At first look, Daemon Targaryen appears positioned as one of many heroes of House of the Dragon, although that impression doesn’t final for lengthy. He is performed by Matt Smith, arguably probably the most well-known actor within the preliminary forged, and he’s slotted into the function of “character who snarkily deconstructs the things in which everyone around him is invested,” making him the closest factor the collection has to a personality like Game of Thrones’ fan favourite Tyrion Lannister. Subsequent occasions have since made it clear that the Rogue Prince is extra rogue than prince, with Daemon repeatedly exiled by his brother, pushing boundaries along with his niece, and customarily working afoul of everybody else.

But if he’s not the hero of House of the Dragon, Daemon has by no means been its villain, both. That’s to not say he hasn’t executed some horrible issues in the midst of the collection. Ultimately, he falls someplace between “morally ambiguous” at finest and “morally reprehensible” at worst. But whereas loads of Daemon’s actions could possibly be counted as “villainous” on the floor, the collection has been very cautious to take care of a sure degree of ambiguity, to tug away and forestall the complete depiction of Daemon’s actions from being proven to the viewers. In doing so, a distance is created between his villainy and the viewers, the higher to guard his esteem in our eyes. We hear about Daemon doing unhealthy issues, however hardly ever will we see him doing these issues. And even when he does carry out an act of villainy on display screen, it’s often introduced in a sympathetic approach, the higher to maintain him from tilting right into a full-on villain in our minds.

For instance, on the finish of “Heirs of the Dragon,” the collection’ premiere episode, Daemon seems to be the collection central villain: following reviews of his toasting his lifeless toddler nephew because the “heir for a day,” Daemon is disinherited and banished from King’s Landing by King Viserys (Paddy Considine), after which Viserys appoints his daughter, Rhaenyra, as his inheritor. As Daemon skulks off into exile, the episode concludes with a standard hero shot confirming Rhaenyra because the protagonist of the story.

Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

Yet pointedly, we by no means really see Daemon utter the phrases “heir for a day.” When referred to as on it, Daemon neither confirms nor denies having mentioned “heir for a day” (actually, his response to Viserys’ interrogation — “we must all mourn in our own way” — suits the cadence and rhyme of Daemon’s toast as relayed earlier within the episode, suggesting it might be what Daemon really mentioned that night time). It’s a telling selection: While House of the Dragon’s supply materials, the e-book Fire & Blood, is supposed to be a subjective telling of Targaryen historical past written down by an in-universe writer drawing from a collection of restricted (and biased) sources, the producers of the present have mentioned the tv present represents an goal accounting of those occasions.

Whether or not Daemon spoke the phrases doesn’t finally matter; the important thing takeaway right here is the paradox. In this purportedly goal account of historical past, we don’t know for positive if Daemon dedicated the sin that initially forged him within the function of collection villain. And it’s a way the collection will proceed to make use of to regulate the seemingly goal gaze of the digital camera because it retains Daemon from slipping into outright villainy. When he steals the dragon’s egg in “The Rogue Prince,” it additionally happens off display screen, pointedly focusing solely on the response to it and his motivation for doing it within the first place. It shouldn’t be the motion of a villain seeking to harm or trigger bother, however the motion of a brother and uncle to get the eye of his ostracized household. Even when he kills one in all Viserys’ messengers on the backside of episode 3, the second is a prelude to his most historically heroic motion of the collection, risking himself (by way of an motion sequence shot to place Daemon because the hero) and ending the fast risk of the Crabfeeder. That victory is what sticks within the minds of the viewers, not the sooner assault on somebody merely for delivering information he didn’t like.

When he confronts his lawful spouse, Rhea Royce, in “We Light the Way,” it appears clear that homicide is on Daemon’s thoughts. Yet their encounter is filmed in such a approach that it’s unclear if Rhea’s horse reared as a direct results of Daemon’s actions or not. And when Daemon approaches the now-paralyzed Rhea with an enormous ol’ rock in his hand, the result is obvious, even when the digital camera cuts away.

Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

That cutaway is notable, sparing us the sight of Daemon caving in his spouse’s cranium. We know it occurs, however not displaying the act retains Daemon from being seen as an excessive amount of of a remorseless villain. Compare this to later in the identical episode, when the digital camera is much less concerned about defending our view of Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) as we see him pound Joffrey Lonmouth’s face into pulp. Clearly, the creators don’t have any situation inciting a visceral response within the viewers to Criston’s actions — they need us to be off-put by the severity of what he does to Joffrey, and to not like him in consequence (the higher to cement his transition from a fierce Rhaenyra ally to a staunch foe). Yet Daemon, who does a lot the identical factor to Rhea earlier within the episode (whereas seemingly appearing with malice aforethought, versus the infected ardour of Criston Cole), will get the extra complimentary edit — as a result of he’s probably not the villain of the story.

This sympathetic framing of Daemon within the face of what are, on paper, atrocious acts, is clearly a definite selection in a sea of morally ambiguous characters, even when he does issues which may offend sensibilities of the viewers. The crackling fourth episode, “King of the Narrow Sea,” could possibly be described as “the one where Daemon seduces his niece.” But whereas that’s technically correct, the presentation of their actions is rather more complicated. Their actions within the “bowels of a pleasure den,” as Otto Hightower phrases it, aren’t introduced by way of the performances or path as tawdry or illicit. Milly Alcock portrays Rhaenyra as having fun with herself throughout their bodily interactions, and their scenes of intimacy aren’t shot in an exploitative approach or in a approach that means that what they’re doing is incorrect. Daemon’s abrupt departure and clear emotions in regards to the scenario are instantly at odds with the villainous factor he’s accused of. The rumors of their encounter result in appreciable issues for Rhaenyra (and one other banishment for Daemon), however as soon as once more, actions that seem like outwardly villainous on paper are introduced in a extra nuanced, ambiguous method to the viewers.

It’s all the higher to arrange his arc in episode 7, when he’s reunited with Rhaenyra and the 2 determine to wed. Once once more, he’s totally on the outskirts of the principle motion of the episode, however his motivation — and the best way the viewers is being instructed to understand him, even within the face of incest — is a lot extra rooted in his emotions as a personality than an archetype to which he’s adhering. Here, it turns into clear why the present has persistently stored the viewers at a take away from Daemon’s villainous actions. We are at a degree the place the battle strains have been drawn, and it’s change into clear that Alicent, not Daemon, is the chief antagonist to Rhaenyra. The determination of Rhaenyra and Daemon to wed cements that he’s been her ally, not her rival. In order for the viewers to simply accept that, there must be a long way between them and Daemon’s extra morally questionable actions, and so the collection has been cautious from the start to current Daemon in a sympathetic method, even when he’s doing issues the viewers would in any other case jeer at because the actions of a transparent unhealthy man. For Daemon to be the companion to Rhaenyra he’s been destined to be, he needed to be stored at a take away from his baser actions.

The finish results of all that obfuscation is obvious: Daemon Targaryen shouldn’t be a very good man. But he’s additionally not the villain of this story, and the collection has been telling us that each one alongside.