Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1.
The big picture
- Alicent's relationship to
House of the Dragon
Season 2 with Ser Criston Cole is contradictory as he has a sexual relationship despite condemning similar actions. - Alicent's role always puts the interests of House Hightower above duty and sacrifice, manipulating her children to gain power.
- Alicent continues to harbor anger over her son Aemond's eye, fueling the conflict in the Dance of Dragons and opposing Rhaenyra.
2nd season of House of the Dragon kicks off with a bang in the opener, “A Son for a Son.” As always, a lot of blood is spilled and a lot of plotting and scheming goes on, but one of those plots is particularly interesting. When Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) is discussing strategy with Ser Criston Cole (Fabian Frankel), mentions that his mother, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), “speak with two languages”. By saying this, the prince proves it she has a perfect read of her increasingly angry and contradictory mother with each new Dance of the Dragons.
Alicent's relationship with Ser Criston Cole is contradictory
One of the most surprising revelations in “A Son for a Son” is that Alicent Hightower and Ser Criston Cole share a sexual relationship. They have sex twice in the episode, and in the first scene Alicent herself tells Cole that they can't keep doing it, and the knight agrees, but they are seen together again at the end of the episode The relationship should be problematic enough, considering it involves the Queen Dowager and the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, but what makes it even more surprising is that Alicent is doing the exact same thing that doomed the young Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) for years before.and that started their whole fight.
Book Fire and Blood it never makes clear what exactly happened between Rhaenyra and Cole, though House of the Dragon take that liberty. Then, the crown princess, she makes him sleep with her, which he is reluctant to do at first, but eventually relents. Knights of the Kingsguard are supposed to be chaste, and Cole breaks his oath for the first time then. Later, when he realizes that Rhaenyra was not truly in love with him and that she would not give up her position as heir to the Iron Throne to elope with him, he becomes angry with her and leaves her service. Cole becomes the young Alicent (Emily Carey) sworn sword and, when Alicient learns of the whole affair, the rift between her and Rhaenyra widens.
That's not the only reason for the fight between Alicent and Rhaenyra, of course, but it makes things worse. Alicient understands that as a princess, Rhaenyra can get away with it, and that Rhaenyra herself doesn't care about rumors or accusations. Alicent is not in that position, she was pushed into marrying Rhaenyra's father, King Viserys (Paddy Considine), to secure his family's place at court. now, by having a relationship with Cole,Alicent proves to herself that she now has power over Rhaenyrabecause he's doing the exact same thing he condemned Rhaenyra for, and without consequence.
Alicent's role was always to use “Hardness and Sacrifice” in favor of the interests of House Hightower
The words “duty” and “sacrifice” have long been favorites in Alicent's lexicon. He uses them to confront Rhaenyra in Season 1, Episode 7, “Driftmark,” after a young Aemond (Leo Ashton) loses his eye in a fight with one of Rhaenyra's sons, Lucerys Velaryon (Harvey Sadler). Now, “A son for a son” consolidates the idea that “Duty and sacrifice” are things that Alicent only considers when consolidating her own position at court, and about Rhaenyra.. His duty and his sacrifice was always to help his father, the Hand of the King Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), to maneuver King Viserys in his favor. Now, that involves his own children.
In the Season 2 premiere, Alicent has a conversation with Otto about how they can continue to maneuver their children in the context of the upcoming conflict with Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) faction. They see Alicent's eldest son, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), as a puppet king, and Aemond as an angry loose cannon. But the conversation itself isn't necessarily about how the two guys can serve Hightower's interests, but rather about Alicent feels undermined by Otto and fears losing her influence over them. Otto agrees, but only because, strategically, it makes sense since Alicent is closer to them. He still believes that his own influence is greater, so he talks to Aemond later about the plans being made without the Hand of the King's knowledge.
It's funny that Alicent tells Otto that Aemond is angry, because that's exactly how Aemond describes her to Ser Criston Cole as well. Most of Alicent's actions since the beginning of the series have been done out of anger. Anger at Rhaenyra, at her “duty” to have to sacrifice herself for the ambitions of her house… Her feeling makes sense and to some extent is even justified. His actions, on the other hand, are not, because anger is what caused the entire conflict in the first place.
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Alicent still does not consider the matter of Aemond's eye to be over
The Dance of Dragons effectively begins when Aemond kills Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) in a dragon fight over Shipbreaker Bay. The fight between the two of them is a continuation of the one between their mothers, Alicent and Rhaenyra, respectively, but taken to more violent extremes. Back in “Driftmark”, young Aemond claims Vhagar as his dragon and returns to the castle to bully and threaten his nephews, only to end up with his left eye gouged out by young Lucerys in a fight.
In his conversation with Ser Otto in “A Son for a Son”, Alicient makes it clear that he is still not over it and still believes that Lucerys never paid for Aemond's eye. “Rhaenyra's son took her eye and was never punished for it,” he says. “What he did, as cruel as it is…” he starts to say, but is interrupted by Otto, who defines it as “the capriciousness of youth.” Alicent may not have finished the sentence, but his thought is clear: she doesn't think Aemond killing Lucerys will solve the issueand he doesn't see how problematic his son's behavior is even on a strategic level.
Alicent's wrath is the focal point of the first stages of the Dance of Dragons. The skirmish between Aemond and Lucerys gave him the personal justification he needed to openly oppose Rhaenyra and put Aegon on the Iron Throne. Later, Aemond killing Lucerys causes Rhaenyra to cross the line between her duty to fight as Viserys' rightful heir and fighting for personal reasons. But Alicent will never admit that his side has caused trouble, because, to her, Rhaenyra is still doing what she wants and getting away with it, even if Rhaenyra has already lost a son and a throne. So Alicent really “speaks with two tongues”: one to denounce Rhaenyra and the other to secretly do the things she publicly condemns.
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