House of the Dragon: This moving scene between Daemon and Viserys was not planned!

Warning, spoilers. It is recommended that you watch Episode 8 of House of the Dragon before continuing reading this article.

The eighth episode of House of the Dragon thrilled Game of Thrones prequel series fans with its high-flying family reunion. While the fate of Corley’s Velarion aka Sea Serpent (Steve Toussaint) is uncertain, Lamarck’s successor must be chosen and the Hightowers oppose the appointment of Lucer Velarion, son of Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy).

Members of the Targaryen, Hightower, and Velarion families all shot each other in the foot first to nominate Lamarck as the Corlys’ heir, while trying to get King Viserys (Paddy Considine) to succeed. The latter, near death, used his last strength to sit on the Iron Throne and support his daughter.

And it was during this long moving but also bloody scene that a rather tender sequence between Viserys and his brother Daemon (Matt Smith) spoke volumes. As he struggles to gain access to the throne, the king drops his crown. A demon comes to her aid, takes the crown and puts it back on her head. Fans loved that moment, but the scene shouldn’t have existed the way it did.

Indeed, this scene was not planned in the script. Director Gita Patel explained Entertainment Weekly that it was an accident during rehearsals and that actor Matt Smith improvised his gesture:

“When we were shooting that scene – I think it was the first day of rehearsal – the crown fell on Paddy’s head and Matt picked it up and we kept going. We didn’t stop. It was a suspended moment. So the three of us got together and they said to each other, ‘We felt it. moment, this proof. It was a turning point in our relationship.”

The emotion was such that they decided to shoot this scene including this improvisation, and the director was very happy with this change:

“I was so thankful that the crash happened, the crown fell, because it was, at least for me, a pretty powerful moment. It’s a turning point in their story after the episode pilot where the demon upset Viserys’ crown, and there it’s more like: ” I’m going to put the crown back on your head and help you ascend the throne.”

And the director captured this moment well, as this passage has been frequently quoted by fans since the episode aired. The emotional impact of this sequence is all the more powerful because at the end of episode 8, King Viserys dies. And his death will be a major turning point for the Dragon House sequel, as the episode 9 teaser teased.

Podcast – House of the Dragon: Incest, Marriage and Casting … We rate the Game of Thrones spin-off mid-season:

Dragon House is available on OCS.