Listen, there’s something in the television air. And that something is… incest? We didn’t really see that one coming. But we have two major series on the air right now, House of the Dragon and The Vampire Lestat, that are both serving us some strange mother/son interactions... By which we mean kisses. And you’d think we’d be a bit inured to this by now, given the strange propensity for incest we’ve seen in recent times. But NOPE. House of the Dragon season three’s kiss between Aemond Targaryen and his mother, Alicent Hightower, is probably the most awkward kiss we’ve ever seen on television. And, as we mentioned, that’s SAYING something. We’re glad it’s cringe, but we’re a bit less glad to have to watch it.
It’s a difficult life for a woman in Westeros. It’s triply difficult if you’re just trying to run away from your terrible family and prevent all-out war. Alicent did her best to get the rightful queen on the throne when she went to Rhaenyra at the end of House of the Dragon season two, willing to sacrifice her terrible son Aegon for some peace. But in House of the Dragon season three, nothing is going as planned. Aegon is missing, and Aemond (and his vicious dragon Vhagar) refuse to leave King’s Landing to make way for an easy Rhaenyra takeover. So what is Alicent to do? Well, on House of the Dragon season three, episode, Alicent deftly manipulates Aemond by offering him what he wants most… her love… and a kiss… A really bad one. Eeps.
In order to get Aemond out of the castle, Alicent finally tells him what he most wants to hear. That she loves him and that while she “strove tirelessly to put Aegon on the throne,” Alicent truly believes, “You should have been King. If you’d only been born first, then perhaps we wouldn’t be here.” And, of course, these are the words that mommy-issue-riddled Aemond has always wanted to hear. And as she continues to speak, Alicent moves closer to Aemond, taking his hand and telling him, “That is why you need to go to Harrenhal. It is a stronghold. One that has withstood dragonfire once before. You are no longer safe here in King’s Landing. You are the crown now. And Rhaenyra will send her new dragons here for you.” But, of course, nothing actually sways Aemond to leave King’s Landing until Alicent offers, “Perhaps I could even meet you there… I cannot lose you.”
And that, to Aemond, is the opening for the world’s most uncomfortable kiss ever. Alicent’s eyes are fully open, and her whole body conveys disgust as Aemond kisses her on House of the Dragon, but he doesn’t seem to notice. Instead, he very sincerely tells her, “I shall host a feast there in your honor. In Black Harren’s hall. Whilst my uncle’s head looks down from a spike.” Well… that’s charming.
We can see Alicent regret all her life choices after her kiss with Aemond and his bloodthirsty proclamations. Of course, the whole thing is also a bit sad. We know that, on some level, as we see from his interactions with Sylvi, the madam of the aptly named brothel, Mother’s, Aemond just wants to be held, loved, and listened to by a maternal figure. Alicent clearly did not give him much in the way of motherly affection. And, in the world of House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, that dearth has gone very wrong.
Speaking to both Alicent actress Olivia Cooke and Aemond actor Ewan Mitchell, Nerdist learned more about the awkward kiss between them in House of the Dragon.
Cooke shares, “She thinks it’s really hot.” Only joking. In fact, Alicent finds it incredibly disturbing. It’s completely out of left field. I think she is like, ‘Great, another failing as a parent,’ because something has been confused. Something has been tragically confused along the way. And she’s in a really dangerous position now because any seeming rejection will get her killed, and will mean that Aemond is still in the castle when Rhaenyra comes, and so she’s got to play body chess at the same time as trying to survive.” ‘Body Chess’ is a phrase we might have done without, but it does get the point across.
Meanwhile, Mitchell offers an empathetic view of Aemond’s actions in House of the Dragon and his desire to kiss his mother, Alicent, “Aemond, he kind of grew up feeling like he never had that much love as a child, and he really had to learn to love himself. And so that’s where his ego and his vanity stems from. If a child isn’t embraced by the village, they’ll burn it down to feel its warmth. He’s kind of on this war path. He’s finding his power through using Vhagar and really making a name for himself. A notorious kind of name for himself. And I think Aemond, in that moment, he’s kind of risen to a position where he can comfortably call himself the king and the leader of Team Green. And with that, maybe he feels like he can shoot his shot with Alicent in a really weird way because his perception of love is so skewed. He doesn’t necessarily know how to show it since he never received any. What you’ve seen in that moment is kind of a combination of both of those things.”
Well, as awkward as it was, Alicent’s shared kiss with Aemond on House of the Dragon episode one did, indeed, achieve her aims. What will happen between the pair in the long run remains to be seen. But hopefully… no more kisses.
House of the Dragon season three is now airing on HBO and HBO Max on Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT.
Rotem Rusak is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. She’s seen a lot on TV, but that kiss between Aemond and Alicent on House of the Dragon was one of the worst things ever.