House of the Dragon episode 6 spoilers follow
House of the Dragon just had a The Boys crossover moment and it was every bit as uncomfortable as the first time we saw it.
Okay, maybe crossover is a bit strong but we've definitely seen those moves somewhere before.
In a case of who did it better, a naked Aegon Targaryen (Ty Tennant) stands atop of the Red Keep's windowledge, beating his salami over the citizens of Kings' Landing, Homelander style. All that's missing are the words "I can do whatever the f**k I want," as he shoots his load all over the gaff.
Aegon's grimace as he goes about it is not dissimilar to the superhero who sprayed the city with his glory.
Thankfully for us, the flapping, clapping sound is interrupted by Alicent's arrival. Unlike us, she is not greatly perturbed by what she sees, because there are bigger issues at hand, so to speak.
Aegon's self-pleasuring undoubtedly foreshadows what kind of a king he has the potential to be: entitled, arrogant, indulgent and most certainly self-interested (sound like anyone else we know? *ahem Homelander*). But this scene is not about him.
Related: House of the Dragon loses another major player ahead of season 2
Sure, his bare bottom may steal the show for a moment and his discomfort at his mother witnessing the act is as embarrassing for him as it was for us, but no. This scene is once again about the power struggle between Alicent (now played by Olivia Cooke) and Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy).
Alicent enters Aegon's chambers with the intention of chastising him for teaming up with his nephews (Rhaenyra's sons) to tease his brother Aemon.
The conversation quickly goes where it always does in House of the Dragon, to the question of succession. Alicent reminds Aegon that there will come a time when Rhaenyra will inherit the throne, followed by her son Jacaerys, to which Aegon nonchalantly replies: "So?"
His response is telling, especially knowing what is to come.
The show is creeping towards a massive civil war (known as Dance of the Dragons) where the siblings will be pitted against each other, ruthlessly intent on the Iron Throne.
It's been clear since her youth that Rhaenyra had ambitions for the throne – or rather the freedom it would award her. Enticingly, it would grant her more agency than she could ever have as merely a princess, a woman.
Aegon, by comparison, has no such desire. So how then does he get from indifference to a bloodthirsty willingness to cut his half-sister down?
Alicent is how. She is the player moving the chess pieces on the board.
In an ironic twist of fate, she adopts the same role in her son's life that her father Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) played in hers. She begins manipulating Aegon for her own intent and that becomes clear in this scene.
After Aegon's unbothered remark about Rhaenyra's impending succession, Alicent alerts her son to the fact that once his sister ascends the throne she could move to cut off any challenge to her right as heir. This means that he and his brother Aemon's lives are at risk.
This does nothing to light a fire under Aegon, who earnestly admits that he doesn't want to challenge her right to succession.
But before he can even complete his sentence Alicent goes from zero to one hundred, reminding him in decibels only dogs can hear that he is the challenge. "Simply by living and breathing," he threatens Rhaenyra's right to the kingdom.
It is as if she is Otto mark II, having just delivered to her son the same warning he once gave her. Previously, Otto had tried to scare Alicent into taking action by impressing upon her the dangers her children could be in if Rhaenyra chose the less peaceful route to the throne.
Alicent however, isn't just acting out of fear for her children's lives now. At least that isn't the only reason she is so hellbent on getting in Rhaenyra's way. If her children were the focus, she would have accepted Rhaenyra's proposal to betroth her son to Alicent's daughter, putting an end to any in-house fighting with a little incest.
Instead, she took the opportunity to humiliate Rhaenyra at court by drawing attention to her breasts, which were leaking milk.
Related: Why House of the Dragon replaced Rhaenyra and Alicent
This compounds the humiliation Rhaenyra no doubt felt after being ordered to have her baby brought to the queen immediately after giving birth.
The betrayal Alicent felt over Rhaenyra's sexual indiscretions seems to be the real driving force behind her actions and the anger she felt seems to have only festered over the years.
Alicent's old wound refuses to heal and is ripped open wider and wider by fact that she (as are most) is almost certain that Rhaenyra's children are not her husband Laenor's but are instead the products of more sexual immorality, this time from a relationship with Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr).
In this moment with Aegon, we witness Alicent attempt to force a wedge between him and his sister, responding to a problem that does not exist. Aegon has no desire for the throne and so presents no actual threat to Rhaenyra.
But Alicent knows that doesn't matter. So she creates a new narrative that paints Rhaenyra in a vicious and manipulative light.
She continues to stoke the fire of discord, plotting and scheming while playing the innocent in order to oust Rhaenyra, thus proving that the civil war was never about two siblings fighting for the throne.
At its core, it's undoubtedly about power and the inability of two former friends to put aside their hurt and reconcile their differences.
Game of Thrones seasons 1-8 are available on DVD and Blu-ray. House of the Dragon will be airing season one weekly in the US on Sundays on HBO, and on Mondays in the UK on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
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HBO/Warner Home Video Game of Thrones Seasons 1-8 - The Complete Series [DVD] [2019]
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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
