House of the Dragon, Episode 8, Lord of the Tides ended Viserys’ peaceful reign in Westeros, which will now start harvesting the events leading to Dance of the Dragons. Viserys Targaryen was a powerful character, same in the line as Eddard Stark from the original GoT series. Even in the eighth episode, which showed Viserys being brutally broken by the disease, his stronghold as the King of Seven Kingdoms was still visible, especially in the iconic throne room scene.
Paddy Considine is greatly appreciated for his performance as Viserys in the episode, which revolved around the character’s last moments with his family. And some of those appreciative words came from George R.R. Martin himself. Recently, while talking to British GQ, Paddy Considine revealed that he received some appreciation from Martin concerning his portrayal of Viserys Targaryen I in the show.
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With these words, Martin claimed that Paddy’s acting embodies Viserys far more than his words in the novel Fire & Blood. Viserys Targaryen was an essential character in the show. His character paves the way for the destructive future of the House of the Dragon. Viserys’ lack of attention to politics within his council after his wife’s demise leads to a severe civil conflict that shall impact the entire legacy of House Targaryen. And in each scene, Paddy Considine successfully reflected that significance beautifully, making him all the more worthy of the praise.
I got a text message that simply said: ‘Your Viserys is better than my Viserys.’ It was from George RR Martin. And I thought: that’ll do it. Thanks for trusting me.
Paddy Considine Considers Sian Brooke as Key to Viserys’ Arc
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Sian Brooke played Viserys’ wife, Queen Aemma, in the show’s first episode. Aemma is forced into a fatal pregnancy by Viserys, which costs her life and that of his newborn son. After Viserys passed in House of the Dragon, Paddy Considine took to Instagram to reveal how Sian helped him understand Viserys.
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Considine believes that Aemma’s death is what sends Viserys into the arms of a slow death. Throughout the years, he succumbs to the disease; Viserys doesn’t push his maesters to find a cure which Considine believes is a reflection of his guilt against forcing Aemma through such pain in her last moments.
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In the final scene, as a tribute and reference to this thought, Paddy improvises Viserys’ passing by uttering the words — “my love” as he dies. It was a call to Aemma from Viserys and a sign of his true love for his first wife, whom he remembers for the last time.
House of the Dragon has now moved on to the beginning of the famous Dance of the Dragons conflict, which will bring terror upon Westeros and will mark an end to the age of dragons. The penultimate episode ended with a signal of an impending war between the Greens and the Blacks, as the fight for claims to the throne will engulf House Targaryen. Several characters will meet dark fates in the show’s forthcoming seasons, which are about to turn way more brutal than one can imagine.
