‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Finally Reveals Whether Alicent Turns Against Her Son Aemond

‘House of the Dragon’ has spent much of its third season building toward one of the most uncomfortable questions in the show’s history, whether Alicent Hightower could actually be pushed into killing her own son. The answer arrived in season 3 episode 7, and it did not come easily or cleanly for anyone involved.

Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen ordered Alicent Hightower to kill her own son, reasoning that if soldiers were sent after Aemond he would simply flee and find another hideout, so the assassin needed to be someone he trusted. That single decision set the entire Harrenhal storyline in motion, and it forced Alicent into a role she never wanted.

Alicent Hightower’s Secret Mission to Harrenhal

Fans had been curious whether Alicent could be relentless enough to kill her own son, and the show ultimately answered that question with a shocking yes. The mission was never framed as something Alicent embraced willingly, and the show spent significant time showing her reluctance before she acted.

Alicent was sent to Harrenhal by Rhaenyra in what was described as a very unexpected and unsettling plan to get her to kill Aemond Targaryen. The opening minutes of the episode leaned into that discomfort directly, with a sequence so troubling that viewers reportedly watched with their jaws on the floor before learning it was not actually real.

When Alicent arrived, she told Aemond a story about having escaped the Red Keep, and led him out to Harrenhal’s godswood courtyard to meet the man who supposedly rescued her, Ser Adrian Redfort. That introduction did not go the way Alicent had planned.

Why Aemond Targaryen Trusts No One at Harrenhal

Alicent explained to her son that it was the Queensguard knight Ser Adrian Redfort who had escorted her through the war torn Riverlands, but Aemond killed him within seconds of meeting him because he refused to risk any stranger discovering the secrets of Harrenhal. Alicent had been sent there in an attempt to lure Aemond out so Rhaenyra’s men could finally kill him, and she greeted her son with maternal warmth as a way of lulling him into submission.

Aemond’s paranoia proved to be well founded, even if he had no idea just how close he had come to his mother’s true intentions. Alicent lied about how she had escaped, then welcomed Aemond into her arms, grasping his face and kissing him on the cheek before telling him that Aegon was most likely dead.

The awkward family dynamic continued into an uncomfortable dinner scene, where Aemond told his mother he planned to make Harrenhal his new seat with Alys Rivers as his queen, only for Alicent to reiterate that she still did not understand who this woman was. Alicent pressed Alys about her intentions toward her son, and the dinner was described as a strained affair from start to finish.

How Alicent Poisons Aemond in the Godswood

After Aemond told Alicent that he wanted her to remain in Harrenhal with him and Alys, she decided to poison him with berries she found in the godswood. Before that, Alicent had gone back to Ser Adrian’s body hoping to find a dagger, only to discover poisonous nightshade flowers instead.

Alicent offered Aemond his favorite spiced wine, which was actually poison drawn from the flowers in the godswood, and in that same conversation Aemond admitted to trying to kill Aegon during the Battle at Rook’s Rest. It was a somewhat tragic moment, since Alicent already knew about the attempt on Aegon’s life, as it had been obvious to anyone who understood Aemond well.

Alicent then fled the castle believing her poisoning plot had succeeded, though the episode made clear that outcome was almost assuredly premature. Aemond stumbled into Alys Rivers’ workshop, said her name, and collapsed at her feet, prompting Alys to simply call him an idiot.

The scene carried extra weight because of everything that came before it in the episode, including a hallucinatory sequence involving Alys posing as Alicent. Gayle Rankin, who plays Alys Rivers, told Variety that filming the scene between mother, son, and son’s new girlfriend was very intimate and very odd but very professional.

Critics and Fans React to the House of the Dragon Twist

Reception to the storyline has been notably split, with several critics praising the performances even as they questioned the plotting that got the characters there. One review argued that Alicent attempting to poison Aemond was the first genuinely interesting thing her character had done all season, while also noting that Olivia Cooke continues to do strong work with limited material.

Not every critic was as forgiving of the path the show took to get there. One recap expressed frustration with the entire plotline, questioning why Alicent would agree to the assassination attempt, why Rhaenyra would pressure her into it, and how she managed to travel from King’s Landing to Harrenhal so quickly. Another review described Alicent’s journey across the season as a mess, pointing to her ride to Harrenhal to murder her own son as one of several increasingly curious choices attributed to a thematically convenient dragon effect.

Some critics were simply ready to move past the Alicent and Aemond dynamic altogether, calling it their least favorite plot thread of the season and noting it has no basis in George R.R. Martin’s source material. The show’s writers have confirmed that Aemond and Alicent’s storyline will wrap up in the season finale, which airs on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, August 9.

Whether Aemond survives the poisoning remains an open question heading into the finale, and the show has now teased his possible death twice within the same season. Do you think Aemond pulls through with Alys Rivers’ help, or has ‘House of the Dragon’ finally written him out of the war for the Iron Throne.