House of the Dragon Changes Two Major Villains For the Better (2024)

In House of the Dragon, everyone must endure the consequences of their own actions. When children are slaughtered in the sky like Lucerys Velaryon and in their beds like Prince Jaehaerys, people will point fingers and prices will be paid. Sometimes, however, the wrong people pay the price. Episode 2, "Rhaenyra the Cruel," is an eye-opener for Alicent and Otto Hightower, arguably two of the biggest villains on the show for their treacherous acts against Rhaenyra Targaryen. When they see Aegon II Targaryen's true colors after his son's death, they begin to regret their climb to power.

The Hightowers love a good old fashioned betrayal. Sometimes it's spreading rumors about the princess losing her virginity to her uncle, and other times it's installing an ill-qualified boy on the Iron Throne over the rightful heir. Alicent wonders why Rhaenyra isn't responding back to her letters in a timely manner. Alicent and Otto have grown to be one and the same in her adult years, ultimately bonding over plotting Rhaenyra's downfall. While Alicent has been a little more empathetic towards her former best friend, her gossiping about the now-Queen's affairs and demanding Lucerys Velaryon's eye as retribution showed her true feelings for Rhaenyra. It only took one bad act on Aegon's part to make Alicent and Otto finally realize that maybe they were the true villains all along.

Alicent and Otto Hightower Finally See the Errors in Their Ways

Aegon has done some terrible things over the years that would consider him unfit for the throne. Aegon sexually assaulted servant girls, sent his illegitimate children to fighting pits in Flea Bottom and tormented his younger brother in childhood. No amount of repaying smallfolk in flocks of sheep and loving his children can overshadow the horrific things he's done in his years as a cruel and arrogant boy. Still, Otto and Alicent looked past these terrible acts for pride and vanity. Alicent was charmed by her snake of a father, who orchestrated Rhaenyra's downfall every chance he got.

Alicent was manipulated to believe Aegon was being robbed of his inheritance as the eldest child from Rhaenrya, despite Viserys never wavering from his decision to break the wheel and make Rhaenyra the first Queen of Westeros. Otto's true intentions to put Aegon on the throne aren't only rooted in a desire to stick to tradition, but to put his own blood on the throne. Thus, when Aegon hangs all the rat-catchers in King's Landing to catch one-half of Blood and Cheese, it's curious why Otto is truly furious. Does he really feel empathy for the families of the innocent rat-catchers?

In actuality, Otto is angry that Aegon is ruining his chances of gaining sympathy from the smallfolk, arguably the key to winning the war. Wherever his true frustrations lie, Otto admits that Aegon doesn't belong on the throne. Aegon is impetuous and senseless. Otto, at least, could've balanced out Aegon's lack of emotional intelligence with a long-term plan backed by logic. But now that Otto has been ousted by Aegon, with Criston Cole being named as his new Hand of the King, the state of the Greens is up in the air. Alicent also shares regret over her choice to abandon Viserys' plan to make Rhaenyra the queen.

As Aegon ascends into power, Alicent has lost the power of voice over the small council. Annoyingly, she still makes excuses for her sons' reckless actions by claiming they're overwhelmed by grief and revenge. But she can't deny that Aegon and Aemond have made horrible mistakes that everyone else is left to clean up. Lighting a candle for Lucerys Velaryon and physically scrubbing away her sins isn't enough to cleanse herself, but they are acts of self-realization.

Otto Hightower's Expulsion Actually Serves His Character

Anyone can say what they want about Otto Hightower, but he at least had a plan. He didn't usurp the throne on a whim. That was years in the making with the help of the small council. It was an evil act that can be condemned, but there was a process. The loss of Otto HIghtower will be a huge hit to the Greens. He's the most politically savvy member of the small council. His quickness in striking up a plan that involves using Jaehaerys as a ploy to win over the smallfolks' favor shows that he has the shrewd stomach to help the Greens win over the Blacks. Criston Cole lacks everything Otto is, and he'll ultimately be the Greens' downfall.

Criston has too much of a personal stake in this war. For some reason, he's still whining over Rhaenyra "stealing" his honor all those years ago, even though he's perfectly happy letting Alicent do the same. He knows nothing of politics or trade, and there's no chance he's writing letters to great lords to ask for support. Even as a soldier, he hardly knows anything about war tactics. He serves only to echo Aegon or Alicent that Rhaenyra is a spider. Unlike Otto, Criston can't swallow his words and learn from his flaws. From the comparison to Criston alone, Otto has suddenly become a more sympathetic villain.

Alicent's Past Will Always Come Back to Haunt Her

Alicent has become a mixed bag of a character in Season 2. In Season 1, there was a steady transformation from a young girl exploited by her father to a cunning woman still used as a pawn for her father's ambitions. She's a victim of her circ*mstances and adapted to survive this world in the only way she knew how: by becoming her father. By the end of Season 1, she had no problem usurping the throne and betraying Rhaenyra, if it meant putting her children and house first. The death of Lucerys Velaryon changed the entire game for Alicent.

She truly wanted peace between her family and Rhaenyra's, even going as far as stopping the assassination attempt her father had planned. As delirious as she sounds, Alicent never wanted lives to be lost to a war she started. Certainly, she never wanted a child to die for her own sins. Alicent feels responsible for Lucerys' death, something that Aegon nor Aemond would publicly admit. Alicent and Otto have become two of the most fascinating portrayals in House of the Dragon. Unlike Game of Thrones' Joffrey Baratheon or Ramsay Bolton, they're not stereotypical villains who want to see the world burn.

Alicent and Otto hold a certain level of reason that Aegon lacks, while also actively engaging in the misogynistic culture of Westeros. They've evolved into incredibly complicated characters that are tricky to unwind like a knotted ball of coiled yarn. Their nuanced personalities are certainly an upgrade from their purely . At least in House of the Dragon, they have good moments that let them ascend beyond the wickedness they've suppressed themselves to, but only for a short while until they commit another crime of barbarity.

New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday at 9 P.M. ET.

House of the Dragon

TV-MA

Drama

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Two centuries before the events ofA Game of Thrones,House Targaryen—the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria—took up residence on Dragonstone.

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Cast

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

Main Genre

Drama

Website

https://www.hbo.com/house-of-the-dragon

Franchise

Game of Thrones

Characters By

George R. R. Martin

Cinematographer

Alejandro Martinez, Catherine Goldschmidt, Pepe Avila del Pino, Fabian Wagner

Creator

George R. R. Martin, Ryan J. Condal

Distributor

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution

Filming Locations

Spain, England, Portugal, California

Main Characters

Queen Alicent Hightower, Ser Harrold Westerling, Lord Corlys Velaryon, Grand Maester Mellos, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Ser Criston Cole, Lord Lyonel Strong, Ser Otto Hightower, Lord Jason Lannister/Ser Tyland Lannister, King Viserys I Targaryen, Mysaria, Lord Lyman Beesbur, Prince Daemon Targaryen, Ser Harwin Strong, Princess Rhaenys Velaryon, Larys Strong

Production Company

Bastard Sword, Cross Plains Productions, Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO

Sequel

Game of Thrones

Sfx Supervisor

Michael Dawson

Story By

George R. R. Martin

Number of Episodes

10

Network

HBO Max

Streaming Service(s)

Max