Though I don’t love everything House of the Dragon has done with Alicent’s character, there are things that irk me about the way some have interpreted her motives in s2.
There's a common misconception that Alicent decides to sacrifice Aegon because she doesn’t care about him, or because she’d rather reconnect with Rhaenyra. In my view, both are completely false.
When you look at show!Alicent, you see a woman who isn’t only a mother, but also a smart and experienced ruler. She knows the war has already gone too far. She knows it’ll only keep getting worse. Moreover, she thinks Aegon is dying (they haven’t even had a real conversation since, like, ep 4).
Indeed, to her, Aegon may as well be dead. He hasn’t woken (to her knowledge), is weak and injured — perhaps even beyond saving — and obviously unable to rule. And Aemond? Well, we know she doesn’t trust him anymore. I believe she still loves him, but she knows he’s uncontrollable and dangerous — not the kind of person who’s going to be able to get them out of this war. And Daeron is still beyond her reach. So who does she have left? Helaena.
Helaena is one of the only innocents in the story, and yet she’s already suffered more than any person should. Alicent knows this, but more importantly, she knows she might still be able to save her, if only she can find a way to negotiate with the Blacks. But how can she do that when Aemond is prince regent, Aegon is half-dead, and no one in the Red Keep is willing to listen to her? She turns to Rhaenyra.
While I do agree that Alicent still holds some affection for Rhaenyra, that's not the reason she goes to her. Instead, she wants to save her daughter and granddaughter (Jaehaera), and to do that, she needs to stop the Dance before it can claim them.
Alicent knows Helaena and Jaehaera pose no threat to Rhaenyra due to their gender, and therefore they could still be saved. If she were to let Rhaenyra’s forces into King’s Landing and the Red Keep, they would take Aegon’s head — but to Alicent, he's already dead; and besides, there are living people she has to consider — not only Helaena and Jaehaera, but also the smallfolk and people of King’s Landing and Westeros in general.
So no, Alicent doesn’t sacrifice Aegon because she doesn’t love him — she sacrifices him because she believes it’s the lesser evil; the only way she can prevent worse evils from happening. For these reasons, I think s2 Alicent (and show!Alicent as a whole) is a painfully realistic depiction of both a queen and a mother, who does what she thinks is best in a situation where there are no easy solutions.
Also, though I still prefer book!Alicent, I like how s2 showcases all the different things she's starting to see and realise that eventually lead to her making that final, harrowing decision. For example: her fracturing relationships with Aemond and Aegon, the smallfolk attacking her because they’re angry and starved, the Red Keep being filled with rats (literally and figuratively), Larys’s still-looming presence and control over her, Otto’s absence from court, Blood & Cheese and everything that follows it, Helaena’s depression / ’madness’, how disconnected Alicent feels from her family (Gwayne, Daeron...), and all the other horros that have already happened.
In conclusion, I think show!Alicent is a criminally misinterpreted character — and maybe... maybe the writers deserve more credit for that.
Gif by @alicentgwayne ♡
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