House of the Dragon Creator Spills the Beans on Show's Most Controversial Choice
Despite the tragic aftermath of Lucerys' trip to Storm's End, fans are still bugged by a bigger question: why did Daemon briefly choke Rhaenyra in that final episode?
House of the Dragon 's co-creator Ryan Condal had some explaining to do when fans confronted him about the show's arguably most controversial scene during GoT Convention. However, he somehow managed to provide believable reasons for Daemon suddenly acting violent with Rhaenyra.
According to Condal, Daemon's unexpected move to choke his wife comes mainly as a reflection of the rogue prince's dark past and troubled relationship with his brother. Daemon, the co-creator said, has always wanted to be King Viserys' hand, not being too fond of the idea of sitting on the Iron Throne but definitely loving the concept of staying close.
However, the fact that Rhaenyra never told him about the prophecy and was almost ready to accept Alicent's peace conditions (and therefore surrender her birth right to the throne) appeared to be the last straw for Daemon.
"It is an act of violence against Rhaenyra, but it is lashing out of a wounded man," Condal said, "and it's the only way he knows how to express it."
While House of the Dragon fans are still skeptical about the scene, Condal's explanation did make sense to a lot of people. However, it doesn't mean that fans no longer have questions.
"This explanation makes sense but now I'm confused as to why Matt said himself and Emma didnt understand the choking scene. Seems like writers and actors having different interpretations of their characters is an ongoing issue with this cast because they just be saying a bunch of different s**t in interviews," Redditor elxxaxx noted.
Others, however, seem to know the answer to this: as this is the first season, House of the Dragon creative team might just be "throwing things at the wall to see what sticks", which is why there is some inconsistence between what writers say and what actors believe.
Another opinion is that the choking scene was included to make an allusion to domestic violence — an issue relevant enough today to resonate with the audience.
Still, many HotD fans are extremely angered over the fact that their beloved couple is not picture perfect — even though it is still the Game of Thrones universe we are talking about, where, you know, virtually nothing is picture perfect.
House of the Dragon's second season is set to start filming in early 2023, with the premiere date to be scheduled by HBO later.