Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) is having the worst time.

Her daughter Helaena (Phia Saban) is traumatized from Jaehaerys’ loss of life. Her son Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) almost died due to her different son Aemond’s (Ewan Mitchell) fratricidal urges. She’s fled a life-threatening riot, been undermined at and kicked out of the Small Council, and even began a disastrous situationship with Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). Oh, and she or he realized that every one of those tragedies occurred as a result of she misunderstood Viserys’ (Paddy Considine) dying phrases.

In Home of the Dragon Season 2, episode 7, the cumulative weight of those occasions lastly proves an excessive amount of to bear for Alicent, and she or he decides to make a journey to the Kingswood. This tour marks the primary time we have seen Alicent depart King’s Touchdown since Viserys’ hunt in Season 1, episode 3. Right here, although, there is no such thing as a nice retinue tending to the Dowager Queen. By her request, she’s solely accompanied by Ser Rickard Thorne (Vincent Regan), and she or he even rejects his firm after a time.

Alicent’s solo wandering by means of the Kingswood brings her to a lake. She wades in and floats within the water for an prolonged time period. It is a uncommon second of peace for Alicent — and for Home of the Dragon usually — and it might trace at an enormous change forward for her.

What does Alicent’s lake scene imply?

Earlier than leaving King’s Touchdown in episode 7, Alicent laments, “Nothing is clear right here.” The water of the lake, then, affords a chance for cleaning — and for rebirth. As she floats, she’s washed clear of all of the ache she bears. You may virtually see that fear and anguish from her time within the Purple Hold seep from her face the longer she stays within the lake.

However Alicent’s time within the water is not the one side of the lake scene that creates a way of rebirth. In her stroll all the way down to the lake, she sheds her inexperienced cloak and gown till she’s carrying solely a easy white shift. Similar to that is Alicent’s first day out of King’s Touchdown in over a season, that is additionally the primary time we see her carrying a coloration aside from inexperienced since she adopted it in Season 1, episode 5. The impact is destabilizing: That is Alicent with none of the iconography we affiliate her with. No inexperienced robes, no symbols of the Religion of the Seven on her individual, no members of the Kingsguard shadowing her. It is as if we’re seeing Alicent in her easiest, purest state, an thought elevated by the white gown, which calls to thoughts a clean canvas, a brand new begin.

The lack of Alicent’s inexperienced clothes can also be notable within the context of the present. By this level, Aemond has booted Alicent from the Small Council. She has misplaced any of the ability she fought so exhausting to achieve and keep. Each sacrifice she made, each time she caught steadfastly to her responsibility — was all of it for nothing?

Alicent definitely appears to assume so, telling Grand Maester Orwyle (Kurt Egyiawan), “All my life I’ve endeavored to serve each my home and the realm, and someway none of it issues. We’re forged apart. Or hated.” Now that she’s been forged apart by her personal son, and now that she is aware of Aegon’s declare to the Iron Throne is all based mostly on lies, what’s tethering her to their trigger anymore?

With this in thoughts, Alicent leaving her inexperienced clothes behind suggests a lack of allegiance to Staff Inexperienced. Even the colours of the Kingswood level to Alicent ditching her household. She abandons the luxurious greenery of the forest in favor of the water. She should be surrounded by inexperienced on all sides, however within the lake, she is way aside from it.

The sense of freedom from the Greens persists throughout Alicent’s time within the lake. We see her stare up at a chicken wheeling alone by means of the sky. Within the water, she is its mirror picture, flapping her arms simply sufficient to maintain her afloat. Maybe, for the primary time, she feels as if she actually may very well be free as a chicken and escape the techniques of energy which have held her down for therefore lengthy. When she turns and retains swimming away from the shore, there’s an actual risk that she will not be coming again to Ser Rickard, that she plans to run as removed from King’s Touchdown as she will be able to.

So does this scene imply that Alicent will instantly pledge herself to Rhaenyra within the Season 2 finale? Not utterly. Except for being an enormous change from George R.R. Martin’s Fireplace & Blood, a direct alliance won’t ring true after years of infighting and the deaths of members of the family. There stays a lot to reconcile between the 2 of them, and despite the fact that their temporary reunion in episode 3 proves they’ve love for one another, the highway to forgiveness and belief could also be lengthy and winding — thought not unattainable.

The finale of Home of the Dragon Season 2 airs Aug. 4 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.