After a 10-year time jump in episode 6 of the first season of House of the Dragon, fans saw the young versions of Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen relaced. So naturally, it was sad to see Emily Carey and Milly Alcock go. Still, Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy did a brilliant job of keeping the characters alive in a way that expanded on the work that Carey and Alcock had done. However, fans are missing the younger actresses who quickly managed to capture viewers’ hearts during her time on screen and are beginning to wonder if Milly Alcock will return for House of the Dragon Season 2.
Let’s look at the possibility of that happening and what Ryan Condal (the series creator) has to say about that.
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What Ryan Condal Had to Say on the Possibility of Milly Alcock Returning for House of the Dragon Season 2
While in an interview with Variety back in September 2022, Condal was asked if Alcock and Carey would ever return to play their characters. This is what he said in response:
“I mean, look, I don’t know. [They] are not a part of the story we’re telling yet. That’s not a thing that we’re doing right now.” He reminded them that Game of Thrones wasn’t particularly keen on flashbacks (besides a few rare moments, specifically with Bran). However, House of the Dragon could get “a little bit more fancy.”
“There are things that we haven’t fully sorted out. I’m not closing the door on anything. So there, how’s that for an answer?”
While that’s not a definite answer, fans may yet see Emily Carey and Milly Alcock return for House of the Dragon season 2.
Condal also mentioned that fans shouldn’t expect any significant time jumps from this point forward: “The storytelling becomes fairly in the rhythms of the original Game of Thrones series.”
How Would Flashbacks Work in the Overall Story of House of the Dragon?
The characters in House of the Dragon will have a rough time moving forward. With that final shot of Rhaenyra at the end of Season 1, it became clear to fans that peace is no longer an option for the Black Queen. Season 2 will be one of the bloodiest and saddest civil wars ever witnessed in all of Westeros’ history. Betrayals, murders and dragon deaths are all set to happen, and fans hope that the showrunners use flashbacks to improve the story even further.
RELATED: Will House of the Dragon Survive Without Milly Alcock & Emily Carey?
Did HBO just ruin House of the Dragon With The Cast Change?Cast changes are sometimes necessary, but was it really needed in HBO’s House of the Dragon? The sequel to Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, has proved to be a stellar fantasy epic so far. The emphasis on the Targaryen lineage has worked wonders for a series that was, in its latter seasons, criticized for its lack of focus. Like many GoT fans, I’ve been enjoying the new direction in which House of the Dragon is heading – particularly after the bitter taste that GoT‘s Season 8 left me.0 seconds of 1 minute, 26 secondsVolume 90% Breaking the Tension and Making Scenes Sadder
We are all aware that some very tense and gruesome moments will come in the second season (the events of Blood and Cheese alone are some of the worst moments in the book, and with the recent death of Lucerys, they are dangerously close to happening). However, the showrunners may cut some of that tension by showing us a time when Alicent and Rhaenyra were still friends.
Scenes like this would not only do a great job of giving audiences a break, but they would also work to make current events even sadder. How do you make conflict between two enemies worse? Show us a scene where they were once each other’s closest confidant.
For their relationship to have gone so bitter so quickly is truly one of the saddest moments in the show, and it’s not even entirely their fault. We’ve seen first-hand how Otto Hightower convinced his daughter that Rhaenyra would not let her or her children live. Seeing the contrast between how they are now and how they once were would be a great way to see just how far the gap between them has grown.
Showing Us What Happened During the 10-Year Gap
While the time jumps did work to move the story forward quickly and gave audiences no time to dwell on unnecessary details, they cut out a whole lot of the story. At the end of episode 5, Otto Hightower was no longer the Hand of the King. Rhaenyra and Laenor were finally wed, and King Viserys looked like he had died. We also saw Alicent stop Ser Criston Cole from killing himself and recruit him as one of her own.
Then, at the beginning of episode 6, Rhaenyra is having a baby (which she walks up to show Alicent, for whom she has minimal trust), and Alicent is still wearing green. King Viserys is very much alive, people are questioning the legitimacy of Rheanyra’s heirs, and Daemon and Laena are married with children.
Some storylines felt very rushed, specifically Daemon and Laena. The two seemed to have a charming relationship together, and we couldn’t see much of it before Laena was burned to a crisp by her very reluctant dragon.
It’d also be interesting to see the development of the relationship between Rhaenyra and Ser Harwin Strong. Harwin has clear feelings for his queen and sons (especially if his launching himself at Ser Criston in episode 6 is anything to go by). It might be interesting to see how he went from sending her a cheeky smile as she walked past covered in blood to being the father of her children. It’s not a relationship that those behind House of the Dragon explored much. Bringing in flashbacks of its development (perhaps Rhaenyra will finally tell her Jacaerys who his real father is) could give fans the Harwin Strong content they’ve been asking for since the character died.
Going into more detail about the time lost between episodes 5 and 6 could be a great way to have actors like Milly Alcock return in House of the Dragon Season 2.
The fans and characters of House of the Dragon will wish for simpler times as the series progresses. However, suppose Condal does decide to bring the younger actors back for flashbacks in season 2. In that case, it will be a massive relief for everyone involved, plus an excellent opportunity to see some beloved characters happy and others alive.
