In a revealing new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ewan Mitchell has opened up about filming one of the most shocking moments in House of the Dragon Season 3; the kiss between Aemond Targaryen and his mother, Alicent Hightower.
Quick read:
- Ewan Mitchell reflected on Aemond’s kiss with Alicent as something he was expecting
- Aemond is showing dominance by kissing his mother
- His deep-seated traumas are showing up in these troubled war times
When Ewan read the script, these were his thoughts,
“When I read it in the script for the first time, I just thought, ‘Oh, that’s something. Quite out there.’ I kind of saw it coming with everything that I’ve explored with Aemond and his relationship with Alicent.”
The moment has sparked intense debate among fans, many of whom found the scene disturbing yet thematically fitting for the dysfunctional Targaryen family.
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AEMOND JUST KISSED HIS MOM ALICENT?!
I had to rewind three times because there’s no way my eyes just witnessed that. House of the Dragon keeps finding new ways to leave me absolutely speechless.#HouseoftheDragon #HOTD pic.twitter.com/iNzMS3suj6— sanmeyo (@oyemnassxo) June 22, 2026
What happens in the scene?
In the Season 3 premiere, Alicent privately urges Aemond to leave King’s Landing and fly to Harrenhal with his dragon Vhagar. She frames it as protection, but her real goal is to leave the capital vulnerable for Rhaenyra’s forces.
During this tense conversation, Aemond misreads his mother’s calculated display of affection. He leans in and kisses her on the lips. Alicent freezes in visible horror, her eyes wide and watering but forces a strained smile, clearly terrified of how her powerful and unpredictable son might react if she rejects him outright.
Ewan Mitchell’s perspective
Mitchell explained that Aemond is trying to “read between the lines” of his mother’s sudden warmth, suspecting an ulterior motive. In his view, the kiss represents Aemond asserting dominance:
“In Aemond’s head, it’s like he’s assuming control of the family… ‘I’m the daddy now.’ He’s the new leader.”
The actor noted that the moment raises big questions about how Aemond and Alicent’s relationship will evolve moving forward. Mitchell also reflected on Aemond’s deep-seated trauma and inability to express affection healthily, drawing on the idea that a child deprived of unconditional love may “burn it down to feel its warmth.”
He even referenced a possible Oedipal element in Aemond’s complex feelings toward his mother.
Showrunner Ryan Condal’s take
Showrunner Ryan Condal provided further context, linking the moment to Aemond’s early traumas; most notably being taken to a brothel by Aegon as a young boy, long before he could process it. Condal explained that this trauma manifests in blurred boundaries as an adult:
“While I don’t think that Aemond is necessarily in love with his mother, I don’t think he’s able to separate the feelings that he has for her from these other male feelings that he experiences.”
Condal also framed the scene as commentary on Alicent’s own shortcomings as a mother, shaped by her grooming and forced marriage at a young age. He emphasized that the kiss is meant to show how even a seemingly composed character like Aemond is deeply scarred and lacks the emotional foundation of a well-adjusted person.
The kiss amplifies the show’s exploration of Targaryen dysfunction, trauma, and incestuous family dynamics; themes that have been present since Season 1 but reach new, uncomfortable territory here. It also highlights Alicent’s growing powerlessness as her son now holds the Iron Throne and wields immense influence.
