Latest ‘Game of Thrones’ News: Matt Smith shows off his Valyrian as fans speculate about Emma D’Arcy’s debut

The hype train for House of the Dragon is in full motion, and the prequel spinoff continues to dazzle the fandom with every outing. Now, with the fifth episode just on the horizon, Matt Smith has made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to tease the next half-season and show off his impeccable Valyrian accent. Some parts of the fanbase are also pondering if Emma D’Arcy will replace Milly Alcock’s Rhaenyra Targaryen in the upcoming episode, while the rest are already prepared to hail House as the long-awaited worthy successor to Game of Thrones. 

Matt Smith speaks Valyrian as if he was actually born into it

The British actor best known for his role as the eleventh incarnation of the titular character on Doctor Who is a show stealer on House of the Dragon. Portraying the Rogue Prince Daemon Targaryen in all of his nuanced complexity, Matt Smith was required to learn a good bit of Valyrian to converse with his niece Rhaenyra Targaryen. Appearing on Jimmy Fallon’s talk show, he gave audiences a taste of that melodiously archaic dialect and convinced everyone he was born to play the Prince of the City.

Will ‘House’ rise above ‘Game of Thrones’? Fans are certainly rooting for it

House of the Dragon has barely broken in its shoes, but the fandom already wants it to become more successful than Game of Thrones. Of course, the prequel has done this already if Nielsen has anything to say on the matter, but what fans want is for the show to consistently hit high notes for several seasons, not only imitating the original’s glory but surpassing it in terms of storytelling and compelling characters. And hey, it might be too much to wish for, but what if House ended satisfyingly, as opposed to being utterly and traumatically disappointing?

We might see adult Rhaenyra (as portrayed by Emma D’Arcy) in episode 5

According to IMDb and HBO’s own listings, Milly Alcock is only portraying Rhaenyra for five episodes. What’s more, Emma D’Arcy might make her debut as early as the next episode, so we really should prepare to say goodbye to this version of the Targaryen princess soon. Many will no doubt find the transition jarring, but the House crew has taken great measures to remain faithful to George R.R. Martin’s novel. Let’s hope that D’Arcy manages to win us over as easily as her predecessor did in just four weeks.

That’s going to be it for now, but do tune back in tomorrow at around 9 pm CT as we lead you into episode 5.