Daemon’s Harrenhal visions in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2, episode 4, explained

When Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) fight for deal with of Westeros, Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) is residing in his private private horror film.

His issues commenced in episode three of Residence of the Dragon‘s second year, when he acquired a haunting eyesight of younger Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) appropriate just after conquering Harrenhal. Episode four, “A Dance of Dragons,” kicks these visions up a notch, as Daemon gets not a particular person, not two, but 3 haunting guests. Moreover, a nightcap with witch-in-household Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) provides up an clarification of why Daemon may possibly effectively be acquiring these web-site guests in the initially location.

Let’s break it down.

What does Daemon’s episode four eyesight of younger Rhaenyra indicate?

“A Dance of Dragons” opens with Daemon’s eyesight of the Great Hall at the Pink Sustain. The moment however once more, he comes confront to facial location with youthful Rhaenyra, who now sits on the Iron Throne. But something’s shifted. In Daemon’s vision of young Rhaenyra in episode three, she was sporting the precise gold dress as in the initial fifty % of Time 1. Even so, this manifestation of young Rhaenyra is dressed just like grownup Rhaenyra she’s wearing a extended black and purple robe and the crown of Jaehaerys the Conciliator.

As episode three director Geeta Vasant Patel stated, Daemon views youthful Rhaenyra as a particular person who surely understood him, who liked him and worshipped him when his have brother Viserys (Paddy Considine) scorned him. In the meantime, present-functioning day Rhaenyra forged him apart pursuing the expose that he was complicit in younger Jaehaerys’ murder. Searching at adolescent Rhaenyra take into account on the garments and attitude of adult Rhaenyra destabilizes Daemon best off the bat.

Creating matters even worse is what this vision of Rhaenyra truly suggests to Daemon. As in their episode two argument, she needles at 1 certain of his finest insecurities, that Viserys never ever ever liked him as substantially as he loved Rhaenyra. And even having said that Daemon “created” Queen Rhaenyra — actually crowning her in the Time 1 finale — is he surely supportive of her? Or is he hellbent on destroying her and possessing capacity for himself? Rhaenyra gives these text in Huge Valyrian, a language that she and Daemon commonly spoke alone jointly early in Period 1 and that holds relatively a small bit of intimacy for the two of them.

The blend of that intimate language at the moment becoming applied to hurt him and the blending of younger and adult Rhaenyra proves as well significantly for Daemon. In this eyesight, he beheads young Rhaenyra without the need of hesitation, an act that recalls the beheading of Jaehaerys at his behest, and his beheading of Vaemond Velaryon (Wil Johnson) in Year 1. But even then, the horrors commonly are not about: Rhaenyra’s disembodied head asks Daemon no matter if this is what he is commonly preferred. Is he truly that monstrous?

What do Daemon’s visions of Aemond Targaryen and Laena Velaryon signify?

Ewan Mitchell in “Residence of the Dragon.”
Credit score: Ollie Upton / HBO

Daemon continues to reckon with his worst fears as “A Dance of Dragons” proceeds. His following eyesight is a single of Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell). Incredibly effectively, sort of. Daemon sees a particular person who seems a entire lot like Aemond Targaryen strolling by means of Harrenhal. From driving, he can see that this decide has incredibly extended, Targaryen-blonde hair, as effectively as an eyepatch. On the other hand, when the figure turns all more than, we see that it truly is really Daemon, created to search like Aemond.

There are quite a few levels appropriate right here. Initial, Daemon and Aemond act as mirrors to each and every and each other. Each are youthful brothers of kings, and each and every are noticed as substantially a lot more risky than their siblings. But as the Dance of the Dragons receives underway, the two get a horrible new commonality. In the Time 1 finale, Aemond’s measures led to the death of Lucerys (Elliot Grihault), a child. Daemon’s retaliation, whilst initially concentrating on Aemond, also prospects to the dying of a youngster: Jaehaerys. So when Daemon sees Aemond in Harrenhal, he’s not just searching at an individual with a connected each day living route to him. He is viewing himself as a fellow small 1-assassin and a fellow kinslayer. As effectively as, enthusiasts of George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood will also know that Daemon and Aemond’s fates are each equally intertwined with the castle of Harrenhal, so the Daemon-Aemond connection under is especially prescient.

Quickly just after all that, Harrenhal having said that just is not achieved with Daemon. All by means of a meeting with Home Blackwood, a eyesight warps a serving girl into Daemon’s late spouse, Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell). When however once more, this ghostly apparition is a reminder of what Daemon has dropped, as completely as his probable monstrosity. When Laena died by suicide, commanding Vhagar to burn up her all by means of a agonizing, most most likely deadly labor, there was a possibility that Daemon would have forced a C-portion upon her to preserve his small 1, just as Viserys did to Aemma Arryn (Sian Brooke) in Residence of the Dragon‘s premiere.

Why is Daemon acquiring these visions in the 1st location, and what does Alys Rivers have to do with it?

Gayle Rankin in “Home of the Dragon.”
Credit history: Ollie Upton / HBO

Daemon’s nightmarish sleepwalks direct him to Alys Rivers, a bastard lady who’s overtaken the duties of Harrenhal’s Maester. You may possibly effectively don’t forget her as the lady who tells Daemon, “You will die in this place,” on his initially evening in Harrenhal. What a heat welcome!

In Fire & Blood, numerous accounts clarify Alys as “a serving wench who dabbled in potions and spells,” “a woods witch,” and “a malign enchantress who bathed in the blood of virgins to sustain her youth.” Unnecessary to say, she’s a very efficient girl in her private right — whilst Dwelling of the Dragon is so substantially preserving whatsoever mysterious skills she may possibly have to some degree essential.

Alys delivers Daemon a record lesson that hints at why he retains acquiring odd visions. Harrenhal is cursed, she states. When Harren the Black designed it, he slash down the sacred weirwood trees that applied to create specifically exactly where Harrenhal now stands. “Heart trees imbued with the spirits of folks who lived lengthy in advance of he arrived,” Alys describes. “It really is stated their whispers can continue to be study sometimes.”

Daemon is swift to dismiss Alys’ account as a midwives’ tale. But presented that his bed was designed from a weirwood tree, and that his to start out with vision of youthful Rhaenyra led him to the just 1 weirwood tree that even now stands in Harrenhal’s courtyard, it really is crystal clear that her terms preserve additional truth than he could possibly really feel.

Is the curse of Harrenhal all which is affecting Daemon, whilst? Or is some of Alys’ witchcraft at get the job performed as adequately? She provides him a draught that she promises will help him sleep, having said that he seems disoriented — and even now sees Laena! — while ingesting it. Alys also pokes at Daemon’s insecurities about Viserys passing him up as heir, something his vision of Rhaenyra introduced up at the start of the episode. Can she see Daemon’s visions as well? Or is she straight accountable for them? Each way, some issue supernatural is definitely afoot.

New episodes of Property of the Dragon air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.