{"id":25918,"date":"2026-08-03T08:10:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T03:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=25918"},"modified":"2026-08-03T08:10:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T03:10:17","slug":"aemond-alys-rivers-alicent-sex-scene-dragon-eggs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=25918","title":{"rendered":"Aemond-Alys Rivers-Alicent Sex Scene; Dragon Eggs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>SPOILER ALERT:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>This article contains spoilers for Season 3, Episode 7 of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/house-of-the-dragon-2\/\" id=\"auto-tag_house-of-the-dragon-2\" data-tag=\"house-of-the-dragon-2\">House of the Dragon<\/a>,\u201d now streaming on HBO Max.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/gayle-rankin\/\" id=\"auto-tag_gayle-rankin\" data-tag=\"gayle-rankin\">Gayle Rankin<\/a>\u2018s Alys Rivers has dealt with an Oedipus complex before during her time at Harrenhal, but this week\u2019s \u201cHouse of the Dragon\u201d marked the first time Alys was directly dragged into the Targaryens\u2019 incestuous scene herself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tAt the beginning of Episode 7, Season 3 of \u201cHouse of the Dragon,\u201d we see Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) has already carried out the mission given to her by Rhaenyra (Emma D\u2019Arcy) and arrived at Harrenhal. Sent there in an attempt to lure Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) out so Rhaenyra\u2019s men can finally kill him and properly secure Rhaenyra the Iron Throne, Alicent greets her son with maternal love and praise about his superiority to his siblings, which appears to be a tactic for lulling him into submission. But Alicent\u2019s actions quickly turn much more intimate and soon the mother and son are having sex. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tIt\u2019s a jarring scene until it\u2019s revealed Aemond has been hallucinating visions of his mother while having sex with his lover, Alys (Rankin), as part of a new plan to breed more Targaryens and build their own dynasty.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  size-large alignnone \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure  lrv-u-font-family-secondary u-color-medium-grey lrv-u-border-b-1 u-border-color-light-grey-tint-two u-margin-b-150 lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1024px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon.jpg?resize=1360,907 1360w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon.jpg?resize=1000,667 1000w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon.jpg?resize=910,607 910w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon.jpg?resize=681,454 681w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon.jpg?resize=450,300 450w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon.jpg?resize=250,167 250w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(min-width: 87.5rem) 1000px, (min-width: 78.75rem) 681px, (min-width: 48rem) 450px, (max-width: 48rem) 250px\" height=\"683\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column lrv-u-padding-t-1 lrv-u-padding-b-1\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-line-height-normal lrv-u-font-size-14 u-font-family-neue u-letter-spacing-007-rem u-margin-b-050\">Theo Whiteman\/HBO<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"u-color-medium-grey u-font-family-neue-xxs\">Theo Whiteman\/HBO<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cIt was very intimate and very odd but very professional,\u201d Rankin says of filming the sex scene between mother, son and son\u2019s new girlfriend. \u201cWe tried to like make jokes, just to keep it lighthearted because those scenes are not easy and they\u2019re complicated and very technical. So it was also just like it was another day at the office for being like a very odd, fucked-up scene.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tFrom there, the episode\u2019s mommy-issues plot thickens as the real Alicent does show up at Harrenhal and Alys tries (and fails) to convince Aemond his mother is not there to help him. Though they first have to go through what Rankin calls an \u201cunbearable\u201d family dinner, the episode ends with Alys being proven right: Alicent steals away in the night after poisoning Aemond and \u201cidiot\u201d Aemond comes crawling to a very annoyed Alys looking for help.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tMeanwhile, unbeknownst to everyone at Harrenhal and King\u2019s Landing, Aemond\u2019s brother Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) has been reunited with his very much alive dragon, Sunfyre, while Aemond\u2019s dragon, Vhagar, is still MIA. This could prove to be a problem for Alys and Aemond, who are currently sitting on a supply of dragon eggs, but have no full-grown dragon to defend themselves with should Aegon or Rhaenyra choose to come their way on next week\u2019s Season 3 finale.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tSee below for more from <em>Variety<\/em>\u2019s interview with Rankin about Episode 7 and what comes next.<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"heading larva \/\/   lrv-a-font-secondary-m   \">\n\t\tDo you think Alys\u2019s feelings for Aemond are genuine? \t<\/h5>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tYeah, I do. I think they\u2019re not uncomplicated, like anyone, you know. Especially if you\u2019re going through a war and you want a castle and you are a witch. But like those things aside, I think they really are.<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"heading larva \/\/   lrv-a-font-secondary-m   \">\n\t\tSo if that\u2019s the case, what is it about Aemond that she is so interested in? This is a very complicated woman who has been around for we\u2019re not sure how long \u2014 so what is it about Aemond that appeals to her?\t<\/h5>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tI think he\u2019s pretty unabashedly himself. I think that refreshing to her. I think that he\u2019s, in some ways, very misunderstood. In some ways. And he has behaved horrendously but he\u2019s also gotten, in some ways, what he\u2019s wanted and I think she respects that. And I think they\u2019re kind of like a dark power couple.<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"heading larva \/\/   lrv-a-font-secondary-m   \">\n\t\tAlys has revealed the dragon eggs to Aemond. She had Daemon there for quite a while and never chose to show him. What do you think drove her to decide that Aemond was the one to show them to? She had been asking Daemon for Harrenhal and wanted that castle, but still only chose to reveal the eggs to Aemond.\t<\/h5>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tI don\u2019t think Daemon ever really let his guard down with Alys. Really, really, really. And then he broke her heart. And she\u2019s prophetic and she also can read people like a book. So she knew that Daemon was never going to get there with her, and Daemon was not her answer. I think Aemond is a different story, and I think she knows that instinctively.<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"heading larva \/\/   lrv-a-font-secondary-m   \">\n\t\tThe fact Alys even knows about the dragon eggs that have been hidden away for decades means she might have actually been around Harrenhal for as long as she claims she has. Just how old do you think Alys actually is?\t<\/h5>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tI think she\u2019s like 400 years old. I mean, give or take. I think we\u2019re gonna like find out more soon, but she could be 400 years old. Like, I believe her, that\u2019s the thing. I think there\u2019s a lot of skepticism about, is she telling the truth? Is she manipulating? I\u2019m like, believe the woman.<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"heading larva \/\/   lrv-a-font-secondary-m   \">\n\t\tThe opening scene for this one, what was it like for you all shooting that and figuring out what that would look like, because we transition from Aemond in bed with his mother to Aemond with Alys? And it\u2019s the trippy Harrenhal hallucination kind of scene, but also seems very specific to what Aemond is actually thinking.\t<\/h5>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tIt was very intimate and very odd but very professional. We tried to like make jokes, just to keep it lighthearted because those scenes are not easy and they\u2019re complicated and very technical. So it was also just like it was another day at the office for being like a very odd, fucked-up scene.<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"heading larva \/\/   lrv-a-font-secondary-m   \">\n\t\tIt seems like Alys takes this pretty well. Like, she takes it in stride when Aemond talks to her about how much he loves his mother when his mother actually does appear, and she\u2019s like, \u201cAll you Targaryen boys want the same thing,\u201d and is very clearly referring to these mother issues with Aemond here and Daemon before. What do you think makes it so that she is willing to put up with this dynamic? Is it because she sees that Alicent\u2019s going to leave and how \u2014 and she\u2019s just trying to get through this time as quickly as possible?\t<\/h5>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tI think she sees everything. I don\u2019t think she sees everything, but she can see a lot. So there is a prophetic nature to who she is, and so she\u2019s just like, \u201cWow! So we have to go through this? OK, here we go.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  size-large alignnone \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure  lrv-u-font-family-secondary u-color-medium-grey lrv-u-border-b-1 u-border-color-light-grey-tint-two u-margin-b-150 lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1024px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon-2.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon-2.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon-2.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon-2.jpg?resize=1360,907 1360w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon-2.jpg?resize=1000,667 1000w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon-2.jpg?resize=910,607 910w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon-2.jpg?resize=681,454 681w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon-2.jpg?resize=450,300 450w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon-2.jpg?resize=250,167 250w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(min-width: 87.5rem) 1000px, (min-width: 78.75rem) 681px, (min-width: 48rem) 450px, (max-width: 48rem) 250px\" height=\"683\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column lrv-u-padding-t-1 lrv-u-padding-b-1\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-line-height-normal lrv-u-font-size-14 u-font-family-neue u-letter-spacing-007-rem u-margin-b-050\">Ollie Upton\/HBO<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"u-color-medium-grey u-font-family-neue-xxs\">Ollie Upton\/HBO<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h5 class=\"heading larva \/\/   lrv-a-font-secondary-m   \">\n\t\tDuring that dinner sequence, it\u2019s so weird that they\u2019re all sitting on the same side and they\u2019re on either side, surrounding him. What was it like filming that family dinner? Because as awkward as the first scene was, that dinner was very hard to watch.\t<\/h5>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tOh, terrible! I mean awful, but I kind of loved it. I think Alys is in her element but also kind of terrified at the same time. But I think she feels like the stakes are very high, and I think Alys thrives in that. I think she intentionally wants it to feel unbearable. You know, because she wants her to go.<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"heading larva \/\/   lrv-a-font-secondary-m   \">\n\t\tShe is ultimately proven right. We have Aemond come to her and he\u2019s drugged by his mother or poisoned by his mother, and she just says \u201cIdiot\u201d before coming around to help him. Is this said with love? Is it said with resignation? Is it a combination of things?\t<\/h5>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tA combination. I think many people, and certainly many women, can probably relate to the tone.<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"heading larva \/\/   lrv-a-font-secondary-m   \">\n\t\tGoing into the Season 3 finale, what do you think is the most likely way that we will see Alys eventually go? She\u2019s lived for 400 years, so do you think she\u2019ll make it to the end of this season at the very least? She doesn\u2019t seem in immediate danger right now. \t<\/h5>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tI don\u2019t feel like she\u2019s in immediate danger of dying. I think she\u2019s in immediate danger always, and maybe in immediate danger of something more emotionally profound happening, but not of dying. I think we have more time.<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"heading larva \/\/   lrv-a-font-secondary-m   \">\n\t\tAlys doesn\u2019t know this year and neither does Aemond, but the audience finds out by the end of the episode that Sunfyre is still alive and reunited with Aegon. So now Aegon has Sunfyre back and Vhagar is still nowhere to be seen. You\u2019ve said a lot now that you think Alys is often telling the truth, so does she genuinely not know where Vhagar is? Does she know when Vhagar might be coming back? Because they might need her with Sunfyre back in play.\t<\/h5>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tGirl, I know. Low-key, for real, I don\u2019t think she knows. Like I don\u2019t even know where Vhagar is. I, Gayle, do not even know where Vhagar is. You know what I mean? So I\u2019m like, girl, where are you? Vhagar went to Crumbl Cookies and she needs to get back. <\/p>\n<h5 class=\"heading larva \/\/   lrv-a-font-secondary-m   \">\n\t\tI think it shows a lot of actual dedication to Aemond that she\u2019s with him when he doesn\u2019t have a dragon.\t<\/h5>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tRight? He has no dragon. I have dragon eggs. That\u2019s the thing, I don\u2019t really need him. But I think she might want him. I think it\u2019s complicated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<em>This interview has been edited and condensed. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SPOILER ALERT:\u00a0This article contains spoilers for Season 3, Episode 7 of \u201cHouse of the Dragon,\u201d now streaming on HBO Max. Gayle Rankin\u2018s Alys Rivers has dealt with an Oedipus complex before during her time at Harrenhal, but this week\u2019s \u201cHouse of the Dragon\u201d marked the first time Alys was directly dragged into the Targaryens\u2019 incestuous&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/House-of-the-Dragon-1.jpg?w=1000&h=563&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25918"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25918\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}