Alicent’s Lake Scene In Episode 7, Defined

This put up incorporates spoilers for “Home of the Dragon.”

Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) finds herself in an not possible place for the time being. Compelled to develop into a baby bride and assume royal obligations earlier than she may verbalize her innermost instincts, Alicent has been duty-bound from the get-go, at the price of fully alienating herself. The primary wedge between her and Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) snowballed right into a storm of jealous resentment, fueling her selections to carve out her authority on the Crimson Maintain and oppose Rhaenyra’s declare to the throne. It has been years since she had worn her inexperienced costume to declare the beginning of an impending conflict — a choice with lasting repercussions, each deliberate and unintended — however now she feels discarded by the identical individuals she had sworn to guard. In “Home of the Dragon” season 2, episode 7, “The Crimson Sowing,” Alicent retreats in an try to carry on to frayed autonomy, which ends up in a stroll by way of Kingswood and a cathartic dip within the lake.

After Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) is said unfit to proceed his rule as king, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) takes over the throne with indifferent ruthlessness whereas establishing that Alicent’s presence is not wanted within the Small Council anymore. “The crown is grateful, and your companies are now not wanted,” he tells his mom, fully robbing her of the hard-earned autonomy she had scrambled to assemble through the years. The rebellion among the many smallfolk, which ends up in her and Haelena (Phia Saban) being attacked by the discontent mob, rattles her, resulting in a turning level that evokes pertinent questions on future, self-worth, and the drive to maintain going.

Cooke spoke to TIME about Alicent’s frame of mind in “The Crimson Sowing,” and what it means for her to shift away from the chaos of the Crimson Maintain and take refuge within the sacred solitude of the Kingswood.

After regretting the choice to place Aegon on the throne, Alicent had hoped to steer her firstborn in the direction of extra tempered decision-making, however a string of things, starting from the sacking of Otto Hightower as Hand to the occasions at Rook’s Relaxation, put an finish to those plans. Though Aemond has a extra surefooted understanding of politicking than his brother, he’s chilly and impulsive. It is a mixture that doesn’t bode effectively throughout such a risky scenario. Her actions contained in the Crimson Maintain are additionally always tracked, and solitude is a luxurious for somebody like Alicent, which prompts her to enterprise into the Kingswood with a trusted guard. Cooke defined to TIME why this second is so essential:

“Alicent must get out of King’s Touchdown to determine the longevity of her home, household, and herself. The longevity of her life and her daughter’s life, and the way sustainable it’s at this level. She wants to have the ability to plot with out Aemond looming, and with out getting used as a chess piece. She’s gone off to attempt to make all of those humongous selections that can affect the regency, presumably, endlessly.”

Alicent’s wardrobe can be of notice right here. She chooses a vibrant but comforting blue as a substitute of her signature inexperienced robes, electing to exist merely for herself for a fleeting second earlier than returning to the heavy burden of the regime she represents. Though robbed of the ability she used to wield, she remains to be the Queen Dowager and a mom who should do her utmost to guard her kids. However at this second, these roles fade into the background, and he or she is simply Alicent, uncertain and contemplative, strolling by way of the woods whereas contemplating what the long run would possibly maintain.

The burden of sin has been embedded inside Alicent’s consciousness for fairly a while, particularly after the ugly Blood and Cheese incident that traumatized Haelena for all times. This, mixed together with her sexual relationship with Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), makes her really feel “unclean,” culminating in compulsive scrubbing throughout her solitary baths and the urge to admit her sins to her father. Alicent’s relationship with Cole is fueled by a necessity to claim her bodily autonomy and reclaim her sexuality (which she was denied attributable to her marriage to Viserys), however even this try is marred by Cole’s ingrained misogyny and normal hypocrisy in not acknowledging her in courtroom and treating her like an afterthought.

This escalating disgrace and must really feel clear propels her in the direction of the lake, and he or she sheds off the layers of her outer costume (which signifies the masks placed on for the world) and takes a dip, as if born anew. Cooke in contrast this to a “baptism” of types, the place the swim is an act of embracing self-liberation:

“There is a theme together with her feeling shamed and unclean all through the season. We noticed Alicent with Ser Criston Cole and what occurred within the aftermath of her being romantically concerned with him. She by no means felt pure from that second on. There’s this compulsion to clean her pores and skin uncooked so as to purge the rot from what she did and the way she feels she is responsible. This felt like a baptism. Stripping the outer layer, and that f***ing collar [laughs]. Her entering into the lake on her personal is embryonic, in a approach. It is weirdly a coming-of-age second for Alicent — the beginning of the remainder of her life, what she’s about to do, and the girl she’s presumably about to develop into.”

There aren’t any unblemished heroes in Westeros, as people can not attain perfection even when chasing a morally sound existence, which seems to be contextual and subjective in some conditions. Alicent is not any saint, and he or she is aware of this. The exact impetus for her ethical dilemma this season is that this uncomfortable consciousness of her half within the conflict, and the way a lot she may need contributed to the mess each Homes discover themselves in for the time being. If something, she blames herself for occasions past her management and believes that she is being punished by the gods for her transgressions — a sense distinctly absent in males who’ve completed worse, not accidentally, however by design, but nonetheless keep on with none guilt or regret.

Alicent’s hostility in the direction of Rhaenyra shouldn’t be some bottomless pit of anger and resentment, as there’s love in there someplace, which makes their rift so unbearably tragic and bittersweet, as it’s a pure bond that festers over time. Their assembly on the Sept highlights this and heightens Alicent’s guilt after she learns that the conflict may need been ignited as a result of she misunderstood Viserys’ ultimate phrases. Furthermore, her being sidelined by the all-male council mirrors how Rhaenyra was undermined in comparable methods throughout her time on the Crimson Maintain, with Alicent actively collaborating in patriarchal traditions to additional her trigger on the time. This isn’t meant to be a “gotcha” second, as this solely underlines the determined measures ladies usually have to absorb patriarchal societies, and the way these selections find yourself additional alienating them.

Alicent has by no means tasted freedom, however the sight of a chicken flying unencumbered propels her towards this sentiment. What is going to she do subsequent, and can she lastly be free?

The “Home of the Dragon” season 2 finale premieres on HBO and Max on August 4, 2024.