Even before her contentious relationship with her uncle Daemon, speculation of a possible romance between Rhaenyra Targaryen and her best friend Alicent Hightower dates back to the first season of the Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon. Their closeness is sometimes even reflected in their portrayers, Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who were recently spotted together at the Wimbledon 2024 finals.
The second season of House of the Dragon is currently airing on Max and is being showered with praise. Fans and critics have loved the performance of D’Arcy and Cooke as Rhaenyra and Alicent, and they are taking a much-deserved break from work. The duo is currently watching the Wimbledon finals together.
Director Geeta Patel explained that the decision to bring Alicent and Rhaenyra together again was very purposeful. In an interview, she mentioned that it was important for the protagonists to confront each other, making the moment feel monumental. This meeting was designed to build suspense and highlight the complex dynamics between the characters.
“It was very purposeful that you have this moment where your protagonists actually confront each other. It was important to the writers to have Rhaenyra and Alicent bring it home and be the spine of the season, because that’s the spine of the first season: these two women’s relationship.
In order to expand the world, we wanted to be able to come back to them. What the writers did so well, and the actors, is by the end of Episode 3 they bring Episodes 1 and 2 into it. It’s almost like a litmus test that if 1, 2 and 3 are working, you’re gonna feel it. If they’re not working, you won’t feel it because it’s a lot of words.”
