Alicent swaps inexperienced attire for blue in ‘Home of the Dragon’s Season 2 finale. This is why.

For Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), inexperienced is out and blue is in.

Home of the Dragon‘s dowager queen made inexperienced her signature coloration all the best way again in Season 1, a reference to the inexperienced fireplace Home Hightower lights in Oldtown when it calls its banners to warfare. Since then, the colour inexperienced turned synonymous not simply with Alicent, however together with her son Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) and his supporters.

Nonetheless, Alicent switches issues up within the final two episodes of Season 2. On her episode 7 tenting journey to the Kingswood, she wears a darkish blue-green cloak over a lighter blue costume. The delicate coloration change from her ordinary wardrobe is only one trace at her shifting allegiance to Workforce Inexperienced, however the episode takes it even additional. When Alicent sheds her outer layers earlier than swimming in a lake in a easy white costume, the which means is evident. Powerless, undermined, and unable to cease the folly of warfare, Alicent is giving up the obligation she’s spent her complete life upholding.

She tells her outdated pal and royal adversary Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) as a lot within the Season 2 finale, when she travels to Dragonstone to suggest a daring new plan to finish the warfare. As quickly as her son, Prince Regent Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), flies off to the Riverlands, Alicent says, she’s going to give up King’s Touchdown to Rhaenyra, the named inheritor to the Iron Throne. In return, she asks that she be allowed to go free together with her daughter, Queen Helaena (Phia Saban), so the 2 can reside the form of unburdened lives they by no means had the liberty to decide on.

The entire scene is a Home of the Dragon spotlight, all the way down to the tearful second when Alicent agrees to surrender Aegon’s life in trade for Rhaenyra’s victory. However the scene additionally continues Alicent’s telling vogue journey from what we noticed in episode 7. Right here, Alicent’s complete outfit is a light-weight blue — no traces of inexperienced right here! Additionally lacking are any symbols linking again to the Religion of the Seven, one other key aspect of Alicent’s queenly persona. These visible selections from costume designer Jany Temimes assist underscore the change Alicent has undergone over the season: she’s formally able to relinquish her energy and standing.

However why mild blue, particularly? Could not Home of the Dragon have picked any coloration to point out Alicent’s shift away from her outdated methods? In principle, sure. Nonetheless, mild blue truly holds a selected which means for Alicent and Rhaenyra’s relationship in Home of the Dragon, making it the right selection for Alicent’s closing transformation.

Gentle blue truly holds a selected which means for Alicent and Rhaenyra’s relationship in ‘Home of the Dragon.’

Within the very first episode of Home of the Dragon, when younger Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) and Alicent (Emily Carey) are at their closest, Alicent wears a light-weight blue costume. Later, as issues start to deteriorate between the 2, we see Alicent in a darker blue costume, then in Targaryen purple and gold. All through all these adjustments, that first mild blue costume stays the costume most carefully related to the love Rhaenyra and Alicent have for each other.

Emily Carey and Mily Alcock in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit score: Ollie Upton/HBO

Notably, it is also the costume she’s carrying when Rhaenyra tears a web page out of a historical past e-book throughout one among their earliest conversations — the identical web page Alicent sends Rhaenyra within the Season 1 finale in an try to remind her of their outdated friendship and sue for peace. That transfer feels just like the precursor to Alicent’s actions within the Season 2 finale, the place she as soon as once more depends on her connection to Rhaenyra to cease additional bloodshed. Solely this time, Alicent is attempting to work with Rhaenyra, as an alternative of towards her.

Alicent’s mild blue costume and cloak within the Home of the Dragon Season 2 finale name again to that Season 1 costume, and all the emotions that include it. However in addition they level to Alicent’s mind-set shifting ahead. If she actually desires to reside as herself, with out the trimmings of obligation that had been thrust upon her as a baby, would not a return to her youthful, pre-queen state look like one of the best place to start out? (We additionally see this when Alicent bites her nails at a pivotal level throughout her speak with Rhaenyra, a devastating callback to younger Alicent worrying at her nails as effectively.)

However Alicent would not simply wish to free herself. She additionally desires to free Rhaenyra, begging her to “come with me” in what has to be one probably the most (doomed) romantic moments of the season. Rhaenyra, for her half, is unable to go, trapped as she is below the burden of warfare and Targaryen historical past. Nonetheless, Alicent’s runaway proposal would not appear as unappealing to her as Criston Cole’s (Fabien Frankel) again in Season 1. Possibly Rhaenyra does wish to return to these early days the place she and Alicent sat collectively below the Purple Preserve weirwood tree, speaking about historical past and cake with none worry of warfare, or marrying your greatest pal’s dad. If Rhaenyra ever trades her black clothes for her Season 1 gold to match Alicent’s new mild blue model, then we’ll know for positive.

Home of the Dragon Season 2 is now streaming on Max.