#alicent is clutching onto rhaenyras hand like this because she views her romantically

[tweedfrog]

OK I've been thinking about the "I have sinned" // "I do not wish to hear of it" convo between Alicent and Otto in particular as it comes right after this shot of Otto holding Alicent's hand with both of his own

Now where else have we seen a shot like this?

Now obviously this could just be a mannerism Alicent has picked up from Otto in the same way Aegon has inherited picking at his nails/fingers in anxiety from Alicent.

BUT coming as it does right before Alicent tries to confess her "sin" to Otto and he shuts her tf down I think another possible way to interpret this scene is that Otto thinks Alicent is trying to confess something she did regarding Rhaenyra which she is now feeling guilty over due to the death of Jaehaerys and that he's trying to tell her he doesn't want to hear about it. Not because he doesn't care about Alicent but because he doesn't care that she's "sinned" as he doesn't view it as a sin.

I think Otto has been shown to not really believe the stuff he professes but rather that he's the type of person to use things like religion and patriarchy as a useful shield. Eg he certainly was willing to exploit Alicent and Rhaenyras "close relationship" in season 1 to try to manipulate Rhaenyra.

In contrast Alicent seems to actually believe in the ideology she espouses and she clearly has a lot of trauma and guilt associated with breaking taboos in the faith of the seven. I very seriously doubt she'd ever publicly intentionally imply that her and Rhaenyra had anything but the average friendship between 2 ladies.

Not only do the relationships on team green suffer from a lack of time and care because they've all got bigger fish to fry. In my opinion they suffer from terminal "I don't know the right way to love you-itis". Because they way team green keeps trying to offer care to one another is the way that they themselves would like NOT the way the other party wants to receive it.

Otto might think he's helping his daughter by telling her he doesn't wish to hear of her sins but he's not because the way Alicent views it he doesn't care enough about her to listen to her get this off her chest.