Otto’s note to Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon finale, explained – and where viewers have seen it before

Spoilers for ‘House of the Dragon’ season finale below!

Tuesday 25 October 2022 05:43 EDT

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House of the Dragon has come to an explosive end.

The Game of Thrones spin-off series aired the 10th and final instalment of its first season on Sunday (23 October) in the US and Monday (24 October) in the UK.

Spoilers for House of the Dragon episode 10 below – you have been warned!

After King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) dies, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and her father, the Hand (Rhys Ifans), conspire to keep the king’s death a secret in order to buy them time to prepare Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) to usurp the throne from Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy).

After Rhaneyra learns from Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best) that Aegon has been crowned King, Otto arrives at Dragonstone with the request that Rhaenyra bend the knee to Aegon.

While Daemon (Matt Smith) is eager to wage war against Otto and his convoy immediately, Rhaenyra is more hesitant and appears to be swayed in her decision to consider Otto’s terms by a note that he produces from Alicent.

While the note is only shown on the screen for seconds, its importance cannot be understated as it seems this gesture from Alicent does much in persuading Rhaenyra to stop Daemon from killing Otto.

The note is, in fact, a page ripped from one of the books that Rhaenyra and Alicent read together as young girls.

In a scene from episode one, Rhaenyra (then played by Milly Alcock) tears a page from a book she was studying – about the warrior queen Nymeria – at the Weirwood tree in the Godswood and presents it to Alicent (then played by Emily Carey).

In an interview with Variety, Cooke – who plays Alicent – gave her opinion on whether Otto brought the ripped-out book page as an act of peace or manipulation.

“I don’t think it was a manipulation at all,” said Cooke. “I really think she is trying to do whatever she can to smooth over the craters that are about to ensue. She wants as little bloodshed as possible. I do think that’s an olive branch, not manipulation whatsoever.”

The actor continued: “But it’s misplaced, and it’s implemented by panic rather than straightforward thinking. I don’t think she would realise how much of an insult that would be.”

On why Alicent would hold on to the book page, Cooke said that she imagines her character as “someone who has a little box where she can find comfort in little treasures of when she used to have a little bit more autonomy than she does now”.

Emily Carey and Olivia Cooke in ‘House of the Dragon’ (HBO)

“Alicent has very little to hold onto to remind herself of when she was a little girl, without too many pressures and all the duties she has,” said the actor.

In the same interview, Cooke addressed whether the pivotal scene in episode eight, during which Alicent appears to misunderstand Viserys’s last words, is an honest mistake or a wilful misinterpretaton to secure her son’s ascension.

Elsewhere during the season finale, the series cleared up the confusing final scenes from episode nine that agonised viewers.

Fans also reported feeling traumatised over the “harrowing” miscarriage scene.