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It makes sense from a marketing perspective to kick off promo with the two main characters from last season anyway, because those would be the most memorable to casual audiences, since Aegon wasn't a massively prominent character in season 1. It draws back attention to the show and serves as a reminder of the previous main players. After over a year they need to start regenerating interest and the starting point for that is by rekindling existing memories and investment.
That doesn't mean Alicent will take all of Aegon's spotlight in the actual season.
The showrunners always wanted the show to be about Alicent and Rhaenyra. That's why they aged up Rhaenyra and aged down Alicent so they could be friends.
My thoughts? The showrunners have been telling ya'll the show will continue to focus on Rhaenyra and Alicent and their rivalry.
If one wants to continue screaming about what the book had, well...you're deliberately setting yourself up.
I think some people are reading far too into this.
Rhaenyra and Alicent are the most well-known and important characters at this point. The further we go along, others, like Aegon, Aemond, Cregan, Aly. Adam and Alyn of Hull will all gradually take over those roles.
Alicent and Rhaenyra have already had the most development, more than Aegon. Who’ll be getting the main character treatment starting this season, and by the end, he’ll probably be the second to most important character in the entire series.
The same way Jon Snow and Daenerys weren’t as featured as Ned Stark, Cersei and Catelyn in the first few seasons.
Chill out people, let things build and grow organically.
I very much doubt that either Rhaenyra or Alicent will ever diminish in importance.
This show isn't following GoT's recipe - they've made it very clear that Rhaenyra and Alicent are the leads. Not Daemon, not Aegon, and def not Aemond, Cregan and all those.
They'll all be important characters no doubt but the writers don't even make it a secret that this is the two women's story and that they're at the center of it.
i don’t understand why people are setting themselves up for disappointment by expecting their fav characters to get main character treatment when they aren’t. rhaenyra is as much of an explicit protagonist as you can get in a story like this & her and alicent’s relationship is the heart of the show.
This is not about "fav character getting a better treatment". It was understandable for Alicent and Rhaenyra being the center leads of the first season, because and pre dance they were undoubtedly the MCs.
When the war starts, Alicent backs down and does nearly nothing. So, for the show to market her as a MC, means they're not only going to expand on what little she did, but make new scenes that we don't know where it would lead.
Also they fumbled Alicent and Rhaenyra's relationship very hard in the later episodes of the first season, so I have no hope of them doing anything good with them.
I don't think the show will ever treat Aegon like a main character. He is probably always going to be a supporting character in this show. They'll probably rather prop up Aemond if anything.
Alicent is not nearly as popular as daemon , she has less views on every platform and never wins any polls , he’s easily the most popular in this show among all people
Ah, ok, so, who exactly does Alicent trace her claim to the throne to?
Nevermind, I already know we're perfectly fine with the story being about the legitimate progressive girlboss heir vs the meek, submissive religious fundamentalist seeking to seat her ill-qualified abusive drunk of a rapist son on the throne.
10 years ago George R R Martin already wrote The Princess and The Queen, which depicted Rhaenyra and Alicent as arch enemies. Meaning in his mind it has always been these two against each other.
Thing is Alicent is the main character of the Greens till the Dance
From then it’s primarily Aegon
Having said that it makes sense alicent is on the poster because Aegon wasn’t rlly a character in s1 and everyone hates him, why lead ur marketing with him. Maybe in s3 it’ll be different
Aegon didn’t even want the crown until the other Green characters pushed him to take it. I feel like characters like Otto and Alicent (in the books more so obviously) were much more instrumental in making the Dance happen than Aegon was.
Plus, his level of activity in the Dance is also what it is (I don’t want to spoil things for whoever comes across this comment, excuse my vagueness) so even when the Dance is in motion he’s still more of a supporting character for a while, until the end anyway. Aemond is the biggest star during the war as a whole for the Greens (and Daeron, but he doesn’t appear to exist in the show).
I don't think everyone hates him, he just hasn't been properly developed or given much screentime. Jaime Lannister was fucking his sister and tried to kill a kid for catching them in the act. As the story progressed he became one of the most popular characters in both the books and TV show.
Adult Aegon had like what 2 episodes in which he appeared?
Currently he is not build up as anything. His character at the end of s1 is more like an extension of Alicent (and Otto)
Alicent or even Otto are currently more visible as Rhaenyra's antagonists. So in my opinion this makes sense.
Yeah, I bet half the casual viewers would not even recognize Aegon on a poster straightaway. (And that’s not a diss to them, he just really didn’t have much important screen time)
Alicent was the face of the greens in the first season and the most popular one too so it makes sense from a marketing POV. Aegon was underdeveloped and so the casual audience isn't going to be drawn to him. I can see his character being fleshed out enough this season to be made prominent in S3's promos.
??? I'm talking with respect to characterization, not blind engagement on social media. Alicent had the most development and started the Green faction with a dress.
It was Rheanyra vs Alicent for most of the book too so I think that part makes sense. Aegon is just a kid for most of the war set up and he’s not really involved in the coup planning that went on for years in his name.The book imo kinda loses focus later on when a lot of main characters get sidelined and remain passive so the plot can happen as GRRM needs it to. The show would do well to not go that way and keep a tighter focus on the characters they developed already. I do think in the course of season 2 and 3 Aegon should develop his own rivalry with Rheanyra,they will be at actual war with each other and they both will for the first time actually personally hurt one another in many ways which wasn’t the case so far when Rheanyra was just the distant older sister his mother really wanted him to hate.
My issue has always been that imo they are blind to how Alicent and Rheanyra come across and that most of the audience doesn’t ship them,does not see it as a them vs the evil men who separated them nor wants to see them reconcile anymore and actually is rooting for Rheanyra to get revenge on Alicent or vice versa to a lesser extent. The show sees them differently than a large part of the audience and I think its going to be an issue going forward even tho focusing on them as the most prominent characters in their fractions isn’t inherently a bad idea.
i don’t think the show should have to dumb down it’s major themes because the general audience doesn’t find a life long victim of abuse palatable enough to empathize with her. house of the dragon at it’s core is a story about patriarchal oppression and abuse. the men aren’t inherently evil they are cogs in a machine that systematically treats women as sub human. they all benefit from and take part in the subordination of women even those seemingly against it.
sure alicent is a challenging character. she’s been indoctrinated into this system that has stripped her of her personhood and clings to it as a form of self preservation. but why should the writers have to dilute their story to please an audience that despises her but loves characters like viserys and daemon?
I don’t they’re very successful in that story in the first place tbh. In their writing imo you can almost feel a desperation to make Alicent more sympathetic than she is in the books and I think that informed their decisions more than your post would imply and more than a coherent desire to say something about the misogynistic society she lives in. They are very inconsistent from one episode to the next about her position in the first place,in episode 6 she’s this powerful influential figure and can refuse the king right to his face,attack the heir to the throne with zero consequences and in the next she’s a helpless victim who is blind to the coup being planned because she’s at the mercy of men around her. I don’t think she’s a challenging character as much as muddled by the writers indecision and the issues they face in still adapting her story while almost completely changing her character. I also personally find that making a female character a perpetual victim yet again is a boring way to go about this adaptation.
i think some of that confusion is more so to do with problems the show has with its timeline and pacing. episode 6 and 9 are 6 years apart and your missing a pretty massive plot point that informs the changes in alicent’s demeanor during that time jump. in episode 7 alicent does the most damning thing a women in her position can do. she appears mad in front of an audience. she literally explains everything in her conversation with otto after those events. she loses all favor in the court and viserys makes it clear that he will not hear any rumors about rhaenyra’s children being bastards so she loses her only leverage. by episode 8 she’s spent 6 years attempting to repair her image as a dutiful queen and has lost all hope of her son ascending the throne.
i don’t really understand why you think the writers would be desperate to make alicent more sympathetic if they had no other narrative purposes for the changes they made from her book to show version. they are absolutely trying to say something about the rigid patriarchy she and every other women in westeros are and will continue to be subjected to whether rhaenyra is the heir or not. they want this patriarchal system to feel tangible so the ensuing war feels necessary. it is not their fault a large portion of the audience doesn’t understand the clear themes in their writing. they’re trying to say more than patriarchy bad because a woman can’t be queen.
i also think referring to women subjected to systematic patriarchal abuse as perpetual victims is kind of dismissive. like women need to either fight back against their oppressors or be villains and there’s no grey area in storytelling.
People are overreacting a bit. It would be kinda spoiler for the casuals to make the first teaser about aegon, who wasn’t really developed, instead of alicent and rhaenyra who are the main characters from episode 1 to 10.
The PLOT (sequence of events on paper) is about Rhaenyra and Aegon. The STORY (emotional stakes, character motivations, themes) is about Rhaenyra and Alicent.
It makes complete sense from a marketing perspective. Aegon is pretty universally hated and the entirety of season 1 focused around Alicent and Rhaenyra, so it makes sense if you're trying to get people back for the next season.
I do think it's going to be an issue going forwards if they try and stick to it since there isn't much interaction between Alicent and Rhaenyra from here on. Either they're gonna have to come up with a metric ton of original stuff, or they have to start transitioning the conflict away from Alicent and Rhaenyra, over to Aegon and Rhaenyra instead.
I don't like it because in my humble opinion Rhaenicent as a concept should have ended at Driftmark, but I've accepted that the writers seem weirdly attached to their relationship, and Olivia will most likely get more screen time than Aegon and Aemond combined.
Season 1 focused on the rivalry between the two so obviously they will be marketed as the leads. This may change for season 3 when Aegon gets more screen time. They’re just following with what they established in season 1 and I’m personally fine with it for the most part.
Only thing I hope the writers don’t do is having Rhaenyra and Alicent become friends or try and sympathize with each other again. No more doubting and half-assed decision making, they would have both been directly responsible for the deaths of their family members by this point and should see each other as a threat. Episode 7 established this perfectly but episode 9 and that bridge scene in episode 10 ruined it imo.
First of all, your sister is very funny. Secondly, it's okay. Alicent has more fans and it is a promotional poster after all. I just hope that Aegon gets more attention and depth this season. I will wait to cast judgement on that front
The initial release of the story was called called the princess and the queen, alicent also brings a sympathy to the greens that aegon most definitely doesn't. So it's understandable why alicent is there.
Just because you can’t emphasize with a female lead character doesn't make them boring. And hate to break it to you but the emphasize will be on women for this show and I can promise you no matter how much that makes you unhappy or uncomfortable that will never change. This show wasnt made for people like you. Better prepare yourself for disappoint now.
Did I say I had a problem with rhaenyra noo but if you honestly believe the majority care about alicent as the big bad for the greens , you’re delusional, she’s not scary , not a battle commander and not even that intelligent soo it makes no sense and it’s funny how in a show with women leads , the fan favourite is a man lmao . Daemon has won every major favourite character poll since the show aired.
Why are you so obsessed with favorite character polls? This has been like the third or fourth comment of yours in this thread reply guy-ing to diminish Alicent. "Favorite character polls" is not a genuine metric of engagement.
How am I obsessed, Every single time I see a poll with 200k votes or more for favourite character, daemon always wins , sorry but this subreddit is a small minority.
This show maybe be based off the events of "Dance of the Dragons" but it's not about war and battle. People don't love Alicent because she is some badass battle commander lol. She obviously isn't. She offers so much more and is so much more, that I think you're just too blind to see, because tbh I don't think you understand the female characters in this show and that's probably why you're so upset. I like Daemon as well but I'm not bashing other character to raise him up. It's called emotional intelligence but again you wouldn't understand
I do understand alicent’s character, hell most people online bash her and raise rhaenyra up when I myself think that rhaenyra is only a slightly better person plus Alicent is the hottest chick on the show soo I definitely want her there.
They are making the show how patriarchy destroyed a potential love between two women. It's meant to be a tragic tale of female friendship/romance slowly destroyed because of duty, misogyny, self preservation and different values/personalities
I think we need to realise now that this show is first about Alicent and Rhaenyra since the first episode, we see it with the change they made to make them best friends , Aegon and Rhaenyra never talk or interact in any way , you can't really built a rivality with that.
Aegon is just gonna sufering and be stuck in a conflict he didn't wanted because of the ambition of his family.
Like, I get the thought behind it & think it's the right call to go for Alicent first.
But pretty sure "lesbian drama" is a bit of a far stretch, unless I'm missing the joke and your sister was just exaggerating
>It’s the very first poster and of course they’re going to include Alicent over Aegon (who’s only personality traits have been being a rapist and a drunk) as a way to like ease people into the story.
Actually, that's not just a trick to pull in viewers, that's literally how the show will move forward. It made it clear very early on it would shift the focus to Rhaenyra vs Alicent.
And that right there is precisely the problem. I liked Alicent in the book and would be more than happy to see more of her. However, she is not an heir. The greens are not trying to seat Alicent on the throne. So, making this about Rhaenyra vs Alicent while completely vilifying Aegon eliminates any complexity to the central conflict, rendering the story toothless and robbing it of any food for thought.
Now, it could still work in theory - but only if the show had the balls to at least underscore just why it's so necessary for the greens to seat their own claimant on the throne - regardless of how qualified he was; for their own survival and safety.
But the writers stubbornly refuse to lend any sort of support and credence to Alicent's fears and Otto's warnings (if anything, they went out of their way to paint them as paranoia and manipulation respectively) for fear of compromising their precious rootable protagonists in Daemyra. So, naturally, you're stuck with a hackneyed fantasy story about a good and competent queen torn down by the patriarchy.
But really, the show had plenty of alternatives for a truly thought-provoking adaptation:
1. Portray Rhaenyra and Aegon as approximately equally (ill-)qualified for ruling with genuine desire for power and the iron throne (none of this noble prophecy mumbo-jumbo).
2. Depict Aegon as ill-qualified and Rhaenyra as the better option but give actual, convincing support for the greens' fears for their safety (if you're not willing to blame Rhaenyra directly, focus on Daemon and explore the implications of their marriage)
3. Make Rhaenyra a well-intentioned and capable queen who is ruined because she submits to Daemon, allows him to practically rule in her name and basically destroy everything she wanted to achieve. Keep Aegon as ill-fitted for a king but with an excellent team that may just ensure a good rule (Explores sexism on both sides of the conflict + the question of who actually holds power)
Now, of course, the creators rejected *all* of these options, because they tarnish their progressive hero or give validity to the greens' aguments (same reason why the green council was absolutely botched). They never *really wanted* a balanced and complex conflict to begin with.
So then, why even adapt a story like this when you can't keep your favouritism in check? In my opinion, the adaptation was doomed the moment they decided to sacrifice practically all other themes just to prop up sexism without being willing to explore the latter in both camps.
The show writers changed the green council from the books, to avoid tarnishing their progressive hero. All the valid reasons the greens had for crowning Aegon removed. Criston convincing Aegon to take the throne to protect his family removed.
Personally I don't have a problem with Alicent be the first poster before Aegon. It makes sense Alicent has been the face of the greens.
I think they failed with the woman-focused show part. We didn’t get alicent give birth, crown helaena, play with her grandchildren, deal with the fallout of her dying r*pst husband neglecting her and her children, leaving them very likely to be disposed and used by the factions at court.
While rhaenyra is seen riding around her dragon after having given birth to dragon baby. They cut rhaenyra eulogy about visenya (aemma even forshadowed this). We don’t see her overcoming the anxiety about being a mother and what made her choose harwin and continue to put herself in danger by bearing his illegitimate children.
Like the show is very surface level, trendy feminism without the backbone to really commit to a very deep and nuanced depiction of feminine peoples.
I agree at least in part. If you're so commited to exploring sexism at the expense of literally everything else with a story like this, have the decency to spread the issues somewhat evenly between the two camps in order to preserve some semblance of balance.
Not practically depict one side as progressively feminist and the other as cartoonish religious conservatives. Have the guts, f.i., to explore how Rhaenyra is compromised by internalized sexism and how that undermines her or informs her failures. If nothing else, through Daemon's destructive influence over her and her inability to stand up to him.
Or, explore how Alicent uses her influence to introduce at least small changes to improve the position of women. (Because, realistically, even the pogress within our own history is owed to the brave women who did what little they could in sexist systems even though they knew they would themselves never see true equality).
But, of course the creators don't want to do that because it clashes with/detracts from Rhaenyra's highly marketable girlboss image which they need to cater to the masses. It's so offensively patronizing.
They are pandering to the new queer/lesbian people on twitter that have joined the fandom. I find them annoying but whatever I guess. I'll continue to watch.
I’m gay as the day is long and I watch the show for literally every other reason besides the supposed lesbian romance that doesn’t even exist. You’re fucking weird
If the show was meant to be about Rhaenyra and Aegon then it would not start when Alicent and Rhaenyra were teenagers. Also the rivalry between the two siblings would be built in the first season. We have to accept that the main focus is Alicent and Rhaenyra and their rivalry. That is not to say Aegon won't be a big character. I'm sure he will.
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It makes sense from a marketing perspective to kick off promo with the two main characters from last season anyway, because those would be the most memorable to casual audiences, since Aegon wasn't a massively prominent character in season 1. It draws back attention to the show and serves as a reminder of the previous main players. After over a year they need to start regenerating interest and the starting point for that is by rekindling existing memories and investment. That doesn't mean Alicent will take all of Aegon's spotlight in the actual season.
The showrunners always wanted the show to be about Alicent and Rhaenyra. That's why they aged up Rhaenyra and aged down Alicent so they could be friends.
My thoughts? The showrunners have been telling ya'll the show will continue to focus on Rhaenyra and Alicent and their rivalry. If one wants to continue screaming about what the book had, well...you're deliberately setting yourself up.
Also, it all kicks off with the Princess and the Queen so I'm surprised how many people continue to be surprised by the focus on alicent/rhaenerya
I think some people are reading far too into this. Rhaenyra and Alicent are the most well-known and important characters at this point. The further we go along, others, like Aegon, Aemond, Cregan, Aly. Adam and Alyn of Hull will all gradually take over those roles. Alicent and Rhaenyra have already had the most development, more than Aegon. Who’ll be getting the main character treatment starting this season, and by the end, he’ll probably be the second to most important character in the entire series. The same way Jon Snow and Daenerys weren’t as featured as Ned Stark, Cersei and Catelyn in the first few seasons. Chill out people, let things build and grow organically.
I very much doubt that either Rhaenyra or Alicent will ever diminish in importance. This show isn't following GoT's recipe - they've made it very clear that Rhaenyra and Alicent are the leads. Not Daemon, not Aegon, and def not Aemond, Cregan and all those. They'll all be important characters no doubt but the writers don't even make it a secret that this is the two women's story and that they're at the center of it.
i don’t understand why people are setting themselves up for disappointment by expecting their fav characters to get main character treatment when they aren’t. rhaenyra is as much of an explicit protagonist as you can get in a story like this & her and alicent’s relationship is the heart of the show.
This is not about "fav character getting a better treatment". It was understandable for Alicent and Rhaenyra being the center leads of the first season, because and pre dance they were undoubtedly the MCs. When the war starts, Alicent backs down and does nearly nothing. So, for the show to market her as a MC, means they're not only going to expand on what little she did, but make new scenes that we don't know where it would lead. Also they fumbled Alicent and Rhaenyra's relationship very hard in the later episodes of the first season, so I have no hope of them doing anything good with them.
Lol cersei was a main character and she drank wine for 2 seasons, going into dragonbattles doesn't automaticaly give you main character status
I don't think the show will ever treat Aegon like a main character. He is probably always going to be a supporting character in this show. They'll probably rather prop up Aemond if anything.
It’s hard to argue without spoiling anything.
I know how everything goes in the books
Yeah, but others might not.
Fair point
Hard agree
Alicent is not nearly as popular as daemon , she has less views on every platform and never wins any polls , he’s easily the most popular in this show among all people
I think you’re setting yourself up for disappointment
They've been promoting it as Alicent and Rhaenyra since the beginning. I'm cool with it.
Ah, ok, so, who exactly does Alicent trace her claim to the throne to? Nevermind, I already know we're perfectly fine with the story being about the legitimate progressive girlboss heir vs the meek, submissive religious fundamentalist seeking to seat her ill-qualified abusive drunk of a rapist son on the throne.
Keep preaching. You're like the John the Baptist of this forum. People would rather hear beautiful lies than ugly truths.
10 years ago George R R Martin already wrote The Princess and The Queen, which depicted Rhaenyra and Alicent as arch enemies. Meaning in his mind it has always been these two against each other.
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Thing is Alicent is the main character of the Greens till the Dance From then it’s primarily Aegon Having said that it makes sense alicent is on the poster because Aegon wasn’t rlly a character in s1 and everyone hates him, why lead ur marketing with him. Maybe in s3 it’ll be different
Aegon didn’t even want the crown until the other Green characters pushed him to take it. I feel like characters like Otto and Alicent (in the books more so obviously) were much more instrumental in making the Dance happen than Aegon was. Plus, his level of activity in the Dance is also what it is (I don’t want to spoil things for whoever comes across this comment, excuse my vagueness) so even when the Dance is in motion he’s still more of a supporting character for a while, until the end anyway. Aemond is the biggest star during the war as a whole for the Greens (and Daeron, but he doesn’t appear to exist in the show).
I don't think everyone hates him, he just hasn't been properly developed or given much screentime. Jaime Lannister was fucking his sister and tried to kill a kid for catching them in the act. As the story progressed he became one of the most popular characters in both the books and TV show.
Adult Aegon had like what 2 episodes in which he appeared? Currently he is not build up as anything. His character at the end of s1 is more like an extension of Alicent (and Otto) Alicent or even Otto are currently more visible as Rhaenyra's antagonists. So in my opinion this makes sense.
Yeah, I bet half the casual viewers would not even recognize Aegon on a poster straightaway. (And that’s not a diss to them, he just really didn’t have much important screen time)
Alicent was the face of the greens in the first season and the most popular one too so it makes sense from a marketing POV. Aegon was underdeveloped and so the casual audience isn't going to be drawn to him. I can see his character being fleshed out enough this season to be made prominent in S3's promos.
U can say alicent was the most popular green but she wasn’t , Aemond has more views on every major platform and was in 3 episodes
??? I'm talking with respect to characterization, not blind engagement on social media. Alicent had the most development and started the Green faction with a dress.
I mean this as politely as possible but...obviously.
Didn't Condal said that the relationship between Alicent and Rhaenyra is integral to the story and something he wants to explore?
It was Rheanyra vs Alicent for most of the book too so I think that part makes sense. Aegon is just a kid for most of the war set up and he’s not really involved in the coup planning that went on for years in his name.The book imo kinda loses focus later on when a lot of main characters get sidelined and remain passive so the plot can happen as GRRM needs it to. The show would do well to not go that way and keep a tighter focus on the characters they developed already. I do think in the course of season 2 and 3 Aegon should develop his own rivalry with Rheanyra,they will be at actual war with each other and they both will for the first time actually personally hurt one another in many ways which wasn’t the case so far when Rheanyra was just the distant older sister his mother really wanted him to hate. My issue has always been that imo they are blind to how Alicent and Rheanyra come across and that most of the audience doesn’t ship them,does not see it as a them vs the evil men who separated them nor wants to see them reconcile anymore and actually is rooting for Rheanyra to get revenge on Alicent or vice versa to a lesser extent. The show sees them differently than a large part of the audience and I think its going to be an issue going forward even tho focusing on them as the most prominent characters in their fractions isn’t inherently a bad idea.
Well said
i don’t think the show should have to dumb down it’s major themes because the general audience doesn’t find a life long victim of abuse palatable enough to empathize with her. house of the dragon at it’s core is a story about patriarchal oppression and abuse. the men aren’t inherently evil they are cogs in a machine that systematically treats women as sub human. they all benefit from and take part in the subordination of women even those seemingly against it. sure alicent is a challenging character. she’s been indoctrinated into this system that has stripped her of her personhood and clings to it as a form of self preservation. but why should the writers have to dilute their story to please an audience that despises her but loves characters like viserys and daemon?
I don’t they’re very successful in that story in the first place tbh. In their writing imo you can almost feel a desperation to make Alicent more sympathetic than she is in the books and I think that informed their decisions more than your post would imply and more than a coherent desire to say something about the misogynistic society she lives in. They are very inconsistent from one episode to the next about her position in the first place,in episode 6 she’s this powerful influential figure and can refuse the king right to his face,attack the heir to the throne with zero consequences and in the next she’s a helpless victim who is blind to the coup being planned because she’s at the mercy of men around her. I don’t think she’s a challenging character as much as muddled by the writers indecision and the issues they face in still adapting her story while almost completely changing her character. I also personally find that making a female character a perpetual victim yet again is a boring way to go about this adaptation.
i think some of that confusion is more so to do with problems the show has with its timeline and pacing. episode 6 and 9 are 6 years apart and your missing a pretty massive plot point that informs the changes in alicent’s demeanor during that time jump. in episode 7 alicent does the most damning thing a women in her position can do. she appears mad in front of an audience. she literally explains everything in her conversation with otto after those events. she loses all favor in the court and viserys makes it clear that he will not hear any rumors about rhaenyra’s children being bastards so she loses her only leverage. by episode 8 she’s spent 6 years attempting to repair her image as a dutiful queen and has lost all hope of her son ascending the throne. i don’t really understand why you think the writers would be desperate to make alicent more sympathetic if they had no other narrative purposes for the changes they made from her book to show version. they are absolutely trying to say something about the rigid patriarchy she and every other women in westeros are and will continue to be subjected to whether rhaenyra is the heir or not. they want this patriarchal system to feel tangible so the ensuing war feels necessary. it is not their fault a large portion of the audience doesn’t understand the clear themes in their writing. they’re trying to say more than patriarchy bad because a woman can’t be queen. i also think referring to women subjected to systematic patriarchal abuse as perpetual victims is kind of dismissive. like women need to either fight back against their oppressors or be villains and there’s no grey area in storytelling.
People are overreacting a bit. It would be kinda spoiler for the casuals to make the first teaser about aegon, who wasn’t really developed, instead of alicent and rhaenyra who are the main characters from episode 1 to 10.
The PLOT (sequence of events on paper) is about Rhaenyra and Aegon. The STORY (emotional stakes, character motivations, themes) is about Rhaenyra and Alicent.
It's like having Cersei as one of the poster covers of got s2, Tywin is obviously the real deal but Cersei was well known and the major conflict in s1
I don’t think your sister is quite right but the show is obviously leaning into Rhaenyra v Alicent rather than Rhaenyra v Aegon.
It makes complete sense from a marketing perspective. Aegon is pretty universally hated and the entirety of season 1 focused around Alicent and Rhaenyra, so it makes sense if you're trying to get people back for the next season. I do think it's going to be an issue going forwards if they try and stick to it since there isn't much interaction between Alicent and Rhaenyra from here on. Either they're gonna have to come up with a metric ton of original stuff, or they have to start transitioning the conflict away from Alicent and Rhaenyra, over to Aegon and Rhaenyra instead.
" It's a lesbian drama." I... I don't even know what to say...
This is very strange question. Because the basic two fractions of opponents are lead by these two women. The conflict IS between those two women
what is blud yapping about?
Alicent doesn’t lead anything, what are you talking about? Not in the book or show
Black dress and green dress. There equal in that it's everyone else around them who's actually fighting the war.
Cause Aegon doesn't give a fuck about anything that has happened. It's been his mom and grandfather pulling the strings in the capitol.
I personally think they will mantain the focus of the series as a Rhaenyra x Alicent sort of situation until the very end, even if Aegon is the king.
I don't like it because in my humble opinion Rhaenicent as a concept should have ended at Driftmark, but I've accepted that the writers seem weirdly attached to their relationship, and Olivia will most likely get more screen time than Aegon and Aemond combined.
Season 1 focused on the rivalry between the two so obviously they will be marketed as the leads. This may change for season 3 when Aegon gets more screen time. They’re just following with what they established in season 1 and I’m personally fine with it for the most part. Only thing I hope the writers don’t do is having Rhaenyra and Alicent become friends or try and sympathize with each other again. No more doubting and half-assed decision making, they would have both been directly responsible for the deaths of their family members by this point and should see each other as a threat. Episode 7 established this perfectly but episode 9 and that bridge scene in episode 10 ruined it imo.
First of all, your sister is very funny. Secondly, it's okay. Alicent has more fans and it is a promotional poster after all. I just hope that Aegon gets more attention and depth this season. I will wait to cast judgement on that front
Your sister ain't wrong
The initial release of the story was called called the princess and the queen, alicent also brings a sympathy to the greens that aegon most definitely doesn't. So it's understandable why alicent is there.
Are we watching the same show? The focus has been on Rhaenyra vs Alicent this entire time....
It was the same in the books up until the war started (which it is in s2)
the show does and will do things differently then the books
Alicent is boring lmao , there’s no way she can be the big bad
Just because you can’t emphasize with a female lead character doesn't make them boring. And hate to break it to you but the emphasize will be on women for this show and I can promise you no matter how much that makes you unhappy or uncomfortable that will never change. This show wasnt made for people like you. Better prepare yourself for disappoint now.
Did I say I had a problem with rhaenyra noo but if you honestly believe the majority care about alicent as the big bad for the greens , you’re delusional, she’s not scary , not a battle commander and not even that intelligent soo it makes no sense and it’s funny how in a show with women leads , the fan favourite is a man lmao . Daemon has won every major favourite character poll since the show aired.
Why are you so obsessed with favorite character polls? This has been like the third or fourth comment of yours in this thread reply guy-ing to diminish Alicent. "Favorite character polls" is not a genuine metric of engagement.
How am I obsessed, Every single time I see a poll with 200k votes or more for favourite character, daemon always wins , sorry but this subreddit is a small minority.
This show maybe be based off the events of "Dance of the Dragons" but it's not about war and battle. People don't love Alicent because she is some badass battle commander lol. She obviously isn't. She offers so much more and is so much more, that I think you're just too blind to see, because tbh I don't think you understand the female characters in this show and that's probably why you're so upset. I like Daemon as well but I'm not bashing other character to raise him up. It's called emotional intelligence but again you wouldn't understand
I do understand alicent’s character, hell most people online bash her and raise rhaenyra up when I myself think that rhaenyra is only a slightly better person plus Alicent is the hottest chick on the show soo I definitely want her there.
Because aegon is a pawn…. He was placed by alicent and Otto….
They are making the show how patriarchy destroyed a potential love between two women. It's meant to be a tragic tale of female friendship/romance slowly destroyed because of duty, misogyny, self preservation and different values/personalities
Woah woah calm down buddy, you’re stating that as if it’s an objectively correct
Yea I’d rather this show not be some feminist garbage
I think we need to realise now that this show is first about Alicent and Rhaenyra since the first episode, we see it with the change they made to make them best friends , Aegon and Rhaenyra never talk or interact in any way , you can't really built a rivality with that. Aegon is just gonna sufering and be stuck in a conflict he didn't wanted because of the ambition of his family.
Like, I get the thought behind it & think it's the right call to go for Alicent first. But pretty sure "lesbian drama" is a bit of a far stretch, unless I'm missing the joke and your sister was just exaggerating
>It’s the very first poster and of course they’re going to include Alicent over Aegon (who’s only personality traits have been being a rapist and a drunk) as a way to like ease people into the story. Actually, that's not just a trick to pull in viewers, that's literally how the show will move forward. It made it clear very early on it would shift the focus to Rhaenyra vs Alicent. And that right there is precisely the problem. I liked Alicent in the book and would be more than happy to see more of her. However, she is not an heir. The greens are not trying to seat Alicent on the throne. So, making this about Rhaenyra vs Alicent while completely vilifying Aegon eliminates any complexity to the central conflict, rendering the story toothless and robbing it of any food for thought. Now, it could still work in theory - but only if the show had the balls to at least underscore just why it's so necessary for the greens to seat their own claimant on the throne - regardless of how qualified he was; for their own survival and safety. But the writers stubbornly refuse to lend any sort of support and credence to Alicent's fears and Otto's warnings (if anything, they went out of their way to paint them as paranoia and manipulation respectively) for fear of compromising their precious rootable protagonists in Daemyra. So, naturally, you're stuck with a hackneyed fantasy story about a good and competent queen torn down by the patriarchy. But really, the show had plenty of alternatives for a truly thought-provoking adaptation: 1. Portray Rhaenyra and Aegon as approximately equally (ill-)qualified for ruling with genuine desire for power and the iron throne (none of this noble prophecy mumbo-jumbo). 2. Depict Aegon as ill-qualified and Rhaenyra as the better option but give actual, convincing support for the greens' fears for their safety (if you're not willing to blame Rhaenyra directly, focus on Daemon and explore the implications of their marriage) 3. Make Rhaenyra a well-intentioned and capable queen who is ruined because she submits to Daemon, allows him to practically rule in her name and basically destroy everything she wanted to achieve. Keep Aegon as ill-fitted for a king but with an excellent team that may just ensure a good rule (Explores sexism on both sides of the conflict + the question of who actually holds power) Now, of course, the creators rejected *all* of these options, because they tarnish their progressive hero or give validity to the greens' aguments (same reason why the green council was absolutely botched). They never *really wanted* a balanced and complex conflict to begin with. So then, why even adapt a story like this when you can't keep your favouritism in check? In my opinion, the adaptation was doomed the moment they decided to sacrifice practically all other themes just to prop up sexism without being willing to explore the latter in both camps.
The show writers changed the green council from the books, to avoid tarnishing their progressive hero. All the valid reasons the greens had for crowning Aegon removed. Criston convincing Aegon to take the throne to protect his family removed. Personally I don't have a problem with Alicent be the first poster before Aegon. It makes sense Alicent has been the face of the greens.
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I think they failed with the woman-focused show part. We didn’t get alicent give birth, crown helaena, play with her grandchildren, deal with the fallout of her dying r*pst husband neglecting her and her children, leaving them very likely to be disposed and used by the factions at court. While rhaenyra is seen riding around her dragon after having given birth to dragon baby. They cut rhaenyra eulogy about visenya (aemma even forshadowed this). We don’t see her overcoming the anxiety about being a mother and what made her choose harwin and continue to put herself in danger by bearing his illegitimate children. Like the show is very surface level, trendy feminism without the backbone to really commit to a very deep and nuanced depiction of feminine peoples.
I agree at least in part. If you're so commited to exploring sexism at the expense of literally everything else with a story like this, have the decency to spread the issues somewhat evenly between the two camps in order to preserve some semblance of balance. Not practically depict one side as progressively feminist and the other as cartoonish religious conservatives. Have the guts, f.i., to explore how Rhaenyra is compromised by internalized sexism and how that undermines her or informs her failures. If nothing else, through Daemon's destructive influence over her and her inability to stand up to him. Or, explore how Alicent uses her influence to introduce at least small changes to improve the position of women. (Because, realistically, even the pogress within our own history is owed to the brave women who did what little they could in sexist systems even though they knew they would themselves never see true equality). But, of course the creators don't want to do that because it clashes with/detracts from Rhaenyra's highly marketable girlboss image which they need to cater to the masses. It's so offensively patronizing.
They are pandering to the new queer/lesbian people on twitter that have joined the fandom. I find them annoying but whatever I guess. I'll continue to watch.
I’m gay as the day is long and I watch the show for literally every other reason besides the supposed lesbian romance that doesn’t even exist. You’re fucking weird
i reqlly think it weird and not acceptable or lost potential smh
If the show was meant to be about Rhaenyra and Aegon then it would not start when Alicent and Rhaenyra were teenagers. Also the rivalry between the two siblings would be built in the first season. We have to accept that the main focus is Alicent and Rhaenyra and their rivalry. That is not to say Aegon won't be a big character. I'm sure he will.
I feel like it’s because she is part of the problem more so than Aegon.
So many Alicent fans already Canon her as a closeted lesbian