House Of The Dragons Episode 5 is now released, and it features a significant wedding between two of the main houses. As far as Game of Thrones weddings goes, I’ve seen worse, so all things considered, it’s definitely a tremendous success. As usual, there are a ton of topics to cover. In this article, we’ll recap everything, break it all down, discuss the book differences, and offer some predictions for the future. We won’t reveal any major twists or deaths, but we may talk about a few things to help put what you see in context.
House of the Dragon is currently halfway over after spending the majority of its first five episodes establishing the foundation for the upcoming conflict. This restraint starts to pay off drastically in Episode 5—not least for its extremely patient viewers, who are probably wondering when exactly things would start to burst off. This episode not only represents the series’ halfway point but also serves as the trigger for the ensuing civil war. Similar to Game of Thrones before it, the fight will be about succession, and it will happen after a wedding where royal blood was spilled.
House Of The Dragon Episode 5 Recap
Now we open the episode in a place called Vale in what the book says us is the year 115 AC. It’s possible that you are familiar with the Vale from the original Game of Thrones series. It is a sizable location where people enjoy skydiving. Daemon has mentioned this location multiple times during the season, and it is here that we first see Lady Rhea. In both the original book and the television adaptation, she is referred to as the Bronze Bitch, and we are told of her death immediately.
Now while she is riding out hunting, she sees Daemon dressed similarly to last week, with his hood covered. She makes fun of him for maybe coming back to complete the marriage and remarks, as Daemon has before, “Perhaps the sheep are prettier.” Almost every time the Vale is mentioned, sheep are addressed, and Daemon even claims that his sword, Darksister, was intended for more than just killing sheep.
Daemon tried to get away from his wife and focus on other women because he disliked Vale and felt forced to join this useless Kingdom. At last, Daemon flips Rhea’s horse on her, paralyzing her in the process, then kills her with a rock. Now that Rhea had informants, it’s easier to understand why her death may raise suspicions.
Otto’s Warning
Cut to the King’s ship on Rough seas, and us watching Viscerys sick here foretells what happens at the end of the episode. The king is currently surviving on borrowed time, therefore, they are riding out to Lord Coryls to attempt to obtain his sons’ hand in marriage. Lord Corlys’ failure to greet the king when they arrive at High Tide is taken as an insult. In contrast to the previous two entries, when there were significant time jumps, this one appears to be taking place not too long after the previous episode, and we cut to Alicent with her father after his firing.
Otto has calculated all the possibilities and is aware that the realm won’t accept Rhaenyra after Viscerys passes away. This will force her to murder Aegon and the other children of Alicent in order to establish her claim. Alicent decides to take matters into her own hands and wears Green, which we will explain in more detail later. Lyonel Strong, who had previously served as the Master of Laws, is shown to be appointed to take Otto’s place.
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The Clever Clubfoot
We come across Lord Larys in the garden, who is referred to in the book as Clubfoot since his ankle was twisted after birth. He is portrayed in the source material as being a particularly cunning character who frequently listens to and snoops on people of the realm. He sniffs at a flower from Bravos that probably shouldn’t be growing in Kings Landing, which could be interpreted as him trying to convince Alicent that she needs to overcome what she’s gone through.
He spills information about the Plan Tea, leading Alicent to believe that Rhaenyra did have intercourse with Daemon. Criston, though, tells the truth. Though get clear that nothing happened between the two, she’s still pretty annoyed that Rhaenyra didn’t tell her about Ser cole. According to the book, Criston had a deep romantic connection with her and dreamed of a future with her. It has been said that over time, he became angry at the fact that he couldn’t be with her while she was off getting married. This explains his behavior toward the end and the reason he is pushed in the direction of Alicent.
The Marriage Proposal
Back at the Velaryons, Viserys ultimately makes a marriage proposal involving the kids. When it comes to surnames and succession, Vis won’t allow a Valeryon to hold the title of king, but their kid will inherit the throne. Although the child will be born with the surname Valeryion, it will be changed once he ascends to the throne because Viscerys wants the Targaryens to rule the realm for the next 700 years.
Cut to the beach, everyone, let’s go away, and we find Rhaenyra and Leanor agreeing on some agreements. Got a lot of flashes of Dany in this, and it’s obvious that Rhaenyra’s appearance is inspired by her…or is it the other way around? In either case, a lot of information is revealed, including Laenor’s sexuality. Laenor’s father believes that he is a fad, but it turns out that he is gay, and this will bring a lot of issues. Once they have a child, this will become a target since some people may see Aegon as the legitimate heir. The book talks about how Laenor likes the company of his Knights, and his lover Joffrey represents this.
Poor Ser Criston Cole
Then we get a conversation between Rhaenyra and Ser Criston Cole, which is going to change many things moving forward. Seeing that Rhaenyra is going to be married to Laenor, he asks her to leave everything and come with him to the free cities, and they’ll also get married there. Even though Rhaenyra claimed to be tired of serving the crown and doing her job in the first episode, it is clear that she has finally fallen to the weight of responsibility because she has chosen to remain in her position and refuse the offer. But says that they can still continue their affar.
Criston refuses, however, and he replies, “So you want me to be your whore.” In this episode, Guy struggles a lot internally before snapping. Clearly broken up between his duty, port, and whether to be with the person he loves or not, he ends up going on a really interesting arc.
Then he forms an odd alliance with Alicent. He is called before the Queen, and when she asks about Rhaenyra and Daemon’s affair, he misunderstood it as his affair with her. However, he confesses he was the one, and I think that she strongly sees him as somebody she can get on her corner by showing mercy.
The more folks that she has on her corner from Rhaenyras, the more strong she’ll be, and though she initially began as a weak girl, her pre-wedding dress reveals her true intentions. I suppose Criston sees Alicent’s decision to spare his life almost as an act of mercy and believes that she is to thank for his life. I can see Alicent really getting her claws into him early on.
The King That Won’t Be Remembered
Cut to Viscerys looking like me every day of the week writing this recap up at 3 am, and there’s a lot of symbolic meaning and iconography in this scene. He is seated in front of a model of the Old Valeria, from which, of course, the family descended and eventually ruled the seven kingdoms.
Similar to our own Pompei, Valyria was destroyed by a volcanic explosion known as the Doom of Valyria. The Targaryen Dragonlords were the only big house that survived, along with the majority of the local population, including many dragons. Vis rests in front of this statue of a doomed city and we know that he is also soon to be doomed due to his illness taking over. Now he seems to regret that the songs about him won’t be all about big wars and that people who remember him won’t bring up his battles because there aren’t any.
He is told to take comfort in this, nevertheless, because it is better to live in peace. Viscerys truly wish that he’d been tested by the Gods. Now I seriously thought that he died at this moment as we get a long fade-out. However, it’s only meant to show Corlys and his fleet’s arrival. The pre-wedding ceremony then begins.
The Pre Wedding Ceremony
Now the Lannister twin brothers arrive, and at this point, Tyland has become the master of ships. In the books, he and his brother tried to wed Rhaenyra, but here it’s only Jason. Daemon returns once the Valeryons arrive, much to his brother’s anger. He was exiled in the book after the Rhaenyra rumors surfaced, and some wanted him to be put to death. However, he returned for the tournament wearing the same black and red attire.
It is said in the book that when the dragons of the two sides began snapping at one another, the rivalry between Alicent and Rhaeenyra would be fully on show, but in the episode, Alicent’s entrance invites it in. We learn that the Hightower beacon is set to Green to signal war, which is why this color is so repulsive. Naturally, Alicent and Otto go by the last name Hightower, and this serves as a public announcement that the war has begun. Symbolically, it also occurs during the speech that addresses joining the houses, showing how the Greens will destroy the union as a whole.
Alicent then approaches her uncle, who just so happens to be dressed in green, together with his wife, I suppose, and they declare their support for Alicent. At this point, Daemon is being accused, but I’m not sure whether he’s the kind of man you want to take on, mate. This is essentially what Guy did to the crab feeder. In the end, Daemon gives Laena a try, and it becomes obvious that he has his sights set on another Kingdom, which is the Vale. It makes sense that he would use this tactic next, as he had obviously partnered with the Valeryons in the battle against Crab Feeder.
He also appears to be flirting with Rhaenyra, and she even tries to convince him to take her to Dragonstone. Rhaenyra was named the princess of Dragonstone in the books, but they also mentioned how Daemon wanted the Kingdom for himself. Before we understand what happens, the fight breaks out, however with Criston smacking Laenor and crushing Joffrey’s face. Viscerys also begins to bleed from his nose before finally collapsing before the wedding. Then Criston goes out, removes his armor, pulls out a knife, and tries to commit suicide.
He hears Alicent calling after him, and she stops him. Then we see Laenor and Rhaenyra saying they’re with tears in their eyes. After Vis collapses, the camera cuts to a bloody pool and a rat running to lick it up. Of course, the order of this is a little off. Alicent is on Viscery’s side when he collapses, and given his character, I believe that she wouldn’t have left him after. Vis’s collapse probably wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t gone to Criston, stopped him, and then carried on with the wedding.
Thoughts On House Of The Dragon Episode 5
This entry, in my opinion, moved a little slower than the first three, but it also had a lot going on. Like the rat trying to come for the blood at the end. Just as Viscerys fell, so does this house of cards, and this opening scene is quite symbolic of how it will all end. It’s clear that Rhaenyra and her husband are just acting out the entire wedding for their parents, and it’s not the finest base for a relationship.
It’s interesting to watch Alicent declare war, and I believe that this show is at its best when you focus more on what’s happening than on what’s being said. Even knowing what happens in the book, it’s interesting to watch how surprising some of it can really be. This is really simply one big chess game playing out in real time. These episodes, in my opinion, have a lot of slow-burning moments, but they always end on a high note, so it’s worthwhile to continue through the slightly slower parts. I hope you’re enjoying the recaps. Overall, I really enjoyed the show.
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