I am not the first to say that Dowager Queen Alicent and Ser Criston Cole are hypocrisy goals. They have no self-control when it comes to the lust they have for each other.
However, what makes me roll my eyes so hard they almost fall out of my head is how they slammed Rhaenyra for sleeping around. Yet, they’re doing the same thing. Also, I referenced in the post I wrote for episode one, that I wondered how long their affair has been going on.
Was it going on when King Viserys was dying? We don’t know as it wasn’t touched on in Season 1. Also, what if Alicent falls pregnant with Criston’s child? Would she be seen in the same light she blasted Rhaenyra for?
A Real Life Example
Imagine if this happened in modern-day real life. A Queen has an affair behind her husband’s back and has an illegitimate child. An example we could use would be Prince Albert II of Monaco. He has two children born to mistresses. There was a rumour of a third child which caused Charlene Wittstock, his now-wife, to run away days before their 2011 wedding.
Charlene lives every day with the fact that her husband might have another child out there that he refuses to acknowledge, which was allegedly born during their relationship. She presumably gets along with the two she does know about as there have been photos of the two legitimate children she has with Albert with their older siblings.
The two older children cannot inherit the throne or be in the line of succession. There is a similar situation in Belgium where the former King has an illegitimate daughter whom he refused to acknowledge until it was dragged through the courts. There’s a much longer explanation for it.
Alicent + Criston = Hypocrisy
Returning to the world of Westeros, Alicent and Criston’s hypocrisy blinds them to realise that their affair is more extreme than Rhaenyra having three sons with Harwin Strong. They believe themselves to be mightier than the Black Queen. However, with a war brewing, and a fight for the throne between the Greens and the Blacks, there are bigger issues at play.
Prince Jaehaerys was assassinated in his bed and Alicent and Criston are thinking about their lust, without seeing their overall hypocrisy. Sure, the Dowager Queen mentions the impact the whole thing will have on Helaena having to see her son murdered. But did she think twice about how Rhaenyra feels? No.
As Erik Voss of New Rockstars referenced in his breakdown for episode 2, Alicent implied that Lucerys, who was accidentally killed by Aemond at the end of Season 1, deserved to die. Why? Because he took his uncle’s eye.
We know from the look on Aemond’s face after Vhagar killed Arrax, leading the larger dragon to either devour his rider whole or to allow Luke to fall to his death. Since Lucerys’ body didn’t wash up with the pieces of the dragon, it is assumed the corpse was either swept out to sea or eaten by the larger beast.
Blood And Cheese – A Son For A Son
Jumping over to the Blacks for a moment, we know that it was Daemon who sent Blood and Cheese to kill Aemond or a substitute for “a son for a son”, not Rhaenyra.
Fire and Blood tells a different story regarding whether Rhaenyra knew about Blood and Cheese. However, in House of the Dragon, she had no clue what her uncle-husband was doing. This later leads her to realise that Daemon is still bitter for being passed over by Viserys for her.
Rhaenyra, at least, in the show, has no qualms with Helaena. So why would she rob her sister of her child? The relationship, from what I remember, isn’t even a thing in the book. The Black Queen’s issues lie with Alicent, Aegon and Aemond. We’ll throw Otto into the mix for good measure.
Former Sisters
While Rhaenyra and Alicent’s relationship in the book is different to the show, the outcome is still the same. Aegon ends up on the throne. Also, Alicent doesn’t misinterpret her husband’s dying words as she does in House of the Dragon. Her goal along with that of her father, Otto, is the same; have their blood tied to the Iron Throne.
In Season 2, when Rhaenyra realises that Daemon was responsible for sending in Blood and Cheese, she is utterly disgusted. Also, Rhaenys, his and Viserys’ cousin knew exactly what he’d done.
A little note that I didn’t know, Rhaenys and Daemon, ride the dragons of each other’s parents. So, Daemon is riding Caraxes, who was previously ridden by Aemon, Rhaenys’ father.
Rhaenys flies Meleys, who was flown by Daemon’s mother, Alyssa, though this was in book canon, rather than show canon. Regardless, the Queen That Never Was, sees through her cousin’s act straight away. They also grew up together, so they know each other well.
