Collider argues that *House of the Dragon* showrunner Ryan Condal’s decision to have Rhaenyra send Alicent to help assassinate Aemond in Season 3, Episode 6 risks undermining a major future confrontation. The article says this departure from George R. R. Martin’s *Fire & Blood* could weaken the emotional build-up to the anticipated Battle Above the Gods Eye, though it does not make that battle impossible.

In the source material, Daemon Targaryen and Aemond face each other above the Gods Eye in a climactic dragon duel, with Daemon removing a major threat despite his strained relationship with Rhaenyra. The article views the event as significant because it combines character resolution, symbolic consequences and large-scale spectacle; it criticises the new Alicent storyline as an unusually drastic adaptation change.