Game of Thrones prequel House of The Dragon is a choke-full of repressed emotions, and there are many occasions we have seen them overflow. Prince Daemon Targaryen is one such character, who might seem impulsive and do stuff on a whim, however, he also holds back a lot of things he needs to say, and that comes out as the impulsiveness we see in House of The Dragon. In the final episode of House of The Dragon season 1, Daemon comes to know why it is so important for Rhaenyra to sit on the Iron Throne, and how it is connected to a prophecy, the fated Aegon’s Dream.
When he first comes to know about it, and is finally struck with the feeling that there might be some truth in it, he grabs Rhaenyra by the throat. Emma D’Arcy, who plays Rhaenyra, recently explained in an interview with GQ if Daemon has done something like that before.
D’Arcy said, “Me and Matt spoke about this scene a lot. We wanted to make sure we understood it really intimately. That moment could be perceived as a huge change in their dynamic. In that scene, by the fireplace, two things happen at once. First, you have two characters who are grieving. And I think one might say that Daemon is managing that grief less eloquently than Rhaenyra is.”
“I don’t actually think he’s been violent to her before, although I think there’s been a lot of conflict. But fundamentally, when Rhaenyra realises Daemon was never taught the prophecy, she suddenly gains legitimacy. Because she understands that it was her, she was chosen for this.”
D’Arcy added, “There’s this huge question for her all the way through the series: ‘you chose me, and now you don’t f*cking speak to me’. 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.”
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