This crew has pulled the wool over the eyes of someHouse of the Dragonviewers.
Instead, he perpetuated lies, enabled his enemies, and was a lousy father.
These failures are primarily to blame for the inevitable chaos and destruction that threaten to tear apart Westeros.
To be fair, Viserys does deserve some sympathy.
There is good reason to suspect he was beingslowly poisoned to death by his maesters.
His Hand, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), quietly undermined him for years.
Image via HBO
In some respects, Viserys is comparable to Ned Stark (Sean Bean) inGame of Thrones.
Both were relatively decent and honest men ill-prepared for the treachery of politics.
A King must assume they are surrounded by malevolent actors and root them out.
Image via HBO
Aegons succession is illegitimate and treasonous.
Nonetheless, had Viserys acted more wisely, the Hightowers would not be well-positioned to orchestrate a coup.
Ultimately, Viserys poor judgment is still to blame.
Image via HBO
Alicent cared for Viserys, but love may be too strong a word for their relationship.
Remind me again then why Viserys married her?
Marrying Alicent was Viserys first step towards creating the bitter divisions that would last for many years to come.
Its a lie that threatens the stability of the realm and can lead to nothing but conflict.
He lost his life in exchange for his honesty.
It is possible to legitimize bastards via royal decree.
Had Rhaenyra acknowledged the true parentage of her children, Viserys could have legitimized them.
Instead, she lied and wreaked havoc.
The Stark siblings all love, or at least feel some affection towards, each other.
Viserys kids and grandkids, on the other hand, mostly hate each other.
When they arent trading barbs at dinner, theyre slicing each others eyeballs.
Viserys neglected the children he had with Alicent, binding them almost entirely to their mother.
Later in life, Viserys seemed to forget that he even had children other than Rhaenyra.
House of the Dragon’s Season 1 finale premieres this Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.
