Director Geeta Patel of “House of the Dragon” has stated that King Viserys did really die at the end of the eighth episode.
The season follows King Henry (Paddy Considine) as he declines gradually from an unspecified sickness. The most recent episode ends with Viserys seemingly dead in bed. Viserys, with his palm raised and a heavy sigh, says, “my love.” The screen goes black as he lets out a long sigh.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Patel explained that the final scene served as a “litmus test” to see if the audience would care if Viserys died.
“When we reached that final scene in every viewing or mental reenactment, did we feel what we wanted to feel there?” When asked, Patel provided an explanation.
“Felt we the loss? Were we satisfied that Viserys finished telling his tale? In our opinion, did he love his late wife? Has he ever loved Alicent? Was he romantically interested in Rhaenyra? Was there anything he wished he’d done differently? How did we feel about all of Viserys’s layers of complexity?”
Next, the filmmaker continued: “That’s when I’d take stock of how things were going, make any necessary adjustments, and then regroup with Miguel and Ryan to plot the next move. The actors were probably checking that final scene a hundred times to make sure it was effective.”
After Viserys’s death, the civil war described as the Dance of Dragons in the “Game of Thrones” books can finally begin. Half-siblings Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Aegon II (Tom Felton) are at the center of the looming civil war (Tom Glynn-Carney).
Initially, Rhaenyra was slated to succeed her father Viserys as monarch. In episode eight, however, Viserys reveals Aegon the Conqueror’s dream to his second wife, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). According to Alicent, this proves that her son Aegon is the rightful ruler.
On HBO, you can watch “House of the Dragon” every Sunday night at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.