War is far from over in Westeros on House of the Dragon, and at this point in the fighting, both sides are prone to assume the worst from each other.
After discovering in House of the Dragon season 3 episode 4 that Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) is pregnant, actor Olivia Cooke warns that Alicent Hightower is expecting the worst. Both Cooke and Saban spoke in the "Inside the Episode" segment after the latest episode, confirming that the unspoken moment between their characters means Helaena is carrying another Targaryen.
The actors understand how Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) might need to respond to this news, yet both are still hopeful they can get away from King’s Landing before anyone finds out.
Olivia Cooke and Phia Saban react to Helaena’s pregnancy
After years of playing the game of thrones, Alicent understands what Helaena's pregnancy means for her family. Cooke said that her character sees this as "a direct threat to Rhaenyra's heir," and she expects the new queen to deal with it harshly. "She will either force Helaena to drink some moon tea or force her to bring the pregnancy to term, have the baby, and then kill it," she bluntly predicts.
All of that remains unspoken in the latest episode "Tumbleton," though the actors’ commentary may give us a hint about where the show is headed. Even more interestingly, both Cooke and Saban commented on Helaena's mindset here. According to Cooke, her prophetic daughter is "ardent" about having this baby and raising it herself, and Alicent will help her at all costs. Meanwhile, Saban implies that this pregnancy is a secret Helaena has been holding onto for some time.
"I think she doesn't tell Alicent because she feels so powerless in her own life," Saban said. "It's something that just belongs to her, and that's extremely sacred to her. And also because her son in season 2 was a casualty of this war, and she's not willing to sacrifice another child."
Helaena's pregnancy is a twist few saw coming this season, as her story has departed quite a bit from George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood. In some ways, this plotline could steer Helaena back towards her story in the book, where by now she is too depressed and grief-stricken to function. On the other hand, there are some interesting opportunities here for the show to go off in its own direction — especially as it coincides with Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) reuniting with his dragon and believing he’s alive.
It sounds like there are desperate days ahead for Alicent, Helaena, and even Rhaenyra — who is seemingly still hesitant to enact cruelty against her prisoners. House of the Dragon season 3 continues on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max. Fire & Blood is available in print, digital, and audiobook formats.
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