Aemond crosses a line in House of the Dragon Season 3 premiere

• Aemond kisses his mother, Alicent, on the lips in the Season 3 premiere
• Alicent appeared visibly horrified but did not push Aemond away
• Aemond is now de facto king after Aegon fled following severe burns

House of the Dragon Season 3 opened on Sunday with one of its most unsettling moments yet, as Aemond Targaryen — played by Ewan Mitchell — kissed his mother Alicent, played by Olivia Cooke, directly on the lips during the premiere episode on HBO. Alicent stood frozen throughout, not pulling away, but her wide eyes and visible discomfort made clear she was horrified by the act. The scene immediately sparked widespread reaction among fans of the Game of Thrones prequel series.

Alicent's silent horror

Alicent did not confront Aemond after the kiss, instead offering an awkward and tense smile once it was over. Her silence appears to reflect a reluctance to antagonise her increasingly volatile son rather than any acceptance of what happened. Alicent did not grow up within House Targaryen and married into the family — she pushed her own children into following Targaryen customs, but visibly draws the line at participating herself.

Incest in the Targaryen family tree

Incest is not new to the Targaryen dynasty, though it typically occurs between siblings or cousins rather than between parent and child. Aemond's brother Aegon, played by Tom Glynn-Carney, is married to his own sister Helaena, played by Phia Saban, and the two have children together.

Aemond's half-sister Rhaenyra, played by Emma D'Arcy, is married to her uncle Daemon, played by Matt Smith. Even within a family that treats such relationships as tradition, a parent-child dynamic crosses a line that is considered taboo.

Why Aemond is now in charge

Aemond has assumed de facto control of Team Green — the faction supporting Alicent's side of the Targaryen civil war — after his older brother King Aegon was severely burned and subsequently fled King's Landing.

Set more than a century before the events of Game of Thrones, the show centres on the war between Rhaenyra's faction, known as Team Black, and Alicent and Aemond's side, Team Green, as both vie for the Iron Throne. Aemond has long been characterised by his volatile, bloodthirsty nature, which has made him a fan favourite — his scenes reliably generate drama.

Alicent's secret deal with Rhaenyra

The kiss occurred at a particularly fraught moment for Alicent. She had been attempting to persuade Aemond to leave King's Landing and fly his dragon to Harrenhal — without revealing that she had secretly negotiated a deal with Rhaenyra to end the war. Under that arrangement, Alicent agreed to open the city gates and hand over Aegon for Rhaenyra to kill, in exchange for Rhaenyra sparing Alicent, her daughter and her grandchildren.

The plan has since unravelled. Aegon has vanished, making it impossible for Alicent to deliver him to Rhaenyra, and Aemond — now ruling in his brother's place — would never agree to cooperate with the opposing side.

With her scheme under threat, Alicent was trying to flatter Aemond into leaving the city so that she could still allow Rhaenyra to enter peacefully. It was in this moment, as she told him he should have been born first and made king from the start, that he kissed her.

What the kiss means

Whether Aemond's gesture stemmed from genuine romantic feeling remains ambiguous. It reads more plausibly as a twisted expression of affection or a demonstration of control — both of which are consistent with his character throughout the series. House of the Dragon airs on Sundays at 9pm on HBO.