#daemon critical

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

I just read a few odd justification posts about why it was okay that Daemon ignored Rhaenyra calling out for him when she was in labor, and even more appallingly why it was okay for Daemon to choke Rhaenyra the way he did, one even going so far as to say he didn't mean to hurt her but to "bring her to her senses". That if he really wanted to hurt her then he would have crushed her windpipe.

While I appreciate these people's attempts to look at the situation objectively and investigate/analyze Daemon's motives as well as Rhaenyra's, as well as delve deeper into their characters...how can his actions be justified?

Why? Because he's played by a very talented and attractive actor? Because this is the common coddling of a Targaryen villain a la Daenerys style? I truly don't understand why this justification is done when grooming, greed for power, and now abuse are right in your face. But okay, I'll jump on that hot mess of a train for a second.

Let's start with what the showrunners have actually said regarding Daemon and Rhaenyra's relationship before they were married.

Anyone remember this scene?

Not only did it feel like a massive grooming scene to me but the showrunners confirmed it was! Daemon led Rhaenyra down there not only because he was trying to show her that sex was a pleasurable act which she could enjoy on the side when doing her duty/marrying, but also because he was trying to get her under his control. The showrunners literally say that Daemon left her the way he did because she was enjoying it and that turned him off.

Sound like the hero of the hour to you? A true prince? An all around good guy? You don't need to bring your personal experiences to the table to know that this is not only icky but not a good start between them or earmarks of a forming healthy relationship. It also becomes very apparent here that Rhaenyra is far more into Daemon (and is mystified by him and what she's feeling) than he is into her. He views her as a tool, as a key to the IT and also to piss off/get back at Viserys.

Now, delving deeper into the story, let's also look at this objectively:

Rhaenyra is now the proclaimed heir to the IT. While it might seem all romantic to some that Daemon is sneaking her out of the Red Keep, let's focus on the really important points. Rhaenyra is not only at risk but she also has a reputation to maintain. It sucks but it's true. In that world, as we see play out later in the episode, she does.

Then we see how the people in KL really feel about her being named heir, and we see this almost comedic moment where Rhaenyra reacts to what she's hearing. The point being: the people in KL's streets do not like her or support her. This increases the danger she's in should anyone recognize her (which is exactly why her hair is hidden at first when they sneak out). And even if Daemon jumps in to protect her, he is one man against a city of people (and let's not forget that Caraxes and Syrax are not as big as Drogon or Vhagar & is most likely in the dragonpit). We saw how easily Rhaenys got swept away from Erryk in the crowds in 1x09.

Knowing this, Daemon still decides to not only take Rhaenyra out but to push forward. Then they end up at the brothel: Daemon's target destination all along. And sure enough, we see him put his plan into action.

But to his dismay, Rhaenyra seems to be enjoying herself more than she is shocked or frightened or appalled. And then he does the unthinkable: he leaves her! All alone, defenseless, with no weapon to defend herself or with anyone capable of defending her should someone attempt to hurt her, take her hostage, or force themselves on her.

She is the proclaimed heir to the King on the IT, to be the next ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, and he just leaves her. Because she was enjoying what he was showing her. Because she was too into it. And he not only leaves her, but then goes and gets drunk. He doesn't give a flying fig about Rhaenyra's safety or wellbeing in that moment. Great guy, yes? Uncle of the year.

Then we see this scene:

Daemon's true motive comes to light completely here. He wanted to sully Rhaenyra's reputation, so she would be forced to marry. But he was betting that Viserys would be so desperate to marry her off that he would marry her to him. He used to be the heir to the IT; now she is. The math isn't that hard to do. If he marries Rhaenyra, he will be that much closer to the IT, in a different way coming from a different angle (King Consort and we already know he had no problem killing one wife), but once Viserys dies, Rhaenyra will be the only one standing between Daemon and the IT. Daemon's ambition, his goal is the IT and ensuring House Targaryen not only remains in power but that they are the most powerful family of all, if not in Westeros then the world. His idea of their house is very similar to Daenerys. (and we all know how that went) He even says as much. He wants to marry Rhaenyra and they can restore House Targaryen to its former glory. In laymen's terms, he is tired of the peace keeping and "working together"; he wants to dominate and he wants the Targaryens to be the top dog even more than they are now.

Even Viserys knows this: "Of course, it's not my daughter you lust for, is it? It's my throne."

But, as we know, Viserys doesn't give him what he wants and Rhaenyra is made to marry someone else. That doesn't stop him from wanting that goal to happen, though.

So even though it's Rhaenyra that convinces him to come back to the fold and to marry, that goal has never truly gone away. The showrunners have said that he was happy to be away from the Westerosi politics when married to Laena and he was across the sea. (this is what makes for a truly dynamic, rich, and multi-layered character a la GRRM style but it doesn't justify abuse, for starters) But then he was back in it. Don't think for one second that he didn't have that goal in mind when agreeing to marry Rhaenyra and they married in the old way.

Am I saying that Daemon is a villain through and through? No, I"m not. Like I said above, he is a multi-faceted and very grey character, which imho is what makes his story so compelling for people to watch, besides Matt Smith's incredible portrayal and charisma on screen. But let's not bury his actions (and motives) under the rug because he's good looking or is half of your preferred ship in the show or carries the name Targaryen.

That being said, choking someone is never okay. That's not bringing personal experiences to the table or viewing any media through that lens, it's facts. For example, how common was it back in the old days of media, in classic films and such, to see a woman get slapped by a man? Or how about Ralph Kramden's constant threat towards Alice? People viewing those pieces of media back then thought it commonplace (and in Ralph's case laughable) because back then, no matter how horrible the truth of it is, it was commonplace. Today's society knows better and yes, while we're watching a fictional show based on medieval times and we are well aware of it, that doesn't change the fact that we know this action to be wrong. Just like Daenerys massacring King's Landing. No matter where you fall on that line, that is a war crime (not something to be excited to watch or something to celebrate btw); it's wrong. Had Daenerys been real and done that in this world, no one would think it's cool and justified. How do you justify burning innocent children alive?

We can enjoy pieces of media that are fictional. We can root for our favorite characters. You are certainly entitled to your opinions. But you negate that when you say that you feel people are "overreacting" to not being on board with Daemon putting his hand on Rhaenyra's throat and applying pressure, to the point where she is struggling to breathe. That wasn't some kinky form of foreplay. She never consented to him taking that action. That's a form of violence against this supposed love of his life, that has already been confirmed in the show (through the dialogue and sequences shown) and by the showrunners did not start as this great big love story, this true romance.

For example, if Jon ever did to Dany what Daemon did to Rhaenyra, y'all would've been calling for his head. Hell, look at the reaction to what Jon ended up deciding to do in 8x06. And that's completely hypocritical of you. The goal posts don't move when it comes to abuse and violence against women by men. The rules don't change.

So I think people calling it for what it is are not overreacting and are actually seeing what is wrong with the Daemrya relationship (as the show intended), how ambitious Daemon is (similar to Dany in that they they have this grand delusion of what it means to be a Targaryen in relation to power vs the world around them), and how this will negatively affect things going forward. There is a definite power struggle there, and Daemon didn't only get frustrated by Rhaenyra's decision to stay her hand; he got frustrated because he wasn't the one in charge aka the heir aka the one sitting on the IT which is why we got the Daemon and Jacaerys scene which led to the "true loyalty" scene. It not only gave us more insight into Daemon's character moving forward, but it also showed us that he has a very different idea on how he wants to rule vs Rhaenyra. (and now with what happened to Luc, we'll see if her ruling style will now closely resemble his or if she'll let him unleash on the Hightowers) Before Luc's death, Daemon was all war and Rhaenyra was peace.

Regardless of how Rhaenyra is from this point on, it doesn't take away from the fact of what happened in that room on Dragonstone between her and Daemon. That scene shouldn't be justified or explained away. It was wrong, plain and simple. The show is not dancing around it. They showed it to you point blank, with both Matt's and Emma's performances. They don't need to "address it" because it is what it is: a scene where Daemon starts to show his true colors. Do I think that Daemon doesn't love his family? No. I think he does love them (which has also been shown to us throughout the season), but that love is twisted by his own ambition and delusions of grandeur. Which is even more interesting considering his line of "Dreams didn't make us kings; dragons did." And he's right, but as much as he criticizes Viserys for having dreams, he has his own. It just isn't the same.

I almost wonder how a meeting between Daemon and Daenerys would go, if that were even possible due to some time warp or something. I know that's not this type of story but for a moment, I like to imagine what it would be like. I feel like they would definitely have some things in common for sure. And then it would be Dance of Dragons 3.0 because neither would give up the IT to the other, especially Dany.

But, I digress. My point is: while you're entitled to your opinion and you can certainly have different viewpoints, it's a slippery slope to justify an act of abuse, fictional or not. Don't do that. Ship who you ship, enjoy the characters you enjoy, but don't do that. And certainly don't say others are overreacting (who disagree with your viewpoint) in the same breath you're saying that your opinions need to be respected.

It doesn't matter why he grabbed her that way (he did it not only to get his point across to her in that tyrannic way but also because he was pissed that Viserys told her something he never told Daemon when he was the heir which is what Rhaenyra also picks up on & Daemon's reaction cements it).

Daemon was wrong.

End of story.

[spacerockfloater]

Aemond baby, get behind me.

[danyyytarggg]

watching house of the dragon feels like someone is trying to gaslight you into thinking that the characters in the show are intelligent, witty, and cunning but the person trying to gaslight you only learned what gaslighting was like an hour ago from a tiktok

[the-golden-queen-82]

Helaena's children were the last ones to be with Viserys before his death, and Viserys entertained them by giving one of the boys a ring to play with and telling them a story.

But in the show, the only grandchildren we see him interact with are the ones by Rhaenyra. Of course they are!

Daemon's Harrenhal arc would've been interesting if we saw a vision of Viserys asking Daemon if he ordered the death of one of his grandchildren, and when he confirms it, Viserys bursts into tears and anger. Because the same way Rhaenyra would never approve B&C, neither would Viserys. 

They took so much from Helaena, even her relationship with her father!

[the-loststone]

I'm very anxious that the show is going to exclude Maelor from the story. Just write him out like they did Daeron. You know what excluding Maelor does? It takes the choice of the eldest son versus the youngest son and makes it a choice between the heir/the son and the daughter.

Helaena's choice was about who would understand what decision was being made. She chose Maelor, a heartbreaking choice she was forced to make or to watch both her children be killed and her daughter r*ped, because she thought he wouldn't understand what was happening. He was three years old at the time. She thought it would be less painful for him compared to Jaehaerys.

Taking Maelor away means that the choice will be between Jaehaerys and Jaehaera. Its the choice between the heir and the daughter. We already know that they will never let Jaehaerys live because he is a son, he is the heir, and the entire concept of the revenge was 'a son for a son.' Its not a choice. Jaehaera never counted. It means that the choice is the value of a daughter, which we already know they don't actually consider, versus the son. Of course they're killing the son over the daughter.

You know what else it does, it takes another character away from the greens, another tragic death. Meanwhile all the Blacks get to keep their characters (with the exception of Nettles, but of course we can't have a character that poorly reflex on Rhaenyra). Maelor was a toddler murdered by a mob incited by Rhaenyra's actions. His corpse was delivered to Rhaenyra essentially as a prize instead of returned to his family.

Maelor is an essential character to show the cost of the war on house Targaryen. I hope that the showrunners do the right thing by keeping him in, otherwise it's just a blatant attempt to rewrite the tragedy.

I will never get over how one-sided they made this conflict in the show.

[qyburnsghost]

They deleted Nettles to make Rhaenyra look better, but invented Dyana to make Aegon look worse!

[tessarionbestgirl]

Daemon redemption arc in the book: Falling off Targaryan supremacy ideology represented by falling in love with an smallfolk girl and abandoning Rhaenyra that represents all that.

Daemon redemption arc in the show: Realizing he is nothing and his wify cult leader is everything as much as Targaryen supremacy.

[alicentsgf]

you know what it all boils down to for me? a lack of intelligence. theres nothing of substance to say. no depth or exploration of the themes. no depth to anything. none of the characters appear intelligent. the dialogue is very direct and clunky at times, even the characters we are subliminally told to percieve as intelligent do not speak or act in a particulary clever way. like if i wanted to watch stupid people make stupid choices i'd be watching trashy reality tv rn, at least it doesnt put on a facade of deep meaning with cheap parallels and character moments that are presented to the audience with all the subtley of a frying pan to the face.

[gojuo]

i cannot emphasize it enough to you guys that they're giving book!daemon hating his brother and wanting to steal his throne (that's why he begins grooming rhaenyra and sets her against her siblings and poisons her relationship w them forever) is going to show!aemond right now. book!aemond was never characterized as wanting his brother's throne or hating aegon. that was all daemon in the book 😬

[mailka]

Honey, wake up, a great article just dropped

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

So we finally got to see the Daemon that has been shown to us through some slight glimpses over the season, that the showrunners have been hinting at all of this time.

Look familiar?

Just sayin'.

[spacerockfloater]

Cersei Lannister & Rhaenyra Targaryen:

Are forced to marry someone they don’t love, so they find solace in the arms of a family member and commit incest

Seduce members of the Royal Guard

Have their husbands murdered because they didn’t like them

Have three bastard kids

Commit atrocities to claim the Iron Throne

Betray their allies when they feel threatened

Rule with fire and blood

Live in constant paranoia so they murder innocent servants whom they believe will betray them, even if said betrayal would be a direct consequence of the way they treat their subjects

Are hated by the people

and lets us not forget the -

But no, please go ahead and tell me all about how Rhaenyra is this feminist icon who has the divine right to rule over hundreds of thousands of people because her daddy said so, therefore if I don’t support her I’m a misogynist.

[rhaenin-time]

Daemon: War is bad. Unlike many of the men of the realm itching for combat, I actually have been to war and I really don't feel like doing it again. I think we should do our best to end this conflict with diplomacy, and possibly a little assassination, in order to avoid a war. Especially a war pitting dragons against dragons. I've read extensive histories of the wars of Valyria and I'm saying right now, we should do our very best to avoid outright combat both on land and in the sky.

HBO: Ahh... so he's a warmonger!

[danyyytarggg]

HOTD is just a complete mess of a story with such abysmal writing that it’s actually mind-boggling to me that the writers really saw no issue with it.

there is no consistency or continuity to the show, and events seem to happen just to happen with no real impact on the story. examples: why did team green exist before viserys’ death if their motivation was going to be watered down to “viserys named aegon heir”? the show tried to beat in that alicent’s children were not safe under rhaenyra’s rule, further emphasized and solidified by aemond losing his eye; this was supposed to be the main motivation for putting aegon on the throne and the scenes on driftmark were perfect in showcasing the validity in alicent’s fears as well as solidifying alicent’s motivations for aegon. then, it’s all PROMPTLY forgotten in favor of a lame misunderstanding being the reason for aegon taking the throne. so really, what was the point in all that? another example, making aegon such a despicable person in season 1. really, what was the point in that if there was to be no continuity or impact or rhyme or reason for making aegon that way? none of it is ever mentioned again, none of his actions had any sort of impact, etc. no continuity or impact whatsoever, so what was the reason for having such triggering content in season 1? tasteless and disgusting. also, the deaths in this show serve NO impact and are forgotten from the minds of the characters so quickly: visenya, lucerys, jaehaerys, rhaenys, sunfyre (maybe?), the almost-death of aegon - there’s a lack of continuity in emotion and impact. the deaths happen, the characters react somewhat appropriately or not at all, and then they move on to the next episode and everything before is forgotten. ESPECIALLY emphasized by the fact that rhaenyra demanded a son for a son as if jaehaerys wasn’t dead for that exact reason. or helaena urging daemon on in his vision as if he’s NOT the man responsible? aemond caring for, at the very least, his mother and sister? gone. alicent caring for her children so much so that she tried to attack lucerys for aemond and stepped in front of a dragon for aegon? gone. aegon being forced on the throne when he never wanted it? gone and now is being given up by the woman who put him there. daemon being supportive of rhaenyra’s rule by the end of season 1? gone. there also seems to be no impact from the larys x alicent scene from season 1, so WHAT was the point of that?

the characters make absolutely no sense to me at this point. aemond, who cared for alicent and helaena, now cold, callous, power hungry, does not care for family. aemond cares more about his actions against lucerys than his actions against anyone in team green. alicent, who is driven by duty, honor, responsibility, religion and cares for her family, though has trouble showing it due to her trauma - sells out all her family members with the exception of helaena to rhaenyra? then asks rhaenyra to run away with her? huh? also, for the same reasons above, having alicent x criston cole makes no sense without showing us their progression. it just doesn’t make sense for alicent’s character to have a lover without showing us exactly how it all came to be instead of just showing us that it happened. and then for her to casually just bring it up to rhaenyra? alicent would NEVER. helaena attempting to help daemon despite the fact that he’s responsible for the murder of her son. even the sudden shift in helaena’s personality/character in the very last episode gave me whiplash and i’ve been wanting her to have a more substantial role in the plot. baela is continuously used as female reinforcement for everything rhaenyra says or does and as jace’s emotional support (that being said, i LOVE jacela, but baela’s character deserves more than just these two roles). rhaena is given like two or three talking scenes and then the rest is her just chasing after a dragon, leaving behind her younger siblings btw. which, i think having her character find strength and power without having a dragon would have done wonders but okay. aegon, i can’t even take seriously bc of his season 1 actions. same goes for larys. corlys forgetting that rhaena exists as an option for heir of driftmark, as if she isn’t the most deserving of that title.

EVERYTHING being boiled down to pro-rhaenyra. rhaenyra can never be in the wrong about anything. even jace’s very legitimate concerns, baela swooped in to convince him why he’s wrong in feeling the way that he does. rhaenyra imposes a blockade on king’s landing, a known fact, the people starve, she sends food - “rhaenyra remembers us even now!” daemon seeing a vision of rhaenyra on the throne, helaena urging daemon to do what’s right, alicent turning herself in to rhaenyra then asking rhaenyra to run away w her. one of her councilman voicing his concerns to daemon and whether rhaenyra is right for the throne because rhaenyra hasn’t done a single thing, does not attend council meetings, is not protecting her allies, refuses any sort of action at all - then demonizing said councilman even though his concerns are entirely founded. even making team green’s motivation for putting aegon on the throne being from a misunderstanding is inherently pro-rhaenyra. bc if their entire motivation is based on “viserys named aegon heir,” which we know is a misunderstanding, then OBJECTIVELY, team green is in the wrong. rather than going with the safety/protection motivation for team green, which wouldn’t have left them being so objectively in the wrong. and for all the love the show writers give to being pro-rhaenyra, they can’t even write rhaenyra well. she’s indecisive, takes no actions, just continuously begs off to go fight, doesn’t attend council meetings, cannot make a single plan on her own (all of her plans and wins have come from either mysaria or jace), is overall, not a strong or competent leader. after all this, they girlbossify her at the end when, after a whole season of doing basically nothing, she acquires three more dragons (which ALSO wasn’t an entirely smart move).

which can i also complain about the lack of strategy, diplomacy, and wits in the show? everything gets watered down to DRAGONS, which is also why rhaena’s arc is so disappointing imo.

additionally hate the lack of development and depth team black members get. it just all goes to rhaenyra and daemon (and SOMEWHAT jace), and that isn’t even done right. then you have team green who the writers TRY to give depth and development to but completely and utterly fail at creating anything truly meaningful.

lastly, i truly believe rhaenyra x alicent was a mistake, ONLY because the writers don’t know how to write it correctly. i really did enjoy the concept in season 1 until they made their relationship hijack the entire show. because of this, we didn’t get to see rhaenyra vs aegon at their full potential at ALL. it was replaced in favor for rhaenyra x alicent. i also believe this relationship is what screwed over the motivation of team green in the show because alicent needed a “just” reason to betray rhaenyra, therefore giving us the dumb misunderstanding trope. it also keeps either of the characters from diving into the potential their characters both have! it keeps them from engaging in war to its fullest extent! not to mention, having alicent throw away her entire family for rhaenyra is CRAZY. then to have her ask rhaenyra to run away with her? after everything? please. if they didn’t know how to write it in a well-written way, they shouldn’t have done rhaenyra x alicent at all bc i fully believe that it is a large reason as to why the show got so epically ruined with bad writing.

oh also, helaena and alys just spoiling major dance of the dragons plot points? i’m really not a fan of that, personally. and i really don’t know how the show is going to build off of this. it also takes away the impact that these scenes would have left on viewers if never spoiled onscreen.

oh last points promise - jaehaerys and jaehaera continuously NOT being called by their names and instead being called “the boy,” “the girl,” “the child,” angers me so much and is crazy minimization of their characters - probably to lessen the blow and impact of blood and cheese? and gwayne confronting criston cole about him sleeping with his sister, the dowager queen, in public, in front of everyone, with everyone watching? so poorly written and read like a badly written fanfiction on wattpad. the show writers forgetting that alicent x criston cole is very much not allowed in westeros and could get both in such crazy trouble by having that gwayne scene and alicent casually admitting to having a lover to rhaenyra is just bonkers.

[amaltheas-garden]

I'm sorry this show will never make me care about Mysaria of all people. Mysaria? Who's greatest (book) contributions were procuring young maids for Daemon to deflower, organizing the murder of a six-year-old, having said six-year-old's sister, mother, and grandmother brutalized, (allegedly) suggesting Alicent and Helaena be sent to the brothels and be forced to have bastards, (allegedly) playing a role in Helaena's death, and convincing Rhaenyra to put a hit out on a sixteen-year-old black girl. That Mysaria?

but of course, hotd would have us think her ultimate goal is protecting vulnerable women and teaming up with Rhae to fight the patriarchy when her book counterpart gained all her power and influence by exploiting the weakest and most vulnerable women and young girls in King's Landing. something something women will take advantage of other women to carve out a scrap of power and safety in a patriarchal world but she's not on team green so of course she can't be bad.

Anyways... every time a king's landing character speaks of Mysaria positively know that there's a reason they called her "Lady Misery" in the books 🙃

[ride-thedragon]

A critical analysis of Rhaenyra's motherhood.

Now I'm really happy that the show gave a critical lens to this with episode 7, but it's been established since S1. It was just that her fans and people who don't like Alicent made it extremely hard to give this criticism other and compared her to Alicent even though they aren't in the same circumstances. This is going to be a critical look at Rhaenyra’s motherhood, so if that will make you upset, move on.

Her relationship to mothers.

Rhaenyra doesn't have a real mother figure throughout her life. We see that she feels the need to take care of her mother at 14, probably because she saw Aemma go through it before. When her father kills her she's scared by it and it changes her.

We then see her lean into Alicent, but by the time she's trying to gain a sense of normalcy, her friend is going to marry her father. I know a lot of people hold out hope for that deleted scene, but I like the way they keep it in the show. Rhaenyra doesn't empathise with Alicent because of what happened with Aemma. She becomes a mother, and without much thought, Rhaenyra sees her as the king's wife and baby maker.

With Rhaenys (we will return to it) she doesn't seem to see her in that light. Rhaenys is a caution for who she isn't and wouldn't be. She's too young to realise the freedom Rhaenys has from her position.

There are no other prominent mother figures around her either, and Rhaenyra continues to see motherhood as a trap or slow death in a sense, a way to lock a woman up and bring her down.

How she becomes a mother

Rhaenyra does like sex. She's grown, and even though Daemon will burn in hell for risking her life like that for his own gain with her first sexual experience, Rhaenyra clearly likes sex, she likes the enjoyment and connection, the desire and want.

But she is a woman in feudalism, so she is looked down on because of it. When she has to get married after not finding that in any partner she was presented with, she specifically made the arrangement with Laenor that their sex was out of duty and obligations to make heirs while they could both seek out pleasure.

Rhaenyra and Laenor do not have a healthy or good relationship. Joffrey is murdered by Criston without punishment, and Laenor does his duty, but Rhaenyra finds no joy in it. People like to act as though Rhaenyra would've had to sa Laenor to have his kids but that's not what she says.

Rhaenyra is young and likes sex. She wants to have sex and feel desired. Laenor is gay and traumatised but still doing his duty like they discussed. Rhaenyra seeks out Harwin because she wants to enjoy sex and because sex with him is more enjoyable and what she wanted she gets pregnant.

By this point, she has the risk of the child being Harwin's, but why would she care? The child could be Laenor’s, and if not, he should provenly still look Valyrian.

The child does not look Valyrian, but she is now the mother of that child. She can't say he's a bastard because that's treason, so she passes it off as Laenor’s. This trend will continue and worsen with time.

All of her kids.

Jace.

This ine shocked people recently but I wasn't shocked. Rhaenyra has harmed Jace arguably the moat in all of this. He's her heir while she's fighting this war. Anything they do and any harm she puts herself in that could cost her her life, the Lord of the Realm will be asked to bow to a bastard. He's fully aware of this.

Jace is in constant question of himself, and Rhaenyra can never answer him. The first time he asks if he's a bastard she kisses him and doesn't answer, when he says he should be grieving Ser Harwin, she tells him it wouldn't be appropriate after her non answer and sends him to comfort Baela. She marries Daemon and has true boen Valyrian children by him, risking his life because his biggest protection outside of Rhaenyra was 'kilked' in a way that facilitated that union.

She tries and fails to betrothe him to Helaena, and after she engages him to Baela when she should be looking to allies to support her claim because she can't risk him marrying a non Valyrian.

Now, she keeps putting herself at risk in order to satiate her desires for peace and reunion while he is terrified not just to lose his power but to lose his position. Then she coddles him so he can't prove himself because Luke died. She dismisses and avoids his concerns six years later, just as she did when he was 10, something we see him do to Luke.

Now she again chooses herself before him when it comes to the Dragonseeds, calling into question his biggest legitimacy outside of her. Her right is her priority, and she chooses it over the potential harm it will cause to him. I also don't think she would've done it without that scene with Viserys in episode 8.

Luke.

Rhaenyra is really reckless with this one. She doesn't stop with Harwin. She doubles down because she believes it grants Jace viability if he and all his brothers look alike.

So when the heir to house Velayron doesn't look Velayron, people are rightfully upset. But again, thanks to Rhaenyra and Laenor protecting them, Luke doesn't realise he is a bastard until he's fully confronted with it. Then Rhaneyra, on two separate occasions, chooses to add fuel to the fire. With the boys and Aemond, Luke goes unpunished and protected because of Rhaenyra and her appeal to Viserys. This is something that festers in Aemond.

With the Velayrons who all suspect foul play with Rhaenyra and Laenor, when she kills Vaemond without answering him, she gives room for Luke to question why she didn't have an answer and in his mind, he should've just given the seat up. But he is Rhaenyra's son and she has fixed the situation by wedding him to Rhaena so he doesn't have to worry. She will always be there.

She isn't, though. He's sent away on a mission where he confronts the two things she willingly chose to ignore, Aemond and his bastardy. This leads to Luke's death.

Joffrey.

My baby boy hasn't done anything wrong and is fine, but the show willingly chooses to ignore any mention of his engagement to the Manderlys isn't a great sign that she won't choose to simply marry him off as well to fix the bastard problem.

Aegon and Viserys (and legally Visenya)

These kids genuinely harm Jace specifically. If they decide to be the heirs, more men would stand behind them because they are true born. That's a decision Rhaenyra made because, again, she thinks these boys will be raised outside of that conflict because of her. She is at the center of it.

Again, it's the question of sex and how much she truly thinks she can protect her kids from each other. Especially since Jace treats them like a segregated line, he won't cross.

Baela and Rhaena.

Show Rhaenyra isn't a mother to these girls. She's adultified one while parentifying the other and never offers comfort outside of her own gain. She is not a mother. She hasn't put herself in that position. You can argue she doesn't have too but she should have. Now, she is using them to her benefit in place of herself and what she can't do. Baela is the dragonrider, and Rhaena is the mother despite her protest. These girls aren't daughters to her. She doesn't give them the benefit of loving them enough to hear them.

It's not her responsibility, but she dies understand the position she is in and uses it when it benefits her.

With a focus on Rhaena for a moment as well, they let her claim seasmoke when they thought Laenor was alive in Essos. She risked her life trying to claim a dragon they understood would kill her. I really do hope that they didn't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

Is she a good mother?

No. She isn't a good mom. It's not a bad thing. She loves her kids because they are hers. She protects them because they are hers. We see a clear contrast with Laena's girls and how she sympathises with them. She, however, doesn't offer them comfort. She sends Jace to do it. Rhaenyra’s kids are an extension of her. She loves them dearly and will not see them questioning who they are. Because she did and hated it. Her kids are legitimate through her. They hatched her dragons egg, and she loves them. It is enough for her, but she has doomed them from the start. They will never be safe, and they are sure to have a sucession crisis amongst themselves. Being loving is important, but she doesn't recognise the responsibility she has to them. Even in episode 7 of seaon 2, we see the same pattern. Ultimately, she comes first. To their detriment, but she loves them. Welcome back, Viserys Targaryen.

Conclusion

I don't think there is a good mom I house of the dragon. And Rhaenyra isn't the place to start to disprove that. Alicent isn't a good mom, Rhaenys isn't a good mom and Laena, even though she is the closest we come to it, isn't a good mom, I'd say she's the best out of the bunch though. Laena is certainly the most normal mom, though. Laena is the best mom. Thank you for coming.