Why is Alicent Mad at Rhaenyra? Here's What Emily Carey Thinks
The reason for the Targaryen civil war is pretty mundane, in fact.
The recent House of the Dragon episodes have made it clear that Alicent has a problem with Rhaenyra even though the latter seemingly did nothing wrong to her. Fans have been scratching their heads trying to understand Alicent's motives as she's been becoming increasingly more bitter towards her former best friend.
Among the reasons for her anger, fans highlighted her loveless marriage to King Viserys and general feeling of being constantly outshined by the princess. Emily Carey, who portrayed the younger version of Alicent, appears to confirm fan version in an interview with Variety. According to the actress, it is indeed about Rhaenyra sleeping with more attractive men and the fact that she "lied upon the memory of her mother" that triggered Alicent so much.
However, Carey is ready to defend her character until the end.
"First of all, there's the betrayal of, 'You lied to me.' Then the betrayal of, 'I swear this upon the memory of my mother,' which is what you see in Episode 2 with their shared trauma. It's something that they bond over," Carey insisted.
The actress underlined that "the amount of misogyny that Rhaenyra faces, Alicent gets just as much". The biggest tragedy about both Rhaenyra and Alicent is how "their lives are basically being dictated by their fathers", she added.
Still, Carey's arguments do not seem to work with House of the Dragon fans that already dislike Alicent for the way she chose to cope with her anger. However, some people still side with her — not as their favorite character but as a complex and interesting character.
"Alicent was very disappointed when she realized that her best friend had deceived her and her husband (friend's father) had fired her father because of the truth Alicent is a bad woman, but she became so because of her family, she was good girl. It's complex and interesting hero." – @Neil528491
There are four more episodes before the first season of House of the Dragon comes to a conclusion, with fans buzzing in excitement about the upcoming drama of Dance of the Dragons. New episodes arrive on HBO Max every Sunday.