Warning: This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon episode 8.
Just when you thought House of the Dragon‘s connection to Game of Thrones was tenuous at best, a character from the latter (sort of) had an unexpected impact on the latest episode. Spoilers incoming…
At the end of episode eight we say fare thee well to the amiable King Viserys I. While he temporarily got his fractured family together, he also may have inadvertently started a civil war with his last words, and referenced someone fans know intimately: Jon Snow.
The King is a believer in a prophecy about “the Prince who was promised,” who is a descendant of Targaryens destined to save everyone from the White Walkers. Of course, this is a reference to the epic battle in Game of Thrones where Snow helps mankind defeat the undead army.
As some know, Jon Snow’s real name is Aegon Targaryen. Here’s where things get interesting. While the King is dying, he thinks he’s talking to his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra, but he’s actually talking to Queen Alicent.
He references a secret he mentioned to her a years back, saying that “Prince Aegon” is the prophesied Prince. Because it wouldn’t be as exciting unless something went terribly wrong, the Queen mistakenly believes that he is referring to their own son, Prince Aegon, which honestly makes sense.
Viewers know the truth but this will definitely cause some exciting problems moving forward. Take a look at what some viewers are saying about the incident.
Others still have harsh memories of what happened to Jon — reminder: he was stabbed to death after being marked as a traitor.
A lot of people are shook, too, like this all caps missive from @cheemsawman.
Spelling errors aside, fans are not being quiet about this one. Of course, this wouldn’t be complete without some classic Jon Snow gifs.
Some people moved past anger and outrage into acceptance, like this user:
It’ll be interesting to see where the show goes after this, but it sounds like it’s going to be exciting and full of death regardless.
The season finale of House of the Dragon will air on HBO Max on Oct. 23. Previous episodes are currently streaming.