That Gross 'House of the Dragon' Sex Scene Reveals More Than You Think
House of the Dragon episode 7 spoilers follow.
In a world where dragons roam and prophecies shape destiny, the biggest talking point in House of the Dragon so far has just been Rhaenyra and Daemon's sex life. Did they make the dragon with two backs in episode four? We The kingdom must know!
Back then, their incest-y meet and greet raised questions and eyebrows alike, but now, Episode 7 officially makes #Daemyra canon when the pair finally bump uglies in the night. Okay, our screen was pretty dark during that scene, but we're still confident that uncle and niece did a horizontal dance in the sand.
It's times like this when we find ourselves questioning if another sex scene like this was really needed, much like Matt Smith himself did a little while back during his chat with Rolling Stone:
"I guess you have to ask yourself: 'What are you doing? Are you representing the books, or are you diluting the books to represent the time [we're living in]?'"
Often, there's a case for the latter, this idea that House of the Dragon (and Game of Thrones before it) takes endless joy in finding new and often horny ways to shock audiences.
But here, much to the delight of #Daemyra fans everywhere, this moment where they consummate their icky relationship is actually quite moving in ways that propel the narrative forward while also remaining true to the books.
Just tell yourself that they're not related and it's fine! Except, it's not, for reasons we'll get into. But first, some context.
The last episode ended with Laena's death, so naturally, the show picks things up this week with her funeral. But Laena's coffin is barely in the water when Daemon sneaks off to speak with Rhaenyra privately on the beaches of Driftmark.
The conversation is a frank and open one where the pair discuss the problems they've faced in their respective marriages. There are no games here, no weird manipulations or misdirects. Rhaenyra and Daemon now trust each other in ways they didn't even trust their actual partners.
There's a bitterness here too though, at least on Rhaenyra's part. And no, not because Daemon's interest in her is actually deeply abusive and wrong on so many levels. The reason Rhaenyra's miffed is because she thinks all of the trauma she's been through would not have happened if Daemon had simply taken her to be his wife instead of Laena.
You know something's wrong when incest is actually the better option. But Rhaenyra doesn't stop here. After accusing Daemon of abandoning her, she makes it abundantly clear that she's "no longer a child", ie she's ready to bang.
And bang they do, but first comes a tentative kiss as the pair let their walls down and give into the lust they've felt across many, many time jumps.
The camera swoops out in a truly epic moment before we cut back to something far more intimate. Beneath the stars, and Aemond's new dragon conquest, Rhaenyra and Daemon undress each other like they're in a casual episode of Bridgerton.
Clothes are pulled off with surprising tenderness as they stare into each other's eyes and begin to do the nasty. But it's not nasty, not like most of the other sex scenes depicted so far in this show.
Under a tasteful amount of darkness, glimpses of bare flesh are intercut with a whole lot of passion. There's nothing titillating about any of this, and if you didn't know how the pair were related, you wouldn't suspect that there's anything too scandalous about it either.
It's worlds away from Alicent's grim sex life with Viserys, and it's also worlds away from that earlier brothel scene this pair enjoyed too. Daemon has struggled to perform in the past, but with Rhaenyra, he's fully connected now, and entirely sure of himself.
The same is also true for Rhaenyra. Free of any uncomfortable power dynamics that the two shared previously, both Targaryen's are just lost in the moment. But there is a power to be had from all this still, and we're not just referring to all that thrusting.
By the end of episode seven, Daemon and Rhaenyra are fully aligned as allies and lovers. Together, they find a way to fake Laenor's death so he can run away with his lover while they get married. Yep, the Targaryens really did say "Gay rights" with that one.
The marriage itself remains a rather private affair, presumably because they didn't want Alicent stabbing anyone when the vicar asks for reasons why this pair should not be married. Except there is no vicar, of course, so instead, #Daemyra tie the knot by binding their blood, quite literally.
If the source material is anything to go by, this all means that Rhaenyra will ultimately [BOOK SPOILER WARNING] bear Daemon's children. And if the show sticks to this, then only two sons will survive, Aegon III and Viserys II.
But we're getting ahead of ourselves. For now, what's interesting is the way this show chooses to portray its most problematic pairing with the most tenderness. House of the Dragon has never been one to shy away from incest, and we fully expect that going into the show each week, but knowingly fanning those #Daemyra flames certainly is a choice.
Showrunner Ryan Condal told Variety that he wasn't too surprised by the popularity of this fan ship. "It's amazing what a great performance can do to make people accept things about a character," he said, crediting the actors involved. "I guess people are OK with it, or the original series did enough groundwork to normalize Targaryen mating rituals that we don’t have to worry about it."
But worry they should, because there still remains a risk of "diluting the books" just for controversy's sake. Even if this particular scene doesn't play into sensationalist tropes, there's still scope for House of the Dragon to falter at some point in the future when it comes to #Daemyra.
To be fair though, Condal seems fully aware of this. In the same interview, he goes on to say that, "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."
Let's just hope it "shapes" her in ways that make sense to the character without doing her, or us, a disservice.
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