Given its premise about the collapse of a royal family, it’s really no surprise that House of the Dragon has so many gray characters, but Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) still ranks as the most ambiguous. Many of his worst actions, often driven by justified resentment, are only shown in part, and the extent of his involvement is often uncertain. Through Daemon, the show explores the way events take on a narrative of their own, both historically and politically. The level of his personal capability feels almost irrelevant when one knows it already has consequences that threaten his reputation, so much so that even Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) does not fully trust him. During his time at Harrenhal, Daemon is directly confronted with his atrocities, forcing him to sit with them for much of the season until he returns, stronger than ever. Whether or not it will last is a major question, but the open-ended nature of his character suggests that viewers will be kept guessing.
Daemon’s Worst Side Is Rarely Seen in ‘House of the Dragon’
Looking back, there are many things that can be blamed as the starting point for the Dance of the Dragon, from the ambition of the Hightowers to outright sexism in Westeros. One of them also comes from the series premiere, when Daemon is rumored to drunkenly toast “the heir for a day” after King Viserys (Paddy Considine) loses his newborn son in childbirth.
When Viserys openly confronts him, Daemon never denies saying those words, but also does not confess to them, either. Regardless, it emphasizes the lack of trust between the two brothers, directly leading to the naming of Rhaenyra as the heir and setting the political crisis into motion. Other moments in the first season, like the killing of his wife, are shown in some detail but cut away just before the killing blow. Rather than making Daemon appear more ambiguous, cases like this may simply be a case of trying to avoid excessive violence, something the show has only used when it feels relevant to the storyline.
The second season premiere parallels the first, with Daemon sending out two assassins to murder Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) but instead resulting in the horrific death of the young royal prince. This event, one toned down from the traumatic version of the books, still has the fingerprints of Daemon all over it, but his role is unclear. While he hired and sent both assassins, the scene still cuts away before he answers their questions about the backup plan. One of them, however, explicitly states as a witness that Daemon told them “a son for a son” would suffice. This feels far more credible than the “heir for a day” quote, which could easily be attributed to distortion or gossip, and the smile he gives feels especially telling. Like with his brother years earlier, Daemon still does not claim to be responsible for the killing, but the problem is now one of perception that he often struggles to overcome, even among his allies.
In ‘Fire & Blood,’ History Is Told Through Many Conflicting Views
The biggest challenge of House of the Dragon is its source material, which is primarily a history book, but the very nature of Fire & Blood allows it to explore some events and play with the timeline in a way that other stories cannot. Like real history, the narrative of Fire & Blood tackles particular events in more broad strokes, but some events deliberately remain unclear. To use one example, who exactly caused the fire that served to decimate House Strong in Harrenhal is never properly answered, and only theories are raised. The show, on the other hand, picks one of those ideas and sticks with it, naming Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) as the culprit. Others, like the confrontation at Storm’s End that concluded the first season, used none of the theories previously offered by the books. Rather than an intentional murder, the brutal killing of Lucerys (Elliot Girhault) is shown to be reckless but accidental, even if history records it as deliberate.
While every adaptation creates changes, one of the most impressive things the show has done is take advantage of its historical record. When the series does decide to make a big change, like the betrayal at Rook’s Rest, it often happens without witnesses. Others, like how Alicent (Olivia Cooke) interprets the Song of Ice and Fire to favor her son, reinforce the fantasy themes that naturally go unnoticed by history. Canonically, it makes sense that these would not be in the history books, since they are not a matter of public record in the first place. Without such context, many characters in the book, who are already simplified, can feel even less interesting to follow, but these changes allow the audience to learn something special, known only to those involved. This both helps characterization and enriches the lore, but Daemon is often portrayed with the opposite approach.
Daemon’s Gray Morality Makes Him More Compelling in ‘House of the Dragon’
Although most events make a decisive statement about
the nature of events or character decisions, Daemon remains the only one with plausible deniability for some of his actions. Some cases, like killing Rhea Royce (Rachel Redford) in the Vale, are more certain than others, but it points to a creative choice that can make him feel unpredictable, which is what he would probably prefer. It’s directly because of these choices that Rhaenyra begins to question his loyalty, sending him off to Harrenhal in exile, where he gradually undergoes a highly dramatic change. Ultimately, the question of how much he was involved remains only one for historians, as it has now taken a political dimension.
For much of season 2, Daemon has been trapped with his own ghosts in Harrenhal, which is where we first see him confronted with the consequences of his actions. The first of these many visions features a young Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) sowing the decapitated head back into the body of the young Jaehaerys, condemning him outright. Regardless of whether he had ordered the child dead, the show still makes it explicitly clear that he remains responsible for the debacle. By directly addressing his culpability, the series both deconstructs and rebuilds him into the character he needs to become.
For so long, Daemon has played upon his unpredictable nature to inspire fear in those who face him, and the way his character is treated allows viewers to feel it too. Just as his own involvement in murder was not entirely clear, so too were his intentions, and only with his verbal sparring with Kermit Tully (Archie Barnes) do we get a true sense of his endgame with the other lords in the Riverlands. Throughout the season, his volatile nature made reconciliation with Rhaenyra feel almost impossible, and the fact that his worst actions still felt hidden meant that he might have the ability to betray her if he so chose. At the moment, his own interests remain aligned with hers, but the ambiguous morality of his character means all of us will remain on edge in future seasons.
House of the Dragon Season 2 is now available for streaming on Max in the U.S.