House Of The Dragon Season 2's Latest Cameo Is A Reminder Of Everything We've Lost

What do we say to the God of Spoilers? Not today. Warning: This article discusses major spoilers from the latest episode of "House of the Dragon."

The hit HBO fantasy series "House of the Dragon" plays with time a bit more than its predecessor, "Game of Thrones." The George R. R. Martin book it's based on, "Fire & Blood," was written like a historical document, cobbled together from the various accounts of Westerosi historians, and it spans hundreds of years to cover all of the major doings of the Targaryen family. "House of the Dragon" is specifically based on the section "The Dying of the Dragons," which spans around 40 years, give or take, which means that the series is full of flashbacks and time skips. All of this means that actors whose characters have been killed off (or aged up) can still potentially appear. There is one other way for actors who played season 1 characters to show up, however, and it's becoming more frequent as season 2 goes on: super creepy dream sequences.

Fans got a chance to see Milly Alcock return as young Rhaenyra already this season, appearing in one of Daemon's (Matt Smith) Harrenhal-haunted nightmares, but now there's another Targaryen returning to the mix, and it reminds us of everything we've lost from the first season. One character (and the man who played him) really made his mark on fantasy fiction forever, making even his Daemon-dream appearances something to cheer about.

In the episode, actor Paddy Considine returns as King Viserys I for two emotionally powerful dream sequences courtesy of his tortured younger brother, Daemon. In the first we see him sitting on the Iron Throne and he challenges Daemon, asking whether or not he was the one who dubbed the King's dead newborn son "Heir for a Day." It's Viserys at his most terrifying and powerful, a reminder of the rather formidable king he was at the height of his reign. He's all fire and blood, though he eventually breaks down and begins to weep. In just a few moments he goes through a full range of emotions and they appear so deeply felt that it's honestly a little unnerving. It's a reminder of just how truly great Considine is at playing Viserys, a role that even he thinks is the best he ever played. 

As Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) reminds Daemon, Viserys never wanted the throne and that's part of why he was a good king. (Sure, things got a little messy there at the end, but that's not entirely on him! Milk of the poppy is a helluva drug!) We get a glimpse of that king and a reminder of the leadership that existed before the civil war between his daughter Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and wife Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and their sons, Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell). Aegon II is a spoiled brat of a king to rival even Joffrey Baratheon, and while Rhaenyra has her strengths, she also has one big weakness in her marriage to the tempestuous Daemon. Viserys' calm guidance would be pretty useful right about now.

In a second dream sequence, we see Viserys grieving over the body of his first wife, who died in childbirth. Instead of mocking him or going out drinking like he would have then, Daemon comforts his brother, holding him tight as the elder sibling shudders with wracking sobs. It's heart-wrenching to watch, especially knowing that they never got this kind of closure or closeness in reality, and the performances of both Considine and Smith are brilliant. "House of the Dragon" has plenty to love with its spectacular dragon-filled battles, secrecy, intrigue, and all of the small council snark a person could ask for, but if we don't care about these characters, the show simply doesn't work. The writing is there but the heavy lifting has to be done by the actors, who must root this brutal fantasy world in humanity somehow. No one does that better than Considine, who cemented Viserys I as one of the greatest fantasy characters of all time in season 1 by showing intense vulnerability and making him painfully human. 

While all of the actors are doing great work in season 2, it's nice to see Considine pop up for a moment to show everyone how one of the best does things. Along the way we also got a reminder of a more stable time with a king who could actually rule. 

"House of the Dragon" season 2 airs new episodes on HBO and Max Sundays at 9 P.M. EST/PST.