Queen Alicent Hightower warns her young son Aegon about Rhaenyra

You are the challenge, Aegon
Added Light of the Seven + Rains of Castamere because i thought it would fit.

#gameofthrones #hotd #houseofthedragon #aegontargaryen #alicenthightower

[Yellow-lbrd]

"We must defend our own" - well that was a fu***ng lie

[eyoelberhane_blackmoth]

What's enlightening here is that Aegon is not depicted having Joffrey's cruelty. He's simply childish and entitled, but does not ask to be ruler nor wants to. He just wants to have the lifestyle, not the responsibility. It's what gets thrust upon him later in the story does his character change.

[naomigallacher]

The way she fucking grabs his face. Wow. Olivia Cooke sold this scene and Ty Tennant was amazing too, he looked like he legit flinched at her intensity. Great actors, I wish we could gave seen more of them together.

[dannyliebeno]

"She could move to cut off any challenge to her succession!"

"We'll then I just won't challenge..." 😂

[jmcg]

0:36-0:40 - Brilliant acting by Olivia Cooke. She's so effective as the more cunning and manipulative Alicent.

[gerstein]

I feel kinda bad for Alicent. Her father has convinced her that Rhaenyra will kill her sons in order to secure her claim to the throne and now she's trying to do the same to Aegon. Rhaenyra wouldn't have killed Aegon. This war is the fault of Otto Hightower's shitstirring

[bluhbluhson]

As it turns out, this scene meant nothing.

[boarfaceswinejaw]

And now Alicent has sacrificed everyone she has ever loved and cared about on the Altar of worshipping Rhaenyra. Alicent is destroyed. Its no longer team green, its team Aemond, population uno.

[karenkim]

Omg the last musical phrase combines “Light of the Seven” (cello undercurrent) and the “The Rains of Castermere”… chills.

[mustafa_sakalli]

Alicent in Season 2: I wonder why my sons so cruel and sociopaths 😭

Alicent in Season 1:

[jackierosas]

It’s interesting the contrast of mothers in this episode.

Rhaenyra, Laena, and Alicent.

Alicent is protective of her children but not very affectionate. She wants them to know their place and displays deep paranoia.

It’s like in the earlier episodes when she’s rocking her babes, she’s doing what she’s supposed to do, maybe even more than what’s expected since she doesn’t leave them with a nurse, but she’s vacant, disassociated from it all.

In her scene with Helaena she seems to be half listening and then Aemond comes in after the episode with the pig. This is when she’s the most direct.

Rhaenyra is all about the touch, the gentle looks, the caresses. She smiles at Joffrey constantly despite being in deep pain. Her children are her great love, she’s protective as well but handles her fear differently. She doesn’t show it to her children, her fear is meant to be a secret shielded from her children.

Laena doesn’t have the same fears. She longs for home. She touches and caresses her children as well, assuages their fears. She ultimately dies with her child, greeting death by choice. She leaves her children in the hands of their father, hoping they’ll go home unlike her.

it’s also important to note the fathers in each scenario. Viserys was not Alicent’s choice, Harwin is Rhaenyra’s choice yet unsuitable and dangerous, and while Daemon cares for Laena, she wasn’t HIS first choice, yet they have the most solid relationship. Daemon is also dismissive of his younger daughter, possibly bc she has yet to become a dragon rider.

[hitmanhart]

Bro was jaggin off while standing on the edge of the window 🤣

[yamatonadeshiko]

Knowing the world of ASOIAF, Alicent does have a point.

[LEEboneisDaMan]

More than anyone, Otto is the main cause for the war to come. Setting aside the utter grossness of pimping out your own teenaged daughter to a grieving old man without even having the decency to propose the match to start with, Otto instilled the paranoia that Alicent passes on to her kids who are also dragon riders.

Yeah, it’s conceivable that some lords in the realm Would have challenged Rhaeynera’s succession. And that war would have lasted less than a month with a United dragons faction. By forcing conflict within the Targaryen family itself, Otto set the stage for a brutal civil war where both sides had access to the midevil equivalent of nukes.

[TheRealHerbaSchmurba]

I love that he doesnt care, even saying “that he wont challenge”. Shes doing the same thing her dad did to her, thus likely instilling fear into Aegon when he didnt need that. Rhaenyra likely would not hurt him, but Alicents attacking something she fears before it even existed is why the Dance probably happened at all.

[ellisbrennan]

Olivia Cooke is amazing, love the new cast! It’s getting juicy

[dorime]

now she acts like a saint in front of rhaenera, says that she only supported aegon's ascension because she misheard her father even though she was planning it since they were children. she was always a hypocrite but the way show is making her a damsel who had no control is awful approach.

[michaelbuick]

I'm so sick of the Team Black cope saying Rhaenyra only wants his head now that he did usurp her throne. No, Alicent is correct in the scene the very fact that he exists undermines Rhaenyra and her bastard.

[Nicholas_Chen_]

Alicent and Aegon are like Cersei and Joffrey on acid. The show depicts Alicent as someone not narcissistic like Cersei but bitter and twisted by loneliness, anxiety and constant political tolerance, making her relatable but at the same time unhinged, that’s actually more terrifying than Cersei. Because Alicent would appear and act normal then totally go nuts.

[penguinpals]

Rhaenyra proved she was a threat to Alicents sons. When she demanded Amend be sharply questioned immediately after he lost his eye. Sadly Otto was correct she would have no choice but to put the 2 boys to the sword. Everyone knew what Rhaenyra kids were.