House of the Dragon Fans Stunned by Character's Surprise Pregnancy
House of the Dragon subtly revealed that Alicent Hightower is, or was, pregnant.
Spoilers for House of the Dragon's latest episode follow! Though the episodes arrive two years after the first season, House of the Dragon season 2 takes place just weeks after that first batch of episodes. That in mind fans were a little surprised when the first episode revealed that Alicent Hightower and Ser Criston Cole have taken their working relationship to the next level and are now engaged in a full blown affair. House of the Dragon season 2 episode 4 delivers an even more startling revelation about the pair, that all of their secret time together has perhaps resulted in Alicent getting pregnant.
About 11 minutes into the latest episode of House of the Dragon, Alicent receives a visitor in her quarters, Grand Maester Orwyle, who brings her something concealed in a cloth. Fans of House of the Dragon should have recognized this little clay pot immediately as being none other than Moon Tea, and if the container itself didn't give it away then the way Alicent and Maester Orwyle speak about it should. Maester Orwyle makes note of having brewed "it" himself, adding that Alicent should let him know if the "recipient" needs a remedy for any adverse effects. Alicent of course plays her part as well, noting that she will "deliver it herself." House of the Dragon viewers will recall the first instance of the moon tea in the series came after season 1's icky moment between a young Rhaenyra and her Uncle Daemon.
They're talking in circles around what's actually going on here, which is that Grand Maester Orwyle has brought her moon tea so that she might prevent/terminate a potential pregnancy that may have been conceived between she and Ser Criston Cole. Naturally the Dowager Queen becoming pregnant weeks after her bedridden husband has finally died would no doubt cause a stir in the kingdom, but especially when the crown is engaged in a bloody conflict about the true line of succession.
House of the Dragon fans, many of whom already have no love for Alicent, basked in the schadenfreude of this moment. "Cannot believe Alicent was pregnant with Criston's bastard. Greens can't say sh-t to me," one X user posted. Fans were quick to point out the irony of Alicent needing the moon tea herself as well. In season one of House of the Dragon, Alicent did not hide her feelings about Princess Rhaenyra giving birth to three "bastard" children in a row, and now she's got one herself (fathered by the Hand of the King no less).
There's another wrinkle to Alicent and her moon tea though, which is that Lord Larys Strong, the King's Master of Whispers, comes to her quarters to speak to her after she missed a meeting of the High Council. While there of course, he makes a note of the presence of the moon tea, and like a good Master of Whispers makes a mental note for later about it."Alicent over there drinking moon tea like the hypocrite she is and Larys peeping the whole thing," one user wrote about the later scene, a popular sentiment for most House of the Dragon viewers it appears.
The biggest question remaining from this scene is two-fold, is Alicent actually pregnant or was she just taking the moon tea as a preventative measure? But also, will the moon tea work as intended or is another major twist in the cards for the Dowager Queen?
Based on George R.R. Martin's "Fire & Blood" book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.
The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D'Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower.
