Alicent is forced into early retirement, says Olivia Cooke at House of the Dragon season 2 premiere panel discussion

With June 16 just around the corner, Team Black and Team Green are all geared up to claim the Iron Throne. In a panel discussion to kick off the New York premiere of House of the Dragon, the cast and showrunner Ryan Condal sat down to answer some burning questions.

Talking about the looming war and the preceding power shift at King’s Landing, actress Olivia Cooke claimed that her character has been forced into early retirement. Alicent’s purpose in life, as set by her father, was to further the reputation of her house and consolidate power. Now, with her son as the King of Seven Kingdoms, she feels useless as she has achieved her purpose and now has nothing to do.

The Dowager Queen has lost a fair share of power and is struggling to find her footing. Condal further praised Cooke for her incredible work in bringing the character to life. He said,

“Allison gets put through the wringer this year. And, she’s really forced to reckon with the fact that the thing that she was sort of groomed to do since she was 14 years old by her Father which is to lift up the greatness of her own house she’s done that and now she’s had a son and put him on the throne and in doing so, she has diminished her own power. I think she probably didn’t realize at the moment how much of a power shift that is.”

Ewan Mitchell says Aemond and Vhagar identify with each other because both don’t fit in anywhere

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The first season of House of the Dragon did a tremendous job of setting up characters and their subsequent journeys. We met the children of Alicent and Viserys from a young age and saw them get bullied and teased at times by Rhaenyra’s kids. In the midst of egos and heightened sense of self, the cousin arguments have now become full-fledged wars.

Aemond, especially, used to be teased a lot since he did not bond with a dragon as a child. To make up for the lost time, he chooses to tame Vhagar. He is one of the biggest dragons in all of Westeros. This is why he cannot fit into any castle or cage. Similarly, Aemond felt like he didn’t fit anywhere and always felt like an outcast. In the panel discussion, Ewan Mitchell explains the same and adds,

“So they’re able to identify with each other that idea of standing in the face of adversity a 10-year-old claiming this behemoth, it’s a tremendous amount of courage and um and this drive is very evident in that and going into season two. You’re going to see that drive continue and it’s going to be scary.”

Fans are already so excited to see Aemond coming into his own this season. Moreover, Mitchell’s comments added fuel to the fire. His angsty rebellious persona is truly going to shine in House of the Dragon season 2.

Also Read: Daemon Targaryen is “haunted by his demons,” says Matt Smith about his House of the Dragon season 2 character arc

Ryan Condal talks about 2 battle sequences in House of the Dragon season 2

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Even though he claimed that he could not divulge much information, showrunner Ryan Condal claimed that House of the Dragon season 2 has some of the grandest battle scenes he has ever worked on. The two massive wars featured in the upcoming season are bound to surprise and leave fans awestruck.

“The show has kind of outstripped the just the size and scale of anything we did in season one and some people here in this room might have participated in one or more of them. But I’m excited for you guys to see them.”

He was talking about the Green faction at the time. Even the promotional bits have been divided into teams lately. Both factions are appearing for interviews separately to keep the spark alive and let the viewers believe they are actually at war.

Also Read: Daemon Targaryen loses trust in Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon season 2