Did the Crabfeeder Have Greyscale in 'House of the Dragon'? Fans Seem to Think so
Published Sept. 6 2022, 11:45 a.m. ET
Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 1 of House of the Dragon.
Already hailed as a commendable anti-hero with a flair for staging a hair-raising murder series, the Crabfeeder (Daniel Scott-Smith) emerged in Season 1 of House of the Dragon as the baddie who has absolutely no reservations about feeding the bodies of his sworn enemies to the crabs. Does the Crabfeeder have Greyscale? What is Greyscale? Here's what you should know.
The Crabfeeder exited the picture after an unexpected plot twist in Season 1, Episode 3. Did he die of Greyscale?
The Crabfeeder first became a power player by destroying Lord Corlys Velaryon's (Steve Toussaint) ship in Season 1 of House of the Dragon — which then resulted in a slight clash between "the Sea Snake" and King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine). Alas, the King refused to crack down on the Crabfeeder properly.
Season 1, Episode 3 of House of the Dragon uses a time-jump to capture the Crabfeeder's untimely death. The unruly Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) decides to take matters into his hands, get back at his brother, forge an alliance with Velaryon, and kill the Crabfeeder. The killing came at fans completely out of nowhere, with many now expressing their disappointment at the Crabfeeder's shock exit. Others are keen to learn more about his struggles with Greyscale.
If the recurring political battles and the soldier-killing thing weren't quite enough, the Crabfeeder also suffers from a condition known as Greyscale. A life-threatening disease, Greyscale (or Prince Garin's curse) threatens to destroy the sufferer's body by leaving the flesh stiff and dead. Think desquamation, but more hardcore. Crabfeeder also has burn marks, or so holds a diagnosis by Screen Rant.
Greyscale is a condition that affected several 'Game of Thrones' characters, as well.
Princess Shireen Baratheon (Kerry Ingram) and Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) are two Game of Thrones characters who managed to beat the illness. Greyscale appears to destroy the flesh of the sufferers. Princess Shireen caught the illness as an infant, while Jorah made a full recovery. From what we know, Greyscale is also highly contagious.
According to Vox, removing the affected skin and dousing the open flesh with a potion made of pine resin, elder twig bark, beeswax, and olive oil can improve the condition considerably. The procedure doesn't come without its own dangers, though. According to Fandom, it is just as life-threatening to get it removed as it is to live with it. That's some tricky stuff right there.
"Truth be told, Craghas doesn’t really need to speak to get his point across. Blessed with superb Greyscale makeup design and an expressionless mask, Craghas and his crabs are a truly menacing threat," tweeted @KenyanWalter.
"Am I the only person wondering if Daemon caught Greyscale?" tweeted @pennyman.
"Are we gonna talk about the Greyscale that the Crabfeeder was shown to have?" tweeted @_solbrotha.
New episodes of House of the Dragon arrive Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on HBO Max.
