The most recent episode of House of the Dragon, “Smallfolk,” featured an unexpected cameo by one of the best characters in the show. Missed by fans — and the only one capable of restoring order in all of Westeros — King Viserys I Targaryen showed up for a short scene in which he speaks from the grave to a mentally unstable Daemon Targaryen, his brother. Perhaps it wasn’t the return we all wanted, but at least we saw Paddy Considine wear the crown that made him such an important character in Season 1.
Daemon is still a victim of his own nightmares and his inner demons, which are let loose in the haunted site known as Harrenhal. In previous episodes, we saw his descent into madness when he started seeing things that weren’t there. He saw a young Rhaenyra (also a great cameo by Milly Alcock), had sex with his mom in the cringiest scene in the show so far, and now he’s seeing the spirit of his own dead brother. However, what Viserys tells him is nothing new. It’s actually something his brother told him at the beginning of the series.
The dead king reignites the argument for why he made Rhaenyra his heir and refused to give Daemon the Iron Throne. All of Daemon’s encounters with ghosts and hallucinations have made him reflect on his reality, one that he shouted out loud in the last episode: He wants to sit on the Iron Throne, regardless of birth rights and rightful heirs. As Viserys tells him once again that he will choose Rhaenyra and not Daemon, the prince doesn’t react. He just grimaces at having to relive such a painful memory. However, Viserys breaks down and cries in the arms of his brother. Visibly shaken, Daemon wakes up from the nightmare, and Viserys vanishes. But when he tries to push open the doors, he realizes he’s trapped inside his memory of absolute anger and contempt for a decision his brother made.
Yes, Daemon Still Hasn’t Left Harrenhal
House of the Dragon
Taking place about 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.
- Release Date
- August 21, 2021
The rest of the episode shows Daemon trying to leave Harrenhal, but Alys convinces him to stay. Her powers do not exactly bewitch him, but she holds some grip over him and his sanity. Daemon hasn’t had a good time in Harrenhal, as his presence hasn’t been entirely fruitful, but in “Smallfolk,” we saw a broken version of the prince. His encounter with his brother was the last push he needed in order to react. The question is, what will his next step be? Rhaenyra is not counting on him for support, but Harrenhal is still an essential site where allies could tilt the scale either way.
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There are only two episodes left. Aegon is still unable to tell Alicent what Aemond did to him, and his replacement is a violent and erratic killer. What follows is bloodshed for sure, but in King’s Landing something is boiling. The smallfolk are not happy, and per Rhaenyra’s latest clever move, the Hightowers are losing support. We’ll have to wait for next Sunday to see if there’s an upheaval or if Daemon finally leaves Harrenhal. Regardless, doesn’t another Viserys cameo sound great? After all, someone should tell Alicent about the horrible mistake she made.
House of the Dragon
‘s episodes are released every Sunday and are available to stream on Max.