Aemond's Kiss, Jace's Demise
House of the Dragon Season 3 Premiere Unveils Aemond's Incestuous Kiss and Jacaerys Velaryon's Tragic End
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Key Points
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The kiss comes after Alicent tries to redirect Aemond’s actions strategically: she begs him to go to Harrenhal—“under the guise of wanting to protect him”—so Rhaenyra can take King’s Landing without facing Vhagar.
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Prior to the premiere, House of the Dragon had only hinted at Aemond’s “underlying Oedipal complex,” and this episode is framed as the first time he truly acts on it; importantly, Alicent is described as looking shocked/horrified but not revealing her true reaction so she doesn’t “anger him.”
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During the Battle of the Gullet, Jacaerys isn’t only outnumbered—he also takes protective action first by locking Rhaenyra away “in a room for her own safety,” then rides with Baela to protect Corlys Velaryon’s navy; once Vermax is harpooned, Jace is “quickly lit up with arrows and killed.”
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Emma D’Arcy elaborates that Jace’s death drives Rhaenyra toward a nihilistic mindset: “grief actually sometimes simplifies things… It offers her a sort of nihilism in that final part of the journey.”
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Ewan Mitchell (CBR roundtable) links the kiss to Aemond’s damaged conception of love and power, saying: “If a child isn’t embraced by the village, he’ll burn it down to feel its warmth,” adding that Alicent did in fact love him—she “was willing to sacrifice her friendship with Rhaenyra and reputation as the Queen” to seek vengeance for his lost eye.
The Season 3 premiere of *House of the Dragon* delivered two seismic shocks on June 21: Aemond Targaryen kissed his own mother, Alicent Hightower, on the lips — and Prince Jacaerys Velaryon died in battle. People described the mother-son kiss as a moment that makes you "want to throw up." The two events together mark what star Emma D'Arcy calls a "point of no return" for the entire series.
Jacaerys, played by Harry Collett, is now gone from the show. His dragon Vermax was harpooned during the 25-minute Battle of the Gullet. Jacaerys was then "quickly lit up with arrows and killed." Rhaenyra has now lost three children to this war — Lucerys, her stillborn daughter Visenya, and now Jace.
Aemond Kisses Alicent — and the Cast Is Horrified
The kiss happens during a tense negotiation. Alicent tries to send Aemond to Harrenhal — ostensibly for his safety, but really to clear a path for Rhaenyra to take King's Landing without facing his dragon, Vhagar. Aemond sees through it. Then he leans in and kisses her. People reported that the cast called it "a difficult pill to swallow" and "a dangerous moment."
Actor Ewan Mitchell links the act to Aemond's lifelong feeling of being unloved. "If a child isn't embraced by the village, he'll burn it down to feel its warmth," Mitchell said, according to People. He says Aemond holds a "skewed perception of love" — one built from years of neglect. The show had hinted at this dynamic since Season 1. This premiere is the first time Aemond truly acts on it.
Alicent Hides Her Horror to Avoid Provoking Him
Olivia Cooke says Alicent is "really disturbed" by what happens. But she doesn't show it. She can't. Aemond now holds real power, and provoking him is dangerous. So Alicent contains her reaction entirely — a calculated silence that reveals just how trapped she is, according to People.
Cooke describes the aftermath as something that "further warps" their dynamic. Alicent had already sacrificed her friendship with Rhaenyra and her reputation as queen to avenge Aemond's lost eye. Mitchell points to that sacrifice as the only time Aemond ever truly felt loved. Now he has turned that debt into something else entirely — something she cannot undo.
Vermax Is Harpooned, Jace Dies in a 25-Minute Battle
Before riding into battle, Jacaerys locks Rhaenyra in a room for her own safety. He then flies out with Baela to protect Corlys Velaryon's fleet against the Triarchy — a coalition of sea powers using harpoons to drag dragons underwater. The strategy works. Vermax is harpooned and drowned. Jace is hit by a volley of arrows immediately after. The battle sequence runs 25 unbroken minutes, according to IMDB.
The Triarchy's admiral, Sharako Lohar, is also killed — taken down by Alyn of Hull during the naval clash. The Triarchy fleet is badly damaged. But the Blacks paid a steep price: their best diplomat, heir to the Iron Throne, and one of their dragons are all gone.
Jace's Death Pushes Rhaenyra Toward Nihilism and Total War
Emma D'Arcy says the loss breaks something in Rhaenyra. "Grief actually sometimes simplifies things," D'Arcy told IMDB. "It offers her a sort of nihilism in that final part of the journey." The peace deal Alicent quietly proposed — surrendering King's Landing to spare her family — is now effectively dead. Rhaenyra is no longer maneuvering. She is grieving, and that grief points only one direction.
With Aemond now heading to Harrenhal, King's Landing sits exposed. But the emotional bridge between Rhaenyra and Alicent has collapsed. Rhaenyra has lost three children. Aemond has crossed a line that cannot be uncrossed. The premiere makes clear that Season 3 will not be about politics. It will be about consequences.
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