*Warning: Contains spoilers for House of the Dragon.*
Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon left its fans devastated after the end of its eighth episode, with a huge cast member making their final appearance.
Paddy Considine, who played King Viserys in the first eight episodes, said goodbye to the show this week when the old king died after a long illness.
But not before he accidentally undid all of his work to unite the realm, mumbling to his wife, Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), about ‘Aegon’s dream’.
Fans were left screaming at their TVs in horror, and not just at the fantastic prosthetics applied to Viserys’ rotting face.
It’s an incident that many fans will look on when the show is over as the moment House of the Dragon really clicked into gear and set its wheels in motion.
But why?
House of the Dragon episode 8 explained
Episode eight of House of the Dragon, titled The Lord of the Tides, picks up six years after episode seven, which was named Driftmark. Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and husband-uncle Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) journey from their home of Dragonstone to King’s Landing when they discover that Rhaenyra’s son Lucerys is to have his claim to Driftmark challenged by Vaemond Velaryon (Wil Johnson).
When they arrive, they find Rhaenyra’s father Viserys in a very bad way. The infection that started in his hand many years ago has spread all over his body, leaving him with one arm, one eye, and numerous lesions. In a scene that’s as triumphant as it is heartbreaking, Viserys musters enough strength to swat down Vaemond’s claim to Driftmark before Daemon beheads the Sea Snake’s (Steve Toussaint) brother in full sight of the Westerosi nobility.
At one point, Rhaenyra tries to talk to her father about becoming the first queen of the Seven Kingdoms. She reminds him of the story he once told her, about Aegon the Conqueror’s dream, ‘the song of ice and fire’, and expresses doubts about assuming her father’s throne. However, she struggles to get a proper conversation out of her father and tearfully gives up.
Later on, after one final family meal, Viserys retires to bed. Hallucinating and on the brink of death, he mistakes his wife Alicent for his daughter Rhaenyra.
Intending to carry on their earlier conversation, Viserys begins mumbling about ‘Aegon’s dream’ and ‘the Prince that was promised’. Alicent misinterprets Viserys’ words as a declaration: Viserys wants the couple’s son, Aegon II, to be his heir instead of Rhaenyra.
This, of course, is not the case, but only Viserys knew the truth. It died with him.
How many episodes are left?
There are two remaining episodes in the first season of House of the Dragon. Episode nine, titled The Green Council, will follow the events in King’s Landing immediately after the death of King Viserys.
Afterwards, episode 10, titled The Black Queen, is likely to track Princess Rhaenyra’s response to discovering that her father is dead.
House of the Dragon has been renewed for a second season, and the show’s creators have expressed a desire to tell their story across three, possibly four seasons in total. So even though the first season is almost at an end, there’s still plenty more House of the Dragon to come.
When is House of the Dragon next on and how to catch up
For the super-dedicated, House of the Dragon is broadcast on Sky Atlantic at 2am on Monday mornings. It then becomes available on demand on Sky Go and Now TV.
However, if you want to watch it alongside a large audience but can’t stay up until all hours of the morning, it is then repeated at 9pm on Monday nights on Sky Atlantic.
If you want to catch up, or if you want to get your friends into the show, the full series up to now is available on Sky Go and Now TV.
Watch House of the Dragon on Sky Atlantic and Now TV.
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