I still can’t get used to Matt Smith playing an incest-driven psychopath. In my heart, he’ll always be a goofy time traveler with a bow tie.
House of the Dragon season two is just a few months away.
The Want: A Dragon’s Hand
Contrary to what you might believe, Daemon never coveted the Iron Throne. Rulership doesn’t suit him, and he’s well aware of that. His talents are in violence and conquest, not governing.
That being said, Daemon is still fiercly loyal to his brother, King Viserys. He understands his brothers flaws; how soft and peaceful he was, as well as how vulnerable he was to his own court. As such, Daemon believed he was the best candidate to serve as his Hand. Viserys would be the mind and heart, and Daemon the iron fist.
We can see this in Daemon’s conquering of the Steppes. For years, an enemy faction made them their home to terrorize Westeros. When Daemon annihilates them and sets himself up as king, his first act is to return to King’s Landing and once again declare his loyalty to Viserys. All the fighting and bloodshed, just to get his brother’s approval.
Unfortunately, Daemon’s violent nature doesn’t always sit well with the peaceful King Viserys. Even so, Viserys is still loyal to his brother. He just tries to keep him at arms length as much as possible.
Sometimes, however, he pushes Daemon a bit further than an arms length away…
The Wound: Brotherly Banishment
Problem with Daemon: he’s just a bit psychotic. Too much crime? Better round everyone up and brutally dismember every known criminal in front of everyone! That’ll drop the crime rate!
Also he really wants to bang his niece. So… he’s not exactly the most popular guy in Westeros.
Being not psychotic, Viserys tries to keep Daemon as far away as possible. He frequently sets his brother up with arranged marriages – none of which end especially well for Daemon’s poor wives. All Daemon wants is to be by his brother’s side, but Viserys wants him anywhere else.
This comes to a head near the end of season one. Viserys, old and weak and dying, limps towards the Iron Throne one last time. Despite his frailty, he pushes everyone away who tries to help him. Everyone except Daemon. In spite of their countless squabbles, despite years of pushing him away, Daemon was always loyal to Viserys.
Right up until he died.
The Lie: Words Did Not Make Us Conquerors; Dragons Did
Daemon’s most crippling flaw is his ‘Might Makes Right’ approach to life. He is a Targaryen in every sense of the word. A violent dragon who sees force and fear as the greatest tools of rule and conquest.
In a time of war, that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. But Viserys ruled in a time of peace. Such times don’t suit a man like Daemon.
Toward the end of the season, however, Daemon can smell the blood in the water. With the Targaryen house slowly dividing into two factions, he can see war on the horizon. Being loyal to his niece/wife (friendly reminder that he’s a messed up guy in a messed up family), he urges Rhaenyra to make the first strike and solidify her claim on the Iron Throne.
Rhaenyra, however, still believes peace can be maintained. A stance that makes Daemon violently angry. Even so, he remains loyal to his queen and allows her to carry on trying to make peace.
All the way until the first blood is spilled.
The Need: Blood is Thicker Than Water
Disturbed and vicious as he is, Daemon is a shockingly loving person. He is a Targaryen through and through, and he defends his family with a dragon’s ferocity. Nothing matters to him more than his kin.
Unfortunately for him, the Targaryen family is… the Targaryen family. Half of his nephews are even more psychotic than he is, and the ones that aren’t die young and brutally. It doesn’t exactly do good things for his mental health.
A heartbreaking example comes partway through the first season. When his wife has a miscarriage, she presents herself to her dragon to die in flames. Daemon tries to stop her; despite how he behaves, he does care for his wife. At least this one. But it’s too late; she burns, and he’s made a widower. This event has a surprising impact upon Daemon; man is legitimately heartbroken.
But then he marries his niece, like, the next day. Man is a master of bouncing back.
To be fair, messed up as their marriage is, Rhaenyra does seem good for Daemon. She’s as level-headed as her father, but she has Daemon’s ferocity. Of all his wives, she seems like the only one to truly understand and care for him. If anyone can whip him into line, it will be her.
Although, given how ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘House of the Dragon’ can be, chances are he won’t survive long enough for that to happen.
Then again, I said the same thing about Levi in ‘Attack on Titan,’ and look at how that turned out.
Conclusion
Daemon is one of my favorite characters in HotD. Not just because my Doctor Who bias naturally draws me to Matt Smith. He’s a prime example of the moral ambiguity that made this series so interesting to begin with. Man is a stone-cold bastard through and through, but he’s got a beating heart beneath it all.
I can’t wait to see where he goes in season two. How will he change now that the world better suits his personality? Will the war make him a more terrible monster? Or will he find some kind of redemption and grow? Will he even survive long enough for any of that to happen?
My money’s on that last one. But he’s gonna go out with one hell of a bang, I can feel it!
Just don’t do him like they did Jaime Lannister. My heart can only handle so much betrayal.
Jonah's Books & Rants 
Leave a comment