House of the Dragon viewers horrified by 'most disturbing' incest scene in Season 3 premiere

Warning: this article contains spoilers for the season 3 premiere of House of the Dragon.

House of the Dragon fans were overjoyed on Sunday night - two years after the ending of Season 2. However - they were left less than impressed with one shock scene.

The Game of Thrones prequel series premiered in 2022, and has become a hit with viewers ever since.

As we know, the series isn't one to hold back, viewers are sure to remember Daemon Targaryen's hallucinations, including a dream involving his dead mother Alyssa.

In last night's TV premiere, it was a scene between Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke), that left fans open mouthed as the mother and son shared a kiss on the lips after a tense conversation.

Although Alicent looked freaked out, she didn't push Aemond away - giving her son an awkward smile as he stepped back.

HBO)

Of course, it's not a 'first' for the Targaryen family, with Aemond's brother Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and sister Helaena (Phia Saban) being married with kids.

Despite this, House of the Dragon fans were in shock with the scene, as they rushed to X, formerly known as Twitter to express their thoughts on the show while watching - and they didn't hold back.

"This is definitely the most disturbing scene in House of the Dragon..," wrote one viewer.

A second penned: "Man..that was very awkward to watch...i was speechless...."

The feelings were mutual all-around it seemed, as another wrote: "that was f*****g gross and unnecessary."

Others just couldn't believe what they were seeing, as a fourth shocked fan posted: "When I thought I couldn't be surprised by the GoT world, this happens, WTF!!!"

The cast said the scene was 'shocking' (Photo by Richard A. Brooks / AFP via Getty Images)

The cast have also reacted to the scene, with Ewan Mitchell, who plays Aemond telling PEOPLE: "Yeah, it's kind of shocking. "But then also, I just recognized a tremendous challenge and an opportunity to show Aemond in a new light."

"It's quite a difficult pill to swallow, isn't it? Kissing your mom on the lips, especially in that way," he added, before telling the publication that his character 'never felt like he was loved enough by his mom and his family around him,' adding that 'it's what a kid needs to develop a balanced view of themselves'.

Mitchell then blamed his character's 'skewed perception' and 'strange way of showing love' for the kiss.

He then said that working with Olivia Cooke on the scene, or any for that matter, was nothing short of a 'masterclass'.

House of the Dragon airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.