Long story short, I've seen the clip from the end of the latest House of the Dragon episode where Rhaenys, a member of the royal House Targaryen, bursts out of prison with her dragon and kills hundreds of civilians with said dragon's tail-whip and damage to the building they're in. She has the court of rival Targaryens who have just usurped the throne dead to rights, but doesn't have her dragon roast them on the spot even though doing so would have prevented a civil war. Despite getting things completely ass-backward (murdering scores of peasants who have done nothing and would have contributed nothing to the story is fine, wiping out the enemy leadership apparently isn't) Sarah Hess, one of the writers for the episode, says this is supposed to be a girlboss moment for her.

Also the show has gone out of its way to turn its female leads into saints, even if doing so takes away their agency & everything that makes them interesting, while demonizing the men. Which is to be expected given how heavily the marketing got into the anti-patriarchy, grrrl power angle but that doesn't make it any less hilariously bad. If you care about spoilers, best stop reading here.

Alicent Hightower, the Queen in Green:

• Book version: Ambitious, scheming and ruthless matriarch from the second most powerful house in the Reach (itself the second largest and the most heavily populated of the Seven Kingdoms) who has plotted for years to put her son Aegon on the Iron Throne. Her motivation actually makes sense though: he's her son, and by all the laws and traditions of Westeros, he should have succeeded his father - the only reason he doesn't is because said father, Viserys, insists on making his firstborn daughter (Alicent's stepdaughter) his heir in contravention to all said laws. Knows damn well people are going to have to die to make this happen and is fine with it.

• Show version: Hapless puppet of her dad, the Hand of the King (prime minister) Otto Hightower. Doesn't actively plot to enthrone her son Aegon and is surprised that Otto would move to make him king, after she literally tells him that King Viserys told her he wanted Aegon to inherit on his deathbed (she misheard and he was deliriously referring to a prophecy he had previously told his daughter Rhaenyra). Gives footjobs to a shady dude, Larys Strong, for barely relevant information even though she's the Queen and could've just bossed him around. Terrified of bloodshed and doesn't seem to know that launching a coup immediately after the king's death might require her faction to kill their enemies' sympathizers at court or lead to a broader civil war.

Rhaenyra, the Princess in Black:

• Book version: Heiress to the Iron Throne as her father Viserys' eldest daughter and only surviving issue of his first wife. Spoiled, selfish brat who revels in her status (which combined with her daddy's permissiveness means she can do whatever and whoever she wants) and ruthlessly protects it against all threats. After cucking her gay husband and spawning three obvious bastard sons who she tries to pretend are legitimate, she has her uncle-in-law executed and fed to her dragon for pointing out that they're bastards and wanting his family's traditional lordship to not pass on to said bastards. Knows damn well people might try to snatch away her crown and is fine with killing them in a war for it. Also, she hit the wall hard and resents her stepmom Alicent for still being slender & beautiful after four pregnancies while she herself has gotten fat and complacent.

• Show version: Still a spoiled, selfish brat who revels in the privilege of being Crown Princess and passing her obvious bastards off as legitimate heirs but she's supposed to be the good guy now. Her uncle-husband Daemon murders the troublesome uncle-in-law without any prompting for her and she doesn't feed his remains to her dragon, but instead seems shocked at it and generally seems scared of the prospect of violence to defend her claim. Thinks of the Iron Throne as a responsibility forced upon her by her dad rather than something she thinks would be fun to rule from with absolute power and zero accountability. Also, as Hess says, she isn't fat and resentful of Alicent (who puts more work into her appearance) on the show.

Aegon Targaryen, the Green King:

• Book version: Lazy, irresponsible, fat slob who doesn't particularly want to be king but is pushed into it by his mother Alicent. Nevertheless cares for his kids, being told that Rhaenyra will have to have them eliminated to secure her hold on the Iron Throne is what convinces him to seize the throne for himself. Very friendly with his pet dragon Sunfyre, said to be the most majestic-looking dragon to ever live.

• Show version: A pedophilic rapist who also watches underground gladiator matches pitting kids against one another, including at least one of his own bastard children. Doesn't seem to care about his own kids, legitimate or otherwise. Sunfyre barely appears this season.

Daemon Targaryen, the Rogue Prince:

• Book version: Brutal, ruthless asshole suspected of murdering his first wife to shack up with Rhaenyra. Engages in purges and wars all the time, in general he loves and revels in bloodshed. Will carry out the Black faction's worst atrocities at his niece-wife's command without question and with a good deal of sadistic enjoyment.

• Show version: Basically the same except now he, and he alone, is responsible for atrocities like killing his brother-in-law (Rhaenyra's uncle by marriage) for questioning the paternity of Rhaenyra's oldest children. Definitely murdered his first wife, no ambiguity to it at all. They also cut out sympathetic moments for him, like when he comforts his own eldest daughters at their mother's (his second wife's) funeral, to make him look as evil as possible.

But then again, Rhaenyra is basically the champagne feminist incarnate just as Daenerys was the ultimate SJW in the main series. She's an immensely privileged and spoiled princess by birth, fat, petty, a bitch even to people whose help she badly needs, uses others for her pleasure without a thought for their feelings or their very lives (her first lover is Criston Cole, a Kingsguard - whose oath means he will be gelded or executed if they catch him with her), has no problem using feminism to advance herself while throwing lower-ranking women under the bus for her own convenience, and becomes a sadistic tyrant and baby-murderer in a hurry once the war proper starts but is clearly rotten to the core long before. Little wonder the writer may see herself in her and tries to make her look better.

Long story short, I've seen the clip from the end of the latest House of the Dragon episode where Rhaenys, a member of the royal House Targaryen, bursts out of prison with her dragon and kills hundreds of civilians with said dragon's tail-whip and damage to the building they're in. She has the court of rival Targaryens who have just usurped the throne dead to rights, but doesn't have her dragon roast them on the spot even though doing so would have prevented a civil war. Despite getting things completely ass-backward (murdering scores of peasants who have done nothing and would have contributed nothing to the story is fine, wiping out the enemy leadership apparently isn't) Sarah Hess, one of the writers for the episode, says this is supposed to be a girlboss moment for her.

Also the show has gone out of its way to turn its female leads into saints, even if doing so takes away everything that makes them interesting, while demonizing the men. Which is to be expected given how heavily the marketing got into the anti-patriarchy, grrrl power angle but that doesn't make it any less hilariously bad.

Alicent Hightower, the Queen in Green:

• Book version: Ambitious, scheming and ruthless matriarch from the second most powerful house in the Reach (itself the second largest and the most heavily populated of the Seven Kingdoms) who has plotted for years to put her son Aegon on the Iron Throne. Her motivation actually makes sense though: he's her son, and by all the laws and traditions of Westeros, he should have succeeded his father - the only reason he doesn't is because said father, Viserys, insists on making his firstborn daughter (Alicent's stepdaughter) his heir in contravention to all said laws. Knows damn well people are going to have to die to make this happen and is fine with it.

• Show version: Hapless puppet of her dad, the Hand of the King (prime minister) Otto Hightower. Doesn't actively plot to enthrone her son Aegon and is surprised that Otto would move to make him king, after she literally tells him that King Viserys told her he wanted Aegon to inherit on his deathbed (she misheard and he was deliriously referring to a prophecy he had previously told his daughter Rhaenyra). Gives footjobs to a shady dude, Larys Strong, for barely relevant information even though she's the Queen and could've just bossed him around. Terrified of bloodshed and doesn't seem to know that launching a coup immediately after the king's death might require her faction to kill their enemies' sympathizers at court or lead to a broader civil war.

Rhaenyra, the Princess in Black:

• Book version: Heiress to the Iron Throne as her father Viserys' eldest daughter and only surviving issue of his first wife. Spoiled, selfish brat who revels in her status (which combined with her daddy's permissiveness means she can do whatever and whoever she wants) and ruthlessly protects it against all threats. After cucking her gay husband and spawning three obvious bastard sons who she tries to pretend are legitimate, she has her uncle-in-law executed and fed to her dragon for pointing out that they're bastards and wanting his family's traditional lordship to not pass on to said bastards. Knows damn well people might try to snatch away her crown and is fine with killing them in a war for it. Also, she hit the wall hard and resents her stepmom Alicent for still being slender & beautiful after four pregnancies while she herself has gotten fat and complacent.

• Show version: Still a spoiled, selfish brat who revels in the privilege of being Crown Princess and passing her obvious bastards off as legitimate heirs but she's supposed to be the good guy now. Her uncle-husband Daemon murders the troublesome uncle-in-law without any prompting for her and she doesn't feed his remains to her dragon, but instead seems shocked at it and generally seems scared of the prospect of violence to defend her claim. Thinks of the Iron Throne as a responsibility forced upon her by her dad rather than something she thinks would be fun to rule from with absolute power and zero accountability. Also, as Hess says, she isn't fat and resentful of Alicent (who puts more work into her appearance) on the show.

Aegon Targaryen, the Green King:

• Book version: Lazy, irresponsible, fat slob who doesn't particularly want to be king but is pushed into it by his mother Alicent. Nevertheless cares for his kids, being told that Rhaenyra will have to have them eliminated to secure her hold on the Iron Throne is what convinces him to seize the throne for himself. Very friendly with his pet dragon Sunfyre, said to be the most majestic-looking dragon to ever live.

• Show version: A pedophilic rapist who also watches underground gladiator matches pitting kids against one another, including at least one of his own bastard children. Doesn't seem to care about his own kids, legitimate or otherwise. Sunfyre barely appears this season.

Daemon Targaryen, the Rogue Prince:

• Book version: Brutal, ruthless asshole suspected of murdering his first wife to shack up with Rhaenyra. Engages in purges and wars all the time, in general he loves and revels in bloodshed. Will carry out the Black faction's worst atrocities at his niece-wife's command without question and with a good deal of sadistic enjoyment.

• Show version: Basically the same except now he, and he alone, is responsible for atrocities like killing his brother-in-law (Rhaenyra's uncle by marriage) for questioning the paternity of Rhaenyra's oldest children. Definitely murdered his first wife, no ambiguity to it at all. They also cut out sympathetic moments for him, like when he comforts his own eldest daughters at their mother's (his second wife's) funeral, to make him look as evil as possible.

But then again, Rhaenyra is basically the champagne feminist incarnate just as Daenerys was the ultimate SJW in the main series. She's an immensely privileged and spoiled princess by birth, fat, petty, a bitch even to people whose help she badly needs, uses others for her pleasure without a thought for their feelings or their very lives (her first lover is Criston Cole, a Kingsguard - whose oath means he will be gelded or executed if they catch him with her), has no problem using feminism to advance herself while throwing lower-ranking women under the bus for her own convenience, and becomes a sadistic tyrant and baby-murderer in a hurry once the war proper starts but is clearly rotten to the core long before. Little wonder the writer may see herself in her