I honestly prefer the younger actors over the grown up ones... i especially feel like the grown up actress for rhaenyra wasn't as good. That combined with how the writers made adult her do nothing but pump out babies, I ended up not liking grown up rhaenyra at all
@@bryand6811 they were cold and emotionless. It was hard to like either of them but olivia cooke was still cool. But the younger actresses have so much girl energy and its cute.
@DVillagomez240 Olivia cooke brought the anxious, shivering, rabid chihuahua at a rescue shelter energy in her performance and I really loved that. But she and rhaenyra's actress don't have as much chemistry compared to the younger actors. Which is such a shame cause I feel like if they did then her performance wouldve been elevated more... and yes the younger actors were adorable
The two young actresses nail it. Grown-up Alicent is also on form. Grown-up Rhaenyra is a tad lacking in places. Also doesn't really resemble the spicy young princess we love.
Agreed! A definite improvement from the book, where Alicent is about a decade older than Rhaenyra, and there appears to an evil-step-mother-undermining-step-daughter vibe to their relationship from the start.
I get goosebumps from seeing the two girls interacting normally in front of the Weirwood tree, and remembering that Bran Stark is seeing everything... 170 years in the future.
Although I’m a fan of the book, I have to admit that making Rhaenyra friends with Alicent in the series was a nice departure from Fire and Blood. In the Book, Alicent is nine years older than Rhaenyra and did not have much of a personal relationship with her prior to becoming her step mother. This change raises the emotional stakes of the conflict.
Agreed - it’s a much better change from the books to have them the same age and best friends before hand. It makes everything that follows so much more tragic
1:40 you can see the genuine love in their eyes. They were in love with each other (confirmed by the actors) and it was destroyed by Otto's monstrous greed and ambition. I would love to see an alternate universe where they run away together on the back of Syrax.
They weren't lesbians. I mean, there is nothing sexual in their closeness. And Raenyra lusts after men and sleeps with them against her better judgment. They were childhood friends turned enemies. Happens all the time.
I hate it when Actors like to change the lore of the books, they were absolutely not in love (But the show and the book is different so you could argue)
Otto was the Hand of the King, the second highest authority after the king. Politics is the job. The friendship of 2 teenage girls doesn't factor into it. Don't forget, it was Otto's suggestion to make Rhaenyra the king's heir in the first place. This act by itself did not benefit him or his daughter in any way, and shows that he wasn't quite self-serving yet. With that decision, he put the good of the realm first, and was willing to radically break tradition to make sure that Daemon didn't become king when Viserys died, and I don't blame Otto for not wanting Daemon as king. The problem is that he *also* manoeuvred his daughter to become the king's next wife. If Otto had not overreached and moved his daughter to catch the king's eye, Viserys would have simply married someone else, likely would have had sons with that wife, which may or may not have led to a succession crisis and war in the long term. It's impossible to know for sure. Alternatively, if Otto had not convinced Viserys to make Rhaenyra his heir, there would not have been a succession issue and war in the long run, and he still would have gotten what he wanted. If Otto had not made *both* of these things happen, things may have been alright.
@@anikethchakraborty3238which is understandable but I don’t like how he basically pimped his daughter out and he still managed to make Daemon his enemy which is stupid of him and made it a war for it not to be Rhaenrya when it no longer suited him.
I’ve been saying. She had to grow up so fast. I don’t know how old she was when she married the King but she was practically a kid herself having to raise kids. No matter what she does I cannot hate her.
@@Friedrich-enjoyerThere's no such thing as platonic friendship, what are you talking about? Any sort of emotional back and forth is clearly romantic attachment.
I think a lot of people are missing one key thing in Alicent’s growing resentment for Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra is one of the few women in their world who has some semblance of a choice in her fate. She has very little say but she does have some because she is Viserys’s heir. Alicent has none. Because she is a woman of nobility she was used as a pawn as a lot of noble women were. If Alicent had pulled half the crap Rhaenyra has pulled, she’d have been either exiled or executed. Not to say that Rhaenyra was wrong to have her affair with Lord Strong, but Alicent’s outrage was justified because it was always so blatantly obvious. And everyone was turning a blind eye. There’s such blatant hypocrisy there that it’s painful to watch. So imagine how Alicent felt.
Her father wanted her to seduce the king to give him power, she wasn’t even considered a candidate until she started showing up at the kings room at night. She chose to do this and keep it a secret from her friend
@@peachbunnys01 no she doesn’t. She has every right to take every emotional outlet and advantage she can. But imagine how excruciating it much have been for Alicent to watch. There’s a special kind of hell that comes from watching someone you love get everything you want.
@@juliamiller5120 Alicent is a awful friend and person, you don’t get to take your shit out on your past friend because YOU did something to her. Alicent chose to seduce her friends father
Rhaenyra also lied to Alicent in the Godswood(their special place, though Alicents gods are the Seven)and swore on the memory of her mother that she was innocent of everything(which was already a sore spot for Alicent, who loved her mother so dearly and shared how she prayed for her). Alicent was fully justified in becoming angry with Rhaenyra. I just think it's ridiculous how Rhaenyra later demands the Targaryen sons be questioned "harshly"(aka tortured)to learn where they learned to call her Strongs "bastards". Rhaenyra:"How dare you say something true?"
Alicent gets upset that Rhaenyra lied to her in the Godswood, but that is the position Alicent put them in. The moment Alicent became Viserys’s queen and mother of Rhaenyra’s natural rivals she was no longer Rhaenyra’s best friend. Rhaenyra knows this and that is why she was so upset at the betrothal - she could handle being Laena’s rival cause they were not that close, but Alicent was her dearest friend. Alicent refused to accept this new political reality and instead resented Rhaenyra for it.
Yeah if Rhaenerya was smarter she would have used the fact that Alicent has no friends to her advantage, manipulate Alicent into being "besties" only for it to lead to Alicent never making Aegon want to rule or even think about it. (Otto would have never convinced her that her bestie will try to kill her son's) Like if she can lie in the Godswood to protect her lil ass (which I don't blame her for) she can do so anywhere else But Rhae rly messed up with those Bastards.... She really didn't know how to play the game of thrones...... pity but interesting for us to watch nonetheless
This not to mention that after the revelation that viserys would marry Alicent it was obvious she had been seeing him in private, not only did she not tell Rhaenyra she didn’t even attempt to hint to her like hey “my dad wants me to get close to your dad, maybe subtlety tell your dad it’s a bad idea,” Alicent may have been put in a difficult position but she knew what she was doing, and she made little effort to change it. Otto may have sent Alicent to viserys chambers but he was not privy to their private conversation, Alicent could have acted disagreeable or pushed viserys to other potential prospects. She basically lied and hid the truth from Rheanyra and on the eve of her mothers death. She knew what Rhaenyra was feeling she knew the pain her best friend was going through and still she proceeded to “comfort,” the king on behest of her father, again on the eve of Rhaenyras mothers death. Why should Rhaenyra trust Alicent, why should Rhaenyra feel guilty for going out with Daemon and then Cole. If Alicent had feelings for Cole, too bad she has no claim over him, she is married to Viserys, sounds harsh but she made her bed. Totally unfair for Alicent to hold that over Rhaenyras head or to be angry at Rhaenyra for not being honest. The first betrayal came from Alicent. If she is angry that Rhaenyra lied on swore on her own mother, it’s quite hypocritical as Alicent wasted no time putting her fathers plan of action again as soon as Aemma was dead. It’s as much disrespectful to do that to Rhaenyra again knowing the pain Rhaenyra went through upon her mother dying. Sorry but I am not on Alicents side.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم A message to the world: Every day, the State of Israel brutally kills defenseless children without any mercy, with American support and deliberate media distortion of the truth of their crimes. Search for the truth, as racism still exists and Western countries still view human souls in a racist and classist manner. May God guide everyone No god but Allah Islam way for peace and real monotheist Search about the truth with honest heart
After watching the first two episodes of season 2 where Alicent is literally fukking Cole I realised Alicent is more hypocrite than I thought. @@elizabethfigueroa6159
Yes! It really shows us how much Alicent has changed as a person and tried to assimilate into the Targaryen family It's interesting but ultimately she was right at the beginning, Targaryen's are siiiickkkkk in the heeeeeeaaaddd for thinking incest is OK
@@nicksmithnutmilk in the books? Cause I know In the show there was the opportunity for Helaena to wed Jacaerys and Viserys was all for it and Alicent scoffed at the idea
never seen this show but man these two deserve to be in a franchise where they will not only be understood better by the fans and also get to end up happier. i would deeply fear any fandom like this one watchinf smthn like revolutionary girl utena
Their dynamic is so twisted that you can't call either of them right or wrong. They're just helpless women exploited by patriarchy and trying to fund their individual purpose within this misery and trying their best to do what's right.
I feel for Alicent more. - Viscerys was essentially her rapist -Rhaneyra betrayed her trust -Viscerys clearly didn't have much love for her children. All of that to say, I get why she ends up resenting R.
Although I appreciate useful critiques of patriarchy, I will say that it's tiring to strip women of their autonomy. Regardless of their relative power to men, these women did have choices and made them on their own accord. Being flawed is not an indication of evil, it is the state of being human. Women even during the centuries of European royalty these books borrowed from had some agency, and they utilized it. Catherine the Great and Empress Elizabeth before her were women who existed within the lens of a patriarchal system that pushed against them. Yet their choices were their own, and to claim every decision they made to be a reaction to patriarchy, rather than an expression of their own cleverness within the world they lived in, is insulting and reduces women to the archetype of 'maiden in distress.'
@@woofawoof7616 Thank you! Surely patriarchy plays a role, but calling Rhaenyra and Alicent "helpless women" is really not a good point, as there would be thousands of thousands of men in Westeros who have far fewer rights and freedom of choice. In keeping with medieval times, Westeros is generally very hierarchical, but Rhaenyra was probably in the top 3 of the most privileged people in Westeros from the start, and Alicent later through her marriage to Viserys was certainly at least in the top 8.
@@rolle3538 agreed! Privilege is all relative, and I find that so many people reduce it to what is easily viewed. These queens were women within a male dominated culture, sure, but as you said-they are some of the wealthiest and most powerful *people* in the world. To assume they are more helpless than poor men, for instance, subsistence farming and barely eking out enough to feed their families, is a little absurd to me. One of the greatest flaws, I think, of neo-liberalism is that it tends to miss the bigger picture. I happen to be liberal myself, and pretty left to boot, but even I can see that life is more complex than we often give it credit for. I've found that people who know a little assume they understand a lot, and that they can apply one single lesson to every situation. Sorry for the rant haha, it's so nice to speak to someone on the Internet who likes to delve into these nuances. Not to sound pretentious at all, I'm just a nerd lol, and I've gone steadily crazier the last few years with simpler thinking taking over public consciousness.
I love the take that Alicent is in love with Rhaenyra but Rhaenyra doesn't reciprocate. It gives an added layer of guilt and jealousy to Alicent's actions.
Otto isn't the only one to blame. Viserys isn't a child. He had every power not to marry Alicent, but he was a disgusting pedo who was lusting over his teenage daughter's best friend.
And Rhaenyra. Especially Rhaenyra. She lied to her friend, betrayed people who put their faith in her and wanted children tortured for telling the truth about her adultery and everyone ignores that part.
So tragic how the game of thrones grinds up these friends and spits them out as enemies. It wrecks their lives, their families' lives and will go on and on, unstopped, to plague the next generation, and the next.
Even after that she says something nice to rhaenyra. But before that harsh statement by rhaenyra, Alicent really thought she was in a romantic relationship with viserys. She was woken up by that dagger of a statement
I wana feel bad for Alicent but that situation just screams jealousy. Alicent is broken but her butting into things is just incredibly condescending and stupid.
Alicent comes to hate Rhaenyra because she believes Rhaenyra lied to her in this scene but as we see, Rhaenyra only says she didn’t sleep with Daemon which is TRUE! Rhaenyra lied only by omission by not telling Alicent about Criston but Alicent was not lied to by Rhaenyra.
I mean Rhaenyra owes her no truth or loyalty anyway when Alicent kept the secret of her seduction of the king her father asked her to do or their ongoing relationship
@@peachbunnys01 alicent had no choice. rhaenyra only lied to save herself from a potentially deadly mistake. in their world it would be catastrophic for the criston affair to get out. criston himself would get executed and rhaenyra would get disinherited. all of this is made perfectly clear so why leave it out, and mislead people?
Alicent and Rhaenyra deserved better along with Alicent’s children. If Rhaenyra had tried to hear out Alicent, then maybe things would’ve been different.
Truth. The worst part is, she swears on the memory of her mother, when Alicent's love of her own dead mother was such a sore spot. No wonder Alicent "declares war". (Green supporter here. Know the show tries to slant things so we like the Blacks and only the Blacks, but I prefer Green, especially since Rhaenyra acts all innocent at all times and then treats others like they're awful.)
@@KunoBu She had a choice. She could have said that she went into the brothel with him, that they did have wine, etc; Sure, Criston outed her later because of his need to regain his honor, but the lie was what did it. Because Rhaenyra lied, not only did she have Otto sent away(for something she was pretty much guilty of), but she lied on the memory of her mother(remember that Alicent was very vulnerable about her mother, which she explained to Viserys about and how she convinced Rhaenyra to pray for her own mother)and in the Godswood, their special place. Just sayin'.
@@phousefilms admitting to any wrong doing even though it's her rapey uncle to blame would mean running her and her claim. Allicent knows that. Rhaenyra lost her mom too.
@@KunoBu Like, saying, sleeping with a man not her husband and having three bastards? Or being indignant at being accused of what she definitely did? Lol.
I think it’s incredibly vile and hypocritical that alicent would be upset about doing stuff with her uncle when she got with her best friends dad and had children with him, then proceeded to marry her own son and daughter together.
Okay young Alicent had no choice and she was clearly miserable and upset about having to marry Viserys. Say what you want about her marrying her children to each other when she gets older but Young Alicent was a victim
@@pokemcnmaster she definitely was a victim because of her horrible father. But as rhanerya I wouldn’t have given af and used it in this argument and it would have shut down alicent immediately and maybe got her to take a step back and think.
I liked how close these two were. I would like a rekindling but being game of thrones. probably not going to happen. Honestly Rhaenyra shouldn't have been angry about Alicent marrying her father. Because she was shocked too.
Funny how Otto ruined their friendship by pushing Alicent to marry Viserys and then ruined their reconciliation by saying that stuff about Rhaenyra. Also Emma and Olivia did sooo good in the knife scene.
I still can’t imagine why Alice think wasn’t murdered for attacking the first born, the heir, the princess after the king told her his word was law and final. That should have been the end of her
She's the Queen she's actually above Rhaenyra in status and behind Viserys so.... her position left her untouched. Also it was in the interest of all to not cause fuss about it, cause acting against alicent would make both sides clash even further increasing the tensions even further and no one wanted that... it was already at the roof.
Because if the king executed the queen Alicent Hightower it would have caused a huge rebellion and possibly war and it would bring more attention to rhaenyras sons being bastards which is what Visarys didn't want
@@Ariana-wv4pfLike men have any room to talk about loyalty and solidarity. Men are 20× more likely to kill each other over the littlest of offenses and that is scientific fact.
They are! Just tragic lovers who never got to realize the extent of their feelings beyond friendship, especially with how the men in their lives kept pitting them against each other
Alicent was alienated by everyone, and her best friend lied on her own mothers memory to her, and shown that Viserys would do nothing for her children or for her, and that Daemon would get away with it all, even be allowed to marry the Kings chosen heir, becoming king consort. She wanted to believe in the good of Rhaenyra and not listen to her fathers conspiracies, but when she was given that proof that even with his own son maimed and lost a eye after being attacked by rhaenyra's bastard children and Daemon's daughters, Rhaenyra got all the support, no one would stand up for her or care about her and her children. Rhaenyra alienated her best friend, the queen of the seven kingdoms, her step mother, and the person who could convince aegon not to pursue the claim.
@@_lolo7423 she had a choice, the marriage would’ve happened with or without rhaenyra knowing prior. she could’ve at least told her so called best friend.
@@s_.777 but again, they were only a child.... Even after that her and Rhaenyra already reconcile, it was Rhaenyra lying in the name of her death mother that led their relationship fall apart
IMO it would probs have been MUCH BETTER if Alicent was shown as being scared of Rhaenyra from the start - better if Alicent is shown not to have befriended her by free will, but because her dad wanted her to. Kinda like Mai & Ty Lee with Azula.
My theory is since everyone keeps talking about how Alicent was doing what her father was telling her. I think Alicent, naturally would not have befriended Rhaenyra otherwise. She only befriended Rhae because Otto pushed her to it. Rhae was around her age (younger by a year IIRC)...Perhaps she did end up liking Rhaenyra but I think if Alicent is the type who just does everything told (duty), then tsk, yeah, it was not her choice to befriend Rhaenyra as well.
It’s all clear now. It’s all because of Alicent’s ambition and vulnerability to manipulation (in short stupidity) that the Targaryens and dragons were wiped out.
Rhaenyra basically went from my favourite character to see on screen to my least favourite after the time jump. The younger actor for Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) was one of the best parts of season 1. Both the young actors were great, and also Olivia Cooke as adult Alicent. Unfortunately I'm not as crazy about Emma D'arcy as adult Rhaenyra as many others are. I find her performance sort of flat and boring, there's just nothing about the character to be drawn to.
I thought it was just me! There’s just something about young Rhaenyra that makes you feel something, she’s so energetic and expressive, she also has a sort of aura to her, older Rhae on the other hand is so different and much more on the bland side.
@@mrthanos8140 I just find it so hypocritical that she's constantly on Rhaenyras ass about Viserys favoritism, when Alicent herself gets special treatment all the fucking time.
@@natalie651 They changed the actors who were children, not those who were adults. They didn't change Rhaenys either, this has nothing to do with gender. So Laena, Laenor, Rhaenyra, Alicent, Aegon, Jace, Luke, Joffrey, Baela, Rhaena, Aemond and Helaena have multiple actors and the adults don't.
I know the meaning of them adding the sneaking to the sept now it’s like when they were kids praying. They are trying to make blacks seem like the good guys though when I mean I guess rhaenyra was always the rightful one more messed up stuff happened in the books.
She's a spoiled rich girl who happens to have it all based on blood, but unfortunately for her and all around her , SHES SUCH A BAD POLITICIAN Literally LEFT, no RAN AWAY when she started to have a shaky status at court because of her bastards, therefore lost all control of the happenings at court (but daddys gonna deal with that!! Like what even was the mindset behind making big life decisios!?!?!? Impusivee ass girl..) And then came to cry to her daddy when they tried to overthrow her son's claims? Like that was her big smart girl boss plan, to beg?!? If he stayed corpsed up like he was, little strongs would have lost it all because she never wanted to play the game of thrones, just the benefits of sitting on the throne, aka right to do whatever she wants and for others to deal with it..
??? Alicent didn’t seduce Rhaenyra’s father. Otto was the one who manipulated them into getting married and all their interactions. Rhaenyra is well aware she was forced into this, 5:58 is a prime of example. Rhaenyra realizes she’s being insensitive complaining about having to get married and forced to have heirs when she realizes that’s what happened to Alicent. She silently holds Alicent’s hand as a way of apologizing. It’s not a black and white situation. Rhaenyra is upset Alicent married her dad but knows she had no choice in the matter. Alicent knows she has to do her duty but still wanted to be friends with Rhaenyra. Sadly once they became adults their relationship completely broke apart.
@@peachbunnys01 That was Otto's doing. Otto was the one who literally pimped his daughter out, episode 2 and 3 showcase this. He knew it was his chance to put the Hightowers into power and used his daughter. This show isn't black or white with one party being good and one party being bad. Literally rewatch 5:58 with Rhaenerya knowing Alicent had no choice in the matter.
fans of this franchise really do not have any media literacy because how do you blame a literal teenager over the many grown men that forced them to be in this situation in the first place
@@RedTunaRollby that logic, Daemon completely groomed Rhaneara into the brothel kiss and caused the lie. And then Rhaneara was married off to a gay man who could give her no children. She wasn't dealt any better cards.
I adored the younger actresses of Rhaenyra and Alicent. Fantastic performances.
With those two, i love both and could never choose.
I honestly prefer the younger actors over the grown up ones... i especially feel like the grown up actress for rhaenyra wasn't as good. That combined with how the writers made adult her do nothing but pump out babies, I ended up not liking grown up rhaenyra at all
@@bryand6811 they were cold and emotionless. It was hard to like either of them but olivia cooke was still cool. But the younger actresses have so much girl energy and its cute.
@DVillagomez240 Olivia cooke brought the anxious, shivering, rabid chihuahua at a rescue shelter energy in her performance and I really loved that. But she and rhaenyra's actress don't have as much chemistry compared to the younger actors. Which is such a shame cause I feel like if they did then her performance wouldve been elevated more... and yes the younger actors were adorable
The two young actresses nail it. Grown-up Alicent is also on form. Grown-up Rhaenyra is a tad lacking in places. Also doesn't really resemble the spicy young princess we love.
The fact that they were once close friends makes the war between them more tragic
Agreed! A definite improvement from the book, where Alicent is about a decade older than Rhaenyra, and there appears to an evil-step-mother-undermining-step-daughter vibe to their relationship from the start.
@@Mj_Jetson it's one of the few alterations from the books I like
@@jwiese100same, actually humanizes her a bit
My hope is they become friends again before they die.
@@alexayers9463 Im black and I agree
I get goosebumps from seeing the two girls interacting normally in front of the Weirwood tree, and remembering that Bran Stark is seeing everything... 170 years in the future.
LMAO noooo 😭
Bran like:👁️🫦👁️
Although I’m a fan of the book, I have to admit that making Rhaenyra friends with Alicent in the series was a nice departure from Fire and Blood. In the Book, Alicent is nine years older than Rhaenyra and did not have much of a personal relationship with her prior to becoming her step mother. This change raises the emotional stakes of the conflict.
Whoa, that is a pretty good change of the source material. Glad the writers did it.
It does make it slightly jarring seeing the 28 year old Olivia Cooke as a grandmother.
@@hewiebecker6165 well, makeup does wonders.
Agreed - it’s a much better change from the books to have them the same age and best friends before hand. It makes everything that follows so much more tragic
Nope it was the worst decision ever now we get bunch of rhaenicent shippers.
1:40 you can see the genuine love in their eyes. They were in love with each other (confirmed by the actors) and it was destroyed by Otto's monstrous greed and ambition. I would love to see an alternate universe where they run away together on the back of Syrax.
Kkkkkkkkkkkk
They weren't lesbians. I mean, there is nothing sexual in their closeness.
And Raenyra lusts after men and sleeps with them against her better judgment.
They were childhood friends turned enemies. Happens all the time.
I hate it when Actors like to change the lore of the books, they were absolutely not in love (But the show and the book is different so you could argue)
@@MrMustache-yn4zmwomp womp
@@MrMustache-yn4zm like you said it is free for interpretation in the series. Their bond was almost romantic to me
I miss their friendship.
They were great friends Otto shouldn’t have gotten in the way.
Otto was the Hand of the King, the second highest authority after the king. Politics is the job. The friendship of 2 teenage girls doesn't factor into it.
Don't forget, it was Otto's suggestion to make Rhaenyra the king's heir in the first place. This act by itself did not benefit him or his daughter in any way, and shows that he wasn't quite self-serving yet. With that decision, he put the good of the realm first, and was willing to radically break tradition to make sure that Daemon didn't become king when Viserys died, and I don't blame Otto for not wanting Daemon as king.
The problem is that he *also* manoeuvred his daughter to become the king's next wife.
If Otto had not overreached and moved his daughter to catch the king's eye, Viserys would have simply married someone else, likely would have had sons with that wife, which may or may not have led to a succession crisis and war in the long term. It's impossible to know for sure.
Alternatively, if Otto had not convinced Viserys to make Rhaenyra his heir, there would not have been a succession issue and war in the long run, and he still would have gotten what he wanted.
If Otto had not made *both* of these things happen, things may have been alright.
@@mitchellhayward6492you're right 💯 people don't understand how politics works. Also, his house suffered a lot during Maegor I
@@anikethchakraborty3238which is understandable but I don’t like how he basically pimped his daughter out and he still managed to make Daemon his enemy which is stupid of him and made it a war for it not to be Rhaenrya when it no longer suited him.
U think he gives a shit about his daughters friendship when he’s trying to install his kin on the throne 😂😂😂
@@mitchellhayward6492if Daemon was Heir instead it would be a Man vs a Boy and there is no crisis
Friends make the absolute worst enemies.
I learned that. The hard way
@@alasdairmacleod7769🙏🏿 me 2
THIS
That's so true
Perioddddd god this happened to me
alicents story makes me so sad
She really had no one on her side, I can see why she turned out the way she did.
@@NDNauthorgirlieshe betrayed her only friend kinda on her, her dad wanted her to seduce the kind and she did, she didn’t have to do that
I’ve been saying. She had to grow up so fast. I don’t know how old she was when she married the King but she was practically a kid herself having to raise kids. No matter what she does I cannot hate her.
@@taylortimeless and she deserved even worse 😊
You can’t tell me they weren’t in love with each other
Dude 😂
People really do hate friendship in fiction.
@@Friedrich-enjoyeryup
It’s kinda sad
man you people cannot help but project your weirdness and illness onto everything and everybody huh.
@@Friedrich-enjoyerThere's no such thing as platonic friendship, what are you talking about? Any sort of emotional back and forth is clearly romantic attachment.
I think a lot of people are missing one key thing in Alicent’s growing resentment for Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra is one of the few women in their world who has some semblance of a choice in her fate. She has very little say but she does have some because she is Viserys’s heir. Alicent has none. Because she is a woman of nobility she was used as a pawn as a lot of noble women were. If Alicent had pulled half the crap Rhaenyra has pulled, she’d have been either exiled or executed.
Not to say that Rhaenyra was wrong to have her affair with Lord Strong, but Alicent’s outrage was justified because it was always so blatantly obvious. And everyone was turning a blind eye. There’s such blatant hypocrisy there that it’s painful to watch. So imagine how Alicent felt.
Her father wanted her to seduce the king to give him power, she wasn’t even considered a candidate until she started showing up at the kings room at night. She chose to do this and keep it a secret from her friend
That’s not Rhaenyra fault and she owes nothing to Alicent especially not honesty
@@peachbunnys01 no she doesn’t. She has every right to take every emotional outlet and advantage she can. But imagine how excruciating it much have been for Alicent to watch. There’s a special kind of hell that comes from watching someone you love get everything you want.
@@juliamiller5120 Alicent is a awful friend and person, you don’t get to take your shit out on your past friend because YOU did something to her. Alicent chose to seduce her friends father
Rhaenyra also lied to Alicent in the Godswood(their special place, though Alicents gods are the Seven)and swore on the memory of her mother that she was innocent of everything(which was already a sore spot for Alicent, who loved her mother so dearly and shared how she prayed for her).
Alicent was fully justified in becoming angry with Rhaenyra. I just think it's ridiculous how Rhaenyra later demands the Targaryen sons be questioned "harshly"(aka tortured)to learn where they learned to call her Strongs "bastards".
Rhaenyra:"How dare you say something true?"
Alicent gets upset that Rhaenyra lied to her in the Godswood, but that is the position Alicent put them in. The moment Alicent became Viserys’s queen and mother of Rhaenyra’s natural rivals she was no longer Rhaenyra’s best friend. Rhaenyra knows this and that is why she was so upset at the betrothal - she could handle being Laena’s rival cause they were not that close, but Alicent was her dearest friend. Alicent refused to accept this new political reality and instead resented Rhaenyra for it.
Yeah if Rhaenerya was smarter she would have used the fact that Alicent has no friends to her advantage, manipulate Alicent into being "besties" only for it to lead to Alicent never making Aegon want to rule or even think about it. (Otto would have never convinced her that her bestie will try to kill her son's)
Like if she can lie in the Godswood to protect her lil ass (which I don't blame her for) she can do so anywhere else
But Rhae rly messed up with those Bastards.... She really didn't know how to play the game of thrones...... pity but interesting for us to watch nonetheless
Yeah because Alicent never wanted her position as queen. She was forced by her father to persue the king and marry him.
This not to mention that after the revelation that viserys would marry Alicent it was obvious she had been seeing him in private, not only did she not tell Rhaenyra she didn’t even attempt to hint to her like hey “my dad wants me to get close to your dad, maybe subtlety tell your dad it’s a bad idea,” Alicent may have been put in a difficult position but she knew what she was doing, and she made little effort to change it. Otto may have sent Alicent to viserys chambers but he was not privy to their private conversation, Alicent could have acted disagreeable or pushed viserys to other potential prospects. She basically lied and hid the truth from Rheanyra and on the eve of her mothers death. She knew what Rhaenyra was feeling she knew the pain her best friend was going through and still she proceeded to “comfort,” the king on behest of her father, again on the eve of Rhaenyras mothers death. Why should Rhaenyra trust Alicent, why should Rhaenyra feel guilty for going out with Daemon and then Cole. If Alicent had feelings for Cole, too bad she has no claim over him, she is married to Viserys, sounds harsh but she made her bed. Totally unfair for Alicent to hold that over Rhaenyras head or to be angry at Rhaenyra for not being honest. The first betrayal came from Alicent. If she is angry that Rhaenyra lied on swore on her own mother, it’s quite hypocritical as Alicent wasted no time putting her fathers plan of action again as soon as Aemma was dead. It’s as much disrespectful to do that to Rhaenyra again knowing the pain Rhaenyra went through upon her mother dying. Sorry but I am not on Alicents side.
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After watching the first two episodes of season 2 where Alicent is literally fukking Cole I realised Alicent is more hypocrite than I thought. @@elizabethfigueroa6159
Alicent - “you Targaryen’s have queer customs”
Also Alicent - weds her son Aegon to his sister Helaena…
Yes! It really shows us how much Alicent has changed as a person and tried to assimilate into the Targaryen family
It's interesting but ultimately she was right at the beginning, Targaryen's are siiiickkkkk in the heeeeeeaaaddd for thinking incest is OK
Viserys wed them
@@nicksmithnutmilk in the books? Cause I know In the show there was the opportunity for Helaena to wed Jacaerys and Viserys was all for it and Alicent scoffed at the idea
@@baranovam yeah in the books
@@baranovam It's unclear who wed them, besides marrying her to Jace can easily hold her hostage
look how they watch eachother
Everyone blames either rhae or alicent but in reality it was Otto and Viserys.
Seeing them being BFFs when they were young and where they are now in the show is so tragic. Best of friends forced to kill each others families.
the scene of them in the sept will never fail to make me tear up. it's so wonderful.
never seen this show but man these two deserve to be in a franchise where they will not only be understood better by the fans and also get to end up happier. i would deeply fear any fandom like this one watchinf smthn like revolutionary girl utena
rgu fan in the wild… also omfg u get it forreal half the fans of this show have zero media comprehension it’s crazy
Their dynamic is so twisted that you can't call either of them right or wrong. They're just helpless women exploited by patriarchy and trying to fund their individual purpose within this misery and trying their best to do what's right.
I agreee
I feel for Alicent more.
- Viscerys was essentially her rapist
-Rhaneyra betrayed her trust
-Viscerys clearly didn't have much love for her children.
All of that to say, I get why she ends up resenting R.
Although I appreciate useful critiques of patriarchy, I will say that it's tiring to strip women of their autonomy. Regardless of their relative power to men, these women did have choices and made them on their own accord. Being flawed is not an indication of evil, it is the state of being human.
Women even during the centuries of European royalty these books borrowed from had some agency, and they utilized it. Catherine the Great and Empress Elizabeth before her were women who existed within the lens of a patriarchal system that pushed against them. Yet their choices were their own, and to claim every decision they made to be a reaction to patriarchy, rather than an expression of their own cleverness within the world they lived in, is insulting and reduces women to the archetype of 'maiden in distress.'
@@woofawoof7616 Thank you! Surely patriarchy plays a role, but calling Rhaenyra and Alicent "helpless women" is really not a good point, as there would be thousands of thousands of men in Westeros who have far fewer rights and freedom of choice. In keeping with medieval times, Westeros is generally very hierarchical, but Rhaenyra was probably in the top 3 of the most privileged people in Westeros from the start, and Alicent later through her marriage to Viserys was certainly at least in the top 8.
@@rolle3538 agreed! Privilege is all relative, and I find that so many people reduce it to what is easily viewed. These queens were women within a male dominated culture, sure, but as you said-they are some of the wealthiest and most powerful *people* in the world. To assume they are more helpless than poor men, for instance, subsistence farming and barely eking out enough to feed their families, is a little absurd to me.
One of the greatest flaws, I think, of neo-liberalism is that it tends to miss the bigger picture. I happen to be liberal myself, and pretty left to boot, but even I can see that life is more complex than we often give it credit for. I've found that people who know a little assume they understand a lot, and that they can apply one single lesson to every situation.
Sorry for the rant haha, it's so nice to speak to someone on the Internet who likes to delve into these nuances. Not to sound pretentious at all, I'm just a nerd lol, and I've gone steadily crazier the last few years with simpler thinking taking over public consciousness.
I love the take that Alicent is in love with Rhaenyra but Rhaenyra doesn't reciprocate. It gives an added layer of guilt and jealousy to Alicent's actions.
Otto Hightower... The trouble he caused.
Daemon was right on the money about that one.
Otto isn't the only one to blame. Viserys isn't a child. He had every power not to marry Alicent, but he was a disgusting pedo who was lusting over his teenage daughter's best friend.
And Rhaenyra.
Especially Rhaenyra. She lied to her friend, betrayed people who put their faith in her and wanted children tortured for telling the truth about her adultery and everyone ignores that part.
So tragic how the game of thrones grinds up these friends and spits them out as enemies. It wrecks their lives, their families' lives and will go on and on, unstopped, to plague the next generation, and the next.
0:39 she was so jealous of her friend just because she had no interest in “Her duty” 😒😒😒 I love how she notices Alicent biting her nails. 1:26
thanks so much for that, Ive been obsessing over these two but not enough to watch all the scenes focused on men on this show
Such a tragic relationship
After she married her father it was tragic.
6:03 Ouch, Alicent definitely felt that one
Even after that she says something nice to rhaenyra. But before that harsh statement by rhaenyra, Alicent really thought she was in a romantic relationship with viserys. She was woken up by that dagger of a statement
I wana feel bad for Alicent but that situation just screams jealousy. Alicent is broken but her butting into things is just incredibly condescending and stupid.
Alicent comes to hate Rhaenyra because she believes Rhaenyra lied to her in this scene but as we see, Rhaenyra only says she didn’t sleep with Daemon which is TRUE! Rhaenyra lied only by omission by not telling Alicent about Criston but Alicent was not lied to by Rhaenyra.
I mean Rhaenyra owes her no truth or loyalty anyway when Alicent kept the secret of her seduction of the king her father asked her to do or their ongoing relationship
@@peachbunnys01 alicent had no choice. rhaenyra only lied to save herself from a potentially deadly mistake. in their world it would be catastrophic for the criston affair to get out. criston himself would get executed and rhaenyra would get disinherited. all of this is made perfectly clear so why leave it out, and mislead people?
I think that what saddens me the most about this story, is that all in all, it’s the story of a friendship torn apart.
Alicent and Rhaenyra deserved better along with Alicent’s children. If Rhaenyra had tried to hear out Alicent, then maybe things would’ve been different.
Hear her out for what Alicent started it tf
If Cersei was in Rhaenyra's place, Alicent would already be in the dungeons and make sure she'll die before she even sees the sunlight again.
No one is Cersei
Watching this back after Emma and Olivia, the older versions actually feel like the older ones.. even by the actresses and visuaully.
I wish the whole show was just this
The way Rhaenyera lies to Alicent in the weird wood tree is chilling.
Truth. The worst part is, she swears on the memory of her mother, when Alicent's love of her own dead mother was such a sore spot. No wonder Alicent "declares war".
(Green supporter here. Know the show tries to slant things so we like the Blacks and only the Blacks, but I prefer Green, especially since Rhaenyra acts all innocent at all times and then treats others like they're awful.)
She had no choice
@@KunoBu She had a choice. She could have said that she went into the brothel with him, that they did have wine, etc; Sure, Criston outed her later because of his need to regain his honor, but the lie was what did it.
Because Rhaenyra lied, not only did she have Otto sent away(for something she was pretty much guilty of), but she lied on the memory of her mother(remember that Alicent was very vulnerable about her mother, which she explained to Viserys about and how she convinced Rhaenyra to pray for her own mother)and in the Godswood, their special place. Just sayin'.
@@phousefilms admitting to any wrong doing even though it's her rapey uncle to blame would mean running her and her claim. Allicent knows that. Rhaenyra lost her mom too.
@@KunoBu Like, saying, sleeping with a man not her husband and having three bastards? Or being indignant at being accused of what she definitely did? Lol.
Theres nothing like the love between a girl and her female best friend. ❤
Alicent was clearly in love with Rhaenyra
From Best friends to Enemies
Imagine if they ruled as Joint Queens while Daemon is The King Consort
6:57 love that part Alicent jealous because she married a older man
I think it’s incredibly vile and hypocritical that alicent would be upset about doing stuff with her uncle when she got with her best friends dad and had children with him, then proceeded to marry her own son and daughter together.
And having an ongoing sexual affairs with Criston Cole and some feet-fetish act with Larys Strong...ew.
Okay young Alicent had no choice and she was clearly miserable and upset about having to marry Viserys. Say what you want about her marrying her children to each other when she gets older but Young Alicent was a victim
@@pokemcnmaster she definitely was a victim because of her horrible father. But as rhanerya I wouldn’t have given af and used it in this argument and it would have shut down alicent immediately and maybe got her to take a step back and think.
Just wanna say: Otto started it
~I wish that the 2 of us shall never leave our children. Like our mothers left us.~ Trust me that would be ironic
what happened to alicent she changed so much when she became the new queen and a mother, they even walking together with their arms intertwined 0:15
Im getting the vibe that these two would have been more than just friends
It’s sad that they got pull apart all because someone wanted power
I liked how close these two were. I would like a rekindling but being game of thrones. probably not going to happen. Honestly Rhaenyra shouldn't have been angry about Alicent marrying her father. Because she was shocked too.
watching these scenes just make me want to reread ‘her shim cheong’
Funny how Otto ruined their friendship by pushing Alicent to marry Viserys and then ruined their reconciliation by saying that stuff about Rhaenyra.
Also Emma and Olivia did sooo good in the knife scene.
I still can’t imagine why Alice think wasn’t murdered for attacking the first born, the heir, the princess after the king told her his word was law and final. That should have been the end of her
She's the Queen she's actually above Rhaenyra in status and behind Viserys so.... her position left her untouched. Also it was in the interest of all to not cause fuss about it, cause acting against alicent would make both sides clash even further increasing the tensions even further and no one wanted that... it was already at the roof.
Because if the king executed the queen Alicent Hightower it would have caused a huge rebellion and possibly war and it would bring more attention to rhaenyras sons being bastards which is what Visarys didn't want
@@Alejojojo6she’s not above the Crowned Heir even if she’s Queen, since she’s basically the King’s Bitch
@@jeremyhamilton2639Alicent should have been killed for attempted murder on tne Crowned Princess and Heir
@@Alejojojo6no she’s not. The heir is above her. Rhaenyra literally outranks her.
It would be best if they just united and ruled together. This way they wouldn't be under anyone. The female against female trope is an eyeroll.
It's reality. Females have no solidarity or loyal bone towards their own gender.
@@Ariana-wv4pfLike men have any room to talk about loyalty and solidarity. Men are 20× more likely to kill each other over the littlest of offenses and that is scientific fact.
This is not a trope this is a complex examination of the pain of patriarchy and how it destroys people
SMH they should’ve made them lovers!!! SMH missed opportunity to make it even more messy! 😂😂😂
They are! Just tragic lovers who never got to realize the extent of their feelings beyond friendship, especially with how the men in their lives kept pitting them against each other
Nah they were for sure in love with each other.
In this series the royal court looks like an actual royal court. In GoT there were some people in the throne room and nothing more.
this is so important to me
Alicent was alienated by everyone, and her best friend lied on her own mothers memory to her, and shown that Viserys would do nothing for her children or for her, and that Daemon would get away with it all, even be allowed to marry the Kings chosen heir, becoming king consort. She wanted to believe in the good of Rhaenyra and not listen to her fathers conspiracies, but when she was given that proof that even with his own son maimed and lost a eye after being attacked by rhaenyra's bastard children and Daemon's daughters, Rhaenyra got all the support, no one would stand up for her or care about her and her children. Rhaenyra alienated her best friend, the queen of the seven kingdoms, her step mother, and the person who could convince aegon not to pursue the claim.
To be fair, it definitely wasn't Aegon you had to convince. But Otto. Which Alicent can't do or make happen.
Alicent had no one after the marriage. And then rhaenyra had no allies as tensions rose.
Rhaenyra & Daemon didn’t have sex so how did she lie?!😊
Rhaenyra didn’t lie to Alicent tho… she never slept with Daemon at that point.
@@OoOMonkeyCoFreakOoO girl....she said he never touched her... They made out with the intention of having sex... That's touching!!! Lol..
I don't understand why alicent cared if not for jealously
alicent happily kept her meetings with viserys from rhaenyra, something people often chose to ignore.
Like she had a choice, her own father pushed her in that situation and Viserys himself told her many times bot to tell Rhaenyra....
@@_lolo7423 she had a choice, the marriage would’ve happened with or without rhaenyra knowing prior. she could’ve at least told her so called best friend.
@@s_.777 but again, they were only a child.... Even after that her and Rhaenyra already reconcile, it was Rhaenyra lying in the name of her death mother that led their relationship fall apart
@@_lolo7423 rhaenyra didn’t lie
Taurus vs Aries 😂
After they mature = Capricorn vs Cancer 😂
And in the next season, Capsicum vs Zeus
Well, I've always thought of them more like Capricorn and Leo. Alicent is a verified Capricorn woman
@@mitchellhayward6492according to many Zeus is either a Cancer or Leo while Hera is Capricorn or Aquarius
@@anikethchakraborty3238 make sense
I just pooped myself what does that make me ?
Gosh they are so much better for each other than the shitty options they’ve had on the show, dating-wise
Young alicent is beautiful
Friends to swore enemies
15:06 - 15:18 that's hilarious, i'm sorry😂
Alicent: “Daemon certainly knows no limit”
Also Alicent about 15 years later thinking of her son Aegon: (puppet monkey looking ashamed face)
The ending of this friendship is Alicent's fault.
IMO it would probs have been MUCH BETTER if Alicent was shown as being scared of Rhaenyra from the start - better if Alicent is shown not to have befriended her by free will, but because her dad wanted her to. Kinda like Mai & Ty Lee with Azula.
My theory is since everyone keeps talking about how Alicent was doing what her father was telling her. I think Alicent, naturally would not have befriended Rhaenyra otherwise. She only befriended Rhae because Otto pushed her to it. Rhae was around her age (younger by a year IIRC)...Perhaps she did end up liking Rhaenyra but I think if Alicent is the type who just does everything told (duty), then tsk, yeah, it was not her choice to befriend Rhaenyra as well.
Grown up version of Alicent is irritating AF
It’s all clear now. It’s all because of Alicent’s ambition and vulnerability to manipulation (in short stupidity) that the Targaryens and dragons were wiped out.
You should be resting where’s that scene
Rhaenyra basically went from my favourite character to see on screen to my least favourite after the time jump. The younger actor for Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) was one of the best parts of season 1. Both the young actors were great, and also Olivia Cooke as adult Alicent. Unfortunately I'm not as crazy about Emma D'arcy as adult Rhaenyra as many others are. I find her performance sort of flat and boring, there's just nothing about the character to be drawn to.
I thought it was just me! There’s just something about young Rhaenyra that makes you feel something, she’s so energetic and expressive, she also has a sort of aura to her, older Rhae on the other hand is so different and much more on the bland side.
Any other King would've had Alicent punished or killed for harming the Princess like that.
He should’ve had her out and let her make no choices. Never should’ve married her to begin with and passed the throne on.
@@mrthanos8140 I just find it so hypocritical that she's constantly on Rhaenyras ass about Viserys favoritism, when Alicent herself gets special treatment all the fucking time.
' Where u with ur uncle ' 😂😂😂
Haha "Fu*k the Septa" :D
thought she said "burn the septa"
HBO replaces the women actresses but not the men? Of course.
They have to in order to show the passage of time. They also switched up Laenor's actor because he was around the same age as Rheanyra.
They did replace Laenor!
@@talk-supersix-seven6021 a minor side character but not Daemon or Vicerys or Hightower or Cole. They don't age, do they?
@@natalie651 They changed the actors who were children, not those who were adults. They didn't change Rhaenys either, this has nothing to do with gender.
So Laena, Laenor, Rhaenyra, Alicent, Aegon, Jace, Luke, Joffrey, Baela, Rhaena, Aemond and Helaena have multiple actors and the adults don't.
I know the meaning of them adding the sneaking to the sept now it’s like when they were kids praying. They are trying to make blacks seem like the good guys though when I mean I guess rhaenyra was always the rightful one more messed up stuff happened in the books.
Straights: ugh why does everything have to be gay? They're just besties.
Sapphics: you know nothing.
Ok Lesbian
Rhaenyra was a manipulator
She's a spoiled rich girl who happens to have it all based on blood, but unfortunately for her and all around her , SHES SUCH A BAD POLITICIAN
Literally LEFT, no RAN AWAY when she started to have a shaky status at court because of her bastards, therefore lost all control of the happenings at court (but daddys gonna deal with that!! Like what even was the mindset behind making big life decisios!?!?!? Impusivee ass girl..)
And then came to cry to her daddy when they tried to overthrow her son's claims? Like that was her big smart girl boss plan, to beg?!? If he stayed corpsed up like he was, little strongs would have lost it all because she never wanted to play the game of thrones, just the benefits of sitting on the throne, aka right to do whatever she wants and for others to deal with it..
You mean Otto and Larys? 🤡😂
@@raf3765all of the above. I’m not team green or black but I find the blacks much more sympathetic
Is there any way you could upload this to drive??? 😭😭 or What's your ig username??
Y’all act like Rhaenyra owed Alicent trust or loyalty after seducing her FATHER and keeping it a secret
??? Alicent didn’t seduce Rhaenyra’s father. Otto was the one who manipulated them into getting married and all their interactions. Rhaenyra is well aware she was forced into this, 5:58 is a prime of example. Rhaenyra realizes she’s being insensitive complaining about having to get married and forced to have heirs when she realizes that’s what happened to Alicent. She silently holds Alicent’s hand as a way of apologizing.
It’s not a black and white situation. Rhaenyra is upset Alicent married her dad but knows she had no choice in the matter. Alicent knows she has to do her duty but still wanted to be friends with Rhaenyra. Sadly once they became adults their relationship completely broke apart.
@@RedTunaRoll Alicent went to him several nights after his wives birth to get him interested in her use your brain
@@peachbunnys01 That was Otto's doing. Otto was the one who literally pimped his daughter out, episode 2 and 3 showcase this. He knew it was his chance to put the Hightowers into power and used his daughter.
This show isn't black or white with one party being good and one party being bad. Literally rewatch 5:58 with Rhaenerya knowing Alicent had no choice in the matter.
fans of this franchise really do not have any media literacy because how do you blame a literal teenager over the many grown men that forced them to be in this situation in the first place
@@RedTunaRollby that logic, Daemon completely groomed Rhaneara into the brothel kiss and caused the lie. And then Rhaneara was married off to a gay man who could give her no children. She wasn't dealt any better cards.
I think when Rhaenyra raised a glass to Alicent, it was the first time in the show that someone EVER recognized and thanked her sacrifice and service