It seems that King Viserys I Targaryen has finally shown signs of paranoia and mistrust in the previous episode of HBO’s House of the Dragon. The great king, who was initially praised by fans for being so gentle and forgiving, is now foreshadowing the deterioration of the House Targaryen through the story of the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen.
The previous episode of House of the Dragon saw a time jump where Alicent Hightower is now married to King Viserys and pregnant with their second child. Having named Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen as heir to the Iron Throne years ago, the king still stands with his decision despite having a firstborn male successor, Aegon.
King Viserys’s Paranoia Revealed In House Of The Dragon
In a supposed-to-be friendly conversation with Jason Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock, the king was angered at the lord’s proposition to take Rhaenyra as wife to compensate for her “loss of station”. Many believed that the princess has already lost her title since Aegon’s birth, as traditions in Westeros often appoint firstborn son as heir. King Viserys reminded Lord Lannister that it is his duty to report any case of rebellion stirring in the kingdom. Baffled and shocked, Jason claims there has been no such thing at King’s Landing.
Whether it was fueled by too much drinking wine or his ever-growing paranoia of people criticizing his choice of heir, King Viserys is now forming clouds of dark thoughts in his mind. These underlying worries were the same apprehensions that troubled the Mad King and eventually caused the ruin of House Targaryen.
How This Scene Relates To Aerys II “The Mad King”
Fans may have noticed that King Viserys’s answer to Jason is far from the lord’s concern. His Grace is not entirely worried about any rebellion stirring in the kingdom, but rather takes advantage of his position to stop the lords from criticizing his political choices.
The Mad King was far more brutal and irrational than Viserys’s harmless accusations. Jason Lannister would have been turned to ashes if he ever went to the Mad King and told him he committed a terrible mistake. At first, Aerys II showed a promising future at the start of his rule. Like King Viserys, he wanted peace and prosperity in the Seven Kingdoms. He only descended to madness when he started suspecting everyone around him of spiteful intentions.
Targaryens have always been linked to madness, some would claim as an effect of incest, a family tradition that has been practiced for centuries. With King Viserys’s fits of paranoia in House of the Dragon, viewers will have a glimpse of his descendant’s future reign as the ruler that would be known as the face of madness in the entire Targaryen history.
