‘House Of The Dragon’ Episode 5 Review: Gratifying Glimpses Of Reality

(This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2, Episodes 1–4.)

House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 5, according to director Clare Kilner, “is everybody vying for power, but also about that happening through grief.”

Both Team Black and Team Green grapple with the aftermath of Episode 4’s fiery conclusion that brought about the death of Rhaenys (Eve Best) and her dragon and the ambiguous maiming of Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney). While Team Black grieves the loss of an important figure and their largest dragon, a power vacuum is filled at the Green Council. Sir Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) makes a miscalculation that opens the possibility of a new strategy for Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy). Meanwhile, her husband Daemon (Matt Smith) remains away from Team Black’s home base in Dragonstone and her son Jacaerys (Harry Collett) considers new alliances.

“Much of Episode 5 revolves around how Rhaenys’ death is resonating across all of the different characters,” says showrunner Ryan Condal. This is especially apparent in the moving performance of Steve Toussaint as her husband Corlys, which, according to Kilner, exceeded expectations. The loss also holds special relevance for Rhaenyra; forced to say goodbye to the core female voice in her life, a tremendous thing to mourn, she must look elsewhere for feminine presence. This sets another woman up for a more central advisory role; we see the beginnings of a deepening trust in this episode.

The children of Team Black have continued to individuate this season. In Episode 5, Jacaerys finds himself frustrated on the sidelines and consults his betrothed, Baela (Bethany Antonia), marking one of the only one-on-one interactions we’ve seen from the couple; it’s an important milestone in the maturity and agency of these characters. Baela’s sister Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) also makes an appearance following through on a diplomatic order from Rhaenyra. More is beginning to rest on the younger generation.

In King’s Landing, people begin to suspect that Team Green’s younger generation needs to calm down. With royal succession in the spotlight, the passing down of power is at the core of the show; we’ve watched Viserys (Paddy Considine) let his power slip into the hands of, among others, Alicent and Otto Hightower (Olivia Cooke and Rhys Ifans), who, this season, have lost all control to Alicent’s sons. Aegon is King and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) is a dragon rider with huge ambition; despite the recklessness exhibited by both young men in Episode 4, Episode 5 features an impactful moment of realization for Alicent when it becomes clear that their power now far exceeds her own.

This moment serves as a very direct reminder that gender dynamics lie at the center of the show’s conceit. Considering how much time Alicent has spent attempting to justify her own domination by male figures, satisfied with the version of power she can find in the patriarchy, I found this episode very gratifying as she glimpses the reality of the position she’s been relegated to partly by her own compliance. 

Episode 5 concluded with the suggestion of a new direction for Team Black that comes with big promises for viewers. The next installments could have important implications not just for this cast of characters, but for the renowned Targaryen legacy.

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