House of the Dragon's Greatest Sin You'll Only Realise on Rewatch

Yep. We were all duped. Here's why:

Failure to plan for his succession

Bearing in mind that all he ever seemed to think about was who would succeed him, it seems strange that Viserys did nothing to protect Rhaenyra's position as his rightful heir. Sure, he made a statement to that effect, but why not back up his decision by enshrining it in law? It was poor leadership and a huge mistake; one that helped create the toxic environment that occurred following his death.

His predatory behaviour

Viserys made his opinions about Daemon's allegedly sleeping with Rhaenyra very clear. But he didn't really hold himself to the same moral standards. Alicent was significantly younger than him – and his daughter's best friend. Obviously, guided by her own morally repugnant father, Alicent made an obvious play for Viserys. But he was under no obligation to accept her advances.

Especially as he had apparently sorted out a succession plan. He married Alicent because he wanted to, not because he had to for the good of the realm.

He sacrificed his wife

Even before he married Alicent, Viserys showed he had an eye for young girls. Like Alicent, Aemma was considerably younger than him. She was then pregnant before her body was ready for it – which explains why only Rhaenyra made it to adulthood. But to blatantly sacrifice her in the hope the child she bore might be male was unforgivable. Let's not forget she was supposed to be the absolute love of his life.

He was a terrible father

Perhaps his biggest sin. Apart from being totally grief-stricken following the death of Baelor, Viserys showed no love or affection for any of his other children. And he mourned the loss of a male heir rather than his son Baelor. The only one of his children that received any real attention from him was Rhaenyra. And that was only after she had been named heir. Once again, the issue of her taking over the Iron Throne was far more important to him than Rhaenyra herself.

Then there's the fact that, even after being named heir, she was expected to be his cupbearer. Think back to Joffrey's wedding in Game of Thrones when Tyrion was made cupbearer in a move that was designed to humiliate him. This shows that, while being a cupbearer allows a person into the inner sanctuary, it's certainly no role for a future monarch who should be learning how to rule.

Viserys was a weak leader and a selfish man. There's no doubting his commitment to the realm or to his legacy. But to that end, he sacrificed every personal relationship he had. Worse still, he failed to consider the implications of his decisions. An error that, ironically, set in motion a chain of events that would ultimately destroy House Targaryen.