"what i love about aemond is that he has an ambiguity. he could be looking at someone thinking about how he wants to cook them a meal and take them on a date or he could be looking at someone thinking he wants to make them the meal and take vhagar [his dragon] on a date"
— ewan mitchell.
Okay , I get that a lot of people are mad at Aemond for what he said about Alicent, and on the other hand, a lot of people are acting as if Alicent raised a monster in Aemond, and that Aemond’s mindset toward Alicent is rooted in misogyny, because apparently people have convinced themselves that he sees women as ‘less than human’ and his mother is also impacted by that.
So no, that’s not the case. Aemond calling Alicent a fool for her empathy toward Rhaenyra is due to the fact that, the Blacks would never have this type of love, empathy or hesitation toward the Greens, and from childhood he has been tormented by Viserys and the Blacks. I was close to saying that Alicent planted this idea in his mind that the Blacks were his enemies since childhood, so of course, her going back on what she had taught him is angering to him.
The reality however is, Alicent didn’t do that. She didn’t really have to. Aemond lived a life growing up where he knew he was second to Rhaenyra and her children in every way, and where he knew his father did not have the same love and empathy for them as he did Rhaenyra and the strong kids. They bullied Aemond, took out his eye, and his father did nothing but threatened to have he and his mother (and brothers) punished/tortured for speaking up.
This war is about the throne as much as it is about getting back at, in Aemond’s mind, his abusers, his tormentors, the people who hurt him. He NEVER had the power to do that growing up, he knew early on that Rhaenyra and her family were granted a sort of protection that he wasn’t, that his mother wasn’t. He had to watch his mother, who was a victim of abuse and grooming, navigate in a world where all they had was each other.
He doesn’t see Rhaenyra as a sister. He sees her as an extension of her son’s who bullied him, who caused him to lose an eye. He sees them as an extension of his father who neglected him, who raped his mother so he could be born, yet treated him like he was invisible and did nothing to gain justice for his missing eye.
So why would he love Rhaenyra? Rhaenyra is Viserys in his mind, and Viserys abused his mother, that family tormented him since he was a child….so yes, of course Alicent is a fool to him for having empathy for the people who abused and tormented them.
And if this AFTER Blood and Cheese--it adds insult to the wound. His nephew was killed, his niece was threatened with rape, his sister has lost her mind because of it...so why would he feel empathy for Rhaenyra, whom he probably blames for B&C?
Reminder to everyone here that the actors have no control over the writing. None.
Tom Glynn Carney went round and round with Sara Hess about making Aegon a rapist. He lost greatly.
Nikolaj Coster Waldau had an interview a few years back where he talked about going to D&D and the rest of the writers time and time again, begging them to stop making Jaime such a big waffler. They told him he is an actor and to act, let them do the writing.
The actors have no power. They are contracted for multiple seasons as actors and if they tried to quit, they'd be sued for breach of contract.
Rewatched Viserys dinner speech and Alicent and Rhaenyra look sad and like they believe him. Aemonds not even listening because he stopped thinking of him as anything to him the night he lost his eye. Aegon and Deamon look at him with doubt and irritation when he says he loves them all so dearly and apparently Haleana does too but her shot was cut.
The only people listening carefully are Rhaenyra and Daemons kids because they have been living in I’m so sheltered land for the past 6 years on Dragonstone and they believe his words at face value.
Also luke started that dinner fight. Aemond was literally staring into space and luc started laughing at him rudely. I loved the fight sequence because Aegon stopping luc and baela from intervening was like no 4 on 1 this time bitches let’s see how Jacey can do 1:1. Aegon clearly did feel guilt for the night Aemond was maimed weather his mother shamed him or not.
Team Green kids are mad but god damn are the Team Black kids spoiled entitled brats.
I read the Ep. 4 spoilers yesterday and if they're true... let's just say go for it babygirl
i don't know what crime he's planning but whatever aemond does i'm on his side
Me to my enemies -I hope your fav character gets written by Condal and Co .
This has got to be one of the most devastatingly good looking side profiles I’ve ever seen on a man
*deep sigh* Ewan Mitchell…the man that you are
I want to nestle myself in his lap between his legs…. I want to be so close to him that I can faintly hear his pulse, I want to feel the warmth from his body through our clothes, I want to feel his high quality leather brush up against my skin, I want to be able to SMELL him…. 😩😻😩😻
I know it's been months and we're all done complaining about House of the Dragon, but it was just such a wasted opportunity to not follow the book canon of the Greens being beloved of the people.
Even if they still wanted to frame the show with Rhaenyra as our star and character to root for, framing Aegon as a full blown antagonist just doesn't have the same dynamic storytelling that GRRM creates. Aegon being an inept king is absolutely not the same thing as him being disliked. Inept political leaders become populists and demagogues all the time. Framing Aegon as someone without real leadership or intelligence BUT with magnanimity and charisma makes him a much more real threat. Rhaenyra would be the better monarch, but as a woman and as less charming, she fails to get the support of the people. It's topical.
If they followed through on the scene of Aegon holding court, clearly reveling in the fact that the people love him, it creates a more interesting character motivation. Aegon didn't even want to be King, so the war to keep him on the throne feels wildly futile, but Aegon fighting to keep the love he's always been desperate for, that's compelling.
Plus, Helaena as a beloved queen would have furthered the themes around gender that season one created. She's meek and pleasant and pretty, so people love her. Rhaenyra as fiery and lusty and powerful, so people hate her. It's topical, it's dynamic, and it actually says something about the perception of gender as a performance in which you are punished for not participating.
And this isn't me saying "wow the show needed more misogyny; they needed to be nicer to the pretty princess" I'm saying it's a show about misogyny, so like, do something with that.
Bowing her head in defeat, Queen Alicent surrendered the keys to the castle and ordered her knights and men-at-arms to lay down their swords. “The city is yours, Princess,” she is reported to have said, “but you will not hold it long. The rats play when the cat is gone,
I think what makes me adore Alicent so much here is that, for better or worse she refuses to give up. She refuses to call Rhaenyra Her Grace or Queen at this moment of triumph for her, but instead basically calls her a rat who will not have Kingslanding for long.