House of the Dragon showrunner reacts to fans shipping Daemon & Rhaenrya
HBOHouse of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal has responded to fans who’ve been romanticizing Daemon and Rhaenyra’s relationship.
Game of Thrones can be credited with normalizing incest on TV, or at the very least, making it not quite as shocking as it before. From the moment Jaime and Cersei were caught at the top of that tower, everything changed.
House of the Dragon, a prequel to the original series, chronicles the history behind the most incestuous family in Westeros: the Targaryens, who have an insatiable penchant for marrying their own to keep their bloodline pure.
While they’ve yet to progress any further on the show, Daemon and Rhaenyra’s relationship has already raised a few eyebrows – and some stans have been shipping them.
House of the Dragon showrunner responds to Daemon and Rhaenyra stans
In a new interview with Variety, Condal responded to fans who’ve been shipping Daemon and Rhaenyra – who are uncle and niece – ever since their trip to a pleasure house in Episode 4.
“I mean, nothing surprises me these days. I really didn’t know what people were going to make of that at all,” he said.
“Look, it’s part of the story, and I think that’s what makes it fascinating, because it sort of is taboo in a way and in our modern sensibility. It’s even pretty taboo as far as Game of Thrones goes, maybe not for – well, I think even so for Targaryens, because it’s different generations.
“But, yeah, it’s amazing what a great performance can do to make people accept things about a character. That’s credit to Matt and Milly, and soon, I think, to Matt and Emma, because you’ll see they also have a complex relationship.”
Condal said he took inspiration from Back to the Future, explaining: “You know, Marty goes to the prom with his mom, and you’re kind of creeped out about it, but also you’re kind of like, ‘Huh! These are two good-looking people. Are they’re going to make out tonight?’
“Look, it’s not your uncle. So, you know, I guess people are okay with it, or the original series did enough groundwork to normalize Targaryen mating rituals that we don’t have to worry about it.
“What Daemon does to young Rhaenyra is, in modern terminology, an act of abuse. And, as a traumatic event would, it shapes who Rhaenyra becomes.”
House of the Dragon Episode 7 will be available to watch on October 2 in the US and October 3 in the UK.
