(Warning: the below has spoilers from House of the Dragon.)
We bend the knee to Matt Smith.
The actor, who plays the arrogant Prince Daemon, just gave a tour de force performance in the Sept. 4 episode of House of the Dragon—and he had barely any lines.
For those of you who've not kept up with the drama of House of the Dragon, Smith's Prince Daemon has since been disinherited by his brother King Viserys (Paddy Considine). And, in an attempt to prove himself, has waged war against the Crabfeeder (Daniel Scott-Smith) in the Stepstones, a disputed piece of land.
And while Daemon has a fierce dragon as part of his cavalry, the Crabfeeder's army has proven to be a formidable opponent. So, when Viserys, who has stayed out of the Stepstones drama for the most part, learns that his brother is basically losing the unauthorized war, he agrees to send troops and supplies to Daemon and his army.
However, this news isn't well received by Daemon, who had hoped to be the hero of the Stepstones conflict. After beating Viserys' messenger to a pulp–whatever happened to don't shoot the messenger?—Daemon decides to follow through with a crazy plan before help can arrive. Specifically, he rows a boat to the Crabfeeder's camp and feigns surrender.
This action lures out the Crabfeeder's men, who Daemon fights off one by one. Eventually, Daemon's army and a dragon join in on the fight, but not before the problematic prince makes a serious dent in the Crabfeeder's men. Mind you, all of this action goes down without Daemon uttering a single word, proving you don't need a hefty monologue to win over an audience.
Instead, viewers are enthralled by Daemon's ferocity and courage, which allows him to triumph over the Crabfeeder in the end. (For the record, the final shot of a bloody Daemon dragging the Crabfeeder out of the cave is still etched in our mind.)
To see what comes next for the Targaryens, catch new episodes of House of the Dragon on Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.