House of the Dragon director talks bringing Daenerys into the Game of Thrones prequel

As a gamer with over two decades of binge-watching epic fantasy series under my belt, I must say that the season finale of House of the Dragon left me both astounded and intrigued. The vision scene, reminiscent of a hallucinogenic trip through Westeros’ history, was nothing short of breathtaking. The director’s decision to portray Daenerys in shadows rather than the limelight perfectly encapsulated the narrative’s focus on Daemon and his role in supporting Rhaenyra’s claim to the Iron Throne.

In the final episode of House of the Dragon, a pivotal moment unfolds as Daemon Targaryen, who has spent much of the season at Harrenhal, undergoes a prophetic vision. This vision offers glimpses of events that lie far beyond his lifetime, such as the arrival of the White Walkers and the sight of Daenerys Targaryen with her trio of dragons from Game of Thrones. The significance of these visions is to inspire Daemon to act in a manner that will ensure their eventual realization. To achieve this, he pledges his support for his wife, queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, as she strives to claim the Iron Throne.

Geeta Patel, the director of the finale, spoke with Variety about incorporating famous shots from ‘Game of Thrones’ in this spin-off show. “I was thrilled to be given the chance to contribute,” she stated. “Upon reading the script, I noted various visual cues, yet there was room for interpretation. The challenge lies in figuring out how all these elements will coalesce smoothly. How do we portray Daenerys? Should we focus on her face? What is she doing?”

I thought the dragons coming out of her in shadow would be really interesting because it’s not about Daenerys, it’s about the story of history. We’re in Daemon’s point of view, so that vision had to tell the story to Daemon of the history of his people and that Rhaenyra needed to be on the throne. It’s very tempting to be like, “Let’s show Daenerys! Let’s zoom in on this!” But that’s not what it’s about. In fact, Daemon doesn’t know who she is. It has to make Daemon understand that he has to bend the knee to Rhaenyra willingly.

Apart from discussing the filming of the prophetic scene, it appears that what we saw wasn’t actually Emilia Clarke reprising her role as Daenerys. Instead, it was Matt Smith dramatically acting out Daemon’s fall into a pool of dragon’s blood. This is a hint that you might notice if you’ve read George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood. According to Patel, we had a large set with various sections. Each section represented a moment in the vision. Originally, I wanted a tank for the drowning scene, but due to budget constraints, we didn’t have a real water-filled tank. However, during a meeting, someone suggested replacing the water with dragon’s blood, and that idea was found to be brilliant!

So we darkened the water into blood, and we ended up shooting it dry for wet — there’s no water actually. It’s just Matt Smith hanging from a rig with fans blowing on him so it looks like he’s underwater. It was really amazing executing all those moments. The roots of the tree that start the whole sequence of the vision, those were built and then brought to life as visual effects. I really wanted it to feel like an umbilical cord. They brought that to life so they were gooey and alive.

Rhaenyra and Alicent are “like a divorced couple that still loves each other”

At the episode’s conclusion, a significant event unfolded as Alicent Hightower, the 3000th individual this year, traveled from Dragonstone to King’s Landing – two cities at odds, yet seemingly inconsequential in the moment – to meet her longtime friend Rhaenyra Targaryen. In this encounter, Alicent proposed a deal: she would grant Rhaenyra access to King’s Landing and facilitate her takeover without violence. To further secure this alliance, Rhaenyra requested that Alicent surrender her son, Aegon, who is at odds with Rhaenyra in their struggle for the Iron Throne.

As a longtime fan of the series, I must admit that this latest scene left me quite bewildered. With my years of watching and analyzing these characters, it’s hard not to notice the underlying tension between Rhaenyra and Alicent, and the complex web of alliances and betrayals that bind them. The fact that Laenor, Rhaenyra’s husband, ordered the murder of Alicent’s grandson earlier this season, and now appears to be renewing his commitment to her, only serves to heighten the drama.

We shot that scene at the end of Episode 8 pretty much at the end of the production season. There were two things that were really important: We wanted it to feel like Rhaenyra and Alicent were children again, because that is what that scene was really about. Olivia and Emma did a really great job of bringing that juvenile, fearful, innocent aspect to the scene, where they wrestled between what they know they’re supposed to do and what they’re feeling that’s irrational. The other thing is we wanted to make sure that the scene in Episode 3 was on their minds. They’re like a divorced couple that still loves each other. When you see an ex, it’s almost as if that fight you had, or what they did to you, is fresh in your mind and just happened five minutes ago. We wanted it to be that razor’s edge feeling when we entered this scene between the two of them. They really pushed and pulled each other in a way that I wasn’t sure how they were going to end it.

The way they concluded House of the Dragon is unknown, but we’ll find out more once the series comes back for its third season, which is expected to premiere around 2026.

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2024-08-06 17:41