Alicent loves her children the most please stop

I know this discourse is old and tired but I just scrolled past a very bad take and I can’t help myself. 

Alicent Hightower does not hate her children! She does not love her children less than Rhaenyra! It is not “misogynistic” (I need people to stop using this word, for the love of god) to recognize that Alicent loves her children!!

Alicent wasn’t upset with Rhaenyra because of what she did with Daemon at a brothel. She was upset because: 

Rhaenyra betrayed her trust and played her. 

Rhaenyra lied over her mother’s grave. We know Alicent misses her mother. Her tie to religion isn’t to “repent” (for you know, being manipulated into attacking the woman who blamed her 10 year old son after he was mutilated, who called for him to be tortured, who stood there and goaded Viserys into yelling at Aegon, to snap at Alicent, to publicly humiliate and threaten them? Sure, okay, writers 😒.) She prays at the Sept because she feels closer to her mother there, because she’s from Oldtown, home to the Citadel. Because she needs a higher power to lean on and gain strength from. Because she’s a lady, product of her society and no, religion isn’t always a chain for women.

We’ve seen Alicent defend Rhaenyra’s claim - in front of the ladies during the hunt, in front of Viserys when he doubted her, and to Otto. Only for Rhaenyra to throw caution to the wind and put her reputation as a princess and heir in question. Alicent now looks stupid, especially if you consider that Alicent had confessed to Rhaenyra that she feels lonely before she lied to her. 

If Rhaenyra can lie over her mother’s grave, lie to her face repeatedly, disregard her feelings, her loneliness, what else is she capable of? 

That’s why Alicent “turns” on Rhaenyra. No shade to the shippers, but sometimes y’all go to far. Not that it’s entirely on the audience, the writers and yes, even the actors feed into this. What’s actually “misogynistic” is how the narrative punishes the child bride for her own abuse.

Alicent isn’t just a character made up of her relationships. She can have a rich interior that doesn’t revolve around Rhaenyra.