Like everything you said about Haelena. In the book she seems much less, what's my word? Coherent? She just kind of rambles things that you realize after the fact were warnings. So for her to be so clear and direct about her vision with Aemond makes you wonder why she hasn't been this way the whole time?
With Alicent, I got the vibe that she was mostly thinking the whole time that Aemond would die in this fight, and she was more or less cool with that. Which again, yikes. She seems to have decided her daughter is the only one worth saving. But nothing has changed? Aegon is now severely crippled, but he's certainly no WORSE than he was when she put him on the throne. She was willing to sacrifice everything to get him there, but now she's like "Okay, I'm done, you can die now."
This is another change that doesn't work. Right or wrong, Alicent was committed to her son being on the Throne in the book. I feel like they're trying to make her more likable somehow, more sympathetic, but instead she just comes across as a horrible mother willing to sacrifice both of her sons to the war she freaking started! Aegon would've been perfectly happy being not the King. She insisted on putting him there knowing the whole time how he was. Did she think he'd do a magic about face and suddenly become good? Or her "somehow Aemond turned out this way". Gee, I can't imagine how!
I've always had a soft spot for the bastards, being a fan of Jon Snow, so I really feel for Allyn and Addam having to watch their father ignore them and their siblings get raised in luxury while they were floundering in poverty. Because at least NED loved Jon, and treated him like one of his own, even if Catelyn mistreated him. Allyn has been treated like he's nothing. Even Rhaenys told Corlys he's been ****ty to Allyn.
Coryls is horrid when you compare him to Ned. Ned raised Jon, made sure he was loved, had a home and a good upbringing and never lacked for food or clothing or warmth, etc. Coryls is like another Robert. Just siring and ignoring them. Tho in Coryls' case I think he was trying to protect his marriage by not acknowledging Allyn & Addam but, no surprise, his wife knew all along.
