Daemon Targaryen’s Episode 6 Vision Revisits House of the Dragon Episode 1

for the past few episodes Dragon HouseDaemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) has been plagued by a series of ghostly visions that double as cameos from past actors on the show.

First, Milly Alcock returns as young Rhaenyra Targaryen, and then Nanna Blondell reprises her role as Lyanna Velaryon. But in Season 2, Episode 6, we see the final boss of these visions, Paddy Considine once again donning the crown of King Viserys Targaryen.

Viserys’ return is monumental, as every vision Daemon has had so far has reminded him of his relationship with his late brother. Young Rhaenyra resents Daemon’s actions, believing that Viserys made him his heir while his mother Alyssa (Emeline Lambert) ) told him that he would become a better and more powerful ruler than Viserys.

So what happens when Viserys and Daemon come face to face? Was Viserys mocking Daemon for the breakdown of his marriage to Rhaenyra, or was his attempt to rally forces in the Riverlands and become king in his own right a failure?

not completely.

Instead, what we get is a near-verbatim replay of scenes from the first episode. Dragon House. Viserys confronts Daemon for joking about the death of his wife Emma (Sian Brooke) and calling his late newborn son Beron the “heir for a day.” He then revealed he would name a new heir, knocking Dimon off the line of succession.

For Daemon now, this relived memory must have been more profound than any fantasy he had witnessed at Harrenhal so far. It retells one of the worst moments of his life that still haunts and drives him to this day, and he can’t stop it. When Viserys began to say, “I have decided to name a new heir,” he could only whisper, “No.”

Matt Smith in House of the Dragon.
Photo credit: Ollie Upton/HBO

While Viserys’ dialogue is nearly identical to this version of the scene in Season 1, Considine’s performance is completely different. In season one, his grief caused him to fly into a rage. He sat on the Iron Throne when he banished his brothers. Vision-Viserys, on the other hand, was in decline. His physical condition was reminiscent of Viserys in the later stages of his illness, as if Daemon was watching a mixture of different stages of his brother’s life. There’s no shouting here, just a soft, almost defeated sense of sadness that matches Daemon’s sadness as he relives Viserys’s wrath.

Unlike Season 1, Daemon did not fight back against Viserys’ accusations. All the fire of the initial encounter was gone, replaced by disbelief—”There’s no way you’re still angry about this”—and then an overwhelming urge to run away. By this point, Harrenhal had defeated Daemon with constant manifestations of his worst insecurities. All he could do was hope that the vision would end.

Daemon did find some closure with Viserys (or at least his ghostly counterpart) at the end of Episode Six. On Viserys’ side, as he didn’t get drunk in the taverns of King’s Landing and instead made Emma sad.

“You should be on my side,” Vision Viserys told Daemon earlier in the episode. Now, Damon held him and cried. “You need me,” he said. “I’m here now.”

This new vision was the first time Daemon’s vision of Harrenhal provided him with a respite. It was also the first time he actually admitted his mistakes in his vision and tried to correct them. Apparently, it was too late for Daemon and Viserys’ real-life relationship to develop. But perhaps this healing embrace will mark a turning point for Dimon. After all he Do Grover Tully wakes up from his dream and immediately receives the good news of his death. Whatever state-of-the-art ghost therapy Alice Rivers (Gail Rankin) imposed on Damon must be working.

new episodes Dragon House It airs Sundays at 9pm ET on HBO and Max.