Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Episode 7.In this week's House of the Dragon episode, not only do we finally draw battle lines between the Greens and the Blacks, the two sides that will go to battle in the upcoming Targaryen civil war. But, audiences finally saw Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) give into their feelings for each other. For many, this has been a long time coming. The two have been dancing around each other since the beginning of the series engaging in a will-they-won't-they dynamic, Episode 7 "Driftmark" not only saw the two of them consummate their love but also faking the death of Rhaenyra's husband Laenor (John Macmillan) together in order to marry each other on Dragonstone. While there were many fans cheering and looking forward to this development, there were still complaints about its execution.
No one can deny that some scenes in "Driftmark," directed by Miguel Sapochnik, were shrouded in complete darkness. Sapochnik gained recent acclaim in television for directing pivotal episodes in Game of Thrones like "Hardhome," "The Winds of Winter," and most notably "Battle of the Bastards," which he won an Emmy for. Sapochnik also caught heat for his work on "The Long Night," an episode of Game of Thrones that was notoriously dark. Although cinematographer Fabian Wagner blamed audiences' TV settings, when it came time for Sapochnik to step up to the plate for House of the Dragon fears of dark episodes where it's impossible to see what is happening persisted. This was a key complaint for "Driftmark," an episode that was otherwise the peak of this season so far in terms of character development, acting, and narrative.
For fans of Rhaenyra and Daemon, this complaint about a dark episode rang even louder. After nearly seeing the two have sex in a brothel in Episode 4 and seeing their crackling chemistry in Episode 5, the fateful moment of Rhaenyra having sex with Daemon was both shorter than expected and literally too dark to see. But, while there's nothing really to be done about the darkness of the episode, it actually matters more what the two Targaryens said to each other before they get down under a pile of driftwood on the beach, rather than what they did.
Rhaenyra and Daemon Have Not Been Clear With Their Words Up Until Now
Rhaenyra and Daemon have always excelled at subtext. As early as the pilot episode, "The Heirs of the Dragon," we can start to see glimmers of the attraction between the two. For them, it has always been about what is unsaid rather than what is being spoken aloud. In that first episode, Daemon's introduction sees him sitting on the Iron Throne. Daemon bristles at the idea of the upcoming tourney held in the honor of the heir of Viserys I (Paddy Considine) because although the queen has not given birth to a son yet, meaning Daemon is his brother's heir, it seems like the small council is all too eager to push him aside in the line of succession in anticipation of the newborn. When Rhaenyra approaches him the two discuss this dilemma in High Valyrian.
Throughout the series so far, it's obvious that while many of the Targaryens and Velaryons speak the tongue of Old Valyria, no one uses it as much as Rhaenyra and Daemon and frequently only with each other. In many ways, it is their secret language, one that they can use to openly discuss matters without the spies inside the Red Keep overhearing them. But, despite this secret language, the two rarely speak deeper about their feelings for each other. In "King of the Narrow Sea," the two discuss the prospect of marriage and what it means to find pleasure in sex and in marriage and although knowing where the two end up might mean that this conversation is loaded in subtext, none of it is overt. When Daemon takes her to a brothel later that evening in King's Landing, he gives into temptation and although the two don't actually have sex, they get close to it before Daemon abandons her.
Rhaenyra and Daemon's Marriage Has Been Foreshadowed
This scene causes a rift between the two characters. When Viserys confronts Daemon the next morning, after learning from Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) that the two had sex in a brothel, Daemon doesn't correct his brother, but he asks for Rhaenyra's hand in marriage. Obviously, Daemon is still married at the time and Viserys quickly exiles him again to Runestone to return to his own wife. But after killing (or maybe not killing) Lady Rhea (Rachel Redford) Daemon returns to King's Landing for Rhaenyra's wedding celebrations in "We Light the Way." The two have another charged conversation on the dance floor where Daemon asks if Rhaenyra actually wants to marry Laenor, but the conversation quickly escalates to Rhaenyra goading Daemon into taking her to Dragonstone and making her his wife, considering Lady Rhea's recent death.
For those who are expecting Rhaenyra and Daemon to eventually get married, as it is written about in Fire & Blood the book by George R. R. Martin on which House of the Dragon is based, these scenes all foreshadow the wedding to come at the end of the episode in "Driftmark." But, while the chemistry between Milly Alcock and Matt Smith (and then Emma D'Arcy and Smith) has been wildly entertaining, the two haven't actually spoken to each other directly. And after being separated for 10 years, with Daemon married to Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell) and Rhaenyra married to Laenor, there's not only a lot to catch up on, but there's an airing of grievances.
The Conversation Between Rhaenyra and Demon Clears Things Up
Rhaenyra tells Daemon in Westerosi and in no uncertain terms that while she and Laenor tried to have biological children together, it never worked out. She says, "There was no joy in it. I found that elsewhere. It felt good to be desired." Obviously, we know this is in reference to the late Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr) who saw his brutal end at Harrenhal, assassinated by his younger brother (Matthew Needham), but this clears up any assumption that Rhaenyra was simply taking lovers casually. She tried to perform her duty and she couldn't do it, not with Laenor at least.
But, when the conversation turns to their relationship, old wounds are brought up. Rhaenyra accuses Daemon of depravity, saying that Daemon abandoned her when she needed him. But he responds, "I spared you, you were a child." The depravity that Rhaenyra is talking about is not the fact that Daemon took her to a brothel and nearly had sex with her there, it's the fact that he did not stay afterward and left her. Daemon views himself stopping before things went too far as sparing her, whether that be from the burdens of their connection or the clear sexual inequality between the two characters at that point. He left again on the night of her wedding, and then the two lost contact for 10 years. Although Rhaenyra and Daemon were considered adversaries on paper, with both being heirs to Viserys at one point, their connection is undeniable, and Rhaenyra recognizes that with her uncle by her side, she might have more power not only to her claim but in general.
She blames her life so far on Daemon's abandonment, calling it tragic, and then asks if Daemon loved his wife Laena. To which Daemon admits, "We were happy enough." At this moment, they are admitting to each other that there have been things missing in their lives after their separation. It is only after this realization that Rhaenyra makes her first move on Daemon, instigating with a kiss after she affirms to him that she is no longer a child. While the line might feel torrid to some, it is a clarification to Daemon that she no longer needs to be "spared" anything, she is not an inexperienced girl, and she knows what she is choosing.
Daemon and Rhaenyra Can Move to the Next Phase of Their Relationship
"Driftmark" is a culmination of many things, and Daemon and Rhaenyra's conversation on the beach puts the two characters back on level ground with each other. It is that conversation, one that reveals that in some way, they have both wanted each other for a long time, that leads to them finally having sex. And while, yes, the scene was shrouded in darkness, its gentleness and tenderness speak volumes about the two. That would not nearly have been as significant without the lengthy conversation they had prior. It's one of the longest dialogue scenes between two characters in the episode, and when we see them come together again at the end of the episode, they're ready to move on to the next phase of their relationship.
Now, Rhaenyra returns to the High Valyrian, this time speaking plainly. She proposes marriage to him — not in the way that she did in Episode 5 by goading him, but because she needs him. It isn't only because she cannot face Alicent and the Greens alone, but because, as she tells him, "You and I are made of fire. We have always been meant to burn together." It's because of their previous conversation that these two are able to finally reconcile and marry one another. After helping Laenor fake his death, the two wed on Dragonstone together, leaving the kingdom to believe that they would be ruthless enough to kill her husband for a politically advantageous marriage, but knowing that they truly stand on equal footing now.