Speculating on Alicent’s remaining storyline to try to make sense of this whole mess
It’s been a common shared opinion within the fandom that Alicent’s writing is not well executed nor convincing.
I’m not trying to be a doomer on purpose with season 3 coming out, but as a former Alicent fan I’ve been wondering what is the overall narrative point she is supposed to serve.
She is the second main character, she needs to have a clear arc and not remain in this constant limbo of reacting to things with a puppy sad face.
Since the second teaser came out, I’ve been thinking about it and some shots and lines made me think of an outline for her.
This post contains fire and blood spoilers and potential leaks that are not always verified, but read at your own risk.
Alicent comes back from her Dragonstone trip and mets Aemond on the throne. He asks her where were you and she lies.
She learns startled that Aegon has fled.
She realizes she has no leverage (Aegon’s head) anymore therefore she says to Aemond he has to flee. He refuses or maybe agrees idk that part is hard to pin point because Aemond will leave for Harrenhal either way. It’s hard to see him agreeing to flee based on how determined in this war he seems to be.
She talks to Heleana but Heleana doesn’t understand cause her whole personality is centered around autism and it is the only thing Heleana is portrayed as.
She tells her some cryptic thing about Alicent’s betrayal. Heleana might not be a fan of her betrayal, if ever she gets word of it in a dream, in any shape or form.
Fearing Rhaenyra since from Rhaenyra’s POV Alicent betrayed her, Alicent tries to leave with Heleana and Jaehaera (what they are gonna do with Jaehaera is confusing) but fails and gets captured by the Gold cloaks who remain loyal to Daemon. We see a Gold cloak holding/standing next to Alicent in the last teaser.
When Rhaenyra takes KL, Alicent is brought up to the throne room with Heleana and that’s the scene where Alicent looks up : Rhaenyra ascends the throne after beheading Iron Rod who was the only one holding the city for the greens.
Side note Otto might also be imprisoned by the Gold cloaks (I don’t like it cause that would mean during season 2 Otto was in KL captured and Larys had no word of it - but I also think the Beesbury theory won’t be happening because we don’t have much episodes to develop that side plot). Otto is killed like in the book and Alicent is sad but resigned.
Alicent then is confined to her chambers as Rhaenyra feels betrayed Alicent deceived her.
Then in episode 3 as a rumored leak might suggest, Rhaenyra is fighting with Mysaria on the topic of Alicent and/or the smallfolk. After a convo with Alicent, she grants her the role of advisor which pisses everyone on team black. This will fuel the growing mistrust Rhaenyra’s council has towards their Queen, as well as Daemon’s and Mysaria’s.
Alicent agrees to it because her world resolves around Rhaenyra now, and she tells her the recoil line when they talk about the difficulties of Rhaenyra’s reign. A leaked photo was released last year accidentally by one of the directors, where we see Alicent and Rhaenyra talking in the Rep Keep. Alicent wears the same outfit than in this scene when she says that line.
We also got individual shots of Rhaenyra and Alicent in the same room in the recent BTS. This could signal another scene of Alicent advising the Queen in her or Rhaenyra’s chambers.
Then at one point Rhaenyra hears about the failed fake Daeron plot. She gets angry, Alicent gets word of it, and while Alicent is conflicted, Rhaenyra uses her to go parlay with her son and Ormund’s army.
Alicent agrees cause she has no choice and the show is committed to Alicent doing anything to stop this war, including going against her own cousin and own son.
That’s why we see her leave with the winter cloak : she is escorted at night by Rhaenyra’s men to go to Tumbleton (everyone in their mother will be at Tumbleton) or perhaps another city in the Reach (Bitterbridge ?).
She leaves Heleana in KL who either is pregnant or has more and more visions that slowly destroys her.
Alicent arrives at Tumbleton or where she was sent to and sees the horrors team green and team black did. That’s why we see her shocked outside, with her winter coat (the buildings behind her do look similar to the set they built for Tumbleton).
I could see the writers fully committed of making her a full blown traitor to her children/family and that’s the reason why she becomes depressed/alone at the end of the war. She has betrayed her children for nothing, Heleana died maybe when she was away, dying alone.
She has no idea where Aegon is and it will be a surprise to her that the son she willingly sacrificed is alive having regaining forces.
It’s in total opposition of fire and blood, what we know of the story, and there’s still a lot that remains confusing.
But at this point Alicent is such a different character and the writers are so committed to Rhaenicent being the only thing that matters in this show that I assume her remaining arc her will be about someone who was a turn cloak for nothing (Rhaenyra’s reign won’t be peaceful as she thought), and that will be her tragedy.
That’s my tin foiled hat theory about Alicent, I would personally not be a fan at all, but I could very well see this trajectory being planned for her.
What do you guys think ?