This may not technically be a “bug”, but it is certainly a misstep. Throughout “House of the Dragon” season 1, Rhaenyra and Daemon’s complicated, grotesque, and messy relationship remains a central focus. “Game of Thrones” had its share of incest, sure, but it was always painted with a firm brush of toxicity (at least until that strange ending). No one in their right mind would support Jaime and Cersei Lannister in resolving things. However, the same cannot be said for “House of the Dragon.”
For the most part, there’s a healthy level of narrative distance and moral judgment attached to Rhaenyra’s fixation with her uncle. He shows himself to be a deeply deceitful and selfish man. And yet, when they consummate their relationship in Season 1, Episode 7, “Driftmark,” it’s all filmed as one big climax. Her love scene is intimately choreographed, and the writing does its best to make the power dynamic between them feel balanced, even though Daemon tried to seduce her when she was a child.
Later episodes return to a more complex portrait of their relationship, but this particular scene is unnerving in its intimacy. Perhaps the intention was to show how Rhaenyra feels in the moment, but it seems like the series itself is endorsing the marriage between uncle and niece. In a word, disgusting.
