This Sunday's sixth episode of House of the Dragon will jump forward 10 years, with Emma D'Arcy (who identifies as non-binary) stepping in to replace Milly Alcock as Rhaenyra Targaryen. Now, HBO has officially released D'Arcy's first scene as "The Realm's Delight."
The sequence begins with Rhaenyra's husband Ser Laenor Velaryon (now played by John Macmillan) joining his wife after the birth of her son. Laenor wonders where she's rushing off to, and the princess explains that "she wants to see him."
We assume she's referring to the current Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), who's father Otto (Rhys Ifans) warned her that her one-time friend would put her own children to the sword if it meant maintaining her position as heir to the Iron Throne. Whether Rhaenyra is capable of something so horrific or not, Alicent is sure to be concerned.
"This character, as a result of patriarchal constraints, essentially doesn't have power," D'Arcy explains during an interview with EW. "They have privilege, but they don't have power. It's one thing to put two female characters in the center of a series like this, but it's another when they are positioned within a patriarchy. How do we pay attention to them at least seeking command of their own lives?"
We know from the promo for "The Princess and The Queen" that King Viserys (Paddy Considine) still lives (somehow), but his inevitable demise is sure to bring about the civil war known as the Dance of Dragons.
Check out the clip in the player below.
"The prequel series finds the Targaryen dynasty at the absolute apex of its power, with more than 15 dragons under their yoke. Most empires—real and imagined—crumble from such heights. In the case of the Targaryens, their slow fall begins almost 193 years before the events of Game of Thrones, when King Viserys Targaryen breaks with a century of tradition by naming his daughter Rhaenyra heir to the Iron Throne. But when Viserys later fathers a son, the court is shocked when Rhaenyra retains her status as his heir, and seeds of division sow friction across the realm."
House of the Dragon stars Paddy Considine (Peaky Blinders) as King Viserys Targaryen, Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One) as Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy (Wanderlust) as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Matt Smith (Doctor Who) as Prince Daemon Targaryen. The show is set to premiere on August 21.