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House of the Dragon Episode 4 brought steamy (and uncomfortable) intimate scenes back into the franchise. Compared to Game of Thrones, the series has been relatively short on sex so far. That all changed when Daemon took Rhaenyra out for an evening of debauchery. However, things didn’t go exactly as the King’s brother had planned, and the Princess ended up spending the night with someone else. Here’s what went down between Rhaenyra and Daemon and what influenced their decisions.

[Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 4.]

Rhaenyra and Daemon in House of the Dragon Episode 4. Daemon touches the necklace he gave Rhaenyra.
Milly Alcock as Rhaenyra and Matt Smith as Daemon in ‘House of the Dragon’ | Ollie Upton/HBO

Daemon takes Rhaenyra for a night out in ‘House of the Dragon’ Episode 4

In House of the Dragon Episode 4, Rhaenyra is reunited with Daemon after nearly four years. Though Daemon kneels before his brother King Viserys, he has other things on his mind. “We thought he should come back seemingly a changed man and then turn out to be exactly the same as he was before,” co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik said in a featurette.

“When he comes back, he’s not looking for his brother anymore, he’s somehow looking to get back at his brother, and Rhaenyra becomes the apple of his eye,” he continued. Daemon leads Rhaenyra in a night out of drinking. The pair hide their Targaryen looks and attend a play that parallels the complicated matter of the King’s succession.

Daemon’s motivation explained and why he couldn’t have sex with Rhaenyra

The evening takes a turn when Daemon leads Rhaenyra to a pleasure house, aka a brothel. Daemon introduces the idea of women taking pleasure in sex as well as men to his niece. The pair then begin to kiss but stop short of having sex. Daemon pulls away from Rhaenyra, slams his hand against the wall, and leaves her behind.

While incest isn’t exactly uncommon amongst the Targaryens, Sapochnik explained that Daemon hoped his actions would upset King Viserys. “It’s the idea that Daemon is using Rhaenyra as a way to get at her father. Ultimately his impotence in this scene is a reflection of the fact that he knows deep down what he’s doing isn’t right,” Sapochnik said.

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Additionally, Rhaenyra reacted to Daemon’s advances in a way he didn’t expect. “He thinks it’s shocking to her, but she doesn’t just get shocked she gets excited by it,” explained episode 4 director Clare Kilner. “And when that happens, he has nothing, and he basically can’t handle not being in charge or in control. I think what it’s saying there is that young women want sex as much as young men.”

Milly Alcock, who plays Rhaenyra, explicitly stated in the featurette that her character did not have sex with Daemon in House of the Dragon Episode 4. Rhaenyra promises Alicent this when she confronts her the next day. “Technically, she doesn’t lie,” Alcock said. “She’s not lying. She didn’t sleep with Daemon — she actually didn’t sleep with Daemon. He couldn’t do it.”

Rhaenyra turns her attention to Ser Criston Cole

After Rhaenyra returns home, she comes on to her sworn protector Ser Crison Cole and the pair have sex. “He [Daemon] awakens something in her, which is her perception of sex as a pleasure. She comes home, and Criston Cole seems to be the nearest person available,” Sapochnik adds.

While there’s clearly an imbalance of power between Rhaenyra and her much older uncle, there’s also an imbalance between Princess Rhaenyra and Criston Cole, who has sworn to serve and protect her. In this scene, Criston violates his vow of chastity by sleeping with Rhaenyra.

House of the Dragon airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

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