No One Not Even The Rain (Has Such Small Hands)

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON (2022 – ) 1x09 "The Lord of the Tides" || 3x03 "Rhaenyra Triumphant"

There’s just such a palpable hatred for who she is in the book and was in season 1 and it comes out in these absolute outrageous story changes for her character and (ill say it) borderline torture porn they inflict upon her.

This is about hating women of the past and punishing them for their lack of agency, completely ignoring the context surrounding their situations. And Alicent exists as the perfect puppet to represent them that the writers can degrade and punish with glee and the support of thousands of fans who also just want to fantasize about this.

The so-called “feminist” writers of this show don’t believe in feminism, nor do they empower women. Instead they see women (especially in history) as deserving of humiliation and destruction when they make do with their situation and use it to their advantage instead of bringing about violent rebellion.

These takes are very interesting. One thing that I have taken to heart when i watch House of the Dragon is the original conceit that George mentioned when discussions were happening about the show taking place. The history as it is written is not always true. The story that we see would not be identical to the "history" in the books as the conceit is that we are witnessing events as they happen. So I have had that as my background for all of my watching of the show, and feel like my reactions are muted because I am not making comparisons the way that others seem to be.

Just interesting.

I have no insight into whether the writers are secretly anti-feminist. But I do keep thinking about how Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon portray women’s soft power. Particularly the limits of it.

Alicent believes that proximity, persuasion, motherhood, duty, and moral influence will allow her to restrain men who possess actual destabilizing coercive power. When Viserys is alive, those things do give her influence. But influence is not command. He dies. She is slowly forced to confront the difference between "soft" and "hard" power and how much influence they truly have.

Cersei warns Joffrey. Catelyn warns Robb. Rhaenyra warns Jace. Sansa warns Jon not to fall into Ramsay’s trap. Every time a woman offers political judgment based on a clearer reading of danger, the man hears that judgment as fear because it comes from a woman.

The men hear caution as weakness. They reject it as part of performing kingship, honor, courage, or manhood. Then they walk directly into the danger they were warned about.

Sansa is one of the clearest examples because her story shows both the weakness and the strength of soft power. She cannot force Jon to listen, and she does not have command of his army. Her knowledge of Ramsay is waved away because she is not recognized as a military authority. But she understands people, motives, leverage, and relationships. She uses that soft power to influence Littlefinger and secure the hard power of the Vale army, which helps retake Winterfell.

That is what makes soft power so complicated. It can be extremely effective, but it requires buy in. It depends on access, persuasion, relationships, and the willingness of those with force to be influenced. It can bring an army to the field, but it cannot itself make the army move.

These women are expected to anticipate disaster, preserve alliances, restrain male violence, and protect dynasties, while often being denied the authority to enforce their judgment. When men refuse to listen, the women are treated as though they failed to persuade well enough.

So I read Alicent less as a woman being punished for failing to rebel and more as a woman who mistakes influence within the patriarchy for control over it. Her tragedy is realizing that soft power only works until hard power decides not to listen.

There’s just such a palpable hatred for who she is in the book and was in season 1 and it comes out in these absolute outrageous story changes for her character and (ill say it) borderline torture porn they inflict upon her.

This is about hating women of the past and punishing them for their lack of agency, completely ignoring the context surrounding their situations. And Alicent exists as the perfect puppet to represent them that the writers can degrade and punish with glee and the support of thousands of fans who also just want to fantasize about this.

The so-called “feminist” writers of this show don’t believe in feminism, nor do they empower women. Instead they see women (especially in history) as deserving of humiliation and destruction when they make do with their situation and use it to their advantage instead of bringing about violent rebellion.

These takes are very interesting. One thing that I have taken to heart when i watch House of the Dragon is the original conceit that George mentioned when discussions were happening about the show taking place. The history as it is written is not always true. The story that we see would not be identical to the "history" in the books as the conceit is that we are witnessing events as they happen. So I have had that as my background for all of my watching of the show, and feel like my reactions are muted because I am not making comparisons the way that others seem to be.

Just interesting.

A young Vincent Price.