House of the Dragon Season 2 Finale: Why Alicent’s Blue Dress Matters

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

House of DragonsThe widowed Queen of Arlington has made green her signature color ever since Season 1, a reference to the green fire lit in Oldtown when House Hightower raises their war banner. Since then, green has become synonymous not only with Alicent, but also with her son, Aegon Targaryen II (Tom Glynn Carney), and his supporters.

But in the final two episodes of Season 2, Alicent changes her tune. During a camping trip to Kingswood in Episode 7, she wears a dark teal cloak over a light blue dress. The subtle color change from her usual attire is just a hint that she’s beginning to pledge allegiance to Team Green, but the episode takes it much further. When Alicent removes her top before donning a simple white dress for a swim in the lake, the meaning is clear. Powerless, weakened, and unable to stop the folly of war, Alicent is abandoning the duty she’s dedicated her life to upholding.

In the Season 2 finale, Alicent travels to Dragonstone to propose a bold new plan to end the war, and tells as much to her old friend and royal adversary, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma Darcy). She offers to cede King’s Landing to Rhaenyra, who is named heir to the Iron Throne, as soon as her son, Prince Regent Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), flies to the Riverlands. In return, Alicent asks that she and her daughter, Queen Helena (Fia Saban), be set free to live the carefree life they have never been free to choose.

This whole scene is House of the Dragon This scene is a highlight, right up to the tearful moment when Alicent agrees to offer Aegon’s life in exchange for Rhaenyra’s victory. But it also continues Alicent’s fashion journey, which we saw in Episode 7. Here, Alicent’s outfit is all light blue with no trace of green, nor any symbolism connected to the Faith of the Seven, another key element of Alicent’s persona as queen. These visual choices by costume designer Janie Temimes help to highlight the changes Alicent has undergone throughout the season: she is officially ready to let go of her power and status.

But why light blue? House of the Dragon Could a color have been chosen to represent Alicent breaking away from old habits? In theory, yes. But light blue actually holds a special meaning in Alicent and Rhaenyra’s relationship. House of the DragonThis makes it the perfect choice for Alicent’s final transformation.

In fact, light blue holds a special meaning in the relationship between Alicent and Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon.

In the first episode House of the DragonWhen young Rhaenyra (Millie Alcock) and Alicent (Emily Carey) are intimate, Alicent wears a light blue dress. Later, as their relationship begins to deteriorate, Alicent wears a darker blue dress, then the red and gold of House Targaryen. Through all these changes, the original light blue dress remains the outfit most closely associated with the love that Rhaenyra and Alicent have for one another.

Emily Carey and Millie Alcock in House of the Dragon.
Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO

Notably, this is also the dress Rhaenyra was wearing when she ripped a page out of the history book during one of her first conversations with her. It’s the same page Alicent sent to Rhaenyra in the Season 1 finale, reminding her of their old friendship and pleading for peace. This action feels like a foreshadowing of Alicent’s attempt in the Season 2 finale to rely on her connection to Rhaenyra to stop further bloodshed, except this time she’s trying to work with Rhaenyra rather than against her.

Alicent’s light blue dress and cape House of the Dragon The Season 2 finale evokes the dresses and all the emotion that went with them from Season 1. But they also point to Alicent’s state of mind going forward. If she truly wants to live her own life, if she wants to free herself from the constraints of the obligations thrust upon her as a child, then perhaps a return to her youthful, pre-queen state is the best place to start. (This is also exemplified when Alicent bites her nails at a key moment while talking to Rhaenyra, a poignant callback to the young Alicent’s concern for them.)

But Alicent doesn’t just want to free herself: she also wants to free Rhaenyra, and begs her to “come with me.” It will be one of the most (tragically) romantic moments of the season. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra is trapped by the weight of the war and the Targaryen history, so she can’t go. However, Alicent’s elopement proposal doesn’t seem as appealing to her as Christon Cole’s (Fabian Frankel’s) was in season 1. Maybe Rhaenyra wants to go back to the early days when she and Alicent sat under the weirwood trees at the Red Keep, talking about history and cakes without fear of war, and marrying her best friend’s father. We’ll know for sure if Rhaenyra changes into her season 1 gold-and-black outfit to match Alicent’s new light blue style.

House of the Dragon Season 2 is currently streaming on Max.