House of the Dragon's eighth episode featured a touching moment between two of the series' most prominent characters — and we've now learned that it wasn't even planned.
*spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon *
"The Lord of the Tides" featured a pivotal scene in which an ailing King Viserys (Paddy Considine) made a surprise appearance at a meeting where Vaemond Velaryon was petitioning to be named the true heir to Driftmark instead of Rhaenyra's son, Lucerys, if Lord Corlys fails to make a recovery from his injuries.
Viserys struggles to make it to the Iron Throne and initially rejects the assistance of his guards. During the walk, the crown slips from Viserys' head; in a shocking turn of events, his estranged brother Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) picked the crown back up and crowned him once again. Unlike before, Viserys accepts his help to the throne, signaling that there's still a bond between them despite everything that's happened in the show so far.
Whilst speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Geeta Patel — who directed episode 8 — revealed that this exchange between the two stars was just a happy accident that occurred whilst filming, one that just so happened to help tell the story of Viserys and Daemon's changing relationship.
In the interview, Geeta said: "When we were shooting that — I think the rehearsal again, the first day — the crown fell off Paddy's [Considine] head and Matt picked it up and we just kept going. We didn't stop. There was a discovery there of this moment."
"I was so thankful that accident happened, that the crown fell off because it proved to be, at least for me, quite a heavy moment and quite a turning point for a storyline that had started in the pilot: Hey, I want your crown and by the end here I'm gonna put the crown back on your head and I'm gonna help you to your throne", she added.
House of the Dragon continues on Sunday, October 16 at 9 pm on HBO and HBO Max in the US, and on Monday, October 17 at 9 pm on Sky TV on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
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