One of the biggest shifts that House of the Dragon has made from George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood was the decision to place the relationship between Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) at the center of the narrative. For better or worse, this dynamic has shaped the entire arc of the series, from their teenage friendship, to their bitter rivalry as young mothers, to the secret alliance they made near the end of season 2 in an attempt to end the war. In season 3, that relationship has taken on another evolution: Alicent as Rhaenyra's prisoner.
In spite of that, the two have largely been on cordial terms this season, even though Rhaenyra executed Alicent's father and is determined to kill off all her sons. However, things took a turn for the worst in episode 306, "Faceless Men," when Rhaenyra's soldiers discovered Alicent and her daughter Helaena (Phia Saban) in the tunnels beneath the Red Keep. This failed escape attempt broke something in the relationship between Alicent and Rhaenyra, and it's becoming increasingly clear that it may not be able to be mended.
Near the end of the episode, Alicent makes a bold gambit: she reveals that Helaena has prophetic dreams, and has seen Aemond is in hiding at Harrenhal. Considering that Rhaenyra desperately wants Aemond dead, and has been letting prophecy be her guide more often than not, this is valuable information on multiple levels.
"It's become increasingly important to Rhaenyra to believe and to know that her rule is preordained in some way. This suffering is part of a greater plan, and to enlist the services of a dreamer is to get a glimpse of that plan," D'Arcy explained in the Inside the Episode featurette for "Faceless Men."
Instead of thanking Alicent, Rhaenyra informs her that she'll be going to Harrenhal herself to assassinate Aemond, since his own mother would be the last person the Targaryen prince would expect of such subterfuge. Alicent is understandably horrified by this order, but as it's seemingly the only way to insure that Helaena is treated more kindly in captivity, she goes along with it. The episode ends with Alicent leaving the Red Keep for Harrenhal, and from the trailer for episode 307, we know she'll soon cross paths with Aemond once again. What happens next, we'll have to wait to watch.
Despite the fact that Rhaenyra has been trying to put an end to Aemond all season, D'Arcy believes there's more to this command than simple pragmatism. "I think there's something vindictive in it," they said. "From the moment that Alicent and Helaena make their escape attempt, I think Rhaenyra feels deeply hurt. She craves the gratitude, actually, of her prisoners. This sort of marks the first time we see Rhaenyra really kind of inflict her new power on Alicent."
Showrunner Ryan Condal weighed in as well: "This is an episode of moral dilemmas. Alicent, she doesn't want to kill her son, but she's put in this terrible Sophie's Choice position of choosing Helaena or Aemond. She doesn't really have a choice in the matter. She has to go to Harrenhal and at least see this through."
Is it really a Sophie's Choice if there's no choice?
While I do enjoy seeing this darker side of Rhaenyra — and I am very interested to see what she does with the knowledge that Helaena is a dreamer — this latest development with Alicent frustrated me. Her mission to Harrenhal directly contradicts her character's motivations in the source material, where she staunchly hopes that Aemond will return and burn Rhaenyra out of King's Landing. But even beyond that, it doesn't take an obsessive disciple of Martin's work to guess that Alicent's mission will fail, and likely end up feeling like wasted time in an eight-episode season that cannot afford such missteps. Aemond is too big a character to go out in such a lame manner, especially considering that his death is one of the most iconic parts of Fire & Blood.
Condal's reference to this being a "Sophie's Choice" also rubbed me the wrong way. If you haven't followed the ongoing drama between Condal and author/fellow House of the Dragon co-creator George R.R. Martin, after season 2 aired Martin took issue with the way the show depicted the Blood and Cheese incident where Helaena's child Jaehaerys is murdered — specifically because, in the book, the assassins give Helaena a Sophie's Choice moment: choose whether Jaehaerys or her younger son, Maelor (who doesn't exist in the show) will be the one to get their throat slit. Helaena chooses one, and then the assassins kill the other anyway. It's horrifying. And while House of the Dragon's version is still pretty brutal, it totally misses what makes the scene so effective in the novel.
For Condal to evoke a Sophie's Choice reference here, after the show jettisoned the powerful Sophie's Choice moment that actually exists in Martin's text, feels a bit like a slap in the face. Beyond that, it also doesn't even make sense in this context: Condal calls Alicent's dilemma a Sophie's Choice, and then immediately says "she doesn't really have a choice in the matter." If she has no choice, can it truly be a Sophie's Choice moment? It doesn't make sense even as he explains it point blank.
Perhaps I'm overreacting, and House of the Dragon will pull off some amazing turn with Alicent and Aemond in its penultimate episode. But given its track record of utterly wasting Alicent Hightower this season, I doubt it.
House of the Dragon airs Sunday nights on HBO and HBO Max.
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