towards developing an anti-'goody two shoes' baelor chacarterisarion:
its seems sometimes ppl think of baelor as a targaryen in that he gets jealous and possessive, that he has a temper he's keeping a very tight hold on. i don't really see that in bertie carvel, he's playing someone who is never quick to anger, who's naturally steady and reserved in his temperament.
i think baelor's arrogance is much colder. he sees most people as weaker than him and even pities them for it but rarely gets angry AT them. they just don't know better, they're obstacles to overcome. he expects much more from himself because he's just that much better, cleverer, stronger as a person. (he does temper it with a lot of kindness, but i'm not sure when it's genuine and when it's strategic princely benevolence.)
baelor being a strategist and manipulator is in tune with that coldness and arrogance. his charm in bertie carvel's interpretation is more sudbued than what i expected from the novel, but it works because he has fame and reputation as a knight and leader. his natural inclination seems to be playing the good cop, side by side with someone who can shout, threaten and punish disobedience FOR him (he probably developed that dynamic as a duo with maekar, it's their double act which they seem to perform unconsciously just for fun).
as a sidenote, i love baelor's nervous / self-soothing mannerisms. it's not only twisting his rings. the way he holds himself with dunk when discussing his punishment is very funny. baelor learned to hold very still with a placid expression, and that projects power. he turns away every time he fears he might have an expression on his face, but he does it so gracefully it doesn't read as avoidance / loss of composure it is.
my main point: baelor's tragic flaw as a targaryen is that he still puts family first. and also loves maekar beyond what is 'reasonable' (as in, doesn't push him to do better with his sons, especially aerion, because talking to him about it makes maekar so upset….). yes baelor does care for the realm and its people, but only with targaryens as its kings. he can't conceive of separating the two. he cares about honour but it's tough for him to choose it over family. i can imagine situations with lower stakes than ashford where he didn't.
anyway he's still my perfect prince and i love him to bits.
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