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“She’s on a high this episode, convinced by Alicent’s offer to surrender King’s Landing.”

Lei Yang

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artstation

“Seeing the shift in Rhaenyra's face and whole body as she sees Alicent, this breaks something in her. From this scene onwards, Rhaenyra changes in a way that she doesn't really even completely understand at that moment.”

“It's the two of them collecting pain. It's a hero's journey in that the pain keeps winning and we're waiting for the love to win. There's moments where the love won, like in Season 1, Episode 8, the love won, but then pain just keeps building. Wherever it comes from — from Daemon, from Dad, from your sons, who you cannot control, who have become monsters. What I love about Episode 8 is that it is truly an exploration of the human condition, the constant battle between pain and love.”

“In the script, there's nothing specific as far as them saying ‘I miss you.’ so it's a wonderful challenge cinematically and in performance to bring them together without words.”

Emma D'Arcy: This game they are locked in, it's largely a nonverbal one, and it's bitter and silent and stony. To name it is to begin to disarm the chasm, the trauma, the difficulty, the pain. Olivia Cooke: We exist in a series of looks and chess pieces and hearsay and ravens. We don’t ever get to see the words in front of us.

“[Alicent] rips her husband's Valyrian steel dagger from its sheath and turns the blade on Rhaenyra. And speaking of chemistry: Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke are burning with it in a scene that seems like it could as easily end in a furious makeout session as it could a murder.”

“[Geeta V.] Patel says that Rhaenyra and Alicent's dynamic is 'absolutely' the love story at the center of House of the Dragon. 'Come with me,' Alicent begged Rhaenyra in their last secret meeting. Rhaenyra admitted she wanted to go, but the call to duty was too great. Another way to interpret their final shots is that Rhaenyra is shrouded in history, almost being crushed beneath the weight of it, and Alicent is left with nothing and without the person she wants with her most.”