Deceit, resentment, and illicit affairs aren’t only reserved for the Greens. Trouble in paradise continues for Team Black, and though Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Daemon (Matt Smith) were an iconic couple in Season 1 of House of the Dragon, Season 2 has dug into the more problematic aspects of their relationship. Following an explosive argument and departure in “Rhaenyra the Cruel,” Daemon still refuses to communicate with his wife, and his absence (or abandonment) has seen Rhaenyra lose one of her strongest allies at a critical time in the Dance of the Dragons.
Between Rhaenyra’s recent kiss with Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) and Daemon’s ever-deteriorating mental state, things are looking pretty tenuous for the two. This fan-favorite couple couldn’t be further apart, literally, leaving viewers to wonder if a reconciliation between the couple is even possible at this point. Season 2’s most recent episode, “Smallfolk,” features a few revealing moments that provide some much-needed insight into the state of Daemon and Rhaenyra’s rocky marriage.
The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO series Game of Thrones. Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon is set nearly 200 years before Game of Thrones, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.
Rhaenyra Has Been Haunting Daemon’s Dreams in Harrenhal
Daemon may have left Dragonstone to get away from his queen and forge his own path, but he can’t quite seem to escape Rhaenyra. While his Harrenhal dreams have featured many ghosts of his past, not limited to his late wife Laena (Nanna Blondell) and brother Viserys (Paddy Considine), Daemon’s most haunting dreams have focused on his relationship with his Rhaenyra. Daemon has dreamed of his wife twice now, and in each dream, she is the child Daemon began pursuing. He’s dreaming of a Rhaenyra that was once easier to control, but the dream version still confronts him in the same way the adult Rhaenyra has, calling out his jealousy toward her relationship with Viserys and the consequences of his tactless behavior. The buried resentment he has for her, has seemingly always had for her, is starting to reveal itself. Daemon’s paranoia is also growing; in “Smallfolk,” he even questions if Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale) has been the cause of his haunted dreams, and whether Rhaenyra was the one who put him up to it. Rather than encouraging any introspection in Daemon, these dreams only seem to exacerbate his resentment of Rhaenyra.
The physical distance Harrenhal provides doesn’t seem to be helping the couple either, and it’s only become easier for Daemon to demonize Rhaenyra in her absence. Throughout his stay at Harrenhal, Daemon has been trying to convince himself that he would be a better ruler, that he is one who deserves to rule Westeros, and that Viserys was wrong not to make him his heir. But when he tells Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) that Rhaenyra never wanted the crown, she counters that that is exactly what makes her fit to wear it and likely why Viserys chose her, and Daemon has no response. He’s continually coming up short and, rather than acknowledging that he has always been his own greatest enemy, continues to shift the blame to Rhaenyra and allow his resentment to fester.
Rhaenyra Is Opening Up About Daemon at Dragonstone
After several episodes of her counselors all but demanding Daemon’s return to Dragonstone, Rhaenyra has acknowledged her own resentment towards her husband, as well as a severe lack of trust. In “Smallfolk,” Rhaenyra explains to Mysaria that she and Daemon have always wanted what the other had, calling them “halves of a whole.” Rhaenyra is keenly aware that Daemon’s unresolved jealousy of what she has — Viserys’ unconditional love and position as his heir — is what keeps him from being at peace. It’s hard not to wonder if this shared jealousy is part of what brought Daemon and Rhaenyra together, out of a desire to possess what the other has. As Rhaenyra tells Mysaria: “He wished to possess me, but not to be possessed.”
But, while Rhaenyra freely admits that she also envies Daemon, namely for his ability to be a carefree man who strikes fear in the hearts of others, she has not allowed it to affect their marriage. Daemon’s abrupt departure from Dragonstone was precisely because he could no longer control his own jealousy and, while both have always envied each other, only Daemon has allowed it to turn insidious and drive a wedge between them. Rhaenyra now lives in fear that Daemon has turned against her, that her own husband plans to usurp her throne in the way the Hightowers have. Compared to Daemon’s resentment as a catalyst for the breakdown in his relationship with Rhaenyra, it’s this mistrust that will continue to eat away at Rhaenyra’s relationship with Daemon.
Can Daemon and Rhaenyra Reconcile in ‘House of the Dragon’?
Resentment and a lack of trust will negatively affect any relationship, let alone a jealousy-fueled incestuous royal marriage in the midst of a gigantic civil war. Rhaenyra and Daemon may have once been able to put their differences aside in order to pursue the feelings they had for each other, but those glaring issues are now loudly demanding to be acknowledged. The two are also beginning to find comfort in others: Daemon and Alys Rivers’ relationship has continued to develop, and “Smallfolk” sees Rhaenyra engage in some much-needed emotional vulnerability with Mysaria. All of this spells trouble for an already shaky marriage, and doesn’t leave much room for reconciliation.
What’s clear now is that Daemon and Rhaenyra no longer trust each other, and the physical and emotional distance between them has been a detriment. As long as this distance remains, reconciliation seems less and less possible. It’s likely that if there is an eventual reconciliation, it will be because Rhaenyra is able to put her feelings aside and forgive Daemon, rather than the other way around, and that seems like a pretty shaky foundation at best. For now, the ball is in Daemon’s court, and the Rogue Prince is not typically known for extending grace to others — his wife included.
While Rhaenyra and Daemon are at odds right now, their actors can’t get enough of each other. Emma D’Arcy, in a Variety interview, has said that they “petitioned for more [screen] time next season” with Matt Smith, so there could be hope on the horizon for the Targaryen couple. Maybe they can come together again to secure the Iron Throne — out of love for Viserys, out of duty to their family, out of a desire for revenge and to put an end to the Greens, but as of now, it looks like there is some serious love lost between the former flames.
House of the Dragon is available to stream on Max in the U.S., with new episodes airing Sundays.
