The Best Moment Of House Of The Dragon So Far Was An Accident
A House of the Dragon scene in which King Viserys lost his crown and was given it back by Daemon was an accident.
For fans needing a little pick me up after the series finale of Game of Thrones in 2019, the prequel series House of the Dragon has been scratching that seemingly never-ending itch with eight episodes of the first season aired on HBO already. A scene in the most recent episode, “The Lord of the Tides,” showed Daemon (Matt Smith) as he helped King Viserys (Paddy Considine) up, with the crown falling off of Viserys and his younger brother helping him put it back on. This action was apparently an accident that occurred as both actors while rehearsing the scene, and it remained in the final product that aired this weekend.
According to an interview by Entertainment Weekly, the scene in question between Matt Smith and Paddy Considine culminated the idea, by happenstance, that Daemon has wanted the crown all along and will stop at nothing to get it, although when he gets his shot, he gives the crown right back.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, episode director Geeta Patel reveals that the accidental crown falling portion of the scene “felt like a turning point” for both characters, and the script was rewritten to make sure the scenes following this one had to reflect a new relationship forming between the two. Having written a specific speech that was eventually cut for time, House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal decided to keep the scene as is, since the crown falling off meant more to the two characters than any speech ever could.
With the House of the Dragon scene occurring in the eighth episode of the first season, there are many ways that this season could still end with a couple of episodes left to go, including an epic battle for the crown itself. In the grand Game of Thrones universe’s tradition, writer George R.R. Martin is famous for killing off many of his original main characters, despite fan loyalty to heroic figures like Sean Bean’s Ned Stark in the first season of Game of Thrones and, to some degree, Kit Harrington’s Jon Snow, who is later resurrected in the original series.
Either Daemon or Viserys could well see their time on the show end early, and the throne may still be up for grabs in future episodes depending on how Martin and Condal believe the series should transition.
House of the Dragon debuted earlier this summer to positive reviews from critics and a built-in Game of Thrones fanbase for HBO that has resulted in high ratings for the cable network. Warner Bros. Discovery is aiming to keep viewers coming back to HBO and HBO Max for the time being, as much of their content has been removed from the streaming service aspect of their business like Sesame Street and the Harry Potter franchise.
It seems that Warner Bros Discovery may be contending with other fantasy epic television shows currently airing on other subscription streaming service platforms as well, including The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime Video, The Witcher on Netflix starring Henry Cavill, Outlander on Starz, and Netflix’s other popular entry, The Sandman.
