Spoilers ahead for the most recent episode of House of the Dragon, titled "Tumbleton".
Game of Thrones' finale might still be controversial, but fans have jumped back into Weteros thanks to its spinoffs. While A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms got some Emmy nominations, we're currently watching a new season of House of the Dragon on HBO (and streaming with a HBO Max subscription). The fourth episode revealed that Helaena Targaryen was secretly pregnant, and Olivia Cooke spoke to CinemaBlend about where Alicent's relationship with her daughter stands.
House of the Dragon Season 3 has been a doozy so far, with epic battles, major character deaths, and plenty of twists. Chief among them is the reveal that Helaena was with child, which further complicates the ongoing Dance of the Dragons. Cooke spoke to me and other journalists ahead of the Season 3 premiere, where I asked about Alicent and her daughter. She started by gushing about actress Phia Saban, saying:
We spend a lot of time with each other in Season 3, which is a joy because Phia is one of my best friends. So it was lovely to come, come to set and just be with my pal. And Phia plays Helaena so beautifully. You never really know what she's gonna do. So I'll be doing, a scene and having like, pages of dialogue and then I'll just like look to my left and she's ferreting in a corner somewhere looking at a rat or something. So she's brilliant.
While Alicent's children are spread across Westeros, the one she's closest to both physically and emotionally seems to be her daughter Helaena. Clearly Cooke and and Saban get along on set, and it should be fascinating to see the way their characters' relationship changes as we get deeper into this season of HOTD.
Fans are keeping track of which House the Dragon belongs to who, but it's also important to pay attention to the ever changing interpersonal dynamics of the show. Cooke went on to share more about what's going on with Alicent and Helaena, telling me:
She's, she's desperately trying to keep her alive and I think what happens this season is that she's slowly begins to understand who Helaena is and what she's capable of.
Helaena has had a unique role in HOTD so far. Despite being the rider of the dragon Dreamfyre and having prophetic visions, she's often ignore by the rest of her family. But it sounds like Alicent is going to see her daughter as a much more powerful figure moving forward. Is it Sunday yet?
Olivia Cooke spoke more about what's going on in Alicent's head in the official Inside the Episode video for Episode 4. She spoke more about how Helaena’s pregnancy has raised the stakes, offering:
Discovering Helaena’s pregnancy meant that this is a direct threat to Rhaenyra's heir. And that if that is discovered she will either force Helaena to drink some Moon Tea or force her to bring the pregnancy to term, have the baby, and then kill it. And knowing how ardent Helaena is about keeping the child and raising the child, it makes it all the more important that Alicent tries to get them out of there.
Of course, getting out is easier said than done. After Rhaenyra took King's Landing and The Iron Throne, Alicent and her daughter officially became Team Black's prisoners. It sounds like Olivia Cooke's character might once again be shifting her alliance in order to ensure the survival of both Helaena and her unborn grandchild. We'll just have to wait and see if/how she manages to escape King's Landing in order to keep them both safe.
New episodes of House of the Dragon air Sundays as part of the 2026 TV schedule. The season is really heating up, and it seems like no one is safe with the ongoing Targaryen civil war.
