Troubling Daemon-Rhaenyra Finale Scene is In Fact Not As Surprising As You Thought
It's Daemon Targaryen we're talking about — not a rainbow pony.
If the finale scene of Daemon losing control and choking Rhaenyra when she refused to immediately start a war with the Greens really surprised you, then you might want to look back at the character's history.
Yes, House of the Dragon episode 10 sees Daemon kind of crossing the line, especially given the fact that he was quite a caring and passionate husband to Rhaenyra this whole time.
However, those who are overly infuriated by him choking his wife might have forgotten what happened to his previous wife, Rhea Royce. Didn't Daemon actually murder her with a stone after having her falling from her horse?
Of course there is a tweak — Daemon did not love Rhea, even hated her, calling her a "bronze b**ch" and preferring to not even speak to her. His relationship with Rhaenyra is entirely different, with the chemistry between the two being palpable since she was young.
Still, fans got furious when Daemon choked her in season 10, arguing that it does not properly depict his character — even though pretty much everything Daemon did throughout the first season, on the contrary, falls in line.
But those who feel that Daemon choking Rhaenyra was worse than him killing Rhea do have an explanation.
"I hope this doesn't come off as insensitive, but I understand why people see Daemon choking Rhaenyra as worse than that in some ways. Rhaenyra has an intimate relationship with him, so in that way violence directed at her feels like a huge betrayal and breach of trust, whereas he was basically a stranger to Rhea Royce." – u/Blue_Reminiscence
According to another fan, "a line is still crossed", but it feels "a little better that Rhaenyra didn't get cowed and basically, unless he actually goes all out and kills her, she still wins."
"The power play was resolved as far as they're concerned in Rhaenyra's favor, in their weirdly sibling rivalry-like final showdown for Viserys' approval," Redditor byakko argued.
Still, everyone who is surprised by Daemon's outbursts should remember that he is actually a murderer and is prone to violence. Remember the massacre of smallfolk at King's Landing? If one is searching for a good guy in House of the Dragon's Westeros, it's definitely not Daemon Targaryen.
The first season of House of the Dragon is available for streaming on HBO Max. The second season will start filming in early 2023, with the premiere date to be announced later.