*Major Spoilers for House of the Dragon*
Fans of Game of Thrones have known this for years, the Iron Throne of Westeros doesn’t accept unworthy rulers. Although King Viserys I Targaryen was deemed a foolish character during the initial episodes of the series, his character arc became one of the best arcs in House of the Dragon.
The 8th episode of the series saw King Viserys Targaryen ascending the Iron Throne to defend his dear daughter Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and her children before the court and the Iron Throne finally deemed the king worthy!
Viserys Became A Worthy Ruler In House of the Dragon
From a show that has fans hooked on the political drama ever since its inception, the 8th episode of House of the Dragon saw a number of fans cry at the actions of the current king of Westeros. When pleaded by her daughter, Viserys I Targaryen ascended the steps of the Iron Throne (along with the help of his dear brother Daemon Targaryen) and passed judgment in the favour of her daughter.
Even though in a terrible condition, the father of Rhaenyra Targaryen ascended the Iron Throne, much to the shock of Alicent and Otto Hightower, and made himself a worthy ruler before his unfortunate demise. During many scenes, Paddy Considine’s Viserys is seen hurt by the melted swords from the Iron Throne. But during his last judgment, the king stayed untouched.
A fan theory stated that since the Iron Throne did not accept unworthy rulers, the character of Viserys was getting hurt by sitting on the Throne (both physically and emotionally) but during his final moments, he became a worthy king by defending his daughter despite insufferable odds. The Iron Throne finally deemed King Viserys I Targaryen worthy during the final moments of his life and left him untouched.
House of the Dragon Praised By The Fans For Its Symbolism
From Viserys III Targaryen’s (Daenerys’ brother from Game of Thrones) reference to the theories of Tyrion Lannister being a Targaryen, House of the Dragon relies heavily on symbolism for the fate of the characters. Geeta Patel, the director of the 8th episode of the series stated that “Viserys isn’t walking to the throne. He’s walking to his daughter. He’s doing it for Rhaenyra” in an interview after the airing of the episode.
After the disappointing ending of Season 8 of Game of Thrones, fans thought that Drogon, the surviving dragon of Daenerys, burned the Iron Throne because he knew the cost of the Throne and the number of people that died due to it. Fans ever since were prepared to be disappointed by House of the Dragon but were instead once again pulled into a world of politics, dragons, and wars.
House of the Dragon is available to stream on HBO Max.
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