House of the Dragon season 2 finale director Geeta Vasant Patel has explained the surprise Game of Thrones cameo during Daemon’s vision, revealing what exactly it means. While building his army at Harrenhal, Daemon is taken to a weirwood tree by Alys Rivers and shown visions of future events connected to the original series. These include cameos from the Three-Eyed Raven, the Night King, and Daenerys Targaryen, at the time her dragons were born. This is what influences the end of House of the Dragon season 2, where Daemon pledges loyalty to Rhaenyra.

Speaking with Variety, Patel explained the meaning behind House of the Dragon‘s surprise Daenerys cameo in the season 2 finale, and why it was presented the way it was. The director revealed the reason she appeared as she did was to emphasize not just her importance, but the importance of Targaryen history, something that influences Daemon to bend the knee to Rhaenyra by the end. Check out what Patel had to say below:

I was so honored that I would get to be part of executing that. When I received the script, all these beats of the visuals were listed, but there was space for direction. You have to figure out how all those things are going to flow together. You see Daenerys, but how do you see her? Do you see her face? What is she doing? I thought the dragons coming out of her in shadow would be really interesting because it’s not about Daenerys, it’s about the story of history.

We’re in Daemon’s point of view, so that vision had to tell the story to Daemon of the history of his people and that Rhaenyra needed to be on the throne. It’s very tempting to be like, “Let’s show Daenerys! Let’s zoom in on this!” But that’s not what it’s about. In fact, Daemon doesn’t know who she is. It has to make Daemon understand that he has to bend the knee to Rhaenyra willingly.

Why Daemon’s Visions Make Him Pledge Loyalty To Rhaenyra

He Sees The Bigger Picture

Throughout House of the Dragon season 2, Daemon has wanted to take the Iron Throne himself, going as far as to potentially betray Rhaenyra by building up an army of his own. However, the visions he sees alongside Alys’ guidance through them make him realize he’s simply one small part of a larger story. His final vision makes him understand the importance of the White Walkers’ threat to Westeros, influencing his pledge of loyalty to Rhaenyra. He now understands that, by causing more conflict, he could be dooming Targaryens to come.

While his vision of Daenerys is a strong callback to Game of Thrones, it also showcases the future he’s trying to preserve by halting his own schemes of betrayal. If certain events in the upcoming war don’t play out in the way they’re supposed to, then the original series’ events will not come to pass. Daemon has seen the bigger picture and realized he’s only a small part of it, now willing to act accordingly in order to preserve the future of House Targaryen, and Westeros as a whole.

With his loyalty now proven thanks to his visions, it’s likely House of the Dragon season 3 will expand upon how this knowledge impacts him, perhaps changing his character going forward. While it’s unclear how deep his foresight runs, it could be strong enough that he knows exactly what to do in order for the war to be won. Another possibility is that he knows his final fate, the visions becoming more grim in hindsight as the war continues. Either way, his loyalty is stronger than ever now that the preservation of Westeros is his highest goal.