In House of the Dragon, it’s all about the eyes.
House of the Dragon has never been a model of good parenting, especially when it comes to King Viserys Targaryen, who desperately wanted his family to get along — only to push them into the Dance of the Dragons instead.
However, there may have been a heartbreaking cinematic parallel in how Viserys and one of his sons, Aemond Targaryen, both lost an eye. The latter lost it in a fight with Rhaenyra’s children after claiming Vhagar the night after its former rider, Laena Velaryon, died; Viserys lost his as a result of his fatal illness.
As noted by Redditor Itsjustanopinionbro1, the side of Viserys that lost an eye was turned on Alicent and her children during the dinner scene in episode 8. Basically, the show offered a perfect illustration of how Viserys has literally turned a blind eye to his family, choosing Rhaenyra over the three children he once so desperately wanted.
The cinematic implications of the scene do not end there.
“Also Alicent and her family see the literal ugly side of him at dinner while Rhaenyra gets only the best – just like his actions as a father,” Redditor RainbowPenguin1000 noted.
Despite spending most of his life trying to have a male heir, Viserys does little to be a good father when he finally gets one from Alicent, his second wife. Fans believe this is because he actually loved his first, Aemma, so much that he chose Rhaenyra over the rest of the family because she was the only child left after Aemma’s death. But does that justify pushing his other three children to the side? Not at all, fans believe.
In that sense, it was Viserys who drove his own family into the disaster that the Dance of the Dragons was for the Targaryens. The dinner scene of the eighth episode probably best illustrates the family tragedy, especially with the new fan takes that continue to arrive even as House of the Dragons fans are currently on hiatus ahead of Season 2.
The second season will begin filming this March, with the premiere date to be determined by HBO later.