House of the Dragon episode two spoilers follow.
It's only episode two and already Viserys' plate is stacked sky-high – with problems from frictions at court to Daemon (Matt Smith) finding an ally in the spurned Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint).
No doubt his recent betrothal to Alicent (Emily Carey) will bring its own headache owing to Rhaenrya's clear disapproval. Can we really blame her though?
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Safe to say, it's a busy time for the king, however there is one problem quietly eating away in the background that deserves his urgent attention and that is the issue of his rotting flesh.
The sight of Viserys' oozing back has been somewhat eclipsed by the gold cloak massacre, the bloody tournament and the violent childbirth of episode one. Still, it happened and is hard pressed to be forgotten. The matter was briefly put to bed by the swift decision to cauterise the wound. You know what they say – feed a fever, burn off a nasty infection (or something to that effect).
Fast forward to episode two (two years in House of the Dragon time) and shockingly this sound treatment plan seems to have done very little to stem the spread of infection.
Instead, the affliction appears to be affecting other areas of the body, more notably the fingers. This time the physicians have decided on something more reliable than scorching the flesh. Maggots. To remove the dead flesh and stop the advance of the rot. Hmm, yes, well. Let's see how that one goes. Better than cauterisation, we hope.
Viserys' poor health has sent fans of the show into a bit of a speculative spin with many calling on Twitter and forums that the king is infected by greyscale as a disease first mentioned in Game of Thrones.
As exciting as it would be to spot this as an Easter egg linking the two shows, it is highly unlikely to be true.
Game of Thrones' Princess Shireen Baratheon (Kerry Ingram) was the first known character to have presented with the disease on the show. Shireen caught greyscale as an infant and, though it's usually a fatal disease, she was able to survive it thanks to her father Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) being ruthless in his pursuit for a cure.
Greyscale does affect the flesh, which is where fans may have drawn the connection between Viserys (Paddy Considine) and the illness, however that is where the similarities end.
Unlike Viserys' gangrene-like symptoms, greyscale kills off the flesh by hardening and calcifying the surface of the skin. What results initially is thin and brittle skin that cracks and splits due to the body's movement, giving it the appearance of scales as it hardens.
Eventually the flesh becomes mottled grey and black as it dies. It is a long-term illness lasting years that spreads to cover the entirety of the skin, leaving the victim in severe pain.
Those who survive to the latter stages of the disease are subjected to more pain as the disease hardens the internal organs. Insanity is inevitable once the greyscale has reached the brain.
Viserys' differing symptoms are not the only things making the prognosis of greyscale unlikely for the king. According to lore, greyscale is spread by direct touch or by coming into contact with objects affected by someone with the disease.
Shireen picked up the disease from a contaminated doll, however Viserys has been in direct and indirect contact with many people who have not succumbed to infection.
Though not confirmed, Viserys' illness has instead been linked to the incestuous Targaryen bloodline.
It has been said that the frequent inbreeding has resulted in deformities such as these. Viserys' parents were both siblings, as were his grandparents, making this the more likely explanation.
Game of Thrones seasons 1-8 are available on DVD and Blu-ray. House of the Dragon will b airing season one weekly the US on Sundays on HBO, and on Mondays in the UK on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
