The latest season of House of the Dragon has put all characters in a vulnerable situation as the civil war of succession hits peak after peak. After the death of Rhaenys and her dragon Meleys, and the injury of King Aegon II, the war seems to be on between Team Black and Green.
Daemon Targaryen on the other hand is plagued by haunting visions at Harrenhal while a mysterious healer named Alys Rivers is seen more often in the castle. A shot from the latest episode sees Rivers disappear behind another character after having an interaction with Daemon. Fans believe that the continuity error might have lasting consequences.
Alys Rivers Disappearing In A Shot Confuses Fans
Ever since Daemon Targaryen made his base at Harrenhal in House of the Dragon season 2, the legendary curse of the castle seems to have taken hold of him. The Prince is seen to be haunted by visions of a young Rhaenyra, who took his claim to the throne, and his second wife Laena, who died during childbirth.
While the castle itself seems to be haunted, with Daemon’s inner demons providing fodder for it to feed on him, another character in the castle seems to have some contribution to it. Alys Rivers, played by Gayle Rankin, is a healer in the castle but is also regarded as a wood witch. She also appears in Daemon’s visions and seems to know a lot about him.
Many fans believe that Alys is a figment of Daemon’s imagination and it seemed to have been proved in the latest scene. The latest episode of the series sees Alys Rivers disappear behind another character after having an interaction with Daemon. However, it is so subtle that fans are not entirely convinced it is proof of her being an apparition.
The disappearance might just be a continuity error, which the Game of Thrones world is known for (remember the infamous Starbucks cup?). However, the subtle edit may just prove what fans are theorizing.
House of the Dragon Co-Creator Wanted To Put Matt Smith’s Daemon In A Spiral In Season 2
Matt Smith’s performance as Daemon Targaryen has been widely regarded as one of the Doctor Who star’s finest performances and the character has had a huge fan following. The deranged prince who is the late King Viserys’ brother has been troubled since the beginning of the series but season 2 has amped it up to the next level.
After Daemon establishes a base at Harrenhal, the curse of the castle seems to be haunting him, plaguing him with visions of all the people he has wronged before. Ryan Condal, who co-created House of the Dragon, mentioned that he warned Matt Smith about the curveballs he would be throwing at him in the sophomore season. He said to RadioTimes,
I warned him early on, ‘You did such a great job in season 1, now we’re gonna throw a lot at you and really challenge your range as an actor, and also what makes Daemon as a character.’ I think Daemon is the character a lot of people hook into with this series because it’s the sort of stereotypical heroic male lead. And we wanted to kind of turn that on its ear, beginning with episode 1 of season 1 and carrying all the way through the rest of his arc through the series.
The curse of Harrenhal has taken multiple victims in the Game of Thrones universe, with the castle even being mentioned in the flagship. Subsequent episodes might see Daemon completely lose his mind, which does not bode well for Team Black.
House of the Dragon is available to stream on Max.
