[Warning: Spoilers for HBO’s “House of the Dragon” episode 9, “The Green Council,” ahead.]
Brothels got nothin’ on a foot fetish.
Fans were left cringing over a moment in “House of the Dragon” on Sunday that even the episode’s director called a “really dirty scene.”
While delivering gossip that can help Alicent’s bottom line — placing her son Aegon on the Iron Throne in a hostile Westeros takeover — Larys asks for something in return while the pair rendezvous in her bed chamber.
But it seems Queen Alicent has been lent a helping hand, by offering her feet.
As Larys Strong, played by Matthew Needham, begins to spill the tea, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) starts to take off her shoes and stockings and places her bare feet on the coffee table. Larys then informs her of a web of spies in the Red Keep — led by the “White Worm” Mysaria and aided by one of her servants in an operation her father, Otto Hightower, knows about — as he stares at her dogs.
But it doesn’t stop there. Larys offers to take out some of the spies, but he expects payment for his loyalty. That’s when the Queen props her feet up on a chair, where he begins to pleasure himself while staring at her hooves.
The uncomfortable situation doesn’t seem like it was the first, either. Larys — who is nicknamed Clubfoot due to his birth defect — proclaimed himself an Alicent ally long ago, and while he’s often the one to give the Queen information, it appears they’ve been through this fetish routine before as a reward in exchange for his gossip. At least now, her husband King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) is dead.
Clare Kilner, who directed episode 9, described it to Entertainment Weekly as “looking at her feet and then having a wank, basically.”
While intimacy coordinators were used for many of the other sexual scenes for the show, Kilner said the foot fetish scene
“That was an interesting scene actually,” she said. Funnily enough, you get the intimacy coordinators [for] all the nudity, but they don’t think about it for this.”
“It’s so intrusive and invasive,” she added. “It’s a really dirty scene.”
Fans seemed to agree, with many on Twitter calling it “gross” and expressing shock and disgust for the “dirty” moment — a feat considering the violence, gore and incest that frequent the show.
“I cannot believe Larys killed his family for feet pics,” wrote one fan, in reference to episode six when Larys ordered his father Lyonel Strong and brother Harwin Strong murdered.
“I need someone to tell me why that Larys scene was necessary. PLEASE,” chimed in another, while someone else added, “Larys Strong is a nasty man.”
“it’s the way alicent was already taking her shoes and socks off without larys even having to say anything. like y’all done this before??!” mused another.
“larys is so nasty what in the hell am i watching??” someone else added.
“Are u telling me alicent has been feeding lord larys foot fetish in return for his service?????” wrote one fan. “AND LETTING HIM J – – K OFF IN FRONT OF HER??? and i thought this show couldn’t get worse.”
“I’m sorry I was not prepared for Alicent’s Onlyfans live show for Larys,” added another.
“Alicent Hightower selling feet pics for information to Larys Strong was not on my bingo card for tonight’s episode,” said another.
Previously, Milly Alcock, 22, spoke with The Post about filming “gnarly” incest scenes with actor Matt Smith, 39.
“No, strangely enough. [Matt Smith and I] were just kind of mates. So, it was quite comfortable,” Alcock said. “We had an intimacy coordinator, and we worked with her through the rehearsal process and blocked it out months before.”
Alcock said the brothel scene, though, was really “shocking.”
“You’re like, ‘This is kind of weird and silly,’” Alcock said. “There were extras who we had just met who were like, 69-ing for 12 hours. It’s pretty gnarly. We felt pretty overdressed because everyone else was nude.”