What House Of The Dragon’s Alicent Was Doing Between Episodes 7 And 8 – Looper

When Rhaenrya Targryen returns to King’s Landing with Daemon (Matt Smith) in Episode 8, she tells him: “I can scarcely recognize it.” Long gone are the elaborate tapestries of Targaryen glory. Instead, the royal halls are subdued with the iconography of the Westerosi Faith of the Seven. The halls are marked with the seven-pointed star, and Alicent has also changed.

“[B]ecause of her public display of violence, she’s taken to religion to repent,” Olivia Cooke tells Vulture in an exclusive interview. “She’s a lot more measured, a lot more thoughtful, and a lot more closeted in terms of her emotions. Having had those six years in the castle with very few allies, thinking long and hard about what she did — she wants to be a closed book.” 

This contrition may seem like it comes from a wholesome place but it also comes from humiliation. Alicent admits that she is repentant because her actions were unbecoming of her station, not because she thought she was wrong. In the six-year gap, she becomes more resolved that her children are superior to Rhaenyra’s. Alicent resents them because they are the king’s favorites who do not truly come from royal stock. And while Rhaenrya has taken to motherhood and has children that love her, Alicent continues to struggle as a parent. This drives her to plot to take away Luke’s right to Driftmark. It seems that religion doesn’t make Alicent more righteous, but less.