3 things that disappointed in House of the Dragon season 2 episode 5 (and 3 that did not)

House of the Dragon season 2 episode 5 dropped on Sunday, July 14, 2024. The episode brought back the exciting events of Westeros, which has already engaged (partially, so far) in a civil war over succession. This episode marked the halfway point for the series and delved into the aftermath of The Red Dragon and the Gold, which is widely hailed as the best episode of House of the Dragon season 2.

This episode had a lot of developments, many of which will make more sense to Fire and Blood readers than to those who haven't had the chance yet. However, this hour-long episode was still remarkably dry in many ways, something that could have been done better.

Let us dive into the three things this episode failed to do very well and three that it pulled off with perfection.

Three ways House of the Dragon season 2 episode 5 disappointed

1) The change in tempo is all too apparent

While two episodes would not feature crazy amounts of action at once, the dip in tempo was perhaps too much in this episode. With a runtime of one hour, House of the Dragon season 2 episode 5 featured a narrative that was driven entirely by conversations and plans.

This seemed like a huge drop from the previous episode and may have appeared dragged to some fans.

2) The storyline could be confusing to many viewers

It is not an easy task to adapt a huge novel in one-hour episodes. This episode of House of the Dragon tried to take parts of Fire and Blood and give them a series of treatments, which resulted in a lot of things happening in less time.

Unfortunately, the episode tends to be a bit confusing in its multiple jumps and multi-directional plot development. Perhaps a second viewing would prove to be much better for many fans.

3) Jacerys' resolve and Aemond's stance is left relatively unexplored

Jacerys has been on the sideline for nearly too long. However, this episode saw the young prince finally take action and try to make a deal without the approval of her Queen mother. Yet, whatever action he took or its consequences were left relatively unexplored, keeping Jacerys far from the center stage even now.

With Aemond too, the episode did not do enough, especially after the young prince took a drastic step against his brother in the previous episode. However, fans can expect Aemond to grow into one of the biggest characters in House of the Dragon in time.

3 ways House of the Dragon season 2 episode 5 was perfect

1) The careful intricacies of small developments

House of the Dragon season 2 episode 5 was perhaps the perfect example of how adding small things makes one large thing. This episode was all about the small developments that would ultimately lead to the big things happening at the end of this season or the next.

Its approach to political developments was also perfect in ways few would imagine.

2) Many exceptionally cinematic moments

From the meeting with the Freys to Alicent's (played by Olivia Cooke) subtle breakdown where she realizes she will always be a castaway to another man, be it her father, husband, or sons, there were some beautifully cinematic moments, which are sure to live in the minds of the fans for a long time to come.

The re-introduction of the Freys was also quite perfect in House of the Dragon, which did a visually pleasing job of the same as compared to Game of Thrones.

3) A promise for the future

Like the relatively slow third episode, this one also ended on a note that promises a bright future. This episode sees Rhaenyra and Jacerys discussing their big dragons, Silverwing and Vermithor, who are the only ones strong enough to take on Vhaegar.

It seems that following this exchange, Jacerys will try to seek out Dragonriders for the two big dragons, which could give Rhaenyra's side a huge advantage.

House of the Dragon season 2 episode 5 is now streaming on Max. Read our full review here.

Edited by Sourav Chakraborty