It’s the end of the road for the first season ofHouse of the Dragon. The finale was filled with thrilling nail-biting moments as is expected fromGame of Thronesfranchise. From Rhaenyra losing her father, her throne, andher children, the stage is set for the dance of the dragons. One of the moments that really caught Daemon and Rhaenyra fans by surprise comes when the former chokes the latter upon hearing the prophecy of Ice and Fire. Fans have been shipping the couple right from the start of the series and Daemon’s actions left many shocked.
The rogue prince, byGeorge R.R. Martin’s design, is a conflicting character — even in the books, people either love him or detest him completely, nothing in between. Fans have a similar response toMatt Smith’s performance; he can help his brother in his tedious final walk to the Iron Throne and crown him rightfully, and he can alsochoke Rhaenyrain the most unexpected moments. In a recent interview withVariety, creatorRyan Condalexplains that discovering the prophecy of Ice and Fire was a “surprising and shocking (moment) for Daemon as a character.”
He further explains that while Daemon is an incredibly charismatic and deeply interesting, complex character, “he’s also capable of great darkness. It’s simmering just beneath the surface.” Daemon has both good and bad sides, he can kill his own wife, love his brother and family even when they share very complex relationships, so per Condal, learning that Viserys never believed in him enough, as his actual heir to the throne, to pass the prophecy, “it breaks him.” Adding,
He loved his brother so deeply and trusted him, even through all the problems that they had, and Viserys never shared it with him. He kept [Daemon] in the dark, and it just it breaks Daemon. Instead of reacting with grief or sadness that you see out of him later, he reacts with rage and he takes it out on Rhaenyra.
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For actorEmma D’Arcy, when Rhaenyra realizes Daemon was never taught the prophecy, it was a moment of clarity for her as “she suddenly gains legitimacy. Because she understands that it was her, she was chosen for this,” they toldGQ. The actor further elaborates on Rhaenyra’s mindset telling, that she was tasked with uniting the kingdoms when she becomes Queen “but by naming her his heir, Viserys has done the opposite, because his heir is a woman and that has divided the Kingdom.” They think that during that scene Rhaenyra gets a “message from beyond the grave the moment that she understands that Daemon wasn’t chosen.” Further adding, “Simultaneously, Daemon gets shafted from beyond the grave by his brother, who he loves more than any other character in the show. On the one hand, he can say that he doesn’t believe in prophecies. But he was never trusted to anyway.”
All episodes ofHouse of the DragonSeason 1 are available on HBO Max to stream.
