honest to god, i’m not even just disappointed by how terribly they portrayed elia in the play, i’m disappointed in myself for investing so much time reading grrm’s books in my teens and treating them as deep complex literature instead of taking them for what they really are.
this play feels like a cheap cheat sheet tailored specifically to spoon feed answers to fan debates that have gone on for decades. it’s like rhaelyas literally handed over their favorite headcanon that elia was complicit just so no one has to feel bad for her, while treating rhaegar like some misunderstood tragic madman.
it feels like grrm finally realized after decades that modern readers aren't buying into his outdated romantic fantasy anymore, and that elia’s tragic reality naturally makes his absolute favorite ship look abhorrent. so what’s the easiest way to make rhaegar look like a saint? simple, turn elia into the architect of her own fate. because if she was totally cool with everything then nobody has to feel sympathy for a woman who was brutally wronged right?
now that i’m in my twenties i barely engage with asoiaf content anyway and i know i’ll move past this completely soon, but it’s just sad to watch an author hollow out his own tragic themes just to protect a ship.
romaincrisis
tangentwithtanner
gummygunk
gamechangershow
2087
gracieabrams
dailybridgerton
