The ups and downs that Home of the Dragon places its viewers by means of are extra dizzying than a experience on Vhagar. An episode of scheming and intrigue is adopted by one in all shaky character improvement and compelled plot enlargement; an hour of exhilarating battle and emotionally-charged character deaths trailed by one in all complicated filler. Sure, I’m talking of this week’s episode, which takes all of the drama from the heightened ending of “The Crimson Dragon and the Gold” and plummets viewers again into the slog of convoluted storylines. Episode 5 is about transferring the story ahead, organising circumstances and relationships that may probably come into play earlier than the season’s finish, however the lack of motion or captivation of any form makes this hour really feel just like the Dragon equal of a bottle episode. Sure, we journey by means of Westeros all through the sixty minutes, however the entire course of feels extraordinarily static.
The episode begins instantly following the occasions of the Battle at Rook’s Relaxation. Group Black (particularly Corlys) is in mourning for Rhaenys, whereas Group Inexperienced is retaining the propaganda machine transferring, although they could profit from hiring a disaster PR supervisor. Somebody had the intense concept to parade the severed head of Meleys by means of the streets, and the crown just isn’t receiving the precise response they anticipated. Lots of the small people in King’s Touchdown really feel the show is a foul omen, whereas others see the defeated dragon as proof that the beasts—and by extension, the Targaryens—usually are not invisible. “I believed the dragons was gods,” somebody mutters within the crowd. “It’s simply meat,” one other responds.
Celebrations (if that’s what you possibly can even name them) are short-lived, nevertheless, as consideration turns to King Aegon and his battle wounds—accidents so dangerous it’s unclear if trendy medication can be sufficient to revive him, a lot much less the medieval form. There’s an unstated information that Aemond was behind his brother’s struggling. Alicent can clearly sense it, although Ser Criston gained’t admit it to her, and Helaena, together with her prophetic nature, is aware of it too. Perhaps that’s why Alicent appears to haven’t any love for her second son, or perhaps it’s as a result of he usurped her as regent in Aegon’s absence. The Queen Dowager is realizing that while you base a declare on sexism, there is likely to be some hostile results. One can’t blame Larys for his astute statement: “What wouldn’t it say if, in response to Rhaenyra’s crowning, we raised up a lady of our personal?” Alicent dug her personal grave, now she should lie in it. Even her paramour, Criston, gained’t help her declare as regent, main Alicent to unleash an unbelievable verbal assault on the Hand. Neglect fuck boy, subsequent time somebody screws you over, ask them, “Has your loyalty light or does it flourish solely at evening and flee the dawn like a moth?”
After all, Rhaenyra is going through some misogyny of her personal, made worse now that she now not has Rhaenys’s backing on the small council. The Queen appears not sure of her subsequent step, nonetheless hesitant to resort to violence if pointless. It’s an moral stance, however not a fantastic one given her opponent. She begins to show to these round her: her niece/step-daughter/future daughter-in-law Baela in addition to Corlys, whom she formally asks to be her hand. Outdoors her incestual household, she additionally has Mysaria, who appears to have turn out to be fairly the trusted confidant for Rhaenyra. She encourages the Queen to have a look at the warfare by means of a special lens and contemplate the small people, who’re struggling within the Crimson Maintain below Aegon’s rule. The White Worm convinces Rhaenyra to ship her lady-in-waiting, Elinda, to King’s Touchdown on a process, the outcomes of which can have introduced some pleasure to this episode, however which we must seemingly wait till subsequent week to see.
Over within the Riverlands, Daemon remains to be performing on his personal accord, working with the Blackwoods to attempt to get the Brackens to bend the knee. The latter household proves cussed, and Daemon should resort to soiled ways to get his manner. Whereas usually, Daemon would haven’t any drawback commanding the theft and rape of harmless small of us, the choice appears to be weighing on him a bit greater than normal. Daemon is struggling; it’s plain to see. Alys has absolutely taken over the King Consort’s thoughts, and he can hardly shut his eyes with out partaking in an incestuous intercourse dream along with his mom or seeing his late spouse (in a notably non-sexual method). He has absolutely satisfied himself that he’s the one who deserves the throne, not his spouse, and whereas I don’t know a lot about royal succession, I don’t suppose there’s any world the place Daemon has a declare. Nonetheless, he gained’t let it go, and as confirmed by the Riverlords’s response to his actions towards the Brackens, it should probably be his downfall.
The episode ends with a dialog between Rhaenyra and Jacaerys, who has returned from an unauthorized expedition to the Twins with a purpose to achieve the help of the Freys. Rhaenyra is surprisingly not too mad at Jace for performing on his personal accord. It’s potential that she has so few allies in the meanwhile, she doesn’t wish to threat angering those that do help her, even her personal son. As an alternative, she confides in him, trying towards her successor for recommendation. It’s now clear this warfare will come right down to dragon energy, and whereas Group Black has extra dragons than Inexperienced, they’re brief on riders. Jace suggests trying into the household tree to seek out these with Targaryen blood who can declare a dragon and be a part of the battle, and Rhaenyra is on board to provide it a strive. Maybe, the Queen has extra allies than she beforehand thought.
A swell of music pronounces the tip of the episode, and with simply eight on this season, one may really feel cheated by this slog of an hour. However I’m going to carry out hope that this rollercoaster experience will proceed, and the dip of episode 5 will solely carry a subsequent excessive. With Aemond in energy in King’s Touchdown, taking the small people as a right, and Rhaenyra able to carry the identical downtrodden inhabitants on her facet, it appears the tides of this warfare are on the point of shift, and boy, after this episode does one thing have to shift.
