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crystallinefevers · 3 months ago

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Who Shall Give Me Grace?

She cannot meet her father's gaze.

May the Mother show her mercy, she cannot meet her father's gaze, and some part of her is certain that this, too, is a mere trifling compared to the greater penance she must pay.

In desperation, in grief did her guilt pour from her mouth, but without much meaning. He did not hear her. Perhaps he would not hear her. Is it willful ignorance, she wonders, that stops him from inquiring? Or can he truly be this blind?

He looks at her expectantly, and she finds her hand securing itself round her throat, her fingers attempting to lose themselves in the guise of her necklace, and yet finding themselves scratching like some skittish creature. All she has ever really been, in truth.

With an unsteadied breath, her eyes grow wide, almost mad in their plea. Her voice, little more than a shudder, a whisper of a shame so deep she cannot hope to find the edges of herself in its wake. It is, and always has been, all.

"I have sinned," she gasps, and her words are almost a begging. Forgive me. I cannot forgive myself, I should not forgive myself, but please, if nothing else, if no one else, please forgive me, Father. Answer me. Chastise me. Loathe me, if you wish, but first and last, forgive me.

He gives her a small, pitying smile, his voice the quietest she is sure to have ever heard. With a nod, almost meek in its making, does he answer.

"I do not wish to hear of it."

I do not wish to hear of it.

Is that not the total, aching sum of her meaning to him? That she is dear, there can be no question, but no dearer than his peace, illiterate as he likes. He will not sacrifice a moment of his mind for her. He will not share in her burdens, he refuses even to play at the father, the friend, the fool to soothe, for a mere second, her wounded brow.

Would that he did not hear her. Would that he did not know. Would that she could pretend that her pain, to him, meant anything at all.

Yet grace, if thou repent, thou canst not lacke; But who shall give thee that grace to beginne?

~~~~~~~~~~

This moment between Alicent and Otto hit me like a freight train, and though there are so many moments in this episode playing repeatedly in my mind, this one was the first I had to get down in words.

The final line, in italics, is from the Holy Sonnets of John Donne, a late sixteenth - early seventeenth century poet I desperately adore. I was reading Holy Sonnets - IV the other day, and this line felt so profoundly Alicent, especially seeming to resonate after this episode.

I might explore more a little later (eyeing that end Alicole scene) but for now, I'll most likely re-watch the episode and lose my mind in all the gothic suffering (I love it so much) 😭

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crystallinefevers · 3 months ago

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EWAN MITCHELL TALKING ABOUT AEMOND TARGARYEN IN EPISODE 4 FOR NUEVA MUJER MAGAZINE.

(video of the interview comes out this week)

AEMOND, AT THIS POINT, IS THE MOST INTERESTING AND COMPLEX CHARACTER IN THE ENTIRE SHOW. AT THIS POINT IN YOUR HISTORY, WHAT ARE YOUR INTERESTS?

"I love exploring the dark side of Aemond and delving deeper into his vulnerability."

"At the end of season 1, with his dragon, Vhagar, he knows he's made a mistake and lets his emotions get the best of him."

"It's good to see that feeling again and it breaks down and takes away that one-dimensionality: there's something more underlying beneath the surface that, in part, motivates it."

IT IS CLEAR THAT AFTER WHAT HAPPENED, A CONFRONTATION BETWEEN AEMOND AND DAEMON IS GOING TO HAPPEN. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT?

"Sure, but at what cost? Everyone saw the damage the three dragons did in the battle."

"After that moment, all of Westeros already knows what it is to fight with dragons and what they can do."

"Now, with Aemond and Daemon, if they sat together in a room, any item in it would be a deadly weapon."

HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AEMOND AND AEGON? IT IS VERY CLEAR THAT AEMOND IS INFINITELY SUPERIOR THAN HIS BROTHER AND HE KNOWS IT.

"Yes, I think he has always seen Aegon as someone who is inferior to him."

"He feels like he doesn't have the drive to be a king and the perseverance to be a leader."

"While Aemond was training with the sword and studying with the masters, his brother was probably in some Flea Bed brothel squandering his inheritance."

"So Aemond, although he was the second son, always felt that he should have been treated as the first and always prepared himself for that."

"He also feels that he would probably make a better king than Aegon."

"He hates his brother, but he loves him at the same time, because he is his brother."

"They share a heritage."

"He wants to love him, but Aegon gives her plenty of reasons not to."

BUT DID AEMOND WANT TO KILL AEGON?

"When we are in the battle scene, and when Vhagar attacks Aegon and Rhaenys, the question arises as to whether he intentionally tried to hurt his brother, or if he was in his way or if he was just collateral damage."

"I think it goes back to the previous answer: I think of them as Michael and Fredo Corleone, at the time when the latter betrayed his brother and plotted against him."

"This is because although they hate their enemies, there is a deeper hatred towards someone who should protect and care for you."

"And Aegon never did that. In fact, he led the bullying. Aemond “forgives”, but never forgets."

NOW THAT YOU'VE ALSO RECORDED 'THE LAST KINGDOM', AND, COMPARED TO YOUR CHARACTER, OSFERTH, AEMOND TARGARYEN IS CRUEL AND RITLESS. WHERE DID YOU GET INSPIRED FROM TO INTERPRET IT?

"It's interesting that you mention Osferth, because in many ways he is the antithesis of Aemond, in the sense that they are children of royalty who were marginalized and have been treated unfairly by their brothers."

"Aemond himself, because he has been sidelined, has a lot to prove."

"He is the second son who will inherit nothing and recognizes that whatever he wants in this life he will have to go out and get it himself, by hook or by crook."

"He has tremendous power in Vhagar."

"And, of course, he recognizes that he can do things that no one else in the kingdom can do."

"And that's why he sees it as a call to greatness, to write his name in the history books."

AEMOND IMPOSES FEAR. IT HAS A DANGEROUS AURA. HOW DO YOU TRANSMIT THAT SENSATION TO THE SPECTATOR, THAT SOMETHING TERRIBLE CAN HAPPEN TO SOMEONE LIKE THIS IN A PLACE?

"I think that in the first four episodes, Aemond is still not very much at the center of the conflict."

"You see it with Criston Cole plotting and trying to manipulate the council because they know war is inevitable."

"Now: Shakespeare said the eyes are the windows to the soul, but in Aemond's case, what does it mean to have one and the other a safari? Do you see less of his soul? There is silence."

"A lot of silence on your part and in those moments you say a lot without saying anything."

"I love those moments, because as a viewer, you can project your own interpretation on the character about what is happening through his or her gaze."

BY THE WAY, WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AEMOND AND ALICENT?

"Someone asked me if I thought Aemond had problems with his mother and I don't think so: he just wanted to be loved by her a little more."

"He is an empty child and children need that unconditional love to be balanced beings and develop a vision accordingly."

"And since he never had that, he had to look for solutions in other beings. In Vhagar. At Mrs. Sylvie, from the brothel."

"Children need to be loved unconditionally: if a child is not embraced by the village, they will hug them to feel their warmth and seek validation through other means."

"In Aemond's case, it's war."

"And of course, if he finds out what Cole, his best friend, has been doing with his mother, I don't know how he would take it."

HE'S A PRETTY BROKEN CHARACTER. HOW DID YOU EXPLORE THAT?

"That's one of the most fascinating aspects of playing him."

"Because beyond that image that has been created, he is in a very different physical and psychological place from what we saw last season."

"He has cultivated this facade - almost homage - inspired by Daemon Targaryen."

"Now, there is a movie called 'Fire vs. Fire' starring Robert De Niro where he has a code to protect himself."

"Aemond has something similar."

"That's why it's so easy for him to reject the madame in episode 3, because he knows that in her world there is no place for love, since it is a weakness."

"He has to be seen as this 'Terminator' who scares everyone and is all-powerful."

"So it's interesting to see what's behind all of that, to see this abandoned boy who is still there."

DO YOU THINK THAT AFTER THIS BATTLE HE WILL HAVE SOME KIND OF GUILT LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO LUKE AND ARRAX?

"He knows that there is no turning point this time."

"What happened with Luke and Arrax, he knows was a mistake."

"It wasn't his intention."

"He let his emotions get the best of him and lost control of his dragon."

"Here he is in complete control and knows what the dragons can do."

"In episode 5 you will see all the consequences of this."

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crystallinefevers · 3 months ago

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The entire green family : *experiencing various stages of grief over an innocent toddler's death*

Aemond: "I feel flattered that my uncle Daemon wanted to kill me do you think he would leave Rhaenyra for me?"

#aemond x daemon #daemond #daemon x aemond

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crystallinefevers · 3 months ago

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i love how aemond was giggling and kicking his feet at the idea of daemon thinking about him in bed, he didn't even care that daemon was thinking about killing him peak fanboy behavior 11/10

#daemond

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crystallinefevers · 4 months ago

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