In House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 5, there is a heck of a lot of maneuvering. Not only do we get an up close and personal view of the delicate process of removing armor that has been melded to a human body by dragonfire, but we also delve into shifting allegiances and messy backroom politics. “Regent” shows viewers how quickly things can change when the movers and shakers of the realm are out in full force trying to carve their own legacies at the expense of the smallfolk. It’s a lot to cover, so let’s dive in! Please be warned that there are spoilers (and “squelching puss”) ahead.
We open on somber moments in Driftmark and Dragonstone as Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint, Before We Die) and Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy, Mothering Sunday) mourn the loss of Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best, Lucky Man) during last week’s epic dragon battle. Corlys clutches at his driftwood throne, and Rhaenyra stares off into the distance with tears in her eyes. These brief moments communicate that Rhaenys was more than a beloved wife and confidante; she was a leader and role model. There is no question that Team Black is struggling to operate without their MVP.
Meanwhile, Team Green is taking the severed head of Meleys on tour through King’s Landing. Perhaps the Greens hoped the smallfolk would appreciate seeing the death of the dragon that killed hundreds of innocents in season one, but instead, the general response seems to be a sense of foreboding and fear that the dragon’s death is an omen of bad times to come. We’ll have to file this one alongside a host of other botched PR stunts from Team Green (it probably doesn’t help that the hanged corpses of the innocent rat catchers are still rotting away alongside the procession).
Of course, the Greens have bigger problems than PR at the moment. After a lengthy fakeout funeral procession, we learn that King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney, Dunkirk) isn’t quite dead…yet. He’s simply been burnt to a crisp and incapacitated. His brother, Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell, High Life) points to the need for a regent to rule in the king’s stead using all the subtlety of a blunt object. Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke, Ready Player One) is understandably suspicious (and later, Queen Helaena straight-up confronts Aemond for his crimes). Unfortunately, Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel, The Serpent) doesn’t feel like shedding any light on Aemond’s battlefield treachery. Instead, his loyalties are split between secret war buddy and his secret royal affair. It sure doesn’t feel like this drama will end well for anyone involved.
Over at Dragonstone, we are reminded once again that Rhaenyra’s war council is just a bunch of misogynist bros who take pleasure in throwing poorly-veiled shade at Rhaenyra for being a woman. We are still waiting for her to truly put them in their places (although later, she does send Ser Alfred Broome on a challenging errand to “reason” with Daemon). Once again, Prince Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett, Dunkirk) is frustrated with Rhaenyra as well. As the heir to the throne, he is sick of being kept on a leash and decides to meet with the Freys to secure passage for the incoming Northern forces. He is able to secure the Frey’s allegiance, but only time will tell if Rhaenyra and Daemon will honor the promises he makes in their names.
Things are getting complicated, so Rhaenyra once again turns to her new Master of Whisperers, Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno, Ex Machina) for some advice on ruling in times of war. Mysaria encourages her queen to look away from swords and towards the discontented people of King’s Landing. She points out their desperation, suggesting that “To the discontented, rumors are feed.” Those of us who spend any time on social media immediately know that The White Worm is talking sense here, but only time will tell if Team Black is able to run PR better than their adversaries.
Hot off of Mysaria’s advice, Rhaenyra decides to bolster her council with another trusted voice: Corlys. After a loving heart to heart with her daughter-in-law, Lady Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia, Stay Close), she sends her as an emissary to recruit Corlys. Meanwhile, her other daughter in law, Lady Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell, Midsomer Murders), is off in the Eyrie trying to appease Rhaenyra’s allies and legitimize the queen’s claim to the throne. Things aren’t great for Team Black right now, but Rhaenyra is doing some great work quietly building her team. She really needs the wins right now.
Back in the Riverlands, Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) takes a quick break from embracing his nightmares in the halls of a musty old castle to get out and start recruiting some feuding families to Team Black. When the threat of death-by-dragonfire fails to persuade the Brackens to bend the knee for Rhaenyra, Daemon decides he wants that kind of spunk on his side of the conflict – so he earns that “loyalty” by calling for the murder and/or kidnapping of the Bracken women and children. This inspires the survivors to bend the knee, but doesn’t feel like a formula for long-lasting loyalty. Even a spooky reminder about the danger of harming innocents from resident witch Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin, GLOW) doesn’t shake Daemon from his kingly daydreams.
While Daemon’s actions continue to support Rhaenyra in name, his heart remains torn. Whether he is sex-dreaming about his mother or “commanding” the comically small court at Harrenhal, it’s clear that he is desperate to be seen as a king. When the delightful bundle of fun, Ser Simon Strong, insists that Daemon’s proper title is “King Consort,” it takes all of Daemon’s strength to avoid throttling his lone ally. Instead, he simply quips that the “consort” part of the title seems, “unnecessary.” This exchange is a much-needed moment of levity in a heavy episode, despite the fact that we are certainly troubled by Daemon’s choice to continue leaving out the “consort” portion of the title for the rest of the House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 5. Our fears are then very quickly justified when we learn that he has lost the trust of the other lords and ladies in the Riverlands.
Meanwhile, the power vacuum in King’s Landing needs to be filled. When the Small Council sits down to select a new regent to oversee the city, Alicent doesn’t exactly nail her job interview. Of course, it was already a foregone conclusion in the eyes of the council. While they laud Alicent for her competent work during her last stint as regent, the council ultimately mirrors the attitude we saw on Dragonstone and chooses Aemond, the young, male heir, over the “dowager queen.” This is a particularly effective sequence as the camera slowly zooms in on Alicent as the sound partially cuts out. We feel the weight of the defeat settle on her shoulders as a muted Aemond puts his council to work. Her agency takes another hit later on when we learn that her booty call, Criston Cole, has suddenly traded his interest in Alicent’s virtue for allegiance to the largest, scariest, dragon in the land. According to Cole, his experience with dragon warfare was so traumatizing that nothing else matters anymore. At this very low point, we can only imagine that Alicent regrets shutting the door on her friendship with Rhaenyra. They would have a lot to talk about right now.
While it’s hard to imagine that Aemond’s reign will go well, we can at least thank him for using his first official action ask someone to “cut down the fucking rat catchers.” Well played. Of course, locking the citizens of King’s Landing within the city feels like an equally terrible move to balance things out. If nothing else, it foreshadows the notion that Mysaria’s strategy of feeding discontent within King’s Landing is likely to bear fruit.
So, who won the week? If we are talking about The Dance of the Dragons, Team Green remains in the lead. Daemon’s recklessness in the Riverlands undermined Jacaerys’s diplomacy and any positive advancements Rhaenyra made with the members of her Small Council. Team Green, on the other hand, has put a much more powerful and focused ruler on the throne as regent; Aemond is in a strong position to press his advantage. Team Black will have to act fast if they want to avoid being overwhelmed early in The Dance.
As for which cast member won the week, that honor goes to the dog. He is still waiting alongside the body of his owner as it rots away, hanging from the walls of the Red Keep. It is both sad and heartwarming to see this good boy’s commitment to a man who kicked him (and also murdered a child). This is the exact type of loyalty our warring rulers often demand, but are ill-equipped to earn or maintain. We are left to wonder what this metaphor tells us about the highborn families of Westeros, and whether or not they are right to see themselves as the saviors of the land.
It looks like next week will see Team Black examine their lineage in search of new dragon riders to turn the tides of war. Perhaps the time spent developing their emotional intelligence this week will pay off in this new venture. We’ll see you next week for more House of the Dragon coverage!
