'House of the Dragon' Season 2: Daemon's Harrenhal visions explored, and why he doesn't see one key character
Contains spoilers and speculations
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Episode 5 premiered on HBO on July 14, 2024. The enthralling episode continued Daemon Targaryen's (Matt Smith) horrific struggles in the cursed castle of Harrenhal.
Daemon came to Harrenhal to build an army that could march into King's Landing and take the throne. His intentions however remain unclear to the audiences and it seems he is conflicted in his mind too about being the King himself or helping his wife Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) sit on the throne.
His ambiguous ambition and guilt for all his previous cruel deeds seem to be manifesting in the castle in the form of hallucinations. Here's a look at his hallucinations.
Decoding Daemon's hallucinations in 'House of the Dragon'
Daemon Targaryen has been guilty of some of the most heinous actions in the past. He sees a younger version of Rhaenyra Targaryen played by Milly Alcock in Harrenhal as she holds and stitches Prince Jaehaerys's head. Daemon is being blamed for the death of Prince Jaehaerys and that guilt manifests in the form of this hallucination.
He also sees his former wife Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell) who died while trying to give birth to a third child. Daemon subconsciously blames himself for the death. In this episode, he sees his mother Alyssa Targaryen who he gets sexually intimate with. His mother tells him that he is the rightful successor to the throne.
After a fight with his wife, he is perhaps harboring thoughts of becoming the King himself and sitting on the Iron Throne. He doesn't like being called King Consort anymore and wants to be addressed as the King.
Daemon hasn't seen Lady Rhea Royce yet
In one of his most despicable actions yet, Daemon killed his wife Lady Rhea Royce (Rachel Redford) but he hasn't yet had a vision of her. She could feature in one of the later episodes of the season.
It could also be that he harbors no guilt of killing Rhea Royce as he wasn't in a happy marriage with her but as it seems, the haunted castle of Harrenhall will play its tricks on him and Rhea Royce should be addressed by the makers in some form in the show.
What happens to Daemon Targaryen in 'House of the Dragon'?
It has been repeated multiple times on the show that Harrenhal and Riverlands hold the key to the war and Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) who is the Prince Regent now is interested in taking Harrenhal.
As Prince Aemond tries to take Harrenhal, he leaves the King's Landing exposed for Rhaenyra and Daemon to take it. The war in Harrenhall however not over.
Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) predicts that Daemon will die in Harrenhal and the prediction ends up being true as Daemon and Aemond kill each other in the Battle Above Gods Eye.
How to stream 'House of the Dragon' Season 2?
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 premiered on HBO Max on Sunday, June 16, 2024, with new episodes dropping every Sunday.
To watch the series, you will need a Max Subscription. The streaming platform typically offers three packages that you can choose from depending on your budget. The low-cost plan that supports advertising costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 annually. The second package, which does not support advertising, costs $15.99 per month or $149.99 annually. Meanwhile, the third package, titled Ultimate Ad-Free, costs $19.99 per month or $199.99 annually.
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Trailer
Episodes 1-5 of 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 are streaming on HBO