'House of the Dragon': Inside Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen's emotional journey from best friends to sworn enemies
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 will be streaming on HBO on June 16, 2024. 'House of the Dragon' is a prequel to 'Game of Thrones' and tells a story centered around the Targaryen house 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke).
As Season 1 concludes, two characters emerge as the show's central characters. Those characters are Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) who start their character arcs as best of friends but by the time the first season ends, they are hell-bent on one-upping the other in a fight for the Iron Throne.
Rhaenyra is the daughter of King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine), who declares her as the heir to the throne in the absence of a male offspring. Alicent, on the other hand, is the daughter of the King's hand Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans). After the King's first wife dies in childbirth, the king marries Alicent who gives birth to Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney). Rhaenyra who is the declared heir to the throne sees this as a threat to her claim and that breeds enmity between Alicent and Rhaenyra.
The conflict between the two by the end of the season, however, has turned more personal. Here is a look at the journey of Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen.
Alicent and Rhaenyra grew up as friends
Alicent and Rhaenyra grew up together as best of friends discussing everything from history to books to everything under the sun. Both characters, however, have always been shown as two separate personalities with Alicent Hightower trying to fit into the mold of a traditional woman whereas Rhaenyra is more of a rebel standing out as an adventurous woman.
The makers of the series have also subtly hinted at unacknowledged romantic feelings between the two, particularly in the scene where Alicent and Rhaenyra discuss the former's marriage to Viserys. The scene looked more like a romantic breakup.
Alicent and Rhaenyra become political rivals
Alicent and Rhaenyra remain reluctant rivals for the succession of the throne but once Viserys dies, the conflict comes out in the open as Alicent's son Aegon is crowned the King.
A series of events pits them up against each other with Rhaenyra, now married to Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) looking to take back the throne she thinks is rightfully hers.
The second season is likely to be about Alicent and Rhaenyra leading their respective armies and dragons against each other in a Targaryen civil war.
Conflict gets personal between Rhaenyra and Alicent
Things get personal between Alicent and Rhaenyra when Alicent's son Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) loses an eye at the hands of Prince Lucerys Velaryon aka Luke (Harvey Sadler). This causes a major rift between the two as Alicent is not willing to show any mercy on Rhaenyra now.
The conflict escalates when at the end of the season, Aemond Kills Luke on a dragon when they visit the Baratheons to look for allies in the imminent war. The first episode of Season 2 is titled 'A Son for a Son' and we can expect Rhaenyra to come hard at Alicent and Aemond looking for vengeance.
How to stream 'House of the Dragon' Season 2
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 will stream on HBO Max on June 16, 2024. To watch the series, you will need a Max subscription
The streaming platform typically offers three packages that you can choose from depending on your budget.
The low-cost plan that supports advertising costs at $9.99 per month or $99.99 annually. The second package, which does not support advertising, costs $15.99 per month or $149.99.
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Trailer
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 is streaming on HBO on June 16, 2024