The Greens and the Blacks are clashing once again. This week sees the long-awaited return of HBO’s House of the Dragon. Ever since Game of Thrones ended in a, let’s just say, controversial way, people have been skeptical about a prequel series primarily focused on House Targaryen, which is already the most contentious corner of Westeros among fans. But House of the Dragon defied the odds, proving there was still life left in George R.R. Martin’s saga, harkening back to the franchise’s early focus on political intrigue over spectacle, and telling an engaging story of a brewing civil war in its own right.
After almost two years, the show’s hotly-anticipated sophomore season debuts on Sunday, with the promise that the Dance of the Dragons, an all-consuming civil war that became a key part of Targaryen history, will kick into high gear. Considering it’s been so long since the debut season, fans understandably spend the week recapping the show’s important events and refreshing themselves before the Season 2 premiere. Today, we’re looking at one of the show’s most pivotal events – the death of the beloved King Viserys I – and how his passing arguably set the stage for the civil war to come.
Viserys’ Death Proved a Key Turning Point for House of the Dragon
Most of House of the Dragon’s first season focused on an impending succession crisis facing the ruling Targaryens. When King Viserys I, a divisive ruler, found himself unable to conceive a son with his first wife, Aemma Arryn (who died in her final pregnancy), he named his eldest daughter, Rhaenyra, his heir to the Iron Throne. However, several of his closest confidants plot to install Aegon II, his son born by his new wife, Alicent Hightower, as the king, as they believe a firstborn male should, by default, hold the succession birthright.
Tensions quickly heat up as Aegon and Rhaenyra try to assert their claims to the throne, and the once-united House Targaryen begins to fracture. As was the case with Game of Thrones at its peak, the fun comes from watching political schemers plot their way to power, even if it means supporting larger causes only to fulfill their selfish agendas. Otto Hightower, Hand of the King, wishes to secure his boodline, as his daughter, Alicent, gave birth to Aegon. The ever-scheming Prince Daemon seems to have no true agenda except what allows him to accumulate power.
In the season’s eighth installment, King Viserys finally succumbs to his long-developing leprosy. As Alicent tends to him, he mistakes her for Rhaenyra in a state of delirium and reminds her of the reason he made her his heir – Targaryen legend, Aegon the Conqueror, had a vision of an endless winter in which Westeros could face possible extinction. His prophecy states that only a Targaryen on the throne can be their savior, and not realizing who he’s actually speaking to, Viserys tells Alicent, “you’re the one, you must do this.”
This convinces Alicent that her dying husband has officially backed Aegon II to sit on the Iron Throne. But a classic example of dramatic irony reveals this isn’t the case, and as Alicent leaves his chambers, Viserys hallucinates his first wife, Aemma. With his last breath, he utters, “My love,” and passes away.
Did Viserys Accidentally Start the Targaryen Civil War?
Obviously, the misunderstanding that surrounded King Viserys’ final moments was the spark that ignited the Targaryen civil war, which the second season will likely cover in depth. But assuming Queen Alicent understood the true meaning behind what he meant, could all the subsequent bloodshed have been averted? It’s hard to speak definitively, but considering how much of a slow burn the first season was, it can be assumed that conflict could’ve been postponed but not averted entirely.
Consider how contentious King Viserys’ court is, even within the first few episodes. His brother, Prince Daemon, has an outright antagonistic relationship with Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, who takes him to task for his brutal leadership of the City Watch. It becomes clear that most of Viserys’ allies are content to use him to fuel their selfish motives, namely Master of Ships Ser Corlys Velaryon, who promises to wed his daughter to his king if he allows him to combat the marauding Essos Triarchy. And this is all before Otto Hightower begins secretly plotting to install Aegon II as his king’s successor, as he and many of his allies refuse to break with tradition and let a woman sit on the Iron Throne.
While Queen Alicent (who’s given a more nuanced treatment than in the books) undeniably misunderstands King Viserys’ dying request and sets worse things in motion, under the circumstances, it’s hard to entirely blame her. She had no way of knowing that her husband thought he was speaking to Rhaenyra, and she never knew of Aegon the Conqueror’s prophecy. So even though she inadvertently goes against his final wish, she genuinely believes that she’s instead fulfilling it. Even more crucially, her father, Otto, plays a much more crucial role than her in plotting to have Aegon II installed as king, and he likely would have outright disregarded Viserys’ wishes.
Nonetheless, the misunderstanding surrounding the king’s final words illustrates one of the key themes of George R.R. Martin’s saga: the contrast between short-term political gain and large-scale disaster. At its best, Game of Thrones emphasized how futile the war for the Iron Throne was and how the victor wouldn’t matter when the White Walkers threatened extinction to all of Westeros. House of the Dragon further emphasizes this idea by incorporating Aegon the Conqueror’s prophecy of the long winter (it wasn’t at all included in the book Fire and Blood) to give an extra tragic dimension to House Targaryen’s internal division.
The Dance of the Dragons Begins
Still, it’s undeniable that this simple misunderstanding proves the straw that breaks the camel’s back. All the long-simmering tensions between the Greens and the Blacks explode, and as the debut season ends, it’s clear that Westeros’ legendary Dance of the Dragons is about to begin. We can’t wait to see how the Targaryen civil war continues to unfold when Season 2 of House of the Dragon premieres. House of the Dragon Season 2 is streaming on Max on June 16.