Emily Carey breaks down the “massive turn” for Alicent Hightower

The second episode of House of the Dragon is aired, and the big reveal at the end was that King Viserys has chosen to marry Alicent Hightower.

This is a major plot point that will have big ramifications going forward. Emily Carey, the actress who plays young Alicent Hightower, talked all about it to Entertainment Weekly. “I’m so glad I can talk about this now,” she said. “This is a big one. It changes one of the branches of the show if that makes sense. It pushes things in a different direction. And for my character it’s, of course, a massive turn.”

Alicent and Viserys began to spend time together because of Otto Hightower’s political maneuvering. He urged Alicent to console Viserys while he mourned his dead wife and son. It’s the type of shrewd and heartless move you’d expect from the hand of the king; this shows Otto is cut from the same cloth as guys like Tywin Lannister and Littlefinger.

House of the Dragon stars bonded over RuPaul’s Drag Race, obviously

Carey explained the challenges she faced while performing these scenes, as her co-star Paddy Considine is nearly 30 years her senior.

"I was confused as an actor in not knowing what Alicent should be feeling, and then I also realized that’s exactly how she’s feeling. ‘I should be happy. This should be what I want, but is this actually what I want?’"

Funnily enough, the offscreen tension was bridged when Carey and Considine found out they both enjoy the show RuPaul’s Drag Race, which they frequently discussed between scenes. We’ll see if their characters also find something to connect over, since most of their scenes together so far have involved Viserys babbling about Valyria and Alicent being nice to him. “They find this emotional vulnerability with one another that I don’t think they really find with anyone else,” Carey said. “There’s an underlying guilt from both sides, especially when it comes to the point of marriage… But I think they bring out a softness in one another.”

In addition to the massive political ramifications, this marriage will have a large impact on Rhaenyra Targaryen. Just when Viserys and his only child began to reconcile after months of dreadful silence, Viserys hit her with “surprise, your best friend is becoming your stepmother.” This will likely further complicate an already delicate situation which seems ready to collapse at the drop of a dime.

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