House of the Dragon and the sexist undertones of a story about queens

The much-awaited HBO fantasy House of the Dragon’s (HOTD) second season came with much fanfare and its eight-episode run ended with massive disbelief. But it wasn’t the good kind of disbelief. Those watching the developments and the tension that had been bubbling on the surface since its first episode this June did not expect yet another season to end without a proper war shaking things up. Too many Small Council meetings, too little action!

The audience was promised some action, what with the show campaign labelling this season as Team Green vs Team Black aka full-blown civil war. Unfortunately, we ended up exactly where we were at the end of the first season; readying for war. There was only one thing that intrigued us, apart from the dragons of course.

While the show runs on the able shoulders of two very powerful queens, it is a very sexist world they reside in. Given we are dealing with queens and not kings in this George RR Martin outing, one would expect to see some powerful decisions made by the intelligent heads wearing the crowns. What we get instead is constant persecution of the two women on the basis of their gender.

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Small Council, petty council

Both Queen Rhaenyra and Queen Dowager Alicent find themselves interrupted, questioned and doubted in their respective councils repeatedly. While Alicent proved her mettle for several years by reigning in place of her ailing husband, King Viserys, Rhaenyra too, is not just her father’s chosen heir, she’s also a just ruler and a fantastic dragon rider. And yet, both women are constantly second-guessed by their council members. On most occasions, Rhaenyra is questioned for choosing to wait and not start a mindless war by her Small Council, composed of all male members. And the decisions that she does take, like the Red Sowing, are met with doubt and protest. Infuriatingly, she is also asked if her husband, Prince Daemon, is in agreement with her policies.

Alicent deals with a different hell altogether. After successfully ruling in her husband’s stead as the Queen Regent for many years, Alicent finds herself increasingly ignored by the Team Green Small Council. On more occasionsthan one cares to count, Alicent is not even consulted in the strategies decided on by her council. From usurping the throne before informing Rhaenyra of her father’s passing to some of the battles in this season, Alicent is kept in the dark, even by Ser Criston Cole, her protector and lover. The worst insult comes from her son, the Prince Regent Aemond who relieves her of her Small Council duties altogether and asks her to ‘return to more domestic pursuits.’

Children who second-guess their mothers

Rhaenyra and Alicent have proven to be as womanly as the age and times of Westeros expect of them. They have birthed a steady brood of dashing youth. And yet, these very children second-guess their every move. Though Rhaenyra’s children fare better in this comparison, they are still sullen when not pacified.

Interestingly, Rhaenyra gave her father, King Viserys, plenty to worry about as a teenager. From running around the dark alleys of King’s Landing to flirting dangerously with her uncle, Prince Daemon (we know how that went), Rhaenyra found loyalty and unconditional love from her father in a place where daughters were hardly given their due. When it came to motherhood, however, things became complex for Rhaenyra. Her three sons grew up with people mocking their Targaryen legitimacy (black hair and strong features, anyone?). She held her ground and fiercely protected her cubs and yet, in the second season of the show, Jacaerys, her first born, gave her unsolicited advice more than once.

The idea to invite noble citizens with known Targaryen blood to try to claim the riderless dragons was actually Jace’s. And a great idea it was, until Rhaenyra decided to include the Targaryen bastards as well. With bastards being a touchy topic for Jacaerys, he decidedly spent the rest of his mother’s campaign sulking. He also second guessed his mother’s moves and wanted Daemon to hold fort, thinking his mother as somewhat weak for the position she was rewarded.

In King’s Landing, Alicent fared even more terribly than Rhaenyra. All we saw was blatant disrespect from the white-haired mean boys of the Queen Dowager. In the first season, we found Alicent paying a maid to keep her silence about the assault she faced from her firstborn, now King Aegon (or the usurper depending on which team you support). His rash decisions, like ordering the hanging of all the rat catchers of the palace, or going off to battle it out with Princess Rhaenys and her dragon Meleys, just to blow off his frustration at not being able to do any big damage to Rhaenyra’s forces, were all against Alicent’s wishes. While Aegon suffered a massive setback (spoilers!) for his whims, Alicent’s biggest opposition came from Prince Aemond, her second son and a notoriously ruthless war-mongering Targaryen who has a dark backstory.

Aemond was bullied by his brothers and even lost an eye in a violent fight as a child, a wrong he chose to never forget. As an adult, he builds on his skills and becomes a Valyrian-speaking, sword-wielding expert who also rides Westeros’ oldest and strongest dragon, Vhagar. To Alicent, Aemond is especially difficult as an unpredictable character whose bloodlust is hardly ever avenged. Her judgement is accurate enough - it is indeed Aemond who tosses her out of the Small Council, making her truly introspect on her role in the feuding dynasty for the first time ever.

Wearing burdensome identities

Ironically, while both women are seen lamenting their failure as mothers this season, it comes from a place of guilt men do not wander in even by mistake. When Alicent wonders to her brother, Gwayne Hightower, if it is her or the Red Keep that made her children this way, we wonder too – did the father, King Viserys ever stop to think what kind of sons he was raising by always favouring Rhaenyra, even when one had lost his eye? Or did the long-serving Hand of King Viserys, Ser Otto Hightower, ever sit and ponder his role in creating the mess that his daughter Alicent is. For years and years, she served her father’s interests and later fulfilled her wifely duties by first, marrying a much older man and then, tending to his illness for the better part of her youth. When she finally found some kind of independence and sexual release, she resented herself for it – after all, her conditioning and inner voice had always labelled Rhaenyra immoral for similar choices.

And then there’s Prince Daemon, the uncle-husband of Queen Rhaenyra, who for most part of this season, chose to claim the throne for himself. He went rogue, opted for vile war tactics and even claimed the Riverlands army. It is only when he is shown a super potent vision by the Harrenhal witch, Alys Rivers, did he come to terms with his place in the story.

While we may have to wait a solid two years for these complex but brilliant characters to come alive on our screens again, one thing is for sure, the women of the House of the Dragon have more than men and dragons to fight against.

Disclaimer: The writer's views do not represent those of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.