Emma D'Arcy's words about Daemyra and Daemon :
"Daemon is a deeply problematic character. Seeing Rhaenyra being seduced and manipulated as a child by her uncle confirms this, and prevents the public from blinding the public to the problematic nature of their relationship." - Emma D'arcy .
So Emma… I love you as an actor but a few things to point out.
Daemon is a gray character. People need to stop trying to turn him into a villain, or at least amplify his dark side. I'm not saying Daemon isn't a problematic character. There are aspects of it, yes. Obviously, since he's a gray character. But generally the members of the series tend to associate these problematic aspects with things that don't have to be. As does (as Emma D'arcy said so well) that apparently Daemon seduced/groom a child Rhaenyra.
So, you should know that large age differences are common in feudal times and in the world of ASOIAF. Literally, Daemyra is no exception in this. In fact, it even seems to me that they are among the couples with the least age difference in Martin's universe. In the book, when Rhaenyra is a child, Daemon seems to love her in a classic family mode. Nothing indicates anything to move in their relationship. When she is 7/8 years old Daemon is exiled by Viserys and he does not return to Kings Landing until Rhaenyra is 14 years old, without having had any contact with her before or in recent years. Here, by Westeros standards, Rhaenyra is actually a marriage-ready adult, likely already being courted by men far older than Daemon. So that Daemyra had an affair in the 6 months following Daemon's return is nothing shocking or fundamentally problematic. Unless you trust Mushroom's version of course. But, it's well known, trusting Mushroom is universal bullshit. The age difference in this universe inspired by feudal times, not to mention the fact of getting married young, is literally the norm. If you accuse Daemon of being problematic in attempting to seduce/woo/marry a 14 year old Rhaenyra, or worse, being a pedophile (what is particularly ridiculous), well know that you are accusing almost all the men and women of this universe and time of being, when in the end it's just about different mores. In this scenario, Daemon is not an attacker. He is simply one of the men trying to woo Rhaenyra. Not to mention the fact that he didn't see her grow up at all due to her exile, which makes the whole thing even less problematic than it might seem to a modern audience. Yes, Daemon knew Rhaenyra as a child, but he didn't see her grow up, that's the nuance. George made sure this didn't happen. He did not see her go from a child to a young woman, because yes, I remind you, adolescence in this context does not exist, there is only childhood and adulthood.
On the other hand, if you're looking for a man who actually saw Rhaenyra grow up in the book, who was extremely and actively close to her throughout this evolution, and finally tried his luck with her once she was older, like 16 years old, and who is suspected (as Alicent did for example, when she hated Rhaenyra) of having had harmful intentions towards her, especially from the age of 13… Which obviously sounds like something particularly creepy… Well you have Ser Criston Cole, knight and protector of Rhaenyra ! So placed in a position of trust in relation to her when she was 7/8 years old. Not to mention that Rhaenyra was apparently under the spell of Criston Cole from that age and that's why she wanted him as her personal knight. Obviously, this aspect of the character of Criston Cole has been completely evacuated in the series with the changes of age. But if you're looking for a man in the book who might fit into the “grooming” category or at least come close to it in his relationship with Rhaenyra, well it's actually Criston Cole. Not Daemon.
And even if Daemon would have seen Rhaenyra grow up, as is ultimately the case in the series, remember that the two are part of an incestuous family. Thus, that they end up getting married does not necessarily mean that Daemon would have tried to seduce Rhaenyra as a child. This idea is based on literally nothing. Moreover, absolutely nothing indicates in the series, contrary to what Emma D'arcy says, that Daemon tried to seduce and manipulate Rhaenyra when she was a child / that he had harmful intentions towards her in this time there. At most, he just seems to have unconscious feelings for her in the first episode when she is apparently 14 years old according to Rhaenyra's words in episode 10… Except that in episode 2, 6 months older late after episode 1, Viserys says that Rhaenyra is 16 years old… Yeah the directors and writers weren't very well done chronologically I think. Anyway, officially Rhaenyra is 19 years old in episode 4 ! You know, the age at which Daemon tries to seduce her in the series…
Tell me Emma, I didn't know that 19 was still being a child, you're teaching me a great thing there ! You too have messed up on the level of the sea chronology…
Rhaenyra was an adult at the time, whether by the laws of Westeros, or ours. She also consciously wanted to fuck with her uncle in this episode, no doubt, and has done so probably even since episode 1. However, Daemon didn't do anything in particular to seduce her until this episode 4. Mysaria was literally his mistress in the first 2 episodes. And no, Daemon offering Rhaenyra a necklace is not evidence of grooming. According to the book, Daemon has been showering Rhaenyra with gifts since she was little, it's just a habit he's picked up with her. And no, it wasn't creepy or sexual ! In the first episode, as I said, Daemon seemed to harbor unconscious or repressed feelings towards Rhaenyra without actually engaging in any type of seduction with her. Then he seems to realize his interest in her in episode 2 when she challenges him, and he has feelings for her in episode 4. It's as simple as that.
Also, we can't be certain that Daemon was actively shoved into Rhaenyra's paws during her youth/childhood either in the series. At the start of episode 1, Rhaenyra tells Daemon that it's literally been an eternity since he's been seen in court, and from what has been shown of Daemon's character, that he doesn't really seem to fit in with the nobles and his opinion that the court just happens to be deadly boring, well that would ultimately indicate that he spends very little time there, and therefore Rhaenyra wouldn't have not the pleasure of his company that often. I mean, he's not called, "Prince of the City" for nothing. Without forgetting the 3 years when Daemon goes to war in the Stepstones. A little crappy for someone trying to groom Rhaenyra…
Not to mention no, the situation between Daemyra in episode 4 is not grooming. It's a form of seduction and manipulation to some degree, yes, but not grooming. Already, because it's an event that happens over the course of an evening, and grooming is a fairly precise process that generally takes time, but also and above all, because Rhaenyra is not a child, not even a teenager, she is an adult, whether again by Westeros standards or ours. In addition, besides the fact that Daemon does not manage to go to the end negatively speaking with Rhaenyra, due to obvious guilt and realization of feelings, well he is not doing a fundamentally bad act in itself, he is to nuanced, as the actions of a gray character should be instead of demonized. In this episode, thanks to Daemon, Rhaenyra learns and sees what sexual pleasure can be, that she can find joy and independence in it. Not simply to be cloistered in the “duty” that is marriage, and that despite that she can always take what she really wants. So something positive in itself, and who served her.
You really need to stop with all that Daemon bullshit trying to seduce/groom a child Rhaenyra, because it's literally based on nothing. Actors and directors should really shut up when they talk about the show. Especially since once again, they seem to forget that the age difference is a common thing in this universe. For exemple, Rhaenys and Corlys in the show are promoted as a good couple as Rhaenys was 16 and Corlys 37 when they got married according to the book. Strangely, here the age difference has never challenged or disturbed anyone. It's hypocrisy to point out the age difference specifically between Daemyra as problematic (worse, not to quote, to see outright voluntarily erase the other age differences between couples judged/shown as "good", while the difference is worse than Daemyra for precisely putting a negative emphasis especially on them for x reasons) when in the book and Martin's universe in general, well, they don't particularly stand out for that, and that there are even worse than them. And no one seems to see these relationships as problematic because of these age differences, which shows the obvious bias of some against Daemyra… Not to mention that I love how much the directors and actors (except Matt Smith , because he has a working brain) love to recall the problematic aspects around Daemyra, to the point of forgetting that they are telling a story in a feudal fantasy universe, but besides never touching on Alicent's deeply toxic relationship and Rhaenyra, talking only about the tragedy that separates them and the love they still seem to have despite all the crap (which I won't name, because others have done it much better than I can't do it, and I'm too lazy) that Alicent put Rhaenyra through. But I guess that's it when the show is partly written by idiots…?
That's all I had to say on the subject. Please feel free to share your opinion respectfully. Cheers !
dailybridgerton
turnnoffyourmind
andulkaphoto
areudirty
vaporwave
titsay
kaledo-art
tangentwithtanner
pixelskylines
