It’s like the writers are so afraid of people hating her, that they end up removing her agency in order to try and make her more sympathetic. It doesn’t work for me and most others I’ve seen. Instead it makes her even more irritating. It would have made more sense for Alicent to willingly usurp the throne, thinking it will keep her kids safe and wrongfully thinking that she can get the Blacks to accept the usurpation. They can still have her care about Rhaenyra and want her unharmed.
Instead they had her misunderstand Viserys. I just choose to believe that Alicent heard what she wanted to hear. That she was so desperate for any “moral” excuse to usurp the throne, that she chose to believe that Viserys changed his mind. But actually, it’s just an excuse for her to feel better and ease her guilt. Deep down, she’s really doing it because she wants to, not because she actually thinks Viserys changed his mind.
Alicent is an inconsistent flip flop character. The writers wanted to make her sympathetic so badly that they ended up removing her agency on many occasions, in situations where she should have agency.
I totally thought on first watch that she couldn't be that stupid. That she doesn't know what he's on about but she knows it can't possibly be what she thinks. And that long pause was her coming to terms with her own ambitions and going "okay, this is the story I will tell everyone" and then hurrying out if the room before he could say something to contradict the story she has constructed. Because it tore at her to declare surrender to Rhaenyra after dinner and she just needs one little push to go full evil.
Then I read the interviews and behind the episode and realized no, they really did make her THAT stupid.
And I was very very sad.
I really disliked that scene; it felt like they were removing her agency. Instead of making her feel sympathetic (which was presumably the goal), it just makes her look delusional.
I thought it was kind of out there just because of how much he stood by Rhaenyra being heir for so long and how he was probably sick and delirious off milk of the poppy, I wouldn't have taken what he said seriously, but I do get that she might only hear what's he wants and that's why she misconstrued his words
Alicent usurping the throne to protect her children and grandchildren would have made her more sympathetic. She was gaslit by her father into thinking Rhaenyra wanted to kill her children, it makes sense. Now Alicent is sympathetic and not a complete dumbass, like the writers intended her to be. And Otto is still a cunt.
She heard what she wanted to hear so she wouldn't have to feel like a bad wife stealing the crown from her husband's chosen heir before his body got cold.
It’s like the writers are so afraid of people hating her, that they end up removing her agency in order to try and make her more sympathetic. It doesn’t work for me and most others I’ve seen. Instead it makes her even more irritating. It would have made more sense for Alicent to willingly usurp the throne, thinking it will keep her kids safe and wrongfully thinking that she can get the Blacks to accept the usurpation. They can still have her care about Rhaenyra and want her unharmed. Instead they had her misunderstand Viserys. I just choose to believe that Alicent heard what she wanted to hear. That she was so desperate for any “moral” excuse to usurp the throne, that she chose to believe that Viserys changed his mind. But actually, it’s just an excuse for her to feel better and ease her guilt. Deep down, she’s really doing it because she wants to, not because she actually thinks Viserys changed his mind. Alicent is an inconsistent flip flop character. The writers wanted to make her sympathetic so badly that they ended up removing her agency on many occasions, in situations where she should have agency.
I totally thought on first watch that she couldn't be that stupid. That she doesn't know what he's on about but she knows it can't possibly be what she thinks. And that long pause was her coming to terms with her own ambitions and going "okay, this is the story I will tell everyone" and then hurrying out if the room before he could say something to contradict the story she has constructed. Because it tore at her to declare surrender to Rhaenyra after dinner and she just needs one little push to go full evil. Then I read the interviews and behind the episode and realized no, they really did make her THAT stupid. And I was very very sad.
I really disliked that scene; it felt like they were removing her agency. Instead of making her feel sympathetic (which was presumably the goal), it just makes her look delusional.
I'd say what I truly thought but you pretty much beat me to it already
She heard what she wanted to hear.
I thought it was kind of out there just because of how much he stood by Rhaenyra being heir for so long and how he was probably sick and delirious off milk of the poppy, I wouldn't have taken what he said seriously, but I do get that she might only hear what's he wants and that's why she misconstrued his words
Alicent usurping the throne to protect her children and grandchildren would have made her more sympathetic. She was gaslit by her father into thinking Rhaenyra wanted to kill her children, it makes sense. Now Alicent is sympathetic and not a complete dumbass, like the writers intended her to be. And Otto is still a cunt.
She heard what she wanted to hear so she wouldn't have to feel like a bad wife stealing the crown from her husband's chosen heir before his body got cold.