YMMV / House Of The Dragon S1 E8: "The Lord of the Tides"

• Alternate Character Interpretation:
  • Was it actually Viserys' feverish ramblings that accidentally put Alicent back on track towards dismissing Rhaenyra's claim after seemingly making amends at dinner, or did he merely give her a final justification to put her own son on the throne? After all, her grudge against Rhaenyra has been going on for 16 years, she has never truly loved her husband nor cared for Targaryen prophecies, and over all their branches of the family have accumulated far too many differences to resolve over one nice evening. Furthermore, it seems odd that she wouldn't consider the quite logical possibility that a sick man rambling on his deathbed was delirious and might not even have known whom he was talking to, unless it's because doubling down on her conviction that Viserys told her to crown Aegon lets her do what she already wants to do.
  • Helaena's toast about Aegon:
    Helaena: [Marriage] isn't so bad. He mostly just ignores you, except sometimes when he's drunk.
    • Did she make such a comment because she's on the spectrum and can't read the room? Or is she making a passive-aggressive jab at her own frustrations, considering Aegon would rather harass the staff than spend time with her? It's also possible she's taking advantage of expectations of her being unable to read the room to get her snark in under the radar (something real people on the spectrum sometimes do).
    • What does Aegon do when he's drunk? The most obvious interpretation is Marital Rape License, but some fans pointed out that Helaena doesn't seem uncomfortable with Aegon's presence or proximity — not uneasy, jumpy, or frightened by him, as one might expect from a rape victim, particularly one who's generally not great at hiding her feelings in order to meet social expectations. This lead to a second interpretation that when drunk, Aegon comes to Helaena's room for something else, something more fraternal — to pester her for attention, or to cry to her about all the expectations put upon him.
• Moral Event Horizon: Aegon crosses it by raping a servant girl. Based on Alicent's reaction, it doesn't seem to be the first time.
• Shipping Goggles: Because Aemond is a Mirror Character to Daemon, Aemond/Helaena shippers draw parallels between Aemond watching Jace dance with Helaena with Daemon jealously watching Rhaenyra dance with Laenor at the wedding.
• Signature Scene: A dying Viserys's entrance to the throne room and his long walk to the Iron Throne, as well as the moment when Daemon helps him up the last few steps and places his fallen crown back on his head, instantly solidified itself as one of the most poignant scenes in the series so far.
• Squick: Viserys' body is a nightmare to behold. Due to the leprosy, his face is covered in scars, he's missing his right eye, and there's a hole in his right cheek. On his back there's more ulcers and holes in his body. It looks as if he is quite literally rotting away.
• Tear Jerker: Viserys breaking down when his family finally seems to be getting along.

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