We've been eagerly snapping up all the new information we can get on House of the Dragon, the highly-anticipated Game of Thrones prequel, since the spin-off series was announced back in December 2020 (aka. the craziest Christmas we've ever had thanks to the pandemic).
The 10-episode series is inspired by one of George R. R. Martin's original books, Fire and Blood, and is set to take place 300 years before Game of Thrones , looking at the reigns of the Targaryen dynasty. It particularly hones in on the Dance of the Dragons, a brutal civil war that tore Westeros apart some 200 years before the story we know, after there’s disagreement over whether the Iron Throne should go to Rhaenyra Targaryen, the eldest child of King Viserys Targaryen; or his son Aegon Targaryen.
And though many have dubbed the storyline's main theme as focusing on “sibling rivalry," what it really is, ultimately, is a story about women, and we love a story about women. It’s about two women who could have been family and were instead pit against each other, and who bled the Seven Kingdoms dry. It’s the story of the brave women who fought, informed, negotiated, died, and crucially, survived. It is the complex, intricate, nuanced tale of women who won and women who lost.
"I'm in the small minority of people that can survive that"
The question is, who are the powerful new female characters in the series that we need to know about? Well, query no more, because we're about to talk you through 'em.
Rhaenyra, a distant aunt of Daenerys according to their - very complicated - family tree, is the ‘Realm’s Delight' and groomed to be queen from a young age. The only surviving child of King Viserys I and Queen Aemma Arryn (who was also a Targaryen on her mother’s side) and is bright, beautiful and shows infinite promise. Basically, she's a triple-threat.
The role will primarily be played by Emma D’Arcy, a 29-year-old English actor who has previously worked on Truth Seekers, Mothering Sunday, Hanna and Misbehaviour, while a younger Rhaenyra Targaryen will be played by Milly Alcock.
Princess Rhaenys Targaryen is known to Westeros as “The Queen Who Never Was.” She is the daughter of Prince Aemon Targaryen and his cousin Lady Jocelyn Baratheon. Despite the law of primogeniture, Rhaenys’ claim to the throne was deemed weaker than her cousin Viserys’ because she is a woman; this sets a precedent often invoked by the Greens when supporting Aegon II over Rhaenyra during the Dance of the Dragons.
“It's the sort of thing I always wanted to see growing up.”
Rhaenys will be played by Emily "Eve" Best, who is well-versed in playing badass women. The actor and director is best known for her television roles as Dr. Eleanor O'Hara in the Showtime series Nurse Jackie, First Lady Dolley Madison in the American Experience television special, and Monica Chatwin in the BBC miniseries The Honourable Woman.
Lady Alicent Hightower is the daughter of Ser Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King to King Viserys I Targaryen and a member of the king's inner circle. Given her father’s most prominent position as Hand of the King, she lives at court in King’s Landing, where she catches the eye of King Viserys. In 106 AC, the two marry and she becomes Queen, though it's not quite happily-ever-after after that.
Alicent is played by both Olivia Cooke and Emily Carey. Cooke is known for her starring role as Emma Decody in the A&E drama thriller series Bates Motel and as Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair. While Carey for her roles as Grace Beauchamp in Casualty and Mika Cavanaugh in Netflix's Get Even.
House of the Dragon will likely air on HBO on 21 August 2022. Watch this space.
Get ready for some more relatable laughs!
