Unlike Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon has focused primarily on one family: the Targaryens. The first half of the show's debut season has focused primarily on setting the stage for the war of succession known as the Dance of the Dragons, exploring the complicated family dynamics that will eventually be crucial to the battle.
King Viserys I Targaryen has been trying to keep his family together, though inadvertently caused chaos when he had a son, Aegon, with his second wife after naming his daughter Rhaenyra his official heir following her mother's death.
We know his demise is coming, as the cuts he sustained early on are not healing and have resulted in horrific lesions spreading across his body. During last night's episode, things looked even bleaker when Viserys' health worsened.
Prior to Rhaenyra making good on her promise to her father to marry Laenor Velaryon, we saw the King throwing up, collapsing, and coughing profusely. After the ceremony, he collapsed again, prompting viewers to wonder if this is it for him. Moments later, a rat could be seen feasting on some spilt blood, an obvious indication that there are those around Viserys ready to capitalise on his demise and take the Iron Throne for themselves.
We know that the cast is being aged up (with some characters portrayed by different actors) in the coming weeks, so we're guessing this might be the last we see of Westeros' current ruler.
If so, what comes next?
In George R.R. Martin's novels, Viserys doesn't actually die during Rhaenyra's wedding day; he passes away 15 years later while peacefully sleeping. Queen Alicent keeps that a secret, hoping to secure Aegon's right to be King before Rhaenyra's legitimacy as heir can gain too much support.
It would be very anticlimactic for the King's health issues to be a misdirect, with him dying peacefully during that time-jump, so we wouldn't be surprised if House of the Dragon is actually making some changes to the books here in order to tell this story in a more concise and dramatic fashion.
What did you think about the events of "We Light The Day"?