House of the Dragon season 1 episode 9: A love that can’t exist?
Take, for starters, whether there is any way for Alicent and Rhaenyra to fix what is broken between them. It actually appeared for a moment in episode 8 that Alicent was willing to accept the notion of her childhood friend sitting on the Iron Throne; that was before Alicent mistakenly heard words meant for the King’s daughter on his deathbed. She now believes that her son Aegon could the Prince Who Was Promised, and that of course changes everything within this world.
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There are so many complicated layers to the Alicent – Rhaenyra relationship, but one of the most fascinating ones is the theory that once upon a time, there may have been a love there between them. You can read into it courtesy of some moments between the two, especially in the past. It’s what makes every betrayal all the more difficult in the present.
In an interview with the New York Times, here is some of what Olivia Cooke had to say on the subject of this relationship, and if there is anything left for the two to even access at this point:
“I don’t know if Alicent knows what it feels like to feel those things now … There’s layers and layers of repression; sexuality and lust are probably a prehistoric, sedimentary layer by now. From Alicent’s point of view, I don’t think she’s that self-aware, in terms of what she’s feeling, to know what’s propelling her to reach out to Rhaenyra again.”
Moving forward, the main thing we expect is violence; these are two people whose past and present make it impossible for them to reach out to each other. It is far too early to know where everything ends, but it won’t be in a great place.
Related – Get some more news on House of the Dragon, including the title for this weekend’s episode
Do you think there are feelings between Alicent and Rhaenyra on House of the Dragon season 1?
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This article was written by Jessica BunBun. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.