House of the Dragon: Alicent Hightower Seems to Be Turning Into a "Monster"
As she ditches her own principles, the Queen is becoming more and more controversial with every episode.
Warning: the following article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon episode 8
Queen Alicent Hightower has been just as questionable as any other character in House of the Dragon, but the newly-released eighth episode was a new low for her, many fans argued.
At the beginning of the episode, Alicent is approached by one of the maids who reveals her a horrifying secret: Prince Aegon, Alicent's son, has raped her. However, even though Alicent comforts the maid and tells her she believes her, she does not seem to be willing to do anything else. The queen only offers the maid some money and the famous Westerosi "Plan B" tea.
Then, when she storms into Aegon's chambers, she does not seem to be as upset with the fact that he raped someone, but rather concerned about how the deed would affect the image of her family.
This fact has sparked yet another wave of fan outrage at Queen Alicent.
"It's crazy how Alicent hated Rhaenyra for having consensual pre-marital sex while she's routinely picking up after her rapist son and doling out plan-B teas. How she called the Targaryen customs "queer" yet forced her SON AND DAUGHTER TO MARRY EACH OTHER." – @raccoonmum
The point of no return appears to have long passed for Alicent, and now many Blacks supporters label her as a "monster" for failing to properly address what her son has done. However, when it comes to her own family, Alicent seems to be a lot more forgiving than when Rhaenyra's children are concerned.
Or is she?
"[N]ow.. OFC i hate she manipulated her not to say anything at the end of that scene! but the disgust was not at the maid.. it was at herself for doing that. & her son. [C']mon, u can hate her all u want but u can see in that scene she's literally remembering how SHE had no choice [...] how she was basically that girl... [I know] a lot of u disregard what [A]licent went through but i do hope at least some of u understand she was maritally raped for years," Twitter fan elumaxluv argued.
Alicent's defenders reminded others that the queen actually lambasted Aegon for what he did, but for many fans, that wasn't it: they thought that Alicent reprimanded her son not for the actual rape, but for putting at risk their reputation. Apparently, the queen doesn't even care that Aegon raped some poor girl, it's just that it or when is going to come out, their reputation would take a serious hit.
Still, even some Blacks supporters somewhat felt for Alicent.
"team black here, when she was confronting dyana i think she saw her former self. unable to do anything in a world full of men, the way she hugged her is like hugging her former self who she has given up in line for duty." – @_saekiii
As Alicent remains adamant that Rhaenyra and her kids threaten her family, Rhaenyra and Daemon are starting to suspect that Alicent and Otto are trying to claim the throne. With King Viserys' death, the civil war within House Targaryen is about to finally escalate into what is known as Dance of the Dragons.
With two more episodes ahead, House of the Dragon is streaming on HBO Max. The finale is scheduled to premiere on October 23.