The way I was so hype for this Valyrian house full of absolute badasses to be black only to be staring at the screen in utter disbelief when Laena was used as a stepping stool to birth Daemon’s kids and was LITERALLY scrapped. Corlys was the stereotypical homophobic father that neglects his daughter/granddaughters, who was ready to uproot his house for some random white boy, and Baela the Bold and Rhaena the Last Dragonrider are reduced to EXTRAS.
It’s nothing short of sinister. After being burned by the adultification of Missandei, the erasure of Chataya’s, hell even Xaro Xhoan Daxos was brutally murdered for shits and giggles, I was not going to watch House of the Dragon.
But they lured us in saying it would be different this time. We were Lords of the Tide, not slaves and throwaways. The writers supposedly cared about the original source material this time, GRRM was allegedly closely involved with the writing, this was supposed to be The Chosen Adaptation.
I knew I probably wasn’t going to get my LaeDaeNyra threesome, but we deserved to at least see little Laena claim Vhagar before she was charred while 6 centimeters dilated. And for the man who killed her betrothed in the most metal fairytale way ever to whisk her off into the sunset to be thinking about his niece while with her??? And fucking said niece while her coffin is still sinking?? And a Hightower claimed her dragon while her girls got bloody noses??? Corlys didn’t immediately throw hands bout his grandbabies either?? And one of said daughters had her inheritance denied??? All of this on the same day??? THE DAY THEY BURIED HER??
That Sunday evening when the episode was titled “The Heir to Driftmark” I was SURE it was going to be a Baela episode, doing actual character work and establishing that this whole story is about a FAMILY, and they slaughtered any and all depth when they sped through the years.
But no, despite being the clear heir, they got Baela giggling and kicking her feet about being Jace’s appendage. And Rhaena, as if my baby hasn’t been through enough, is only set up to have Driftmark as a consort to this RIVERLANDS ASS BOY.
If Episode 6 was a “sike, lol” 7 and 8 were a stab in the gut with a rusty boxcutter while they ran off with our collective wallet.
AND THE WORST PART IS THAT THEY GAVE BETHANY A SCENE WITH A MONOLOGUE. THEY LET MATT HUG HIS GIRLS. WE COULD’VE HAD A CRUMB OF SUBSTANCE BUT IT WAS LEFT ON THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR IN FAVOR OF LARYS’ FOOT FETISH.
SOMEONE in there gave an actual shit and they were silenced.
Whether it’s mal intent or myopia, HOTD is racist, and I’d rather they had just kept them white at this point as well. I had actual tears in my eyes during episode 1, and I’m only going to Season 2 because I can’t tear myself away from trainwrecks. I really hope they’re happy 😑.
I really don't understand the writer's reasoning for race swapping the Velaryon's, when every Velaryon is mistreated or cast aside by the all white Targaryen's. Literally everyone of them.
• Corlys - Is apparently so selfish he's willing to disregard all of his blood related family to put a white boy that is no relation to him on his ancestral seat just because he carries he's last name? Even though there's plenty of other actual Velaryon's that carry the Velaryon name.
• Vaemond - Gets murdered for telling the truth, and not wanting Driftmark to go to someone who isn't a true Velaryon. I think they only added him calling Rhaenyra a whore after calling her son's bastards to try and make his death justifiable, as if calling someone a bad name = off with his head.
• Laena - Is married to Daemon but knows that she isn't his first choice, and if he had his way he'd be with his (white) niece. Is stuck by his side in Pentos even though he knows she wants to return home. Supposedly dies a *badass* dragon rider death, but I just saw a pregnant black woman dying in agony. Like that doesn't already happen in real life when black women are four times more likely to die in childbirth.
• Laenor - The cuckold of all cuckolds. In almost every scene of adult Laenor he's completely miserable. And apparently he too is willing to disregard all his trueborn family to put a white boy that isn't his on the Driftmark throne. And I don't find Rhaenyra to be some great LGBTQ ally by "letting" Laenor run away and permanently leave his home and family behind so he can be with his partner and she can remarry.
• Baela and Rhaena - Have actual Velaryon blood through their mother, get passed over so another white boy can get something he has no entitlement too. Baela would have had a slim chance of ending up queen because even if Rhaenyra became queen, the lords of Westeros would have been very unlikely to accept an illegitimate son as her heir. Rhaena could become lady of Driftmark but only as a consort through Luke, meaning if he died her claim to Driftmark would die with him.
I'm all for diversity and representation, but was the family who consistently gets walked all over the best choice to make POC?
I think they were aiming for liberal and inclusive, but that doesn't really work when your white characters use and exploit the black characters you've purposely made black.
667 notes
·
View notes