Keep it within your family.
Warning: Spoilers ahead. If you have not watched the House of the Dragon Season 3 premiere, please do not proceed.
Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) kisses his mother Alicent (Olivia Cooke) on the lips in the season 3 premiere of the Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon. oh yeah.
She stands there stiffly, not pushing him away. But her eyes are open and she looks surprised.
When he stopped, she gave him an awkward, nervous smile. It is clear that Alice Saint is horrified by her son’s strange behavior, but she also does not want to destabilize the situation by questioning him or showing disgust.
Incest is nothing new to the Targaryens. Aemond’s brothers Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Helaena (Fia Saban) are married and have children.
Meanwhile, Aemond’s half-sister Rhaenyra (Emma Darcy) is married to her uncle Damon (Matt Smith).
The Targaryen family tree is more of a circle. However, most incest occurs between siblings or cousins. Even within this family, where we think it’s acceptable, it’s taboo between parent and child.
Aristo didn’t grow up in this family “tradition” either. She married into House Targaryen.
She forced her children into it to conform to the Targaryen customs. However, judging by the surprised look on her face when Aemond kisses her, she seems reluctant to participate in the incest herself.
Set more than 100 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” the show depicts a civil war between House Targaryen on Rhaenyra’s side and Aemond and Alicent’s side as they compete for the Iron Throne.
Rhaenyra’s side is often referred to as “Team Black,” while Aemond and Alicent’s side is known as “Team Green.”
Aemond now commands Team Green as the de facto king after his brother King Aegon escapes after suffering severe burns. Aemond has always been weird, unstable, and bloodthirsty, which is why he’s a fan favorite. When he appears on screen, drama ensues.
Just before Aemond kisses her, Alicent is trying to convince him to leave King’s Landing and fly the dragon to Harrenhal.
Unbeknownst to Aemond, Aristo secretly made a deal with Rhaenyra to end the war. Aristo promised to open the gates so that Rhaenyra could come to King’s Landing and take the Iron Throne for herself without shedding blood.
Aristo promised to hand over Aegon to kill Rhaenyra. In return, Rhaenyra intended to save Aristo, her daughter, and her grandchildren.
Aemond and Aegon ruin this plan as King Aegon goes missing and Aemond rules in his place. Aristo cannot hand over Aegon to Rhaenyra if he is MIA. And Aemond will never agree to this plan to work with Rhaenyra.
There, Aristo tries to persuade Aemond to leave King’s Landing in order to thwart her plan to bring Rhaenyra into the country and end the war.
Aristo tells Aemond that if he could have been king from the beginning, he should have been born first, and kisses her.
It’s unclear whether Aemond kisses his mother out of genuine love, but that guy is crazy. Perhaps he did it as a twisted sign of affection or as a gesture of control.
“House of the Dragon” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.
