Who exactly did Matt Smith's Daemon make love with in that brief scene in House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 5?
While the tragic battle of Rook’s Rest has come and gone, Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen has been over at Harrenhal working to build up an army for Rhaenyra. He is also been casually teasing some treasonous intent, potentially trying to take over as King.
At the same time, he is been experiencing some increasingly unsettling visions while in the old haunted castle. This also included some fun new scenes with a hallucinatory young Rhaenyra, played by returning favorite Milly Alcock.
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Who Did Daemon Sleep With In House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 5
Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 5.
Daemon Targaryen's time in Harrenhal has been interesting, to say the least, and now it has included hallucinatory sex with his long-dead mother, Alyssa Targaryen, played by Emeline Lambert.
Although the woman's identity is not immediately given, her blonde hair immediately suggests a Targaryen.
As Daemon and this woman get hot and heavy, she has a voiceover aimed at her son:
"Daemon... You were always the strong one. The finest swordsman. The fearless dragon rider. Your brother had great love in his heart. But he lacked your constitution. Viserys wasn't suited for the crown. But you, Daemon, you were made to wear it."
Her identity is confirmed without a doubt when the woman's voiceover calls Matt Smith's Daemon "my favorite son:"
"If only you'd been born first. My favorite son."
Daemon and his mother do not have a long history, as she died when he was a child while she gave birth to her third child, Aegon, who died not long after.
When she was alive though, Alyssa would take baby Daemon on dragon rides on the back of her dragon, Meleys (who would go on to fly and die with Princess Rhaenys).
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Daemon Targaryen and His Mommy Issues
It is unclear if Daemon Targaryen has romantic inclinations towards his mother. After all, once he realized what was happening, he did seem genuinely horrified.
One thing is for sure: there are plenty of unresolved mommy issues there.
Some have theorized that Daemon’s intense need for approval from from Rhaenyra could be tied to the traumatic loss of his mother when he was younger. Tie this together with his attraction to his niece, and one might have a strong argument for a thriving Oedipus Complex.
On a mental level, it also probably does not help that Daemon’s relationship with Rhaenyra seems to be at an all-time low, which perhaps it will not ever come back from.
While it's interesting to see Daemon’s ties to his mother further explored, it could be just as great to dive deeper into his relationship with his father and how that influenced the man he became.
House of the Dragon is now streaming on Max.
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