House of the Dragon showrunner addresses whether Milly Alcock will ever return to the show

The House of the Dragon showrunner has sad news for fans who want to see Milly Alcock back on the show.

Alcock played the young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in the first five episode of HBO’s prequel spin-off series.

Despite praise for Emma D’Arcy’s performance as the adult version of the character in episode six, which aired on Sunday (26 September), viewers had been lamenting the looming departure of Alcock since her debut.

Considering 10 years passed in the show between episodes five and six, many fans are holding out hope for a flashback later this season, meaning they would be able to see Alcock return as the character.

However, according to Ryan Condal, viewers will most probably not be seeing Alcock in the role for a long time, if ever. Speaking to Variety, he said that season two is completely mapped out, and it won’t feature Alcock or indeed Emily Carey, who played young Alicent Hightower.

“I mean, look, I don’t know,” Condal told the outlet, adding: “[They] are not a part of the story that we’re telling yet. That’s not a thing that we’re doing right now.”

Providing small hope, he said that while “Game of Thrones was not a flashback show,” House of the Dragon has the chance to get “a little bit more fancy” with how it tells its story.

“There are things that we haven’t fully sorted out,” he said, adding: “I’m not closing the door on anything.”

Olivia Cooke takes over the role of Alicent in the series, and Carey shared her verdict on her replacement’s performance ahead of the latest episode’s broadcast.

House of the Dragon continues Sundays in the US on HBO at 9pm. The episode is simulcast on Monday mornings in the UK on NOW, and is shown again at 9pm on Sky Atlantic.

Find the biggest talking points from the new episode here.