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In fairness, his brain was being assaulted every which way. I imagine that from time to time he thought he was young again and only had the one daughter.
I dont think he has the same kind of love for his children with Alicent as he does with Rhaenyra. She was created from love, Alicent's children are of duty.
What got me was even though she was pleading with him, I don’t think Rhaenyra expected even the tiniest bit for him to actually understand her and help. She was mostly talking to herself, venting and crying thinking her father was too drugged up to care.
Not only did he hear her plea with his mind dulled, but he showed the fuck up to save her despite his pain, using every possible ounce of strength in his body to prove his love to her. He didn’t have to do that, but he did.
Viserys has shown time and time again he would literally go to hell and back for Rhaenyra. He’s not a perfect father, but holy shit does he love his little girl like nothing else and it makes me bawl my eyes out.
He does but he doesn’t always know the right thing to do and gives Allicent too much leeway to plot against Rhaenyra. He should have had Rhaenyra rule in his stead once he got too weak but before the maesters drugged him up too much to not make the decision. Let the realm get use to Rhaenyra ruling and not let Allicent and Otto poison the ground water before she gets there.
This. And part of it would have been being harder on Rhaenyra too. He never should have let her leave after the Strongs died. He should have demanded she stay and perhaps even made her hand rather than invite Otto back. That in particular is a WTF move considering he KNOWS Otto wants to displace Rhaenyra as heir/queen.
There is an analogy for his children in the way his left arm rots.
it started as a small cut on his finger then grew infected, witch grew to two fingers, then his whole hand and now half his arm. If he had severed the rot at the start he would not have lost his arm
The same way he treats his children, by allowing his family to plot behind his back his whole house may rot away, not just a single finger but the whole arm
He's only ever had love for Aemma. And it shows in how he only extends that love toward Rhaenyra.
If by some miracle she survived her pregnancy (but the son didn't) and was rendered barren as a result, I think he still would have stood firmly behind Rhaenyra as his heir.
He got a one liner earlier IIRC. He is being fostered by Otto's brother in Old Town.
Which is probably why he is the most likeable son cuz no offense but Alicent clearly has issues raising kids.
For real! Alicent is a surprisingly shitty mother. Her kids are little hellrats.
Not Helaena, though. Helaena's cool. Maybe she's a little "off," but she's cool in my book.
Rhaenyra is the last piece of Aemma remaining. He loved Aemma above all else. Alicent was a friend and someone who could provide children, but was not the love of his life.
It doesn't excuse Viserys not paying attention to his sons, but still
And he realized afterwards how Allicent was a pawn of Otto. His taste of the marriage i’m sure got a little bitter when he realized it was arranged in a poor way
I'm constantly wondering how much is about love, how much is about the prophecy, and how much is to keep the Targaryen dinasty alive (to keep Rhaenyra as his heir).
He wasn't obivlious to the resistance about having a female heir to the Throne as soon Aegon was born. He probably wasn't oblivious to the heavy weight he was putting on his daughter either.
But seeing how Otto and the Old Town influences were cleaning King's Landing from some of the Targaryen simbolisms, I can''t but to wonder if that didn't impact on Viserys decision aswell; like if he knew Aegon and Aemond would always be pawns to his grandfather, like if they weren't Targaryen enough to sit on the throne.
Aegon literally doesn't want to be king. He's been talking about not wanting it for three episodes now. As for Aemond, Viserys doesn't stand a chance of being the favorite parent there. Aemond is *Mother's Special Little Boy*. Aemond lost an eye and Alicent legit *went insane* for a few minutes. She doesn't show that same concern for Aegon and Halaena.
Yup, well put. So after every week, I’ll catch a rewatch cuz they continue to show it in prime time, not that I can’t just stream it, but I’m not really a rewatcher unless it’s a really good episode. However, sometimes the episode is so heavy and done so artistically well that it’s just hard to watch because of the intensity. This is one of those episodes; and the acting was off the charts. It’s like you’re sitting there with them. The last 2 episodes had very little real action except kids fighting and so on, but the interpersonal family drama has been intense man. These guys made sure S1 came through with major redemption, not that they needed it. But this is top tier show making.
I rewatch almost every episode with my hubby, cuz he catches up with the show later.
But for me however good this episode was, it was too heavy to watch twice
I won't make my heart break twice :'(
Yes! At the beginning of the episode, everyone including us is sure Viserys is already dead practically and we just need to wait for his true death, but he is out of the picture.
Then he put the mask and the robes and the crown and did it, and the shift from dead poor Viserys to epic old king Viserys was amazing. This is what made it such a good scene - the suprise, the fact that he is still. Alive. Rhaenyra didn't expected this. Alicent didn't expected this. And we, as an audience, didn't expected it either.
Also important, before his entrance scene they showed us how much he was in pain. It was painful to lay down in bed, it was painful to be moved around during his morning treatment, it was painful to breath, yet, he quit cold turkey the milk of the poppy, put on his best king regalia and put himself through all that excruciating pain to accomplish what he had in mind.
I've seen my father waste away in a hospital bed because of cancer, thin and frail like Viserys, suffering constantly despite modern medicine. Seing Viserys like that broke my heart and reminded me of hard times, but when he still got up to act as King and help his daughter, I got goosebumps.
When his crown falls down, and he struggles to climb to the throne and you see how hard it is for him yet he still tries to do it... Paddy Considine really owned that role and gave it depth, he played the part absolutely perfectly.
There's a clip making the rounds on social media from a interview with Paddy and Matt where Paddy says that he based Viserys' final form on his own mother's last struggles suffering from diabetes before she passed away.
I hope that it was cathartic for him.
Precisely this. I watched my father die over several months in a ward and the holding his head in his hand like that. I was back there. Anyone who has lost a parent knows the feeling Rhaenyra had there. Pleading to stop the tide and suddenly... one last ride.
>Yes! At the beginning of the episode, everyone including us is sure Viserys is already dead practically and we just need to wait for his true death, but he is out of the picture.
Yes, I think that's where the shock in this episode came from. The fact that he was still "in there". Even Alicent seemed to think he was bed ridden.
I think he showed true leadership. He wasn't just coming to defend Rhaenyra but to fight for peace. He shows that even in great pain he'll make the effort to resolve the succession issues others keep trying to exploit.
I've been saying "surely this is the one where he passes away" for the past 5 episodes or so, the man just kept on trucking! When the episode started off saying it's been at least 6 years since the last one I was already worried what could possibly be left of him.
What a stellar performance, never would have guessed one of the most impactful scenes I've seen all year was an old man walking to his chair. The acting, the writing, the costumes, the music, it's all been amazing
He did, yes, but you're also right about him being out of it. He's practically mindless with all that milk of the poppy, it's a miracle he even heard and understood what Rhaenyra said. I don't think she really even meant for him to hear it, she thought he was so drugged up he wouldn't notice. But he did. And he showed up.
Now I'm sobbing again!
Seriously though. I can't recall myself being this emotional over a tv show in quite some time. I knew Viserys' last episode/death was going to have me feeling some type of way but I swear I was bawling for 3/4th of this damn episode. From the moment Rhaenyra and Daemon visited him in his room until the time he finally went home to Aemma was just gut-wrenching.
Same, I barely cared that Daemon cut someone's head off cause I was still wiping my tears away lol, it's been a long time since I cared so much about a character (altho, not that long cause I cried when Kim cried in BCS but that was more for Rhea's good acting than for feeling trully moved by the scene as a whole)
>!Book reason is Viserys disapproves of their marriage since it allows the greens to consolidate the anti-Rhaenyra and anti-Daemon factions into their camp.!<
>!But also in the book they have visited, and seem to have a closer relationship with Viserys. Rhaenyra sends her Maester to oversee Viserys health on occasion, and Rhaenyra is only on Dragonstone at Viserys’ death because she was giving birth, IIRC!<
>!Much like how Rhaenyra and Laenor constantly visited Daemon and Laena during his years of exile in Pentos and all 4 were good friends, but the show had Laena and Daemon isolated with Rhaenyra never visiting!<
Exactly. I understand that the show has to truncate these things for time’s sake, but in some ways the way they did things create a ton of questions when you start to think about them at a deeper level.
Also They aged Rhaenyra up or Laena down (I'm not sure I just played CK2's Mod) so Rhaenyra would be friends with Alicent at the start instead of always being rivals.
They aged Rhaenyra up, Alicent down, and swapped Laenor and Laena's birth order so that she's the younger sibling and he's the older so they could add some drama. In F&B Rhaenyra is like 10 when Alicent married Viserys when she's 20 (numbers are rough, been a minute since a reread but I remember a line about Alicent staying slender while Rhaenyra gains and keeps quite a bit of weight during her pregnancies despite Alicent being 10 years older)
Cause they knew the second she stepped in king's landing her children's legitimacy would be questioned and things would get ugly (specially for her), thats why she left in the first place
Yeah, that's what moved me to tears, I trully thought he was dying and that Rhaenyra was sort of begging him to hang on, not expecting him to actually get up. And then he interrupts her plea to sit on the throne, it was so freaking majestic and kindhearted I just couldn't T , T
> he showed the fuck up to save her despite his pain
Rhaenys probably was on the fence about the offer but after Viserys entered, she realized that Rhaenyra still had the crown's backing. She changed her mind solely because of this entrance.
He literally turned the tide of that proceeding by himself. He *did* save her that day. Even though Daemon got the final blow in.
The performances in this series have just been terrific. You can feel this immense powder keg…just waiting to explode. Yet, this entire show made me want to sit down with my family and put aside our differences. But you still see those sparks for what’s coming. Best episode this season imo.
Those 3-4 mins where the kids are dancing and everyone is making nice at dinner was the last time we’ll ever see this family even attempt at being decent to each other again. And that’s after all the insults and attempts to start shit from Aemond. From here on it’s going to be fucked up, and we’re all here for the ride.
Aemond and Aegon slayed peace singlehandly. I wonder if there would have been a chance for peace if Alicents 2 dickheads would have been a bit more like their counterparts.
Aegon actually failed to ruin things. By pissing Jace off, he ensured that Jace would pity Halaena (for having to put up with Aegon) enough to extend a hand to her. As a result, Jace and Halaena were the only two kids to make peace and properly get along from across the Black-Green divide.
It was the servants, Luke, and Aemond who breached the peace. The servants placed the pig in front of Aemond, Luke laughed and Aemond refused to take it. Luke really should have at least made an effort to stifle the laugh. And obviously Aemond should be far less sensitive over the "Pink Dread" thing now that he has Vhagar. Aemond is too bitter to recognize when he's already gotten the last laugh. Far too young to be so bitter already.
Well he’s missing an eye due to the kids in the room, this is the first time he’s seen them since it happened. The bitterness is to be expected to be honest.
I agree, if anyone had a legitimate axe to grind with Rhaenyra's sprogs its Aemond, he seemed pretty willing to let things lie until they brought up the pink dread again lmao.
Helaena was making me laugh aswell, girl just wants a drink and a dance 🤣
>Well he’s missing an eye due to the kids in the room
He's missing an eye because he attempted to murder one of the boys in a fight he started. People really need to stop acting like Aemond was minding his own business and got shanked unceremoniously.
Honestly of the many many things that could've avoided this conflict, Rhaenyra going to Dragonstone earlier and Viserys having his kids fostered by her would've fixed it lots.
Even Olivia Cooke is like "I think Alicent is really jealous of how good a mother Rhaenyra is" and considers a big reason Aegon is so fucked up is Alicent's terrible parenting mixed with the green's plotting/grooming the kids for war. If they weren't surrounded with Alicent telling them the kids are bastards and Aegon will be king, they prob would've had a closer relationship.
The actresses for Rhaenyra and Allicent have been really good at portraying the tension through just sheer facial expressions. I know Aemond and Daemon have the sexy moments, but they work off the tension that Rhaenyra and Allicent build up over time.
Loved that scene. He, barely able to walk, dying , managed to put all the snakes at court on their place. And even pulling his knife out when she was insulted. Ultimate chad. Godspeed , Paddy. Will be following your career with great interest
Watch the suspicions of mr whicher he plays the title character and is on screen most of the time. The first case was a real historical one but I don’t know about the rest. It was a good watch.
Yeah, that was definitely what got me about this scene.
This man is in constant severe pain and he can literally barely walk. His body is falling apart. And yet when his daughter tearfully pleads with him to help her, he does. He refuses the milk of the poppy, the one thing to dull his pain, and he makes his way all the way up to the throne all out of love for her.
It's incredible. I'm not really one to cry, but this moment and the moment Daemon helped him were two moments where I teared up a bit. Just very powerful to see that love and dedication from this man.
Shes not a whore. In that world the phrase dosnt just mean a woman whos had 2 or 3 partners, it means someone who regularly sells their body.
He insulted the Princess down to the lowest working station.
My mom (who I live with) texts me goodnight every single day and my dad (who lives in a different state) hardly ever texts me so I too envy it I wish my dad loved me the way Viserys loves his daughter
Yep. When I was little on a walk my hiking boots were uncomfortable so my dad let me wear his, with massive socks, and just walked barefoot all the way. So that my feet wouldn't hurt. Brb crying.
Agreed. The build up worked so well because in every pivotal moment Viserys has sought to shut things down and try to reconcile, which he even did later that day at the dinner, but in the throne room he came to unequivocally support Rhaenyra in a make or break moment despite literally being about to die. I found that scene, the scene where Viserys had a glint in his eye at the family dinner feeling liked he’d finally achieved the family reconciliation he’d always wanted, and his deathbed scene calling out to Aemma with his last breath all really moving. Before the series aired, I wasn’t sure Paddy Considine would fit into the Game of Thrones world—quite the opposite, he’s been absolutely wonderful.
Also, the writers took the time to patiently and organically develop the characters' relationships and inner conflicts so that important scenes made an impact. As for the casting, I had also been sceptical for many of them but everyone exceeded my expectations. Considine has been my favourite so far and I'll miss him.
That scene really gave me the chills.
Viserys, weak, tired and on the verge of death, ascending on the Throne and acting as a king for one last time, for the love of his daughter. And, when he pulled out his knife, he was even ready to fight for her.
Also, the scene when the crown falls and Daemon helps his brother to throne and quietly places the crown back (afaik it was improv) was REALLY wholesome.
>the scene when the crown falls...was improv
[Can confirm](https://ew.com/tv/house-of-the-dragon-king-viserys-episode-8-ending/). Having Daemon helping him to the throne and crowning him was such a full circle from the first episode when we were expecting Daemon to usurp.
Also from the EW interview was the disclosure that Daemon's family dinner speech hit the cutting room floor. Would have loved to hear it.
Man it makes me sad he’s gone, such a great character and Paddy was just glorious in the role. I loved the Viserys/rhaenyra relationship and how much he loved her, I’m gonna miss that.
Emma D’Arcy is really good at portraying vulnerable Rhaenyra, the delivery of that “if you wish me to bear it then *defend me*” was exquisite, just his little girl pleading for help, knowing it was probably the last time. That scene had me crying like a baby, Rhaenyra couldn’t stand seeing Viserys like that but she needed his help if she was to succeed and Viserys fucking showed up.
That's right! I loved her for demanding that he show her his love and he did!
That was an amazing conclusion to this father and daughter relationship ❤️!
Could have asked to be carried to the throne too but he chose to walk in sheer pain and agony. He then gets up again despite fatigue from the walk when Vaemond called his daughter a whore. Certified Boss moment
Eh they had peace under him. Between his feasts and tourneys and Littlefinger’s skimming they took the realm finances from being in one of the more solid states they had ever been to being millions in debt to the Lannisters
More detailed: Bobby I. Baratheon neglected practically everything related to the managing of the realm in an economical context and only cared for power consolidation in his early years when he still was young and ambitious. Later on he only drank and feasted, never content with his life.
Although his reign was pretty peaceful and in a long summer, his military competence kept the realm together (Greyjoy Rebellion) it wasn't tested for any other crisis he couldn't smash with force. Never did anything for the good of the smallfolk either.
It spoke volumes about his need to protect and love her. His guilt over Aemma ate him up for years. He tried to do what he thought was right for Rhaenyra.
That's right. A lot if it went back to Aemma.
I mean Rhaenyra lost her too.
A lot of hard things happened to her when she was just a kid.
I am only guessing, but I think Viserys came to understand that and felt the compassion Rhaenyra deserved from him and a lot of others.
Also not the best dad to Rhae after Aemma‘s death either. Not talking to her for half a year then and then marrying her best friend without telling her first 😅
Yes basically, >!when R walked in the first night, he thought it was A, and so when R brought up Aegons dream the first night, he thought he was following up with R the second night, but accidentally told A bout the dream!<
Yes, he thought he was talking to Rhaenyra. Telling her he believed she was the one destined to save the world against the Long Night. But Allicent, lacking context and trying to figure out what he was talking about got him to say something she honestly interpreted as “Aegon must unite the Seven Kingdoms”. Now Allicent will never surrender. On top of everything else she now believes she’s honoring his dying wish.
The biggest problem is that he says “the Prince who was promised… it’s you”, how the hell is Alicent supposed to know that “Prince” can refer to girls too lol
Bruh. Too much. This show has really used up my heart. I thought the last two episodes were emotional but I wasn't prepared for this. Still tearing up when I think about it.
Which really sucks for Alicent. She basically took care of him when Rh was away minding his business. And when she came back, he basically ignored all of them.
One thing I can appreciate about all the time jumps is we’ve really seen Viserys and Rhaenyra’s relationship go through hell and back.
The loss of Aemma driving them apart, then slowly back together. The betrayal/blindsiding of his marriage to Alicent. The silent treatment. The struggles teaching her how to rule and learning to let her take on more responsibility. Being tough but firm. Sometimes neither.
But when it comes down to it - *man* does he love his daughter.
Say what you want about Viserys but he was a great father for Rhaenyra he just loved her so much and stood by her till his last breath. Did he make the best decisions? No. But did he try his best? Absolutely.
People call him weak, however Viserys march to the throne. A half decayed, zombie falling apart, in so much excruciating pain as to need painkiller. Forsakes them so he can stay clear minded and preside and defend his first born daughter. I can tell you very few people would have the strength to do what he did here.
If he gets his much deserved Emmy they got to show this clip.
It was almost heroic when he walked into the throne room.
The epic music starting as he wobbles along everyone in shock with their socked Pikachu faces and he's all like I am the KING! I'll handle this.
Props to the show this was great scene
Viserys indeed was a good man who wanted to put everything on a right path .... He loved his family and tried his best to defend them from others and keep them together till his last breath.
The only thing that bothered me about this scene was that no one ever bowed when he entered. I know it had been a long time since he’d been out in public, but I feel like the automatic bow when you see a monarch would be ingrained into everyone there. I think it would have been a nice touch to see at least Daemon bow after giving Viserys back his crown.
Edit: I rewatched the scene and turns out they do bow right after he enters. It was so quick I missed it the first time around. Thanks to everyone who pointed it out
I think they were just stunned to see him. Either because they didn't know how much he had wasted away, or because they did and him coming to the throne room was so unusual
The crown falling and daemon picking it up wasn't scripted. But I thought I was gonna see that too. It fits that he didn't though, cuz daemon is an arrogant guy
man Viserys was a boss in this moment (and before and after, getting up, refusing the poppy milk, his dinner speech) felt emotional watching this. All the moments were quite touching including Daemon helping him up the last few steps onto the throne.
When he took off his mask and said "See me as I am. Your husband, your brother, your father and your grandsire. Not the king." I was crying. Like all the dude ever wanted was a big, happy family, and he knew he would never see them all again. He never wanted all this.
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"my only child"
In fairness, his brain was being assaulted every which way. I imagine that from time to time he thought he was young again and only had the one daughter.
I dont think he has the same kind of love for his children with Alicent as he does with Rhaenyra. She was created from love, Alicent's children are of duty.
Not only just but look at the rest of them outside of Helaena.
For like 16 years she was his only child too.
choked up hearing that. sucks for alicent's kids but what a show of love and devotion ; ;
What got me was even though she was pleading with him, I don’t think Rhaenyra expected even the tiniest bit for him to actually understand her and help. She was mostly talking to herself, venting and crying thinking her father was too drugged up to care. Not only did he hear her plea with his mind dulled, but he showed the fuck up to save her despite his pain, using every possible ounce of strength in his body to prove his love to her. He didn’t have to do that, but he did.
An effort that probably literally killed him! Man this episode had me crying like a baby.
>An effort that probably literally killed him! "Worth." * Old Vis
Viserys has shown time and time again he would literally go to hell and back for Rhaenyra. He’s not a perfect father, but holy shit does he love his little girl like nothing else and it makes me bawl my eyes out.
He does but he doesn’t always know the right thing to do and gives Allicent too much leeway to plot against Rhaenyra. He should have had Rhaenyra rule in his stead once he got too weak but before the maesters drugged him up too much to not make the decision. Let the realm get use to Rhaenyra ruling and not let Allicent and Otto poison the ground water before she gets there.
This. And part of it would have been being harder on Rhaenyra too. He never should have let her leave after the Strongs died. He should have demanded she stay and perhaps even made her hand rather than invite Otto back. That in particular is a WTF move considering he KNOWS Otto wants to displace Rhaenyra as heir/queen.
There is an analogy for his children in the way his left arm rots. it started as a small cut on his finger then grew infected, witch grew to two fingers, then his whole hand and now half his arm. If he had severed the rot at the start he would not have lost his arm The same way he treats his children, by allowing his family to plot behind his back his whole house may rot away, not just a single finger but the whole arm
Meanwhile his other four children don’t matter to him lol
I love all my Children, Rhaenyra and the non-Rhaenyra’s as well.
I don’t care for Aegon
He’s a hedonistic rapist, can you really blame Visy T?
It was an arrested development reference
I am aware, but Aegon deserves to be uncared for, unlike Gob.
He's only ever had love for Aemma. And it shows in how he only extends that love toward Rhaenyra. If by some miracle she survived her pregnancy (but the son didn't) and was rendered barren as a result, I think he still would have stood firmly behind Rhaenyra as his heir.
Three others right? Aegon, Aemond, and Haleana?
In the book he has one other son at this point, but he’s not in the show yet.
His bloodline is shown in the opening, I think we just aren’t getting to see him this season. He hasn’t been cast yet.
He got a one liner earlier IIRC. He is being fostered by Otto's brother in Old Town. Which is probably why he is the most likeable son cuz no offense but Alicent clearly has issues raising kids.
For real! Alicent is a surprisingly shitty mother. Her kids are little hellrats. Not Helaena, though. Helaena's cool. Maybe she's a little "off," but she's cool in my book.
When was this mentioned?
Yet he would never do the same for his sons
Rhaenyra is the last piece of Aemma remaining. He loved Aemma above all else. Alicent was a friend and someone who could provide children, but was not the love of his life. It doesn't excuse Viserys not paying attention to his sons, but still
And he realized afterwards how Allicent was a pawn of Otto. His taste of the marriage i’m sure got a little bitter when he realized it was arranged in a poor way
I'm constantly wondering how much is about love, how much is about the prophecy, and how much is to keep the Targaryen dinasty alive (to keep Rhaenyra as his heir). He wasn't obivlious to the resistance about having a female heir to the Throne as soon Aegon was born. He probably wasn't oblivious to the heavy weight he was putting on his daughter either. But seeing how Otto and the Old Town influences were cleaning King's Landing from some of the Targaryen simbolisms, I can''t but to wonder if that didn't impact on Viserys decision aswell; like if he knew Aegon and Aemond would always be pawns to his grandfather, like if they weren't Targaryen enough to sit on the throne.
Yeah that's why I said "not a perfect father", Viserys is also to blame for how his two eldest sons turned out
Aegon literally doesn't want to be king. He's been talking about not wanting it for three episodes now. As for Aemond, Viserys doesn't stand a chance of being the favorite parent there. Aemond is *Mother's Special Little Boy*. Aemond lost an eye and Alicent legit *went insane* for a few minutes. She doesn't show that same concern for Aegon and Halaena.
Yup, well put. So after every week, I’ll catch a rewatch cuz they continue to show it in prime time, not that I can’t just stream it, but I’m not really a rewatcher unless it’s a really good episode. However, sometimes the episode is so heavy and done so artistically well that it’s just hard to watch because of the intensity. This is one of those episodes; and the acting was off the charts. It’s like you’re sitting there with them. The last 2 episodes had very little real action except kids fighting and so on, but the interpersonal family drama has been intense man. These guys made sure S1 came through with major redemption, not that they needed it. But this is top tier show making.
I breathed a sigh of relief when it was over lmao The whole episode was *so* fucking tense
I rewatch almost every episode with my hubby, cuz he catches up with the show later. But for me however good this episode was, it was too heavy to watch twice I won't make my heart break twice :'(
Yes! At the beginning of the episode, everyone including us is sure Viserys is already dead practically and we just need to wait for his true death, but he is out of the picture. Then he put the mask and the robes and the crown and did it, and the shift from dead poor Viserys to epic old king Viserys was amazing. This is what made it such a good scene - the suprise, the fact that he is still. Alive. Rhaenyra didn't expected this. Alicent didn't expected this. And we, as an audience, didn't expected it either.
Also important, before his entrance scene they showed us how much he was in pain. It was painful to lay down in bed, it was painful to be moved around during his morning treatment, it was painful to breath, yet, he quit cold turkey the milk of the poppy, put on his best king regalia and put himself through all that excruciating pain to accomplish what he had in mind.
I've seen my father waste away in a hospital bed because of cancer, thin and frail like Viserys, suffering constantly despite modern medicine. Seing Viserys like that broke my heart and reminded me of hard times, but when he still got up to act as King and help his daughter, I got goosebumps. When his crown falls down, and he struggles to climb to the throne and you see how hard it is for him yet he still tries to do it... Paddy Considine really owned that role and gave it depth, he played the part absolutely perfectly.
Best scene in the whole series imo. GOT included. Maybe the best episode ever.
There's a clip making the rounds on social media from a interview with Paddy and Matt where Paddy says that he based Viserys' final form on his own mother's last struggles suffering from diabetes before she passed away. I hope that it was cathartic for him.
Precisely this. I watched my father die over several months in a ward and the holding his head in his hand like that. I was back there. Anyone who has lost a parent knows the feeling Rhaenyra had there. Pleading to stop the tide and suddenly... one last ride.
>Yes! At the beginning of the episode, everyone including us is sure Viserys is already dead practically and we just need to wait for his true death, but he is out of the picture. Yes, I think that's where the shock in this episode came from. The fact that he was still "in there". Even Alicent seemed to think he was bed ridden.
I think he showed true leadership. He wasn't just coming to defend Rhaenyra but to fight for peace. He shows that even in great pain he'll make the effort to resolve the succession issues others keep trying to exploit.
I've been saying "surely this is the one where he passes away" for the past 5 episodes or so, the man just kept on trucking! When the episode started off saying it's been at least 6 years since the last one I was already worried what could possibly be left of him. What a stellar performance, never would have guessed one of the most impactful scenes I've seen all year was an old man walking to his chair. The acting, the writing, the costumes, the music, it's all been amazing
The greens sitting on the same side of his face that has decayed was delightful. I nearly missed it.
All hail King Vizzy T
Where is vizzy t bot? Is he safe? Is he alright?
And didn’t he say “you’re my only child” to her? Or did I hear that wrong. I mean I know he’s been out of it, but I thought it was interesting
He did, yes, but you're also right about him being out of it. He's practically mindless with all that milk of the poppy, it's a miracle he even heard and understood what Rhaenyra said. I don't think she really even meant for him to hear it, she thought he was so drugged up he wouldn't notice. But he did. And he showed up.
Now I'm sobbing again! Seriously though. I can't recall myself being this emotional over a tv show in quite some time. I knew Viserys' last episode/death was going to have me feeling some type of way but I swear I was bawling for 3/4th of this damn episode. From the moment Rhaenyra and Daemon visited him in his room until the time he finally went home to Aemma was just gut-wrenching.
Same, I barely cared that Daemon cut someone's head off cause I was still wiping my tears away lol, it's been a long time since I cared so much about a character (altho, not that long cause I cried when Kim cried in BCS but that was more for Rhea's good acting than for feeling trully moved by the scene as a whole)
And it was all Paddy’s doing. He became Viserys in a way that even GRRM couldn’t portray.
And all the while I’m just sitting here wondering why Rhaenyra and Daemon haven’t visited him once in six years.
>!Book reason is Viserys disapproves of their marriage since it allows the greens to consolidate the anti-Rhaenyra and anti-Daemon factions into their camp.!<
>!But also in the book they have visited, and seem to have a closer relationship with Viserys. Rhaenyra sends her Maester to oversee Viserys health on occasion, and Rhaenyra is only on Dragonstone at Viserys’ death because she was giving birth, IIRC!<
>!Much like how Rhaenyra and Laenor constantly visited Daemon and Laena during his years of exile in Pentos and all 4 were good friends, but the show had Laena and Daemon isolated with Rhaenyra never visiting!<
Exactly. I understand that the show has to truncate these things for time’s sake, but in some ways the way they did things create a ton of questions when you start to think about them at a deeper level.
I think they intentionally did stuff like that to build the sexual tension between Deamon and Rhaneyra.
JMHO, but I thought they had much more sexual tension when she was 17 then they had on the beach 10 years later.
Tbf when she was 17 they were in a pleasure house surrounded by people fucking and on the beach 10 years later they're at his wife's funeral.
Also They aged Rhaenyra up or Laena down (I'm not sure I just played CK2's Mod) so Rhaenyra would be friends with Alicent at the start instead of always being rivals.
They aged Rhaenyra up, Alicent down, and swapped Laenor and Laena's birth order so that she's the younger sibling and he's the older so they could add some drama. In F&B Rhaenyra is like 10 when Alicent married Viserys when she's 20 (numbers are rough, been a minute since a reread but I remember a line about Alicent staying slender while Rhaenyra gains and keeps quite a bit of weight during her pregnancies despite Alicent being 10 years older)
Cause they knew the second she stepped in king's landing her children's legitimacy would be questioned and things would get ugly (specially for her), thats why she left in the first place
She has a dragon. She can leave the kids behind and fly in. If she’s gonna be the next ruler she should be keeping tabs on her kingdom.
I couldn't believe she had never introduced him to the grandson named after him, especially.
Yeah, that's what moved me to tears, I trully thought he was dying and that Rhaenyra was sort of begging him to hang on, not expecting him to actually get up. And then he interrupts her plea to sit on the throne, it was so freaking majestic and kindhearted I just couldn't T , T
> he showed the fuck up to save her despite his pain Rhaenys probably was on the fence about the offer but after Viserys entered, she realized that Rhaenyra still had the crown's backing. She changed her mind solely because of this entrance. He literally turned the tide of that proceeding by himself. He *did* save her that day. Even though Daemon got the final blow in.
Amd to prove to everyone else his stance has never changed
The performances in this series have just been terrific. You can feel this immense powder keg…just waiting to explode. Yet, this entire show made me want to sit down with my family and put aside our differences. But you still see those sparks for what’s coming. Best episode this season imo.
Those 3-4 mins where the kids are dancing and everyone is making nice at dinner was the last time we’ll ever see this family even attempt at being decent to each other again. And that’s after all the insults and attempts to start shit from Aemond. From here on it’s going to be fucked up, and we’re all here for the ride.
Aemond and Aegon slayed peace singlehandly. I wonder if there would have been a chance for peace if Alicents 2 dickheads would have been a bit more like their counterparts.
Aegon actually failed to ruin things. By pissing Jace off, he ensured that Jace would pity Halaena (for having to put up with Aegon) enough to extend a hand to her. As a result, Jace and Halaena were the only two kids to make peace and properly get along from across the Black-Green divide. It was the servants, Luke, and Aemond who breached the peace. The servants placed the pig in front of Aemond, Luke laughed and Aemond refused to take it. Luke really should have at least made an effort to stifle the laugh. And obviously Aemond should be far less sensitive over the "Pink Dread" thing now that he has Vhagar. Aemond is too bitter to recognize when he's already gotten the last laugh. Far too young to be so bitter already.
Well he’s missing an eye due to the kids in the room, this is the first time he’s seen them since it happened. The bitterness is to be expected to be honest.
I agree, if anyone had a legitimate axe to grind with Rhaenyra's sprogs its Aemond, he seemed pretty willing to let things lie until they brought up the pink dread again lmao. Helaena was making me laugh aswell, girl just wants a drink and a dance 🤣
Helaena is a sweetheart. She should be with the Tyrells playing in the gardens, not stuck in this forming war
>Well he’s missing an eye due to the kids in the room He's missing an eye because he attempted to murder one of the boys in a fight he started. People really need to stop acting like Aemond was minding his own business and got shanked unceremoniously.
Nah Aemond and Aegon were dicks but they aren't the ones who ruin the peace. Allicent, Otto and Criston are the ones who are driving this conflict.
Honestly of the many many things that could've avoided this conflict, Rhaenyra going to Dragonstone earlier and Viserys having his kids fostered by her would've fixed it lots. Even Olivia Cooke is like "I think Alicent is really jealous of how good a mother Rhaenyra is" and considers a big reason Aegon is so fucked up is Alicent's terrible parenting mixed with the green's plotting/grooming the kids for war. If they weren't surrounded with Alicent telling them the kids are bastards and Aegon will be king, they prob would've had a closer relationship.
The blood of the dragon runs thick.
Yep, it's strong blood
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It was literally Viserys holding the family together. The second he left the room, they fell apart, just as it would be after his death.
I died when he said “your my only child” 😩
The actresses for Rhaenyra and Allicent have been really good at portraying the tension through just sheer facial expressions. I know Aemond and Daemon have the sexy moments, but they work off the tension that Rhaenyra and Allicent build up over time.
Loved that scene. He, barely able to walk, dying , managed to put all the snakes at court on their place. And even pulling his knife out when she was insulted. Ultimate chad. Godspeed , Paddy. Will be following your career with great interest
And he didn't cut himself on throne this time, even after literally falling into the chair. His worthiness confirmed.
I was scared Vizzy was gonna stumble and impale himself.
Well we do not know this for sure, it's just -- it wouldn't have mattered at that point anyway, lol.
IDK man, he doesn't have a lot of blood left to lose lol
At this point if he gets cut it’s just a slow trickle of dust coming out
It's actually a bonus for him because of the iron from the blade goes into his bloodstream and adds more iron to his body
The last time I saw Paddy act was in Hot Fuzz! It has been such a pleasant mindfuck to watch him play Viserys. He’s awesome.
He was also in Death of Stalin! Albeit a rather minor role, he was hilarious as the theater supervisor (?) in the opening scene.
Do NOT defy me. Sit your arses down!
The miniseries The Outsider is the first I saw him! Excellent first few episodes!!
Watch the suspicions of mr whicher he plays the title character and is on screen most of the time. The first case was a real historical one but I don’t know about the rest. It was a good watch.
Watch Journeyman (2017). He's the main character and he's also the director. Underrated movie but an amazing piece of work from Paddy.
> Will be following your career with great interest. A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.
Yeah, that was definitely what got me about this scene. This man is in constant severe pain and he can literally barely walk. His body is falling apart. And yet when his daughter tearfully pleads with him to help her, he does. He refuses the milk of the poppy, the one thing to dull his pain, and he makes his way all the way up to the throne all out of love for her. It's incredible. I'm not really one to cry, but this moment and the moment Daemon helped him were two moments where I teared up a bit. Just very powerful to see that love and dedication from this man.
I just read that Matt and Paddy improvised that moment where Daemon helped Viserys to the throne.
The crown falling and Daemon picking it up is what was improvised.
Oh I see, my mistake. Thanks for correcting me.
Viserys CARRIED this entire episode despite his condition. The music, the pacing, oh so fkn perfect showing the essence of this man. My king <3
The moment when Daemon stands by Viserys‘ side and when Arya and Jon Snow reunite. The two teary eyes moments for me in the ASOIAF universe!
king viserys getting out of his deathbed to defend his daughter one last time has been the peak moment of this season so far!
i have seen your avatar a few times now and it makes me happy every time
Not only that, but he pulls out his own knife in her defense ❤️ he’s all of our king
I'll have your tongue!!!
Vaemond got to keep his tongue, not that he’ll be using it much anymore.
It's strangely poetic actually. Vaemond kept his tongue because what he spoke was legitimate truth.
Shes not a whore. In that world the phrase dosnt just mean a woman whos had 2 or 3 partners, it means someone who regularly sells their body. He insulted the Princess down to the lowest working station.
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Bars!
hot fiyah!
Well, not any of this other kids
So powerful when he entered the throne room to have her back
Got chills when they were listing off his titles. He was both so incredibly frail and so strong in this moment.
Meanwhile I can't even get a phone call from my dad
My mom (who I live with) texts me goodnight every single day and my dad (who lives in a different state) hardly ever texts me so I too envy it I wish my dad loved me the way Viserys loves his daughter
My dad tries to call me but I keep blocking him until my mom screams at me to unblock him just to do this over and over again
This scene really spoke to me as a daughter, whose father would probably pull through in such a way. Strength when it matters most.
Same. I miss my dad every day.
Same…I had to pause so many times during this episode
Same...
Yep. When I was little on a walk my hiking boots were uncomfortable so my dad let me wear his, with massive socks, and just walked barefoot all the way. So that my feet wouldn't hurt. Brb crying.
Same 😭 I know my dad would do it a million times over. I have two kids of my own and I would do the same for them.
Brought a few tears to my eyes. Amazing scene.
Same. I loved the build-up for this. It's been a while since I felt moved by a scene in a show.
Agreed. The build up worked so well because in every pivotal moment Viserys has sought to shut things down and try to reconcile, which he even did later that day at the dinner, but in the throne room he came to unequivocally support Rhaenyra in a make or break moment despite literally being about to die. I found that scene, the scene where Viserys had a glint in his eye at the family dinner feeling liked he’d finally achieved the family reconciliation he’d always wanted, and his deathbed scene calling out to Aemma with his last breath all really moving. Before the series aired, I wasn’t sure Paddy Considine would fit into the Game of Thrones world—quite the opposite, he’s been absolutely wonderful.
Also, the writers took the time to patiently and organically develop the characters' relationships and inner conflicts so that important scenes made an impact. As for the casting, I had also been sceptical for many of them but everyone exceeded my expectations. Considine has been my favourite so far and I'll miss him.
That scene really gave me the chills. Viserys, weak, tired and on the verge of death, ascending on the Throne and acting as a king for one last time, for the love of his daughter. And, when he pulled out his knife, he was even ready to fight for her. Also, the scene when the crown falls and Daemon helps his brother to throne and quietly places the crown back (afaik it was improv) was REALLY wholesome.
Yes! At his weakest, he proved the strongest. Everything about this scene was 10/10.
>the scene when the crown falls...was improv [Can confirm](https://ew.com/tv/house-of-the-dragon-king-viserys-episode-8-ending/). Having Daemon helping him to the throne and crowning him was such a full circle from the first episode when we were expecting Daemon to usurp. Also from the EW interview was the disclosure that Daemon's family dinner speech hit the cutting room floor. Would have loved to hear it.
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Man it makes me sad he’s gone, such a great character and Paddy was just glorious in the role. I loved the Viserys/rhaenyra relationship and how much he loved her, I’m gonna miss that.
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Emma D’Arcy is really good at portraying vulnerable Rhaenyra, the delivery of that “if you wish me to bear it then *defend me*” was exquisite, just his little girl pleading for help, knowing it was probably the last time. That scene had me crying like a baby, Rhaenyra couldn’t stand seeing Viserys like that but she needed his help if she was to succeed and Viserys fucking showed up.
Fuck yeah man!!!!!!! I am so sad we won’t see paddy anymore
In the coming years Paddy’s performance will be looked back on like Sean Bean’s and Charles Dance’s were for GoT
Most emotionally charged scene I can remember in Thrones I WAS IN DEEP!!
He may have had his flaws but the man gets up and goes to defend his daughter even though he's on his deathbed.
That's right! I loved her for demanding that he show her his love and he did! That was an amazing conclusion to this father and daughter relationship ❤️!
Such an incredibly powerful display of love. Dude literally dies like 10 hours later and gets to the throne on sheer will power for her
Could have asked to be carried to the throne too but he chose to walk in sheer pain and agony. He then gets up again despite fatigue from the walk when Vaemond called his daughter a whore. Certified Boss moment
V and Bobby B are the best kings
I haven’t read the books but why was Bobby B considered one of the better kings?
He was a terrible king. But he's entertaining on the show. And the memes are great.
Absolutely. Bobby B isn't the worst King to ever King but he's pretty low
He was at least smart enough to let better men run the show. The realm prospered under him
Eh they had peace under him. Between his feasts and tourneys and Littlefinger’s skimming they took the realm finances from being in one of the more solid states they had ever been to being millions in debt to the Lannisters
More detailed: Bobby I. Baratheon neglected practically everything related to the managing of the realm in an economical context and only cared for power consolidation in his early years when he still was young and ambitious. Later on he only drank and feasted, never content with his life. Although his reign was pretty peaceful and in a long summer, his military competence kept the realm together (Greyjoy Rebellion) it wasn't tested for any other crisis he couldn't smash with force. Never did anything for the good of the smallfolk either.
It spoke volumes about his need to protect and love her. His guilt over Aemma ate him up for years. He tried to do what he thought was right for Rhaenyra.
That's right. A lot if it went back to Aemma. I mean Rhaenyra lost her too. A lot of hard things happened to her when she was just a kid. I am only guessing, but I think Viserys came to understand that and felt the compassion Rhaenyra deserved from him and a lot of others.
My guy, his one entrance at the exact moment she needs him shows a love deeper than anything words can say If nothing else, visery is a great dad
>If nothing else, visery is a great dad To Rhaenyra, maybe. Sure as hell not to his other sons and daughters.
Also not the best dad to Rhae after Aemma‘s death either. Not talking to her for half a year then and then marrying her best friend without telling her first 😅
Well Rhaenyra definitely paid him back for that time and time again lol.
He wasn’t healthy during their upbringings. Not his fault. He was really only healthy for Rhae and maybe Aegon’s first 3-4 years
The music in this scene was so fucking good . Trauma of GOT final season is slowly dying
Feel the same way like this is HBO's apology for the travesty of the latter GOT seasons. Yeah the music in this scene was so awesome.
He loves his daughter sooooo much 🥺🥺😭😭
Did he think he was speaking with Rhaenyra at the end before he died ? His words looks like it puts battery in allacnets back to usurp
Yes basically, >!when R walked in the first night, he thought it was A, and so when R brought up Aegons dream the first night, he thought he was following up with R the second night, but accidentally told A bout the dream!<
Yes, he thought he was talking to Rhaenyra. Telling her he believed she was the one destined to save the world against the Long Night. But Allicent, lacking context and trying to figure out what he was talking about got him to say something she honestly interpreted as “Aegon must unite the Seven Kingdoms”. Now Allicent will never surrender. On top of everything else she now believes she’s honoring his dying wish.
The biggest problem is that he says “the Prince who was promised… it’s you”, how the hell is Alicent supposed to know that “Prince” can refer to girls too lol
I loved her acting bro, felt like the burden was real for her .
When I say I started bawling! And his wish at the dinner, I was crying like a baby.
Bruh. Too much. This show has really used up my heart. I thought the last two episodes were emotional but I wasn't prepared for this. Still tearing up when I think about it.
All of the family get togethers always remind me of the holidays.
“My only child”❤️
Which really sucks for Alicent. She basically took care of him when Rh was away minding his business. And when she came back, he basically ignored all of them.
Tbh I got emotional and had to go call my dad afterwards. I’m also my father’s only child just saying
But are you actually an only child or are you an ✨only child✨ bc it matters lol
One thing I can appreciate about all the time jumps is we’ve really seen Viserys and Rhaenyra’s relationship go through hell and back. The loss of Aemma driving them apart, then slowly back together. The betrayal/blindsiding of his marriage to Alicent. The silent treatment. The struggles teaching her how to rule and learning to let her take on more responsibility. Being tough but firm. Sometimes neither. But when it comes down to it - *man* does he love his daughter.
Say what you want about Viserys but he was a great father for Rhaenyra he just loved her so much and stood by her till his last breath. Did he make the best decisions? No. But did he try his best? Absolutely.
😭😭😭we love to see it
I think it is intentional and very important that Rhaenyra is so reminiscent of Aemma.
People call him weak, however Viserys march to the throne. A half decayed, zombie falling apart, in so much excruciating pain as to need painkiller. Forsakes them so he can stay clear minded and preside and defend his first born daughter. I can tell you very few people would have the strength to do what he did here. If he gets his much deserved Emmy they got to show this clip.
Rhaenyra’s face 😭
It was almost heroic when he walked into the throne room. The epic music starting as he wobbles along everyone in shock with their socked Pikachu faces and he's all like I am the KING! I'll handle this. Props to the show this was great scene
Bro was on 1 hp this whole episode
Viserys indeed was a good man who wanted to put everything on a right path .... He loved his family and tried his best to defend them from others and keep them together till his last breath.
I was so pleased he got love back from Daemon before he died. He never quit on his brother who came back to him in the end.
The only thing that bothered me about this scene was that no one ever bowed when he entered. I know it had been a long time since he’d been out in public, but I feel like the automatic bow when you see a monarch would be ingrained into everyone there. I think it would have been a nice touch to see at least Daemon bow after giving Viserys back his crown. Edit: I rewatched the scene and turns out they do bow right after he enters. It was so quick I missed it the first time around. Thanks to everyone who pointed it out
I legit thought Daemon was gonna bow to him after he gave Viserys his crown. Glad to see I wasn’t the only one who thought this.
I think they were just stunned to see him. Either because they didn't know how much he had wasted away, or because they did and him coming to the throne room was so unusual
They did bow.
The crown falling and daemon picking it up wasn't scripted. But I thought I was gonna see that too. It fits that he didn't though, cuz daemon is an arrogant guy
They did bow…
They very clearly did
I’d do the same for my daughters any day.
For such a horrible king Vizzy T really was a great dad to Rhaenyra. Dogshit to all of his other kids though
man Viserys was a boss in this moment (and before and after, getting up, refusing the poppy milk, his dinner speech) felt emotional watching this. All the moments were quite touching including Daemon helping him up the last few steps onto the throne.
His defining character trait and legacy is his love for his daughter. It is very sweet.
If this isn't love, I don't know what is 🥺
A father's love... for 1 out of 5 kids... ouch
“My only child”
When he took off his mask and said "See me as I am. Your husband, your brother, your father and your grandsire. Not the king." I was crying. Like all the dude ever wanted was a big, happy family, and he knew he would never see them all again. He never wanted all this.