The latest episode of House of the Dragon features a devastating Alicent and Rhaenyra parallel

House of the Dragon season 2
(Image credit: HBO/Sky)

House of the Dragon fans have spotted a devastating parallel between Alicent and Rhaenyra in season 2, episode 3

Now, the following will delve into major spoilers for the new episode. Turn back now if you're not up to date! 

In the new installment, Rhaenyra takes a huge risk and travels from Dragonstone to King's Landing so she can meet with Alicent. Rhaenyra is hoping that she can still find a path to peace by speaking to her old childhood best friend, though the odds are stacked against her. That results in Rhaenyra sneaking into the sept to join Alicent in prayer. 

After getting over her initial shock, Alicent insists that Viserys changed his mind on his deathbed and named their son Aegon the new heir. She's so certain, in fact, that she swears it on the memory of her mother. 

Cast your minds back to season 1, and you might remember that young Rhaenyra swears the same oath to Alicent when she promises she was not seen cavorting in a brothel with her uncle Daemon. This was actually a lie, which Alicent later discovered – which explains her repeating the oath now with such a furious look on her face. Check out a comparison of the moments below. 

Rhaenyra is able to clear up the misunderstanding with Alicent over that deathbed confession, too – Viserys was actually speaking of the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy, which involves Aegon the Conqueror, not Aegon II. It's too little too late to stop the war, sadly, but at least now Alicent knows the truth (and is aware of her catastrophic misunderstanding). 

House of the Dragon continues weekly on Sky and NOW in the UK and HBO in the US. For even more on the show, check out our pieces on: 

Molly Edwards
Entertainment Writer

I'm an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.