Notice for spoilers for episode 5 of “The House of the Dragon”.
Unlike soap operas, weddings are always times of tension and confusion in the universe. game of Thrones. it wouldn’t be different in The house of the dragonor House of the Dragonwhose fifth episode aired yesterday at 10pm on HBO and HBO Max.
BEWARE OF THE SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 5 OF THE HOUSE OF THE DRAGON. READ ONLY IF YOU HAVE ALREADY PARTICIPATED.
Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) has decided to take her father, Viserys (Paddy Considine) seriously, who must marry for the sake of Westeros. In return, she won the resignation of Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), the father of Queen Alicent (Emily Carey). Otto does not leave without first telling Alicent that she is responsible for her. “You have chosen Rhaenyra”, he says to her daughter of hers. Yes you are right.
The princess accepts the decision to marry her cousin, Laenor Velaryon (Theo Nate). Thus, two of the most powerful and wealthiest houses in Westeros, both descendants of Ancient Valyria, will unite. Rhaenyra knows that Laenor is gay. So it means that she has followed her uncle Daemon’s (Matt Smith) teaching to the letter that a marriage is a political agreement and that, once consummated, everyone can go their own way. And it is exactly the deal that she proposes to Laenor, that she has a boyfriend, Ser Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod). In the meantime, she plans to continue her relationship with Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) or, who knows, Uncle Daemon (yuck). Or with both.
A few years earlier, Viserys had refused marriage to Laenor’s sister, then little Laena, a noble but politically unwise decision. Now he must return with his tail between his legs to Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), who has become his disaffection and Daemon’s ally. Business is so bad that Corlys doesn’t even bother waiting for the king on the beach. Viserys is considered weak. Laenor’s mother, Rhaenys (Eve Best), is worried because she knows about her son’s sexual orientation. Dad thinks she’s just a phase. Corlys, my dear, for those who have traveled the seven seas, you have not learned much.
Meanwhile, poor romantic Ser Criston Cole proposes to Rhaenyra to embrace his freedom and leave for the world with him. He does not understand that Rhaenyra cannot escape from the crown, as it is the crown. But he is desperate, because for her he has broken his vow of chastity and could lose her position. Cole does not come from a wealthy family, he is not noble. The only thing you have is your honor.
But Rhaenyra has her duty. “The Throne of Swords is bigger than me, bigger than anyone else in my family,” he says, referring to Aegon the Conqueror’s prophecy that a Targaryen would have to rule to fight an evil that will come from the North and threaten the humanity. The continuity in the power of the House of the Dragon is therefore fundamental, also because a descendant of Aegon will be the “promised prince, and his will will be the song of ice and fire”. House of the Dragon bets much more on prophecies and visions than game of Throneswhich left them aside, frustrating fans of the books.
Though he held Westeros under the Targaryens, Viserys wonders if he will be remembered as a good king. He has neither won nor lost wars. He has not been tested. I wish I had been. He is concerned about his inheritance from him.
And finally marriage arrives. Rhaenyra has to put up with that boring Lannister, in a moment of relaxation before chaos. And he looks who’s there: Daemon, of course, wouldn’t have missed the chance to get into trouble, having defeated his wife, Rhea Royce (Rachel Redford), for the better. He has the courage to reclaim his inheritance from him in Runestone, on top of that.
Who isn’t there at the start of the celebrations? Alicente. She makes her dramatic entrance of hers right in the middle of her husband’s speech. On purpose, of course. She is dressed in green, the color of war for the Hightower. Who doesn’t like a fashion with meaning, right?
Alicent is possessed because she discovered that Rhaenyra lied about that night she spent with two men – thanks to the gossip of Larys Strong (Matthew Needham), a kind of Littlefinger of this generation and son of the current Hand of the King, Lyonel Strong (Gavin rays). Her father Otto has been fired for this, she has been betrayed again and her children are at risk because for the stability of her kingdom her elder sister may want to eliminate them. The war between the two is established and spills over into the next episode, when there is a time jump and a change of actresses. The great Milly Alcock and Emily Carey leave, Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke enter.
The wedding sequence is pure tension, with Laenor’s boyfriend discovering that Cole has something to do with Rhaenyra, Daemon who takes the princess away without shame. It is a neat dance, well written, directed (by Clare Kilner) and performed. As is the way to Westeros, it ends up in a bloodbath.
But the show must go on. The celebration of the wedding takes place, after all it is a political agreement that cannot be postponed because the groom’s boyfriend was crushed in the face by the bride’s lover. And what a beautiful scene, especially for Alcock’s performance, which shows pain and compassion for her cousin-husband.
And so The house of the dragon reaches the middle of its first season. In five episodes, the plot has advanced a lot, sometimes a little too far. Time jumps didn’t have to be that big. There were gaps or dramas that it would be nice to see.
But the characters are well constructed, with actions that make sense even when wrong, carried out by charismatic and competent actors.
House of the Dragon debuted with the expectation of bringing more dragons – and it did. But, in fact, I didn’t need it. The series is based on the script, the direction, the cohesion, the interpretations and the characters. Finally, in the drama. Dragons come as a gift.
Two random notes:
– Poor Alicent has no peace with those crying babies.
– And on the ships of Westeros there was never nowhere to sit. Everyone is still sailing on their feet.
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Source: Terra
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
