Pretty much. I hate Alicent for this, especially since Aegon just lost his child. Comfort the poor boy for christ's sake!

@@bugcatcherjacky1334 its also the way she was raised without a mother and no proper compassion growing up

@@Storm-uq8qz That is no excuse. My mom was beat at home just for speaking up, her mom died at a young age forcing her to live with am abusive father that saw her more as a tool than a child. Despite that, she raised me with compassion and love, not once have I been hit as a child. Alicent suffered under Otto but instead of changing something for the future generations, she passed down the same thing

This is the most spot on summary I have seen.

Okay, but you missed a step before "can I have some advice?" which was "I'm the king; why don't they care what I think?" "You've never cared to think, so let the grownups do it for you." Like, don't get me wrong, this is a sympathetic episode for Aegon, but he never cared about what it takes to be a good ruler or even a good Targaryen. He doesn't have the excuse of never having wanted to be king, because every lesson he ignored, Aemond heeded.

It probably would have gone down better if she had members of the small council meet Aegon after the meetings, in order to explain their reasoning. Then Alicent and Otto could question him on prior topics of discussion in order to test whether any of that knowledge is sinking in.

Worse than angry: disdainful and neglectful.

@@WestLegend03purposely hurtful

I really do think it's crazy how deeply Aegon's own family has dehumanized him. It's not even loneliness, just straight up not recognizing that he's a person, a human being. When they look at Aegon, they don't see Aegon. Just a chess piece to grasp power. It's a situation entirely devoid of love. And to an extent, they both know how badly Aegon wanted to be validated by the parental figures in his life. He desperately wants to think Viserys chose him, and that's why both Otto and Alicent use it against him

alicent cvnttower. replace the v with a u

He did have a good father and education, but sadly, he was surrounded by crazy stupid people, his mother, Aemond and Cole. Otto gets a pass, he actually tries to listen to Aegons words and even allowed Aegon to rule and oh yeah, have Aegon be part of the planning process.

@@nodinitiative otto gets no pass from be, brother. that dude more than anything is responsible for the war about to consume the seven kingdoms and leave the targaryens a shadow of their former selves

​@@nodinitiative Viserys was a horrible father to Aegon

Aemond is far from stupid

​@@SuperJoshdave Aemond is far from stupid but he's a psycho who's thirsty for blood

And when he goes to battle to try and prove himself, his own brother attacks him.... I swear Aegon is the only character Im cheering for on this show at this point. I feel so bad for him.

He is definitely the one I am most invested in at this point.

​@@aleemizcool3654 And Daemon is the only interesting part of team black

@@luinnoc Agreed. I like Daemon, I hope they do his final moment justice. Its supposed to be his only redeeming act

Yea and she basically calls him a useless loser to his face, right after his son was murdered because she was banging their bodyguard.

Daemon kinslayer

"here, have this crown. im flying to essos to become a dragonrider for hire. im done with this shit". Legit seems like something that could have happened.

Unlikely, given that at this point Aegon is extremely pissed about his son’s death, which he believed Rhaenyra was responsible for (it was actually Daemon, but Aegon wouldn’t care: he would blame all the Blacks equally). He’d rather die than surrender to Rhaenyra at this point, sadly. Any chance to sue for peace already went out of the window when both Lucerys and Jaehaerys were killed due to circumstances influenced by the more roguish members of their respective sides (Daemon and Aemond; coincidentally, they’re pretty much mirrors of each other lol). Also, even if Aegon surrendered, I don’t think Daemon would leave him alive: he’d murder Aegon on the spot the moment he stepped on to Dragonstone.

Imagine if Aegon did all this, what would ghe ither greens do? What would Rhaenyra do to Aegon and rest of his family?

​@@Willy2537yup

Womp womp

Definitely disturbed. Instead of offering guidance she made him feel even more pathetic. Of course he chose imbeciles for his Kingsguard he doesn't know any warriors except the ones that hang around him and they have been chosen because they will keep him drunk and uninterested in ruling firsthand.

Yep. Alicent used her children as pawns for power and encouraged them to hate their relatives. Rheaynar for her faults loves her kids, supports them, and raised them to be strong (stop it) and honorable. A real mother and a true Queen

A firm hand to GUIIIIIIIDE. (Otto voice)

They forced the throne on him, he didn't want it. Poor guy

THIS-- like cmon lets not pretend the very reason Aegon is slowly slipping into madness from the constant pressure of the crown Alicent literally put him in when he told her constantly he wasn't ready, and by the death of his son which is literally HER FAULT

@@IcyGrl-u5qI mean, it’s also Daemon’s fault as well because he made a stupid plan to kill Aemond using two incompetent men that couldn’t even tell who a man with one eye is.

worst part is he never even wanted the throne.

@@SapphireCrusader1988 he was literally forced to be king by alicent. And now here she is telling him he sucks and isn’t worth the spot she put him in. I REALLY hope green supporters see now how awful this family is. So many supported them over the blacks. Now it’s clear they are the antagonists

It remarks just how Machiavellian Alicent truly is. Aegon is merely a placeholder for Alicent's and Otto's and the Small Council's claim to the throne. Her comment to Rhaenyra upon realizing Viscerys was talking about Aegon the Conqueror that it's "too late" reveals that she cared more about retaining her grasp on power than taking hold of the truth. Team Green has no regard for the truth. At the end of Season 1, upon Viscerys' passing the Small Council had already put the wheels in motion to claim the throne even before hearing from Alicent about her misunderstanding Viscerys' reference to Aegon the Conqueror as her son Aegon. Poor Aegon was merely a pawn on a chessboard with the pieces all set in play w/o his knowledge or input. His drunken ride to Rooks Rest was provoked most by Aemond's goading and Alicent's diminishment!

He wasn’t prepared to be king. All of his life, he thought Rhaenyra would be ruler. Then they suddenly propped him up, said he was the king ever though he wasn’t suited. The greens just needed a puppet and Aegon was just conveniently put on the throne.

​@@philipkhuong215 Like father like son.

Given what Otto hinted to him earlier, I’m surprised he didn’t ask

Baby Jaeherys and lucerys deaths apparently

His innocent son I guess?

Aegon: “ I never wanted the throne in the first place. You and grandpa told me that me and my siblings will die if Rhaenyra was queen and now that I’m willing to rule, you’re telling me I suck at my job? The job you forced me in? Do tell me all of your self-fulfilling struggles

If you watch the cartoon extras from the original GoT show, it goes over the war. I haven't read the books, but I can tell the original had much more... dark characters. The show even makes Blood and Cheese more sympathetic. They make Lucerys' death an accident. They make Alicent's move to push Aegon based on a mistake. The original has the characters consumed by greed and vengeance. But the show writers have to make these protagonists. They won't have this antagonists vs antagonists. Watching Alicent dick around. She won't admit the mistake to Rhaenyra and leave with her, or admit it to Aegon. So either fight this war or don't. But she's just bitchy without a cause. "Those people earned their seat." Aegon: "You didn't earn shit and you sit there. Tell me one good thing you've done this whole show."

She even laughs at him at 0:51-0:53, if you look closely

​@@katyaandnikkil She is a terrible mother!

That’s not her being coy; she’s just being blunt.

It’s a cycle of abuse. She was used as a political tool by her father, good only to tie their family to the crown and push out royal babies. It’s easy to see why she’s a terrible mother. She never learned how to be one. It’s no excuse, but it’s an explanation.

At this point it's not even about him keeping his crown, I think it's anger for his dead son Once his son was gone, there was never a chance for peace. Kinda my reading of it

@@kailanerman5090yeah but if he went and raised a white flag rhaenyra could’ve cleared up the mess between them since she to lost a son aegon more than anyone would understand that both aemond and daemon were truly responsible for their losses and rhaenyra and aegon were the ones to pay the price they are in the exact same situation.

@Mcherri maybe. But remember, he's a 21 year old mess who's never been near a single person he can trust (apart from his wife and... kinda Cole?) And he's been fed sense he was born that Rhaenyra would kill him if given the chance. So. From his perspective, after losing his son to her (allegedly), he'd have no reason to believe she or Daemon wouldn't smoke him on sight. He's alienated and alone, so war is the only option deemed safe. Which makes this whole thing even more tragic.

At the beginning,yes. It's hilarious how given half a chance, Aegon would have thrown that crown at Rhaenyra, wished her good luck, and tucked and rolled out of that whole situation and into Essos adventure with Sunfyre. But now he has lost a son and thinks Rhaenyra was who killed him on his bed

@@ilbb7055@ilbb7055 In context, I was thinking right about Viserys's death. For Aegon to flee to Dragonstone and bend the knee to Rhaenyra.

She's a great mother and super hot

@@kendallandrews8691 I mean you won't get any argument from me that she's super hot. But she's an awful mother

Yeah aegon got where he was by having awful parents tbf

@@kendallandrews8691you got one of those things right and it’s not because she’s a great mother

I'm surprised he knew where rooks west was when drunk

Philip larkin, this be the verse

At least Aegon was trying to be a good father. Too bad that never comes in well.

It's nothing like that. Joffrey just wanted power to be able to do as he pleased. Aegon was forced to be king. His whole life he was berated and denigrated by his closest kin. He thought that now as king he could get some power, respect, and love, but no. He is still not respected or loved. He tries to be a good king but everyone just wants him to be a puppet. What breaks him is that his mother wants him to be a puppet for her. She has no love for him. Even as the KING he feels powerless.

Nonsense, she was a great mom and a great queen. She is right as always

​@@kendallandrews8691you're right 😉

Right?? Like bitch, wtf?!

Lost his son because she was screwing Crispy. She has some audacity.

You obviously have something against Alicent if you think she's worse than Cersei.

​@TJ-fe7rr She's definitely better than Book Cersei, but I actually think you could make a convincing argument for TV Cersei being better. 2 of Cerseis 3 children are actually pretty well rounded, and it doesn't come across that she only cares for them as extensions of herself as much as in the books. Via her conversation with Catelyn in S1, it even seems like Cersei would've loved a child she with Robert Allicent certainly seems more willing to use her children disposably for her own political purposes. Like I can't honestly see Cersei being willing to marry off Myrcella to some Lord for political reasons.

@@aydenbonnet9630 TV Cersei killed her husband and Margaery her brother and many other people with wildfire. There's no way you'll convince me Cersei is a better person than Alicent.

@@TJ-fe7rr no one is trying to convince you of that, the debate is who is the better MOTHER, not who has burned the least septs. And show cersei caring for her children is pretty much her 1 redeeming quality , which is why she fares well against alicent in this specific area.

@@TJ-fe7rr I never said anything about being a better person I was talking about strictly in terms of her being a mother, and her relationship with her children. Outside of that yes Cersei is certainly more vile.

Cersei is complicated with that. She loves her kids but only as reflections of herself.

🤡🤡

I think her own self is ruined by this time. Not that it means parents can have an excuse for not having their children's wellbeing as first priority. Royals' lives shouldn't be easy, since they must bear enormous responsabilities. But even if this idiot lad wants to be a decent king, nobody is willing to help him. It really is a pity.

This sums her up perfectly.

We hate Alicent in this scene but she wasn't wrong though. If it wasn't a mother and son chat, that would be pretty good advice but Alicent broke her son's heart I guess.

tywin said but yet his family was even worst

@@maelguiraud3568 I don’t know I think the hightowers got the Lannisters beat here. Yeah cersi and Joffrey sucked but Jaime turned out ok and Tywin…..well you could at least trust him to rule well. Alicent sucks as a mother, a ruler, a queen and a friend. Otto caused the war. Aemond is a sociopath. And Aegon is a cowardly drunk.

@@jessedellross3245At least Helaena turned out ok for the most part. She’s the only green who’s innocent.

​@@garlantyrell6368aegon was innocent before he was corrupted

@@garlantyrell6368 You do realize that being innocent in a guilty corrupt family means your life is going to end in tragedy just ask poor Myrcella she was innocent in her family's crimes and was generally a kind and caring girl and look what happened to her

XD True. Very true. "Oh also I was Fucking your lord commander and was more worried about that getting out than my grandson's brutal murder."

Exactly, all she did was belittle him.

Yeah making him a rapist was such a stupid decision on the writers part

@@kenlik7571Not really, because it can show you that you can grow to like and sympathize with a character, but also hold them accountable for their horrible actions and behavior. Just look at Robert Baratheon, Jaime Lannister, and Theon Greyjoy. They’re horrible people, but a lot of the viewers love them because they’re complex. Aegon is a horrible person and rapist at the end of the day, but you can really understand how he ended up so messed up to begin with. And if he was treated better in his childhood, he would’ve been a better person and brother.

​@@garlantyrell6368very good point, I agree. I do love Aegon, he's probably one of the funniest characters so far.

you gain some next level inner peace when you stop caring about the show and just internalize the book as the true canon

@@aleemizcool3654and you gain another level of peace when you can appreciate both for the direction they are going and the choices they make as unique forms of media

Yeah, at this point, I can't help but laugh because all I can scream is, "How is it the Greens are incompetent, unhinged, blatantly hate one another, and are unprepared for anything... and somehow still manage to win?? Team Black, how could you possibly fuck this up!??" Like at this point Team Black seems to have so many advantages I'm left wondering how this civil war is supposed to last? Shit I'd think it'd end in a few weeks based on how insecure and unreliable the show runners have made the Greens. Just make them a complicated bunch of characters that may not all love each other but are loyal to a fault! How cool would it be if Aemond flat out admits he hates his brother and would've been a better King. Cole: "So why do you follow him if he's so unworthy of the throne and crown. Why follow a man you see as unfit?" Aemond prepare to climb up Vhagar and looks away: "Because he's still my brother, my blood, and my King. I will fight for his claim till my dying day." That would've been so fuckin metal, but nope, family Targeryen drama is what they want. At this point it's a soapopera

@@kailanerman5090 Unironically what you wrote actually goes so hard. Aemonds one redeeming quality in the book is that hes loyal to his family, namely Aegon even though he doesn't like him. Id rather the show had just kept it unconfirmed whether he actually meant to kill Aegon or not at the VERY least

@aleemizcool3654 right!? I mean, if Aemond benefits from what Meleys did, that's COMPLETELY different, then "ight, imma kill our king and main reason to fight this war!"

She still should’ve tried to make the best out of her motherhood.

True. Aegon knows he will never be enough for her. Helaena has detached herself from her. And Aemond...well I imagine he despises her for weakness. She cannot control him.

@@randomcenturion7264 the fact that aemond has to go to a prostitute for comfort, says it all

@@randomcenturion7264And Daeron was shipped off to Oldtown probably at a young age. So he might also resent Alicent for sending him away from his family. That is, if she even wanted him there.

Tyland being rich is a pretty good reason for him to be there. The Lannisters and the Tyrells might legit be the only houses who know to rule their lands consistently.

She's even worse in the books.

@@randomcenturion7264 Yes, but not for her children. She loved them very much. And here she behaves completely poorly, in this aspect I think they absolutely destroyed her.

​@@randomcenturion7264the thing is, she loves her family in the books, but hates Rhaenyra. In the show, in order to make her sympathetic towards Rhaenyra, they had to make her be cruel towards her family, specially Aegon

It's going to be a monster's ball situation.

@@Floro92 she’s always been terrible to her children. Thats why they are so messed up.

That's the whole point though. She made her children paranoid about rhaenyra in order to keep them separated. Now that she has put her son on the throne she expects gratitude instead of realising the chaos she has created. Instead of keeping her son close by and letting him learn she used him as a pawn rather than a possible king to protect. She got used to ruling in viserys ill health and now that she has no place she is lashing out.

She isnt actually that relevent in the books. The show is starting to feel that.

She was always like that though tbf. Shit mother through and through but she does love her children ultimately

The whole misunderstanding plot was dumb. She should have been part of the coup from the beggining and actively be seeking to put Aegon on the throne to prevent Rhaenyra and Daemon from killing her sons whose claims to the throne were stronger.

S1 Allicent wasn't a good mom my guy. She let her deluded hatred for Rhaenyra sabotage her children's lives at every turn. She, and Cole spent the boys youth poisoning them against their cousins (the root issue that leads to all of them fucking dying) to satisfy her enmity of her former friend. When Rhaenyra, and Viserys try to help mend things by marrying Jace to Helaena, Allicent screws it up to once again just to spite Rhaenyra even though marrying Helaena to Aegon is entirely hypocritical to Allicents beliefs. Allicent resents her father for marrying her to Viserys for political reasons, and in her youth it's clear she holds reservations against the Targaryens fixation on incest, yet instead of marrying her daughter to the girls well adjusted, and kind cousin she arranges a match with her own brother who is also a despondent, alcoholic, misogynist that doesn't give a shit about, or respect Helaena.

There have been a few moments where I felt for Alicent, and I believe she only acts like this rn because something angered her and she needed an outlet. But yeah, I wish she was a little kinder to her children. I still think that protecting your children from literal death is still a bit different than emotional damage, especially considering the way she was raised. Her feelings didn't matter either, so long as she was alive and well. Unfortunately a lot of parents even today disrrgard their children's mental health but would still jump in front of a moving car for them.

Cersei loved her children because they are from a loving relationship.

Imagine trying to get respect but having no idea how to get it.

Sure but she says it in the dumbest way possible. Good lord how is it so difficult to give your child any love or consolation? Or at the very least if she despises Aegon so much, maybe just idk tell him in another way? Keeping him alive and safe is paramount. Tell him to take Sunfyre for a ride over King's Landing to boost morale in the city and to keep watch and defend the capital. Like shes just written poorly here and in a way to make her absolutely hated

She is not, she claims Aegon should hear her council when she allowed the enemy queen to leave the sept without being captured when she could have easily done it. Calling Aegon dumb after she did that is just ridiculous.

@@masterplokoon8803 if I were Aegon I would also have pointed out that alicent’s council was to spare Rhaenyra which cost the Greens time. Even Aemond pointed it out, she’s a liability

@@donnyannessa654 not wanting to kill Rhaenyra initially wasn't a bad idea. Kinslaying is a terrible sin and it would have sullied Aegon's reign so initially sending terms makes sense. But not capturing Rhaenyra after both Luke and Jaehaerys have been killed was idiotic and treasonous on Alicent's part.