This moment—intentionally or not—captures something profound about the history of Westeros. Something that has huge ripple effects down the line from Ashford Meadow.

The briefest explanation for context for anyone reading this who doesn’t know the history (spoilers ahead I guess): Aegon, Egg, the future Aegon V, has one of the most peaceful and prosperous reigns of the Targaryen Dynasty. He makes his share of mistakes, but he is widely agreed to be a good king who rules fairly and justly. This is a boy who has Aerion and Daeron as his older brothers. A psychopath and a drunk. His father is cold and distant. He has every reason not to become a decent man when he gets older… but he does.

Much of that is because of Duncan’s mentorship, yes, and because from the moment we see Aegon he clearly wants to be a knight and a good man, but I think this moment, when he sees his uncle, the crown prince, put his life on the line for the cause of a Hedge Knight who protected a commoner from Aerion’s horrific abuse, is one of the key instants that propels him forward towards becoming the king he one day grows into.

Because we can all of us want to be better, we can all long to be something greater, but a big help along the way is having a moment, an experience, a relationship, that demonstrates to us that it is actually possible. I think that moment when Aegon sees his uncle Baelor ride onto the tournament field at Ashford Meadow to fight for the lowest of the low, might be the first time he realized it was possible for him to succeed at it.

And man, every time I see that shot of Dexter Sol Ansell’s face, it hits me again. What a wonderful, quiet moment amidst a bigger one. Where a kid who has every reason to grow cynical is given a reason not to be.

This is also part of why I think the occasional complaint that Baelor Targaryen’s death at Ashford was pointless misses the entire point. A lot of people in the story believed it was. Even Duncan, which is part of the reason for his grief over it… but I see that kid’s face, knowing the man and the king he is going to one day grow into, and no. Baelor’s decision to fight matters so much, because it sets his nephew on a path that one day secures the kingdom decades of peace and prosperity.

Fata Morgana

1) minimal screen time for one of the main and active characters 2) minimal character development as a prince, his ability to think strategically and take decisive action, and his skill with a sword. 3) his main storylines are given over to other characters 4) minimal connection with his siblings (except for Luke and Baela) 5) Jace and Baela's romantic connection is minimal, and we don't even see them hug (let alone kiss), and judging by the leaks, we shouldn't even hope for it. 5) his connection with Cregan is erased (almost like Cregan himself) 6) and judging by the leaks, he won't die trying to protect his younger brothers.

Apparently, giving credit to a character valued primarily for his love and devotion to his family is too difficult for hotd. They don't understand that kind of thing. LOL. The perfect conclusion to Jace's death would, of course, be Rhaenyra still yearning for her first love (sarcasm). Are they nuts?! What's wrong with them? What mother would think of an "ex" whose actions have already resulted in the death of her second son (add to that the death of her father and daughter and all the crap Rhaenyra has had to endure for years because of Alicent). Only in the showrunners' wet dreams are they damn geniuses who think they've created something groundbreaking in the industry by deciding to create a Rhanicent couple. Meanwhile, they've erased almost all real LGBTQ+ characters from the universe to suit their whim. And they've staked everything on Rhanicent while simultaneously ruining so many other storylines and characters for him. I can't believe this is actually happening. I'm so disappointed. A mother who loves her children no matter what is the foundation of all foundations. Joffrey was a monster, but Cersei still loved him. Aerion is a fucking psycho, but Maekar still loves him. Alicent, who loves only Helena (which, frankly, is also hard to believe given everything she did towards her, where she always treated her strangely because of her behavior/she married her off to her drunkard-rapist brother/and I won't even mention how she behaved after her grandson's death). Such a character will not be loved, no matter how much you want her to be. And now they're going to destroy Rhaenyra by tainting her love for her sons (and judging by the leaks, she'll turn her back on her daughters too?!? wtf!). Alicent is disliked in TB and is already unbearable in TG. The showrunners completely don't understand the principle of audience sympathy and the logic of shipping (and sometimes it doesn't exist lol). But they are determined to finish their plan. Not that they can change anything now. Well, good luck to them.