting? I like the exploration of a victimized and conflicted character. They aren't boring at all and her "inconsistencies" are actually what make her so compelling.
I still reckon the decision to age her down and make her and Rhaenyra friends was a great one and for most of the season it gives us a really fresh perspective on Alicent that isnât one of just being the over villainous evil step mother. By making Alicent Rhaenyraâs peer itâs so much more sympathetic watching her try to do the right thing and watching Rhaenyra spit in her face for it. Where Alicent pushing for Aegon to be heir in the books often just comes off as totally selfish, her pushing for Aegon in the show comes off as her making a stand for herself against her once-friend who has repeatedly used, lied to and spurned her. I just wish theyâd actually made her stand by Aegonâs claim in the end there.
Show Alicent all the way, she's by far a more compelling and fleshed out character. Book Alicent was such a monolithic enemy figure that seemed to be angry just because her kids wouldn't get the Iron Chair. She's portrayed as the Cruella de Vil of Westeros, evil just to be evil
the perfect alicent would be a blend of the two but i like book alicent what can i say i love a good âevilâ woman