House of the Dragon reintroduces a King's Landing legend in episode six

The sixth episode of HBO Max's House of the Dragon (HOD) featured a 10-year time jump, more gruesome deaths, baby daddy drama, and deadly alliances.

The sixth episode of House of the Dragon features a 10-year time jump and deadly alliances.
The sixth episode of House of the Dragon features a 10-year time jump and deadly alliances.  © IMAGO/Picturelux

King Viserys is hanging on by a thread – and yes, he's still alive folks.

Queen Alicent Hightower's misguided vendetta against House Targaryen led to some fiery alliances and horrendous deaths.

And don't even get us started on Princess Rhaenyra's baby daddy drama.

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This is just a taste of what viewers witnessed during HOD's longest episode of the season.

Sunday's episode, titled The Princess and the Queen, jumped 10 years into the future, with new faces taking over the fully grown roles of Alicent and Rhaenyra.

And while much has changed in King's Landing, some things remained the same as the messy fight for power continues.

Amid the rousing episode, viewers collectively declared that the "baddie" of HOD is none other than Queen Alicent – and here's why.

Alicent Hightower: the evil queen

Olivia Cooke made her debut as the adult Alicent Hightower in HBO Max's House of the Dragon.
Olivia Cooke made her debut as the adult Alicent Hightower in HBO Max's House of the Dragon.  © IMAGO/Picturelux

Spoilers ahead!

Every good show needs a strong villain, and it appears HOD has found this in Alicent, the once child bride of the King who is now played by Olivia Cooke – and devilishly well.

Cooke's debut as the once kind-hearted former bestie of Rhaenyra was so good that viewers are now ambivalent about her role in the HOD chaos.

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To be fair, Alicent's pouty demeanor and obnoxiously nosey attitude is somewhat justified.

And let's not forget that the queen's father lost his job as the King's Hand and it is Rhaenyra's fault.

But that was also 10 years ago, so Alicent's anger is a bit misplaced.

Nevertheless, due to the queen's sinister and questionable actions in recent episodes, viewers have already started comparing Cooke's Alicent to that of Game of Thrones' fan-favorite in Cersei Lannister.

Oddly enough, both queens have been victims of arranged marriages and political schemes.

For those who are unfamiliar with George R.R. Tolkien's novel that the series is based on, let's just say the strong feelings against Alicent will likely intensify as the series progresses.

Twitter users react to House of the Dragon's sixth episode

House of the Dragon is now streaming on HBO Max.

Cover photo: IMAGO / Picturelux

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