The Truth about Alicent Hightower | Why is she so disliked? | House of the Dragon Season 2
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- Опубликовано: 24 мар 2024
- House of the Dragon Season 2 is set to release June 16, 2024. HBO released a Green Trailer and a Black trailer and everyone chose their side. Alicent Hightower is one of the characters I love to hate. Alicent Hightower goes from Victim to Villain in the matter of a few episodes. Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon is the head of the Greens, the Targaryen faction that is usurping the iron throne. In this video I breakdown the character of Alicent Hightower and Why I dislike her so much as a Rhaenyra supporter. Thanks for watching!
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As a kid I empathized with her. As an adult I stopped empathizing with her. Like Rhaenyra said she is hiding behind the cloack of her own righteousness. She is a hypocrite, she is also a crappy mother. If she wanted Aegon to be king she should have focused on making him Kingly instead of the mess he turned out to be.
Right!
Best pov of the conflict I’ve seen.
What about the role of the father here? I think a huge problem about those children is the lack of any fatherly attention. There are some things boys in particular need as they grow up, and that's a father who shows them where the limits are. They have known none of that and I think its difficult for a woman to give boys those things, in the same way its hard for a man give girls motherly moments. Viserys is a terrible father or he seems a terrible father to Alicent;'s children. I think it's a big part of why they've turned out they way they have. It can't be the whole fault of just one person. I have to say I don't belong to Team Black or Green, I just enjoy watching the characters and how they interact.
Viserys was dying for a long time. He was so sick he could barely function. It's no excuse, I'm just saying.
@@663lottyoh please, many people without any father figure turns out pretty good human beings. Most of them don't even have a little speck of riches aegon has being a prince. So that excuse is bullsh*t!!
Alicent is a case of situational corruption. Otto definitely deserves some of the blame. But I think once Alicent got into her position she became jealous and paranoid.
Jealous of what ? Real question
@@constantinmmnbv Really?... 😒
@@blackdragon6 yes tell us
Jealous that Visarys favored Rhaenyra and her children over her and her own. Also that the people, big and small preferred Rhaenyra as well.
Can't wait for Alicent's and Rhaenyra's conversations in king's landing. I think Rhaenyra will visit her quite often for company and comfort even if she's mad at her, that will probably be short lived after the Bitterbridge incident and the tragedy that follows :(
I don't hate alicent im just tired of the pity party with her character and being constantly told to feel bad for her all the times, and im tired of her being a perpetual victim.
just because she was a villian in the books, it’s clear that show alicent is a completely different character. she is a very human and real character. as a woman trying to navigate the political landscape of the patriarchal, feudalistic society of westeros and is a victim of that circumstance. just because she is a victim of circumstance, does not mean she is a poorly written character and lacks depth. i wish people viewed her through a more empathetic lens.
@@myong2206 first off this is exactly my point being told to feel bad for her and like her just because she has more " depth " I never said she was poorly written I just don't like her type of character where she's a perpetual victim, nothing is ever her fault, her life so hard boooo hoooooo I don't find that a compelling character especially when there are characters in this series who's gone through worse and yet aren't constantly throwing a pity party .
@@thatoneblackdude3333 they might make her less sympathetic/victimized as the story progresses... I don't mind the changes they've made to her character and the story as a whole thus far (I know many people do though), and I actually think that starting her off with this more sympathetic narrative could make for some really effective storytelling if/when they decide to turn her into a full-fledged villain. Like, I think the audience might be more invested in her as a villain in seasons 3/4, since we've gotten this backstory and seen her through this lens that makes her more dynamic, instead of just being a villain straight away. I'm sure she'll still be portrayed as conflicted and sympathetic this season, but we've already seen her become more jaded/vindictive, so I could definitely see them leaning into that more and more as we progress through the season. I really think it could make for some compelling storytelling if we get to witness her "fall from grace" so to speak, and watch how she changes as our sympathy for her starts to disappear.... I didn't really word that in the best way, but hopefully it made sense lol
It’s crazy how differently you can perceive things based on the opinions you see the most because I feel the exact opposite. Im honestly on the side of the blacks but I’m tired of everyone giving Rhae the benefit of the doubt in everything whereas Alicent is just “a jealous b*tch.”
@@AdriaNicoo I think it goes both ways people make to many excuses for both girls I just feel it happens more with alicent because of hotds writing m
The one thing i hated was tbat viserys didnt step in to accept the marriage between helena and Jace. Obviously the dance likely wouldnt gave happened or would have happened differently but viserys was well within his rights to accept that offer.
You broke it down perfectly. Alicent can’t be blamed for Otto’s actions from when she was a child, but once she became queen and even more so an adult, she was no longer a pawn being used, but a player. Also, I don’t think alicent is evil, but bitter. Anyhow, It’s HER choices and actions that she made that makes me dislike her. She’s a hypocrite and she’s not a victim; she allowed herself to continue to be used by men even after she was in a position of power. Once she became queen, she could’ve put her dad in his place. She judges Rhaenyra for things that she herself ends up doing in another form. Alicent judged the Targs for their incest, what does she do? Has her son and daughter marry. She judged Rhaenyra for “sullying” herself before marriage, but yet she allows Larys Strong to use her body for his pleasure, for her benefit. Alicents own son r*pes women, has bastards of his own, and is a drunk, and she gaslights and pays off these girls, yet she continues to fan the flames of Rhaenyra being unfit. She herself committed treason by calling Rhae’s kids bastards, she let Otto slide when he committed treason by discussing undermining the king and plotting against the heir. She also kept it hush hush about Larys killing his dad and brother, bc it benefited her. Alicent has no real reason to treat Rhaenyra the way she did, Rhaenyra did nothing to Alicent. Alicent could’ve used her position to unite the two sides of the family, but she didn’t.
Well said
Say it louder for the peaple in the back !!!!!
The best thing I have read
I felt for Alicent, until her jealousy turned her bitter and angry. This grudge helped fuel the war.
Just like how Rhaenys said “You desire not to be free but to make a window in the wall of your prison.”
That line gave me chills. 👏🏽
@@keepgrowing726the weird thing is they never politically motivated aegon they just made him into a pawn against rhaenyra then he became a player but a rather violent one and not so smart player who is very aggressive
Rhaenys can say that because she is literally a dragon rider. Saying that to a woman living in patriarchal society with no direct power of her own, that line was quite hypocritical in my opinion
@@amyra8159Alicent wasn’t powerless. She chose to continue to be used vs using her position as queen to put her dad, the main one who used her, in his place.
Alicent wasn't powerless at all. You saw her in the small council, correct? You heard her say she was the one ruling on succession of Driftmark, right? She had power, and she used it (in part) to harm people while acting like she was morally perfect. You can like a character without erasing their faults or agency.
Don’t stone me yall, but Alicent is one of my favorite characters of HoD. She is just so messy and dynamic of a character and I love whenever she’s on screen. It’s because she’s so bitter and jealous of Rhaenyra that lends to her awful ways and terrible decision making, but then she never openly owns up to it like a Cersei that makes her so slimey. She’s fake asf, and insecure, and it shows in all her actions. I can’t wait to see her in this upcoming season!
Same! Like I love Daemon but I don’t try to be like Daemon is innocent. I know hes awful but he’s still my fav.. it’s like that sometimes🥰
Yeah, it's entirely possible to love characters who do shitty things while recognizing that their actions were wrong or misguided. It's very weird to me that people try to erase negative aspects of characters they like. People are messy. That's just how it is. For example, one of my favorite scenes in GOT is Cersei's demolition of the Great Sept of Baelor. It was a terrible thing to do. It was evil. Admitting that doesn't mean I can't like Cersei as a character.
Hey Cersei was my favorite character in GoT 😂 Hate Allicent though
I very much love to hate her!
Yes! My fave characters are definitely this, like you just have to have the popcorn ready when they're on screen 🍿
When Viscerys was on his deathbed, Alicent hearing what she wanted to hear started all the bullshit that followed.
Tbf, the small council would have installed Aegon regardless of what Alicent thought about it. It's ridiculous for her to think Viserys would change his mind about his heir, which he maintained for like 20 years, at the literal last minute of his life. What annoys me is that it's obvious she interprets that in accordance with her own wishes, but people use it as evidence for Aegon as the rightful heir. It goes way beyond straining credulity.
That's just what she tells herself to make herself feel better. She only heard what she wanted to hear. In the books she wanted Rheanyra to die in childbirth
Please remember her kids wernt treated fairly by Viserys. He had obvious favorites, and literally earlier that day walked for the first time just to show he favored Rheanyra... Believing VIserys GAF about her kids helped her convince herself it wasnt all for nothing... She didnt just give every bit of her life for nothing.@@JC-gn7lq
Viserys had a probably prophetic dream that his son would sit the throne. He told Aemma about it in episode 1 and he told Alicent about it in episode 3. In that context, Alicent's interpretation of his final words is reasonable.
Regardless, certain lords would never accept Rhaenrya. War was inevitable.
Uh huh, "team black" people say this all the time to convince themselves that that's what she's doing because it couldn't possibly be that she's never heard "the song of ice and fire", oh yea, I'm sure she was all privy to that info, so of course she heard Vis on his deathbed mention Aegon being king and immediately thought "oh, you know what, I can totally misconstrue his words on purpose to really screw over Rhaenyra", that'll show her. Get outta here with that cope.
She is the queen of the seven kingdoms, she has a lot of power but she never uses it for good, despite her claims of godliness.
She is either being a weak puppet manipulated by others, even when she thinks she's in charge, or she's acting out of petty jealousy and spite.
I dislike Alicent because all of these things that happened were unfortunate its the fact the she behaves like she's pious and does things that arent so pious, she expects Rhaenyra to be completely transparent with her yet she doesn't do the same. She's so resentful of Rhaenyra for things her father did ,for things that weren't in Rhaenyras control that she creates a situation of hate and acts like she's victimized in every situation, this is why people dislike her.
Something that people seem to debate on (which I don't even understand, and I think you agree, considering you essentially said it in the video), is that Alicent _genuinely_ believes that Viserys changed his mind on his deathbed and named Aegon as heir...... No.... She doesn't..... That's just what she _wants_ to believe, so she's doing mental gymnastics and cherry picking things out of what he said to make it make sense. I guess we'll see how it plays out in Season 2, but it never came across to me like she _actually_ believed that, and the new trailers have solidified my belief and make it seem like she's even more unsure/hesitant about the whole situation (despite what she actually says), and like she's really struggling with her sense of morality.....
I mean, I'm sorry, but she'd have to be extremely gullible to truly believe he changed his mind, and that's not Alicent
Not to mention the fact that for 20 years viserys said rhaenrya was his hier only wavering once when alicent was still a teen and aegon was 2 while he was drunk yet on his deathbed while om heroin im supposed to believe that she believes what viserys is saying, not to mention viserys literally mentions the cold and the darkness which she completely leaves out
My interpretation of that scene is that she did actually believe it. Because at the dinner, I think it was clear that she accepted Rhaenyra as the heir. I don’t think she’d have a reason for putting Aegon on the throne unless she thought it was what Viserys wanted. I mean it’s a bad decision on the writers’ part, to have the whole dance be due to a misunderstanding, but I do think she believed that’s what he said. I think the producers even say as much in the “inside the episode” interviews for that episode.
Ikr. She wants to feel better about usurping the throne and throwing the kingdom under the bus. The king got up from his death bed in all of his sanity to support his daughter one last time but somehow he changed his mind as lord roseberry or whatever his name " I will not believe that he said this on his deathbed, alone, with only the boy's mother as a witness. This is a seizure. It is theft. It is treason, at the very least. I will take no part in this" before he was murdered in cold blood. Alicent's face after that looked like she got slapped across the face.
She needs to make herself believe Viserys changed his mind to live with what she is going to do. She is desperate to morally justify her betrayal of Viserys’s wishes.
Allicent is a product of patriarchy. That's not her fault BUT eventually she drank the Kool-Aid and internalized that which is when I believe she became unlikeable (puttin' it lightly). Protect Helaena!! The rest of the Greens blah 🙄
I missed ya GrayArea!
🖤Team 🖤Black🖤🔥
Hypocrisy.
That’s the reason. Alicent is a character claiming honour and decency as the way of life, she claims victimhood and yet she plots in the dark and does nothing to stop bad things from happening to the others. She perpetuates her father’s abuse fear mongering on her son. Defending and hiding her son’s depravity while condemning Rhae’s own.
Which btw. Look at how Rhae and Eg turned out comparatively.
Rhae tried with her life to carve out some joy for herself in very disempowering situations.
Eg and Alicent give in and wallow, never trying to find happiness or empowerment outside of the toxic family for the former, or in their position for the latter.
Alicent brainwashed her kids to see Rhaenyra and her “bastard kids” to see them as goblin spawns, the anti-7 if you will.
Even when Rhae in the book gives Aemond V. to her dragon it’s not like some secret plot to make things go her way and look innocent all the while. No, it’s done in the open and everyone knows it.
Moreover let’s not forget that the biggest thing going against Rhae was her mothering “bastards”.
They made lots of changes in the series that made this look 90% the case and makes her look stupid and thus a bad choice for the throne. In the book the Valaryons aren’t black. Rhaenys has dark hair exactly like Rhae’s kids. Moreover we never know what colour Ser Harwin hair are. The only Strong we knew the hair colour of had blond hair. This all considered it makes it highly unlikely that even seeing her kids coming out dark haired she didn’t try over and over to have more with Laenor. Alicent’s own kids all have silver hair despite having 50% chances. Is it that unlikely Rhae was unlucky and had the opposite fortune? No
The greens defaming Rhae and her kids was a campaign to usurp the throne born out of greed.
Not, good intentions for the stability of the realm or some other bullshit. Rhae had 50% support even with them plotting against her. She had never gotten a chance to showcase her abilities to govern and reign to disprove others comments (I’m not counting actions post begging of the war for both sides as then it was War). Her own father didn’t do much, lots of it was administered by the council and he let himself be swayed. Otto did it with twice, saw he wouldn’t be able to do it with Rhae, saw his chance and gaslit his way to it. Rhae had against her that when setting a precedent it’s not enough to be decent or even good you have to extraordinary or it’s not enough.
Alicent whole side rhetoric sounds hypocritical as well. The 7 hate the other religions and try to cancel them out. They hate the Targs and their queer customs, hate their dragons. And the citadel follows with for the most part. Alicent picks and choose when to apply her own belief.
It is no surprise that Rhae appears more genuine.
And let’s not forget that Alicent asked for Luke’s eye. She intended to hurt a kid and was ready to do it her self (so please even if Aegon in the books didn’t hurt children and the blacks did Blood and Cheese, the greens aren’t blameless here yet again. Oh and btw I do believe that even if Rhae didn’t do it and it was Daemon who did, behind her back, she should still face it as her own as it was her own “subordinate” to do it and I don’t believe Daemon will face punishment anyway)
For both Alicent and Rhae there’s an element of fear that they won’t survive if the other wins. Alicent though had already brainwashed her kids by the time Aemond eye was destroyed in the fight she was already on her way to give in completely. She ultimately fell to her father’s fear mongering though, in this moment, when she asked for a child’s eye to be carved out; believing this a point of no return.
Rhae own moment is instead when she looses her child at the end. The fact that she was still thinking about giving up her claim for the good of the people showed that she still believed Alicent’s words and genuine intentions. It also suggests that when she asked for Alicent’s own children to be sharply questioned it was more of a fear tactic to get Alicent to stop with her actions.
Moreover if we were follow through with Rhae giving up her claim, we know the greens, either be it Otto or Larys, would have killed them or tried to, and she would have let them or known a posteriori and not say anything. As she did with Lyonel and Harwin, as she did with the coronation. There’s so many times you can claim cluelessness. The war was inevitable.
Spittin facts🎉
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
What bothers me the most is that she's intent on promoting and enforcing religious fundamentalist rules about gender roles, and she knows (or should know) that those social restrictions are a huge part of why her life has been one of reluctant service and sublimation of her own desires. It's like ppl who think that bc they went through something terrible, other people should suffer through it, too.
@@JC-gn7lq Alicent is the Phyllis Schlafly of Westeros. Iykyk 😂😂😂
Oh I do know, unfortunately
Alicent is a judgemental moralist, points fingers at everybody and distorting reality to adjust to her own purposes
Team black should have just said "ok, the hightowers did a coup, time to destroy that family" and took their 3 biggest dragons, burned their homeland to the ground, and THEN started their war to get power back. Would also make the point to people deciding whose team to support that usurping the throne will lead to ruin.
Easiest way to get any follower of the faith of the seven to turn against you.
@@DanLanningPRTeamTell that to Maegor, more armies to burn.
Facts it would have destroyed their fount of power
@@DanLanningPRTeam i could see it turning the maesters against you, but I believe the maesters were always against targs anyway, so honestly no big loss.
I truly believe that Laerys Strong set it up to look like Alicent summoned Rhaenyra after the baby’s birth… I believe Laerys Strong is the manipulator behind the Dance… like an even worse Littlefinger 🤷♀️
I loved littlefinger so much ❤❤❤
@@Theinfamouskiki411 I am clutching my pearls like Littlefinger clutched at his neck when Arya slit it 😳😉😂
Yeah I'm not sure she actually wanted to see the baby before the afterbirth is out. Though when there is doubt about who the father is, it's "normal" to see the child fast, to make sure that the child is not replaced with a more legitimate looking one.
So that is a thing. She probably didn't expect for Rhaenyra to come herself.
@@danika9411 I also don’t think the show will show Daemon ordering the death a son for a son. It says in the books that Daemon orders it but it’s not in Daemons point of view it’s written by a Maester and given The White Worms stance on the abuses of Children I definitely don’t believe she would carry it out… I think the Clubfoot is behind it all… it’s a hill I’m willing to die on 😂
So stoked to see u dropped a video. I search for you constantly!! 🎉
More to come!
19:13 Rhaenys saying this was so hypocritical herself though, she literally just serves her husband. She says in the show, she didn't want to be Queen, she did it for Laenor (her son who would have succeeded her) and her Husband who wanted recognition and to be remembered. Rhaeneys also serves men, actions speak louder than words. She never campaigns for Baela or Rhaena to inherit Driftmark even when she is pissed off that Luke is a bastard, which would be the true feminist angle. Literally everyone needs to shut up with the feminist angle because Rhaenys isn't one due to her own actions and Rhaenerya doesn't want to make life better for women, she just see's herself as above the rules.
Because a lot of people have an incredibly childish notion of how to feel about fictional characters. Instead of allowing the story to consume them and take joy in losing themselves, they consume the story and integrate their egos as into it. This is how you get people who harass the actors, or they'll say things like "this character deserves this or that", not based on the story but their own personal feelings.
I love Alicent as a character just as a I loved Joffery or Tywin. A lot of people don't really know how fiction works and treat these characters like they're real people. They're not. A person is a whole entity on his own. A character does not exist in a vacuum but is intertwined within the story she is in.
Ironically, these types seem more likely to treat ACTUAL people like characters and fictional characters like people lol. But that's just my somewhat cynical (though likely accurate) take on the matter.
The goat 🐐 is back. Happy you spoke on this topic👏🏾
I’ve been waiting for you!!! ❤ Gray Area!! Team Black ❤
Great point! Why would Raenera trust alicent w/her sexual exploits after she hid such a huge thing from her about her father that affects her in so many ways
I don't see how Alicent thought it was her business or thought Rhaenyra wouldn't be reluctant to confide in her given the way Alicent approached the conversation. I mean, you come at me that way, I'm not telling you shit 😒
Emily and Olivia are excellent in this role, though
@@JC-gn7lq That too! Your point justified btw she went behind the princesses back questioning ppl
@@JC-gn7lq I think if she had been more empathetic, Rhaenyra might have talked with her.
Alicent is one of my favorite characters, because she is so complex, but sometimes she needed to have more tact and warmth. Would have helped eith Aegon as well. Until Episode 9 in the carriage we don't see her being loving with him, just anxious and stressed out and sometimes hitting him.
I really dislike the scene where Otto kicks him. He looks around to make sure no one sees him and then kicks him. That is just mean. No wonder he is screwed up.
@@danika9411 she has zero empathy shown btw she couldn't imagine how she would feel if Raenera was bedding her father! Lol
@@TheRealWattz No she has empathy. That Rhaenyra could choose her own husband is her doing. That Viserys send Daemon help is also her doing.
I think she was very young, just 14 when she was send to the king and 15 when she married and got pregnant by a 40 year old man. She is shown to dissociate when she is with him and that she can't ever refuse him, even if she is tired and doesn't want to. That is martial 🍇. I think Otto and Viserys messed her up. Otto for using her for his ambitions and Viserys for not being a good husband and 🍇ing her.
She probably has some trauma. She is also shown with signs of postpartum depression after having Halaena.
So I think she doesn't generally lack empathy. She was traumatized at a young are. And unfortunately she passed it on. She just barely starts to undo it in episode 9 a bit and by the looks of the green trailer, she will continue to do so in the coming seasons.
I'm sorry I can't feel sorry for Alicent Hoetower, after how malicious she was to Rhaenyra and her kids, making her get up after labor and bleeding all over the place...yeah Otto manipulate her but she still had a choice but Alicent keeps getting walk all over the men in her life.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Eventually she does have a choice.. and none of the choices she makes make any sense.
I thought “Hoetower” was a typo, until I thought about it. 😂👍🏽
Alicent was making a play honey. She was playing the game while Rhae was having strong babies! Rhae has been weak and sloppy since day one. Alicent is very Marjory Tyrrell. And I loved her!
Alicent is not Margaery. That's tantamount to blasphemy, and Margaery deserves better.
The content ive been genuinely missing😭
Their is nothing innocent about Alicent 🤣
Neither is Rhaenyra
@@rahimg6842Straight up. Team Small Folk. Everyone sucks at the end of the story. People are gonna feel so dumb for rooting for one side or the other.
Ty! They need to learn the book lol
I did read the book. Rhaenyra was the rightful heir. Her son ends up on the throne. There's no reason for me not to support her side just bc I know that most of them die and it's a disaster for everyone.
@@JC-gn7lq You can support Rhaenyra's claim to the throne, which I do in a legal sense and the fact that she is a more suitable heir, but not support the ensuing horror that puts her there. No one looks good at the end of this story, even if the throne was stolen from her.
People are out here (with admitted nudging from the show's advertising) rooting for one side of the conflict or the other, when personally I can't condone the actions of either. It gets messy, but is entertaining.
The show took away a lot of agency and personality defects from both Alicent and Rhaenyra, which is kind of a bummer and definitely muddles the fault that can be laid from their specific decisions and not just their parties as a whole. I hope this changes this season as things ramp up. Book wise Rhaenyra becomes more desperate and unhinged while Alicent deflates almost completely.
Helena and Jace seemed to really like one another she was very happy to dance with him and as far as I know it’s the only time she ever looked happy
Yes GreyArea please do more like these . PLEASE! it’s bad enough We have to wait till June. These videos will help us get through waiting ❤
This is a really great. Video, and I especially like the way you presented it, good fortune to you.😊
I don't hate Alicent at all. She is not a saint, but not a monster either. What throws me off about her is how she is quick to talk about duty and sacrifice but doesn't live that. I mean, the r*ped maid scene? The fact that she sucked as a mother? It's how she firmly believes she is different, but in actuality she is not.
She watched Bursburry got killed by Criston,lord Cassuel get hanged, nothing,lords in the court blackmailed,nothing.
@@user-ju8jb7tk5xthats what makes her so complex and intriguing as a character she destroys and betrays herself for family for her children. Alicent deep down is confused on what is right. She doesn’t know anymore. Her internal dilemmas are fascinating.
Yes, these aspects do make her a fascinating character, and there's nothing wrong with liking a character who is morally conflicted and sometimes makes bad decisions.
Idk telling your kids theyre going to be killed when they arent just so they can have the throne is quite monsterous
@@user-op6kt8pg9y Rhaenyra over the span of 20+ years has not disproven this claim with her actions. Alicent has no reason to believe if it comes down to securing her and her bastards claim that she’d spare people she doesn’t even consider family.
"It does not mean that this is the way it has to be."
YES. Every single tradition we have was started by someone at some point, and people just kept doing it for whatever reason (usually bc it reinforces power structures). People make this shit up, and people can change it. It's not the only way to do things. There are always alternatives. We can choose something different, and personally, I believe we're obligated to do so when traditions are harmful. It's usually difficult to do so bc people who benefit from certain traditions feel threatened, but that's not a good reason to keep things the way they are forever.
I am BLOWN AWAY how GREAT YOU ARE at breaking things down! You've brought up so many things that I've missed things in going to rewatch the entire 1st season because of all the things you've brought to my attention. You've just become my favorite Game of Thrones and House if the Dragon channel! I wish I could subscribe 10 times so you could get 10 times the credit!
I cannot wait for more GrayArea videos!
I’m so glad you’re back. I literally started reading the books waiting for you
I’m back back!! But I’m glad u started reading the books! its definitely an experience
I get why people might not like her but the show runners, writers, as well as the actors who play alicent and rhaenyra are REALLY going out of their way to tell a more nuanced story. And I think we as viewers should respect and embrace that instead of just writing off characters to hate because it’s missing the point of what GRRM and house of the dragon show runners are trying to do with this show.
Yay!! Gray is back!
Onmg I thought RUclips lost you Ms Grey.... Haven't seen any if your stuff since HOTD started...So glad I found ya again
I read the book when it came out and from what I remember Alicent was much worst in the book she pushed alot for her son Aegon to be on the throne. She was very hateful and spiteful worst. Hoping Raenerya would die on her birth bed. I’m team black never liked the greens. Thank you for the video
Every time you drop a video is a good day. Consider the long night vanquished
I have been enjoying this channel for years. I am so glad to see your new videos! :)
Alicent is my favorite character. For me she is neither a villain nor a victime, she is a true protagonist of the story, as Rhaenyra, who fight for peace at the climax of the first season. The true antagonist of the story is the war itself and those that push the kingdom into it, mainly Otto and Daemon. And for sure, the story is a tragedy, as Alicent and Rhaenyra fail to avoid the war.
Yeah, nah, once again show v book. Alicent was considerably older than Rhaenyra and barely knew her, not to mention that she had already been pimped out way before to the "old" King! Yep Alicent had a horrible life and forced Helena into another horrible life with her despicable, depraved son. And yes the child, Rhaenyra was a spoilt entitled brat who suddenly found herself with a huge burden upon her young shoulders. Alicent had been groomed for very, very many years, way more savvy and accepting of the role she was meant to play. Power at any cost for the family, House Hightower. Choose a side for the show? Team Black! Truth be told, GoT's Shireen had the right of it. War is just bloody stupid, the small folk are always the people who suffer the most.
I don't think she did anything sexual with Jaehaerys, but it's definitely unusual to have a young noblewoman (noblegirl?) attending to someone outside her own family like she's a nurse.
I was JUST thinking last night, that I hadn't seen a new video from you in a while, and was aching for new content. This was such a pleasant surprise to wake up to 😊 Gimme more juice, cuz the Night is LONG 😂❤
But is it dark and full of terrors? If so, the fire burns them all away 🐉🔥
@@JC-gn7lq well of course, but the _juice_ makes it so much easier to get through 😆
I love your commentary, great video!
Grey Area I've missed your special kind of tea 4 your sweet Summer children! I can't wait until June 4 S2!😮
It is hard as a book reader to compare fire and blood alicent and house of the dragon alicent because their raised to power is different, she was age down, she was made Rhanerya one and only friend because apparently in a castle with more than 600 people living and serving at all time they couldn’t find other people. They stripped alicent of her responsibility in the war and the pre war because she was young, and so clearly being lead on by the neck by her father which is so opposite from what it was said in the book.
Their relationship how they seem to making them be “force” and “pull” apart from each other by this evil men around them because they don’t have a single working cell in their head or spine to stand for themselves as queen and heir princess.
However, my biggest issue with Alicent is the obvious mess of the writers from episode to episode. Alicent in one episode is so distraught then she is involved in all the evil done to bring down to Rhanerya, but then they are hugging each other, and praising each other. Alicent uses her authority in 23 years to shut Rhaenrya up in front of the court so Veamond could speak and disrespect Rhaenrya in front of everyone. Told Daemon and Rhanerya that she will be deciding the fate of Driffmark only for otto to sit the throne instead. In episode 9 she broke my head, same as episode 6.
I swears this girl has multiple personality disorder because in one episode we see 3 different Alicent.
She is so hypocritical and a neglectful and abusive mother, and absentee queen.
Which her book wasn’t. Maybe a hypocrite but not the other two.
So, Ned was wrong about Robert's heir apparent?
Ned & Alicent were identical in their cause.
Peak content . Thx for the vid
You are back!
I see Gray, I click Gray, I enjoy the awesome she puts out!
Edit: My opinion on Alicent. I don't think show!Alicent is evil, or bad. I honestly, like show!Alicent. She complex, endearing, charming, ruthless from the learning from her father, bold, and a player of the Game. I like this Alicent, and if it wasn't for the mishearing Viserys, she would have still had a great story, going against Aemond, who would have sparked it off in a different way, and her father's plan. Book!Alicent, o she's the evil stepmother! And that Alicent I do hate!
19:55 No she was signed up for the game of thrones the day Aegon was born, because the entire realm including Rhaenrya assumed he would be made Heir, that was the deal that Otto signed her up for in the first place, to be Queen and her son to be King, because Rhaenerya wasn't made the heir to challenge gender roles or because Viserys loved Aemma, that's why he feels guilty to change it later which he even admits that was his intention. No he did it because he knew Daemon his heir at the time was too reckless and impulsive to take the crown. Alicent and her children were made to play the game of thrones the day Viserys started looking for a second wife, which while expected was not nessisary if he wanted Rhaenerya to be his undisputed heir, he could have married a woman too old to have more children or just not have had more children. No. Alicent did not start this game of thrones, Viserys did.
Saw someone shout you out on twitter i was like OOP thats my girl
Daemon should’ve been the heir from the beginning. Rhaenyra should’ve been married to him. Case closed.
With that, Alicent should’ve honored her King’s announcement to the realm rather than a corpse’s ramblings in bed. She knew what she was doing. Team Black all the way.
speaking just about the show, alicent was defo groomed, but as soon as she became an adult herself, she knew what moves she was planning and executing. she was just trained to be "proper" about it unlike ser criston who was unabashedly crude and therefore is easier to dislike. she as a mother groomed her own children into having a black hatred of rhaenyra. it's clear in the show that aegon as a child wasn't all that malicious towards rhae and her children, and that aemond was really mainly bullied by aegon himself before the whole eye thing incident. i'm more inclined to believe that all the children would have grown friends if they were all raised by rhaenyra without any influence from the hightowers, criston cole or even daemon. the only thing rhaenyra did wrong to her children is not tell them about their real father while he was alive. it's not their fault they were illegitimate, but they should have known.
furthermore, rhaenyra wanted jace and halaena to be married in the show, and at least in the show it seems that the two kids would have been happy with each other without any problems.
even if you take alicent's side, she raised the wrong son to be king. aegon never showed any real promise while aemond was always the more intelligent and warrior-like, and even thought the idea of marrying halaena was a good thing. but no, alicent kept grooming aegon even after finding out about the gr*apes and the dragonseeds in fleabottom. i think aegon in the show would have gladly supported aemond had alicent made the decision that he was more fit to be king. but she just kept pouring that poison down his ear and created a monster. meanwhile, rhae's kids are quite well-adjusted, considering they've known low-key that they are strong boys and not true velaryons.
Ohh Grey!!😂 thank you for this!! I couldn't have said it better. You took the words right out of my mouth. And I was dying when you said Ser Crispin blew her back out!!!
11:24 this marriage pact is viewed so incorrectly by the fandom. At this point Heleana and Aegon were already engaged, so were Baela and Jace, so this would actually be a total dick move to the Velaryon and is a good indicator that Rhaenerya was not being genuine. but more importantly this is very much a hostage sitution, she isn't offering the marriage to bridge the gap she is doing it so that if the people start to rally behind Aegon because she's a woman or because her children are bastards the Greens cannot act against them without Helaena getting killed. In this proposal she is literally threatening Heleana for the actions of other Lords. Rhaenrya is always threatening to kill Alicents kids, and has a history of killing anyone who stands in the way of what she wants (Vaemond, and Laenor in the books, who she was actually homophobic toward instead of accepting, which is a big reason she killed him, yes it was a hate crime in the books) This is actually a terrible proposition for Alicent who if it were to work would be forced to sit on her hands as her children were killed because of Rhaenerya's children's illegitimacy, as she either couldn't do anything as her son's were killed by Rhaenerya or she could protect her son's and get her daughter killed. Alicent didn't say no to be mean or difficult, she said no because saying yes would further risk her children's lives.
Btw I just wanted to say I am obsessed with your narration. You don't sound like a boring script. It sounds like you KNOW the content to the point where you speak off the cuff with confidence. Come thu with that History PhD chain from the Citadel.
Happy to see you back.
Season Premiere gonna have the streets rocking
I been gone since game of thrones ended which I was not happy about
😊 I'm pretty sure you didn't like it either but you're back and so am I so thanks I'm looking forward to your next post
Team Small folks
I definitely hate how alicent taught her children to hate their older sister and nephews.
I dislike Alicent because she poisoned her children against Rhaenyra. Yes, that started with Otto. He's her father not a demigod.
Accept the show proposed marriage between Helaena and Jace. Talk with Rhaenyra for like 20 minutes to realise she isn't a blood crazed maniac nor is Daemon. Hash out a way that everyone swears an oath of nonviolence to each other and that their weight as Prince/princess goes behind this, it becomes much harder to betray someone as a monarch or a claimant when you publically gave your word you wouldn't.
oh i loved this! i've missed you
Omg you love us another video❤❤❤❤
Yes I do!! 🥹
HELENA THE BLESSED
Didn’t realize how much I missed your channel.
The only thing I love about Alicent are the actresses playing her lol.
For real though, I totally agree with you. Even if Alicent truly believes Viserys told her Aegon should be king, the man was dying. He was obviously delirious and could barely speak. He had so many years to change the succession but chose not to.
I love to hate her! And her actresses have made that perfect.
I could sit on the bed and ket you tell me these dynamic stories of lorr, I love it, you tell it as if you are reciting a poem. Can't wait for the next chapter.
17:39 He literally said "Aegon" as his last words, was she supposed to know that he was talking about a prophetic dream he never told her about? Hello? it was completely reasonable that his final words to Alicent, the mother of his son Aegon, think that he was referring to his son Aegon. Why on earth should that not be the conclusion she jumps to? Damn it was the conclusion the entire realm jumped to the day Aegon was born. which only happened because as you blatantly ignored Alicent was with him at his death bed when in fact it was Rhaenrya who up and left knowing full well he could die any day now.
LOVED the nuance in this take ! So yeah, Alicent has become an objectively bad person, she's become manipulative, vengeful, bitter, delusional, oportunistic, a usurper/traitor etc... So yeah as a person she's definitely not likeable, the point is that that's not the whole story and never that simple. What I don't get is some people's lack of empathy towards what brought her to become this, her molding into this. So yeah no way you can be team green but i just think it's important to acknowledge that it's easy to be badly influenced by your experiences, without condoning that behavior ! I guess I'm just team "justice for enyone who's been fucked over somehow" 💀
Keep the content coming
The long night is when you’re gone!!!!!! Love your voice and videos so much!
You explained it perfectly Gray
In the show there was no Alicent and King Jaehaerys moment because Alicent and Rhaenyra are the same age and at the council of 101 Rhaenyra hasn’t even been born yet and Jaeherys died 2 years later which means that Alicent was literally a toddler when he died
I don't dislike Alicent. Simple as that.
Wasn't alicient sick by rynerya sleeping with her uncle.. but then wedds her two kids together
Thats a better alternative than marry your only daughter to a known bastard
That “back blown out line” was a great bar gray
But....Rhaenyra's kids WERE bastards. Yes, Alicent overstepped by trying to usurp Rhaenyra. But when it was time for Rhaenyra's kids to inherit there would've been civil war. Enough lords were ok with Rhaenyra being queen where her reign would've been peaceful enough. But only the ones not willingly lying to themselves knew Rhaenyra's kids had no rights to the throne according to the law. If Rhaenyra acknowledges their bastardy and takes them out of the line of succession, the Greens don't have a legal leg to stand on. But that would involve her taking accountability for her actions.
Alicent grew to be Otto Jr. that’s why I don’t like both of them.
All i wanted was for Alicent to go to Rhaenerya, tell her everything and have them saddle syrax and be across the narrow sea by noon.
Part of me really believes that Rhaenerya would have gotten them both out of there if she had just said something. Its heartbreaking.
Thank you! I love your take on GOT!
This commentary is absolute gold😅😅😅😅😅😅 I love the way you word things! Very entertaining 👏 🤣
Self-serving! You said it! That throne has a powerful appeal lol Viserys was a good and peaceful king and that is why people stood by his choice even after his death, that being said , I think we have some amazing reveals coming this season, I feel like we will learn where, "There must always be a Stark in Winterfell" came from :)
Alicent Hightower: I am not questioning your virtue Rhaenyra. I am just denying it's existence.
Ah, we're talking about show Alicent! Because book Alicent is way worse... I have a hard time why anyone can be team green in the books. And the age difference between them in the book makes it very much like an evil step mom thing, Alicent was 10 years older. Much of the slander that was started about Raenera was started when she was like 12! And you can't take Alicent out of that. Plus in the books the whole Strong plot is a lot less certain, it's rumours fanned by the Hightowers. When Alicent married Viserys, she was 19 and Raenera was 9 or 10. Alicent didn't make any attempt to be on good terms with her stepdaughter, they were at odds from the beginning. Plus honestly Agon is a POS in the book too, as a mother Alicent is dreadful, she uses her children but never took any responsibility for them.
But yeah, in the show she's a lot more sympathetic and idealistic and all that, at first. Untill she turns and shows how judgemental and jealous she is. Not to mention an awful mother. Made me feel she resented her kids at every step but was going to get everything she could out of them. But i think from the first time she turned against Raenera it's been classic double faced narcissist. How she deals with the whole thing with Cole, turning on her best friend just like that because she didn't confide in her, when she was keeping it secret for months that her dad was sending her to Viserys, and then she does the little play on Clubfoot's fetish to get what she wants, all that is fantastic to show how double faced she is. Preaching about the 7 and her religious nature, exactly like all religious narcissists who only see how everyone else is flawed. Especially since it's been made clear that Raenera is not a faith of the 7 believer, and was a lot more freedom oriented than Alicent ever was. And in the show Raenera got to have a husband she got along with and who supported her and an arrangement to have eirs with a guy she actually had a good relationship with, and she spoke in council with more authority, and on top of all that Raenera was a better mom and had a better relationship with her kids and her boys were not POSs. (Poor Helaena, honestly! What a horrible family to be born into if you're a nice person!) Yeah, in the show it looked like Raenera was having it better on every level, and that couldn't sit well with Alicent. It's clear bitter jealousy. I wonder how they're going to take it from here. In the show she's so horrible to Helaena, i wonder how she'll react after Blood and Cheese. And by the end. The meeting between her and Raenera in Kings Landing, i wonder where they're gonna take that. And of course where they take Raenera too, after Luke and after the others die.
I believe your comparison of Aliscent and Margery is spot on. I have always interpreted the story as Aliscent being compisceit as Margery was in her own situation. Also, Aliscent is not what Westeros would conseder a girl. I believe she was 16 when brought Jaeharys and 18 or so when brought to Viserys. I am probably slightly off on the age, but close enough. Not only had Alicent been at royal court in Kings Landing for many years, she also was born into and raised at Hightower court. Meaning, she had most likely been brought up since birth in the family politics to get the kingship of the Seven Kingdoms. It is the Hightower culture to aspire to rule. Since even before Aegon 1 and even prior to the Andals. She is extremely ruthless and manipulative.
Rhaenyra becomes almost as bad later. It's also tragic. As GRRM intended.
Alicent committed treason when she started wearing the green dress showing where her loyalty lies. To say she was a child at 16 doesn’t take into consideration the average life span at the time. Otto killed Baelon, Viserys’s brother, to get the job of the hand. He had his wife Aemma and her baby after birth killed. He poisoned Viserys by poisoning the throne and continued to as Aegon II and Aemond came of age. Do you think it was all a coincidence?
I remember talking about Alicent. I was sympathetic to her because she was thrown into a situation that was for the benefit of others. She was basically pimped out by her father for political advancement. I also get why she was upset when she found out Rhaenyra lied to her and the resentment she had towards Rhaenyra because of the lack of consequences of Rhae's actions.
Now, as sympathetic I am, I also think she is a calculated hypocrite. She is bitter and spiteful because of the decisions that were made for her and what she gave up to marry Viserys. However, she fails to acknowledge that her hatred is due to her own insecurities and failures. She created an environment where even the children were at odds. Although I get Rhaenyra lied, I wouldn't have trusted Alicent either. Her father was involved in exposing Rhae to Viserys. Viserys clocked what he was up to and fired him. She was a terrible mother to her kids and looked at them as politicial advantages, just like her father viewed her. She married two of own her kids but had such a problem with Rhaenyra and Daemon. She's willing to cover up for her own children but yet scold Viserys for protecting his.
I feel bad for her because was a victim of circumstances, but she then became a villian because of her circumstances.
“Treason…is only a word. When two princes fight for a chair where only one may sit, great lords and common men alike must choose. And when the battle’s done, the victors will be hailed as loyal men and true, whilst those who were defeated will be known forevermore as rebels and traitors. That was my fate.”
Even if Alicent doubted that Rhaenyra was ruthless enough to kill her children to secure her place on the throne, there could be no doubt that her husband Daemon possessed that degree of ruthlessness.
Good morning ☀️
I don’t even dislike Alicent per say. I dislike the inconsistency of the entirety of HOTD atp and it kinda all boils down to the show runners fanfiction around Alicent, especially when they made her unaware of the plans to usurp Rhaenyra when they’ve literally been talking about it since she had Aegon…
But no, we deserved Rhaenyra and Laena’s relationship. Alicent deserved to carve her own place out at court and her own little circle.
They really missed on the opportunity to make this a piece of Targaryen decadence and political intrigue to give us the most basic form of “women are nothing but victims under this patriarchy” which is true but I feel like they really take away from the fact that women did navigate those systems in a calculated and often very interesting manner.
Now we just have anti social pawns.
Your points for Alicent dislike are made from POV of a modern watcher, with some hints of Westeros politics and traditions. Alicent is a member of House Hightower very close to the Faith of the Seven, and was raised with the believes and religion, which also includes gender role differences and deeprooted sense of duty = her hatred of bastards, stems from this upbringing (same as Catelyn). Alicent did not stopped liking and trusting Rhaenyra (she also stood by her and told Viserys to trust Rhaenyra and not Otto) because she was ,,soiled,, but because she lied to her about it, swore on her dead mother. How can she trust her with her children's lives after this? Your point of her feeling jealousy because Rhaenyra slept around or lives her best is very unlikely, she sees that Rheanyra did not her duty and still is protected by her father, who ignores his other children( I would like to know your view on Viserys and his faults as a father, in my opinion Aegon could be a good person if not for his father's mistreatmen, Alicent plays role in his character as well, but Viserys and his uninterest did a big part). This is what I like about HotD, because your prefenrence also stems from your experience (for example: in a family the golden child will be on Rhaenyra's side, while the golden's child sibling will like Green more or in a workplace let's say person that is well liked only for his charisma and sense of humor (Black) and boss of that person that is not well liked just because he is hard working and wants same thing from his employes (not a Karen, mind you) (Green).
hahahaha I can't stop laughing at how you contrasted Alicent's night with Rhaenyra's night. "Rhaenyra gets to go out, Kings Landing looks lit, she gets to watch plays and get drunk, roam pleasure houses, and then gets her back blown by Ser Criston Cole" I died lol
OMG! I so missed your commentary. Here's one for you...why would the 7 be ok with brother and sister marrying each other???? Alicent, being so pious, thinks it is ok for her children to marry each other? Stop lady, just stop. Now she has an out of control son on the throne that threatens all of their lives. What a way to gamble your family's lives at the expense of your hatred for Reynera.
dont mind me, just here to get my juice fix to get me through the long night...
Alicent was old enough to understand what her father intended to achieve by sending her to Viserys's chambers. She didn't seem comfortable with the idea. She didn't have to follow her father's suggestion, especially since she knew it was inappropriate and risky - it's not like she would be going against societal norms. I understand Otto held authority as a parent and manipulated her, but I dislike how spineless she was. Then later, she became a complete hypocrite, being angry with Rhaenyra for risking her maiden reputation by sneaking out (when she technically did the same by secretly seeing Viserys at night) and not telling her the full truth, while she herself couldn't say anything about seeing Viserys for months! Also, Rhaenyra was eventually able to start forgiving Alicent's betrayal, meanwhile Alicent became consumed by jealousy, hatred, self-victimization and blind to her own wrongdoings.
Agreed, but remember in the first 5 episodes, she would chew her fingers, that a sign of abuse, so as a child yes she was abused emotionally and manipulated, but when she grew up, she knew better.
I don’t dislike Alicent. I dislike her writing. The Greens are the villains that’s just the truth. But they’re supposed to be villains you can make a case for.
The show painted Alicent as this remorseful saint who is delusional about her jealousy and spite. But book Alicent was openly jealous of Rhaenyra as Rhaenyra was of her. They envied and despised each other EQUALLY which made Alicent’s pettiness more understandable or at least less one sided. Show Alicent is just a loser. Which is a waste of her character in my opinion. They seem to be hinting at a more stern, ambitious mindset in the trailer but I guess we’ll have to see what they do with her.
I can always count on you to break it all the way down!!!
@@GrayArea I always need the juice to get there tho ❤️❤️❤️