House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 7: Lake Alicent Scene Explained

Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) is having a bad time.

His daughter Helena (Fia Saban) is heartbroken over Jaehaerys’ death, and her son Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) nearly died because of her. other She faced fratricidal urges from her son Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), fled a life-threatening insurrection, was undermined and ousted by the Small Council, and even began a disastrous affair with Ser Christon Cole (Fabian Frankel). Oh, and then she learned all of this happened because she misunderstood Viserys’ (Paddy Considine) dying words.

in House of Dragons In Season 2, Episode 7, the accumulation of these events finally becomes too much for Alicent to bear, and she decides to journey to Kingswood. This outing marks Alicent’s first time leaving King’s Landing since the hunt for Viserys in Season 1, Episode 3. Here, however, there is no large retinue to look after the Queen Mother. At her request, she is accompanied only by Ser Rickard Thorne (Vincent Regan), who she rejects after a while.

Alicent was wandering alone in Kingswood when she came across a lake. She walked through the water and floated for a long time. House of the Dragon Generally speaking, it could signal big changes for her.

What is the significance of the lake scene in Alicent?

Olivia Cooke in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Before leaving King’s Landing in Episode 7, Alicent laments, “Nothing is pretty here.” The waters of the lake offer a chance for cleansing and renewal. As she floats, all the pain she’s been carrying is washed away. The longer she stays on the lake, you can almost see the anxiety and anguish of her time at the Red Keep seep out of her face.

But it’s not just Alicent’s time in the water that creates a sense of rebirth in the lake scene. As she walks to the lake, she sheds her green cloak and dress, wearing only a simple white shirt. Just as this is the first time in a season that Alicent has left King’s Landing, it’s also the first time we see her wearing a color other than green since she did so in Season 1, Episode 5. The effect is unsettling. This is Alicent without any of the symbolism we associate her with. There’s no green gown, no symbol of the Seven faith she wears, no members of the King’s Guard following her in the shadows. It’s as if we’re seeing Alicent in her most simple and pure state, an idea heightened by the white dress, evoking a blank canvas, a new beginning.

The loss of Alicent’s green suit is also noteworthy in the context of the show. At this point, Aemond had banished Alicent from the Small Council. She had lost all the power she had fought so hard to gain and maintain. All the sacrifices she had made, all the times she had faithfully performed her duty, was it all for nothing?

Alicent certainly seems to think so, telling Grand Maester Orwyle (Kurt Eghiawan), “I have tried all my life to serve house and kingdom, but somehow, none of it has meant anything. We have been abandoned. Or hated.” Now that she has been abandoned by her own son, and knows Aegon’s claim to the Iron Throne was based entirely on a lie, what will bind her to their cause?

With this in mind, Alicent’s removal of her green clothing suggests she has lost her loyalty to Team Green. Even the colors of Kingswood indicate that Alicent has abandoned her family. She has abandoned the lush green of the forest for the water. She may still be surrounded by green on all sides, but in the lake she is far from green.

The sense of freedom that the Greens gave her continues during Alicent’s time on the lake. She looks up at a bird circling in the sky. In the water, she is the bird’s mirror image, flapping her arms just enough to keep her afloat. Perhaps for the first time, she feels truly free like the bird, able to escape the systems of power that have held her captive for so long. As she turns and heads away from shore, we learn that she likely won’t be returning to Ser Rickard, and that she intends to get as far away from King’s Landing as possible.

So does this scene mean that Alicent will soon pledge allegiance to Rhaenyra in the Season 2 finale? Not entirely. George R.R. Martin’s Fire and BloodBut after years of internal conflict and a death in the family, a quick alliance might not seem like a good idea. There’s still a lot left to reconcile between the two, and their brief reunion in episode three proves they love each other, but the road to forgiveness and trust may be long and winding, but it’s not impossible.

The finale House of the Dragon Season 2 will premiere on August 4 at 9pm ET on HBO and Max.