House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 5 Recap
It was probably too much to hope that the battles of “The Red Dragon and the Gold” would clear the way for a new era of action-packed Westerosi drama. This week, with what feels like budgetary inevitability, House of the Dragon sees all sides process the losses they incurred during the siege of Rook’s Rest and talk things out at great length. The good news is that they take some time out of their busy fretting schedule to plot some future moves, and to clarify some character motivations moving forward. It’s not all thrilling, but it at least still feels like momentum.
Corlys Velaryon’s Loss
We open with the most heartbroken character of the lot, Corlys Velaryon (Steven Toussaint), who has lost his wife Rhaenys. Did he spend years of their marriage at sea? Yes. Was he 100% faithful? No. But does that mean he didn’t care? Also no. His granddaughter Baela (Bethany Antonia) suggests later that Corlys only sailed his many voyages and brought back so much plunder to impress his wife, and he does not demur. He’s clearly pondering death now, after the loss of his wife and twin children, and offers Baela the chance to be his heir. She says however that she is “blood and fire; Driftmark must pass to salt and sea.” Cute way to nearly mention the name of the source material, Baela – and a decision that leaves the way open to Alyn (Abubakar Salim), who we’re nearly certain is Corlys’ illegitimate son after last episode. Corlys, meanwhile, must decide whether to take the position he’s offered as Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) Hand. He’s the obvious choice, and about her best chance of getting her squabbling council in order.
Gender Roles and Councils
In fact, squabbling councils are a feature this episode, with Rhaenyra’s lords more-or-less ignoring her to bicker among themselves and Alicent (Olivia Cooke) out-maneuvered among her own side. In both cases, the lords are concerned that a woman can’t be a strong leader in wartime. Rhaenyra even points out that they have all lived their lives in a time of peace, so that the men have no more experience than her, but in private she bemoans her lack of fight training. Still, two capable women are left sidelined and fuming. The show has finally remembered some of the commentary on gender roles from Season 1.
Response to Challenges
How they each respond is instructive. Rhaenyra, who has been dealing with this for a while now, works around her council by enlisting Mysaria’s (Sonoya Mizuno) help to undermine her rival Greens, and then sends troublemaker Ser Alfred Broome (Jamie Kenna) to Harrenhal to find out exactly what her errant husband Daemon (Matt Smith) is planning. She is worried – and finally admitting openly – that Daemon might be raising an army for himself rather than her. Judging by Daemon’s own conversations this episode, she’s spot on.
Challenges and Consequences
Once again, Daemon is suggesting the murder of children to achieve his ends, and once again it backfires. The whole Riverland is appalled by the resulting slaughter and the very lords he wanted to win over refuse to negotiate with him. “Dragon or no, we shall not raise our banners for a tyrant.” It’s strange that he can be so clear-eyed one minute – refusing to punish the Brackens for their defiance because he wants that strength of will – and so utterly blind to consequence the next.
Shifting Alliances and New Appointments
So: shifting allegiances, redrawn battle lines and a few new appointments. It’s also a good episode for lighting, with the show more-or-less having defeated Game of Thrones’ tendency to spend an entire hour in the dark. Look at the firelight in Rhaenyra’s chambers as she takes Jac’s report, or the scenes where Alicent (briefly) holds her injured son’s hand. It’s a very bad episode for Daemon, whose position looks more precarious than ever, even as he shores up Harrenhal’s walls. Poor castellan Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale) remains diffident, but he’s increasingly appalled by Daemon’s unreliability.
There’s little to no comedy to this episode, but it does end on a positive note. Rhaenyra and Jac realize that there might be people with Targaryen blood who had never attempted to ride a dragon: people outside the royal line. If so, that would allow them to put into play riderless dragons like Silverwing and Vermithor (both large enough to challenge Vhagar) and perhaps Seasmoke, abandoned by Laenor Velaryon (John MacMillan) last season. So maybe there will be more dragon fun next time, and this reset will have proved worthwhile.