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THE PERFORMERS | Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke

THE SHOW | House of the Dragon

THE EPISODE | “The Queen Who Ever Was” (Aug. 4, 2024)

THE PERFORMANCES | House of the Dragon Season 2 found many of its characters in geographic and/or emotional isolation — thank The Seven, then, that we got two Rhaenyra/Alicent scenes during the show’s sophomore run. The queens’ late-night exchange in the season finale, in particular, was a gorgeously wrought piece of television buoyed by stellar performances from Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy.

Look, no one is getting out of the Dance of Dragons easy, a point the actresses handily brought home during their riveting back-and-forth at Dragonstone. Over the course of the nearly nine-minute scene, they reminded us that Alicent and Rhaenyra were, at the heart of everything, best friends whose hurt feelings now underpinned a national war.

Cooke’s tentative hopefulness as Alicent lays out her plan. D’Arcy’s stiff refusal, tinged with mocking. The way both actors shed layers of formality, emotional scar tissue and self-preserving distance to tap into what their characters actually thought of the other. And don’t get us started on how what’s playing out on D’Arcy’s and Cooke’s faces throughout the scene is a master class unto itself. (Seriously: When you have time, go back and watch them watching each other. Perfection.)

Alicent/Rhaeynra is House of the Dragon’s truly tragic, heartbreaking love story. What a treat to watch the latest chapter play out via D’Arcy and Cooke’s excellent interpretation.