Daemon Targaryen’s vision for Episode 6 looks back at the first episode of House of the Dragon

The past few House of the DragonDamon Targaryen (Matt Smith) is plagued by a series of ghostly visions that double as cameos from actors who have appeared on the show before.

First, Milly Alcock returned as a young Rhaenyra Targaryen, then Nanna Blondell reprised her role as Rhaena Velaryon, but the sixth episode of season two brings us to the final boss-like moment of these visions, with Paddy Considine once again donning the crown of King Viserys Targaryen.

Viserys’ return feels like a milestone, as nearly every vision Daemon has had so far has been a reminder of his relationship with his late brother: A young Rhaenyra taunts him for passing her over as his successor, while his mother Alyssa (Emmeline Lambert) tells him that Daemon would have made a far better, stronger ruler than Viserys.

So what will happen when Viserys and Daemon come face to face? Will Viserys taunt Daemon about Daemon’s failed marriage to Rhaenyra, or his failed attempt to gather forces in the Riverlands and become king in his own right?

Not exactly.

Instead, what we see is a near-verbatim recreation of a scene from the first episode. House of the DragonViserys berates Daemon for joking about the death of his wife Emma (Sian Brook) and for calling his recently deceased son, Baeron, “heir for a day,” and then reveals that he will name a new heir and remove Daemon from the line of succession.

To the current demon, this memory must sting more than any vision he had witnessed at Harrenhal. It rekindled one of the worst moments of his life, and it still haunts and drives him, and there is no way to stop it. When Viserys begins to say that he has decided to name a new heir, all he can say is a gentle “stop it.”

Matt Smith in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO

Viserys’ lines remain largely the same as in Season 1’s version of this scene, but Considine’s performance is a world apart. In Season 1, he exploded in rage and grief; he sat high on the Iron Throne, casting his brother out. Vision Viserys, on the other hand, has his head bowed; his physical appearance is reminiscent of Viserys in the final stages of his illness, as if Daemon were watching an amalgamation of different stages in his brother’s life. There are no yelling here, just a soft, almost devastating sense of sadness that matches Daemon’s own grief as he re-experiences Viserys’ rage.

Unlike in Season 1, Daemon doesn’t fight back against Viserys’ accusations. All the heat from this first encounter fades away, replaced first by disbelief — “I can’t still be mad about this” — and the urge to run away. At this point, Harrenhal has crushed Daemon by relentlessly showcasing his worst insecurities. All he can do is hope that this illusion ends.

Damon comes to a bit of closure in his relationship with Viserys (at least, his ghostly counterpart) towards the end of Episode 6, and in this new vision, we experience an alternate version of the past: one in which, rather than getting drunk in a tavern in King’s Landing, Damon stands beside Viserys as he grieves for Emma.

“You should have been there for me,” Vision Viserys told Daemon at the beginning of the episode. Now Daemon holds him as he cries. “You needed me,” he says. “I’m here now.”

This new vision marks the first time Daemon’s vision of Harrenhal has given him a break. It’s also the first time he’s truly acknowledged his mistakes in the vision and tried to right them. Clearly, it’s too late for a real relationship between Daemon and Viserys. But this healing embrace could be a turning point for Daemon. After all, he do Shortly after waking up from a dream, he receives the good news that Grover Tully has passed away, and the cutting edge ghost therapy treatment that Alice Rivers (Gayle Rankin) is forcing on Damon must be a big help.

New Episodes House of the Dragon It airs Sundays at 9pm ET on HBO and Max.