House of the Dragon season 1 is at the halfway point, and the Game of Thrones prequel is going to see some major change — specifically a time jump. Now will see the debut of Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke playing older versions of Rhaenyra Targaryen (D’Arcy) and Alicent Hightower (Cooke) in House of the Dragon episode 6.
The younger Rhaenyra and Alicent were played by Milly Alcock (Rhaenyra) and Emily Carey (Alicent) during the first half of season one. The House of the Dragon stars’ time playing the two key characters seemingly ended after episode 5 which premiered last Sunday.
In case you missed it, a House of the Dragon episode 6 sneak-peek teaser dropped after the fifth episode. The teaser confirms that Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke will now officially make their debut as the older versions of Rhaenyra and Alicent. They will presumably be playing those roles for the rest of the series. As for Alcock and Carey, they don’t know if they will show up again, like in flashbacks, in the show.
Cooke and D’Arcy were announced to be part of the Game of Thrones prequel back in 2020. Showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik revealed they would play two of the key characters of House of the Dragon. In a surprising move, the series started with Alcock and Carey playing the younger versions of the two leads.
Audiences also didn’t know before Sunday’s reveal exactly how long Alcock and Carey would be playing the younger Rhaenyra and Alicent. George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood, which serves as the foundation for House of the Dragon, barely touched on the two characters’ younger lives. Instead, the book introduces them as adults and were already at odds with each other.
House of the Dragon will now lead towards the events of the Dance of the Dragons, which is a pivotal civil war in Westeros history. War breaks out within House Targaryen over succession for the Iron Throne.
Check out the House of the Dragon episode 6 teaser below to get a sneak-peek of Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke as the older versions of Rhaenyra and Alicent.
House of the Dragon Episode 6 premieres Sunday, September 25 on HBO Max.
