Alternative Character Interpretation / House of the Dragon

Due to the nature of Fire & Blood as a pseudo-historical recounting of the events of the Dance of the Dragons, it is necessary to note that the text itself becomes a form of Alternative Character Interpretation for the characters portrayed in House of the Dragon. At the same time, due to significant Adaptation Distillation, Adaptation Expansion and Age Lifts, a number of character become saddled with additional questions about their personalities and motivations.

For Game of Thrones, see here.

For Main and Supporting Characters

King Viserys

• Does King Viserys choose Alicent Hightower over Laena Velaryon out of romantic desire and the fact the latter is a child or because he is offended everyone is attempting to force the latter onto him? Does he choose the manner in which he announces it (surprising everyone, including Alicent) because he fears confronting his daughter or because he wishes to intimidate everyone in a display of power that backfires?
• Is Viserys really as selectively oblivious to the obvious fact of Rhaenyra's sons being bastards as he appears, or is he fully aware of the truth and consciously ignoring it so he won't destroy the fragile alliance between his family and House Velaryon or have to bring any consequences against his daughter? Conversely, can he be considered a good father or a good king if he stoops to ripping the tongues from any man who repeats the allegations? He knows it to be the truth, but by levying such brutality against others, he not only enables Rhaenyra's misconduct, but also shows that the laws of succession, justice, and the truth are secondary to his daughter's whims. And even if the Velaryons are offended, are they not entitled to fair treatment by their liege? The feudal contract goes both ways, and Lucerys is held up as the heir to Driftmark. He has no Velaryon blood in him; Rhaenyra is swindling the Velaryons and Viserys is enabling her, yet again.^{From the books...}Passing bastards off as royal heirs like this is explicitly high treason. Rhaenyra herself admits this when she demands to know where Aemond heard the rumor that her children were bastards.
• Furthermore, is Viserys truthfully or willfully ignorant of the true parentage of his grandsons?
• The overall balance of his kingship and his culpability in the things to come. Was he a Reasonable Authority Figure who, despite the unconsolidated succession laws and customs inherited from Jaehaerys, leaves a realm where there is still room for peace between Rhaenrya and Alicent until his misconstrued designation of Aegon II as The Poorly Chosen One and other events out of control undo his legacy, or was he merely a Head-in-the-Sand Management who did nothing of consequence to avoid the Succession Crisis?

Prince Daemon

• What truly motivates Daemon Targaryen—and to what extent are his Fatal Flaws truly defining or merely casting him a Byronic Hero?
  • To what extent does he deserve his reputation as a rogue and would-be tyrant? He's quite the bully towards his enemies, but he also might have a point that his enemies are preying on his family's weak-willed patriarch and perhaps deserve some pushback. His exercise in Police Brutality is also ambiguous. It seems needlessly brutal, but for all we know, it was necessary to protect the honest smallfolk of King's Landing.
  • To what extent is he truly insecure about his position as heir and ambitious for the Throne—and to what extent is his acting out simply a desire for recognition of his capability from his Disappointing Older Sibling? The confrontation where Viserys I banishes him for the "Heir for a Day" incident seems to give weight to the latter—particularly as he much more passionately complains about not being Viserys’s Hand compared to his more dignified and quiet reception to being told he’s being replaced as heir to the throne.
  • His actions for most of "King of the Narrow Sea" are dripping with this. How much of his bringing Rhaenyra out to see Flea Bottom and the pleasure house was the Creepy Uncle AND cynical ploy for him to become her royal consort that the anti-Black historians (and Mushroom) of Fire & Blood recorded? How much, in turn, is it just his Daemon-esque way of educating Rhaenyra about the harsh reality of ruling and governing King's Landing—and it just so happened he really has the hots for his niece (with him just managing to stop himself at the last minute)? How much of this is both—and/or more? The "Inside the Episode" featurette has the showrunners and the episode director (Claire Kilner) and Milly Alcock herself discuss this at length, noting that while Daemon may have both political and prurient objectives with Rhaenyra throughout the sequence, he himself apparently was blindsided by how willing she turned out to be.
  • Did Daemon come to the Vale to kill his wife, Rhea, or did it happen as a Poor Communication Kills? Rhea drew her weapon on Daemon after she suspected he might do her harm but did that startle her horse or did Daemon's threatening moves do so? Did he kill her both for her insults or as a Mercy Kill given she seems to have been paralyzed by the accident? Some combination of both? "Inside House of the Dragon" actually says it was made to be an Ambiguous Situation.
  • Does Daemon have some form of anorgasmia? Every time we see him in a sexual situation, he either doesn't climax, chickens out, or is just an observer at an orgy. His despised wife, Rhea Rhoyce, taunts him that he "can't finish", but they've apparently never had sex nor tried to. He sires several children with his second wife Laena Velaryon and then again with his third wife Rhaenyra, so it may just be psychological.
  • Is little Rhaena's belief that Daemon is ignoring her (due to her not being a Dragon Rider) truly reflective of his Parental Favoritism? Conversely, to what extent might this be just a Surprisingly Realistic Outcome of him wanting to mold his Dragon Rider daughter like him (not to mention the burgeoning Hollywood Mid-Life Crisis that is his life as, essentially, hired muscle in Pentos giving him)? The Deleted Scene of him hugging both Baela and Rhaena in the aftermath of Laena's suicide does at least imply that he is trying to become a more emotionally-available father and thoughtful man (hence his newfound bookishness)?
  • How much of his volatility and lecherousness is rooted in overcompensating for being insecure about his lack of importance relative to his brother and/or about his problem with "finishing".
• Why did Daemon choke Rhaenyra for deferring to Aegon's Dream as a reason to not go to war? Was it out of frustration that Rhaenyra is trying to deal with this situation the way Viserys would? Or, was he angry at the revelation that Viserys never told him the biggest Targaryen secret, in a way confirming that Viserys never really wanted Daemon to succeed him? A bit of both? Rhaenyra's Armor-Piercing Response seems to support the latter.
  Rhaenyra: He never told you. Did he?

Ser Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King

• Is Otto Hightower, Hand of the King, truly someone who wants to reduce the King to a puppet (and become the Dragon-in-Chief) due to his own ambition and anxiety over not inheriting the wealth of House Hightower himself, as is Daemon's accusation? Or is he, much like other dutiful Hands, simply making the best out of the temperaments of both his sovereign (Viserys) and his bellicose brother (Daemon)? The way he goes about his relationship with the Targaryens don't exactly paint a savory picture, considering:
  • He seems to have emotionally pressured Alicent to develop a friendship with the King (ending in him proposing marriage to her);
  • He chooses to confront Daemon over the stolen egg (when he knows he is Daemon's Berserk Button) instead of letting either the King or Rhaenyra (Daemon's Morality Pet) speak to him as family. It's almost as if he's looking for any Pretext for War to divide the Targaryen family asunder, and keep the King to himself.
  • He is never shown to be genuinely supportive of Rhaenyra's position as Crown Princess, treating her with patronizing deference at first (as with the Kingsguard appointments) or outright dismissal when she shows independent thought (as per her opinion on the Stepstones crisis, as well as her defusing of the incident with Daemon).
  • The third episode adds another question: if Otto IS scheming, how much of this is of his own accord and how much is pressure from his older brother?
  • Consider the circumstances of him reporting the rumours regarding Rhaenyra's brothel visit. Was he reporting this just as any dutiful Hand would (and it just so happened that he accumulated so much vested interests that his motives have become suspect)? Was he still really in power-grabbing mode in a move that backfired? At the very least, the fact that we are shown him reflecting and sighing about the news means he is at least aware that doing so was a massive risk, something that landed badly for him.
  • Finally: Viserys gives weight to his firing Otto by alleging that he may have in fact been scheming to be Hand even before Viserys's own father, Prince Baelon (the previous Hand to Jaehaerys I) died suddenly. Is this just a Contrived Coincidence now given weight by Otto's unprecedented growth in stature, or is there possibly truth in it and Otto just got caught now?

Queen Consort Alicent Hightower

• Questions can be raised of Alicent Hightower's character from the beginning:
  • Is she an innocent and virtuous friend and confidant of Princess Rhaenyra—whose beauty and kind heart are dangled in front of a broken-hearted and lonely King by her grasping father (in a cynical ground laying play for when Viserys needs to consider remarriage)? Or is she herself an ambitious social climber who prioritises her station? The fact she was distraught enough about the ensuing double life to self-mutilate and that she tried to ensure reconciliation between her best friend and Viserys leans to the former.
  • Adding to the above, when the King brings up his expected match with Laena Velaryon, Alicent has nothing but praise to say about the lady and their union. Is she using Reverse Psychology to fuel Viserys' barely disguised resolve to not marry Laena, or is she genuinely hoping for the King to marry someone else, thus saving her from an unhappy marriage to a man she doesn't want?
  • Is Alicent angry and upset about the rumor Daemon slept with Rhaenyra because she's worried it might destroy Rhaenyra's reputation and position, or does she harbor a secret crush on Rhaenyra, and is jealous of Daemon possibly getting to her first? Is the reverse true and is she jealous of Rhaenyra having a physically attractive consort in her uncle, Prince Daemon, and other men fighting over as she alludes to?
  • Is Alicent's turn against Rhaenyra for lying to her about Daemon out of anger, heartbreak, disappointment, or all of the above? Rhaenyra's actions led to Alicent's father being removed as Hand of the King, and by lying to Alicent she made her an accomplice in this. At the same time, there's the possibility that Criston's confession made Alicent realize that Rhaenyra would not be a good ruler, as she was willing to put a man's life in jeopardy for simple pleasure, completely disregarding the consequences of her actions.
  • A common theme in Alicent's story is how much she hates being lied to, and Rhaenyra lies to her constantly from the fourth episode onward to the point of irrevocably destroying their lifelong friendship. Her crabbed and antagonistic personality shown in Episode 6 comes after a decade of watching Rhaenyra birth three children who are each clearly the bastard children of Ser Harwin Strong and having to hold her tongue because everyone at court, including her husband the king, is committed toward a polite fiction and prefers to gaslight her instead. Viserys even makes an unsubtle threat to charge Alicent with treason if she continue bringing up the subject, which is an especially dark irony where she is the only one committed to telling the king the truth, at least about this matter.
  • Further, is her stated desire to have more people at court "partial to [her]" a desire for unquestioning yes men, or has she become worn down by a decade of being ignored, threatened, and gaslit for speaking the truth, and views the rest of the court as Rhaenyra's lickspittles and dupes?
  • Was she really comforting the servant girl Dyana out of sympathy, or was she just doing it to keep Aegon's status as a rapist quieter? For that matter, some have even speculated that the drink Alicent gives Dyana was not moon tea to prevent a possible pregnancy, but poison to cover up the rape.
  • How much of Viserys' dying words did Alicent understand? Did she recognise that he was delirious and thus not speaking to her? That the words are not something that have meaning to her? Thus, has she simply cherry-picked the words she wanted to hear, and coupled with her Mama Bear instincts and previous issues, jumped at the chance to have a legitimate reason to name her son the king? After all, Viserys dragged himself from his deathbed just to establish the Velaryon succession, thus sticking up for Rhaenyra's own position again, re-establishing his wishes. Or, did she really believe Viserys knew it was her as he did mistake Rhaenyra for her and Alicent has always been nursing him? Thus, did she honestly think Viserys was changing his mind at the last minute and this is the best thing for the realm? Especially because Viserys once spoke of his son being on the throne (back in episode 3).

Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen

• Taking into account the fall-out of her willfulness and actions in "King of the Narrow Sea", to what extent can we truly view Rhaenyra as an uncontestably better choice to the throne than either Daemon or her younger half-brother Aegon?
  • Is Rhaenyra truly just a pro-active woman Born in the Wrong Century (especially considering she can be read as representing the baseline modern feminine mindset today—both in leadership, social bearing and sexual mores)?
  • Or, as shown in Episodes 3 and 4, how much of this is a burgeoning Bitch in Sheep's Clothing that is only coming out the older she gets and the more power she accrues? The fact that her behaviors were seen in previous Princesses (be it Jaehaerys I's Alpha Bitch daughters or Rhaenyra's own grandmother Alyssa^note who at least had the mitigating factor of Single-Target Sexuality for her brother Prince Baelon) does provide material for her detractors.
  • How much of the smallfolk's dismissal of "the Realm's Delight" as a potential queen comes from the socially-embedded prejudice of the Heir Club for Men, and how much is also rooting from her perceived haughtiness whenever she's seen in public settings (which both a) her high-handedness during the proposal interviews and b) the brothel incident certainly did not help)?^{From the books...}At the very least, her No Historical Figures Were Harmed basis, Empress Matilda, also suffered from these problems, which ruined her chances in controlling London—the same way it is looming for Rhaenyra in King's Landing.
  • Adding to the above point, does Rhaenyra really care at all for the people she will rule one day? Or, is she more interested in the power that comes with being Queen? Especially after the fallout between her and Alicent, she tends to treat the people beneath her like objects (the lute player for example), and openly states her disregard for the smallfolk and what they want. How much are her "willful and irresponsible" behaviors a sign of her being a Royal Brat, and how much is reasonably coming out of her stressful position and pre-marriage politics?
  • Did Rhaenyra take the moontea that Mellos brought her? Or, did she only pretend to? Her first son, Jacaerys, looks close to ten years old, which would support the latter.

Green Princes (Hightower-Targaryens)

• The introduction of the next generation of princes also raises questions regarding both their character and that of their mothers.
  • Is Aegon II's general state as a Hormone-Addled Teenager and Big Brother Bully all on his own, or is it to some extent his way of asserting himself over the domineering and imposition of Queen Alicent? To what extent is this comparable to the future relationship of Queen Regent Cersei and King Joffrey?
    • Does Aegon understand more than he lets on about the political situation and how badly his half-sister seems to want the throne? Does he even want it for himself? If not, is his behavior a deliberate effort to make himself as unappealing an option as heir as he possibly can so that the realm will prefer Rhaenyra's claim? As a bonus, derailing Alicent's scheming would be a great way for Aegon to stick it to his abusive mom.
  • Is Aemond's being bullied unwarranted (especially considering how slow and gullible he seems to carry himself)? Or is there merit in Aegon's description of him as a twat? The source material describes him as "twice as fierce" as Aegon, with a mutual dislike for his nephews, but never mentions him acting against them until Joffrey attempts to interfere with him claiming Vhagar.
    • In episode 7 we see him claim to Aegon he would marry Helaena if ordered to strengthen their house, but Aegon is dismissive as he and Helaena have naught in common. Thus showing that the brothers do not really get along even without the Velaryon boys around and implying why Aegon may think him a twat.
    • This leads into the question of how much of Aemond's personality is justifiable defensiveness to the way he's treated, a Freudian Excuse, or him being an Asshole Victim. Did he cross boundaries by sneaking out to claim Vhagar at her previous rider's funeral, or did he show the bravery and initiative that the twins themselves didn't? Were his insults at Baela and Rhaena pure nastiness to the cousins he had no reason to be mean to, or him clapping back on two spoiled, envious girls who cornered him four-on-one and unjustly accused him of "stealing" a dragon that willingly accepted him as her rider? Did the sight of the two nephews who helped Aegon tease him incense him more than normal? When the brawl starts, it's four on one at one point, so he rightly defends himself and (thanks to being bigger) overcomes them all. Was Aemond committing a Crime of Self-Defense by calling them bastards and picking up a rock instead of running to safety? Twice he threatens to kill them if they keep attacking him, and twice he has a chance to deliver a killing blow with the rock (to Lucerys and then to Jace) but hesitates—was it just for Evil Gloating before the kill (which the knife attacks interrupted), or just him warning them off of attacking him again? Similarly, did Jace and then Luke only take out the dagger because they thought their brother was going to die, or did they try to maim or murder Aemond just because he told them the truth about their parentage?
  • Is Helaena suffering from Mentally Unwell, Special Senses (as has been established in the backstory of some of the pre-Conquest Targaryens), or is her state also a result of Alicent's neglect of her over her obsession with rearing Aegon?
• Was Aemond's horrified reaction to the death of Lucerys and Arrax out of geniune remorse, or was he more upset at the realization that this now destroyed any chance of peace between the Blacks and the Greens? And then there's the entire matter of wanting to cut out Lucerys's eye: Aemond claims he wanted to make a gift of it to his mother, but considering that Alicent was still trying to negotiate a peace during this time, it's seriously questionable whether or not she would have been happy about Aemond maiming one of Rhaeneyra's sons, especially if she thought Rhaenyra would be angry enough to seek retribution. Was Aemond so overcome with a desire for vengeance for losing his own eye that he wasn't thinking about the consequences of attacking Lucerys? Or did he only intend to scare Lucerys during that period of time but wasn't planning on hurting him (as least not yet)?

Members of House Strong

• We can also ask questions of Lord Lyonel and Larys Strong—especially considering their relationship ended with Larys killing his father and brother Harwin in the Harrenhal fire.
  • How genuinely selfless, dutiful and honorable was Lord Lyonel throughout his life—and how consistent was it from his career as Master of Laws to being hand? After all, we only ever see him portrayed in his best moments on-screen—and Viserys does tend to assume the best of his Small Council and Hands (the very reason why Otto and Mellos stayed for so long). Was his inability to confess Harwin's transgression in front of the King and Queen driven by (as Larys described) Love Is a Weakness for his son? Or, considering he is no fool, was he trying to salvage the dishonor of his house and their property holdings by projecting his best honorable foot? Where in this is his true Moment of Weakness?
  • Beyond looking like a cookie-cutter Evil Cripple (practically an Expy of Richard III), is Larys Strong The Sociopath who was waiting to off his father and brother for lordship of Harrenhal (and just used Alicent's Rhetorical Request Blunder as his excuse)? Might he be someone with a Freudian Excuse against his brother and father, and then just used this opportunity to do it with a clean/justified conscience? Is he possibly a Knight Templar who, despite having a relatively-normal relationship with his father and brother, saw what he did as necessary and just (and just so happened to align with his and Alicent's interests)? Notably, even the in-universe authors of Fire & Blood have no bloody idea what his genuine motivations are.
    • For that matter, is his very nihilistic monologue about children coming from a) just his personality; b) his reasonable observation of the very messed-up dynastic politics Westerosi society is embroiled in—as exemplified by the drama of the Targaryens; c) something that is coming from his experience of both Lord Lyonel and Harwin; or d) some combination of all three?
    • With the scene in episode 9 showing that Alicent buys information from Larys by letting him look at her feet, it's even more unclear exactly what motivates his actions. Was everything he did just an elaborate way to get to indulge in his fetish? Or, is his "relationship" with Alicent just an added perk on top of his rising power? If it's the former, this begs the question why Larys didn't just hire prostitutes, since there's certainly weirder things they've been paid to do ^Note Foot fetishism has been around since before Antiquity (read Homer), and it wasn't at all uncommon from the Late Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution. There has also been historical analysis that shows foot fetish practices rose in popularity during times when STD's like syphilis were rampant, and let's face it, Fleabottom is probably no different. There is also historical artwork showing prostitutes engaging in foot fetish acts. Or, is it more because he's specifically attracted to Alicent, and by extension, her feet?

Members of House Velaryon

• Beyond his obsession over legacy ("history remembers names" and all), why is Corlys Velaryon very cool with the inheritance of the Strong boys over Baela, Rhaena and Vaemond?
  • Is it just purely about trying to paper over the paternity issue that will cause embarrassment to his house? Is this this way of protecting Laenor—the way Viserys is doing for Rhaenyra—and Corlys's better reputation makes him less vulnerable to criticism?
  • Is it also possibly a matter of competence and character? Baela and Rhaena (until they came under Rhaenys's tutelage) were raised outside Westeros and away from politics. Vaemond (as shown throughout his appearances) has a tendency to sow discord due to his character and entitlement—the very thing that got him killed. Jacaerys and Lucerys, despite their relative immaturity, do carry themselves as responsible princes (at least far more than Aegon II). Is it the more benevolent version of Tywin's tutelage of Tommen over Joffrey?
  • On a softer note, is Corlys just the kind of person who is not inclined to cause harm on children—even at expense to his own self-importance and legacy obsession (which massively makes him the better man compared to Tywin)?
    Corlys: You would have me cast an even darker shadow over those little boys than already exists?
• Are Jacaerys and Lucerys Velaryon straightforward Nice Guys who just so happened to be roped along in Aegon's pranks against his brother, or bullies who make unprovoked jabs on the quiet Aemond out of family rivalry and petty spite? For that matter, to what extent does the allegation of their bastardy inform their actions and characters? Jacaerys at least gives off the impression that he is only willing to acknowledge it during "The Princess and the Queen"—but is it possible that he already has an inkling of it and has been playing nice with Aegon to be on the Hightower-Targaryens' good side?
• While it's more or less confirmed that Rhaenyra's children were fathered by Harwin Strong, Jacaerys is between 9 and 10 years old, roughly the same amount of time that has gone by since Rhaenyra's wedding. The only person she had sex with around that time wasn't Ser Harwin, as far as we know, it was Ser Criston. With this in mind, it's possible that Jacaerys is actually Criston Cole's bastard, which brings an extra layer of darkness to the scene where Ser Criston encourages Aegon to bully him.
• Can Laena Velaryon's suicide by dragonfire be not only about not wanting to suffer the Traumatic C-Section left to her, but a self-perception that Daemon's borderline Jaded Washout indulgences in Pentos was because of her? Before her fatal childbirth, she has been pushing Daemon to return to Westeros (or at least Driftmark) after the ten-year Time Skip. Yet, Daemon seems uncharacteristically avoidant of Westeros and the royal court when he was as grasping and ambitious even years after the War for the Stepstones. Considering Laena seems to believe she will never be Daemon's One True Love (and after all, Daemon's ambition for the throne and desire for Rhaenyra has always been a messy overlap), was this basically Spurned into Suicide as well?
• Was everyone in on the plan of Laenor faking his own death? Or did Rhaenyra and Daemon actually intend to kill him, Qarl agreed to it, and then hatched the escape plan with Laenor behind their backs?
  • The case for it as Qarl's idea: If Rhaenyra really meant to kill Laenor, adjusting to the idea and feeling guilty about it is an in-universe reason to talk it in a Cryptic Conversation way. If the plan is only to fake his death, what's the reason for the evasiveness then? If Rhaenyra really only meant that people had to think Laenor was dead then why not say that, rather than agreeing to his death and then taking a Dramatic Pause to act troubled but resolved about it? Next, with Daemon and Qarl, when you're hiring an assassin/death-faker, that's a good time to be extremely clear with them about what exactly the assignment is. Daemon says what he wants "A quick death, and witnesses," passes Qarl the gold, then turns to leave. That could be the moment for Qarl to pull Daemon back and say, "Hey, could I interest you in a faked death instead?" They could then hatch the plan together and Daemon could play a part in it by killing the stand-in.
  • The case for it as Rhaenyra and Daemon's idea: Most of what was said was a Double Entendre or Exact Words (e.g. a quick death and one witness was all that was needed). It's easy to think that Daemon and Rhaenyra's conversation was actually longer than the excerpts we saw. Daemon kills a random dark-skinned guard right at the beginning of the sequence, and we later see that as the body that's been thrown in the fire and disfigured to be unrecognizable in Laenor's clothes. So it makes sense that Daemon killing that man to take Laenor's place was a part of the plot. The killing of a commoner in service of their political plot is also a better fit for Rhaenyra's mention of "tyranny". There's also mentions by both Rhaenyra and Daemon of the sea as "an escape" and they talk about granting Laenor his freedom, i.e to escape to the sea. The following lines also suggest they want their enemies to think they're worse than they actually are:

    Daemon: We will know the truth of it and our enemies won't.

    Rhaenyra: They will fear what else we might be capable of.

  • Did Laenor go along with the plan willingly, or did he have to be pressured/threatened into it? His conversation with Rhaenyra shortly beforehand could go either way. He commits himself to supporting Rhaenyra and being a father to his children, which might suggest that he wouldn't be enthusiastic about abandoning them. But given his stated shame over failing Rhaenyra, he could be more willing than ever to do whatever is necessary to help their family survive the coming conflict, even if it meant faking his death. He looks angry in the final scene, but that could arguably be the grimace of a man straining against the tides as he rows out to sea.
• Is Vaemond's obsession with disinheriting Lucerys really the righteous promotion of the true Velaryon bloodline, as he claims? Or does he just want Driftmark for himself? It's worth noting that under Westerosi law, even if it were proven that Laenor's children were bastards, Laena's children would still rightfully inherit Driftmark before Vaemond, but Vaemond promotes his own claim before theirs and still refuses to accept Lucerys as heir when Rhaenys announces that he and Jacaerys are to marry Baela and Rhaena, which would still carry on the Velaryon bloodline. Alternatively, is Vaemond a sexist who believes male heirs should always take precedence, and would be happy to allow Baela to inherit Driftmark if she were a boy? The fact that he accuses Viserys of breaking the law by naming Rhaenyra his heir and publicly calls Rhaenyra a whore gives the impression that he doesn't have great respect for women or their inheritance rights.

Ser Criston Cole, Knight of the Kingsguard

• Is Ser Criston Cole infatuated with Princess Rhaenyra or is he only interested in her for her political patronage? When he and she have an intimate moment in "King of the Narrow Seas", he is noticeably hesitant at the start (even if he arguably began to play around when his armor came off). "We Light the Way" suggests his romantic view of Rhaenyra grew over time and was further reinforced by Their First Time, but was ultimately rendered bitter by Rhaenyra denying his offer of Elopement.
  • Is that hesitation because he wants to be with her but is aware of the consequences if they're caught or is he not interested but aware he has no allies at court but her and can't risk alienating her by refusing? Is this essentially a Perspective Flip of workplace harassment?
    • If he only slept with Rhaenyra because he was afraid of the consequences if he didn't, did he genuinely come to love her by the time he asked Rhaenyra to break off her wedding and elope with him to the Free Cites? Or was he only motivated by his desire to restore the honor he lost when he broke his vow of chastity, and nothing more?
  • For what it's worth, the official podcast interview with Fabien Frankel claims that as it was shot, it was at least done with the intent of making it seem like two characters who might actually be into each other.
  • Was Criston's violently beating Ser Joffrey Lonmouth to death motivated by rampant jealousy over Rhaenyra's wedding, or at least partially caused by homphobia, and the suggestion that he and Joffrey were essentially on the same level as the royal couple's secret paramours set him off? After all, in Real Life homophobia is a considerably more common cause of male violence than romantic fervor, and he grew up in a world with very antiquated views on love. He's also shown, in spite of his oathbreaking, to be reverent of what the white cloak represents. He could, after all, have simply lied to Alicent and kept his own culpability hidden. For Ser Joffrey to make small talk about how he could settle into a role as Rhaenyra's kept man must have been deeply insulting.
  • Alternately, did Criston misunderstand Joffrey's legitimate friendliness as him threatening Criston with blackmail, especially when it's couched in language about guarding secrets?
  • If one believes that Criston only slept with Rhaenyra because he felt pressured to do so, then Joffrey's comments could be interpreted (whether intentionally or not) as taunting a rape victim. Was Criston lashing out at someone who he felt was mocking his trauma?
• Is Criston a tragic heartbroken figure who was used and tossed aside by a woman who didn't love him as much as he did her or a sad, pathetic man with a madonna-whore complex who develops a vendetta against an ex who never made him any promises, and her children, because he can't take rejection?
• Having a job that forces you to see your ex every day for a decade. Cool and Unusual Punishment?

Unsorted

• Is Archmaester Mellos secretly helping Otto Hightower seize more power (much like, centuries later, Grand Maester Pycelle would do on behalf of Tywin Lannister)?
  • Him telling Viserys to have a C-section performed on Aemma directly leads to both her death and the baby's, which gives Otto the opportunity to have his daughter court Viserys. It is possible that Aemma may have just been going through a difficult labour, and that Mellos purposely made the situation sound worse than it was.
  • Besides that, Mellos also agrees with everything Otto says during the Small Council meetings, showing a pretty obvious bias.
  • Is his unsuccessful treatments on Viserys a case of negligence or intentional sabotage? Whenever Orwyle suggests alternative medicine, Mellos usually dismisses it for his more traditional leechings and maggot-feedings even though it's obvious they're not working. It could just as easily be Mellos being stubborn and Viserys downplaying the severity of the illness, but it could also be an attempt to kill Viserys faster to help the Hightowers acquire more status.
  • Did he really bring Rhaenyra moontea on the orders of Viserys, or was this one last scheme planned by Otto and Mellos? In his last scenes with Rhaenyra and Otto, Viserys shows little indication that he actually believes the rumor about his daughter, especially since he fired Otto for telling him it. Based on this, it's possible that Otto told Mellos to bring Rhaenyra the moontea to further distance her from Viserys, or prevent her from having an heir to strengthen her claim to the throne. Though it's entirely possible Viserys had some doubts he didn't want to acknowledge and allowed himself to take a precaution that had minimal downside. It's also debatable if Otto wouldn't have benefited more from Rhaenyra finding herself with child as it would have proven he was speaking truth (in a sense) and stuck Viserys with his yet-unwed heir pregnant.
• Are Rhaenyra and Alicent being sincere in the toasts they make to each other during the family dinner as a genuine effort toward reconciling their longstanding feud or are they just putting on an act of being nice to each other for Viserys' benefit given his failing health and desire to see his family at peace before his impending death? Their sons certainly fall into the latter considering how they immediately drop the facade of being civil to each other as soon as Viserys leaves the room and the situation quickly escalates into an all-out brawl.

For background/historical characters

• Has the Crabfeeder always been an Ax-Crazy psychopath, or has his mind been damaged by his long affliction with greyscale, a disease known for eventually turning its victims into Technically Living Zombies?
• The revelation that Aegon the Conqueror had a premonition of the White Walker invasion and conquered Westeros partly to unite the Seven Kingdoms against this threat casts all Targaryen rulers, good and bad, who were aware of this secret, in a new light. How many of them were ruthless tyrants and how many were simply doing what they felt was necessary to keep the Seven Kingdoms as one for the greater good?^{From the books...}Of particular interest here would be the three main royal actors before Jaehaerys I: King Aenys I (Aegon the Conqueror's son and chosen heir), Dowager Queen Visenya (Aegon's surviving wife, who put her son after Aenys I died), and King Maegor I (Aenys's I half-brother and Visenya's son, who became notorious for his tyranny). How much is Aenys I's attempt at people pleasing (not unlike Viserys I), as well as Visenya and Maegor's draconian (pun intended) rule were, in their view, competing interpretations of Aegon the Conqueror's will?