After the eventful fourth episode, which saw the deaths of two dragons from both of the opposing factions of the Targaryen civil war, the fifth episode acts as a breather. The battle of Rook’s Rest exacted a heavy toll on the Blacks, as Rhaenys and her steed Meleys died valiantly while taking on Sunfyre and Vhagar. While Sunfyre perished in Vhagar’s flames, his rider, a burnt King Aegon, still survived, much to the dismay of his ambitious brother, Aemond, who is more eager than ever to ascend to the Iron throne. On the other hand, Daemon’s plight grows miserable by day as Harrenhall’s darkened corridors take a hold over his mind, showing him visions of his worst fears and insecurities, all the while he tries to raise an army at the Riverlands to challenge the forces of the Greens. The fifth episode of the ongoing season, “Regent,” follows both factions trying to cope with the unprecedented losses and preparing to strengthen their respective positions at the same time while still reeling from the tragic aftermath of the battle.
Spoilers Ahead
A Shift in Power on the Greens’ Side
Meleys’ return to King’s Landing is a sight to evoke disgust and sadness; her severed head is brought and paraded across the city as the Greens construct the narrative of King Aegon valiantly slaying the ‘Traitor Dragon’ (whatever that means). Given the place dragons had in Targaryen history, this gesture is simply pathetic, to say the least, and the smallfolk of King’s Landing think the same as well. With the majority of the capital city facing the pangs of poverty, the Greens might have hoped the king’s new status as a dragonslayer would boost the morale of the smallfolk and strengthen their support for the usurper’s claim. Instead, the barbaric display of a dragon’s severed head, the same one that trampled numerous smallfolk during Aegon’s coronation, is perceived as a sign of a dark omen. Only Hugh the Smithy seems unmoved, as he has more urgent matters to attend to. The condition of his ailing daughter is worsening by the day, and his wife continues to plead with him to leave the capital city for their survival. To make matters worse, King Aegon’s promise to provide monetary aid to the ironsmiths has proven to be a lie as well. Later in the episode, we see Hugh and his family trying to escape from King’s Landing along with a large group of smallfolk, only to be stopped in their tracks by the Goldcloaks. For better or worse, Hugh’s fate is about to take a major turn soon enough, as is hinted in the final moments of the episode.
In the aftermath of the gruesome battle, the Valyrian steel armor of a comatose Aegon has fused with his flesh, a disturbing sight for Alicent as a mother as she ponders her son’s survival. In the Greens’ Small Council meeting, everyone except Alicent accepts Aemond as the King Regent to rule in Aegon’s stead; even Criston Cole voices his reluctant support, much to Alicent’s dismay. While Aegon was an inept king, Aemond might become even more problematic with his volatile, unpredictable temperament and penchant for violence—a truth that Alicent and her father, the former Hand of the King, Otto Hightower, had realized all too well. With the recent events, Aemond has taken control and Alicent is utterly helpless, with her opinion being ignored by her trusted associates as well. Later, she confronts Criston Cole about him voicing support against her opinion and finds him too disillusioned and hopeless after witnessing the terrible cost of war with dragons.
Daemon’s Oedipal Vision and Shifting Interests Are a Threat to the Blacks
Meanwhile, Daemon’s efforts to control the Riverlands are going as well as they could have, but he is unable to convince House Bracken to swear allegiance to the Blacks. Daemon asks Willem Blackwood (lord of their rival house) to use any means necessary to ensure their alliance. A strategy that backfires big time after the Blackwoods use heinous methods to ensure their success, drawing the ire of the victims against Daemon and the Blacks in the process.
Daemon’s occasional run-ins with Alys Rivers and the haunted chambers of Harrenhall have twisted his perception of reality, morality, and everything else, as he sees a disturbing vision of him making love to his late mother, Alyssa Targaryen, who praises him over her elder son, Viserys. So far, Daemon’s visions have been rooted in his guilt, fears, shame, and insecurities, but this time it seems that his self-worth and sense of validation are in question, something that was deeply rooted in his political ambition. Mostly motivated by such visions, Daemon demands to be addressed as the king by the lords of Riverland and shows his aim to serve his self-interest by sidelining Rhaenyra’s claim. Daemon’s growing disenchantment with Rhaenyra might be troubling for the Blacks, as their allegiance to the queen doesn’t readily imply that they will extend their loyalty to fulfill Daemon’s selfish interests.
How Did Rhaenyra Come Up With The Idea of Dragonseeds?
The tragic death of Princess Rhaenys has put Rhaenyra in a terrible position as of now, as her Small Council has started questioning her battle prowess. The Blacks still don’t have an army on land strong enough to challenge the Greens. Thanks to Daemon taking his sweet time to consolidate strength in the Riverlands, their biggest, and most importantly, battle-ready dragon has been slain, and Rhaenyra is out of clues regarding how to proceed. Ser Alfred even voices his opinion of female leaders being ill-equipped regarding battle strategies, perhaps forgetting too soon that Princess Rhaenys flew to the battle to nearly destroy Cole and the majority of the Green’s strength a day ago. The absence of Velaryons, especially Rhaenys, at Rhaenyra’s side has already weakened her position. Being the queen herself, Rhaenyra can’t afford to fly in on her dragon to settle the score either. She goes to Mysaria to share her predicament, and she plans to strategically weaken the Greens by spreading misinformation in King’s Landing.
Rhaenyra also meets with Baela, who is grieving the death of her grandmother, to ask Corlys to join her side as her Hand. As Baela follows her command and goes to Driftmark to convey her message to her grandfather, she finds Corlys too dejected and disdainful of the Targaryens to find the enthusiasm to continue being a political aide to them. Rhaenys’ death has mentally weakened him in ways that lifelong warfare and the tribulations of seafaring never could. Baela tries to comfort him by reminding him that Rhaenys would have wanted Rhaenyra to sit on the throne, as she herself was wrongfully denied the chance as well. Baela also makes it clear that Rhaenys passed away on her own terms, an honorable death in dragonfire just as she wanted, which her daughter Laena also received, and following in their footsteps, which Baela desires as well. It should be mentioned that, probably charged by Baela’s fiery words, Corlys suddenly feels the need the need to rectify his mistake of never considering his granddaughters as the heirs to Driftmark and states to Baela that she will inherit the seat of the High Tide in his absence. But pity-begging is not really how Targaryens approach situations, and Baela’s savage reply about being the progeny of Blood and Fire, not Sea and Salt, says the rest.
Tired of being bossed around, Jacaerys decides to take matters into his own hands by assuring the Crossing, the seat of House Frey, remains within the Blacks’ grip and allowing the Greybeards of Stark safe passage during times of need by promising them Harrenhall. Rhaenyra sends Ser Alfred’s visit to Harrenhall to summon Daemon back to Dragonstone, but given the prince’s current state of mind, it remains to be seen what happens next. Jace later returns to find Rhaenyra preoccupied with studying Visenya, Aegon the Conquerer’s sister—the first rider of Vhagar who assisted him in uniting the realm. Forced into a state of inaction, Rhaenyra is getting impatient by the day as she wants to take a more active role to serve her subjects and champion their cause. Vhagar and Aemond’s presence is an active threat to the Blacks, and now with Aegon nearly out of the picture, Aemond can take severe measures to hunt his opponents down. Rhaenyra mentions needing more dragons, but her elder son duly reminds her that they lack dragonriders, not dragons. Jace suggests using dragonseeds, the illegitimate children of Valyrian blood, to aid their cause; at least it will keep the royal family from getting annihilated at the end. Rhaenyra skeptically lightens up to this idea, and the episode ends.
The second season of House of the Dragon introduced Alyn of Hull, Hugh Hammer, and Ulf with the sole intention of beginning the Dragonseed arc, and the upcoming episodes will double down on that. In wartime, every desperate measure seems fair as long as it is strategically effective, and Jace’s idea of using dragonseeds to keep the Blacks from harm’s way is theoretically a good strategy. However, merely having the blood of dragonlords doesn’t guarantee allegiance or expertise, and it doesn’t change the futility of the upcoming war either. It’s no longer Jaehaerys and Viserys’ reign of peace, which makes all the inexperienced minds lose their collective composure after being affected by the viciousness of war—and in the end, the Dragonseed strategy can prove to be such a decision as well.
