Spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon. If you somehow forgot who gets decapitated in Season 1, this is your reminder.
Let’s talk about Vaemond Velaryon — Corlys’s younger brother, professional pot-stirrer, and the guy who learned the hard way that speaking plain in Westeros can get you very dead. His big moment comes in Season 1, Episode 8, and it’s one of those scenes that sums up the entire show’s obsession with bloodlines, power, and who’s allowed to say the quiet part out loud.
The hearing that ended with half a head
The setup: the lords and ladies of the realm gather to hash out who gets Driftmark if Lord Corlys dies. Vaemond makes his pitch: as Corlys’s closest blood relative, he says he’s the most suitable heir. Rhaenyra pushes back, pointing out that Corlys’s son Laenor named his own boy Lucerys as heir — which makes Luke the rightful successor.
Then King Viserys — barely functioning but still the king — walks in and takes the chair. Rhaenys backs her husband’s stated wish: Lucerys should inherit Driftmark. Viserys says the matter is settled. It should have ended there.
It does not. Vaemond, furious, says the thing no one is supposed to say out loud: he denounces Luke as no true Velaryon and calls Rhaenyra’s sons bastards. He also slings an insult at Rhaenyra that gets bleeped on most family-friendly recaps. Viserys pulls a dagger and tells him he’ll cut out his tongue if he keeps talking.
"I will have your tongue for that."
Before anyone can do anything, Daemon steps in and solves the problem in the most Daemon way possible: one clean swing, and Vaemond’s head is neatly separated, sliced straight through the mouth. Efficient. Memorable. Very Targaryen.
Daemon vs. Vaemond: this beef wasn’t new
Daemon did not act on impulse. He walked into that hall already knowing what he’d do the second Vaemond crossed the line. Their bad blood goes back a while:
- War for the Stepstones: Vaemond blamed Daemon for putting their forces in a brutal spot to beat the Triarchy, and he didn’t hide it.
- Laena’s funeral: Vaemond’s eulogy included a pointed line about how Velaryon blood runs true and thick — while shooting daggers at Rhaenyra’s kids. Daemon laughed, because even at a funeral, the politics never stops.
- The Driftmark hearing: with Viserys too weak to enforce anything beyond a threat, Daemon effectively acts as the king’s sword arm. He takes the shot the moment Vaemond gives him cause.
Why Vaemond’s death matters (even if he didn’t)
Vaemond isn’t a major character, but his beheading carries weight. Everyone in the realm gossips about the parentage of Rhaenyra’s sons. No one says it openly in the throne room — except Vaemond. Viserys has been holding the family together with denial and willpower, because order matters more to him than truth. Daemon’s blade enforces that silence in the most final way possible.
Season 2 already pushed on this with a tense argument between Rhaenyra and Jacaerys over the rise of the dragonseeds — the Valyrian-blooded common-born who actually managed to claim dragons. That conversation only makes the question of blood, legitimacy, and who gets to ride what even messier. Will Season 3 let the illegitimacy issue blow up in a bigger way? We’ll see.
How the show’s landing overall
If you like numbers: Season 1 sits at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, Season 2 at 84%. Not a bad spread for a series where family dinners end with maiming.
Where to watch
House of the Dragon is streaming on HBO Max. And yes, Vaemond still loses his head every time.
Did Vaemond deserve what he got, or did he just say the thing everyone else was too scared to say? Tell me where you land.