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House Of The Dragon Showrunner Addresses The Burning Question About Milly Alcock And Emily Carey

"House of the Dragon" made a monumental change in Season 1 Episode 6 "The Princess and the Queen," by featuring the largest time jump yet. The pivotal episode also swapped out leading actors Milly Alcock (Young Rhaenyra Targaryen) and Emily Carey (Young Alicent Hightower) for older counterparts Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke. This move accelerates the sometimes sluggish pacing of the prequel, which critics have cited as an issue for the hotly anticipated behemoth series (via Forbes).

"House of the Dragon" premiered with astounding ratings in viewership that are consistently growing like the fearsome beasts flying over Westeros. According to Variety, "House of the Dragon" is captivating 29 million weekly dragon devotees with a 3% rise for the series' fifth episode. This impressive feat nicely bookends the first half of the season as it lays the crucial groundwork for the upcoming and devastating Targaryen civil war. 

King Viserys' (Paddy Considine) rapidly declining health has sent the realm into a dizzying spin as they rampantly try to scheme for the Iron Throne. As these changes in actresses solidify, the cast and crew express their insights and tease the darker second half of the fire-breathing epic. Showrunner Ryan Condal sheds some light on what we can expect when the Dance of Dragons finally begins. 

It's possibly we may not have seen the last of Milly Alcock and Emily Carey

While some viewers were eager to get closer to the dragon-clashing civil war, some were disappointed that the young actors they'd come to enjoy were no longer going to be starring in the show. The decision to feature a midway larger jump in time was something the showrunners were aware of that also helped to include more of the sprawling fantasy prequel source "Fire & Blood," written by George R.R. Martin. With Variety, Ryan Condal, the new leading showrunner (following Miguel Sapochnik's departure after Season 1) expands on the need for the leap in time and if we'll ever see the young actresses reprise their roles.

After previously revealing with Variety that the writing process for Season 2 is well underway, he clarifies that as of now, Milly Alcock and Emily Carey will not be returning. However, he expands on whether or not they will come back in future flashbacks stating it has yet to be determined. "There are things that we haven't fully sorted out. I'm not closing the door on anything. So there, how's that for an answer?"

He elaborates by comparing "House of the Dragon" to its predecessor "Game of Thrones," which was often linear in its narrative progression with special exceptions. Toward the end of the global phenomenon, we got glimpses of the past through Bran's (Issac Hempstead Wright) magical Three-Eyed Raven visions which finally uncovered the parentage of Jon Snow (Kit Harington). As Condal states, these rare flashbacks could return in future seasons of "House of the Dragon," leaving the fate of Milly Alcock and Emily Carey's reprisals in the gods' and showrunners' hands.