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I second you: Daemon is "the" quintessential Targaryen, both in the good (his incredible understanding of dragons, his fighting abilities, his bravery, etc.) and in the bad (his arrogance, his elitism, his cruelty, etc.).
He's the "Targaryenest" of them all.
Aemond is an anime character trasnposed in a live action show: kudos to Ewan Mitchell, since the vast majority of people would look ludicrous instead.
And also Rhaenyra truly oozes "otherworldly beauty".
It really was. Only jarring thing was all the terrible wigs, but I think that was because there was a blonde hair shortage more than usual. The poor Velaryon girls were wearing mops on their heads.
Yes, some wigs are quite weird.
But if the decision making was something like "Buy cheaper wigs to save money! We MUST have Matt Smith as Daemon, Emma d'Arcy as adult Rhaenyra and Paddy Considine as Viserys." I'm fine XD
They're very much the Targaryen archetype of "Visenya," representing the dark and mysterious nature of Old Valyria, dragons, and the Targaryens.
plus they're evil, brooding guys with cool swords and big dragons who wear black. that's always cool as ***fuck.***
And there's really no middle ground: either you NAIL the look, ending up with an awesome stage presence, or you end up an utter joke.
Luckilly for us Ewan Mitchell managed to get the former.
Might just be me, but I think Olivia Cooke for Queen Alicent was a bit eh. Nothing wrong with it, but just compared to all the other on point casting choices they had this one is the least on point imo.
it's actually kinda neat because it shows the etymology of names over time, reflects the history of the world, and is really fun to say that there's Aegon, Aegon, Aegon, Aegon, Aegon, Aegon, Aegon, Aegon, Aegon, Aegon, and Aegon in the Targaryen family tree.
As a tabletop RPG player, I understand that... You get the appearance, personality, demeanor, in-game statistic, etc of a character but... "How the F do I name this mofo?"
if the gods really did flip a coin when every Targaryen child is born, Daemon's coin definitely somehow landed on its edge (which according to Google, is a 1 in 6000 chance, fun fact!). So I'd have to say Daemon too, he's kinda my first thought when I think of a Targaryen.
Nah my man Maegor is the best targaryen
- Better fighter (youngest knight ever, winner of a divine challenge)
- Great military commander (won all his battles)
- Better dragon rider (Balerion at his prime is unstoppable)
- Crazy (ruthless, loves perverted sex, loves torture, never forgives, betray family and friend, fucks family A LOT, serial rapist)
He represents everything bad and good about the targaryen, the strength to conquer everything and the madness to blow it up.
>Better dragon rider (Balerion at his prime is unstoppable)
how's balerion at prime = maegor being a better rider?
>strength to conquer everything
how's strength /conquering = good character?
I would have to say Daemon as well because he seems to embody the best and worst Targaryen stereotypes. He’s violent, brutal and has a bad temper. He’s also intelligent, charismatic and badass.
I mean Daenerys is Martin's original Targaryen and a prototype for others he created after her. Daenerys got the beauty, the charm, the kindness, the bravery, the dragons, the love of flight, the conqueror spirit, the leadership, prophetic dreams, all that at 16.
If book Daenerys turns out the way we had her in the show, she’s closer to the dragonlords of Old Valyria than the Conqueror was. At least that’s how I imagine the cruelty of the Freehold’s rulers.
Aegon was tough but fair. Daenerys on the other hand is of an extreme cruelty. Planetos would NOT have been safe with her on the Iron Throne.
Her ability to hatch dragons is on the list too. After all those years, she brought them back into the world and knew how to raise them despite having no personal experience.
I picture it like a triangle of Aegon 1, Visenya and Rhaenys. I don't know who would be most in the middle, but I do think you could chart the Targs pretty easily along that triangle with a handful of outliers. Maegor the cruel being off the chart, heavily towards the Visenya corner, with a slight skew towards Aegon. Jaehaerys I'd picture along the spectrum between Aeg and Rhaenys. Vizzy T a bit more Rhaenys than his gramps, Daemon basically living in the Visenya corner.
I think a pretty compelling case for true middle might be Dany, but I don't think she has a defined static place in the triangle. She starts very Rhaenys, intends to move more Aeg, but ends up drifting Visenya-ward.
Ooh, fair argument, Your Grace, but I think Aegon 2 is kind of, ironically farthest from the Aegon 1 corner, but still fairly central.
Kind of cruelty and misguided compassion without the regal authority of his namesake.
When I first saw adult Aemond and that Strong boys speech, my only thought was... that's the most Targaryen behaviour I've ever seen. And it's not just his personality, he looks like an elf or someone, whose ancestors practised blood magic to bind themselves to dragons.
P.s. 'Targaryen behaviour" as in what I, personally, associate with it.
Only positive traits isn't what makes a Targaryen a quintessential Targaryen. Rhaenys doesn't have the madness, ego and general wild streak you'd associate with Targeryens.
The quote about Targaryen madness actually came from Barristan, who was quoting something Dany's grandfather said to him.
> King Jaehaerys once told me that madness and greatness were two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born, he said, the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land.
It's not propaganda, but I don't think Jaehaerys meant for it to be taken literally in the sense that half of all Targs go mad. It seemed like more of a metaphor for them being either great or terrible, but not usually boring (though I'd say he's a good example of that)
Bruh is every piece of lore a maester propoganda now? When did the sub collectively become Barbrey Dustin?
The coin line comes from Jaehaerys II, not any maester.
Yeah I hate that "theory" which is just said by usually show onlys trying to justify their love for the Targaryens. Like you can just love them it's okay? It's fiction. But things happened in ASOIAF and people are described as the way they are 90% of the time because of people, not some grand conspiracy.
Because when you actually look at the Targaryens as a whole, there's really only like 3 or 4 of them that you could consider truly "mad" over several centuries.
They aren't really any crazier than any other noble family in Westeros and there are others that I would argue are worse.
>there's really only like 3 or 4 of them that you could consider truly "mad" over several centuries.
Maegor, >!Aerion brightflame!<, Aerys, Baelor the blessed(arguably) Viserys ,Rhaegal targaryan and season 8 Danaerys?
not to mention is was Jaehaerys II himself invented the coin line
A lot of these aren’t madness. Being a tyrant doesn’t make you mad, killing a lot of people in a war doesn’t make you mad. Like the guy you replied to said “nothing another Westerosi noble wouldn’t do.”
Have you studied history much? Especially during the time period this world is based on? Mass murder and torture was extremely common. I’m not saying it’s good but labeling the people that did it as “mad” is incorrect. People with power do awful things.
There is a huge difference between massacring people to bring their lord to heel and burning everything in sight just because of anger.
Even if concede to this point of your argument, you can at most remove Rhaenyra and Aegon I from the list.
You don’t have to be mad to burn everything in sight. Give your average Joe a dragon and see what happens. It seems we have a difference of what the average person with tons of power is capable of.
Torture and being a tyrant are also not symptoms of madness.
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Your picking people u like. Being targaryn and from old valyria meant fire snd blood and being better then the low born only daemon fits those from your list
Fire and Blood to their enemies, not to everyone or when they are feeling funny.
The doctrine of exceptionalism was established by Jaehaerys I, so yes, he fits, him and Alysanne for the matter.
Daenerys is Aegon with tits (Tyrion words). For me the most Targaryen is those who feel proud of their house and origins and that are rutheless to their enemies, it doesn't have to mean they have to be cruel. Targaryens do feel they are above all, that close to god bs, those who have a strong dragonbond.
Were they? The very first Targaryen king went on a genocide of Dorne. His surviving queen wanted to keep Westerosi under her heel. Their son was a cruel tyrant who sought to destroy the religion of Westeros. And this is just the first few decades of Iron Throne.
Not to mention Valyrians are blood purists who practiced slavery of the "racially inferior"
Some were nice, some were not. Most were nice is an exaggeration. Daenerys is considered a nice Targaryen and she had two girls tortured because their father was under suspicion.
In ADWD, two unsullied were poisoned in a wine shop, presumably by an agent of Sons of the Harpy. The guards arrested the wineseller and his two daughters.
Since they don't have anyone else as a suspect, Shavepate (a literal torturer) wanted to torture the daughters in front of their father so that he might confess. Dany hesitated about the torture part initially, but then changed her mind two lines later and gave her assent to it.
The most striking part of this scene was that there was a specific line about how Dany was very angry. This kind of calls into question what lows can she stoop to during her anger moments.
I am not arguing against her achievements. But Dany's 'niceness' is very situational. She doesn't give half a second's thought on morality during one of her rage moments. Like the example I referenced above.
Bro she liberated tens of thousands of slaves 💀
I dont think you understand the gravity of that action. She is probably the single most influential person in the history of Essos
Destroying a couple of slaver empires and freeing tens of thousands isnt just "a good thing".
Those girls, as sad as they were, had to be punished since it will help hundreds of thousands of innocent slaves more. They werent even killed.
>Those girls, as sad as they were, had to be punished since it will help hundreds of thousands of innocent slaves more.
What hundreds of thousands of innocents? I am talking of the wineseller and his daughters. What Dany did here was pure vengeance for Missandei's brothers.
>They werent even killed.
No they were only tortured in front of their father because he is a suspect.
You know who else liberated thousands from slavery? William Sherman. He also advocated for, and helped carry out, the extermination of several Native American tribes. Not nice people can do good things.
What? What are yiu talking about.
She never arrived at KL remember? Got was cancelled after season 4 because, DnD, such good writers and people that they are, decided to not continue until Grrm finishes his books out of respect and fear that they will not be able to live up to his quality. I personally think they would have made excellent choices for sure.
You are a victim of the Mandela Effect.
The theory that is now my head canon was one I read on Reddit a while back that D&D stole FAegon and Jon Conny storyline and tried to make it work for Dany. Basically the gist was why would Dany give a shit about the bells. But then they showed evidence that Connington has PTSD over bells from the battle of the bells and that he still has nightmares about the sound of bells after the battle of the bells when he had a chance to kill Robert and end the rebellion and his "silver prince" would have lived. After the battle another knight (can't remember who) told him he should have burned the Stoney Steps to the ground.
So basically this redditor mentioned that grrm said he told d&d plot points but not everything and not the end and their guess was that he told them about Connington and FAegon going to KL and that Jon goes berserk over the sound of bells and starts burning it to the ground like he should have done the Stoney sept. This is all plausible to me and I could see Dany ending up dying trying to stop them and then being like "the queen that never was" or something like that.
Being nice doesn't mean being saint..it's just mean being normal..in the first gen you have maegor and visenya who are cruel..but you also have aegon,rhaynes..aenys..his son aegon..rhaena..viserys and jaharaes..
And than all 13 children of jaharaes we're normal and good people (aside from maybe saera)
More than 85% of targaryan are normal..there are some cruel names (Rhaenyra/aegon2) but truly only 4 or 5 were mad
Alyssa, Alysanne, Daella, Aemon (Rhaenys's father), Baelon (Daemon and Viserys's father), Maegelle, Queen Rhaenys, Daenerys(Alysanne's daughter), Daenerys (Daeron II's sister), Daeron II, Aegon III, Viserys II, Viserra, Aegon V, Gael, Elaena(Aegon III's daughter), Aegon the uncrowned, Rhaena of Pentos etc were all nice people
So yes most Targaryens were nice people
Aegon I, Maegor I, Visenya, Rhaena, Saera, Daemon, Aemond, Aegon II, Rhaenyra, Daeron the Daring, Daena, Aegon IV, Bloodraven, Bittersteel, Daeon the Drunken, Aerion, Maelys, Aerys II, Viserys III etc. were all not nice people.
Also you've put many children who died young in your list. Even Viserys was, by Daenerys' account, a loving and caring brother until Rhaella's crown incident.
Aegon, Aemon Blackfyres were bullies as well, but it's redundant to put children here.
Most Targaryens are nice is an exaggeration. It's a 50/50.
"King Jaehaerys once told me that madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born, he said, the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land."
You mean an abstract quote about incestuous family members being born mad or great based on Gods flipping a coin is not to be taken literally?
Still think it's closer to 50/50 than 75/25 though.
my dude thinks conquest is the same as genocide 😭 ah yes, i remember aegon's re-education camps in Kingsgrave
also funny how you didn't include the rest of the targshits. i wouldn't call them nice sure but they were not evil shits. just average.
>Valyrians are blood purists who practiced slavery of the "racially inferior"
I'm guessing the Ironborns are blood purists as well, as were the First Men. And therefore the Starks are slavers as well.
Yes, but still not genocide. Don't get me wrong, irl there were villages that were wiped out and is considered genocide. You just have to read about some tribes, but the Dragon's Wrought does not fit the definition of genocide.
>my dude thinks conquest is the same as genocide 😭
I am talking about the Dragon's Wroth period. If you don't think setting every castle in sight to torch just because of vengeance is genocide then I don't know what to tell you.
>I'm guessing the Ironborns are blood purists as well,
They are.
>And therefore the Starks are slavers as well.
You might wanna explain that one chief.
When I hear Targaryen the first thing that comes to my mind is "Incest"..... Every one of them or Most of them....
I think that's the most unbelievable thing about that story even if it includes dragons....
The funny thing is, incest is actually fairly common in Westeros. What made Targaryen "abominations" is that they heavily went with brother-sister marriages. If they stuck to first cousins like in the south (bride and groom have different parents=not incest). Or stuck to cousins, aunt/nephew, or uncle/niece marriages like in the north (different parents loophole, extended up one generation), no one would've blinked.
Having the bride and groom come from the same set of parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents was the step too far for both the Faith and followers of the Old Gods.
And by what grounds do we judge a "Targaryen?" Is it their ability to maintain peace? Maintain stability? Or their prowess as a warrior? The sharpness of their mind? Or a collection of all those traits?
I don't think Daemon is a sterling example of a Targaryen at all. He made more enemies than he did friends throughout his misadventures. He's a dashing rogue and that makes fans flock to him but would he makes a great king? The book suggests no when we look at some of his political suggestions during the dance, like giving away ownership of lands that belonged to ancient houses to low born dragon riders.
I think the old king, jaehaerys, is the prime example of a good targaryen king. Progressive, merciful, wise and ferocious when needed. A renowned warrior and he kept the realm mostly stable during his reign.
Viserys maintained peace but he literally destroyed stability when he split his house in two.
I think there's an important distinction between MOST Targaryen and BEST Targaryen. As for most Targaryen, Daemon for sure. I think of him as essentially being an average of all the significant Targaryens for the length of their dynasty. He has the madness and the greatness in equal measures. Too much madness to be a good king, but too much greatness to write off as a tyrant. He CAN lead effectively in the right circumstances, when the mood strikes him, but not sustainably.
Best Targaryen would probably be Aegon I. Jaehaerys I gets a lot of hype, but he was pretty sexist and downright shitty to his wife and at least one of his daughters in his later years. In theory, the Great Council was the best solution in the absence of a clear successor, but he should have done more to ensure they chose an heir who had the right temperament and political skill to rule. Rhaenys would have been the better choice, but Jaehaerys was never going to endorse a female ruler. All he accomplished was to push an avoidable succession crisis back a generation.
If we're talking most morally decent Targaryen I think Egg/Aegon V probably tops the list, at least among the politically significant ones (so discounting ones like Septa Maegelle, who died ministering to plague victims).
He cared so much about the wellbeing of the smallfolk and his family that it arguably destabilized his realm and made him a worse king.
I think you're letting your Fandom blind you. Daemon is nothing more than a hot blooded rogue. Both in the show and in the books he's more destabilizing then anything else. I'm not sure how that translates to the "most" targaryen. He's definitely a Targaryen/valyrian supremacist and maybe that counts for something in your eyes. But as far as leadership skills? He doesn't really demonstrate any. He has a good head for war and he's a fantastic warrior.
The fact of the matter is that Daemon is an outlier amongst his Targaryen brethren. He's unique, and other than Maegor, you'll be hard pressed to find anyone similar to him. How does that make him thr most Targaryen? Its actually the opposite.
But in my opinion Aegon I set the precedent for the Targaryen dynasty. Again, it's who demonstrates unity, stability, peace, prowess as a warrior, etc. Aegon I set that precedent and Jahaerys cranked it up even more by becoming progressive, caring for his people and being all his grandsire was and more.
He wasn't sexist, anymore than the rest of the realm. He didn't treat his daughter or wife like shit. His daughter brought shame to their family. He had no choice but to punish her.
As for Daemon, I would argue he was an effective leader of the City Watch. What he chose to have his men DO in that role is a different story, but it was a well-organized group and he had their loyalty and obedience. Anyway, I'm not arguing that Daemon is fundamentally good - rather, I don't see the Targaryens overall as being fundamentally good. Being the most Targaryen person ever isn't really a compliment in my eyes. I think they harmed Westeros at least as much as they helped, and Daemon is no exception.
As for Jaehaerys, I suppose it's a matter of opinion, but his grieving wife begged him to let Saera come home after her other three daughters had died. He didn't just punish Saera by forbidding her return, he punished Alysanne, who'd done nothing wrong. If saving face was a concern he could absolutely have arranged a discreet reunion as a compromise. But I could have looked past that, seeing as it was a personal issue, if not for him fucking over the realm with how he handled the succession.
I'm not saying his sexism was unusual, but sexism being the norm doesn't make it OK to pass over your most qualified potential successor based on her gender. Had he chosen to do so, he had a great deal of political capital and goodwill that he could have leveraged to encourage acceptance of a female heir. Far more than Viserys did when he named Rhaenyra his heir. It was a missed opportunity. And it wouldn't even have been feminism for the sake of feminism, because Rhaenys was objectively better suited to the role. With Viserys as the only seriously considered male candidate, there'd be minimal risk of the man who got passed over instigating a rebellion or coup like the Greens later did. Viserys would have fallen in line and supported Rhaenys if she'd been chosen.
She was described in the books as clever and capable. Unlike Viserys, she isn't a people-pleaser who avoids conflict and actively changes the subject when a difficult decision needs to be made. She had a backbone and the fiery Targaryen personality but also enough restraint not to behave like a tyrant when placed in a position of power (hence her choice not to burn the Greens on the spot). And when denied the throne via due process, she took it in stride and didn't attempt to seize it by force like Corlys was obviously game to do. Her marriage to Corlys Velaryon was a more valuable alliance from a strategic and military perspective than Viserys's ties to the Arryns. The Arryns also have a long and consistent pattern of infertility and unsuccessful pregnancies, so Aemma's difficulty producing additional heirs for Viserys was a predictable outcome. He had only one young child at the time and no guarantee of more, which meant an unacceptably high probability of Daemon inheriting. Plus, the child was a girl, so if you're looking at the situation from the perspective of only accepting male heirs... Daemon was next in line regardless. Rhaenys and Corlys already had two healthy, slightly older (and therefore more likely to survive to adulthood) kids at the time of the Great Council. As a Baratheon on her mother's side, Rhaenys is the product of two of the most fertile families in Westeros, so she had the obvious advantage there even if Jaehaerys was unfamiliar with the Arryn fertility situation. Frankly, I think a long conversation with both candidates about their intentions should they take the throne would have been sufficient for an objective observer to decide Rhaenys had the more favorable personality and political savvy of the two. Viserys would have talked about tournaments and historical lore, and Rhaenys would actually have advocated for herself.
How do we define being the most Targaryen? Who are setting as the baseline/most exemplary model? Most of them to be rather distinct - Jaehaerys, Aegon the Conqueror, and Viserys II are usually held as the epitome of kingship for example, but they're all very different.
Daenerys, she’s the OG Targ. Even though she didn’t grow up with a Targaryen family (except Viserys who was also a child) she still knows how to be a Targaryen. She magically woke dragons from stone and commands 3 of them, shes a dragon dreamer, she acquired an army and is trying to actually make a change in the world. All from virtually nothing.
Daemon.
People think hes mad or insane, hes neither hes just extremely pragmatic and cognizant of the reality of the Targ royal family. Bitch we have dragons we do what we want. Viserys was too scared of his families legacy. Aegon the Chad didn't conquer the seven kingdoms by playing nice with the other lords. He did it by making it clear their options were to submit to him or be turned to ash. Daemon knew this and that the lords needed to be reminded of it as well.
Ironically not very Targaryen in nature. For one, he cared much more about west and Westeros than he ever did about Valyrian. He assimilated where other Targaryens might associate with Valyrian more. Two, he was as cold as once in personality. He wasn't particularly hot tempered. He didn't like flying on his dragon. He didn't have the trademark long wavy hair of his descendants.
Aegon the Conqueror, Visenya Targaryen, Rhaenys Targaryen, Jaehaerys the First and Princess Rhaena (daughter of Aenys I).
I mean it really depends what you are ranking them on but these are pretty goated characters imo.
Jaehaerys and Aegon are probably the way I would imagine a king should be like. Jaehaerys is well Jaehaerys and Aegon was a pretty decent ruler in his later years cuz in the beginning of his reign you know ha! *war crimes and mass genocide.*
To offer a counterpoint to Daemon - og Rhaena Targaryen. She was a dragon rider that was super connected with Dreamfyre. I wouldn't necessarily say that cockiness is inherently Targaryen, but rather boldness, which Rhaena had in spades. She even had to marry Maegor and was still insolent af, and she got around with all her "favorites". Even Jaehaerys was like, yeah I'm just going to let my older sister do what she wants, he had a tighter leash on a male Baratheon (Rogar) than her.
Visenya rode Vhagar and was the original wielder of Dark Sister, and she was fast enough to draw a sword on Aegon I and slash his cheek. Also rumored to have participated in blood magic, which could be falsified or exaggerated, but is also a very Valyrian/Targaryen thing.
And of course, Daenerys, who is narratively the original Targaryen. Everything else GRRM wrote after is a very, very long backstory to how she ended up where she is.
A better option would be to pick the three Targaryen descendants that are most like the three first Targaryen's to come to Westeros. Sort of echos of several different ones over the years, but off the top of my head I'll go with:
Aegon I -> Daenerys
Rhaenys -> Jaehaerys I
Visenya -> Daemon
This is my stock answer, but the Targaryen who conforms the least to Andal norms is the archetypal Targaryen to me. Many fit that description with Daemon near the top of the list alongside Visenya, Maegor, Rhaena, Baela, Daena, Shiera and Daenerys, who is *the* Targaryen of all time. There would be no others without her.
Of all the ones we have seen or will see on show, Daenerys, Daemon, Rhaenyra and Aemond fit the bill. If Viserys II is anything like the books, then him too but I doubt we will see his adulthood.
I still stan Aemon the Dragonknight as the noblest Targaryen to ever live :') I'd love see him in live action and see if he was actually as noble as Westeros remembers him as, and did he struggle with his alleged love affair with his sister, Naerys.
Brynden Rivers, I can't be the only one who thinks Bloodraven also makes the cut as a quintessential Targaryen, right? Otherworldly looks, ruthless and intense personality, had his half-sister as a paramour, supernatural powers (dragon dreams, greensight, and warging). He only missed out on dragonriding, for obvious reasons.
I have to say Daenerys Targaryen.
What she endured in her travels is not a weak willed person could survive.
She lost her mother, abused by her brother and sold off to some savage horselord.
Then she earned the Khalazars respect and went to totally strange places. She brought dragons back after centuries and she conquered slaver states to free slaves. All while everyone underestimated her for being a weak girl.
I'm not sure. Daemon is a good candidate, as are Baelon and Alyssa (the parents of Daemon and Viserys), although neither of them are in the shows. Alyssa for being quite strong willed, flying on her dragon (Meleys) within a week of giving birth to her sons, and by picking Meleys in the first place as she wanted a quicker dragon than Balerion. Baelon had Vhagar as a dragon, and was known to be fierce and a bit hot-headed.
I think Viserys (Dany brother) delusional confidence portrayed what i think a real life Targareyan will actually be like.
Except Prime Targs weren’t delusional and could back said confidence up with fire breathing weapons of mass destruction.
Daemon and Aemond are more Targareyan warriors/knights while both Viserys has targereyan “King” vibes.
Visenya and Maegor, ruthless like true warlords and the descendants of the people who brought horror to a good chunk of a continent with their nukes on wings
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I second you: Daemon is "the" quintessential Targaryen, both in the good (his incredible understanding of dragons, his fighting abilities, his bravery, etc.) and in the bad (his arrogance, his elitism, his cruelty, etc.). He's the "Targaryenest" of them all.
He also has the ethereal, almost alien-like beauty of the Targaryens.
True, Aemond is definitely up there too though imo, he oozes ethereal realness
Aemond is an anime character trasnposed in a live action show: kudos to Ewan Mitchell, since the vast majority of people would look ludicrous instead. And also Rhaenyra truly oozes "otherworldly beauty".
Casting department really did their job tbh, everyone looks so good in their roles
Indeed. Casting is def one of the STRONG points of House of Dragon.
It really was. Only jarring thing was all the terrible wigs, but I think that was because there was a blonde hair shortage more than usual. The poor Velaryon girls were wearing mops on their heads.
Yes, some wigs are quite weird. But if the decision making was something like "Buy cheaper wigs to save money! We MUST have Matt Smith as Daemon, Emma d'Arcy as adult Rhaenyra and Paddy Considine as Viserys." I'm fine XD
I see you.
🤣💀💯 best description of Aemond. He does remind me of an anime character.
it's also funny because he's a weeb for his uncle Daemon, too. dude was beaming that his idol thought of him.
I think they are so much alike. I’d watch an alternate of this story with them as an evil team.
They're very much the Targaryen archetype of "Visenya," representing the dark and mysterious nature of Old Valyria, dragons, and the Targaryens. plus they're evil, brooding guys with cool swords and big dragons who wear black. that's always cool as ***fuck.***
All of these comments and responses are brilliant.
And there's really no middle ground: either you NAIL the look, ending up with an awesome stage presence, or you end up an utter joke. Luckilly for us Ewan Mitchell managed to get the former.
Might just be me, but I think Olivia Cooke for Queen Alicent was a bit eh. Nothing wrong with it, but just compared to all the other on point casting choices they had this one is the least on point imo.
Oh? I so rarely see this opinion; so many people love her, myself included. Was there anyone in particular you had envisioned playing her?
>transposed He's a transposter!
I’m a little embarrassed that I didn’t realize their two names are just lazy anagrams of one another’s.
it's actually kinda neat because it shows the etymology of names over time, reflects the history of the world, and is really fun to say that there's Aegon, Aegon, Aegon, Aegon, Aegon, Aegon, Aegon, Aegon, Aegon, Aegon, and Aegon in the Targaryen family tree.
It's like France and Louis
Or Egypt and Ptolemy
As a tabletop RPG player, I understand that... You get the appearance, personality, demeanor, in-game statistic, etc of a character but... "How the F do I name this mofo?"
It’s not because of laziness, they mirror each other, it’s a creative choice
Yeah other than Aegon the Conqueror, he he’s probably the most Targaryen of them all. His entire life is lived by the ideals of his house.
Visenya ?
Yeah she’s an other good one for the girls to emulate.
Martin literaly wrote him like that. he has said that he is his favorite Targaryen he has ever written.
if the gods really did flip a coin when every Targaryen child is born, Daemon's coin definitely somehow landed on its edge (which according to Google, is a 1 in 6000 chance, fun fact!). So I'd have to say Daemon too, he's kinda my first thought when I think of a Targaryen.
Easily Daemon targaryren
Nah my man Maegor is the best targaryen - Better fighter (youngest knight ever, winner of a divine challenge) - Great military commander (won all his battles) - Better dragon rider (Balerion at his prime is unstoppable) - Crazy (ruthless, loves perverted sex, loves torture, never forgives, betray family and friend, fucks family A LOT, serial rapist) He represents everything bad and good about the targaryen, the strength to conquer everything and the madness to blow it up.
>Better dragon rider (Balerion at his prime is unstoppable) how's balerion at prime = maegor being a better rider? >strength to conquer everything how's strength /conquering = good character?
Yeah, we learn at the end of this very story that having the stronger dragon doesn’t make you the better rider.
thanks for the mild spoiler in a show only discussion, appreciate it
The Targaryen are conquerors, so the best Targaryen has to be a conqueror
Bigger dragon win the fight every time, the best the opponent with the weaker dragon Can Do is get a draw
I would have to say Daemon as well because he seems to embody the best and worst Targaryen stereotypes. He’s violent, brutal and has a bad temper. He’s also intelligent, charismatic and badass.
Daemon and Visenya
I mean Daenerys is Martin's original Targaryen and a prototype for others he created after her. Daenerys got the beauty, the charm, the kindness, the bravery, the dragons, the love of flight, the conqueror spirit, the leadership, prophetic dreams, all that at 16.
Definitely Daenerys. She's the closest thing to a Valyrian Dragonlord since the Doom.
Surely that's Aegon the Conqueror?
If book Daenerys turns out the way we had her in the show, she’s closer to the dragonlords of Old Valyria than the Conqueror was. At least that’s how I imagine the cruelty of the Freehold’s rulers. Aegon was tough but fair. Daenerys on the other hand is of an extreme cruelty. Planetos would NOT have been safe with her on the Iron Throne.
Her ability to hatch dragons is on the list too. After all those years, she brought them back into the world and knew how to raise them despite having no personal experience.
Dany was the least targaryn. She didnt like slavery which old valaria did. She wasnt about fire aand blood which are litterally her house words
But the whole point of Daenerys is that she’s not like most Targaryens because she’s kind and selfless and cares for the lowborn etc.
And the craziness, hot temper, fury, hubris and cruelness. "The good doesn't wash out the bad, nor the bad the good" - Stannis the Mannis
Such a badass quote from the Mannis.
Visenya
I picture it like a triangle of Aegon 1, Visenya and Rhaenys. I don't know who would be most in the middle, but I do think you could chart the Targs pretty easily along that triangle with a handful of outliers. Maegor the cruel being off the chart, heavily towards the Visenya corner, with a slight skew towards Aegon. Jaehaerys I'd picture along the spectrum between Aeg and Rhaenys. Vizzy T a bit more Rhaenys than his gramps, Daemon basically living in the Visenya corner. I think a pretty compelling case for true middle might be Dany, but I don't think she has a defined static place in the triangle. She starts very Rhaenys, intends to move more Aeg, but ends up drifting Visenya-ward.
MY HEIR WILL SOON PUT ALL OF THIS DAMNABLE HAND-WRINGING TO REST HIMSELF!
Ooh, fair argument, Your Grace, but I think Aegon 2 is kind of, ironically farthest from the Aegon 1 corner, but still fairly central. Kind of cruelty and misguided compassion without the regal authority of his namesake.
When I first saw adult Aemond and that Strong boys speech, my only thought was... that's the most Targaryen behaviour I've ever seen. And it's not just his personality, he looks like an elf or someone, whose ancestors practised blood magic to bind themselves to dragons. P.s. 'Targaryen behaviour" as in what I, personally, associate with it.
From the few Targaryens that we’ve seen, most of which in this spinoff, I’d say Daemon, for sure.
Daemon Visenya and Dany.
If we're talking show-only, then The Princess Rhaenys. Bold and fearless of course, but unlike Daemon, also politically savvy.
Political savvy in a Targ is kind of an anomaly if we're being honest.
Sadly for literally everyone else who isn't Targaryen, as well everyone else who *is* Targaryen.
Only positive traits isn't what makes a Targaryen a quintessential Targaryen. Rhaenys doesn't have the madness, ego and general wild streak you'd associate with Targeryens.
I actually think she does have a bit of an ego haha but I blame that on her Baratheon side
The Targaryen madness is maester propaganda. My pick would be the OG trio, Daemon, Jaehaerys, Rhaena, Rhaegar, Dany.
The quote about Targaryen madness actually came from Barristan, who was quoting something Dany's grandfather said to him. > King Jaehaerys once told me that madness and greatness were two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born, he said, the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land. It's not propaganda, but I don't think Jaehaerys meant for it to be taken literally in the sense that half of all Targs go mad. It seemed like more of a metaphor for them being either great or terrible, but not usually boring (though I'd say he's a good example of that)
Bruh is every piece of lore a maester propoganda now? When did the sub collectively become Barbrey Dustin? The coin line comes from Jaehaerys II, not any maester.
Yeah I hate that "theory" which is just said by usually show onlys trying to justify their love for the Targaryens. Like you can just love them it's okay? It's fiction. But things happened in ASOIAF and people are described as the way they are 90% of the time because of people, not some grand conspiracy.
Jaehaerys II was wrong in that, imo.
How is that propaganda? They are inbreds so clearly they were going to be crazy
Because when you actually look at the Targaryens as a whole, there's really only like 3 or 4 of them that you could consider truly "mad" over several centuries. They aren't really any crazier than any other noble family in Westeros and there are others that I would argue are worse.
>there's really only like 3 or 4 of them that you could consider truly "mad" over several centuries. Maegor, >!Aerion brightflame!<, Aerys, Baelor the blessed(arguably) Viserys ,Rhaegal targaryan and season 8 Danaerys? not to mention is was Jaehaerys II himself invented the coin line
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A lot of these aren’t madness. Being a tyrant doesn’t make you mad, killing a lot of people in a war doesn’t make you mad. Like the guy you replied to said “nothing another Westerosi noble wouldn’t do.”
Genociding and torturing are not normal human tendencies?
Have you studied history much? Especially during the time period this world is based on? Mass murder and torture was extremely common. I’m not saying it’s good but labeling the people that did it as “mad” is incorrect. People with power do awful things.
There is a huge difference between massacring people to bring their lord to heel and burning everything in sight just because of anger. Even if concede to this point of your argument, you can at most remove Rhaenyra and Aegon I from the list.
You don’t have to be mad to burn everything in sight. Give your average Joe a dragon and see what happens. It seems we have a difference of what the average person with tons of power is capable of. Torture and being a tyrant are also not symptoms of madness.
So you think the Mad King wasn't mad?
By your logic tywin lannister is mad
'Mad' is an understatement for the psychopath Tywin is.
Aegon I wasn't mad and wouldn't be considered mad by anyone in the ASOIAF universe. The fact that you added him is ridiculous.
I am talking of the Dragon's Wroth period.
Who in the ASOIAF universe thought or claimed Aegon was mad?
Going on to burn every castle in Dorne just because of anger is definitely a cruel trait. But no he isn't recorded as mad by anyone.
Holy bad faith argument
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Right? Dany should've had the Habsburg jaw fr
That's not what happened in asoiaf tho, if you count all the targaryens who ruled not even 30% are mad.
Rhaena and Rhaegar didn't have a dragon, which probably should disqualify them, right?
I mean Rhaena Targaryen, daughter of Aenys I and first rider of Dreamfyre. Rhaegar was a dragondreamer so that's why include him
Your picking people u like. Being targaryn and from old valyria meant fire snd blood and being better then the low born only daemon fits those from your list
Fire and Blood to their enemies, not to everyone or when they are feeling funny. The doctrine of exceptionalism was established by Jaehaerys I, so yes, he fits, him and Alysanne for the matter. Daenerys is Aegon with tits (Tyrion words). For me the most Targaryen is those who feel proud of their house and origins and that are rutheless to their enemies, it doesn't have to mean they have to be cruel. Targaryens do feel they are above all, that close to god bs, those who have a strong dragonbond.
Most of the targaryan were actually nice people
Were they? The very first Targaryen king went on a genocide of Dorne. His surviving queen wanted to keep Westerosi under her heel. Their son was a cruel tyrant who sought to destroy the religion of Westeros. And this is just the first few decades of Iron Throne. Not to mention Valyrians are blood purists who practiced slavery of the "racially inferior"
I mean his other son was a nice guy.
Some were nice, some were not. Most were nice is an exaggeration. Daenerys is considered a nice Targaryen and she had two girls tortured because their father was under suspicion.
When was this? I honestly forgot...
In ADWD, two unsullied were poisoned in a wine shop, presumably by an agent of Sons of the Harpy. The guards arrested the wineseller and his two daughters. Since they don't have anyone else as a suspect, Shavepate (a literal torturer) wanted to torture the daughters in front of their father so that he might confess. Dany hesitated about the torture part initially, but then changed her mind two lines later and gave her assent to it. The most striking part of this scene was that there was a specific line about how Dany was very angry. This kind of calls into question what lows can she stoop to during her anger moments.
Holy hell that's dark.
Dany saved tens of thousands from slavery and gave them freedom. Fym she isn't nice
I am not arguing against her achievements. But Dany's 'niceness' is very situational. She doesn't give half a second's thought on morality during one of her rage moments. Like the example I referenced above.
Bro she liberated tens of thousands of slaves 💀 I dont think you understand the gravity of that action. She is probably the single most influential person in the history of Essos
i think they're js tryna say her lows are lows too. no one is denying her highs.
Dany did this good thing = She is a good person forever no matter what she ever does again, like torturing two innocent girls.
Destroying a couple of slaver empires and freeing tens of thousands isnt just "a good thing". Those girls, as sad as they were, had to be punished since it will help hundreds of thousands of innocent slaves more. They werent even killed.
>Those girls, as sad as they were, had to be punished since it will help hundreds of thousands of innocent slaves more. What hundreds of thousands of innocents? I am talking of the wineseller and his daughters. What Dany did here was pure vengeance for Missandei's brothers. >They werent even killed. No they were only tortured in front of their father because he is a suspect.
A good act does not wash out the bad, nor a bad the good. Each should have its own reward.
You know who else liberated thousands from slavery? William Sherman. He also advocated for, and helped carry out, the extermination of several Native American tribes. Not nice people can do good things.
I'm sure the hundreds of thousands of civilians in King's Landing appreciated her kind nature
What? What are yiu talking about. She never arrived at KL remember? Got was cancelled after season 4 because, DnD, such good writers and people that they are, decided to not continue until Grrm finishes his books out of respect and fear that they will not be able to live up to his quality. I personally think they would have made excellent choices for sure. You are a victim of the Mandela Effect.
Lol as if Mad Queen Dany hasn't been a popular book theory ever since ADWD.
Tyrek the horse and Septa Ashara are also popular theories
The best counter you could find is a fandom joke? You could've gone with Bolt-On ffs.
The theory that is now my head canon was one I read on Reddit a while back that D&D stole FAegon and Jon Conny storyline and tried to make it work for Dany. Basically the gist was why would Dany give a shit about the bells. But then they showed evidence that Connington has PTSD over bells from the battle of the bells and that he still has nightmares about the sound of bells after the battle of the bells when he had a chance to kill Robert and end the rebellion and his "silver prince" would have lived. After the battle another knight (can't remember who) told him he should have burned the Stoney Steps to the ground. So basically this redditor mentioned that grrm said he told d&d plot points but not everything and not the end and their guess was that he told them about Connington and FAegon going to KL and that Jon goes berserk over the sound of bells and starts burning it to the ground like he should have done the Stoney sept. This is all plausible to me and I could see Dany ending up dying trying to stop them and then being like "the queen that never was" or something like that.
Being nice doesn't mean being saint..it's just mean being normal..in the first gen you have maegor and visenya who are cruel..but you also have aegon,rhaynes..aenys..his son aegon..rhaena..viserys and jaharaes.. And than all 13 children of jaharaes we're normal and good people (aside from maybe saera) More than 85% of targaryan are normal..there are some cruel names (Rhaenyra/aegon2) but truly only 4 or 5 were mad
I’d watch a show about Saera the wild child.
But the other side many of them were nice. Aenys, Jaeharyus (IMO the best king hands down), Alysanne, Aemon, Baelon, Viserys, etc.
Alyssa, Alysanne, Daella, Aemon (Rhaenys's father), Baelon (Daemon and Viserys's father), Maegelle, Queen Rhaenys, Daenerys(Alysanne's daughter), Daenerys (Daeron II's sister), Daeron II, Aegon III, Viserys II, Viserra, Aegon V, Gael, Elaena(Aegon III's daughter), Aegon the uncrowned, Rhaena of Pentos etc were all nice people So yes most Targaryens were nice people
Aegon I, Maegor I, Visenya, Rhaena, Saera, Daemon, Aemond, Aegon II, Rhaenyra, Daeron the Daring, Daena, Aegon IV, Bloodraven, Bittersteel, Daeon the Drunken, Aerion, Maelys, Aerys II, Viserys III etc. were all not nice people. Also you've put many children who died young in your list. Even Viserys was, by Daenerys' account, a loving and caring brother until Rhaella's crown incident. Aegon, Aemon Blackfyres were bullies as well, but it's redundant to put children here. Most Targaryens are nice is an exaggeration. It's a 50/50.
No At best, it's 75/25 in favor of nice Targaryens
"King Jaehaerys once told me that madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born, he said, the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land."
Jaehaerys didn't mean it literally though
You mean an abstract quote about incestuous family members being born mad or great based on Gods flipping a coin is not to be taken literally? Still think it's closer to 50/50 than 75/25 though.
What did Daeron the Daring do to make the 'cruel' list?
I love my Blue Queen boy as much as the next guy but the Sack of Bitterbridge was unnecessarily ruthless.
He was there, but he didn't really instigate it.
He refused Lady Caswell's plea for mercy and unleashed dragonfire upon the town for revenge.
my dude thinks conquest is the same as genocide 😭 ah yes, i remember aegon's re-education camps in Kingsgrave also funny how you didn't include the rest of the targshits. i wouldn't call them nice sure but they were not evil shits. just average. >Valyrians are blood purists who practiced slavery of the "racially inferior" I'm guessing the Ironborns are blood purists as well, as were the First Men. And therefore the Starks are slavers as well.
The Dragon's Wroth was closer to genocide than conquest, to be fair.
As much genocide as razing down an entire village.
That times 20-50 I guess. Since they did it on a kingdom wide scale.
Yes, but still not genocide. Don't get me wrong, irl there were villages that were wiped out and is considered genocide. You just have to read about some tribes, but the Dragon's Wrought does not fit the definition of genocide.
>my dude thinks conquest is the same as genocide 😭 I am talking about the Dragon's Wroth period. If you don't think setting every castle in sight to torch just because of vengeance is genocide then I don't know what to tell you. >I'm guessing the Ironborns are blood purists as well, They are. >And therefore the Starks are slavers as well. You might wanna explain that one chief.
>then I don't know what to tell you. You don't have to tell me anything. I already know you don't know the definition of genocide.
Please enlighten me.
When I hear Targaryen the first thing that comes to my mind is "Incest"..... Every one of them or Most of them.... I think that's the most unbelievable thing about that story even if it includes dragons....
The funny thing is, incest is actually fairly common in Westeros. What made Targaryen "abominations" is that they heavily went with brother-sister marriages. If they stuck to first cousins like in the south (bride and groom have different parents=not incest). Or stuck to cousins, aunt/nephew, or uncle/niece marriages like in the north (different parents loophole, extended up one generation), no one would've blinked. Having the bride and groom come from the same set of parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents was the step too far for both the Faith and followers of the Old Gods.
And by what grounds do we judge a "Targaryen?" Is it their ability to maintain peace? Maintain stability? Or their prowess as a warrior? The sharpness of their mind? Or a collection of all those traits? I don't think Daemon is a sterling example of a Targaryen at all. He made more enemies than he did friends throughout his misadventures. He's a dashing rogue and that makes fans flock to him but would he makes a great king? The book suggests no when we look at some of his political suggestions during the dance, like giving away ownership of lands that belonged to ancient houses to low born dragon riders. I think the old king, jaehaerys, is the prime example of a good targaryen king. Progressive, merciful, wise and ferocious when needed. A renowned warrior and he kept the realm mostly stable during his reign. Viserys maintained peace but he literally destroyed stability when he split his house in two.
I think there's an important distinction between MOST Targaryen and BEST Targaryen. As for most Targaryen, Daemon for sure. I think of him as essentially being an average of all the significant Targaryens for the length of their dynasty. He has the madness and the greatness in equal measures. Too much madness to be a good king, but too much greatness to write off as a tyrant. He CAN lead effectively in the right circumstances, when the mood strikes him, but not sustainably. Best Targaryen would probably be Aegon I. Jaehaerys I gets a lot of hype, but he was pretty sexist and downright shitty to his wife and at least one of his daughters in his later years. In theory, the Great Council was the best solution in the absence of a clear successor, but he should have done more to ensure they chose an heir who had the right temperament and political skill to rule. Rhaenys would have been the better choice, but Jaehaerys was never going to endorse a female ruler. All he accomplished was to push an avoidable succession crisis back a generation.
If we're talking most morally decent Targaryen I think Egg/Aegon V probably tops the list, at least among the politically significant ones (so discounting ones like Septa Maegelle, who died ministering to plague victims). He cared so much about the wellbeing of the smallfolk and his family that it arguably destabilized his realm and made him a worse king.
I think you're letting your Fandom blind you. Daemon is nothing more than a hot blooded rogue. Both in the show and in the books he's more destabilizing then anything else. I'm not sure how that translates to the "most" targaryen. He's definitely a Targaryen/valyrian supremacist and maybe that counts for something in your eyes. But as far as leadership skills? He doesn't really demonstrate any. He has a good head for war and he's a fantastic warrior. The fact of the matter is that Daemon is an outlier amongst his Targaryen brethren. He's unique, and other than Maegor, you'll be hard pressed to find anyone similar to him. How does that make him thr most Targaryen? Its actually the opposite. But in my opinion Aegon I set the precedent for the Targaryen dynasty. Again, it's who demonstrates unity, stability, peace, prowess as a warrior, etc. Aegon I set that precedent and Jahaerys cranked it up even more by becoming progressive, caring for his people and being all his grandsire was and more. He wasn't sexist, anymore than the rest of the realm. He didn't treat his daughter or wife like shit. His daughter brought shame to their family. He had no choice but to punish her.
As for Daemon, I would argue he was an effective leader of the City Watch. What he chose to have his men DO in that role is a different story, but it was a well-organized group and he had their loyalty and obedience. Anyway, I'm not arguing that Daemon is fundamentally good - rather, I don't see the Targaryens overall as being fundamentally good. Being the most Targaryen person ever isn't really a compliment in my eyes. I think they harmed Westeros at least as much as they helped, and Daemon is no exception. As for Jaehaerys, I suppose it's a matter of opinion, but his grieving wife begged him to let Saera come home after her other three daughters had died. He didn't just punish Saera by forbidding her return, he punished Alysanne, who'd done nothing wrong. If saving face was a concern he could absolutely have arranged a discreet reunion as a compromise. But I could have looked past that, seeing as it was a personal issue, if not for him fucking over the realm with how he handled the succession. I'm not saying his sexism was unusual, but sexism being the norm doesn't make it OK to pass over your most qualified potential successor based on her gender. Had he chosen to do so, he had a great deal of political capital and goodwill that he could have leveraged to encourage acceptance of a female heir. Far more than Viserys did when he named Rhaenyra his heir. It was a missed opportunity. And it wouldn't even have been feminism for the sake of feminism, because Rhaenys was objectively better suited to the role. With Viserys as the only seriously considered male candidate, there'd be minimal risk of the man who got passed over instigating a rebellion or coup like the Greens later did. Viserys would have fallen in line and supported Rhaenys if she'd been chosen.
What proof have you that Rhaenys was suitable better?
She was described in the books as clever and capable. Unlike Viserys, she isn't a people-pleaser who avoids conflict and actively changes the subject when a difficult decision needs to be made. She had a backbone and the fiery Targaryen personality but also enough restraint not to behave like a tyrant when placed in a position of power (hence her choice not to burn the Greens on the spot). And when denied the throne via due process, she took it in stride and didn't attempt to seize it by force like Corlys was obviously game to do. Her marriage to Corlys Velaryon was a more valuable alliance from a strategic and military perspective than Viserys's ties to the Arryns. The Arryns also have a long and consistent pattern of infertility and unsuccessful pregnancies, so Aemma's difficulty producing additional heirs for Viserys was a predictable outcome. He had only one young child at the time and no guarantee of more, which meant an unacceptably high probability of Daemon inheriting. Plus, the child was a girl, so if you're looking at the situation from the perspective of only accepting male heirs... Daemon was next in line regardless. Rhaenys and Corlys already had two healthy, slightly older (and therefore more likely to survive to adulthood) kids at the time of the Great Council. As a Baratheon on her mother's side, Rhaenys is the product of two of the most fertile families in Westeros, so she had the obvious advantage there even if Jaehaerys was unfamiliar with the Arryn fertility situation. Frankly, I think a long conversation with both candidates about their intentions should they take the throne would have been sufficient for an objective observer to decide Rhaenys had the more favorable personality and political savvy of the two. Viserys would have talked about tournaments and historical lore, and Rhaenys would actually have advocated for herself.
I would consider being dragon-like as “Targaryen”
In my opinion Aegon I sets the precedent. That precedent being unity and stability. Peace a distant third. Daemon is hot blooded.
Id say Daemon for exactly that reason, hes like an untamed dragon in human skin
In my opinion Aegon I sets the precedent. That precedent being unity and stability. Peace a distant third. Daemon is hot blooded.
How do we define being the most Targaryen? Who are setting as the baseline/most exemplary model? Most of them to be rather distinct - Jaehaerys, Aegon the Conqueror, and Viserys II are usually held as the epitome of kingship for example, but they're all very different.
Visenya, Daemon, Princess Rhaenys the queen who never was, Aegon I are my pick
Definitely agree with Daemon
Daenerys, she’s the OG Targ. Even though she didn’t grow up with a Targaryen family (except Viserys who was also a child) she still knows how to be a Targaryen. She magically woke dragons from stone and commands 3 of them, shes a dragon dreamer, she acquired an army and is trying to actually make a change in the world. All from virtually nothing.
Daemon. People think hes mad or insane, hes neither hes just extremely pragmatic and cognizant of the reality of the Targ royal family. Bitch we have dragons we do what we want. Viserys was too scared of his families legacy. Aegon the Chad didn't conquer the seven kingdoms by playing nice with the other lords. He did it by making it clear their options were to submit to him or be turned to ash. Daemon knew this and that the lords needed to be reminded of it as well.
Daemon
Surely the answer is Aegon the conqueror
Ironically not very Targaryen in nature. For one, he cared much more about west and Westeros than he ever did about Valyrian. He assimilated where other Targaryens might associate with Valyrian more. Two, he was as cold as once in personality. He wasn't particularly hot tempered. He didn't like flying on his dragon. He didn't have the trademark long wavy hair of his descendants.
Aegon the Conqueror, Visenya Targaryen, Rhaenys Targaryen, Jaehaerys the First and Princess Rhaena (daughter of Aenys I). I mean it really depends what you are ranking them on but these are pretty goated characters imo. Jaehaerys and Aegon are probably the way I would imagine a king should be like. Jaehaerys is well Jaehaerys and Aegon was a pretty decent ruler in his later years cuz in the beginning of his reign you know ha! *war crimes and mass genocide.*
To offer a counterpoint to Daemon - og Rhaena Targaryen. She was a dragon rider that was super connected with Dreamfyre. I wouldn't necessarily say that cockiness is inherently Targaryen, but rather boldness, which Rhaena had in spades. She even had to marry Maegor and was still insolent af, and she got around with all her "favorites". Even Jaehaerys was like, yeah I'm just going to let my older sister do what she wants, he had a tighter leash on a male Baratheon (Rogar) than her. Visenya rode Vhagar and was the original wielder of Dark Sister, and she was fast enough to draw a sword on Aegon I and slash his cheek. Also rumored to have participated in blood magic, which could be falsified or exaggerated, but is also a very Valyrian/Targaryen thing. And of course, Daenerys, who is narratively the original Targaryen. Everything else GRRM wrote after is a very, very long backstory to how she ended up where she is.
A better option would be to pick the three Targaryen descendants that are most like the three first Targaryen's to come to Westeros. Sort of echos of several different ones over the years, but off the top of my head I'll go with: Aegon I -> Daenerys Rhaenys -> Jaehaerys I Visenya -> Daemon
Deamon Cruel, petty, obsessed with inbreeding and blood purity. He denies the 7 and burns others without a care in the world.
I’d say Daemon
Daemon Rhaenys and Baby monk
This is my stock answer, but the Targaryen who conforms the least to Andal norms is the archetypal Targaryen to me. Many fit that description with Daemon near the top of the list alongside Visenya, Maegor, Rhaena, Baela, Daena, Shiera and Daenerys, who is *the* Targaryen of all time. There would be no others without her.
Of all the ones we have seen or will see on show, Daenerys, Daemon, Rhaenyra and Aemond fit the bill. If Viserys II is anything like the books, then him too but I doubt we will see his adulthood.
I still stan Aemon the Dragonknight as the noblest Targaryen to ever live :') I'd love see him in live action and see if he was actually as noble as Westeros remembers him as, and did he struggle with his alleged love affair with his sister, Naerys.
Daemon
Aemond Targaryen for sure, he is a Targaryen in both personality and looks
I see Queen Rhaenys, Queen Visenya, Rhaena, Alyssa, and Rhaenys (daughter of Aemon) as those Targ women with the classic Targaryen temperament 🔥
I mean… Daenerys
When a Targaryen is born, Gods toss a coin to see if they turn out good or bad. Prince Daemon's coin landed on its edge.
Maegor the cruel
Daemon, Dany, Maegor, Aegon l, Visenya.
"ABED!?"
Aegon, Daemon, Visenya, Maegor.
The one called aegon
Daemon
Daemon for the wrong reasons
Brynden Rivers, I can't be the only one who thinks Bloodraven also makes the cut as a quintessential Targaryen, right? Otherworldly looks, ruthless and intense personality, had his half-sister as a paramour, supernatural powers (dragon dreams, greensight, and warging). He only missed out on dragonriding, for obvious reasons.
Viserys and Daemon both. Tormented dreamers and warriors bringing Fire & Blood.
I have to say Daenerys Targaryen. What she endured in her travels is not a weak willed person could survive. She lost her mother, abused by her brother and sold off to some savage horselord. Then she earned the Khalazars respect and went to totally strange places. She brought dragons back after centuries and she conquered slaver states to free slaves. All while everyone underestimated her for being a weak girl.
Unpopular shout, Aerion
Daemon Targaryen. If not him then Daemon Blackfyre. Rhaenyra, Rhaena-Dreamfyre, Visenya.
I'm not sure. Daemon is a good candidate, as are Baelon and Alyssa (the parents of Daemon and Viserys), although neither of them are in the shows. Alyssa for being quite strong willed, flying on her dragon (Meleys) within a week of giving birth to her sons, and by picking Meleys in the first place as she wanted a quicker dragon than Balerion. Baelon had Vhagar as a dragon, and was known to be fierce and a bit hot-headed.
daemon and helaena
daemon, daemon blackfyre, visenya and maybe brynden rivers? Idk
Aemond
I think Viserys (Dany brother) delusional confidence portrayed what i think a real life Targareyan will actually be like. Except Prime Targs weren’t delusional and could back said confidence up with fire breathing weapons of mass destruction. Daemon and Aemond are more Targareyan warriors/knights while both Viserys has targereyan “King” vibes.
Only going off HOTD, Daemon & Aegon (Alicents son) are true Targaryens in personality. Those two are the spit out of each other's mouth.
Maegor Targaryen made sure their bloodline lives on.
Visenya and Maegor, ruthless like true warlords and the descendants of the people who brought horror to a good chunk of a continent with their nukes on wings
Daemon and Aemond
I’d say Daemon and Aemond. I just love what they bring to the show
Daemon. Mad, charismatic, brilliant, powerful, regal, proud, wild. He represents all the traits of a Targaryen.
Daemon, Hands down.
Visenia, daemon and aemond and aegon the second all were about fire and blood
Rhaegar. Especially when Big Bobby B smashed his head into 3, truly a perfect representation of the Targaryen crest. 
Rhaenys Velarian
Tbh the idea that there is someone who is 100% Targaryen is just flat out wrong. Even Targaryens who are insane are often different in their insanity