(Warning: Spoilers ahead.)
There’s a lot of lust on House of the Dragon, but very little affection. Instead, these scenes have often hinged on unequal power dynamics and heavy emotional baggage, with characters who squirm with guilt and shame instead of pleasure.
Think back to the sight of Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) having to indulge the slimy lord Larys Strong’s (Matthew Needham) foot fetish in exchange for news of strategic importance in Season 1, a scenario that pivoted on her clear powerlessness despite her rank as queen. Even when Alicent finally engages in a consensual encounter with the knight Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) in Season 2, what should be a reclamation of her sexuality is reframed as her enduring horror at being caught.
