I did like the scene where Alicent and Helaena bubble was burst and they realized they were prisoners, but I can't help but also be annoyed with how the show is portraying them. Why is Helaena so calm in the presence of the woman who's husband murdered her son? Why isn't Helaena reacting to Alicent giving up Aegon to get killed? Why isn't Helaena devastated that she is going to be separated from her daughter?
Because of ableism dear anon, ableism.
Helaena has become an ableist caricature of the unfeeling autistic a century old stereotype whereby the character is either psychopathic or a childlike simpleton. This character cannot express emotions like “normal people” because they don’t have any.
Rhaenyra on the other hand is allowed to weep and mourn her sons, Helaena cannot because:
We’re not supposed to care that Helaena lost children, the audience should only sympathise with Rhaenyra.
As everyone knows neurodivergent people are incapable of being loving parents.
The Transmitter put it perfectly in their article People with autism can read emotions, feel empathy:
There is a persistent stereotype that people with autism are individuals who lack empathy and cannot understand emotion. It’s true that many people with autism don’t show emotion in ways that people without the condition would recognize.
But the notion that people with autism generally lack empathy and cannot recognize feelings is wrong. Holding such a view can distort our perception of these individuals and possibly delay effective treatments.
So they can’t have her be angry at the Blacks, scream at Alicent for handing the throne to Jaehaerys’ killers, or care that she’s a hostage because that would suggest she’s a well rounded character instead of a ripoff of Sia’s Music (2021).
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