Ryan Condal and his hatred of Alicent: constantly punishing her sexually.
Ryan Condal only does this specifically with Alicent. He doesnβt subject the other female characters to the same kind of repeated sexual violence and humiliation - only Alicent.
Aliceny is SAβd by everyone, got incest SAβd by her own son and was sexually humiliated just to blame her for B&C (even Ryan Condal doesnβt hide his bias toward the Blacks, saying that in the books Blood and Cheese is TG propaganda against Rhaenyra, which is why that scene was adapted the way it was.) Olivia Cooke talked in interviews about how heavy and uncomfortable some of Alicentβs sexual content has been to film. It really raises questions about how sexual violence is used in HotD, especially when it keeps happening to the same character in ways that can start to feel repetitive rather than narratively necessary.
Condal just hates Alicent because sheβs prudish. And I think that speaks the misogyny disguised as βcriticismβ of prudishness, religiousness, or traditional behavior in women by using their sexuality to punish them. So you hate Alicent because sheβsβ¦ religious? Because sheβs prudish? I know modern audiences, with 21st-century lenses and zero knowledge of history dislike women who donβt express sexuality or power in a βliberatedβ way, but that doesnβt justify sexually humiliating them this is very disturbing and disgusting.
At the same time, you have Rhaenyra, who is written with a much more openly βsexually liberatedβ energy and is written in a way where her sexuality is not used against her in the same punitive way. That contrast is what makes the treatment of Alicent stand out more.
And what makes Rhaenyra sexually liberated? Because her so called sexual freedom or extramarital affairs were literally the fallout of Daemonβs grooming? Isnβt it true that he groomed her for his own ends, βliberatingβ her to sleep with him and others, and in doing so destroyed her own reputation & claim to the throne? And because it looks βexoticβ or βliberatedβ next to the fantasy Catholics coded Alicent?
Bk!Alicent is certainly written within a world that is hostile to women, especially women at court, but her arc is not around sexualized punishment or humiliation as a thematic goal. Sheβs actually one of the more politically respected women of her position.
Condal need to understand that for a noblewoman living in a quasi-medieval world chastity wasnβt just a matter of personal morality it was political. Her reputation affected her familyβs standing, her husbandβs authority, and her childrenβs legitimacy. A scandal could damage her entire house, and even a rumor could cost her safety, influence, and dignity. Modesty wasnβt simply βprudishnessβ in that world, it was a strategy for survival. So why punish that kind of character through sexual humiliation in the narrative?
When a character is repeatedly written through sexual punishment or humiliation while another is written through sexual empowerment, it just shows the biased written of who gets to be βliberatedβ and who gets to be degraded and humiliated.
Condal could easily make Alicent more sympathetic by showing how her religion functions as one of her few sources of identity and stability. As queen, her piety could also be shown through genuinely compassionate actions - like giving alms, supporting motherhouses, and helping women and children under the Faith - rather than relying so heavily on sexual humiliation to define her arc.
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