House of the Dragon spoilers follow
Poor Viserys (Paddy Considine) has not been having a very good time of it lately. You've seen the memes circulating the Twittersphere.
He may have dropped Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) but his other headaches remain. One issue not making meme headlines is his health. His ailments, which have been growing insidiously in the background up until now, have upped their intensity this week.
The mighty Targaryen is looking mighty frail, more so than in previous episodes of House of the Dragon.
For sure the combo of his troublesome daughter and brother have added to his decline in health (family can be trying), but more likely it's down to the mysterious illness that plagues him.
Former mysterious illness we should say – because it has been confirmed that Viserys has the dreaded leprosy.
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During EW's West of Westeros podcast Considine confirmed Viserys' diagnosis, stating: "He's actually suffering from a form of leprosy. His body is deteriorating, his bones are deteriorating. He is not actually old. He's still a young man in there. He's just, unfortunately, got this thing that's taken over his body."
With Viserys' altered illness, House of the Dragon appears to be distancing itself from its original on-page narrative. The message, however, remains much the same.
In the book, Viserys' debilitating affliction appears to stem from the cut he received on the Iron Throne. Though not explicitly explained in Fire and Blood, it can be presumed that his infected wound is the cause of his illness.
His poor health has also been chalked up to the rampant inbreeding in the Targaryen lineage. However, his unhealed lesions as a result of the cuts received from the throne are interpreted in one key way: as a judgement – by the throne itself – on his leadership.
Similarly on House of the Dragon, his doctor's note may say leprosy but the prophetic diagnosis is much clearer: rejection by the throne.
Though leprosy is a more logical explanation, when it comes to signs from the gods the show seems to be insinuating that he is a weak king. It does so not just through his poor choices and his tendency to be easily manipulated but also through his physical condition.
It is no accident that his accelerated decline happens during a time in his reign when he is losing control. He relies too heavily on others to help inform his decisions, both politically and within his family.
The creators make a point of depicting Viserys as drastically weaker much earlier on in his life compared with the book. His inability to bounce back, as a youthful king should, is presumably to insinuate that this is a reflection of his abilities as sovereign.
On the podcast, Considine added: "[His illness] becomes a metaphor for being king, and the stress and strain that it puts on you, and what it does to you physically, what it does to you mentally."
It's as if the throne knew he wouldn't be able to withstand the hardships of being king.
This reinforces the implications of Viserys nicking himself on the throne. He is not fit to lead. (In case the sheer faffing he's been doing since then didn't make that clear enough.)
House of the Dragon airs on Sky Atlantic in the UK and HBO in the US.
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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.
