To whatever credit can be granted Aegon, he understands at least how ill-suited he is to this ascent. He recognizes the crown is a death sentence, or at least a prison. He saw how the weight of it decimated his father, who also never wanted to be king. In fact, the only thing old Viserys was clear about was that he wanted Rhaenyra to succeed him. All that power made his father an unhappy man, and perhaps played a role in the disease that took his life so early (keep in mind Viserys is only five years older than Prince Daemon!).

But Alicent hears none of these valid points as they’re rushing their carriage to the Dragonpit, determined to finalize the treason before word of the king’s death can spread past the city walls. Alicent has her own reasons, too, for hasteness. Much of “The Green Council” was about a proxy rivalry between the queen and her father, with two Kingsguard deployed by Ser Otto to find Aegon before Prince Aemond and the queen’s own favored White Cloak, Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) could.

The assumption was that whoever spoke to a weak-willed sinner like Aegon first could persuade him to their preferred method of dealing with Rhaenyra, with the Hand favoring cold-blooded murder and the queen hoping Rhaenyra will accept terms of wealthy exile (yeah, right). Through it all, Aegon is just a pawn between them.

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Aegon’s pitiful grotesqueries are of his own making, with his lascivious nature being one of choice. However, you cannot help but wonder how differently the lad might’ve turned out if instead of being bred and raised as a weapon against Alicent and Otto’s worst enemy, he was treated as a beloved son who needed to be educated about how to wield his privilege—and treat women.

But much like their mother before them, Aegon and Aemond did not have normal or loving childhoods. Aegon likely received daily whispers to fear his sister and nephews, for “they scheme to kill you” he was told, and how he must be king; Aemond, meanwhile, heard much the same but was never promised a crown. And after the loss of an eye, the flicker of hate Alicent tended in him became a roaring fire.

Now as young men, one is a self-loathing lush and the other is a cold-blooded weapon whom the Greens only need an excuse to unsheathe. And on the day of Aegon’s slapdash coronation, his mother failed to look her eldest son in the eye and say “yes” when he asks if she loves him.