Pro Rhaena - Blog Posts

Idk if this is real or I’m just going crazy from sleep deprivation, but am I the only one that thought in the most two recent episodes Rhaenyra and Alicent were being paralleled in their internalized misogyny? (Not a hate post, I love both of them and I think it’s impossible NOT to have internalized misogyny in that setting. Just talking about something I noticed.)

Like in episode two we see Alicent having Helaena do the whole political funeral thing, and it’s so obvious that before, during, and after it, Alicent sees herself in Helaena. The whole thing is like Alicent reliving her earliest days as Queen all over again where not only was she also just a political pawn for the men in her life, but also where her biggest fear started. This fear being something happening to the kids she was forced to have. While the political pawn thing is majorly important too to the generational misogyny discussion, I think the more major relation that registers within Alicent’s brain is the fear of her children dying, and her consciously forcing Helaena to suffer through an extended version of that pain, and it is what will be relevant later in my post. Keep that in mind.

Similarly, in episode three, we see Rhaenyra narrowing Rhaena down to nothing more than an idea of motherhood. Rhaenyra basically tells Rhaena that her main purpose in the war is to take care of her children, even though Rhaena is less than enthusiastic about it. Even before I made the distinction that I make in this post, this whole scene struck out as odd to me, because my first thought was “teenage Rhaenyra would have hated to be told this,” yet Rhaenyra didn’t seem to care about Rhaena’s feelings at all. And then I realized that was the point. Sure, Rhaenyra’s fear of motherhood surrounded around childbirth mainly, but still, her greatest fear had been motherhood for most of her life, specifically being forced to mother children she didn’t want, and yet she forced it onto Rhaena without a second thought.

So. Alicent’s greatest fear, suffering the loss of a child, befell Helaena, and instead of comforting her in her time of need, Alicent furthered her daughter’s pain. Rhaenyra’s greatest fear, being forced into motherhood, was easy for her to force onto another young girl. It’s disturbing, and shocking, and upsetting, but it’s such a good decision for their characters. It shows how easily women can forget their girlhood fears when they come into more power, contributing to the misogyny around them. But that’s not all. Because then I realized something else.

Despite the idea haunting her for almost her entire life, Alicent never had to suffer the loss of a child. But Rhaenyra did.

And in the end, Rhaenyra did get to choose who the father of her children was, and when she had them. But Alicent didn’t.

They lived each other’s worst fears. It adds another layer of tragedy to them, because it would have been so easy for them to understand each other, their fears and grievances matching perfectly, but they never really got the chance because of how they viewed the other as having caused their issues in the first place. And even later, they get another chance to understand both themselves and each other through their daughters, but it makes no difference.

None of them will ever win, because they don’t help each other. Everyone complaining that “so-and-so” is better than “this character” because “so-and-so” is a true feminist and “this character isn’t” doesn’t understand the point of the show.

The point is that they won’t help their mothers, they won’t help their best friends, and they won’t help their daughters. If you think any of the men in House Of The Dragon are an ideal image of feminism…. I don’t even know how you’re on my page in the first place. And all the women in the show are only looking out for their own best interests. Which is totally fair for the time period theyre in, and I would probably do the same. But it all goes to show that they could’ve been so much stronger if they all stood together.

Ok but am I the only one who loved ALL the kids? (Minus Aegon, of course. He can die in a hole).

Like, from the moment they all came on screen, I adopted them in my mind. And I continued to love them all, even as they made mistakes. Even during the fight.

I don’t know why it’s so hard for people to admit that both Aemond and Luke were wrong, in particular. Because really, they were both wrong, it’s just that Luke’s fault had more serious consequences. And also, both of their faults came from a place of great fear for the safety of themselves and/or their closest family members.

Obviously, they all take some of the blame, but I think the ones most at fault for the fight (and by extension Luke’s death), are the adults. Because what it all boils down to in the end is that much like Alicent, and much like the Smallfolk, the kids are people who are innocents (or at least they were upon their initial introduction), who were thrust dead center in the middle of a war.

From the second they were born, each and every one of them was doomed to be turned into a sort of pawn for their parents (unintentionally for most of the parents, but still) and made to eventually fight against the ones that they were supposed to be able to grow up peacefully with.

And as for the “were they? Weren’t they?” Conversation in terms of if Jace and Luke were bullying Aemond or not?

Well, I wouldn’t call it bullying. But I would say, yes, that probably was going on for a while. But the thing is, when kids are young, they tease each other. Especially kids in their family who are close to their age. It doesn’t come from a place of malice, it’s just something that a lot of kids do before they’re old enough to fully develop comprehension skills of why this may be harmful.

Now this isn’t to say, that Aemond’s feelings were justified. No, my point is that his feelings were justified, but this also doesn’t make Jace and Luke some horrible, irredeemable bullies. They were just dumb kids, doing what kids do. Which would have turned out fine in the end if there wasn’t a rift growing between the kids because of their parents.

And by the way, this also isn’t to say that I agreed with Viserys’ choice of not talking to Jace, Luke, and Aegon about the prank.

I’m saying that the pranks don’t make Jace and Luke bad people, not that they’re good things to do.

As a parent, grandparent, and mature adult, however, it was Viserys’ responsibility to explain to his offspring why it was wrong.

And for the last time, AEMOND WASN’T TRYING TO KILL LUKE. He was trying to scare him, (similar to how he was trying to scare Jace with the rock in the fight where he lost his eye, it’s kind of like his tactic I think).

But he wound up scaring Luke’s dragon too, and Luke’s dragon hurt Aemond’s dragon and then Aemond’s dragon got pissed and ate Luke’s dragon, but since Luke was in the dragon it ate him too. THE DRAGON killed Luke, not Aemond.

So yes Luke’s death makes me cry but no it does not make me like Aemond any less.

Anyways, sorry for ranting. It’s just. THEY WERE/ARE ALL KIDS. They make mistakes, but none of with the exception of Aegon ever had any malicious intentions doing anything and I LOVE ALL OF THEM.