[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/entertainment\/what-happened-in-house-of-the-dragon-our-recap-of-season-2-episode-5\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/entertainment\/what-happened-in-house-of-the-dragon-our-recap-of-season-2-episode-5\/","headline":"What Happened in House of the Dragon? Our Recap of Season 2, Episode 5","name":"What Happened in House of the Dragon? Our Recap of Season 2, Episode 5","description":"What Happened in House of the Dragon? Our Recap of Season 2, Episode 5 Time to congratulate Aemond on his… promotion? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN you cross the Rubicon? House of the Dragon is now wholly defined by the events before and after Rook’s Rest. Throughout Westeros’s history, there have been dragons, but not quite like…","datePublished":"2024-07-15","dateModified":"2024-07-18","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/author\/andre\/#Person","name":"Andrej Kovacevic","url":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/author\/andre\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/techloot-editor-150x150.jpg","url":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/techloot-editor-150x150.jpg","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Tech Loot","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/techlootio.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/techloot-footer-logo.png","url":"https:\/\/techlootio.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/techloot-footer-logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Screenshot_907.jpg","url":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Screenshot_907.jpg","height":594,"width":633},"url":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/entertainment\/what-happened-in-house-of-the-dragon-our-recap-of-season-2-episode-5\/","video":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sIlN1jRB1QU#VideoObject","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sIlN1jRB1QU","name":"Inside the Episode - S2, Ep 5 | House of the Dragon | HBO","description":"Showrunner Ryan Condal, director Clare Kilner, and more reflect on the aftermath of the Battle at Rook\u2019s Rest and the shifting power dynamics on both sides of the war. 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Our Recap of Season 2, Episode 5Time to congratulate Aemond on his… promotion?WHAT HAPPENS WHEN you cross the Rubicon? House of the Dragon is now wholly defined by the events before and after Rook’s Rest. Throughout Westeros’s history, there have been dragons, but not quite like this. Dragon-on-dragon warfare introduces a new kind of terror, and the residual effects are likely to turn the realm upside down.In this context, the fifth episode, directed by Clare Kilner from a script by Ti Mikkel, focuses on the aftermath. With the death of Rhaenys and the incapacitation of Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), both sides struggle with losses and the need to move forward now that yet another line has been crossed.How do you move forward with ill omens looming? How do you manage people who are terrified of what\u2019s to come? These questions linger like thick smoke in the air. Not all of them will have answers, but there\u2019s enough direction to say it\u2019s all downhill from here. It will get worse before it gets better.The Game of Thrones in the Aftermath of Rook\u2019s RestImage Credit: HBOCongratulations to Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) on his promotion! With Aegon off the board for now\u2014and possibly forever\u2014the small council quickly turns to appointing a successor. While Alicent (Olivia Cooke) positions herself as a worthwhile candidate, she\u2019s quickly undercut by council members who seek to further their own agendas (cough, Larys). But the deciding factor comes down to Cole (Fabien Frankel), who takes a unique approach. The idea that to fight a monster, you must become a monster yourself is a rich thematic text in media, and it takes hold here. With Cole now understanding what it truly takes to win in this war, Aemond’s (and Vhagar\u2019s) power are virtually unmatched. Or, as he says, \u201cWe have given the war to the dragons. A dragon rider should lead us.\u201dThe idea that the war is now in the hands of the dragons fits well with the shorthand I like to use when communicating their power. Each dragon is, essentially, a walking nuclear weapon with a mind of its own. Unleashing that power is so terrifying that it crosses a point of no return; it\u2019s an unbelievably painful and awful death that\u2019s worse than war\u2014because they\u2019re war incarnate. Stopping them is a nearly impossible task, and it feels like the realm is about to learn that firsthand.Will Aemond be a good ruler? Alicent doesn\u2019t seem to think so. What\u2019s so great about how Kilner frames that moment is that it initially feels like she\u2019s mad about being passed over before it moves into outright terror and fears about what he might do. If he\u2019s willing to burn his own brother, imagine what he\u2019ll do to someone he doesn\u2019t care about. The power of that moment, juxtaposed later with how Aemond looks at the Iron Throne, is chilling. In an episode full of \u201cblack omens,\u201d Aemond\u2019s ascendency is the most chilling of them all.Jace and Baela Take the ReignsImage Credit: HBOWhile Rhaenyra\u2019s children feel more defined than they did at the end of last season, we still haven\u2019t spent as much time with them as we have with Aegon and Aemond. But that changes this week. It\u2019s important to see Baela\u2019s (Bethany Antonia) reaction to the death of Rhaenys, given the relationship there, and it\u2019s good that the show uses this to give better context to Baela\u2019s character. It\u2019d be easy to paint Baela as one-dimensional, but I like how the show uses Rhaenys\u2019s death not to motivate Baela further but rather to carry on her memory. Out of the kids, the two are the most similar; we\u2019ve seen Baela have shrewd instincts on the battlefield and a wisdom that many characters lack. It feels like she\u2019s rounding into a much better form, which is fitting, given Rhaenyra\u2019s need for allies.Speaking of, you have to commend Jace\u2019s (Harry Collett) diplomatic skills in his dealings with the Tullies. Not unlike Aegon, he acts independently, but the difference here is his understanding of the game. Jace knows how to leverage his role. As the son of the queen, he can at least pretend well enough to make promises as long as he\u2019s getting what he wants\u2014bent knees\u2014in the larger picture. It\u2019s a shrewd understanding of strategy and ensuring he can execute. But what\u2019s also great is that he\u2019s proving his worth as an ally for Rhaenyra when she has few people she can count on.Daemon\u2019s FollyImage Credit: HBOWhich brings us to Daemon (Matt Smith). It\u2019s ironic that Rhaenyra understands that Daemon might be working against her but has no idea how badly he\u2019s messed things up. The situation with the Brackens and the Blackwoods continues to spiral out of control, and attempts to improve it only make things worse. It\u2019s as if people don\u2019t love being put into positions where they\u2019re forced to comply.The longer Daemon spends at Harrenhal, the more it seems like he\u2019s incapable of handling the situation accordingly. While it\u2019s thrilling to watch Matt Smith portray these insane visions, the Harrenhal plot is getting close to feeling as difficult to manage as the famed castle itself. We\u2019re seeing a similar story play out in different shades. Daemon\u2019s desire to take the throne for himself colors this plot with intrigue\u2014especially if he\u2019s on a more direct collision course with Rhaenyra in the coming weeks.Odds & EndsImage Credit: HBOSteve Toussaint\u2019s reaction to the death of Rhaenys is powerful, and I\u2019m glad the show is finding a more active role for him by promoting him to Rhaenyra\u2019s hand. I posted this on Twitter the other day, but it\u2019s worth repeating: Clare Kilner is on another level\u2014and should be in the conversation as one of the best Thrones-related directors alongside Mark Mylod or Miguel Sapochnik. Her handling of the smallfolk plots is so humanistic, and that attention to micro-level storytelling is welcome in a grand tale. Plus, the way she shoots dining conversations in Harrenhal adds a great touch of intimacy. I love the behind-the-back tracking shots she does to give movement from room to room more propulsion. I\u2019d love to see her take on a big battle sequence. So we\u2019re all in agreement… Alys is definitely messing with Daemon, right? The term \u201cmad\u201d when applied to the Targaryens always feels loaded. Let\u2019s keep an eye on how beneficial this next generation of dragonriders ultimately turns out to be. The idea of Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) suggesting a grassroots PR campaign in King\u2019s Landing made me chuckle. It\u2019s the smart play, but it\u2019s funny when a fantasy show adopts a political approach that feels like our modern era."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Entertainment","item":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/entertainment\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What Happened in House of the Dragon? Our Recap of Season 2, Episode 5","item":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/entertainment\/what-happened-in-house-of-the-dragon-our-recap-of-season-2-episode-5\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]