House of the Dragon season 3, episode 3, will delve into the fallout of Queen Alicent Hightower's failed attempt to flee King's Landing with her children. At the close of season 2, Alicent struck a deal with her former friend and current rival, Rhaenyra Targaryen, agreeing to allow Rhaenyra control of the capital in exchange for the safety of her own children. This arrangement quickly unraveled when King Aegon II escaped the city, leaving Alicent and her sister Helaena to be apprehended within the Red Keep.
Olivia Cooke, who plays Alicent, described the dynamic between the two characters as being "at opposite ends of a seesaw or scales," where they cannot simultaneously hold power but are inextricably linked by their actions. "No matter where they are, they can't help but feel the ripple effects of each other's actions and also recognize and see what each other are going through because they've been in these positions themselves," Cooke told Polygon. This shared understanding is tested as Rhaenyra, now ruling, grapples with the immense burdens of leadership, including resource shortages and infestations, while still mourning the recent death of her son Jace.
Emma D'Arcy, portraying Rhaenyra, explained that their character's ascension to the throne is deeply shadowed by her son's loss. "Her journey to the throne comes so in the shadow of her son’s death that I feel like she’s sort of acting on his behalf," D'Arcy stated. "This is a political family whose personal relationships are so fundamentally enmeshed with this political ambition. If Rhaenyra’s name enters the history books, her son gains a kind of immortality."
Following Aegon's escape, Rhaenyra executed Otto Hightower, Alicent's father, who had been instrumental in placing Aegon on the Iron Throne. Cooke noted that this act, witnessed by Alicent, ignites "white-hot anger" in her character, particularly as she questions whether her deal with Rhaenyra was honored or if she was merely a pawn. "It’s on," Cooke declared, reflecting Alicent's defiant response.
Despite this deep betrayal and Alicent's imprisonment within the Red Keep alongside Helaena, the characters must attempt to forge a new path forward. Cooke expressed that while remnants of their past friendship and affection for each other remain, the depth of betrayal and loss makes a return to their former relationship impossible. "They can never go back to who they were. They can never have a simple relationship again. It's marred by betrayal and death and too much time having passed," she said.
House of the Dragon season 3, episode 3, is scheduled to air on Sunday, July 5, at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.