It seems King Viserys I Targaryen finally showed signs of paranoia and mistrust in the previous HBO episode. Dragon House. The High King, initially praised by fans for his gentleness and forbearance, now foreshadows the deterioration of House Targaryen through the story of the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen.
The previous episode of Dragon House saw a time jump where Alicent Hightower is now married to King Viserys and pregnant with their second child. Having named Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen as heir to the Iron Throne years ago, the King still stands by his decision despite having a male successor, Aegon.
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King Viserys’ paranoia revealed in House Of The Dragon
In a supposedly friendly conversation with Jason Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock, the King was angry at the Lord’s offer to take Rhaenyra as his wife to compensate her”job loss”. Many believed that the princess had already lost her title since Aegon’s birth, as Westeros lore often names the eldest son as heir. King Viserys reminded Lord Lannister that it was his duty to report any rebellion in the kingdom. Bewildered and shocked, Jason claims there was nothing like this at King’s Landing.
Whether fueled by too much wine or his growing paranoia of people criticizing his choice of heir, King Viserys now forms clouds of dark thoughts in his mind. These underlying worries were the same apprehensions that troubled the Mad King and ultimately brought about the downfall of House Targaryen.
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How this scene relates to Aerys II “The Mad King”
Fans may have noticed that King Viserys’ response to Jason is far from the lord’s concern. His Grace is not entirely worried about a possible rebellion in the kingdom, but rather takes advantage of his position to prevent the lords from criticizing his political choices.
The Mad King was far more brutal and irrational than Viserys’ innocuous accusations. Jason Lannister would have been reduced to ashes if he had ever gone to the Mad King and told him he had made a terrible mistake. At first, Aerys II showed a promising future at the start of his reign. Like King Viserys, he wanted peace and prosperity in the Seven Kingdoms. He only went mad when he began to suspect everyone around him of malicious intentions.
The Targaryens have always been linked to madness, some would say as an effect of incest, a family tradition practiced for centuries. With King Viserys’ bouts of paranoia in Dragon Houseviewers will get a glimpse of his descendant’s future reign as ruler who would be known as the face of madness throughout Targaryen history.
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