Alicent's Lake Scene In House Of The Dragon Season 2, Episode 7 Explained

WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 7 and George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book, on which the show is based!

Alicent escapes King’s Landing for a trip to the Kingswood, where she has a somber and meaningful moment at the lake in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 7. In the aftermath of King Viserys’ death, Alicent’s power, sense of self, and grasp on her family and values have been slipping greatly. From Alicent’s forbidden romance with Criston Cole to being removed from the Small Council by her son, Aemond, the Dowager Queen is more lost than ever in season 2. Recognizing her mistakes and anguish as the war escalates, Alicent takes an isolated journey to the lake with Ser Rickard Thorne.

After Maester Orwyle stitches her wound from House of the Dragon season 2, episode 6’s riot, Alicent leaves the Red Keep with only a horse and Ser Rickard. When she arrives at their camp after riding deep into the Kingswood, she confounds Ser Rickard by telling him that she may never return to the castle. Alicent later strips off her top clothes, walks slowly into the lake, and swims alone, simply floating as she stares at the sky above. Alicent has already had a few important water-based moments in House of the Dragon, with her lake scene being symbolic of her growing guilt and lack of control.

Alicent’s Lake Scene Is About Wanting To Cleanse Herself

Alicent Symbolically Desires To Wash Away The Blood On Her Hands

Throughout House of the Dragon season 2, Alicent’s water scenes have paralleled her desire to cleanse herself of her sins, mistakes, and guilt. Following Viserys’ death, Alicent has “dirtied” her morality, righteousness, and virtue, with this feeling of sin staining her body and mind being manifested physically. Just this season alone, Alicent has had a sexual relationship with a knight of the Kingsguard, recognized her mistake in misinterpreting Viserys’ last words about Aegon and causing the Targaryen war, couldn’t keep her son Aemond from his homicidal and tyrannical pursuits, and has felt responsible for the deaths spawned from her actions.

Alicent previously aggressively scrubs her body in the bath during House of the Dragon season 2, episode 2 while feeling guilty for sleeping with Criston Cole. Similarly, Alicent’s swim in the lake symbolizes her wish to cleanse herself from the blood on her hands after helping cause this war. Alicent has always considered herself righteous, dutiful, and principled, particularly in reference to her strong faith, yet she now finds herself playing a dirty game in the Dance of the Dragons that has led her to betray this perception of herself. Alicent has lost control and recognizes she’s gone too far in her actions, and she’s unable to remove this stain internally or externally.

Alicent’s lake scene in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 7 is a great example of the Lady Macbeth effect. This states that a response to a clue to clean grows greater when one feels shame, based on Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Macbeth imagining bloodstains on her hand after killing someone and incessantly washing herself. Similarly, Alicent’s internal shame and guilt are increasing her need to clean herself physically, highlighting the symbolic link between moral purity and bodily cleanliness.

With Alicent’s shame having grown so substantially by the end of season 2, she must move to a solitary lake to cleanse herself rather than a confining bathtub. Considering the religious nature of her character, there are also some Biblical undertones in Alicent’s lake scene that mirror her sentiment of being unable to clean of her sins. Her swim in the lake is symbolically comparable to a baptism, as she immerses herself in the water, is cloaked in her white gown, and seeks to wash away her sins in favor of moral purification and rebirth from the woman she once was.

Alicent’s Lake Scene Is Also About Freedom

Alicent Has Been Caged & Restrained Since She Was A Child

In addition to symbolizing the cleansing of her morality and sins, Alicent’s lake scene is representative of the freedom she hasn’t known for decades. She’s been a pawn in political games since she was a child, restricted to doing what fits the political needs of her house and realm throughout her teenage years, and raising her children with Viserys through the restrictions and responsibilities of being Targaryen royalty. Alicent truly has never known freedom or a life lived for herself – until this moment as she floats alone on a lake.

Alicent is also completely at peace as she floats on the water and looks at a bird flying overhead. She came to King’s Landing as a child with Otto, her mother, Alerie Florent, died when she was young, her best friend became the heir to the Iron Throne, she had to marry the King at age 14 and immediately bear children, and has been fighting for her life, their own, and some sense of power ever since. For the first time in years, Alicent is calmly outside the walls of the Red Keep, alone other than a quiet knight, and could choose to never return to King’s Landing if she doesn’t want to.

Related

One Alicent & Criston Cole Moment In HOTD Season 2, Episode 6 Has A Much Deeper Meaning

Criston Cole and Alicent Hightower share a prolonged glance in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 6. There’s more to this than what you see.

What Happens Next To Alicent?

Alicent Hightower’s Story Becomes Increasingly Tragic In The Dance Of The Dragons

Alicent has already arguably had a much larger role in House of the Dragon’s war than she did in Fire & Blood. According to the book, the next major event that happens with Alicent is the Fall of King’s Landing. Early in House of the Dragon season 3, it’s expected that Rhaenyra Targaryen will take King’s Landing from the Greens, sparing Alicent and Helaena but keeping them captive in the Red Keep throughout her rule. As such, Alicent’s lake scene is seemingly the last time she’ll ever have that sort of freedom in her life.

In Fire & Blood, Alicent continues to lobby for peace and suggests some alternative compromises to split the realm between Rhaenyra and Aegon, but this plea is rejected. Later in Rhaenyra’s reign on the Iron Throne, Helaena Targaryen dies by suicide at the Red Keep and Alicent blames the Queen for her daughter’s demise. In quick succession, Alicent loses the rest of her loved ones: Cole dies at the Butcher’s Ball, Aemond at the Battle Above the Gods Eye, Daeron at the Second Battle of Tumbleton, Rhaenyra when Aegon kills her with Sunfyre, and Aegon when he’s poisoned by his own men.

Though she survives, Alicent Hightower remains solitary, trapped, and never at peace after the war. Even her surviving granddaughter, Jaehaera, dies by suicide shortly after marrying Rhaenyra’s son King Aegon III Targaryen. The book reveals that Alicent remains in her bed for the final year of her life, weeping often and speaking to herself, and eventually hating the color green. Alicent dies alone of an illness two years after the war’s conclusion, bringing a tragic end to the House of the Dragon character’s story.

House of the Dragon

Taking place about 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.

Cast

Jefferson Hall , Paddy Considine , Fabien Frankel , Ryan Corr , Eve Best , Gavin Spokes , Graham McTavish , Steve Toussaint , Olivia Cooke , Sonoya Mizuno , Bill Paterson , Matthew Needham , Emma D’Arcy , Matt Smith , Rhys Ifans , David Horovitch

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Seasons

2

Directors

Miguel Sapochnik , Clare Kilner , Alan Taylor , Greg Yaitanes , Geeta Vasant Patel , Andrij Parekh

Showrunner

Ryan Condal

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