Why are ‘House of the Dragon’ viewers furious over Olivia Cooke's latest scene?

The latest episode of House of the Dragon has triggered widespread backlash after a controversial dream sequence involving Olivia Cooke's Alicent Hightower and her on screen son Aemond left many viewers expressing disgust and frustration across social media.

Warning: Major spoilers for Season 3 Episode 7 follow.

The scene unfolds while Aemond, played by Ewan Mitchell, remains at Harrenhal under the influence of Alys Rivers. During what initially appears to be an intimate encounter between Alicent and Aemond, the pair kiss before the moment escalates into a sexual encounter. It is later revealed that the sequence is a dream or vision experienced by Aemond, and that he is actually with Alys Rivers rather than his mother.

Although the sequence is ultimately revealed to be imaginary within the story, many fans argued that the revelation did little to lessen their discomfort. Viewers criticised the decision to depict another disturbing interaction between Alicent and Aemond, particularly after an earlier episode in the season featured Aemond kissing his mother.

The controversy quickly spread online, where many fans referenced comments Cooke herself made before the episode aired. During a recent interview, the actress described Alicent's journey as "sort of the humiliation of Alicent, and Olivia Cooke by default." Following Episode 7, many viewers echoed those remarks, arguing that the character has repeatedly been placed in degrading situations throughout the series.

Some fans pointed to several storylines involving Alicent across the show's run. They cited her politically arranged marriage as a teenager, the manipulation she endured throughout her life, Larys Strong's disturbing foot fetish storyline and an attempted sexual assault earlier in Season 3 as examples of what they view as an increasingly bleak character arc.

One viewer wrote that Cooke had been given multiple deeply uncomfortable scenes this season and argued the storyline had become a disservice to both the actress and the character. Others said they struggled to continue watching after the latest episode, while some described the dream sequence as unnecessary even within the fantasy drama's famously provocative storytelling.

Not everyone agreed with the criticism. Some viewers defended the creative decision, noting that House of the Dragon has always explored disturbing themes inherited from George RR Martin's fictional world. Others argued that Cooke is portraying a scripted role and that fictional dream sequences should not be confused with real life.

Cooke previously acknowledged that she expected audiences to react strongly to the controversial material. Speaking about the earlier mother and son kiss, she admitted she dreaded seeing viewers' responses once the episode aired. When asked which Alicent moment had been the most uncomfortable to film, she joked that the earlier foot related storyline "wasn't great" before teasing that Season 3 contained several additional shocking moments.

Her co star Fabien Frankel, who plays Criston Cole, also commented during the interview that Alicent had endured an exceptionally difficult journey throughout the series.