House of the Dragon fans are expressing intense disgust after the season 3 premiere featured a mother-son kiss between Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) and his mother, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). The scene, which aired on June 22, 2026, has been widely condemned as gratuitous and unnecessary.
Battle of the Gullet and Secret Plot
The episode depicted the long-awaited Battle of the Gullet, resulting in the death of Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett), Rhaenyra Targaryen's eldest son. Meanwhile, Alicent secretly schemes to send Aemond away from King's Landing so Rhaenyra can reclaim the Iron Throne from Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney), who fled after severe injuries. Alicent uses her influence over Aemond, pleading with him to leave and expressing her fear of losing him, providing the maternal affection he lacked as a child.
Viewer Backlash
Viewers took to social media to voice their revulsion. X user danyzstarlight remarked, 'If I had a nickel for every time Ryan Condal added non-canon mother-son incest to the show, I’d have two nickels. which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.' Another user, zee_xt, wrote, 'This scene with Aemond and Alicent is so gross 🤢,' while nyrasangel added, 'There really was no need to have Aemond kiss Alicent in that scene, that was just purely for shock value.'
Fan chattyreality noted the kiss was rumored beforehand, stating, 'The Alicent/Aemond kiss was somehow worse than leaks suggested.' ashslnginslashr questioned, 'Aemond kissing Alicent ???? Was that necessary??'
Showrunner's Explanation
Showrunner Ryan Condal defended the scene, which does not appear in George R.R. Martin's book. He told Entertainment Weekly, 'He’s somebody that was traumatised at an early age by his brother by taking him to a brothel long before his brain could probably process what was happening. As these things do, that trauma then manifests a certain way in his behaviour as an adult. While I don’t think that Aemond is necessarily in love with his mother, I don’t think he’s able to separate the feelings that he has for her from these other male feelings that he experiences.'
Ewan Mitchell added that the moment shows Aemond 'assuming control of the family,' comparing it to Ray Winstone in Scum: 'It’s like, “I’m the daddy now.” He’s the new leader. I think it leaves the question of what is the relationship gonna be with Alicent going forward?'
Actress's Reaction
Olivia Cooke acknowledged the shock value, telling US Magazine, 'I think it was quite odd for both of us. There has been this Oedipal undercurrent — unbeknownst to Alicent. And I think it’s shocking.'
Mixed Fan Interpretations
Some fans defended Alicent, seeing her as a victim of manipulation by men throughout her life. However, others argued Aemond was the manipulated party. X user dracalyrivers wrote, 'I am going to hold your hand while I tell you this: Aemond was Alicent’s victim and not the other way around.'
House of the Dragon season 3 airs on Sky Atlantic and NOW, with new episodes released on Mondays.
