join me for some hyperfixation

Also Targaryens:

He grew up to a very young mother who married Viserys out of duty, thinking it would make her dad proud. From young Alicent's pov to accept this humiliation was an act of love for Otto. Aemond grew up watching his mother live a cycle of physical and emotional abuse and his siblings being forced to marriage and produce heirs. Young Aemond also said he would marry his sister for duty, the show is not subtle emphasizing how duty and sacrifice is a (fucked up) love language he inherited from Alicent and his father's absence. His biggest and only hero was his mother trying to avenge the lost of his eye, and he respects his sinister grandfather's mind. Nobody around is truly happy, he doesn't know what true love is.

He has a really fucking complicated relationship with his mother and his family which is a road Ewan has been warning us about for two years.

Also true. Everything is a hint or a clue when it comes to Alysmond, but nothing else is ever taken seriously when he talks about the emotional connections he has with the other of the characters.

I think this is a really good point!

Aemond doesn’t just grow up watching Alicent sacrifice herself for duty he grows up watching her treat sacrifice as love.

When Aegon complains about being married to Helaena Aemond says, “I would perform my duty.” Even when talking about marriage, his instinct is duty rather than desire. Because he would do what MOTHER asked.

The same thing happens when he loses his eye. Instead of dwelling on the loss he immediately reframes it as a worthwhile sacrifice because he gained Vhagar.

That’s why I think Alicent’s influence on him is often underestimated. For all the discussion about Aemond’s future relationships, so much of who he becomes can be traced back to the example she sets. Whether that’s healthy or not is another debate entirely. Spoiler - it ain’t.

Exactly!!!!!!!

You get it.

I think they show enough to build the idea that Aemond has mommy issues back in S2 to Alys can exploit that in S3.

You don't need Alicent's son to also being another source of sexual exploitation for her.

Also, this could frame as Alicent being a hypocritical as well. Remember she was eating alive when she said Targaryens have queer costumes.

And then this happens, and It's worth remembering that incest is permitted and seen as normal at certain levels in the houses of Westeros.

Starks married uncle and niece, Tywin Lannister married his cousin.

Is the whole brother and sister thing that bothered them with the Targaryens. This show their hypocrisy.

But also mother/son father/daughter is taboo even for Targaryens.

So this also frames Aemond as even worse taboos breaker than before. Kingslayer was bad but this?

So much worse.

They already set him in the journey of villain when he betrayed Aegon. But if the season already starts with him doing this. Oh boy. My archetype reading of him was not wrong at all.

But show rhaenyra is not allowed to be flawed in that sense although they did try to show her badassery with Vermithor last season which i liked (emma was chefs kiss in that scene). Show nyra -> Daenerys with god complex and show alicent -> assortment of contradictory characters

None of them are their book versions which fine, hotd is a loose adaptation, but rhanyra seems bland to others because she is not allowed to show emotions. She is supposed to be wise and composed and calm and ’better’ than impulsive greens. She is not supposed to provoke but rather respond to provocation

That’s why the green dress moment was made a big deal in the show, its alicent provoking. mind you they changed it to rhaenyra’s wedding when in the books it was alicent’s anniversary and rhaenyra stole the show with her dramatic dress - the show reversed this

Book rhaenyra was not passive but actively goading character which also mader her impulsively flawed. But show rhaenyra is more or less a gooder version of dany which then leaves her character passive and boring for people who want some action or emotion. S3 might break that mould but its rather doubtful

I love both women in any case esp. nyra but this is my honest observation <3