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House of the Dragon Season 2 returned with another episode on Sunday, July 15, 2024, following up on the carnage that came last week with the Game of Thrones prequel leaving no stones unturned. After the events of The Red Dragon and the Gold, which is now widely being called the best episode of the show so far, things were always meant to slow down, and they did.
In the latest episode, titled Regent, we dive into the impact of the first Dance of Dragons, which killed the legendary Queen that never was, Rhaenys (Eve Best), and near-fatally injured Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn Carney). The episode also dives into the many intricacies of war that take place outside the battlefields.
While House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 5 may not pack the punch of its previous episode and may have lacked the quirky bits of humor that made parts of Game of Thrones more interesting, it was still a very important episode for the story and it dealt with the subject matter at hand very well.
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House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 5 is all about setting the stage and never venturing into it
House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 5 was such a packed episode in political terms that it may be difficult for viewers to keep track of all that is going on. And in perfect chronological order, the show jumps back and forth between King's Landing, Harrenhal, Dragonstone, and The Twins, with the last one getting an incredible visual treatment.
The story of this episode is much more spread out than the ones that came before. But the show does very well in stitching together a narrative that has so many ends and so many developments, and most of it takes place far from one another. Moreover, these developments are also not narratively very connected either. Yet, House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 5 works well to stitch it all.
The biggest developments, of course, take place in King's Landing, whose king has recently fallen. This episode sees the aftermath of Aegon, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), and Rhaena's battle, where the crowned king gets massively injured. This also brings in the question of who will be the king till Aegon is back on his feet.
This also follows a bitter, and beautifully made, sequence in the council, which decides who will lead the battle as the king. Despite Alicent's (played by Olivia Cooke) eagerness to step in again, the council, including Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), bends towards letting Aemond lead. This also leads to another cinematic sequence with Aemond looking at the Iron Throne, in a way one would imagine Daemon doing it.
Big developments also follow Rhaenyra and Daemon
On Rhaenyra's (Emma D'Arcy) side, Jacerys decides to finally step in and take matters into his own hands. He makes his way to The Twins for a deal, which gives one of the most cinematic moments of House of the Dragon Season 2.
The treatment of the Freys is also quite incredible to look at, especially after witnessing it in Game of Thrones.
Things also get much more interesting in Harrenhal in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 5. Matt Smith's Daemon Targaryen, who happens to be one of the most exciting characters in the show since its beginning, goes through another layer of hallucinations, hauntings, and magic.
This episode sees Daemon get more involved in the battle between Brackens and the Blackwoods, and ultimately pay the price by summoning the wrath of the Riverlands to him. Daemon is perhaps too stunned to respond to the people who call him out for ordering the murder of an infant.
This episode also gives a glimpse into Daemon's twisted ambitions of taking King's Landing himself, going behind the back of Rhaenyra Targaryen, who has yet to make up with him after their previous fight.
The ending of House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 5 ends with hope for the better
House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 5 ends with Jace and Rhaenyra discussing the two huge dragons, Vermithor and Silverwing, who still do not have riders. They are also the dragons who could take down the mighty Vhaegar, which would lead to an inevitable victory for Rhaenyra's side.
Jace hints that they would try to trace down others with Targaryen bloodlines to make them dragon riders. This does make it something to look forward to.
All in all, this episode of House of the Dragon Season 2 does slow down the tempo but does not hold back on big developments. Of course, these developments have both long-standing and short-term effects, which will be visible in the episodes to come.
House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 5 is now streaming on Max.
