'Game of Thrones' prequel 'House of the Dragon': Was Rhaenyra Targaryen worthy of the Iron Throne?
'House of the Dragon' establishes two things in the season premiere. One, that King Viserys I was never worthy of the Iron Throne. The second, his successor was he appointed was not his preferred choice, but for good or worse, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) will succeed the ailing king. The bigger question is she's worthy of the throne considering she comes with her own flaws as well.
Clearly, Viserys wasn't and the cuts and the never-healing wound on his back serve as the perfect examples of how the throne kept rejecting him as the ruler of the realm. His brother, Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) makes no secret of the fact that he wants the throne for himself but the council led by Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) debates and declares that the prince wasn't the right fit. In the end, Rhaenyra is declared to be his successor.
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One of the theories on social media was how worthy Rhaenyra was. A story of how she had a substantial number of cuts after sitting on the throne did the rounds. Her brief rule wasn't necessarily a great one after Aegon II reduced it to a mere unofficial ceremony. While the fact that a woman was crowned to rule was initially a reason to celebrate, Rhaenyra came under scrutiny enough times, and such was the outrage the people of the kingdom nursed that they even killed her dragon Syrax.
Whether 'House of the Dragon' shows this in the form of a time jump this season, or perhaps do it in the next season considering the number of storylines they have left to explore. For now, what to expect in the second episode is all about Prince Daemon's journey to see how he can make his way to the throne.
'House of the Dragon' airs on Sundays at 9 pm ET on HBO. Episode 1 is available for streaming on HBO Max.
