Incest has been par for the course in the Game of Thrones franchise since the start, with Cersei and Jaime's love for one another a key part of that entire series. House of the Dragon has since courted controversy with the relationship between Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) and Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), though a lot of fans do ship them.
House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal was asked how he feels about that during a recent interview with Variety (via SFFGazette.com), and admitted that he can somewhat understand why there are those who support the inappropriate feelings the uncle and niece share.
"I mean, nothing surprises me these days," Condal confessed. "I really didn't know what people were going to make of that at all. Look, it's part of the story, and I think that's what makes it fascinating, because it sort of is taboo in a way and in our modern sensibility."
"It’s even pretty taboo as far as Game of Thrones goes, maybe not for - well, I think even so for Targaryens, because it’s different generations."
"I went back to Back to the Future, which is just like, you know," he continues. "Marty goes to the prom with his mom and you’re kind of creeped out about it, but also you’re kind of like, 'Huh! These are two good-looking people. Are they’re going to make out tonight?!' Look, it’s not your uncle. So, you know, I guess people are OK with it, or the original series did enough groundwork to normalize Targaryen mating rituals that we don’t have to worry about it."
"What Daemon does to young Rhaenyra is, in modern terminology, an act of abuse," Condal concluded. "And, as a traumatic event would, it shapes who Rhaenyra becomes."
Back to the Future is certainly an interesting comparison, though we're not sure a combination of that movie's events and the fact Daemon isn't our uncle makes it any more comfortable to watch. Still, as Condal acknowledges, Daemon and Rhaenyra's dynamic is far from healthy, and we expect these stories set in Westeros to take us to dark places.
House of the Dragon's first six episodes have already hit HBO, with the seventh set to hit the cable network on Sunday. The show has already been renewed for a second season, so we expect this twisted relationship between the two family members to continue playing out for some time to come.