House of the Dragon’s King Viserys was a very popular character with fans. A kind and thoughtful man, he was never long for the cutthroat world of Westeros with his big heart and gentle nature, but he did have to work extremely hard to win back the trust of viewers after a shocking incident early in the show’s run.
Faced with an impossible task early on, he discovers his pregnant wife, Aemma - giving birth to a son, and the presumptive heir to the Iron Throne - will not survive the birth if the child is to make it. He instructors the Maesters to perform a medieval Caesarean section in order to save the child - but neither makes it.
Viserys is forced to live with the consequences of his actions for the rest of his life,viewing his illness and subsequent decline, both mentally and physically, as a form of penance for his actions. Speaking at the inaugural officialGame of ThronesConvention in Los Angeles,Paddy Considine,the man tasked with bringing Viserys' humanity and vulnerability to the screen, expanded on his thoughts.
“[Aemma’s] death is… that’s his downfall, really. He never gets over that death. Which is kind of misunderstood by people early on. I think they think I killed my wife. But that wasn’t the case. They were both going to die. They had a chance of saving Baelon, but it meant putting her through a horrific procedure. So I think people misunderstood that he killed her, but he was trying to save the child or they’re both gonna die. And I don’t think he ever, ever recovered from that.”
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Considine also expands on the impressionSian Brooke, who played Aemma, left on him during the difficult scene, and Viserys' state of mind after her character’s death, particularly regarding Viserys' declining health:
“Sian Brooke, the actress who came in to play Aemma just for a few days, left such a massive impression on me with the work we did and that scene in particular. It just became the catalyst for his journey, really. He never recovered from it. He was only ever really in love with her. And if you watch the show… the sicker he gets, he’s never asking for a cure. He’s never the one asking for help. It’s like he’s accepting what’s happening to him physically as a punishment.”
Aemma’s death sets achain of eventsinto action that lead us into the Targaryen civil war, bringing us to the conclusion of season one, when his second wife - Alicent Hightower - decides to usurp his chosen heir, Rhaenyra, to put her son Aegon on the throne, sending us into the Dance of the Dragons.
A tragic set of circumstances that lead ultimately to the downfall of the great house. Check out the trailer for the series below:
