by On the last episode of House of the Dragon, The Burning Mill, we learned war is now inevitable, but could it have been? Baela is now chasing Ser Criston Cole and Gwayne Hightower, we can see the The Greens have now taken action and, as advised by her council, Rhaenyra must take action too. On a last try to avoid bloodshed, Rhaneyra disguises herself as a septa to approach Alicent in her routine prayers. Rhaenys supports Rhaenyra’s decision she knows Alicent doesn’t want any violence either.
Rhaenyra is restless between the absence of Daemon, the pressures from her council to fight back and declare war, and Viserys’ teachings on prioritizing peace. She is desperate for one last sign to confirm if war is her only choice. She is looking for insight to clear her foggy mind, but perhaps she is also looking for closure to her father’s passing and the grief that comes with it. Not only did she lose her father physically, but if Viserys mentioned Aegon’s name as a final cry to make him king, Rhaenyra is most likely questioning her father’s support. Her father always backed her up and believed in her potential to rule. If he changed his mind, it meant he had been hesitant about Rhaenyra all along, just as everyone else. It meant, Rhaenyra had been lied to by the most important person in her life and had been on her own all along.
That is why she wants to know what exactly Viserys said on his deathbed. In a way, she always respected Viserys enough to accept whatever decision he made, and if he wanted Aegon to rule instead of her, she would probably accept it and bend the knee.
When Rhaenyra asks Alicent when did she start plotting Aegon’s usurpation as part of her ambition, Alicent responds: “He changed his mind. I swear this to you in the memory of my mother. I’ve been at times unkind but never untrue. Do you think I’m capable of such naked deceit?” With tears running down her eyes, Rhaneyra asks: “What did he say in the end? Did he speak my name?” Alicent mentioned Aegon, the prince that was promised and Rhaenyra had the epiphany that Viserys was talking about Aegon the Conqueror and the Song of Ice and Fire.
Alicent realized her monumental mistake. She heard what she wanted to hear, what she had been predisposed to hearing by Otto for decades. Rhaneyra told Alicent she could prevent war and its violent outcome and, even though Alicent seemed level-headed for the first time in years, she explained her father is no longer the hand, Corlys Velaryon is in Driftmark, and no one can predict the lengths of Aemond’s demented actions. She then left after saying: “It’s too late”.
Although cynical and cruel, proving how leaders do whatever they want at the expense of thousands, she is right… it is too late. Lucerys Velaryon has been killed, Jaecerys Targaeryen has been decapitated, and Alicent has no power. As I touched on in my last article, Alicent is now disregarded by her sons. No one considers her suggestions, and it seems Aegon’s council compared to Viserys’ only listens to men. Besides, Aemond is ruthless and psychopathic, and losing an eye is enough for lifelong resentment and vengeance. Aegon is a mad king in the making: a narcissist whose priorities revolve around hedonism and debauchery. With power in Westeros and a fear-induced realm, only a few will dare stand against them.
How did Alicent lose any amount of control she had over her sons? The answer: she never had any. I believe it’s linked to dysfunctional family dynamics and how, as an early mother, Alicent was distraught with her battles: anxiety, providing support and trust to the king, and being the pillar Viserys needed, but who was there for her? Her father pushed her further and further into securing himself a better position in power. She has always been naïve and religious, conservative enough to lie to herself about her and her family’s darkness. She never acknowledged her son’s vileness until it was too late, maybe she thought they would outgrow them and even used it as payback against Rhaenyra for cutting her off after she married Viserys.
Alicent has been one of the most hated characters, but this season I’ve fallen on her vulnerable spot. She allowed her relatives to use her for personal gain while her biggest concern was doing what was “best”. Now she can only pray, which is practically the only thing she does. She is realistic about the Dance of the Dragons and how inevitable it is and probably always was. If we look at the history of the Targaryen, they acquired the blood of the dragon by using Valyrian magic to alter their genes with the dragons. That is the only thing that granted them the power of riding and bonding with dragons. Unfortunately, with such magic came such consequences, not only did Targaryens make themselves one with dragons, being accepted as part of them, but they carry the dragon’s rage within them. That is why many of them go crazy. Many people think it’s because the incest altered them but that’s not the problem, it’s the blood of the dragon running through their veins. Inevitably a couple of them would go ballistic.
If Rhaenyra’s conversation with Alicent was not the ultimate confirmation to act, nothing is. It’s wonderful to see women who were once girlfriends finally allow each other to speak, but that’s the last courtesy they can afford. In a way, hatred kept them tied, now they must ignore each other for good and prepare for war. Season one seemed like a war on Alicent and Otto, but now it has become a war on the ticking bombs they created: her sons.
It also doesn’t matter if Alicent heard whatever she wanted to hear. The Targaryen feud was inescapable as long as Otto was in the picture. It doesn’t matter if Alicent had known Viserys meant Aegon the Conqueror or not, Otto and the council had already been plotting for Aegon to usurp the throne, they had all the pieces in place, they only needed the Queen’s Consort title to hide behind it. Otto’s ambition knows no boundaries and it extends to hiding Daeron at Hightower, even if it means it would also make his grandchildren fight each other.
I think this is what the series wanted since the beginning, and they didn’t achieve it in season one. They wanted the viewers to be divided between Team Black and Team Green, but audiences only sided with Team Black. I don’t think the series has divided viewers and created debate amongst them but presenting Team Green on a deeper level and their motivations has led people who blindly supported Blacks, to take a different look at Greens and see their flawed selves. In episode two we empathized with Otto as he realized his ambition blinded him and finally spoke some sense. In episode three we sympathized with Aemond seeking refuge in a brothel and being mocked and humiliated by his brother, and lastly, feeling a bit of commotion for Alicent and her stupidity.
