House of the Dragon creatives confused at Daemon being an “internet boyfriend”
HBO MaxThe heart wants what the heart wants, but according to House of the Dragon producers, your heart probably shouldn’t want Daemon.
House of the Dragon has clearly taken the world by storm, as more of George R.R. Martin’s beloved (or be-hated) characters are adapted onto the screen. One relationship, or rather, one character, has particularly excited many a fan online, that being Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), whose relationship with Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy/Milly Alcock) is a focal point on the show.
Now, fans shipping people together and thirsting over characters is nothing new. Except on this occasion, the pair are uncle and niece, and the man himself is a wife murderer, among other things.
And this has led to even the producers of the show themselves being confused at the internet’s adoration of Daemon, adoration which includes plenty of thirst tweets.
House of the Dragon’s Daemon is “Daddy” according to the internet
While Daemon has been a popular character from the start, two recent moments have increased the love for his character ten-fold: the scene where he helps King Viserys stumble his way to the throne; and the scene where he beheads Vaemond Velaryon for insulting his wife, Rhaenyra.
Now, while these are admirable traits, let’s not forget that Daemon also murdered his wife four episodes ago. And again, he’s married to his niece. Sure, the show is set in an older time, but we can still judge shippers by modern standards.
Seems like even the head creatives of the show are judging, as during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, writer/executive producer Sara Hess and director Clare Kilner discussed all the online love for Daemon.
Hess was very confused about the whole situation, due to Daemon’s less than stellar previous actions: “He’s become Internet Boyfriend in a way that baffles me. Not that Matt isn’t incredibly charismatic and wonderful, and he’s incredible in the role. But Daemon himself is… I don’t want him to be my boyfriend!
“I’m a little baffled how they’re all, ‘Oh, daddy!’ And I’m just like: ‘Really?’ How – in what way – was he a good partner, father or brother – to anybody? You got me.”
“Daddy” is certainly a word that has been used to describe Daemon online, a word which will bring either disgust or delight depending on the person:
Kilner, while also agreeing that Daemon is very flawed, could understand the “fun” of it all at least: “I just love the fact people are so involved with these characters, and I think that’s part of the fun of it.
“One minute you like someone, and the next minute you like someone else. But I’m not surprised. Matt is such a risk-taker in his performances and he’s got that little smile and, you know… you can’t help it! He is charismatic. People love a baddie. But I don’t think he’s particularly a good father or a good brother.”
Now, according to Hess, fans of Daemon may change their mind about him after watching the finale. “We will see a different side of him,” she said. “And right now, we’re writing Season 2 and figuring out, what is the nature of his relationship with Rhaenyra? There are many interpretations to that.”
But then again, she could just be underestimating just how thirsty and devoted fans can be.
House of the Dragon Episode 10, the Season 1 finale, will be available to watch on October 23 in the US and October 24 in the UK.