When House of the Dragon’s sixth episode begins, there’s been a time jump of several years. Rhaenyra’s (now played by Emma D’Arcy) third son has just emerged from his mother when Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) demands to see the infant. Alicent is Rhaenyra’s former best friend and the daughter of the Hand of the King, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans); she married King Viserys not long after Aemma’s death, part of a long game engineered by Otto after he realized Viserys would name Rhaenyra his heir. Her claim, of course, is vulnerable because she’s a woman, and Otto is eager to exploit that. At this point, Alicent has already given Viserys the son he so desperately wanted—further foreshadowing the battle over the Iron Throne to come.
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At any rate, there’s an important reason why Alicent wants a look at the newborn. Like his two older brothers, this new baby (named, ahem, Joffrey) doesn’t have the trademark Targaryen silver hair, which both Rhaenyra and Laenor share. Laenor is also biracial. Instead, the boys look a lot like… white guy with dark hair Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr), the Lord Commander of the City Watch in King’s Landing. Remember “the seed is strong” from Game of Thrones? Same deal. It’s an open secret that Laenor isn’t the father of these kids. An open, very touchy secret that, again, becomes vital in the succession fight as things heat up.
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