Relationships in House of the Dragon

As we know my favorite part of media is watching character driven stories, and the biggest part of what makes character driven stories interesting is their relationships. We’ve already talked about some of the most important character relationships in House of the Dragon but I think it's important to explore all of the relationships as it gives us as the audience a clearer picture as to who these characters are and what they are capable of.

Let's start with the lovely brotherly relationship between Viserys and Daemon. Now I really wish that we got to see more of this relationship because it ended up being very sweet. At the beginning of the season the two are at odds because Daemon is a loose cannon and a violent one at that. Viserys, though an extremely weak ass king, is trying to do what is best for his brother and his kingdom. The two have a light falling out until Daemon comes back from the crab feeder fight on his knees…literally. After Daemon accepts his place as the second son and his brother's role as the King their relationship seems to heal. Then of course Daemon did his Daemon thing and tried to hook up with Rhaenyra, causing a deeper rift between him and Viserys. I’m not sure if I hate the next phase of their relationship or if I’m just happy that they got there; after Rhaenyra and Daemon get married, he and Viserys seem closer. We don’t actually see them heal, there is no real further interaction between them until Viserys is very very sick. Let’s be clear that the way they handled that was most definitely poor writing but the ending of Viserys and Daemon is so sweet and loving that I’m not sure that I care. The scene of Daemon picking up Viserys’ crown and helping him to the throne really shows Deamon’s heart and his love for his brother.

A relationship that I truly can’t wait to see more of is Rhaenyra and Rhaenys. The Queen that never was and the heir to the Iron Throne have had some very interesting interactions; The first notable one being Rhaenys telling Rhaenyra that the seven kingdoms will never see a woman sit upon the throne. This conversation was so tense and filled with anger and resentment from Rhaenys and obstinance and hurt from Rhaenyra because if anyone would support a woman heir you would think it would be Rhaenys but she was just so jaded from being overlooked. The next super important interaction to me is the confrontation they had when everyone came to King’s Landing for the decision about the heir to Driftmark. Rhaenys clearly blames Rhaenyra for her son's death, which to be completely fair is understandable but I really am hoping that Leanor comes back to fight for his queen and that Rhaenys realizes what Rhaenyra did FOR him, not TO him. The best relationship step these two took however was Rhaenys warning Rhaenyra about what team green was doing and then urging Corlys to back Rhaenyra. I think that this relationship is arguably going to be the most important relationship in the future of the show.

One relationship that has been a hot topic lately is Rhaenyra and Daemon. After that choking scene the nature of their relationship has been dissected by the internet; well here's the deal, most takes I’ve seen on this are total crap. First of all Rhaenyra was not groomed, she literally always had a thing for her uncle, they always had a special bond. The application of 2022 morals to a television show about dragons that thrives off of rape and incest is quite possibly the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. Otto literally suggested marrying Rhaenyra off to her 2 year old brother, Alicent’s kids married each other and Jamie and Cersei exist…let it go. Daemon is in fact unstable BUT the only thing that had ever been established pre the choking scene is that Daemon is fiercely protective of the people that he loves. And the only people that he isn’t harmful towards are the people that he loves. He has never done anything but protect Rhaenyra and all of her children and his brother, and Leana. The choking scene was entirely out of character.

The other relationships that we are going to get to see develop more is the relationships between all of the kids. They grew up together and the first major interaction we see is after Leana’s funeral. Aemond claims Vagar and walks in like a cocky little shit, resulting in him (rightfully) getting his ass kicked. We really don’t see them interact again until the family dinner, the girls and Rhaenyra’s boys are sweet, kind, thoughtful little angels and Alicent’s are disgusting, rapey, gross little shits.

Relationships are what drive the show, politics are simply a backdrop. These relationships are going to shape the rest of the series and I truly can not wait to see how they develop.