Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Episode 8 of House of the Dragon.
A noble man, but a faulty ruler. House of the Dragon's King Viserys Targaryen (brilliantly portrayed by Paddy Considine) might have stopped countless bloodshed threats during his reign, but it is needless to say that his decisions have incited an uncertain future for the kingdom of Westeros following his passing in Episode 8. The reason is due to the divisive nature between his heir to the throne, Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock and Emma D'Arcy), and his second wife, Queen Alicent (Emily Carey and Olivia Cooke). Despite the conflict between stepmother and stepdaughter being the driving force of the tumultuous battle ahead, Viserys' loyalty to his eldest child since her coronation was the major factor behind his tragic outcome in the series.
Loyalty at All Costs
Before his first wife Aemma Arryn (Sian Brooke) died giving birth to their soon-deceased baby boy, the king believed that the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy would come true through a male successor to the throne. After mourning his beloved's tragic death (which in part was inflicted by his decision to let her undergo the fatal labor procedure), he opted to crown his only child from his first marriage as the heir to the Iron Throne instead of allowing his brother to take on the post. From then on, the hardships began to come to light as Daemon (Matt Smith) was determined to challenge Viserys and prove to the people that he was the perfect candidate to become ruler. The tension between them is only a small fracture of the headache and even physical impact related to the king's choice to name Rhaenyra as his successor.
Fast-forward to Episode 4, entitled "King of the Narrow Sea," further distress reaches Viserys' ears when Ser Otto Hightower reports Rhaenyra's secret visit to the Street of Silk during the nighttime. The rumor is that she had slept with Daemon at a brothel, meaning that she would no longer be a suitable wife for any prospective bachelors seeking her hand in marriage. Despite believing the rumor after his brother confirmed it, Alicent convinces her husband that his daughter was still pure. Following this, Viserys and the princess come to an agreement that she would get married to her cousin, Laenor Velaryon (Theo Nate and John McMillian), and in return, the king would find another representative to serve him as his hand.
Little did he know that through this erroneous agreement, the crown would be put at an even higher risk because Otto was trying to convince his daughter to persuade the king to change his mind and nominate Aegon as the heir instead. Once Alicent finds out that Rhaenyra wasn't innocent and that her father was forced to leave his post due to the princess' request, she no longer seeks to maintain a friendship with the future queen. This incident marks the beginning of the animosity between the greens and the blacks, which made Viserys' urge to maintain peace nearly impossible.
Protecting Rhaenyra but Not Himself
Even though the king protected Rhaenyra's integrity by arranging a marriage that would unite forces with the Velaryon, he didn't guard himself against the increasing opposition happening inside his own home. He also didn't imagine that his eldest child would have a secret settlement with her spouse to keep their marriage as a formality and seek pleasure from extramarital affairs. If it weren't for this predetermined guideline to keep the appearances, Viserys wouldn't have to deal with another obstacle in ensuring Rhaenyra's right to succession. Given that his daughter's children did not have a physical resemblance to their father, the kingdom begins to suspect her sons' legitimacy. Once again, despite hearing various allegations, Viserys chooses to pretend that his grandsons aren't bastards. To those on the outside, the king is naive to believe his daughter isn't guilty, but viewers understand that he is only doing this to secure Rhaenyra's future and that of the throne. His compassion towards her even leads him to gather his remaining strength to leave his bed and limp his way to the throne room in Episode 8 and defend his grandson's inheritance.
Due to his illness, Viserys became debilitated and was slow to take action when things were beginning to fall apart. Although he was aware that his family was pitting against each other, he always brushed off the problems in the hopes that things would get back on track on their own. Despite this same tactic being useful to prevent wars in his kingdom, it didn't work to remedy the tensions within his family. The favoritism that he displayed towards Rhaenyra, instead of also giving his attention to Alicent and their children, led the fight between the greens and blacks to gain even more momentum. The disparity between his reality at the beginning of the series when married to Aemma in comparison to his marriage to Alicent is significant in showing that happiness in his personal life dictated a lot of his success as a leader. Every time he stepped up to clear Rhaenyra's name, he was protecting the only residue from his loving relationship with his first wife. Seeing his eldest daughter as his "only child" was a driving factor in his tragic death and legacy because it led him to experience even more hardships during his reign.
Now, many may view Viserys' loyalty to Rhaenyra as a noble gesture, but all can agree that it was what made the weight of his crown more unbearable. Although he tries to take a stance during the dining scene in Episode 8 and put to rest any tensions among family members, this small effort close to his death wasn't enough to remedy the situation altogether. Not only does he die in excruciating pain, but he also says his final remarks to the wrong person. This goes to show that his devotion to Rhaenyra did not save him or his kingdom from an imminent downfall. On the contrary, it only led problems to progress into a point of no return for all of those in Westeros, sealing its fate to the battle Viserys longed to detain.